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Chapter 254 - 255: The Lost Champion Candidate
Chapter 254 - 255: The Lost Champion Candidate
Chapter 254: Chapter 255: The Lost Champion Candidate
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Wu Hou was practically bursting with fury at this moment. There had been an instant when he was truly frightened, unwittingly placing Yu Sanbian in the mythos of the Wine Sword Immortal.
He even subconsciously used a defensive measure to counter, marking his most humiliating moment in nearly thirty years.
The last time he had been publicly embarrassed was when Elder Tianwu ground him into the ground, yet even then he wasn't the most embarrassed one, since many senior masters were also ground into the ground alongside him.
But this time was different, as he, a top-tier expert in the Great Crossing Realm, had been intimidated by a mere junior in the Nascent Soul Stage. He used a defensive maneuver against a move that held no offensive power at all—an utter and appalling disgrace.
After today, it's likely his name will be synonymous with cowardice throughout the entire Mainland.
He formed a seal spell with his hands, and behind him, a Divine Demon phantom manifested, plunging the sky overhead, a giant hand reaching down from the heavens to grasp Yu Sanbian directly.
In just an instant, Li Xiaobai felt locked in, completely immobilized, which greatly alarmed him. He hadn't realized that a serious Great Crossing Realm expert had a paralyzing ability!
"Benefactor Wu, let there be no more killing," said Monk Bai Mei, sweeping his hand through the air. Another giant golden hand emerged from the void and firmly caught the great hand cast by Wu Hou.
"Bai Mei, you've gone too far!"
Wu Hou's face twisted fiercely, the Yin and Yang Qi behind him swirling into a huge grinding disc, that rapidly expanded as it bore down towards Monk Bai Mei.
At the same time, the giant two-faced Buddha above the Thousand Buddha Temple suddenly opened its eyes, shooting two golden beams fiercely towards Bai Mei.
"Vajra Indestructibility!"
Bai Mei joined his hands together, silently reciting the name of Buddha. A faint golden light arose, warding off the incoming attacks.
The clash of Great Crossing Realm cultivators churned the airwaves, instantly dealing death and injury to many cultivators nearby.
"Quick, leave!"
Monk Liaowang grabbed a few people and chanted a Buddha's name, disappearing on the spot. The other cultivators of the righteous path were also scrambling to escape, including several Transcendance Tribulation Stage experts. A true clash between powerhouses meant certain death for those too close.
Above Thousand Buddha Temple, three beams of light intertwined—in two gold and one black, more precisely, three Primordial Spirits tangled together.
Monk Bai Mei forcibly pulled back both the Thousand Buddha's Child and Wu Hou, drawing them back into the fray. For the time being, they couldn't extricate themselves to trouble Liaowang and the others.
In the void, the phantom of the Divine Demon exchanged blows, the golden glare brilliant. Thunder rumbled across the sky, while the ground split and shook, and the spiritual atmosphere exploded with dread as if a great terror were descending.
The cultivators were panic-stricken, fleeing from the front of the Thousand Buddha Temple as the fight was beyond their ability to engage.
"Bai Mei, do you truly wish to obstruct me?"
Wu Hou's gaze was sharp, a glint of killing intent shot from his eyes. It was not easy to kill a Great Crossing Realm cultivator, but with the Thousand Buddha's Child on his side, they had an absolute advantage in a two-against-one fight. If Bai Mei were determined to oppose them, they could kill him at the cost of some losses.
"Amitabha, this old monk merely wishes to urge all parties to turn back from the precipice. Should you be willing to stop now, this old monk will turn and leave, never to linger," said Monk Bai Mei.
"Bai Mei, you are truly deluded. This is a clash between righteousness and evil, and you openly protect a demon. This old monk must clean house!"
Above the Thousand Buddha Temple flared a golden light once more, with the two-faced Buddha suppressing the void. Behind it, a procession of Golden Body Arhats emerged, each with a distinct expression, forming an array that trapped Bai Mei in the middle.
"Eighteen Arhats, Eighteen Arhats Array?"
