Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 166 A blessing in disguise
Suddenly, the sound of Buddhist chants arose, and golden light arrived. The towering waves instantly collapsed, eventually transforming into calm waters that flowed gently.

Just as the wave crashed down beside the boat, everyone was still in shock when they saw the clouds tear apart in the distant sky, revealing a monk dressed in a greyish-white robe. However, due to the great distance, his features were not clearly visible.

But what's strange is that behind him, there's a phantom of a temple floating high in the sky, with its gates and pagodas vividly depicted and gleaming with gold.

The black dragon above the clouds was clearly caught off guard and immediately flew into a rage, its voice booming like thunder as it demanded:
"【Prajna Palace】? Which family of Huangyang do you belong to, the Prajna Master? How dare you oppose me?"

The monk's voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible. He chuckled and said loudly:

“Please do not be angry, Benefactor Ao. This humble monk is Tija, a venerable monk from the Sixth Temple of Nanchan.”

This enormous black dragon is none other than Ao Shenchang, the current ruler of the myriad aquatic creatures of the East Sea, the master of the East Sea Crystal Palace, and the Dragon King of the East Sea.

"Tija?"

Ao Shenchang stared wide-eyed, baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, his long body contorting and swaying, surrounded by swirling clouds of mist, and exclaimed in astonishment.
"Are you the Buddha Master of Nanchan? And what about Agara?"

"Amitabha! My teacher's heart was set on the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and he has already passed away for over a hundred years!"

Tika clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and the phantom image of the temple behind him shone even brighter.

"Agalo is dead?"

Ao Shenchang was initially taken aback, then couldn't help but let out a snort.
"Stop spouting nonsense! Your Huangyang Buddhist family possesses such a treacherous technique as the 'Soul Swap,' how could your master have died so easily?"

"I'm afraid Agara didn't pass away, but rather transformed into a rainbow body, right? Hmph! He dared to dream of becoming a Mahayana Arhat, but he didn't expect that none of the gods and Buddhas would guide him, and in the end, he transformed into a rainbow body and departed!"

Tija showed neither sorrow nor joy; his expression was perfectly peaceful.
“Benefactor Ao, there is no difference between life and death; even becoming a rainbow is a form of Nirvana.”

"Hmph! Don't try to play mind games with me!"

Ao Shenchang's hair and beard bristled, and he roared angrily.
"Newly appointed Master of Southern Chan, I have stirred up trouble here, causing gods and ghosts to flee. You have unleashed the [Buddha's Light] to obstruct me from displaying my supernatural powers. What exactly is your intention?"

"Could it be that you've achieved the [Prajna Realm] and now want a piece of the pie in Qingshen? You young monk, you look so young, yet you have quite the ambition. You overestimate yourself!"

Tija smiled radiantly:

"How dare I? This humble monk's cultivation is shallow; how could I be a match for the Dragon King? I merely heard that the Azure God was without a master, and the wind was clear and the moon was bright. Seeing the clouds and mist dissipate, this humble monk thought of searching for the location of the Ascension Platform."

"Hahaha... Huang Yang Shi Zi is indeed a hypocritical and shameless person who seeks fame and fortune!"

Ao Shenchang laughed loudly, but his laughter gradually turned cold, and he bared his teeth and glared angrily.

"This Ascension Platform is the passage for the ancient immortals of Crimson Heaven to ascend to the Crimson Heaven Immortal Land. What does it have to do with you, an outsider from the Buddhist community? Don't all the gods and Buddhas in your Buddhist family guide you when you ascend? What use is this Ascension Platform to you?"

Tija showed no displeasure and laughed:
"Our Buddha is compassionate, saving all beings, whether gods or mortals. In the Crimson Heaven, among all the myriad phenomena, there is also the abode of our Buddha, and there is also the gate of our Buddha."

"Humph!"

Ao Shenchang bared his fangs and said coldly,

"If that's the case, then what else is there to say? Since you're so eager to ascend to heaven, I'll send you to the Western Paradise today!"

Tija smiled and shook his head:

"This humble monk advises Benefactor Ao to put away such greedy thoughts. Now that this humble monk has attained Prajna, his supernatural powers are not small, and he may injure you if things are not handled properly!"

"Smooth-talking, what a bunch of shameless bastards!"

The people on the boat did not expect that the monk and the dragon would start fighting after talking for a while. At the same time, golden light and black mist burst out, causing the mountains and lakes below to shake.

The [Black-Cut Wind] swayed once more amidst the raging storm. Xu Boyang, aided by his pupil technique, could see the situation and quickly said:

"Master Sun, the Dragon King of the East Sea and the Southern Chan monk are locked in a fierce battle in the sky. We can just pass through from below!"

Sun Rushi, struggling to maintain the stability of the boat, exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this:

"That would be far too risky. If such a powerful being were to even touch a single strand of our bodies, we would surely be pulverized!"

Xu Boyang reached out and clapped his hands, taking out the Foundation Establishment artifact [Sparkling Sun Flag] given to him by Ding Tianshi. He conjured a pale red light shield that covered the boat and shouted:

"This is a golden opportunity; missing it now would be a disastrous one!"

