Tathagata and the Dao Master were both outstanding figures of the previous era. Each had cultivated to the level of a god or Buddha. Had the Divine Bridge not been broken, both would have long ago ascended through rosy clouds and left this world.
Although Emperor Yan Feng was a latecomer of this era, he occupied nine dragon veins and cultivated within the imperial city, giving him unparalleled advantages. His cultivation made progress twice as fast with half the effort, his power reaching the heavens and penetrating the earth. He was absolutely one of the most powerful beings in the world today!
The Yan Kang Kingdom was hailed as the greatest sacred ground in the world, and he and the Yan Kang State Preceptor were its master and patriarch!
Even so, he was still a notch below Tathagata and the Dao Master. The two of them joining forces against him wasn't because they felt inferior to him, but because if it were a one-on-one fight, either would find it difficult to stop Emperor Yan Feng if he chose to flee.
But with both of them working together, Emperor Yan Feng's escape route was completely cut off.
Crack, crack. Bolt after bolt of azure lightning descended from the clouds in midair, electric light crackling and sizzling as it surrounded Emperor Yan Feng. Blindingly bright light erupted, swirling and dancing. True dragons soared through the sky, and suddenly all nine dragons roared in unison, clawing toward the Dao Master and Tathagata!
Tathagata chuckled softly, and the golden alms bowl flipped over violently, its opening facing upward. Instantly, golden light radiated brilliantly. Myriad realms surged forth, and celestial beings and Buddhas filled the sky, confronting the charging dragons.
"Old friend, leaving the emperor's execution to you," Tathagata said with a smile.
The old Dao Master pressed his sword, its light moving with a mysterious rhythm that encompassed all worldly motions. He chanted softly, "The Dao nurtures the myriad realms and great earth, supporting all methods. All under heaven returns to one! Your Majesty, this half-move..."
Before he could finish, two streaks of light flashed through the air, then suddenly halted. The old Dao Master quickly held his sword back and looked intently, only to see an elder in a blue-grey robe and a blind man leaning on a bamboo staff standing in midair.
"Tathagata, are you fighting?" the blind man asked with a smile.
Tathagata also suppressed the golden light bursting from his alms bowl and replied with a smile, "Horse King God, Blind Old Friend, what brings you two here?"
Master Horse said coldly, "Looking for someone!"
The blind man tapped his bamboo staff on the ground, and the sky trembled. Many strong fighters engaged in fierce combat nearby were startled and quickly ceased their attacks. The blind man smiled and said, "A great wind rises and clouds scatter; you gentlemen fight in such haste. Gentlemen, forgive my intrusion. I beg your pardon. Have you all seen a woman?"
Quan Dingwu, who had been on the receiving end of a beating, finally caught his breath and called out loudly, "Blind man, who are you looking for?"
"A woman, exceptionally beautiful. The kind who, once you see her, you can't forget and who lodges in your heart, scratching at it day and night."
The blind man sighed, "This woman is powerful. A old demon resides in her heart, wreaking havoc. He has fallen for this woman's beauty and intends to seize her body to become her. As they say, 'A beauty's face is like jade; a golden house treasures the fair one.' We originally brought her to the Great Thunder Sound Temple, hoping old Tathagata could subdue this old demon..."
He rambled on for a while, but the others still didn't understand. Master Horse said, "Blindy, get to the point."
The blind man scratched his head and said, "This woman is the former mistress of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the former Holy Maiden. Tathagata wants to kill the emperor, so he let her go."
Tathagata chuckled, "This old monk is helpless as well, with no ability to assist."
The blind man grew angry. "If you couldn't do it, you should have said so earlier! Now look—she's nowhere to be found. Have any of you gentlemen seen the former mistress of the Heavenly Demon Sect? She's incredibly beautiful. When she speaks, she can charm you to the bone. Anyone?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Xue B'e felt a glimmer of hope and called out, "We are from the Holy Church! We implore you two to help!"
Tathagata felt a chill in his heart. The old Dao Master asked, "Who are they?"
"My eldest disciple and the Spear God," old Tathagata replied.
The old Dao Master was surprised. "So it's the three-eyed Horse Divine Constable, and the former Divine Eye, already so aged?"
