Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

The overwhelming phantom of Zhunti's Buddha palm was pressing down inch by inch, the Sanskrit characters in the palm rotating and generating an irresistible suction force, sucking up the fine sand and gravel on the ground, and the entire city of Yingdu was groaning and creaking under that pressure.

As Yun Zhao gazed at the giant hand slowly approaching, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

He was, after all, only a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Even if he could withstand a Quasi-Saint peak by relying on the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and his trump cards, the gap between him and a true Saint was like an insurmountable chasm.

He had already exhausted most of his magical power to withstand even one of Zhunti's fingers. If this palm strike were to actually land, he might not even be able to protect himself, let alone the Chu Kingdom.

A sense of powerlessness I hadn't felt in many years welled up in my chest.

The last time he felt so powerless was when he faced the monkey before he became an immortal.

He wasn't afraid of death; with the system around, he could simply start a new game if he lost to Zhunti.

But what happened after he died? What happened to the people of Chu? What happened to the monks who had just moved from Mount Ling?

What about those mortal cultivators who pin their hopes on the new Buddhist sect? If Zhunti's palm strike were to land, at least half of the living beings in the entire Southern Jambudvipa would be wiped out.

I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me.

He brought unprecedented hope and prosperity to the State of Chu, but now that hope is bringing them utter destruction.

He clenched his fist, wishing he were a little stronger.

The thought had just arisen when he suddenly remembered.

Fire Cloud Cave!

On that day in the Fire Cloud Cave, when the three human emperors, Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan, presented him with the Qi Luck Dao Fruit in their palms, they said: "This item is formed from the condensed Qi of the human race. After consuming it, one will have the opportunity to break through to the Saint Realm."

He just hadn't had a chance to use it yet.

He kept this Dao Fruit deep within his body, nurturing it gently.

Standing beneath Zhunti's palm strike, gazing at the city and its inhabitants on the verge of destruction, Yun Zhao felt that this might be his last hope.

But another problem soon followed.

Breakthroughs take time.

Even with perfect timing, favorable location, and good fortune, advancing from the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm to a higher level is not something that can be done overnight.

The illusory image of the Buddha's palm in front of him was about to land on the city wall of Yingdu in a dozen or so breaths. Where would he find the time to break through?

That nascent hope was extinguished like a bucket of cold water.

He gritted his teeth and stared at the approaching giant hand, his eyes blazing with an intense, burning resentment.

Is this really the only way?

Yun Zhao's magical power surged again, and he had already prepared for the worst. Even if he couldn't protect these people in the end, he would not let Zhunti get away with it.

Just when the phantom of the Buddha's palm was still a hundred feet away from the top of Yingdu City, and the city's protective array base had been shattered into nothingness, a voice suddenly broke out from the void, carrying a sharp aura that could cut through gold and jade.

"Please turn around, baby."

The instant the voice faded, a thin, thread-like white light pierced the eastern sky, moving so fast that even the sage's gaze could not keep up with its trajectory.

As the white light swept across the illusory image of the Buddha's palm, it emitted a very faint "hiss" sound, like a paper cutter slicing through thick silk. Then, the enormous golden Buddha's palm, which covered half the sky, was neatly split in two from the palm.

The two halves of the Buddha's palm froze in mid-air for a moment before shattering into countless golden fragments that dissipated into the wind.

The suction and oppressive feeling that had enveloped Yingdu City dissipated by most of it. The people in the city who had been forced to kneel on the ground gasped for breath and raised their heads to see the shards of the Buddha's palm falling from above like a golden snow.

Zhunti's expression changed slightly.

He slowly withdrew his right hand from behind his back, his gaze passing over Yun Zhao's head and looking towards the eastern void. His voice deepened: "The Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife... Lu Ya?"

A slender hand parted the clouds on the eastern horizon, revealing a figure in a crimson Taoist robe who strolled out from behind them.

The man had a handsome face with a lazy, almost nonchalant smile between his brows. He held a gourd in his hand, its mouth slightly tilted outwards, from which a faint wisp of white light peeked out half an inch, flickering uncertainly.

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Zhunti, his tone casual and polite: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, but I have no choice but to take action. You intend to destroy the Chu Kingdom and kill these mortals, and I should not meddle in your affairs. However, if you intend to kill my uncle as well, then I cannot stand idly by."

Zhunti's blue eyes narrowed slightly: "Uncle?"

Lu Ya smiled, his gaze falling on Yun Zhao with just the right amount of warmth and affection: "Uncle kept it from me for so long. If I hadn't met you later, I wouldn't have known that there was an elder in this world."

Yun Zhao's heart stirred slightly, but he remained expressionless, only nodding slightly to Lu Ya.

He understood that Lu Ya was using this opportunity to show the Three Realms his stance on why he had taken action.

But none of that matters anymore.

Zhunti's gaze swept back and forth between Yun Zhao and Lu Ya twice. The coldness on his face did not subside; instead, it was replaced by an even greater sense of annoyance at being repeatedly offended by these ants.

He sneered, "Even with you added, you're nothing more than a Great Luo Golden Immortal with an Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife. Ants in swarms are still ants."

Lu Ya's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of seriousness crept into it: "The Sage is right. I am but an ant, but when an ant bites, it can sometimes hurt."

Yun Zhao had already figured it out in those few short sentences.

Now that Lu Ya has arrived, with the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife and his own strength, he can at least hold off Zhunti for a moment. Even if it's only for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, that's enough time for him to do something.

He abruptly turned to Lu Ya, his voice urgent yet clear: "Lu Ya, hold him off for me. Just for a moment, a cup of tea, no, even half a cup of tea will do!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ya turned around and glanced at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. However, he did not ask any further questions, but simply replied crisply, "Uncle, don't worry. Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I will make sure to create some space for you."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and took a step forward towards Zhunti. The gourd spun and floated up in his palm. The white light at the mouth of the gourd suddenly surged, and between its breaths, it emitted a series of buzzing sounds as fine as mosquitoes but enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Zhunti sneered: "A death throes."