Two Realms High Martial Arts: Gathering the Heavens to Become a Great Luo Immortal

Chapter 407 The Buddhist Calamity, The Secret of the Thunder God

The scorching heat of the northern desert had not yet dissipated when another dramatic change occurred between heaven and earth!

"Buzz—!!!"

That vast wave, seemingly emanating from the heavens and containing the supreme will of the Heavenly Dao, once again swept across the entire world without warning.

A more magnificent, majestic, and soul-shaking golden light than before surged forth from the depths of the endless void like a bursting dam, violently tearing apart the still-unsettled spiritual energy turbulence and lingering ripples of time above the northern desert.

The Book of Mortals has revealed its divine power once more!

This time, its radiance was so intense that it seemed as if a golden sun had been created out of thin air above the Sea of ​​Death in the northern desert.

The immense and unparalleled pressure of the Heavenly Dao seemed even heavier than when Li Xijun was announced as the number one on the Earthly Ranking. It weighed heavily on the hearts of every living being, making people involuntarily feel the urge to bow down and worship.

The phantom of the golden book unfolded slowly in an almost "reigning" manner, its immense size covering nearly half of the northern desert sky.

As the pages turned, a rumbling sound, like the first creation of heaven and earth and the changing of laws, emanated from the book.

Countless gazes, some filled with shock, some with bewilderment, and some with awe, were cast upon the sky dominated by gold, from the bustling capital of the Great Xia Dynasty to the remote border towns; from overseas fairy islands to the western deserts; from the secret caves of the demonic sects to the mountain gates of the righteous path.

Like golden characters personally engraved by the will of Heaven, carrying an unquestionable will, each word is clearly imprinted deep within the hearts and minds of billions of living beings:

[Great Summer, Midsummer, the Day of Great Heat.]

[In the bitter springs of the northern desert, yellow sands swirl, a calamity has struck, and the Venerable One has fallen!]

[The former High Priest of the Golden Wolf Royal Court, ranked third on the Earthly Ranking, Chi Na Ri, was executed here!]

[The one who will be executed is Li Xijun of the Star Palace!]

In this battle, Chi Na Ri manifested the Blood Wolf Devouring Heaven Dharma Form, its ferocious power overwhelming, intending to destroy the oasis and slaughter all living beings. Li Xi Jun arrived riding on golden light, using his unparalleled physique to shatter the giant claw of the Dharma Form with a single punch, saving the people from annihilation.

[The terrified Chinara fled far away, burning its very essence at a speed approaching that of a Dharma body teleportation.]

However, Li Xijun merely stood still and delivered a distant slash with his sword.

This sword, touching the supreme sword path of time, draws upon the annihilating power at the very bottom of the river of time, enacting the ultimate cycle of birth and death of all things in an instant!

[The sword's light flashes, leaving no trace, no pain, no injury.]

[On that day, his lifespan was exhausted, his body and soul decayed, his Dharma form collapsed, his flesh and blood turned to ash, and he returned to nothingness.]

In this battle, Li Xijun, with only a nascent understanding of the Time Sword Dao, silently caused the death of a Grandmaster of the Half-Step Dharma Body realm, who had dominated the world for decades and ranked among the top three on the Earthly Ranking, to meet his end!

The sheer mystery of his methods and the terrifying power he wielded completely surpassed the comprehension of ordinary grandmasters.

[The celestial secrets resonate, and the earthly rankings shift once more.]

[Third on the Earth Ranking, Chi Na Ri, has fallen and been removed from the list. The vacancy will be filled by the next eligible candidate.]

[Li Xijun is ranked number one on the Earth Ranking, his position is unshakeable, and his fame is even greater!]

[Heaven has taken notice and hereby proclaims this, to serve as a precedent and to demonstrate Heaven's might!]

[Comment:]

[A single sword strikes through time, severing lifespan; swirling yellow sands bury the Heavenly Wolf!]

After the golden book phantom finished reading this earth-shattering announcement, it did not immediately dissipate. Instead, the vast golden light became even more concentrated, as if silently emphasizing the special nature and seriousness of this event.

After a full ten breaths, the golden light that enveloped the heavens and earth slowly faded away, and the oppressive aura dissipated.

But the wind in the northern desert seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

The entire world fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Immediately following, a huge uproar, ten or even a hundred times more intense than when Li Xijun ascended to the top of the Earth Ranking, erupted!

The Bitter Spring Oasis, in front of the Sand Sea Tower, was utterly desolate.

Grandpa Camel Dragon Horse, leaning on his curved sword, knelt on one knee on the scorching sand. The crisscrossing wrinkles on his old face seemed to relax and tighten at this moment because of extreme awe.

