Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 414: Buddha\'s Radiance, Dragon Emperor

Both of them believed that what the warrior monks received was not just a “blessing” or empowerment.

If it was truly a blessing, the casting process might require the proximity of the secret realm, but once the blessing was granted, there would be no reason to have to remain close by. Without intense combat to rapidly deplete the blessing, the warrior monks could have easily marched straight to Gusu and Hangzhou. Why would they only be responsible for the defense of Kuaiji?

Moreover, if it were a simple blessing, decapitating them would not leave their bodies still writhing. Such a phenomenon did not align with a mere blessing.

Cui Wenjing speculated that it was akin to a kind of gu art, but the autopsy did not reveal any gu insects or worms. Perhaps the gu had dispersed by the time the corpse was brought back, or perhaps the gu could not survive far from the secret realm.

When it came to gu arts, no one in the current era truly had any real knowledge. Cui Wenjing suggested that everyone consider these warrior monks as corpse soldiers or puppets, controlled by gu. In essence, their original selves could be considered dead.

The idea of corpses transforming was not unheard of. They had encountered such things when exploring other secret realms. For instance, some corpses would become as hard as iron, which could explain the invulnerability to blades and arrows that the warrior monks exhibited.

Additionally, transformed corpses usually lost their reasoning and emitted a strong aura of death—similar to what they were witnessing.

Of course, this was not something they could announce publicly. If people knew that an army of close to twenty thousand soldiers had transformed into undead, it could cause mass panic and potentially incite mutiny.

As long as the generals were prepared, Tang Buqi could organize a retreat without chaos. Xue Canghai quickly gauged what level of cultivation was required to withstand the death qi, and the battle on the city walls remained orderly.

The few opportunistic families who were caught off guard by the initial counterattack suffered some casualties, but nothing too severe, as the engagement was brief.

However, even with all their speculation, Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingxiu had not anticipated Maitreya’s transformation—his body seemingly sprouting another person, a sight that was utterly grotesque.

Tang Wanzhuang withdrew her sword and struck again. Her sword successfully pierced the flesh, proving that her cultivation was still capable of breaking through the so-called invulnerability. However, it no longer mattered. The creature no longer felt any pain, and its vitals were no longer... vital. The attack did damage, but no damage could be fatal to someone who was already dead.

Tang Wanzhuang furrowed her brow.

The “tumor” on the neck split open, and then it spoke, seemingly retaining some of Maitreya’s memories. “Tang Wanzhuang... I will capture you... make you my Mingfei...”

This was merely a lingering obsession combined with a gu art to form a new—perhaps even sentient—soul.

It had forgotten any grudge against Vermillion Bird, though she had burned away Maitreya’s original soul, but it still clung to Maitreya’s lifelong desire to possess Tang Wanzhuang.

“Tsk...” Vermillion Bird could not help but remark, “You really do attract all sorts of trouble.”

Tang Wanzhuang wanted to tell her, Ying Five is over there too—why not see whose admirers are more impressive?

However, there really was no point in arguing. If she continued, she may only embarrass herself. Having others desire you was a sign of your charm, not something to be ashamed of. But when the other woman’s suitor was Ying Five, and hers was this abomination? Even thinking about it made her feel nauseous.

She sighed. “Enough of that. Can your flames burn the gu within him?”

“They can, but not easily if he’s actively resisting,” Vermillion Bird replied. After a few failed attempts to provoke Tang Wanzhuang, she found no satisfaction, and her expression grew serious. “His body is still in a pseudo-Ranking of Heaven state, and in terms of physical resilience, it might even surpass ours. Combined with the gu art, this is a real hassle.”

At this moment, Vermillion Bird could not help but have a hint of admiration for her little man. On the surface, Maitreya had been repeatedly defeated and was forced to retreat to a single location. It seemed as though he could be swept away with a breath. Yet, just dealing with Maitreya himself had taken her and Vermillion Bird together quite some time.

Thankfully, Zhao Changhe had been cautious from the start, insisting on bringing every strong ally that he knew. And the course of the events had proved him right. If even one of these allies had been missing, this battle would have been extremely dangerous.

It turned out that her little man was not being overly cautious; he likely understood the power of these ancient beings better than anyone. He knew that anything that had survived from the ancient era was not to be underestimated, even if this “Bodhisattva” was among the weaker ones.

While others traced their knowledge of the ancients through texts and cultivation techniques—knowing they were powerful but lacking direct experience—her little man had witnessed these beings firsthand.

The “tumor” on Maitreya’s neck began to mutter, “Tang Wanzhuang... You would never have guessed that I could be immortal... Heh, heh... The power of the Buddha is beyond your comprehension... Join me now, and I will grant you eternal life...”

It seemed that Maitreya’s soul had regained some clarity; apart from his obsessions, he was starting to recall other memories.