Master Horse shook his head. "Your matters are not as important as our search for a person. We have no desire to get involved."
"You're fighting over whether to kill or protect the emperor, but it's really not as important as our search for a person."
The blind man sighed. "If the emperor dies, another emperor can take his place. But if that demoness escapes, tsk, tsk, the whole world will suffer. Emperor, have you seen this sect mistress?"
Emperor Yan Feng's expression was grave as he slowly shook his head. "I have never seen her. Might I request the assistance of you two seniors?"
The blind man looked somewhat disappointed. "No interest. It's good you haven't seen her. If you had, just wait for the nation to be ruined and homes to be destroyed. Master Horse, let's go. She couldn't have gotten far!"
Master Horse nodded. The two vanished in a whoosh, disappearing without a trace.
The others stared in astonishment. "What eccentric seniors."
The sounds of slaughter resumed.
Tathagata released the golden light from his alms bowl, and the Twenty Heavens soared into the air. The Dao Master unleashed his sword light, and the fourteenth chapter of his Dao Sword bloomed with power. The sword light interpreted the great Dao of heaven and earth. The sword was like heaven, the sword was like earth, the sword transformed into all methods, the sword transformed into the stars of the celestial sphere. This single sword strike embodied the unification of all heavenly Dao!
Emperor Yan Feng channeled the Nine Dragon Emperor Art, his body wreathed in auspicious dragon energy, his feet treading rosy clouds. Every strike possessed unimaginable power, capable of splitting mountains and cracking seas, reversing heaven and earth. He had mastered numerous Dao techniques and divine abilities. Even the Dao Sword of the Daoist faith and the Battle-Winning Method of the Great Thunder Sound Temple could be deployed by him with a casual gesture. Any technique that reached his hands seemed capable of transforming the mundane into the miraculous, wielding incredible power.
Even the Sword Art of Severed Affection from the Hall of Parting, a sword technique only women could cultivate, he could wield it in his hands, and with even greater power!
Even the most ordinary moves became immensely powerful!
Spells, sword techniques, and even physical divine abilities could all be manifested by him. Every strike possessed the power to move mountains and overturn seas!
The Nine Dragon Emperor Art had already been cultivated by him to the divine level!
The Dao Master's eyes lit up. His sword techniques flowed like a storm, attacking Emperor Yan Feng relentlessly. He praised, "They all say the State Preceptor is a genius of Dao arts, but the world has overlooked Emperor Yan Feng. Your Majesty, you are already a grandmaster, fully capable of founding your own sect and creating your own sacred ground. What a pity!"
Shhh, shhh, shhh—
The Dao Sword, carrying the rhythm of the great Dao, pierced through Emperor Yan Feng's layered defenses, leaving him wounded several times!
Tathagata seized the opening. His golden alms bowl flipped violently, and the Twenty Heavens pressed down. The combined pressure of twenty small worlds within the bowl bore down on Emperor Yan Feng.
Emperor Yan Feng grunted softly, enduring the immense pressure of the Twenty Heavens. His movements became sluggish, but his Dao techniques and divine abilities grew ever more powerful, clashing against the Dao Sword.
The Dao Master's half-move sword technique was infinitely variable, leaving no trace. He pushed mathematical deduction to its absolute limit, exploring the progression of 'the Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things,' fully grasping the essence of 'three begets all things.'
However, the Dao Master's wisdom had its limits, so this final move was never fully perfected, only half a move completed. But even half a move was enough to shatter any Dao technique or divine ability!
Tathagata suspended his golden alms bowl in the air, chanted a Buddhist mantra, and said, "The Yan Kang State Preceptor has not yet appeared, but unforeseen changes are possible. We must end this quickly." With that, his body shimmered, revealing his sixteen-foot golden form. He lightly struck out with a palm, his five fingers trembling as five mountains pressed down.
At that moment, three hundred miles away, Qin Mu sat atop the Dragon Qilin, which galloped through the air on clouds of fire.
"Quicker! Even faster!"
Qin Mu sensed terrifying waves of power and urged, "If you can run faster, I promise you three pecks of Red Fire Spirit Pills!"
The Dragon Qilin panted heavily. "Sect Master, I'm giving it my all."