He looked up at the western horizon—the direction where the aura of the crimson sun had completely dissipated, and also the direction from which His Highness the Star Lord had unleashed that silent sword that had taken away eight hundred years of lifespan from a Grandmaster on the Earth Ranking.

"Time—the Sword of Time—"

Old Master Ma's throat was dry, and his voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "The legend in the martial arts world says that the second sword of the Sword Sect's 'Three Lives Cycle Sword Manual' involves the taboo of time—it can shorten a person's lifespan and sever their life force—it's actually true—"

The martial arts practitioners who had been excited to witness the duel between grandmasters were now all silent and trembling with fear.

Most of them didn't even see how Li Xijun drew his sword; they only saw a flash of gray sword light, and then Chi Nari's aura—disappeared.

It's completely gone.

It wasn't a case of being seriously injured and fleeing, nor of being weakened; it was a complete and utter erasure from this world!

This method of killing, which was beyond their comprehension, was more chilling than any bloody and brutal battle.

"Then the High Priest of the Golden Wolf Royal Court, Chi Na Ri—is dead?" a young warrior asked in a trembling voice, his face still showing disbelief and bewilderment.

"He's dead."

Grandpa Ma slowly stood up, patted the sand off his knees, and looked eastward with complicated emotions at Li Xijun. "Third on the Earth Ranking, a half-step Dharma Body Master, the High Priest of the Golden Wolf Royal Court—killed by a sword from the Star Lord—and died of old age."

"To die of old age?" The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. The word seemed so strange and terrifying when applied to a grandmaster in his prime, with vigor and vitality.

Grandpa Ma took a deep breath, as if to exhale all the shock in his chest: "What you have seen and heard today should be remembered by all of you. His Highness the Star Lord's abilities are beyond the comprehension of us mortals. This sword strike—is probably far beyond the profound mystery of a Grandmaster."

Everyone couldn't help but sigh in their hearts that the "Azure Emperor" who once passed by the Bitter Spring had completely transformed from a brilliant genius on the Human Ranking into an unfathomable being, second only to the Heaven Ranking.

At Shaolin Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, the morning bell tolls melodiously, and the fragrance of incense wafts through the air.

However, at this moment, this sacred Buddhist site was shrouded in an eerie silence and an undercurrent of suspicion.

In the temple square, the monks who were practicing Arhat Fist suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky, and their faces were filled with shock and bewilderment.

Some of the younger disciples couldn't help but whisper among themselves: "Chi Na Ri—has fallen?"

"Was it Li Xijun who killed him? He... he just became the number one on the Earthly Ranking, didn't he?"

"The Sword of Time—what kind of sword technique is that? It can even shorten a person's lifespan?"

.

"Even a grandmaster like Akana couldn't withstand a single sword strike—this, this—"

Within the monks' quarters, scripture halls, and meditation monasteries, countless divine thoughts, some strong and some weak, intertwined within the temple. These were the temple's elders, abbots, and even reclusive masters communicating through their divine thoughts, creating an extremely solemn atmosphere.

The abbot of the Bodhidharma Academy, an old monk with a withered face but an aura as deep as the ocean, slowly opened his eyes, a deep worry flashing in them: "The second sword of the Three Lives Cycle Sword Manual—this child was able to comprehend it in such a short time and use it to kill a Grandmaster—his talent and comprehension are simply astonishing."

The head of the Discipline Hall snorted coldly, his voice booming like a bell: "This boy is far too bloodthirsty! He kills without hesitation... and uses such forbidden sword techniques, which is against the natural order!"

"However, he has the support of Ye Wuqing of the Sword Sect behind him, and he himself is the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty and the Star Lord of the Star Palace—the implications are too great," sighed the head of the Arhat Hall.

The entire Shaolin leadership was shaken by this sudden news.

Li Xijun's growth rate and the terrifying combat power he displayed had exceeded their expectations. More importantly, the meaning represented by the "Sword of Time Tribulation"—

This means that if Li Xijun were to spare no expense, none of the people present could withstand the sword strike he unleashed, and they would all perish under his blade.

In the backyard of Shaolin Temple, under the ancient Bodhi tree, the Undying Venerable King, dressed in a simple monk's robe, sat cross-legged on a futon, explaining the essence of the Diamond Sutra to more than ten true disciples of Shaolin.

His voice was loud and clear, his face was solemn and dignified, and a faint golden Buddhist light flowed around him. He looked like a high-ranking monk who had attained enlightenment. There was no trace of the ferocious and savage figure he had been on the shore of Thousand Island Lake a month ago.

