Chapter 154: Chapter 151: Divine Skills, Dharma Body, Great Golden Core Chapter 154: Chapter 151: Divine Skills, Dharma Body, Great Golden Core The battle was fierce as a Taoist Golden Immortal descended on the field while a Buddhist Bodhisattva joined from the other side, both sides clashing mightily.

Ming River had muddied the waters with its arrival. The Buddhist sect intended to have Ming River slay the person blessed with the great destiny supported by the Taoist sect, which they naturally refused to accept. With both sides having conflicting interests, a massacre was inevitable to determine the higher and lower standings.

Indra was truly unfortunate, thinking no one was left and attempting to descend to kill Liu-Guan-Zhang, only to be interrupted by a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal emerging and Huang Long Zhenren inflicting serious injury on him. Deeply distressed—he had not reached the Immortal Realm where his physical body could instantly heal—he carefully rose to his feet, looked around warily, and summoned the Yuan Tu Sword to protect himself. There were no small number of Taoist Golden Immortals around; although Guang Chengzi and others had already grappled with battles against Guanyin, there were still figures like Daohang Tianzun and True Man Taiyi who had not yet appeared!

Indra hesitated, scanning his surroundings, preparing to observe before descending to kill again. But that’s another story.

But as for Daoist Equal to Heaven and Monk She De, they engaged in an intense battle, exchanging blow after blow. Daoist Equal to Heaven wielded the Samsara Pen, a formidable weapon that forced Monk She De into a relentless retreat.

Monk She De’s mana was on par with his, but Daoist Equal to Heaven was truly enraged this time, wielding a variety of magical powers and magical treasures aggressively, resolute to behead the monk! In the last dispute between Buddhism and Daoism, these two old monks had meddled. This time, Daoist Equal to Heaven would make sure to spread peaches blossoming a myriad in celebration of sending the monk off to Western Heaven to meet Tathagata.

Daoist Equal to Heaven cursed, “You bald donkey, it would be fine if you didn’t come looking for trouble, but you had the audacity to provoke me! Good, good! Taste my divine skill!”

A Golden Body appeared behind Daoist Equal to Heaven, measuring an exact ninety-nine feet nine inches, embodying the extreme number, save for the “one” that was missing—the hint of a marvelous intrigue that could connect to some mystical principles of the universe. Once the Golden Body manifested, Daoist Equal to Heaven shouted, “I am born extraordinary, meddling baldies from Buddhist sects; the integration of three laws into one Dharma Body, come taste this Great Golden Core!”

Daoist Equal to Heaven was indeed quite peculiar, managing to twist the incantation used to invoke divine skills and spells into something bizarrely worded—once he spoke, it was “I am born extraordinary,” which sounded amusing yet also more vulgar and domineering.

From the ninety-nine feet Golden Body’s mouth, a Great Golden Core was expelled. The core, the size of two fists, thundered forth with the sound of wind and thunder and moved at a speed so astoundingly fast that even a master of the Indestructible Realm likely couldn’t avoid it!

Startled, Monk She De was about to defend himself when Daoist Equal to Heaven roared, “I am born extraordinary, you bald donkey, how dare you meddle; divine powers of All Buddhas are only third rate, inferior to my Great Golden Core!”

The Golden Core vanished in an instant, and Monk She De, trying to locate it amongst the thunderous sounds echoing from all directions, activated his Wisdom Eye. Alas, he jumped at the sight—the Golden Core was already upon his face!

Caught off guard, Monk She De was struck. With a loud thud, the Great Golden Core laid waste to his skull, transforming a whole head into a burst watermelon.

Monk She De’s Primordial Spirit escaped from his body, but Daoist Equal to Heaven was faster. Wielding the Samsara Pen, he drew a circle in the void, striking it six times, temporarily connecting to the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Monk She De’s Primordial Spirit cried out, unable to resist, and was drawn into the cycle of reincarnation, to be reborn. Whether he’d have the chance to awaken the memories of this life as an Arhat, who could know?

