Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

As the Azure Mane Vajra unleashed its lion's roar.

Zen Master Baoxiang also tossed the string of crystal prayer beads in his hand high into the air.

The rosary hangs in the air, each round bead shining brightly, with Sanskrit characters on it flowing and dancing like living things.

Zen Master Baoxiang's hands formed a mudra as if turning a wheel, and his chanting was like a surging tide, with boundless Buddhist power flowing into them.

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

As the six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara resounded, the rosary suddenly dispersed, and the 108 beads shot out along a mysterious trajectory, landing on various points in the water.

Each bead radiates pure and dazzling Buddhist light, connecting with each other to instantly form a demon-subduing circle!

The Buddha's light, like a net, attempted to forcibly stabilize this churning black water region.

An even more powerful suppressive force pressed down on Chen Jiao, trying to pin him under the Buddhist beads and forcibly sever his connection with the spiritual pearl.

This bead is a magical treasure nurtured by Zen Master Baoxiang for many years, called the Prajna Demon-Locking Bead. It is special in sealing and suppressing. Once it covers something, it can imprison magical power and lock away the soul.

The lion's roar breaks through the barrier, and the prayer beads settle into emptiness!

The two Buddhist monks unleashed a thunderous attack, attempting to forcefully break free from the spiritual shackles of the Xuanming Marsh Kingdom.

Faced with this sudden and fierce counterattack, the black waters within the Xuanming Marsh surged.

Chen Jiao was in the center of the marshland, his black robes flickering in and out of focus amidst the interplay of black water and Buddhist light.

His eyes were icy cold as he watched the golden sonic torrent tear through the water curtain and the Prajna beads press down like the sky, yet his expression remained completely unchanged.

With a slight thought, the surrounding black water energy seemed to be summoned and suddenly boiled.

Countless streams of profound and heavy water energy converged before Chen Jiao like rivers flowing into the sea, instantly transforming into a lifelike, jet-black dragon with gleaming scales.

This dragon was formed from pure Xuanming heavy water. Its eyes shone with a cold, eerie light. It raised its head and let out a silent roar, fiercely meeting the Buddha's light and the Lion's Roar!

At the same time, Chen Jiao looked up at the Prajna Demon-Locking Pearl array that had descended, his gaze sharpened, and he made a sweeping motion in the air.

The dense, inky black water vapor in the marshland moved accordingly, instantly condensing into an enormous, dark water mirror above his head.

The surface is smooth, yet the depths are unfathomable.

The lion's roar sonic waves collided violently with the Xuanming Water Dragon, and the golden light and black water eroded each other wildly.

The dark water mirror steadily caught the falling Prajna beads, and the Buddha's light striking the water mirror only stirred up ripples.

The sealing power, strong enough to lock down a Nascent Soul, was quietly mostly neutralized by this extremely yin and cold heavy water mirror.

The first encounter ended in a draw.

But the hearts of Zen Master Baoxiang and Vajra Cangzong sank slightly.

Their combined attack failed to shake the foundation of the Xuanming Marsh Kingdom; instead, they felt their Buddhist power being consumed far more in this strange water than usual.

Seeing that their combined attack was thwarted, Chen Jiao naturally did not hold back.

A deep, majestic roar suddenly erupted from Chen Jiao's body, echoing throughout the marshland.

It is not the fierce roar of a lion, but rather the supreme majesty that stirs up rivers and seas and commands all waters.

The figure in black suddenly blurred.

A powerful and ferocious aura of demonic energy surged into the sky, causing the entire body of water to tremble violently.

The demonic aura was as dark as ink staining the sky.

In an instant, a colossal creature appeared in the Xuanming Marshland, above the boundless black water!

Its shape resembles a dragon, but it is even more ferocious, its entire body covered with dark and cold scales, its head is rugged, and its pair of red-gold eyes are cold and sinister.

The dragon's body was wrapped in black water energy like ribbons, and streaks of crimson lightning danced and flashed between the gaps in its scales!

It was the true form of the Xuanjiao!

A jet-black dragon coiled in the waters of the marshland, its cold and majestic demonic power, mixed with the chill of heavy water and the violence of thunder, further compressing the Buddhist light.

"roar!"

The Xuanjiao let out a roar that shook the very soul, its massive body stirring up the boundless black water, causing the entire Xuanming Marsh Kingdom to boil!

A giant claw covered in scales emerged, its tip coiled with countless crimson electric snakes.

It was Chen Jiao's innate divine power, the Crimson Demon Thunder!

Lightning bolts leaped, tearing through layers of water curtains, heading straight for the main attacker, the Azure Mane Subduing Demon Vajra!

The other giant claw stirred the entire water area, and the endless Xuanming Heavy Water, as if under command, transformed into jet-black water tornadoes as heavy as mountains.

