Chapter 156: Chapter 150: Clash of Buddha and Demon

’This Earth Temple is definitely trouble!’ Qi Yun’s figure was a bolt of lightning as he rapidly distanced himself from the Clay Monk temporarily trapped by the Iron Sand, his mind racing.

’Logically, Dao Soil, a creation of heaven and earth, should be the purest of natural things. How could it be mixed with the Enlightenment Dao Intent of the Buddhist Sect?’

’Could it be... that the original master of this Yin Ruins Shiyi Realm was a mighty Buddhist Cultivator, and this is the ruin he left behind?’

Buddhist Cultivators, though considered a school of the Righteous Dao, followed domineering doctrines. Their Enlightenment methods were bizarre and unpredictable, forcibly twisting the will of others.

For this reason, they were not well-regarded by most of the Righteous Sects.

The Imperial Court of This Dynasty, which now ruled the Central Plains, especially detested the Buddhist Sect.

Several crackdowns had led to Buddhist Cultivators all but disappearing from the mainland.

Most of their power was now confined to the South Mountain Coastal Area.

’The two regions are countless leagues apart. How did this Shiyi Realm drift all the way here, only to be discovered by the Yellow Springs Netherworld?’

Doubts sprouted in Qi Yun’s mind. He had a faint feeling that there was more to this than met the eye.

Having had a taste of the Earth Temple’s strangeness and danger, he raised his guard to the highest level.

As he mulled things over, Qi Yun looked down at the Soul Refining Banner in his hand. A crack on its staff was still clearly visible.

Had the Soul Refining Banner not flown back to protect him just in time,

using the Hundred Ghosts’ Resentment Power to forcibly interfere with the Enlightenment Scripture,

he feared he would have suffered a nasty surprise.

’Hm? Such pure Sword Qi!’ His gaze fell on the crack, where he could feel the lingering trace of a sharp intent, condensed to its absolute limit—an intent that could sever illusions.

When he gently touched it with his fingertip, he felt a sting of pain, and a bead of blood seeped out.

He had been wounded by the fierce Sword Qi that had yet to fully dissipate.

’The work of a Cyan Sect cultivator...’ Qi Yun’s expression darkened.

Among all the cultivators trapped in this Yin Ruins, the only one who gave him pause was that Cyan Sect disciple with the profound aura and pure Sword Intent.

As for the others...

At the same Realm, he was confident he could suppress them with a single hand.

Pushing aside his thoughts about the Cyan Sect cultivator, Qi Yun concealed his aura and continued deeper into the Earth Temple.

The deeper he went, the thicker the surrounding dim yellow mist seemed to become.

The Earth Evil Qi also became purer and... heavier.

Trouble followed.

At first, only scattered figures flashed at the edge of his vision.

But as he went deeper, the Clay Monks began to appear more frequently.

They were no longer just spying on him from a distance; now they appeared like extensions of the temple itself, materializing without a sound beside pillars and in the doorways of halls.

Some even stood directly in the middle of the path.

They still maintained their compassionate expressions, their hollow eyes "staring" at the intruder.

Although they didn’t attack immediately, the formless pressure, and the threat of the Enlightenment Scripture that could begin at any moment, all radiated an aura of extreme danger.

Qi Yun had tried to force his way through, but even when he smashed the Clay Monks to dust, a wisp of the surrounding Earth Evil Qi would simply swirl around the fragments, instantly restoring them.

Moreover, these Clay Monks seemed to have locked onto him specifically.

Neither his White Bone Skeletons nor the Resentful Souls from his Soul Refining Banner could draw their attention.

’If this doesn’t work... should I just blast a path through?’

Growing annoyed at being blocked, a dangerous glint appeared in Qi Yun’s eyes.

The dense ranks of White Bone Skeletons behind him stirred restlessly, the violent Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire surging in their eyes.

With a single command from Qi Yun, these White Bone Skeletons would immediately sacrifice themselves,

performing the ultimate art of explosion!