Qin Mu gritted his teeth. "Your speed is far behind that Green Ox! When that ox runs, it's more than twice as fast as you and can run ten thousand miles nonstop! Fatty Dragon, if you push yourself, I'll take you to beat up the Green Ox! If you keep dawdling, I'll take the Green Ox to beat you up!"
The Dragon Qilin gritted its teeth and suddenly burst forward with all its might. Fire clouds erupted from beneath its hooves, and its speed increased dramatically, nearly throwing Qin Mu off. After running thirty to fifty miles like this, the dragon qilin slowed down again, foam dripping from its mouth. "Sect Master, I can't take it anymore!"
Qin Mu helpless, growled fiercely, "Who told you to be so greedy? I'll send you to the dinner table at New Year's!"
Just then, suddenly one green and one grey streak of light whistled past. Qin Mu was stunned, and the two streaks of light circled back.
"Little Mu, what are you doing here?"
The two lights stopped, and Master Horse and the blind man appeared. The blind man said, "If my eyes weren't so sharp, I'd have missed you. When did you leave the Great Thunder Sound Temple? Did the monks give you any trouble?"
Qin Mu quickly replied, "I left right after you did. Grandpa Blind, Grandpa Horse, it's bad! Tathagata and the others are trying to kill the emperor!"
Master Horse said, "We saw. It's nothing. Emperors have changed frequently in the past."
The blind man complained, "Little Mu, don't lose sight of what's important. Li Tianxing is the real threat. If that creature gets her hands on Grandma's body, that's when the real catastrophe begins. Who could stop her then?"
"I've found Grandma. You two don't need to worry. She just doesn't want to return to the Great Ruins, fearing she'll involve you."
Qin Mu blinked. "Can you two save the emperor?"
Master Horse looked at the blind man, who shook his head. "Difficult. The emperor is probably dead by now. With Tathagata and the Dao Master attacking together, even if the Yan Kang State Preceptor returned, he'd be helpless. Oh, and your Heavenly Demon Sect is also there. They're probably going to suffer terribly."
Qin Mu gritted his teeth. "The emperor cannot die! As for our sect's experts, we don't need to worry about them—they can teleport away at any time. Isn't the Yan Kang State Preceptor there?"
"We didn't see him," Master Horse said. "Tathagata is old, and the Dao Master is old too. The battle won't last long, otherwise it will drain their remaining life force."
The blind man smiled. "We're younger than them."
Master Horse nodded.
The blind man grinned. "Then let's go snatch the emperor back. Little Mu, wait here. We'll bring you the emperor's corpse."
Qin Mu was stunned. "Corpse?"
Master Horse left with him, their voices drifting back: "If Tathagata and the Dao Master are attacking together, he's certainly dead."
On the battlefield, Tathagata and the Dao Master attacked together, aiming for a swift resolution. Emperor Yan Feng struggled against the attacks of two god-like existences, suffering continuous severe injuries. His vitality remained incredibly robust, while Tathagata and the Dao Master's life force fluctuated up and down. However, these two possessed cultivation that far exceeded his, and their combat strength was a tier above his. Moreover, two god-like beings were attacking him together?
Even though his vitality was still strong, it was merely the final flare before the lamp's oil ran out.
Both Tathagata and the Dao Master knew this. The next move would claim his life. Just then, a bamboo staff tapped toward them. The old Dao Master quickly raised his sword to block, and Tathagata also sensed killing intent striking from behind. The golden alms bowl immediately turned to shine behind him. Only two sounds were heard—ting, dong—as the bamboo staff struck the sword's blade, and the sword pierced into the alms bowl.
The blind man staggered back and praised, "Impressive. Your cultivation is higher than mine. You're just a hair behind that old village chief." With that, he turned and left.
Tathagata and the Dao Master quickly turned back, only to find that Emperor Yan Feng had vanished without a trace.
"No need to chase. Emperor Yan Feng's vitality is withered. All his divine palaces have been shattered," Tathagata sighed. "Amitabha, even if saved, he would be a cripple."
Qin Mu was waiting when suddenly a body was thrown over, landing on the dragon qilin's back. "Little Mu, here's the corpse you wanted!"