One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

Chapter 202: Zen Master Dingguang, Yasha Myou-ou

Jiangzhou, Li Family clan territory.

The blood-red setting sun slowly descended along the horizon, leaving half of it above the skyline.

In a dilapidated building on the remote back mountain.

A young disciple in white slowly pushed open the main door, stepping gingerly on the broken stones and muddy ground as he walked into the building’s hall, looking towards a window to the left front.

The round-arched, broken window directly faced the setting sun.

The red glow of the sunset scattered in, casting the silhouette of a long-haired, slender figure inside.

The young disciple narrowed his eyes, seemingly finding the blood-colored sunlight somewhat dazzling as his gaze shifted elsewhere.

The complete scene inside the room entered his view.

The entire house had no furniture, no pillars, and no stairs leading up or down; the ground with its pits and bumps was all that could be seen. Everywhere were traces of breakage, some areas concave while others piled with broken stones and debris.

In the corners of the earthen walls, amidst the mud were overgrown weeds and several flowers bathed in a bloody hue.

Above the flowers on the walls were round-arched wooden windows, most of which were already broken, with some still retaining snapped wooden frames. A lone, protruding spike remained in the center of a window, casting fine shadow lines within the room.

The sight that met the eyes spoke of desolation and decay.

Even the sound of the wind passing through the windows carried a lingering desolate intonation.

The long-haired woman stood in front of a window, her slender hand gripping the window’s edge as she looked outward. The cold wind blew past, causing her hair and the hem of her dress to float and sway backward continuously.

The young disciple frowned.

From his angle, all he could see was the woman’s dark shadow.

He couldn’t even make out the color of her clothes; she seemed to be made entirely of shadows, her gender merely outlined with simple lines.

The sunlight was blood-red, the shadows pitch-black.

This was the Shadow Bloodline of the Jiangzhou Li family, a cultivation that could even affect the surrounding environment when advanced to a profound level.

Where they resided was shadow and void. However, not many in the entire clan could excavate their bloodline powers to this extent.

Among the younger generation.

Except for Li Lingxiu, the young master who had left home more than ten years ago.

There was only the person in front of him, Li Lingxiu’s biological elder sister, and the current direct heir to the family—Li Lingsu.

As Li Lingsu turned around, her gaze fell upon him.

The young disciple hurriedly presented a "Cloud Key" he was holding forward.

"The Cloud Heaven Secret Realm is about to open; the Family Head instructed me to give you this key."

"I understand." Li Lingsu’s slender hand stretched forward; the disciple felt a chill pass over his skin, and the "Cloud Key" disappeared from his hand and appeared in Li Lingsu’s delicate palm.

"Did Father have any other instructions?" Li Lingsu’s aloof voice came again.

"Uh... the Family Head also said to bring back the young lord who has been traveling abroad," the young disciple said, "With the breach at Hanwu Pass, it’s chaos everywhere. The young lord, being alone outside, is too conspicuous and prone to danger."

"Huh..."

Under the red glow of the setting sun, Li Lingsu wore a look of melancholy.

She sighed softly, "Unknowingly, it has already been ten years."

After a pause, Li Lingsu nodded slightly, "Tell Father that I will bring my brother back."

"Then there’s nothing more." The young disciple bowed and left.

And within this old room full of flowers and weeds, Li Lingsu’s slender figure also disappeared gradually.

Only the autumn wind passed by, making whooshing sounds.

...

...

...

North of the Jiang River.

In a secluded temple covered in creepers, towering within its large walls.

The blind Zen Master Dingguang slowly opened his eyes, revealing in his pitch-black eye sockets a faint glimmer of golden Buddha light.

The grand hall before him was dark and murky.

Below the enormous golden Buddha statue, only two candles flickered and burned.

And as Zen Master Dingguang’s "gaze" fell on these two candles, one of them, representing the life of the "Black Death Buddha," burst into flame and went out with a pop.

In the dark, profound Buddha hall, a cracking sound resonated, as if a certain Buddha statue had shattered on the spot.

"Did the Black Death Buddha actually fail his mission?"

Turning the Buddha beads in his hand, Zen Master Dingguang stopped his silent chanting of the sutras, his face showing a trace of astonishment.

His ancient, peaceful countenance furrowed deeply upon confirming the news as true.

"The Great Zhou Dynasty truly has a profound foundation."

"We were careless this time."

As a major clan’s heir, Li Lingxiu’s escape from the Black Death Buddha’s hands and even his defeating the Black Death Buddha had been within Zen Master Dingguang’s expectations.

But to have slain the Black Death Buddha in return was somewhat harder for him to accept.

The Black Death Buddha itself was a death-level demon, and a particularly enigmatic and unpredictable intangible ghost.

To be able to utterly kill it, no matter the method used,

Must surely be a prominent figure among those of the Deceit Realm. Only the incarnations of real Buddhas in the Hundred Buddha Temple could subdue it; it was not an existence he could contend with at present.

After all…

In the Hundred Buddha Temple, his strength and the Black Death Buddha’s were roughly equivalent.

His ability to hold his position here, commanding the Black Death Buddha, stemmed from his more stable spiritual state, unlike the Black Death Buddha who had slipped into semi-madness.

Zen Master Dingguang’s fingertips moved the Buddha beads faster and faster.

Finally—

"Clatter!" With a crisp sound, the beads scattered.

The string of beads, crafted from blood-stained birth hair, shattered, with all thirty-six Buddha beads scattering across the floor.

Seeing this, Zen Master Dingguang’s face showed shock.

