Chapter 607: Chapter 282: The Sixteen Stances of Jing Country

The balance of victory on the battlefield had already tipped heavily in the direction of the Three-headed Stone Buddha—or at least, that was what he believed.

When the You Shen of Mingjiang Prefecture broke into the Forbidden Land, the Three-headed Stone Buddha also had thoughts of clinging to life, fearing death. But as the battle dragged on to this point, he no longer hesitated in the face of death.

“If I can secure victory for the Buddha Country in this great clash of fate before I die, then it will be my final act of loyalty to the Buddha, shattering like jade for the glory of the Buddha Country.”

The Three-headed Stone Buddha was acutely aware that while he could defeat Zhou Xuan, he could not kill him. Those You Shen of Mingjiang Prefecture, especially Zhou Lingyi, would never turn a blind eye to Zhou Xuan’s life or death,

Moreover, though he might win this battle, he could not hope to leave the Forbidden Land alive. Mingjiang Prefecture had gathered its elite fighters—

Music Master, Lady Hong Guan, Painter, Zhou Lingyi, and Peng Sheng, all human Demigods of eight-incense strength, not to mention other seven-incense You Shen, and the defecting Ancient Tattoo Clan. Even with the combined efforts of the Stone Buddha, Saint Heir, and Saintess, breaking through their encirclement was impossible.

“Still, if I can secure the decisive momentum, then let the jade shatter as it may.”

Having resolved all lingering concerns, the Stone Buddha’s aura and War Intent surged even stronger. The eight blades in his hands shone with an even more dazzling and piercing cold light.

Peng Sheng’s fingers were already twitching involuntarily, preparing at any moment to summon the Bone Teeth of the Copper Coin Priest and join the fray.

Gu Ling, Li Chengfeng, Shang Wenjun, and others were also eager to move. Losing the clash of fate was acceptable, but Zhou Xuan’s life could not be.

The reactions above the Heavenly Dome were also wildly diverse.

The incense fire Taoist, cloaked in his dark Daoist robe, which fluttered gently in the breeze, remained hidden among the white clouds, seemingly confident in Zhou Xuan’s eventual victory.

The Heavenly God’s Fire had almost stopped flickering, tinged with a faint sense of frustration.

The two Heavenly Vault God-Level beings of Mingjiang Prefecture let out ghastly laughter, their mockery of Zhou Xuan’s impending defeat completely unrestrained.

At that moment, Zhou Xuan was uncharacteristically calm, standing solitary amidst the mountain winds, his hands clasped behind his back as he asked lightly, “Three-headed Stone Buddha, I only want to ask you one thing—are all the experts of the Buddha Country as foolish and dull as you?”

“Hmph! Still talking tough on the brink of death.”

“If you weren’t so foolish, you’d realize that the one who will lose this battle… is you. Not only will you lose the fight, but you’ll also lose your life.”

Zhou Xuan walked with effortless grace, each step as natural as an idle stroll through a courtyard, wrapped in the wind.

As he moved, his fingers subtly twitched, and the eight Thunder Blades hovering in the sky trembled ever so slightly—imperceptibly to the naked eye.

“If all the people of the Buddha Country are as foolish as you, then Jing Country has nothing to fear. You’re like dumb oxen, charging blindly.”

“Your posturing and bluster—such hollow displays—seem to be what your Jing Country excels at.”

Despite Zhou Xuan’s sudden surge in oppressive energy, the Stone Buddha remained unconvinced that Zhou Xuan held any means to counter him. Coupled with prior observations of Zhou Xuan by the Ancient Tattoo Clan, the Stone Buddha believed he understood Zhou Xuan better than most—

Zhou Xuan was a master of acting, skilled in pretending to be a figure of immense power even when he wasn’t. Clutching a few tattoo maps, he had managed to make the Bone Elder Association believe a Heavenly God was descending,

and when he had just entered Mingjiang Prefecture, his sheer Perception and rudimentary knowledge of tattoo maps were enough to convince the night watchmen of the City God that he was a young prodigy supported by the entire Ancient Clan.

“You’ve played your role too many times, and I’ve seen through it all too clearly.” The Stone Buddha continued his advance toward Zhou Xuan.

“When the false masquerades as the true, truth itself can seem false. And when the true masquerades as false, the false can seem true. Stone Buddha—interpersonal affairs within Jing Country, as you see, are a great subject of my mastery, one that clumsy buffoons like you could never grasp.

Situational discernment, a wisdom that surpasses interpersonal dealings, is even farther beyond your reach.”

Through his discerning Perception, Zhou Xuan utilized the Mountain and River Map to summon the Eight Prefectures’ descent. Though hindered by the Immovable Ming King’s earthly mist, preventing them from settling fully, Zhou Xuan perceived an uncanny resonance between himself and the manifestation of the “Sixteen Forms.”

The sixteen Thunder Blades in the sky seemed to be linked to him.

Relying solely on this moment of insight,

Zhou Xuan gained a deeper understanding of the Mountain and River Map.

Within the Mountain and River Map, the nine prefectures of Jing Country descended, unleashing overwhelming suppressive force. But as a theocratic nation, Jing Country also housed the aura of twenty-four Gods within the map. With the exception of the Green Robed Buddha—whose aura resembled that of the Buddha Country and thus would not act against it—there were still twenty-three Gods, poised and ready to strike.

Once, the incense fire Taoist had used the nine prefectures of Jing Country to sever the towering Treasure Mountain Tower of the Buddha Country. But the true massacre of monks came from the twenty-three Gods who emerged from the prefectures within the map and descended upon the Buddha Country.

“Not long ago, the Mountain and River Map wreaked devastation upon the Buddha Country. Requiting one’s deeds in kind—do you know why the nine prefectures couldn’t descend but the area around Baoshan Temple suffered so tragically?”

Zhou Xuan posed another question.

The Stone Buddha suddenly found himself struck silent by the question.

The situation of his current battle with Zhou Xuan eerily mirrored the bloody catastrophe that had once befallen the Buddha Country in a conspicuously identical manner.

“You may block the Eight Prefectures, but can you block the Heavenly Vault-level Gods who emerge from within them?”

Zhou Xuan’s voice rang coldly as he shouted, “Storyteller Bi Fang, where are you?”

“Clack!”

From within the eight prefectures of Jing Country, held back by the Immovable Ming King’s aura, came a crisp sound of a gavel’s strike.

The Stone Buddha turned to look behind him and saw a figure clad in a storyteller’s robe, holding a gavel in one hand. The elder, with a crane-like frame, descended gracefully from Jingchuan Prefecture within the eight prefectures. His toes lightly tapped the ground with a sharp “snap,” followed by the crisp unfolding of a folded fan.

“How truly profound!”

Besides the Stone Buddha, who glanced over at the descending God, Yun Ziliang, Li Chengfeng, and the others also turned their gaze. When they saw Storyteller Bi Fang in the flesh, they marveled at the brilliance of the Mountain and River Map.

“Taoist Yun, stay calm. Brother Xuan’s Mountain and River Map is the first tattoo map in the history of the Tattoo Clan to integrate the auras of all the Gods. It naturally has extraordinary might,” Peng Sheng said leisurely to Yun Ziliang.