"—Therefore, Subhuti, a Bodhisattva should renounce all appearances and generate the mind of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. He should not let his mind dwell on form, nor should he let his mind dwell on sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects. He should generate a mind that dwells nowhere."

His explanations were profound yet easy to understand, drawing on classical texts and allusions, captivating the disciples below who nodded frequently in rapt attention.

However, just as he spoke of "all phenomena are illusory," a golden light shone brightly in the sky, and the phantom of the "Book of the Mortal World" appeared out of nowhere!

The voice of the Undying King abruptly stopped.

He looked up at the golden characters that resembled imperial edicts. When words such as "Red Day," "Li Xijun," "Sword of Time and Calamity," and "End of Life" came into view, his dignified face instantly lost all color.

His fingers tightened suddenly, and the hard, iron-like spiritual wood beads made a "crackling" sound as he squeezed them, revealing fine cracks.

A chilling coldness shot straight up from my tailbone to the top of my head!

Time—the erosion of lifespan—Redah—died?

The cunning and resourceful High Priest of the Northern Desert, who had fought alongside him to kill Li Xijun, was gone just like that.

Without even a chance to struggle, resist, or escape, he was directly struck by a sword, losing eight hundred years of lifespan and turning into dust.

What about yourself?

If Li Xijun had used that sword on himself back then—

The Undying King seemed to feel the terrifying illusion that time was accelerating its passage through him, and he could almost see his skin instantly covered with wrinkles, his blood and energy declining, and his golden body decaying.

"Thump, thump—"

The sound of his heart pounding violently was like a drumbeat in his ears.

He subconsciously tried to activate the "Indestructible Vajra Body," but the so-called "indestructible" golden Buddha light flickered on his body, revealing the intense turmoil within him.

"Master, Uncle-Master?" A disciple below noticed his unusual behavior and called out in a low voice, puzzled.

The Undying Venerable King suddenly snapped out of his daze, met the curious gazes of his disciples, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

You mustn't show weakness! Absolutely not! Especially inside the Shaolin Temple!

He forcibly suppressed the fear that was about to burst from his chest, took a deep breath, and squeezed out a trace of what could barely be called "compassion" on his gaunt face.

His expression changed, but his voice involuntarily trembled slightly at the end: "Ah, Amitabha Buddha—Fellow Daoist Chi Na Ri—in the end, you failed to see through the calamities of the mortal world and fell into the boundless sea of ​​suffering—how pitiful, how lamentable."

He stopped explaining the scriptures, and instead closed his eyes, clasped his hands in prayer, and began to loudly recite the Rebirth Mantra: "Namo Amitabha Buddha Tathagata Yata Diyata Amitabha Buddha Vi Amitabha Siddham Buddha Vi Amitabha Vikaranti Amitabha Vikaranti————"

The chanting grew louder and more urgent, as if using these vast Buddhist mantras to dispel the chill and fear that clung to one's heart like maggots.

Only he himself knew what kind of terrifying fear and trembling was hidden behind those trembling fingers gripping the prayer beads and those urgent chanting sounds.

In the Shaolin Sutra Pavilion, on the top floor, an old monk in simple gray robes slowly put down his old broom and looked up at the sky outside the window.

The golden phantom of the Book of Mortals was reflected in his eyes, which seemed murky but were actually as deep as the starry sky.

He watched in silence until all the words disappeared and the sky returned to its azure blue.

After a long silence, a long sigh echoed across the empty top floor of the Scripture Pavilion: "The Sword of Time Tribulation—touching the taboos of time, stealing people's lifespan—this child's sins are too heavy."

His voice was calm, yet carried a sense of world-weariness and heaviness.

"Although China Ri has a way to die, killing with such a forbidden technique is ultimately against the natural order. The river of time has its own laws, and forcibly interfering will inevitably backfire."

"This child possesses great fortune, but also harbors great calamity—such recklessness is likely not a blessing for the world."

He slowly walked to the window, where the sunlight seemed to penetrate through the towering buildings and mountains, casting its light towards the distant north.

"His receiving the Thunder God's legacy already poses a tremendous threat to Buddhism and the world..."

"Now that you've acquired the second part of the Three Lives Tribulation Sword Manual—Ye Wuqing, do you really intend to cultivate such a variable—who could potentially disrupt the course of the world?"

A complex worry flashed in the old monk's eyes.

He had a premonition that this young man named Li Xijun was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, and the ripples it caused would probably far exceed everyone's imagination.

And Buddhism, and indeed the entire world, will be swept up in this impending storm.

This caused the usually serene and peaceful Buddhist deity to gaze at the sky for a long time, before finally clasping his hands together and whispering, "I only hope that Buddha will protect him... and not let him fall into the same state as the Thunder God of yesteryear..."