The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 120 Catching the Knife!

Countless segmented limbs struck the rock wall, producing sounds like waves and ripples that rapidly expanded. The monster used this method to locate the fugitives, and Shen Cangming, acting as a beacon, could also sense the monster's approach from the earth.

Shen Cangming looked at his comrade-in-arms, who was staring blankly into space, and said, "Su Hexuan!"

"do not come!"

Zhi Xuan threw down the Buddhist prayer beads and staggered backward, his back slamming against the wall. The vajra in his hand pointed directly at Shen Cangming. The light on the prayer beads brightened for a moment, then slowly dimmed.

It was as if a barrier had been broken through.

There was a faint sound of flapping wings in the air. A patch of skin on the monk's face seemed to crack open, revealing the insect body beneath the wings. His face was a mimicry of an insect monster, a unique supernatural power of the insect race.

It's not even a matter of change.

Someone behind Shen Cangming saw this scene and screamed in panic and fear, retreating backward on all fours. This reaction felt like a sharp knife piercing Zhi Xuan's heart. He felt pain in his heart, raised his weapon, and said, "Go!"

"Shen Cangming, take the people and leave this place! Let's go!"

Shen Cangming stared intently at Zhixuan.

Zhixuan gasped for breath.

The insect demon's voice came from outside, sneering, "Go, where do you think you're going?!" Along with the voice, a blade pierced in with a whooshing sound. The blade had the insect race's unique exoskeleton and a serrated edge.

Those were the fangs of a blue mantis.

How could the rubble withstand the monster's power? It was quickly torn apart. The gaunt monk, his face contorted and his arms transformed into mantis blades, said, "Junior Brother Zhixuan, have you forgotten who you really are?"

"The abbot has been killed, what are you waiting for?!"

"Why don't you quickly reveal your true form?!"

This is the second time that this question has been thrown at Zhixuan's face.

He held the Vajra pestle and suddenly murmured, "The beacon fire rises three times, and the night watchman's torch never ceases."

"I, I am..."

Seemingly unable to bear it any longer, insects began to crawl out of Zhixuan's face.

He suddenly hissed, gripped the Vajra pestle tightly, turned around, and smashed it towards Shen Cangming. The insect demons laughed in unison, but it turned into a miserable laugh. Shen Cangming seemed to know what Zhixuan was going to do, and suddenly bent down, his sword burning with fire.

boom! ! !
The Vajra pestle slammed into Shen Cangming's back, smashing through the wall and clearing a path. As the rubble rained down, Shen Cangming struck the rubble with his horizontal sword, causing flames to erupt and the rubble to shoot out like powerful crossbow bolts, directly attacking the demons.

That was an order from Anren Army.

The beacon fires were lit three times, and the night watch never ceased.

Salt is sprinkled on the frozen river, and bronze mirrors are used to scorch the enemy.

Even though Zhi Xuan is now a demon in human form, when Zhi Xuan roared out this military order, Shen Cangming still cooperated with him to make moves, just like time and time again in the past.

And Zhixuan, as always, did not betray him.

Zhi Xuan said, "Let's go!"

Shen Cangming remained silent. This silent man suddenly spun around and sheathed his sword. The hilt of the sword, accompanied by a storm, slammed heavily into the hole behind him that Zhixuan had just created with the Vajra Pestle. He said, "Go."

The people scrambled to their feet in a panic, trembling as they ran outside, their limbs weak with fear.
Shen Cangming said, "Su Hexuan."

Zhi Xuan gave a sorrowful smile and said softly:

"I am not your comrade-in-arms."

"I am merely a demon in this skin, but..."

Zhi Xuan pulled something from his waist and tossed it to Shen Cangming, saying, "This is a letter from your sister that you've been unable to find. If you still care, go and see her!"

"Now, let's go!"

Shen Cangming remained expressionless. He grabbed the letter, tucked it into his robes, and stood behind the ordinary people, knife in hand. The demons, having recovered from their earlier attack, charged forward in shock and rage. Zhi Xuan and Shen Cangming, back to back, exerted their strength simultaneously.

Zhixuan said softly:
"Leaping and slashing, the blade cuts through mountains."

Shen Cangming whispered:
"Subduing fire burns the clouds, iron rain vanquishes evil."