Bai Mei's brows slightly furrowed; the Thousand Buddha's Child's Eighteen Arhats Array was not easy to break. If he were bound by it, Wu Hou would have the chance to slay Li Xiaobai and the others. He could not allow that to happen.
Before coming here, he had already received a message that help would arrive shortly. Until then, he had to hold these two off.
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"Seven Buddhas Extermination Mantra!"
Master Bai Mei brought his hands together in prayer, and similarly, a team of Buddhas appeared behind the four-faced Buddha — a total of seven. The space solidified, suppressing everything.
"Benefactor Wu, let us join forces to first slay this traitor of the Buddhist Sect!"
Thousand Buddha's Child said.
"That's exactly what I intended!"
Wu Hou nodded, summoning a longsword in her hand, with powerful spiritual power fluctuations erupting before she fiercely thrust it at Bai Mei.
In a moment, the skies above Thousand Buddha Temple became a battlefield of celestial beings, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, destructive aura tearing through heaven and earth, making the entire Western Desert tremble.
At a distance.
Li Xiaobai stopped in his tracks and looked back, shocked in his heart. The destructive might he was witnessing was completely different from when Ou Yezi or Elder Tianwu had made their moves.
So this is the true power of a cultivator in the Great Crossing Realm. This means Ou Yezi and Elder Tianwu were just playing around when they took action before, not using their full strength.
The power of these Great Crossing Realm experts was terrifying, and he had underestimated them.
He felt somewhat relieved. Fortunately, the attack Thousand Buddha's Child had used on him before was only a probing strike. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to break free from just the sensation of being targeted.
It still came down to a lack of defensive power. If he had enough System Attribute Points, advancing to the next stage of defense should allow him to withstand the attacks of a Great Crossing Realm cultivator.
But now, he needed to avoid their sharp edges. At the very least, he couldn't confront them head-on with just his defensive power.
"Brother Yu, don't take it too hard. Life is full of surprises. Face them bravely, and you'll find that life can still be beautiful," Li Xiaobai patted Yu Sanbian's shoulder, offering some words of comfort.
He had also been deceived many times along his own journey, but it seemed that Yu Sanbian's situation was even more pitiable, having been fooled for three years and still naively believing he'd become an unparalleled expert upon opening his eyes.
The feeling of shattered dreams must be hard to bear.
Monk Liaowang and Su Mei'er wore complex expressions as they looked at Yu Sanbian, unsure of what to say. Such a foolish person was a first for them in their lives.
"That said, Brother Yu, didn't you feel something was off in these three years, like the fact that you never felt the power of Divine Skills and considered opening your eyes?"
Su Mei'er asked.
"Closed-eye Meditation allowed me to calm my spirit, that much is true. As for never having felt an increase in power, it seems that the cultivation technique Master Bai Mei taught was just a supplemental mental method. Indeed, all I sought that day was a method to better my whip technique," replied Yu Sanbian.
"What about the completion of the three-year period and the ability to see through mountains with a single glance, are these all delusions of my own making?"
Looking at Yu Sanbian, whose eyes were now blank and lifeless, the others quietly sighed. In truth, he wasn't stupid, just too naive. Anyone else would have opened their eyes long ago. Three years of meditation without any increase in power—why bother continuing?
To strengthen one's mental fortitude? Sorry, isn't smoking Huazi more appealing?
Nevertheless, this was something Li Xiaobai dared not say aloud; if he did, it would utterly devastate Yu Sanbian.
At this moment, Yu Sanbian could still use the strength of his spirit to comfort himself. However, if his thoughts turned to the effectiveness of Huazi, it would completely negate his three years of effort, causing him immense grief.
However, apparently, some creatures with unique ways of thinking did not see it that way.
Seeing the disheartened Yu Sanbian, Ji Wuqing hopped onto his shoulder, extended her wings, patted his shoulder and said, "Giggle, don't be so sorrowful. Isn't it just the power of the spirit? We can obtain the same from smoking Huazi. This Closed-eye Meditation isn't worth practicing!"