Yu Qingmei nodded, her face cold:
"Sun Rushi, Shang Li and I will use the 'Swift Wind Spell' to help you. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble! Go quickly!"

"Uncle-Master Sun, nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

Sun Shangli formed hand seals, his eyes flashing with malice, and gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"If we want to leave this place alive, we have no choice but to take a gamble!"

Seeing that the three were about to be shot, Sun Rushi had no choice but to act. She gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and manipulated the [Black Wind] to break through the air and speed towards Huai Mountain along the low sky above the marshland.

Lightning flashed overhead, golden light shimmered, and torrential rain and countless rolling stones rained down from the sky. Sun Rushi maneuvered the wind boat, weaving left and right, and several times he squeezed through the rain of boulders, which was extremely dangerous.

Many lantern-sized pebbles struck the windboat, but were deflected by the light shield created by Xu Boyang's [Shining Sun Flag], sending the pebbles flying.

"not good!"

Sun Ru shouted, and saw a huge boulder, like a cliff, slowly descending in front of him. It seemed there was no way to avoid it and he was about to crash into it. Although he had the cultivation of the late Foundation Establishment stage, in order to achieve speed, he had attached all his energy to the wind boat, but he was powerless to stop it.

Suddenly, Yu Qingmei's expression turned cold. She opened her mouth and spat out a small, grayish-red serrated wheel. As soon as the wheel appeared, it spun rapidly and flew out, instantly cutting the boulder in two.

Facing the remaining half of the boulder, Xie Shuge roared and unleashed his long flute, transforming it into a giant halberd of spiritual light, which smashed it to pieces!

The cultivators of Nanhuai no longer hesitated and rushed to help. Their spiritual light flashed, and they overcame all obstacles, turning misfortune into good fortune. Just as they were about to escape the Huai Mountain range, Xu Boyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but glance up at the sky, and suddenly saw a dark, heavy ball of light descending from the heavens with incredible speed, arriving before him in the blink of an eye. He was instantly terrified and cried out loudly:
"Abandon ship! Get out of the way!"

Everyone was startled and before they could turn around, Xu Boyang used the [Shuoyang Flag] to wrap them up and jump off the wind boat!
"Oh!"

Sun Rushi's [Black Chop Wind] was struck by the ball of light in an instant and shattered into pieces!

"puff!"

Xu Boyang single-handedly manipulated the [Sparkling Sun Flag] to protect everyone, but was the first to be affected by the spiritual energy wave. The [Sparkling Sun Flag] instantly disintegrated, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He was severely injured and then lost consciousness. Like a kite with a broken string, he fell into the deep swamp with a splash.

The powerful psychic energy blast sent everyone flying and scattering them.

Ultimately, the use of magic and magical artifacts by the group led to their annihilation. The Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Shenchang, was fighting against the Buddha of the Southern Chan Sect, Ti Jia, high in the sky when he suddenly noticed a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy below. He assumed that Ti Jia was secretly causing trouble and flew into a rage, exhaling a breath downwards.

This dragon's breath contained the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, known as "Thunder Over Mountains," and its dark light made it extremely difficult to detect!
Fortunately, Tija noticed the Dragon King's action. Tija didn't know what he was trying to do and was worried that he would do something underhanded. So he immediately unleashed a golden light, which was the transformation of [Blazing Sun]!
Dragon breath and golden light intertwined in the air, but in the end, dragon breath broke free from the golden light's restraint and chased after the wind boat.

Although the golden light neutralized most of the dragon's breath's power, and Xu Boyang detected it beforehand, it was still no small matter, originating from the Dragon King's kiss. In an instant, it shattered the wind boat into pieces, and the people on board were scattered and fell, their fates unknown.

The dragon's breath struck its target, and Ao Shenchang sensed it. He couldn't help but sneer to himself. He glanced down, but when he looked up, golden light rushed towards him, and he saw a temple as big as a mountain coming towards him!

Tija had cultivated to the level of the Prajna Realm, and his strength was comparable to that of a Daoist Purple Mansion True Person. When masters clashed, the difference was only a hair's breadth. Ao Shenchang's momentary distraction was immediately seized upon by him.

The Buddhist supernatural power, the Prajna Palace, carrying the might of heaven and earth, arrived with a thunderous roar!

The heavens and earth trembled, and a dragon's roar resounded through the night sky!
He didn't know how much time had passed when Xu Boyang suddenly woke up, panting heavily, feeling like his body was about to collapse, and dizzy. After a long while, he finally came to his senses, reached out to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, and realized that he was on a huge rock.

He struggled to his feet and looked around. The floodwaters were still there, vast and endless, with broken logs and beams floating everywhere. The people of Nanhuai and Xie Shuge had disappeared without a trace.

He couldn't help but sigh, and looked up at Huai Mountain not far away. The entire Huai Mountain had been ruined beyond recognition, looking like a hill that had been dug up by dogs.