Hanshan was enraged to see Monk She De’s millennia of cultivation ruined, his physical body destroyed, and yearned to rush over and slay Daoist Equal to Heaven. However, Yang Jian had him firmly entrenched, leaving Hanshan no opportunity to confront Daoist Equal to Heaven.

Now seeing red, Daoist Equal to Heaven was not content with just killing Monk She De. Chanting an incantation, he proclaimed, “I am born extraordinary, Hanshan, you meddle too; all divine laws intertwined as one, now you too shall taste this Great Golden Core!”

Hanshan could only hear the roaring thunder approaching, and before he had a chance to dodge, the Great Golden Core struck him squarely in the back. He was sent flying, yelling, “It’s killing me! It’s killing me!”

The impact of the Great Golden Core was gruesome, nearly shattering all of Hanshan’s bones, with blood streaming from his mouth and nose.

Daoist Equal to Heaven had amalgamated the relics from the Buddhist sect, the Golden Core from the Taoist sect, and the Heart of Dan from Confucianism into a formidable Golden Core specifically for attacking others. Unpredictable and devastating, enhanced by the Ba Gua Runes Daoist Equal to Heaven had inscribed on it, this made it even more potent!

Wukong was formidable in close combat, Daoist Equal to Heaven was overwhelming with his divine powers, and Enlightenment Dao excelled in Sword Dao—each of these aspects bore unique characteristics. Once this Great Golden Core was conjured, it was second to none, incredibly formidable, utterly domineering. Even a master of the Indestructible Realm might suffer a great loss if struck by it.

“Behold my Seventy-Two Transformations!” Yang Jian bellowed, morphing into a colossal dragon.

With a whip of his tail, he caught Hanshan, who was sent flying, and with a fierce twist, a mist of blood burst forth. Hanshan’s physical body along with his Primordial Spirit were immediately crushed into pieces by Yang Jian, his millennia of cultivation squandered in moments, unlike Monk She De who might one day reawaken his past life. Would their fate be lamented by future generations?

A poem laments:

Daoists and Buddhists cross swords in strife, divine beings of all sorts join the fray.

A careless loss empties the encampment, millennia of cultivation vanish away.

With the Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian joining forces to successfully vanquish Hanshan and Monk She De, the morale among the Taoist Golden Immortals skyrocketed, fueling an even more ferocious onslaught!

Guang Chengzi had been holding back his fury for countless years, and when he finally made a move, he showed no mercy. The Sky-Overshadowing Seal transformed into myriad forms, striking fiercely. Although the Pure Luster Crystal Vase was formidable, it almost shattered under the relentless assault of the Sky-Overshadowing Seal, revealing a fine crack. Guanyin, pressed hard by her former senior brother, was sweating profusely and left with no chance to fight back. The others were each engaged in their own battles, unable to gain the upper hand over one another, fighting with intense ferocity.

Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian exchanged a glance, preparing to target Indra when suddenly an old monk appeared in the sky. The presence of the Bodhisattvas there couldn’t help but startle them, saying, “Shiqi Buddha, help us!”

Shiqi Buddha, one of the Three Thousand Buddhas of Mount Meru, was said to be a corpse from ancient times that had cultivated the Corpse Way to achieve Buddhahood. His mana was immeasurable, feared to be a super-expert of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven!

Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Third Heaven is akin to ascending to heaven with each successive layer. Grasping the mysteries of the next layer required immense perseverance and wisdom; those who had cultivated beyond the Second Heaven were all Great Emperor-level powerhouses of the Heavenly Court and elite practitioners of the Buddhist sect.

The body of Shiqi Buddha was withered and shriveled, lacking the compassion typical of Buddhist figures, exuding instead an eerie aura.

With the arrival of the Buddhas into the battle, it seemed the conflict was about to escalate further!