Anyone who dares to suggest retreat will be executed on the spot!
Anrenjun!
"rush!"

The two roared and charged in different directions with their backs to each other. The demons that blocked their way and those that circled around were all killed without a trace by Shen Cangming's blade. This fierce general of the border army seemed to have lost his usual composure.

He no longer had that kind of subconscious preparation to retain a certain amount of strength at every moment.

The blade blazed like furious fire, relentlessly slashing and killing.

Zhixuan blocked the demons behind him, continuously waving the Vajra pestle in his hand.

The insect demon's talent lies in its ability to mimic appearances.

Only after the [Mother Insect] dies will some of the insect demons that were ordered to lie dormant gradually regain their past memories. Zhixuan remembered that he had already died.

As an elite member of Anren Army, he was once a staff officer and a disciple of the abbot.

He discovered the problems at Wat Pho earlier than anyone else.

As always, he tried to uncover the truth, and he did indeed understand it: these demons had seduced the abbot for the purpose of achieving immortality and resurrection, but the Reclining Buddha Temple was nothing more than a giant testing ground.

This is not the goal, but the means.

When he learned all this, Zhixuan tried to retreat that night, but was struck hard from behind by a huge demon-subduing pestle. His head was split open, and he died instantly. As he fell there, he was thinking of his comrades-in-arms.

I see……

Getting too used to having someone to rely on can become a weakness.

That night, Zhixuan's eyes gradually dimmed, reflecting the candlelight. He watched as insects emerged from countless corners of the monk's cell, rustling and swarming towards him. He thought that these insect monsters would surely devour his flesh and blood and wear his skin.

Su Hexuan thought to himself.

General, Shen Cangming, little sister...

I really want to see you all again.

While lost in the daze of the Dharma assembly, a monk named Zhixuan saw the crowds gathered beneath the incense, and among them, a friend with a missing arm and one eye, weathered and worn, standing.

boom! ! !
The Vajra pestle slammed down, and Zhixuan blocked many of the insect demons. However, he could not hold them off alone, and two of them still flew out from the gaps in his defenses on both sides. As a result, Zhixuan's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth arms grew out.

These arms stretched out, fingers spread, and tightly gripped the necks of the two monsters, then swung them up heavily and slammed them to the ground.

The giant green mantis cried out in terror, "Are you insane?!"

"What are you doing?! You are an insect demon, and 'Zhixuan' is nothing but your shell, the corpse you inhabit, and your clothes. Do you want to be trapped by this shell?!"

Zhixuan gasped for breath. His eyes could see the arms that had grown out of him, but how could a human eye see so much? Oh, I see, I see…

It's because his cheeks have also cracked open, and eyes have grown out.

An insect crawled out of the eye socket and then back in.

"Hahaha……"

With his back to the departing Shen Cangming, 'Zhixuan' laughed arrogantly and shouted, "Of course I know, I am just an insect, and I should obey your orders and be part of the plan."

“They parasitize insects, then kill the Xuan officials, and use their corpses to transform into demons.”

"It's a spell even stronger than the molting of human skin." "That's for sure, after all, that person is already dead."

"but……"

Zhi Xuan's lips curled up, revealing a defiant smile:

"You've chosen the wrong body to inhabit! I am Su Hexuan of Anren Army, not someone you can just manipulate. Besides, I truly practice Buddhism. What do you take me for?!"

The insect demon sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat, but was held firmly by 'Zhi Xuan' and couldn't escape. A dense demonic aura emanated from 'Zhi Xuan' as he questioned repeatedly:

"The Buddhist teachings say, 'Thus it is,' I have heard!"

"Demon, do you know what 'I' am?!"

The ground trembled, and the demonic aura emanating from 'Zhixuan' was intense. The young monk stepped forward, thinking about how he had left the battlefield, learned about the affairs of the border king Zhongsi, and become displaced, and how he had knocked on the door of the Reclining Buddha Temple on a rainy night.

He said, "The physical body is a temporary combination of earth, water, fire, and wind, and will eventually dissipate!"

"Feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness arise and cease in an instant; none of them can control themselves!"

"If I am the five aggregates, then where am I when the five aggregates disperse?"

"If I were to depart from the five aggregates, where would I exist?"