"Not good!"

The cultivator from Heavenly Deceit Realm immediately sensed something was off, "Master, it seems my whereabouts have been discovered."

"We must leave quickly," said Zen Master Dingguang with a somber expression, stepping forward without hesitation.

His aged form vanished from the Buddha hall and appeared outside in the temple courtyard.

Boom!

At this moment, the temple courtyard was no longer peaceful.

Huge torrents of crimson flames fell from the sky, igniting the entire forest.

The intense heat and thick smoke rising with the flames formed a massive curtain that obscured the moonlight.

Looking around, one could see numerous monk soldiers disguised as ordinary monks from Skull Plain ambushed by a Secret Method Master, locked in battle with another group of young disciples clad in white garments with flame patterns. Both sides were engaged in a deadly fight, tearing each other to pieces with powerful forces in the blink of an eye.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Zen Master Dingguang stretched out his hand and cast two rays of Buddha light.

He knocked away two approaching disciples and recognized their origins from their Cultivation Techniques and attire.

They were from the Fiery Sun Sect of the Jiang E region, one of the three great immortal sects.

The disciples of the Fiery Sun Sect were as explosive and fiery as their temperament.

Before the sect had officially declared its engagement in the world, many disciples had already participated in the wars at Skull Plain, inflicting heavy losses on various forces there in several large battles.

The sense of crisis grew more intense, even forming vague shadows before his eyes.

Just as one might see dark lines before dying, Zen Master Dingguang had a similar premonition.

"Who on earth is it!?" He felt a little panicked in his heart, not having the time to think it through, only wanting to leave this place far behind.

Once he regrouped with a few Buddha Masters from the Hundred Buddha Temple, he would be safe. Then there would be plenty of time and opportunity to slowly investigate any unexpected incidents that had occurred.

Whoosh!

Zen Master Dingguang was shrouded in a swirling black mist.

Summoning gusts of Yin Wind, he paid no heed to the other disciples, seeking to escape first on his own.

But midway through his flight, a roar came from within the flames.

"Demon monk, where do you think you are running to!" A towering figure suddenly burst out of the smoke, stomping down mid-air.

Rising high in the air from the massive backlash of the air explosion, he threw a mighty punch straight down at Zen Master Dingguang’s head.

Boom!

Zen Master Dingguang raised his hand to block, and a ring of red flames erupted between them.

The figure stood about two and a half meters tall, his body covered in explosive muscles, with numerous crimson veins resembling chains crisscrossing over his skin.

His long hair was like leaping flames and his face bore a wild and manic expression.

It was Cui Mingri, the true disciple of the Fiery Sun Sect.

"Die!" Cui Mingri bellowed like a thunderous explosion.

A vast expanse of crimson flames condensed in the void, forming into a tidal wave that rolled forward, submerging Zen Master Dingguang in its midst.

"Petty tricks!" Before Cui Mingri could rejoice,

Zen Master Dingguang’s indifferent voice followed, as beams of golden Buddha light pierced through the black mist, and behind him, the formidable form of the Vajra Yaksha King coalesced amid the ancient and vast chanting of Buddhist scriptures. With three faces, six arms, and five wrathful eyes, his hair wild like a spirited horse, and his body adorned with pearls and jewels, he took shape behind Zen Master Dingguang.

The Vajra Yaksha King stood sixteen feet tall, each of his six arms wielding a bow, arrow, sword, wheel, Five-Colored Vajra Pestle, and Vajra Bell as Magic Artifacts.

First, he shook the Vajra Bell, causing ripples in the void.

The flames around Cui Mingri, as if encountering the outpour of the Milky Way, instantly snuffed out with a fizz, blood trickled from his mouth and nose. His originally red face turned to black and blue, visibly wilting. Even the muscles on his body appeared to shrink a size.

"Again!"

Zen Master Dingguang laughed heartily.

The Vajra Yaksha King behind him lifted the Five-Colored Vajra Pestle high, shining with boundless Buddha light that pierced the long night and smashed down with tremendous force.

This time it was the true disciple of the Fiery Sun Sect whose face drastically changed.

Cui Mingri raised his left hand to block but his left arm and shoulder instantly shattered, with blood and bone flying in all directions. His massive body plummeted like a fallen star, dragging a red glow as it crashed into the distant ground with force.

Boom!

There was a loud crash.

Then the earth shook and dust billowed.

The many Monk Soldiers in the temple cheered loudly at this, while the advancing Fiery Sun Sect temporarily fell into a disadvantage.

But—

Even after striking down Cui Mingri in the temple’s sky,

Zen Master Dingguang’s face showed no sign of relief but became even more dark and gloomy.

His sense of crisis was so overwhelming that even the Vajra Yaksha King behind him could not give him even a shred of security.

"What exactly is the situation!?" Zen Master Dingguang’s heart was pounding.

His face was filled with unease.

In the next moment— the answer to his question appeared before him.

In the void before his eyes, a sturdy figure with long hair flowing stood against the peaceful night sky.

The bright moonlight cascaded down like water, coating the man in a layer of silver white. Though they were thousands of kilometers apart, the sight of those indifferent, merciless eyes made Zen Master Dingguang feel as if a bloodthirsty beast was biting down on his neck, unable to muster any thoughts of resistance in his heart!

"Who are you exactly!?"

It wasn’t just Zen Master Dingguang who was surprised at this moment.

All the disciples and monks in the temple also turned their full attention to Su Heng.

For a moment, the entire chaotic battlefield fell into a sudden silence due to Su Heng’s sudden arrival!