Shiqi Buddha nodded slightly and prepared to face off against Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian. Daoist Equal to Heaven’s eyelids twitched nervously. This old Buddha could probably rival Wusheng, his mana terrifyingly high!

In that instant, he contemplated using the magical treasure of the Ancient Hate Heaven Clan, but hesitated as it was significant, and he feared being noticed by the Heavenly Court. He had once shot through the Southern Sky Gate and even killed several Immortal Officials, nearly assassinating the Jade Emperor. It was best not to use this treasure unless absolutely necessary. Back in Shushan, there were only Loose Cultivators present, which is why he dared to bring it out. Also, at that time, everyone was preoccupied with battling the arm, not paying much attention to Daoist Equal to Heaven’s furious assault on the Projections of the Heavens.

As Shiqi Buddha descended from the clouds to confront Yang Jian and Daoist Equal to Heaven, he was suddenly rammed fiercely by an unexpected Kunpeng, blasting him away with a loud bang and blowing him apart.

In the moment of explosion, his flesh swiftly reformed, and it seemed his body and power grew even stronger.

It was unknown what Divine Skills Shiqi Buddha cultivated, but it seemed that each “death” made him more powerful.

Daoist Equal to Heaven turned and saw the newcomer was none other than the Nanhua Old Immortal who passed on the “Essential Arts for Peace” to Zhang Jiao, and was taken aback, thinking to himself, “Kunpeng! Could this Nanhua Old Immortal be the free and unfettered Zhuang Zhou?”

Just as the Buddhist sect had launched surprise attacks on Daoist experts, Shiqi Buddha was similarly caught off-guard. Zhuang Zhou emerged, cane in hand, holding bamboo slips.

The Kunpeng flapped its wings, generating a tumultuous windstorm that shredded Shiqi Buddha to pieces. But again, Shiqi Buddha reformed his body rapidly, the withered flesh becoming a bit sturdier and the muscles appearing somewhat more filled out.

Zhuang Zhou frowned and scoffed coldly, “So, the Ancient Corpse King has attained the Dao, quite formidable indeed! It just remains to be seen whether you’re Jiang Chen, Ying Hook, or Han Ba.”

Shiqi Buddha responded, “I am none of those! I am simply Shiqi Buddha.”

Zhuang Zhou snorted, “Playing tricks and illusions, let’s see whether your Buddhist Law is profound or my Taoist Arts are superior!”

They always say Zhuangzi, Zhuangzi! Although Zhuangzi didn’t learn directly from Laozi, he understood ‘The Way Follows Nature’ from Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching”, and then wrote “Free and Easy Wandering,” touching upon the Heavenly Dao to become a Human Sage. While a Human Sage might not match up to a Sage of the Heavenly Dao, he is still terrifyingly powerful. Great Mystics would rather face a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer Law Realm expert than clash with a Human Sage!

Zhuangzi suddenly leaped onto the massive head of the Kunpeng. Shiqi Buddha let out a thunderous roar, his body transforming into a giant thousands of feet tall, still much smaller compared to the Kunpeng.

The two soared into the sky, tens of miles high, and began to fight fiercely!

Indra trembled with fear, never expecting so many formidable fighters to emerge all at once: the Buddhas of Buddhism and the significant figure of Daoism, Zhuang Zhou.

While the Three Pure Ones are considered the grandmasters of the Daoist Sect, Zhuang Zhou represented Daoism just below the Three Pure Ones. His influence in the Human World surpassed even that of the Great Emperor Zhenwu!

Indra thought to himself, “Are there any other Golden Immortals from Daoism hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike me from behind? With so many in this chaotic battle, surely no one will notice me now, right? I might as well go after Liu-Guan-Zhang first!”

With that thought, he grasped the Yuan Tu Sword and charged toward Liu-Guan-Zhang.

The fate of the three brothers is yet to be known, please stay tuned for the next chapter.