The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 109 Breaking Through the Tribulation and Responding to the Calamity
As the lamplight flickered and the mural of the young monk came to life, his skin cracked and split open, revealing worm-like limbs covered in scriptures emerging from the fissures. These massive limbs lashed out at Zhou Yan, tearing at him with ferocity.

Zhou Yan had already made preparations.

The blade pressed against the earth's veins and then rose up.

Beacon towers!

A blazing golden flame rose, but this arthropod insect demon was unafraid of the Ninth-Rank Xuan Guan Fire. However, when Zhou Yan's Earth Soul Heaven-Shattering Sword slammed down heavily, the insect demon's limbs could no longer withstand the mountain in Zhou Yan's hand.

Being immune to magic does not mean being able to ignore weight.

Click, click.

With a series of crisp sounds, the insect's limbs were twisted and broken by pure and absolute power. Zhou Yan seized the opportunity and thrust his knife forward. In the mouth of the Misty Peak Mountain Spirit, the heavy knife, devoid of any other characteristics except for its weight and hardness, pierced through the wall and into the soft flesh.

The last mural, the one of the young monk, had a hollow space behind it.

Hidden within the hollow was a gigantic insect demon. After Zhou Yan's knife pierced its abdomen, its limbs crawled wildly, covered with black barbs. Ordinary insects only had dark, stiff bristles, but for such a large monster, those bristles were like steel needles!
If it were to be grazed, large chunks of flesh and blood would be torn off immediately.

The only outcome was a bloody and mangled mess.

Zhou Yan gripped the sword with both hands, channeling his magical power into it without regard for the cost.

The Broken Army Fierce Qi Talisman on the blade compressed magic power and air, then instantly changed and transformed, thus igniting Zhou Yan's Beacon Fire. Before the insect limbs could pierce Zhou Yan's body, the insect demon was ignited by the fire within its body and burned to death.

Zhou Yan drew his sword, but not a single drop of blood stained its blade.

On the ancient, dark blade, wisps of malevolent energy swirled.

Zhou Yan's forehead twitched.

"The molted cicada shell, used to deduce the art of immortality, damn it, combining the Buddhist Yogacara school with the ancient corpse-dissolving immortal method, this is truly insane." Zhou Yan looked around, gripping his knife, his mind already tense.

His thoughts raced wildly.

It seems that the rat demon, Dengying'er, was scared away because she discovered what the abbot had done. Some of the cicada molts and human skin bags were the abbot's experiments to try to prolong life through insect molting and corpse dissolution.

To use countless ordinary people as test subjects for their own survival experiments, such behavior can only be described as—

"What kind of demon is this!"

Be punished!

However, with this problem solved, new doubts arose in Zhou Yan's mind.

If that's the case, what role does the Weaver Girl, this mysterious and unpredictable demon with unknown origins, play in this story? Did she give the abbot his secret technique? Or are there still clues that Zhou Yan hasn't noticed?

What is her purpose?
What is it that she seeks?
Why did the evil practice of the Golden Cicada Molting lead to the massacre of Chen Xuanzang's descendants?

If it was merely monks trying various evil methods in their quest for immortality, why would it have caused the god of agriculture to weaken to such an extent?

How could a heretical monk's pursuit of immortality lead to a hundred miles of land suffering a complete crop failure for a century?

And what is his connection with Li Longji?
The mystery of one story has been revealed, but what follows the truth is an even greater upheaval, a greater conspiracy and the unknown, but this is not what Zhou Yan needs to deal with right now.

Zhou Yan picked up the Buddhist lamp; the oil inside the bronze lamp was almost gone.

Together they made the decision.

The Mountain Lord Jade Talisman unleashed its wind-controlling technique.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground, Zhou Yan's perception was enhanced. He followed the slightest breeze and let it spread outwards. Even though this was a secluded spot in the Reclining Buddha Temple, there would definitely be a breeze flowing at the entrance and the exit.

Following the sensation of the wind, Zhou Yan moved swiftly with his knife in hand.

It's just a pity that his current cultivation level isn't high enough to control both jade talismans simultaneously. Otherwise, by controlling the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman and maintaining the Flowing Wind Sensation, he could use the Daoist escape technique of the Lantern Shadow Jade Talisman to travel quickly.

Instead of having to rush around like we do now.

