Chapter 155: Blade Aura Cuts Divine Sense, Buddhist Dharma Enlightens the Confused
Chapter 155: Blade Aura Cuts Divine Sense, Buddhist Dharma Enlightens the Confused
Mu Yue’s Heart Moon Zhenqi was ethereal like moonlight, giving off a cold and bitter chill. It was a different kind of cold compared to the Ice Soul Divine Light!
“This person is hard to deal with!”
Although Mu Yuan did not particularly desire victory, he felt somewhat indignant after being put at a disadvantage by Mo Yue.
A huge full moon hovered in the air above, reflecting attacks back, making Mu Yuan feel like he had nowhere to strike.
“Let me see how much pressure you can handle!”
Only being able to take hits but not fight back finally made Mu Yuan feel extremely frustrated. He truly had not expected to encounter such a tough opponent in his very first match!
“Great Sun True Fire, Nine Dragons Blazing Fire!”
The Great Sun Fire Curse stirred up a raging blaze, dragging a long, luminous tail. The form of the Three-legged Golden Crow did not appear!
Mu Yuan had presented himself with Clear Water Zhenqi before Star Metal Mountain, so of course he could not reveal a different type of Zhenqi now!
He also gathered the Great Sun Fire Curse into a fiery red lotus, shining brightly, both real and illusory, making it look like a Magical Artifact!
The scorching heat surged upwards, immediately sweeping away the cold brought by the Moon Zhenqi!
Mu Yuan reached out and grabbed, transforming the Purple Lightning Dragon Curse into a purple curved blade, also shaped like a Magical Artifact!
The Zhenqi of the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force had already spread throughout his body, merging with his blood and bones. Now, unleashed through the Purple Lightning Dragon Curse, it became even more fierce and unpredictable!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Over a dozen dark cyan blade auras shot out from the curved blade one after another. They were continuous, dense, and spreading crisscross. Each slender blade aura was thin and elongated, exuding an air of elegance!
“Since I can’t break the Mirror Flower Water Moon technique, I’ll cut the Divine Sense, and the Divine Ability will dissipate on its own!”
As the thought crossed Mu Yuan’s mind, the Great Sun Fire Curse stirred up waves of heat, while he himself wielded the Purple Lightning Dragon Curse. Using the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force to activate the Mysterious Heaven Dragon Ascension, he forced out countless fierce blade auras!
As the heat waves emerged, accompanied by powerful true fire and even a Nine Dragons Blazing Fire Pearl continuously fueling the flames, Mo Yue immediately felt unbearably hot all over. The Moon Zhenqi inside her body was like snow meeting boiling water, or mystical ice placed over a fire to roast; it actually showed signs of melting!
Even more formidable were the blade auras of the Mysterious Heaven Dragon Ascension, which severed Divine Sense. Her own Mirror Flower Water Moon technique, originally meant to leave the body and form a moon—a supreme defensive Divine Ability—had now slipped from her control, astonishing her greatly!
“This little scoundrel has so many Divine Abilities!”
That azure blue Flying Sword, avoiding the blade auras, was agilely controlled by Mo Yue as it slashed towards him!
Although the Mirror Flower Water Moon technique was powerful, it was not as nimble as the Flying Sword. Instead, the sword could evade the blade auras of the Mysterious Heaven Dragon Ascension that cut Divine Sense, without losing its potency.
The moon suspended in the air gradually dissipated.
“If you want to compete in sword arts, I’m not afraid of you!”
Mu Yuan chuckled. The Northern Dark Water Curse materialized on his left hand, taking the form of a Flying Sword. He executed the Heart-Seeking Sword Art and the Sword Qi Division technique, engaging Mo Yue’s Flying Sword in battle!
The blade aura in his right hand did not stop either, pressing forward from behind. For a moment, Sword Qi and blade auras crisscrossed, and energy currents whistled through the air!
From within the lotus formed by the Great Sun Fire Curse, nine illusory fire dragons soared up, charging directly at Mo Yue!
“I give up, I give up! I admit defeat, alright!”
