CHAPTER 374: CHAPTER 369: CAPTURE

An Lu and the Cold Crow Taoist exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering with a decisive ruthlessness.

Only to see An Lu’s plump body sitting upright, a giant Buddha statue appeared behind him. Buddhist chants filled the air, and Buddha light radiated in all directions. Instantly, a massive Buddha shadow emerged in the skies, shrouding the heavens and the earth.

An Lu’s body seemed coated with a golden light, his flesh becoming Buddha-like.

"An Lu’s Buddhist Sect spell is indeed this powerful." The Cui Family Ancestor and the Xie Family Ancestor felt shaken witnessing this scene. They had reached this impasse out of helplessness; An Lu and the Cold Crow Taoist collaborating clearly meant they did not want them alive. It was either death or becoming slaves to the court.

The Cui and the Xie families have been in Qinghe County for hundreds of years, naturally unwilling to submit. They could only take a desperate risk.

But now it seems both the origins of this Cold Crow Taoist are extraordinary, stemming from the Taiping Temple, and the Qinghe County Prince’s background seems equally unusual.

Could he be from that temple?

If so...

The Buddhist chants were incessant, and the Cui and Xie Family Ancestors felt extremely uncomfortable, their divine souls gradually affected. They held steady on their minds, focusing on An Lu’s figure, as the Buddhist music assaulted their souls.

The chant grew louder, coming from all directions, streaming into Xing Feng’s ears. Suddenly, a Buddhist Sect roar resonated through the heavens and earth, as if it could break stone and steel. The Cui Family Ancestor’s internal energy went chaotic, and his divine soul was violently shaken.

"Not good..." A thought flickered in his heart. He looked towards Xing Feng’s location, only to see the other standing like a mountain, his body gradually merging with the Martial Spirit, and the Demon Ape’s navel opened a pair of eyes.

The Demon Ape opened its mouth wide, letting out a furious roar as well. The raging soundwaves shattered the surrounding air, and the continually arriving Buddha statue phantoms crumbled and shattered incessantly.

Right in front of Xing Feng, another Buddha statue phantom roared towards him, shattering under the soundwave. But at this time, a burst of golden light shot from the shattered Buddha statue, breaking through the Demon Ape’s soundwave attack, piercing towards the Demon Ape’s body.

"Puchi..."

This wisp of golden light was extremely fast, arriving almost instantly, piercing through the Demon Ape’s skin and burrowing into its body.

"Move!" Almost simultaneously, An Lu shouted explosively, his body rushing forward rapidly. The Cold Crow Taoist from another direction obviously wouldn’t miss such a chance, his massive body shooting towards the Demon Ape like a meteor.

"Despicable."

The Cui and Xie Family Ancestors were furious at this sight. The Xie Family Ancestor’s divine arrow was already on the bowstring, while the Cui Family Ancestor was preparing to provide support by moving forward.

For An Lu, as the Prince of Qinghe County, to use such underhanded tactics, hiding sinister magical treasures within the Buddhist sound attack, meant that Xing Feng was in grave danger.

At the moment the golden light entered the body, Xing Feng only felt his divine soul being sealed. The Demon Ape’s body seemed to solidify, all inner energy locked inside, the invading golden light expanding continuously, like a sealing power.

Soon, as the two figures shot forward, turning into flowing lights, both An Lu’s and the Cold Crow Taoist’s close combat force was extremely terrifying.

Even the Li Fan below showed a trace of worry in his eyes at this sight, concerned about Master Xing being ambushed. But his little senior brother beside him looked on calmly, which reassured Li Fan.

Conversely, Huang Xiong among the crowd was extremely tense, having just met Master for the first time and formally joined under his tutelage; how could anything happen now?

The speed of the two figures was terrifyingly fast, reaching their destination in an instant. At this moment, the Demon Ape released an incredibly wild wave of qi from its body, a long howl accompanying it, as dazzling light blossomed from the immense and towering Demon Ape form.

"Boom..."

Two explosive sounds echoed, as the Demon Ape’s gigantic fists simultaneously punched forward, directly targeting the incoming Buddha hand seal and the Cold Crow Taoist’s raging fists.

"Bang." The Buddha hand seal shattered and disintegrated, and the Cold Crow Taoist’s body was blasted backward.

The Demon Ape roared to the sky, a sound escaping as the wisp of golden light was forced out of its body, flying into the distance, causing An Lu’s expression to change drastically, his eyes fixed fiercely and savagely on him.

In the next moment, he saw the Demon Ape move forward, its towering body like a mountain advancing with terrifying speed. The sky’s weather shifted, a gleaming martial intent forming on its body, as if that raging body was ablaze.

The crowd below watched in shock at the spectacle overhead; this burst of power...

"Clang."

An Lu’s expression was solemn. A row of Buddha images appeared around him, overlapping and merging into his body. He seemed to transform into a Golden Body Ancient Buddha, raising his palm to strike forward, trembling Buddha light igniting a golden divine radiance, the giant ’卍’ character in the palm spinning wildly, causing a flurry of palm print phantoms to burst out simultaneously.

"Great Sun Buddha Seal."

The Cui Family Ancestor watched the scene before him with a gloomy expression; it really was so?

"Boom boom boom boom..." A series of hand seals violently shattered as the Demon Ape crushed forward, as if the sky and earth were collapsing, and punched the Great Sun Buddha Seal.