They surrounded him from all directions, sealing off all avenues for Master Baoxiang to evade. The extreme cold and pressure were enough to freeze his soul and crush his magical artifacts!

Facing the crimson lightning dragon claw that came crashing down with the might of heaven and earth, Cangzong Subduing Demon Vajra let out a unwilling roar and wielded the Subduing Demon Vajra Pestle so tightly that it was impenetrable.

The magnificent Buddha light transformed into a solid Vajra-wielding Dharma image, attempting to withstand the deep and fierce lightning claws.

"Boom!"

The Crimson Thunder Dragon Claw clashed fiercely with the Vajra Pestle!

Crimson lightning and dazzling Buddhist light intertwined and annihilated each other, producing a deafening roar.

The Azure Mane Vajra trembled violently, feeling a surge of violent lightning force pierce through him, causing his blood and qi to surge, his tiger's mouth to burst open, and golden Buddha blood to seep out!

The Dharma image also shattered in an instant.

He stumbled backward, leaving two deep marks on the surface of the dark water!

The Vajra with the Azure Mane was horrified. This power of crimson lightning was actually subtly suppressing his Buddhist golden body!

On the other side.

Zen Master Baoxiang's expression was solemn. He chanted mantras and pushed the Prajna prayer beads in his hand to their fullest potential.

One hundred and eight prayer beads surround his body, forming layers of swastika-shaped Buddhist light barriers.

At the same time, he clasped his hands together, and a halo of light emanated from behind his head, unleashing the Buddhist defensive supernatural power of the Golden Lotus Protecting His Body!

A giant, golden lotus bud-like phantom enveloped him, its petals slowly unfolding, radiating a serene and invulnerable aura.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The incredibly heavy Xuanming water tornadoes crashed into the Buddha light barrier and the golden lotus phantom one after another, producing a dull, resounding crash like striking leather.

The black water eroded and the heavy pressure crushed it, causing the Buddha's light to sway violently, and the illusory image of the golden lotus to ripple.

Although it did not shatter immediately, it firmly trapped Zen Master Baoxiang in place, forcing him to focus on defense and leaving him no time to spare, let alone help Vajra Cangzong.

One claw, carrying crimson lightning, attacks Azure Mane; the other claw draws black water to imprison and lock Treasure Form.

The Vajra with the Azure Mane roared repeatedly, unleashing all its demon-subduing supernatural powers, but it was overwhelmed by the crimson lightning, and the golden light of its body grew increasingly dim.

Zen Master Baoxiang, however, remained calm and composed, sitting cross-legged on a golden lotus, continuously chanting sutras to strengthen his defenses, his eyes devoid of any semblance of composure.

Under the ferocious onslaught of the Xuan Jiao, the fierce and demonic nature of the Azure Mane Subduing Demon Vajra, which had been forcibly suppressed by Buddhist conversion, could no longer be contained.

"roar!"

A primal, wild roar suddenly burst forth from his throat.

His body was surrounded by a dazzling Buddhist light that shattered like pieces of glass, and then a violently twisting and expanding golden light appeared.

The outline of a colossal creature was revealed!

As the Buddha's light dissipated, a giant lion, nearly the size of a small mountain, appeared on the spot!

Its mane stood upright like halberds, radiating a dark golden metallic luster. The lion's head was ferocious, with its gaping maw and exposed fangs.

Its eyes were bloodshot, and it had completely abandoned Buddhist supernatural powers, relying on instinct to unleash a savage force capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth.

They rushed towards the black dragon without regard for anything else, wanting to engage in the most primitive and brutal battle with their physical bodies.

"Stubborn and obstinate."

A hint of indifference flashed in the Xuanjiao's vertical pupils.

Faced with the giant lion that had lost its mind and was charging at it with nothing but ferocity, the Xuanjiao neither dodged nor avoided it, and suddenly stretched out its huge dragon claw covered with dark scales!

"Bang!"

A deafening roar, so deep it seemed like a mountain had collapsed!

The dragon's claws slammed solidly onto the top of the giant lion's head.

The crimson lightning exploded, and the Buddha's light completely dissipated.

The giant lion's massive body suddenly stiffened as it pounced, its ferocious charge abruptly halted.

It let out a agonizing wail, its protective demonic aura and the remaining Buddhist light were shattered by the blow, and its skull, harder than refined gold, emitted a tooth-grinding cracking sound.

The next moment, the lion's head, as large as a small mountain, was slammed into the dark water below by this irresistible force!

"Boom!"

Water sprayed skyward, and giant waves surged into the air!

The enormous lion's head was deeply embedded in the black water, struggling and convulsing, but unable to break free for a while. Only a muffled whimper of pain came through the water, and its ferocity was completely gone.

The lion's body followed , mostly submerged in the water.

Only part of its spine and its limp, twitching hind limbs were exposed, and blood gushed out, staining a patch of water red.