Mu Yuan had a full set of Magical Artifacts, though he hadn’t used them. Relying solely on the Six Bright Great Curses, which he could transform at will, he possessed formidable power!
Moreover, his Divine Abilities were unpredictable. Unless one’s cultivation level was significantly higher than his, cultivators of the same rank simply couldn’t rival him!
Mo Yue immediately recalled her Flying Sword, leaped high into the air, and spoke with a charming, feigned anger.
Mu Yuan chuckled, retracted his curses, and cupped his hands in a salute.
“Miss Mo Yue, may I ask you something? Your sect has a Mo Xue. I wonder how she has been lately?”
Since Mo Yue had conceded, she immediately left the Black Jade Qilin Seal, making way for the next pair of combatants. However, Mu Yuan took the opportunity to ask Mo Yue about Mo Xue.
Mo Yue looked at Mu Yuan meaningfully for a moment, then said with a smile, “So you know Junior Sister Mo Xue? And yet you still fought me so fiercely!”
Mu Yuan gave an awkward smile. Yun Xi stepped closer and said, “Congratulations, Brother Mu, on your first victory!”
Mo Yue shot a charmingly stern glance and said to Mu Yuan, “Junior Sister Mo Xue hasn’t been very well lately. If you want to know more, you’ll have to win the final prize and give me that Liujia Golden Light Wheel. Then I’ll tell you.”
“What do you mean, not very well?”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan felt slightly worried, but Mo Yue paid him no further mind and left directly.
“That little minx…”
Yun Xi grinned and muttered. Mo Yue seemed to have heard him; she turned around in the distance, her gaze surprisingly sharp!
Yun Xi shivered all over and mumbled, “Such sharp ears!”
Setting aside his worries, Mu Yuan laughed heartily and turned his attention to the battles inside the Kylin Seal.
“So that wheel is called the Liujia Golden Light Wheel. I’ll try to win it too!” Yun Xi glanced covetously at the golden light wheel on the table in front of Emperor Jianming.
“Give it up. There are quite a few experts who came this time!”
Mu Yuan nudged Yun Xi, pointing at the two people currently fighting inside the Black Jade Kylin Seal.
The ones who entered were a Daoist priest and a Buddhist monk. The Daoist priest held a peach wood sword covered in Talismanic Script. When he infused it with Zhenqi and struck, it released vast swathes of Sword Qi, looking quite imposing!
The monk, however, stood with his head bowed, motionless. He held a string of sixteen prayer beads, chanting scriptures. A circle of Buddha Light surrounded him. Wherever the Sword Qi landed near him, it seemed to be swallowed by something and vanished completely!
Yun Xi hadn’t paid much attention before, but now seeing this, he was shocked. “I don’t know if this monk’s cultivation is profound or his Divine Abilities are powerful, but that Daoist also seems quite skilled. How is he at such a disadvantage?”
No matter how the Daoist priest unleashed his Sword Qi, the monk remained completely still. Finally, the Buddha Light around him flickered, faintly revealing a bizarre and fantastical scene. Outsiders could only see what seemed to be a towering mountain reaching into the clouds, surrounded by scattered white pagodas and temple monasteries!
But this illusion was fleeting. By the time the scene dissipated, the Daoist’s peach wood sword had already broken into two pieces. The tip, along with over two feet of the blade, fell to the ground, while he still held a remaining foot-long piece in his hand!
The Daoist priest himself seemed dazed. Just as everyone thought he would be heartbroken about his wooden sword and fly into a rage—after all, this was just a sparring match, and the monk had destroyed his opponent’s Magical Artifact, something no one would take well—something unexpected happened.
Instead, the Daoist priest discarded the broken wooden sword, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed. “Venerable Master, please be merciful and accept this disciple!”
A faint smile appeared on the monk’s withered, indifferent face. He stretched out a hand as dry as firewood and touched the Daoist’s head. The Daoist’s hair immediately fell out. The monk’s lips moved slightly, though no one heard what he said. Then the Daoist cheerfully followed him out of the Kylin Seal!