Zhixuan said, “Let me tell you, all phenomena are consciousness, there is no ‘self’ in the world. It is too naive to think that you can use insects to control me and drive my body.”

The wind moves the flag, but the heart of the benevolent remains unmoved, simply because there is no self to be moved.

In that very instant.

The already deceased 'Zhixuan' broke through the ego of Buddhism.

Even though Zhixuan is dead, his body still possesses a powerful and resilient will. Demonic powers and magic can bewitch people and possess and control corpses, but...

But you must have faith.

The indomitable will of the human heroes can still withstand all of this!
And the more determined one's will and the more trials one has endured, the more this is true.

Zhixuan knew that Shen Cangming was retreating rapidly, and his whole body surged violently.

The blue mantis screamed in terror, "Zhixuan is dead!"

"You're an insect demon!"

Images seemed to flash before Zhixuan's eyes.

He ran away in a fit of pique in his youth, joined the army, fought, and battled, surviving time and time again, fighting side by side time and time again. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sorrow: Shen Cangming, oh Shen Cangming, if I die, I am already dead...

So, the original Anren Army.

You're the only one left.

Just thinking about this made Zhixuan feel a sense of grief and regret.

hum-

The dense demonic aura surrounding 'Zhixuan' stagnated, and then wisps of Buddhist light flowed out from the demonic aura. The pure and serene Buddhist intent scorched the demons. The green mantis was tightly gripped and felt the Buddhist light turn into fire, burning it to the bone.

The Blue Mantis exclaimed, "Are you crazy?!"

"Demon-subduing fire?! You're a demon too, you'll die too!"

'Zhixuan' said softly, 'Perhaps you are right, but even if 'my' soul has dissipated, this body still remembers what it was supposed to do...' He gripped the monster's arm tightly with his hand.

Grab the other's, and your own.

Two demons.

All caught.

"We shall slay demons and vanquish evil!"

The golden flames of the Buddha enveloped them all.

The piercing screams continued to ring out.

Zhi Xuan clasped all six arms together, and the hideous insect demon's limbs closed up like lotus petals, standing before him. His eyes lowered, his expression compassionate, and he finally chanted a Buddhist prayer, saying, "Amitabha..."

Shen Cangming of Xingxiuchuan.

Keep moving forward.

Here we are, and we part ways.

The demonic aura was extinguished by the dense Buddhist light.

As these rays of Buddha light flowed, they also annihilated the insect demon bodies within them.

Finally, the insectoid monsters disappeared, leaving only Zhixuan sitting cross-legged there. His expression was peaceful and compassionate, but he was no longer alive. A surge of Buddhist light swept across the passageway below the Reclining Buddha Temple. The Green Mantis died, and the passageway collapsed.

Submerge everything.

Anren Army Staff Officer, Monks of Wofo Temple, Zhixuan.

He passed away peacefully.

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

Actually, we were already very close to the outside. Shen Cangming fought his way out to protect everyone. The rain outside and the faint light fell on them, but there were many demons. He only had one arm, and the horizontal sword in his hand was finally unable to protect him. He was blocked by the demons.

He had already seen Zhou Yan and Li Zhenyue.

Li Zhenyue's eyes lit up, and he shouted:

"Shen Cangming!!!"

"Catch the knife!"

Li Zhenyue reached out and grabbed the incredibly heavy box behind him. With all his might, he suddenly threw it away. The box fell and broke apart, revealing a long-handled sword inside, emanating a chilling aura.

Two lines of text are engraved on the blade.

[Xingxiuchuan Shen Cangming defeats the Tubo at Qinghai Lake]

[Thirty-seven enemy generals were beheaded in battle]

A loud crash came from the passageway behind us.

The Buddha's light dissipated, and the last sound rang out.

Shen Cangming's face remained expressionless as he wielded his sword with ferocious force, reaching out from the encirclement of demons. He released the sword he had obtained from Wang Zhongsi, and the sword, a symbol of obsession, fell to the ground, eliciting a roar from the demons.

Then, Shen Cangming spread his five fingers and grasped the Mo Dao.

A terrifying aura gathered and then shot into the sky.

I witnessed my comrades covering the rear and dying in battle once again.

The last of Anren Army.

Yu Si returned.

(End of this chapter)