Fortunately, relying on his keen perception of qi and the protection of his Soul Refining Banner, Qi Yun finally found the key amidst the gaps in the ever-tightening encirclement of monk shadows.

’That’s it!’ A flash of insight struck Qi Yun. ’Although Buddhist Power suppresses evil, extremes beget their opposites. An exceptionally pure Yin Sha Evil Power can also contaminate and disrupt these bizarre creations, which are a fusion of Earth Fiend energy and Buddha’s Will.’

He recalled Qian Xin Master’s mission: to seize control of the Earth Temple’s core.

’This ’control’ probably isn’t a physical switch.’

’In a Buddhist ruin like this, the core... is probably a form of acknowledgment, or perhaps it’s about suppression through ’power’.’

Qi Yun’s sharp gaze swept over the dense crowd of Clay Monk shadows before him.

His gaze finally settled on a tightly shut, dim yellow door, carved with intricate terrestrial patterns and a faint image of the Buddha Preaching Painting.

’To gain its acknowledgment, one must either approach with pure Buddhist cultivation, or...’ He took a deep breath as his True Essence surged madly into the Soul Refining Banner. ’...use absolute power to overwhelm the residual Buddha’s Will in this place.’

’Make this Earth Temple acknowledge my existence!’

’The core of this Earth Temple must be inside that Main Hall!’

’And to get in, the key probably isn’t to avoid these monks.’

’It’s about... ’persuading’ them to make way with a power they cannot resist!’

He gripped the Soul Refining Banner tightly. Black qi billowed from its surface like smoke signals, and the shrill howls of a hundred ghosts once again shattered the dead silence.

VMMMM—!

He fiercely thrust the Soul Refining Banner into the dim yellow flagstones at his feet. The staff plunged deep, the banner flapping audibly.

Qi Yun’s hands flew through a series of seals for a Spell as the Innate Qi Heart Method within him began to circulate madly, pouring his pure True Essence into the banner without reservation.

At the same time, he activated the Nether Spring Bone Technique!

One hundred and eight White Bone Skeletons shot out with a howl. A ghastly tide of Yin Qi rolled forth, linking with the Soul Refining Banner’s aura and fusing with it.

’Night Parade of Hundred Demons, let the Netherworld clear the path!

Ten Thousand Laws are void; I alone am sovereign!’

Qi Yun’s low shout was as cold as the ice of the Nine Netherworld.

In an instant, the Soul Refining Banner seemed to become a gateway to the Netherworld. Its surface billowed and swelled, and a monstrous wave of black qi erupted forth like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten thousand years!

ROOOOAR—!!!

KEKEKE—!

"Such hatred! Such suffering!"

Countless twisted, agonized, and utterly venomous faces scrambled to surge out from the black qi. Over a hundred ferocious Resentful Souls, having grown considerably powerful by devouring one another, manifested their physical forms.

They stirred up a soul-eroding Yin Wind, letting out shrill howls that shook one’s very heart and spirit.

The Soul Fire in the eye sockets of the one hundred and eight White Bone Skeletons flared violently. They spewed gray-white death qi, which merged with the roiling black clouds.

Yin Wind howled, and ghostly shadows swirled everywhere!

With Qi Yun at its center, a ghastly, terrifying Netherworld Ghost Realm forcefully pushed back against the crushing Earth Evil Qi, expanding outward into the dim, yellow Buddha Land.

Wherever the black qi passed, the dense Earth Evil Qi was forcibly corrupted, becoming bone-chillingly cold.

Qi Yun stood at the center of the Ten Thousand Ghosts, his black robes whipping in the wind. Wreathed in an aura of Supreme Yin and evil from the Netherworld, he held the giant banner, his gaze as cold as if he were looking down upon ants.

He was like the Lord of the Ghost Dao descended upon the mortal realm, master of life, death, and reincarnation!

This wanton display of evil power thoroughly enraged the residual Buddha’s Will within the Earth Temple!