Everyone watched this scene dumbfounded. No one had expected this to be the final outcome!
“This monk… he’s really something!”
Mu Yuan felt his lips go dry, and it took him a long moment to say this.
“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest excellence; to subdue the enemy’s army without fighting is the highest excellence.”
Yun Xi was equally stunned. He couldn’t help but look towards the monk emerging from the Kylin Seal. He saw the monk’s gaze, deep as a pond, calm and unfathomable, and couldn’t suppress another shiver!
Buddhist Dharmas and secret arts were inherently mysterious. Even though Mu Yuan was quite experienced, he still had no idea about the origin of this technique. He could only sigh at the vastness of the world and its endless wonders.
The next few matches held nothing particularly unusual, merely various Daoist techniques and Buddhist Dharmas vying for supremacy, with victories and defeats on both sides.
Yun Xi’s opponent turned out to be Tian Zhong, who had come with them.
Tian Zhong was a disciple of the Tianyin Sect. His Magical Artifact was a bronze bell that could shake the spirit and seize the soul. He could produce sonic waves by pursing his lips, which shared similarities—one righteous, one evil—with the “Heavenly Demon Soul-Seizing Sonic Wave” that Mu Yuan had seen the Five Yin Patriarch use.
Although Mu Yuan had come with Yun Xi, he didn’t know the extent of Yun Xi’s skills. However, in this battle, Yun Xi displayed an exceptionally superb sword technique. Silver light flashed brilliantly as his “Falling Star Flowing Light” sword art moved like a celestial god executing laws. In an instant, he broke through the bronze bell and achieved an easy victory!
Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Yun Xi’s Magical Artifact wasn’t a Flying Sword, but a set of flying needles!
Because the victory was so effortless and Yun Xi’s sword art was incredibly swift, others merely saw dozens of thin silver flashes of light before the bronze bell was shattered. But Mu Yuan, who had also studied the “Falling Star Flowing Light” sword art, clearly saw that they were dozens of fine, sharp flying needles.
“It seems Yun Xi has been hiding his strength. His cultivation is about the same as mine, and his methods are nothing to scoff at either.”
After the first round of matches among the thirty-two people, sixteen remained. Apart from that monk, another who caught Mu Yuan’s attention was a gaunt man in black who immediately summoned rolling dark clouds and dense black smoke upon making a move. No one saw exactly how he acted, but he defeated his opponent.
The man in black was brought by the Sixth Prince. His name was Xuan Jia. His opponent was one of the two shady-looking old Daoists Yun Xi had mentioned earlier.
The Daoist, who appeared timid and hesitant, had actually passed through the light screen set up by the middle-aged scholar, which truly surprised Mu Yuan.
The Daoist’s methods relied entirely on a few talismans on his person, which transformed into countless savage beasts, blocking out the sky and appearing very formidable. However, Xuan Jia’s black smoke swept over them, and after a few explosive sounds, they vanished into thin air.
Having lost the match, the Daoist didn’t seem particularly dejected and maintained his usual demeanor.
Xuan Jia also wore an expression of indifference, showing no emotional fluctuation.
“This match is truly strange from start to finish!”
Mu Yuan shook his head. Even though he had no desire for the Buddha Relic or the Liujia Golden Light Wheel, he had developed a strong interest in the strange monk and Xuan Jia. He waited quietly for the next round of matches.
The second round was clearly much more serious than the previous one. By coincidence, Yun Xi was matched against that monk.
“What lousy luck. I was hoping this monk would run into a powerful opponent, and they’d fight to the death, letting me pick up the pieces. Instead, I’m the one heading to my doom before even achieving anything!”
Yun Xi shrugged his shoulders, speaking half-jokingly.
Seeing the wry smile on Yun Xi’s face, Mu Yuan couldn’t help but feel his mood lighten. He patted Yun Xi on the shoulder and said, “Take care of yourself, Yun Xi. Heaven envies talent; there’s nothing anyone can do about it!”
Yun Xi let out a loud laugh, then flashed into the Kylin Seal.