FVN Chapter 33 Reveals the Secret
Chapter 33 Reveals the Secret
When a gray figure from Cuiyun Mountain took the mountain god's weapon and flew swiftly toward this place.
The battlefield of the Eastern Long Street in Jisa Kingdom has been moved to the wilderness outside the East Gate.
The Rakshasa woman hid in the shadows of the city gate, the moonlight casting a long, slender shadow of her.
She gazed at the tall, handsome young man from afar, her brows furrowed, and her eyes swirling with indescribable emotions.
She was afraid that something would happen to Zhong Xuan and wished she could rush out immediately, but she was also hesitant because her own imbalance of the five elements was getting worse. If she acted rashly and lost control, she would only drag him down.
This unfamiliar feeling of hesitation and confusion made her panic.
At this moment, the monkey beside Zhong Xuan acted without any restraint.
It was covered in blood, its golden fur matted with sweat and blood, but its eyes shone with a terrifying light, fixed intently on Zhang Chengming's retreating figure.
"Brother, kill him!"
It hissed and howled, its iron rod flashing with black light, each strike carrying a bone-chilling hatred. It disregarded its various injuries, driven only by extreme rage and pleasure, each strike more ferocious than the last.
That old dog just cornered Brother Ren, threatening him with himself, and getting so many people to surround and curse him!
It doesn't understand Longhu Mountain or the Celestial Master's Mansion.
All it knows is that anyone who bullies another's brother must die.
As for his injuries? The monkey was completely unaware of them. Blood was gushing from the torn flesh, three ribs were broken, and his left arm was charred black by the lightning.
But it didn't care; it just wanted to rush up and smash that hypocritical old face with a single blow.
Zhang Chengming was no longer as composed as before.
He tapped the ground with his toes, and his whole body floated backward like a willow leaf, creating distance.
He was a talisman master, and close combat was not his forte. He had been forced to take several blows by this young man, which was already humiliating enough.
Now, with each step back, Zhang Chengming would wave his hand and flick out a talisman, the talisman flying out from his sleeve and streaking across the night sky.
First one, second one.
The two talismans were released almost simultaneously, one to the left and one to the right, drawing two arcs in mid-air.
Then they both exploded!
The moment the talisman burned out, the runes outlined in cinnabar suddenly lit up, their golden light dazzling, as if someone had redrawn them in the night sky with a burning pen. Then, a thin crack appeared in the center of the talisman, and blue-white light poured out from the crack.
boom!!!
Two bolts of lightning erupted simultaneously! Countless twisted electric snakes surged wildly from the center of the shattered talisman, baring their fangs and claws, tearing through the night sky!
The electric light illuminated half of the official road.
Everyone was horrified, and out of the corner of their eyes they saw several dead trees by the roadside suddenly burst into flames!
Then, as if drawn by something, these electric snakes suddenly split into two.
One group lunged at the monkey, and another at Zhong Xuan!
As the monkey charged forward, lightning was right in front of it. It only had time to widen its eyes to see a dazzling blue-white light sweeping down from the sky.
It's too fast, there's no way to dodge it.
boom!!
The lightning struck it, and in an instant, the monkey shuddered violently. All its golden fur stood on end, like a hedgehog with its fur standing on end. Blue and white electric snakes slithered wildly across its body, burrowing into its flesh and burning its bones, making a sizzling sound, and a burnt smell wafted from its body.
The skin and flesh from the left shoulder to the chest charred, curled, and smoked at a visible speed.
It was in so much pain it almost cried out!
But it swallowed its scream back, let out a muffled groan, and staggered. The lightning hadn't dissipated, and it was still smoking. Yet it raised the iron rod again and pounced on Zhang Chengming.
At that moment, the boy on the left received a different treatment.
The Rakshasa woman's feet and half her body had just burst out from the boundary between moonlight and shadow—
A golden halo of Buddhist light suddenly shone from Zhong Xuan's body.
It was the lotus seed that Abbess Jingyuan had given him before!
At this moment, lotus seeds emitted rings of pale golden light in his arms, which quickly merged into one, enveloping his entire body.
The lightning struck the Buddha's light with a deafening boom!
The loud noise made people's eardrums ache.
The Buddha's light remained unmoved, like a reef standing in a raging sea. When the lightning snake struck it, it shattered and dissipated, turning into specks of blue and white starlight that vanished into the night. The boy stood in the light, his figure radiating a faint golden light, completely still. Only a few places on the hem of his clothes were scorched by the lightning, revealing his fair wrists underneath.
For a moment, the boy seemed to be bathed in the serene and sacred atmosphere of the twilight cliffs.