Xu Boyang checked himself and found that the [Dongxuan Dharma Robe] that Pei Zisu had given him had a large hole in it and was completely destroyed. His face immediately turned pale.

I dared not be careless at that moment. I sat down cross-legged and looked inward with my spiritual sense. I then discovered that I had suffered a very serious internal injury. Although I was not in mortal danger, I was afraid it would take three to five months to recover.

Fortunately, his storage bag was still there. He immediately took out a small pill and swallowed it. He sat cross-legged and circulated his internal energy for two hours to completely neutralize the effects of the medicine before standing up again.

"That aura last night was incredibly powerful; it nearly killed me. I'm still so badly injured. I wonder how my fellow disciples are doing?"

Upon realizing this, Xu Boyang felt a sense of worry. Although he was extremely anxious and rushed back to Qinlong Mountain to investigate his own situation, he had not been able to find any trace of Lang Mochangge and Xu Bozhao underwater last night, and did not know where they were. He could only rush back to Qinlong Mountain to find out.

But then he thought again and realized he couldn't just leave like that, so he used his [Demon Lord's Divine Sense] to search for the whereabouts of the cultivators from Nanhuai and Xie Shuge.

His divine sense instantly soared into the sky, reaching a height of tens of thousands of feet. Only after looking down from this vantage point did he realize that the entire Huai Mountain, which resembled a giant dragon, had been shattered into pieces. It had been seized by the Dragon King of the East Sea, leaving behind crisscrossing valleys and marshes that had merged with the water, forming countless lakes and rivers.

Xu Boyang already knew that the [Hidden Demon Mirror] would be discovered by a cultivator with the strength of a Purple Mansion, so he dared not linger in the sky for too long. After all, the East Sea Dragon King and the Southern Chan Buddha had disappeared last night. Therefore, he only glanced at it before narrowing his divine sense range to the vicinity, searching carefully in every place.

“Huh? This is…”

Xu Boyang searched for a while, but didn't find a single person. However, he discovered a crescent-shaped white scale lying quietly at the bottom of the river not far away, shimmering with a faint light. Instantly, his blood boiled, his chest pounded, and he could hardly believe it.
"This...this is the Achilles' heel?"

Xu Boyang dared not delay. He quickly took to the air, skimming the water's surface, flew there, dove into the water, picked it up, then emerged from the water and found a secluded spot nearby to examine it closely.

This white scale, no bigger than a palm, resembled a fish scale. It felt cool to the touch, shimmered with white light, and emitted ripples of spiritual energy, instantly stirring my heart:
"It seems that Su Yan... Pei Yansu said that this Reverse Scale is a material for refining Purple Mansion magic treasures, and is one of the rare natural treasures."

Xu Boyang felt a chill of fear upon thinking about it. He looked around and quickly put the scale into his storage bag.

Unexpectedly, he turned misfortune into blessing last night and actually found this reverse scale. Xu Boyang was pleasantly surprised but also puzzled. He had seen the reverse scale taken away by the Dragon King of the East Sea. Why would it fall here?
After thinking for a while, he still couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up and used his divine sense to search for his companions' whereabouts.

After expanding his divine sense, he immediately discovered the three people who had accompanied Nanhuai, but his mood instantly plummeted because the three people were already dead, their bodies either lying among the rubble or submerged in the water.

Xu Boyang's face darkened, and he sighed softly. He never expected that these three people would risk their lives for their families, only to die on the way to Nanhuai before they even set foot on the land. It was truly a case of fortune and misfortune being unpredictable.

If they had hardened their hearts, abandoned their families, and followed the Taoist priest, perhaps their lives would have been completely different. Fate is fickle and always plays tricks on people like this.

Xu Boyang got up, found the three of them one by one, found a sheltered place, used his magic to open a cave, buried them one by one, bowed respectfully, and then left.

After burying the three people, he used his divine sense to expand the range again and found Xie Shuge's figure. He saw that Xie Shuge was alone, looking around, and was coming towards him along the water.

Upon seeing that he had survived, Xu Boyang was overjoyed but also secretly puzzled. He rose up, rode the wind, and went to meet him.

"Brother Xu!"

Xie Shuge saw Xu Boyang from afar and was overjoyed. She rushed over and laughed heartily.
"You really survived a great calamity!"

"Thank you, Brother Xie. I'm so glad I survived this ordeal!"

Xu Boyang gave a wry smile, glanced at him, and saw that although his eyes were bright, his whole demeanor was listless. Immediately, his mind cleared, and he asked...

"You are hurt?"

Xie Shuge sighed softly and nodded: "How are you?"

Xu Boyang said with a wry smile, "They're about the same!"

"Brother Xu, if it weren't for your desperate protection of everyone, the casualties would have been even more severe."

Xie Shuge sighed, then couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"I always said that a man of such righteousness as Brother Xu would surely be blessed. That scoundrel surnamed Sun insisted that you were dead!"

Xu Boyang was slightly taken aback.
"Who? Sun Rushi? How are they?"

(End of this chapter)