Even with the wind greatly reducing the sound of his footsteps, there were still faint sounds and breathing in the darkness, which amplified the oppressive atmosphere and fear in the pure darkness. As Zhou Yan traveled, he was thinking about the current situation of his other companions.

.....................

Ancient locust trees are collected.

Yuan Danqiu set up a core altar, based on one of the eight great divine incantations of Taoism, the [Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Incantation], and transformed it into a large-scale barrier-type spell. He then performed a ritual to summon the local earth gods within a hundred miles.

The Taoist Xuantan lineage.

Not good at direct combat or combat-related spells.

But it's just that I'm not good at this.

Given enough time, enough people, and enough materials, they can do anything, commanding the winds and rains.

Yuan Danqiu handed over the talismans he had personally made to the local earth deities, instructing them to plant the flags in their respective locations, thus spreading the power of the Taoist altar throughout Wugong Town and the entire area covered by the Taoist temple of the God of Agriculture, Houji.

Yuan Danqiu let out a long breath.

The Taoist looked into the distance. The entire Ancient Locust Village and Wugong Town still appeared calm and peaceful, showing no trace of the rhinoceros demon's blood turning into insects and the cicada devouring flesh and blood.

Yuan Danqiu looked at Yin Zichuan, Lian Niang, and Hui Niang who was standing quietly there.

I am worried.

Zhou Yan had already foiled the great demon Weaver Girl's hidden conspiracy, so the demon was naturally not going to let it go. Since the method of hiding and concealing was no longer feasible, the demon would no longer bother with any pretense of secrecy.

These monsters will definitely take action; the only question is when. Yuan Danqiu's thoughts raced as he gazed into the distance towards the Reclining Buddha Temple, pondering…

Zhou Yan, you must succeed!

At least, survive.

A breeze blows, and it seems as if a layer of fine gold dust floats in the air, reflecting the sunlight with a beautiful and dazzling glow, even carrying a sense of solemnity, as it slowly drifts towards the ancient locust tree village.

........................

The space beneath Wat Pho is even larger than Wat Pho itself.

Zhou Yan traveled swiftly without encountering any monsters.

It seems that this is not a place with layers of traps, but the core area. Such a place must be close to the secret of the Reclining Buddha Temple. Zhou Yan even faintly felt that the golden patterns on his arm were burning.

"Hey, are you feeling the urge to go back to your hometown?"

"These insect eggs are quite attached to their home."

After turning several corners, Zhou Yan looked into the distance and saw a ball of light in the distance. He paused slightly, and with his divine eyes, he recognized what the thing in his sight was. It was five balls of light.

One is a blue lotus, and the other is a white lotus. A perfectly round bead.

A drop of red blood.

There was also an enormous cicada corpse.

These five things converged in the distance in Zhou Yan's vision, slowly rising, and were faintly connected to each other. Zhou Yan held his breath, used the flowing wind to conceal his aura, thought for a moment, lit the Buddhist lamp, and emitted Buddhist light to cover himself with Buddhist aura.

At the same time, perception is enhanced by the wind.

A faint sound echoed in my ears:

"...Did you succeed in your attempt?"

"...It's a success. This golden cicada is an experimental subject for Buddhism."

"Ah."

"Perfect, perfect."

"Unfortunately, the experimental subject related to the Taoist sect, [Bihen], seems to have gotten out of control... She was originally the mayfly described in the Huainanzi as [the mayfly neither eats nor drinks, and dies after three days]. We raised her and used a wonderful method to transform her into a dragonfly."

"We originally intended to deduce whether the ascension method of 'eating the wind and drinking the dew, ascending to immortality in Kunwu' was feasible."

"But he truly possessed the innate talent of Taoism, and often lost control."

“Buddhism often gets caught up in attachment, while Taoism is prone to being self-centered and disobedient.”

"never mind."

The person with his back to Zhou Yan stretched out his hand, pointed to the slowly rotating blue lotus flower, and said, "This flower is blue, and in Buddhism it is called Utpala, which symbolizes the wondrous function of one's own nature, and is inseparable from the origin. It is also called the Buddha's eye."

Pointing to the white lotus flower, he said, "This is a white lotus, which is called Pundarika in Buddhism. It grows in the Buddha's Pure Land of Anavatapta and is very rare in the human world. It is a rare find to have one."