"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

A grand, solemn Brahma Chanting, as if echoing from antiquity, suddenly erupted, drowning out the wails of the hundred ghosts.

Deep within the Earth Temple, a strand of golden light as fine as a hair quietly reawakened.

In an instant!

One after another, Clay Monks materialized from thin air.

Countless rays of golden Buddha Light surged from their bodies, coalescing into illusory Dharma Aspects of Buddhas, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas.

These Dharma Aspects were solemn and dignified, their faces filled with compassion. Some sat cross-legged on lotus thrones, chanting scriptures with lowered eyes; others brandished Magical Artifacts, glaring with wrathful expressions.

Streaks of golden Buddha Light shot out like sharp swords, piercing the churning black qi.

Countless golden scripture Buddha Seals also materialized from thin air, spinning as they descended upon the Netherworld Ghost Realm, carrying the immense power to grant Enlightenment to all and suppress any evil.

The scene became a fantastical tableau, as if a myth had come to life.

On one side was a Buddha’s Pure Land, with golden lotuses carpeting the ground and Brahma Chanting filling the air.

Illusory Buddhas smiled while holding flowers, speaking True Words that transformed into golden scriptures and rained down to purify the Resentful Souls.

Wrathful Arhats swung their Vajra Pestles, unleashing beams of demon-cleaving Buddha Light that tore through the black qi.

Pitying Bodhisattvas sprinkled a sweet rain, but it was Buddha Dew, filled with the power of Enlightenment.

Wherever it fell, even the howls of the Resentful Souls seemed to weaken, a flicker of confusion appearing in their eyes.

On the other side was the Netherworld Ghost Realm, where black qi surged to the heavens and a hundred ghosts wailed.

Ferocious Resentful Souls charged fearlessly into the Buddha Light, hissing and sizzling as their forms disintegrated, only to rapidly reform under the power of the Soul Refining Banner and attack with even greater madness, defiling the sacred light with their resentment.

The White Bone Skeletons cackled grotesquely, spewing Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire that corroded the golden Swastika Buddha Seals, staining them a deathly gray.

Countless ghostly hands reached out from the black qi, clawing at the illusory Buddha Dharma Aspects, trying to drag them down into Eternal Hell.

Compassionate chanting intertwined with venomous curses!

Purifying Buddha Light clashed with foul Ghost Qi!

The very space twisted violently under the two opposing powers, humming as if on the verge of collapse. The dim yellow ground flickered, one moment bathed in holy Buddha Light, the next steeped in ghastly Ghost Qi.

Qi Yun’s face turned a shade pale as he poured all his strength into maintaining the Soul Refining Banner, feeling immense pressure on his Divine Soul.

Although the Buddha’s Will was rootless, and only a mere sliver remained, its quality was sublime—vast and majestic, with a natural suppressing effect on the powers of the Ghost Dao.

If his Soul Refining Banner hadn’t undergone numerous upgrades, if the quantity and quality of its Resentful Souls didn’t far exceed the norm, and if he wasn’t augmented by an Evil Skill like the Nether Spring Bone Technique, he likely would have collapsed long ago.

’Hmph! A mere remnant, and you dare obstruct me!’ Gritting his teeth, Qi Yun flipped his hand, took out a handful of Elixirs, and shoved them into his mouth. His severely depleted True Essence, which had been on the verge of failing, instantly flared back to life, and he poured every last drop into the Soul Refining Banner.

Energized by this new surge of True Essence, the flagging Soul Refining Banner went into overdrive. The boundless black qi it roared forth swelled like a tidal wave from a furious sea, and it crashed viciously against the vast and majestic golden Buddha Light!

BANG!

This blow made the Buddha Light tremble and dim.

The perfect, flawless Buddha’s Will instantly showed a crack.

Now!

Seizing the opportunity in that split second, Qi Yun flicked his wide sleeve, retracting the Soul Refining Banner. His body blurred into an afterimage and plunged headfirst into the fissure.

...