Golden light filled the sky, and the Great Sun Buddha Seal shattered in fragments. The Demon Ape’s Divine Fist continued forward, striking An Lu’s Buddha body. A cracking sound echoed as the Buddha body fractured continuously. An Lu’s body was sent flying, vomiting blood and returning to his original form.

"The divine power that Master Xing unleashed was the Monkey God Transformation, and even with his realm being higher than An Lu’s, he couldn’t kill him with one punch. This An Lu..." Wen Ruyu whispered below, "Buddha, temple."

Were they also involved?

After Xing Feng injured An Lu, he strode toward the Cold Crow Taoist. The wild power caused the Cold Crow Taoist’s expression to change drastically. Rune Light filled the air, transforming into countless Sealing Characters, fiercely attacking Xing Feng. However, they were directly shattered by Xing Feng’s violent physique.

"Beast."

The Cold Crow Taoist glared forward and cursed. With a rumbling sound, an extremely wild force erupted from his body. Strands of the light of runes flickered on his burly frame. But as the Demon Ape’s body approached, the sense of oppression grew stronger. It seemed that a single hit could shatter him.

The charging Demon Ape appeared before him, smashing out a fist. The fist’s shadow covered the sky, engulfing his vision. The Cold Crow Taoist roared, his body instantly swelling, Fatian Xiangdi emerging. A huge Hou Demon appeared in the sky.

The Hou Demon seemed to be covered with myriad Rune Light. Daoist Skills and the physical body fused, and its fist smashed toward the oncoming Demon Ape.

"Dong..."

The sky seemed to explode. A destructive storm swept through the sky. Rune Light filled the air. The Hou Demon, transformed from the Cold Crow Taoist, let out an earth-shattering roar, but the enormous body was still blasted away, spitting blood.

"Hou Demon... it is real." When the people below saw the Cold Crow Taoist transform into a Hou Demon, waves of shock surged in their hearts. Didn’t this mean that the demon disaster in Qinghe County was actually man-made?

Prince Qinghe, An Lu, had arranged all this, having the Cold Crow Taoist put on a performance, slaughtering the cultivators of Qinghe County, then in the name of the Prince Manor, hunting down demons to gain fame, subsequently holding a demon-slaying assembly to control all Qinghe County cultivators under him.

At the same time, he suppressed the Cui and Xie families, the leading Qinghe County families, forcing them to relinquish power over Qinghe County.

If the Li Mountain cultivators hadn’t appeared, all of this would have proceeded as An Lu planned, and Prince Qinghe would have become famed, the Princely Heir An Shicheng renowned as a prodigy throughout Qinghe County.

The Cold Crow Taoist would be viewed as a celestial figure, admired by people.

Thinking of this, everyone felt a chill run through them.

This An Lu is truly scheming, and his methods are insidious, initiating a conspiracy to completely cleanse the Qinghe County cultivation world.

"Demon Path practitioner, what else have you to say?"

Xing Feng’s voice echoed as the Demon Ape’s body shot forward again.

Yet the Hou Demon on the other side flashed with runes once more. Its body turned and fled with incredible speed.

Xing Feng initially intended to pursue, but saw that An Lu on another direction had also moved, turning to escape. Being no match, staying was meaningless; surviving was the priority.

Xing Feng’s gaze swept over the two figures, ultimately forsaking the Cold Crow Taoist to charge at An Lu. This Prince Qinghe was court-appointed; he may know more, aligning with Xing Feng’s original objectives.

"Where do you think you’re going, demon path?" The Xie Family Ancestor’s divine arrows shot forth, chasing the fleeing Cold Crow Taoist, his body also advancing to settle old scores.

"An Lu, as a court-appointed Commandery Prince, you’ve colluded with the demon path to murder cultivators. What sentence do you deserve?" The Cui Family Ancestor shouted. They had staked their lives on this gamble, and now exposing the plot, even the court should have nothing to say, right?

An Lu understood this too; his days as Prince Qinghe were over.

But if he could escape, the court would only pretend to pursue him.

Yet, the Cui Family Ancestor wouldn’t easily let him go. Watching An Lu, he intercepted him at the moment he tried to escape, countless hand seals howled and crashed toward An Lu.

An Lu was forced to halt. With a clang, a Buddha Shadow appeared behind him. Countless Buddha Hand Seals blasted forth, but then roaring sounds came from behind. It’s like An Lu grew eyes on his back, reversing the Buddha Seals.

Yet, a boundless giant Demon Ape hand pressed down, breaking all Buddhist Seal Techniques. That giant hand continued crushing forward. An Lu turned, shouting, hands clasped in prayer, a Buddha statue enveloping his body as a giant hand pushed forward, golden waves sweeping the sky.

The Demon Ape’s large hand smashed through the storm, clashing with the golden hand, pressing the hand to collapse, smashing into the Buddha body.

The Golden Body shattered, with the Cui Family Ancestor’s attack also falling crazily behind, cracks in the Buddha body multiplying.

"Dong." The Demon Ape smashed down another fist, shattering the Buddha body, massive hand grasping An Lu’s plump Golden Body, seizing him tightly, not allowing escape, the immense force continuing to crush until An Lu’s Golden Body shattered.

"It’s over..."

A thought appeared in An Lu’s mind. Falling into the hands of the Li Mountain people, there was no way he could survive.