Tang Wanzhuang finally responded, “How pitiful... When you used the Pure Bliss Art to drain others, you did not even realize that the life force you took was offered to your so-called Buddha, nourishing their recovery. Even your hasty uprising should have been to their urgings to claim more power. The countless bones scattered across Jiangnan were the result of their malice and your ignorance.”

The “tumor” flew into a rage, “She was always offering her cultivation to me! She was my Mingfei! Everything in this world is mine!”

Boom!

A wave of black qi surged toward Tang Wanzhuang.

Tang Wanzhuang stepped aside to deflect the force, but Maitreya charged past her, heading straight for the secret realm.

Whether driven by Maitreya’s last remnant of will or by the influence of the gu, his primary goal remained the same: to return to the secret realm.

This was because the Mingfei’s body was completely unsuited to intense combat against experts on the Ranking of Heaven. What the Bodhisattva wanted was the White Lotus Sacred Body that Maitreya had carefully refined!

Whoosh!

Tang Wanzhuang tried to block him with her sword, but Maitreya did not dodge. His body barreled right through like a cannonball. She managed to stop him for a moment but nearly coughed up blood from the impact.

Vermillion Bird suddenly appeared in front of Maitreya, her body slightly crouched, one hand pressed firmly against the ground.

Boom!

Towering flames erupted, engulfing the entire stretch of road for many li, turning everything Maitreya touched into a sea of fire.

“I wonder if your body can withstand this,” Vermillion Bird remarked, her lips stained with blood, a hint of madness creeping into her eyes. “If you manage to get through, how can I face him in the future?”

Maitreya shot upward like a cannonball, but sword qi rained down from above.

Clang!

Tang Wanzhuang was knocked back yet again, and this time, she finally spat out a mouthful of blood. But this time, Maitreya was ultimately forced back, landing within the inferno.

The mountain was drawing closer and closer. It was uncertain whether Maitreya would break through the inferno to reach the mountain or if he would be reduced to ash by the flames first.

Both sides had given their all.

Tang Wanzhuang, eyes resolute, prepared to unseal her cultivation to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries.

Suddenly, a flash of blood-red light illuminated the mountainside, and the clash of weapons rang out clearly. Tang Wanzhuang turned her head to see Zhao Changhe battling Fa Chi, their fight spilling out of the secret realm.

* * *

If the battle against Maitreya was this difficult, the struggle inside the secret realm against the Bodhisattva had to be unimaginable.

When the Bodhisattva entered her second phase, the transformation was even more drastic than Lady Three’s shift from a languid persona to the formidable Black Tortoise.

No matter how seductive and sinister she had appeared before, her aura had still been imbued with golden light and a solemn, sacred presence. Back then, she had exuded an intense Buddhist aura.

But now, her body was cracked, and her skin had turned pitch black. It was a classic corpse transformation. The Buddhist aura she exuded had twisted into a chilling, demonic presence, though the vibrant vitality emanating from the lotus platform remained unchanged.

“Amitabha...” came a Buddhist chant from Yuan Cheng. “If this old monk is not mistaken, you have nothing to do with this place. In fact, you may have even been a great evil imprisoned in the back mountains of this ancient Buddhist sect. When the era collapsed, and the sect fell, you survived by being protected by a relic in their lotus grove, leaving a wisp of your soul to be nourished by the lotus platform. The Buddhist teachings Maitreya acquired here were once righteous, but due to the missing scriptures, they were distorted beyond recognition under your interpretation.”

The supposed Bodhisattva let out a sinister smile. “So what?”

“Not much... It’s just that, if that’s the case, this old monk has quite the expertise in exorcism and soul purification.” The old monk clasped his hands together and began chanting scriptures.

A gentle golden light emanated from him, this light much gentler than the blinding radiance that had once emanated from the supposed Bodhisattva.

As this gentle light washed over the supposed Bodhisattva’s body, a sizzling sound could be heard, and she let out a piercing scream.

This was true Buddha’s Radiance, a natural counter to her.

“Monk, die!”

Boom!

A blackened, demonic hand shot toward Yuan Cheng.

Out of nowhere, a coin flew into its path, blocking the strike.

When the demonic hand struck the coin, it sizzled as though it had touched something sanctified.

Ying Five’s figure flickered as he retrieved the coin and stepped forward. “Bodhisattva, we’ve looted enough tombs to be well-prepared... Frankly, in this form, you might be at an even greater disadvantage.”

As he said that, Lady Three retracted her snake whip and pulled out a sword from somewhere.

The intense life force and oppressive aura against the dead emanating from the sword made the supposed Bodhisattva doubt her very existence. She cried out in shock, “Dragon Emperor!”

This was the ancient sword Dragon Emperor, which had been in the Azure Dragon’s tomb beside the Rejuvenation Art.

Lady Three’s eyes twinkled beneath her mask, her expression turning into a playful grin. “So, you’re that kind of creature. All the better...”