"Although the lotus flowers worshipped in Buddhism come in five colors, white and blue are the most revered. The white lotus represents ultimate purity, and the blue lotus represents fundamental wisdom. Together, they constitute Buddha-nature."

"Then we will use the method of insect transformation derived from the [Reclining Buddha Temple] as the foundation."

That's enough.

He held up the round, smooth bead in his hand, murmuring to himself:

"Shariputra, Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of inherent existence, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither born nor dying. Chen Yi and Xuanzang traveled alone for seventeen years, covering 50,000 li, visiting 180 countries, and destroying countless demons."

"The title of the Mahayana Deity revered in Mahayana Buddhism; the highest title of the Theravada Buddhist Deity, the Holder of Liberation."

"During your lifetime, the Buddha's teachings shone brightly for a generation."

"After your death, the sect will only last for two generations."

"Now, with your relics, with your understanding of the myriad phenomena and consciousness, and with the molting method of the Reclining Buddha Temple, we will reshape you in this modern era with your ancient demonic body, and then let you absorb the last purple aura of the Holy Sanlang."

"Let's see if you still have a Buddhist heart by then."

Another voice hesitated, "But Xuanzang is well-versed in the Buddhist canon and can be considered the foremost figure in Buddhism. What if his Buddhist nature remains unchanged after his revival?"

The person holding the relic said, "I possess the blood of the drought demon."

"When the drought demon appears, the land turns barren for miles. It uses the resentment of all living beings to taint his Buddha-nature; it draws upon the earth's energy, the spirit of agriculture and the harvest, to revive him and transform him into a demonic Buddha..."

"And this is just an attempt."

"In the end, it was all for..."

The sound carried on the wind made Zhou Yan's pupils contract sharply. He realized he had truly stumbled into a massive storm. Just then, Zhou Yan saw one of the people frown:
"Such a powerful baleful aura..."

"Why would elite human warriors appear here, and act like madmen? Hmm? They've already broken through three layers of defense?"

"The fifth floor?"

"The eleventh floor?!"

The man, who had been nonchalant, suddenly became serious: "Something's not right!"

"He's aiming for this breakthrough. You take charge of the rituals; I'll go check on him!"

"This murderous aura... from a renowned human general?!"

It seems that the person he spoke of, with his extremely fierce aura, broke through too quickly and posed too great a threat.

He no longer possessed the calm and composed demeanor he had before.

With a sway, he transformed into light and departed. Zhou Yan's heart pounded. Before him stood Tang Xuanzang, not the Buddha from mythology, but a human being who had lived with dignity in the world.

He was about to transform into a demon. Based on Zhou Yan's understanding, he was absolutely no match for Xuanzang who had been resurrected through corpse dissolution, and Shen Cangming was probably no match for him either. In addition, there was the legend of the drought demon, which caused the land to turn red for thousands of miles. Zhou Yan exhaled and put down his knife.

He stared intently at the ceremony.

Just as the spell began to flow, the boy bit his finger and carved patterns on the blade, creating a talisman to ward off evil and vanquish demons. His divine eye reflected the entire trajectory of the ritual and also saw the location of the flaw.

As the spell began, the relic emitted a soft light.

Suddenly, a sound of air being torn apart rang out. When the woman performing this magical spell turned her head slightly, she only saw a sword being thrown out, and another bronze Buddhist lamp appearing around her in a spinning motion.

With the second breath, the lamp, having run out of oil, began to glow faintly.

The Buddha lamp illuminated the left and right sides, and the cicada cast a huge shadow.

Zhou Yan pointed his fingers together, and a jade talisman appeared between them. Within the talisman, a lantern shadow in the style of an ink painting stole the lamp oil, and light emanated from Zhou Yan's pupils. The page of the jade scroll with the lantern shadow shone with unprecedented brilliance.

The ink-wash monster's figure seemed to hiss.

Stealing the universe as a lamp, using calamity as fuel.

A sliver of sand, a myriad of shadows return to their true form.

The shadows of lamps, supernatural powers, and layers upon layers of lamp shadows.

Zhou Yan's figure appeared instantly beside the ceremony. As the ceremony began, he suddenly drew his sword, instantly separating several items. The young Taoist's eyebrows were sharp and raised.

"Excuse me."

"Your ritual has failed."

The Earth Soul in his hand tilted upwards, and blazing flames suddenly exploded.

(End of this chapter)