However, it was misunderstood.
Yuantong had just charged in from the flank with his staff when he saw this scene, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"The Art of Copper Head and Iron Bones!"
He entered the temple at eighteen and spent thirty years in arduous training to master this protective supernatural power. Every day at dawn, he would rise and strike himself with an iron rod three thousand six hundred times, rain or shine, for ten whole years until his skin and flesh were as hard as iron. It took another twenty years to achieve bones and muscles as strong as bronze. This young man had only glanced at it once before…
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Chengming flicked out a talisman with his backhand. The talisman flew from his fingertips and burned to ashes in mid-air.
A brilliant golden light shone forth, then twisted, condensed, and expanded.
Finally, he transformed into a golden warrior with a body twelve feet tall, took a step out of the void, and smashed his fist!
Yuantong hurriedly raised his stick to block.
clang!!!
The loud clang of metal striking metal made several people nearby hear a ringing in their ears!
Yuantong was knocked back seven or eight steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground. His hands were split open, and blood flowed down the shaft of the stick.
"This...this is impossible!"
"He learned Brother Yuantong's signature skill after just one look?"
Several monks gasped in disbelief.
Abbot Jingchen paused abruptly as he stared blankly at the young man's figure.
Could this child truly possess photographic memory and the ability to conjure magic from a single thought? He was genuinely astonished tonight.
Just then, Abbess Jingyuan moved.
She held the jade bottle high, supporting the bottom with her left hand and gently dipping a willow branch into the water in her right.
The silvery water shimmered with a warm glow under the moonlight, like a small piece of the Milky Way contained within it.
Willow branches sway, scattering across the night sky.
A milky white radiance flew out from the tip of the willow branch, as fine as stardust and as gentle as moonlight, the jade light fluttering and falling on Zhong Xuan and the monkey.
A cool sensation permeated the body.
The monkey looked down and was stunned by the shocking wounds on its body.
Charred flesh, torn wounds, broken ribs—
It's healing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The dead skin in the charred areas peels off, revealing new, pink skin.
The flesh at the rolled-up area wriggled and grew back together.
The broken bones made a soft cracking sound as they reconnected themselves.
This regenerative and restorative ability is undoubtedly powerful at this moment.
The monkey was delighted and looked up at the nun, grinning and revealing a mouthful of blood-stained teeth.
The nun didn't pay attention; she was only staring at the layer of golden Buddhist light on Zhong Xuan's body. Her beautiful eyes grew brighter and brighter, and finally she let out an incredulous exclamation: "This is not the Copper Head and Iron Bones Technique! He is guiding the protection of the Buddhist light I gave him! Making it spread all over his body and form a self-defense."
Upon hearing this, Yuantong and the monks all breathed a sigh of relief.
They thought to themselves: So it turns out that he is not a genius who can learn the Copper Head and Iron Bone Technique after watching it once?
After all, the principles behind this spell are different from simply using Buddha's light to protect the body.
However, Abbot Jingchen, Abbess Jingyuan, Zhang Chengming, and the Rakshasa woman in the shadows all fell silent.
Their cultivation level was higher, and they saw deeper things.
Compared to "learning the Iron Body Technique after just one look," something that only a genius could do...
The ability to instantly channel the power of external Buddhist light into a protective effect covering the entire body signifies that the young man must have reached an unbelievable level of control over his magical power, qi, and his own physical body!
It is a state of mind with keen insight, and also an innate seed of Taoist principles.
After realizing this, Zhang Chengming's face darkened completely.
He stared at Zhong Xuan, the last trace of appreciation in his eyes vanished, replaced by a frenzied surge of jealousy and murderous intent.
As expected, another prodigy! Another born with the Dao seed!
But why? Why not myself?! Why, after a hundred years of arduous cultivation, am I still inferior to a greenhorn from an unorthodox background?
A wicked thought surged in his mind: if he couldn't have it, he had to destroy it all.
"Fine, fine, very fine," he said, enunciating each word clearly, his voice as cold as ice, "You bunch of fools, do you really want to oppose me to the very end?"
He flipped his hands over, and a talisman was held between each of his fingers.
The talisman on the left is entirely crimson, its patterns twisted like flames.
Even before the talisman was activated, merely by taking it out of the talisman bag, the air around the talisman began to distort and vaporize, as if an extremely terrifying invisible flame was burning.
"retreat!"
Abbess Jingyuan's pupils constricted sharply, and she shouted sternly, "It's Samadhi True Fire! Even a trace of it will ignite your essence, energy, and spirit, until you're reduced to ashes!"
She was fortunate enough to attend the Vulture Peak Dharma Assembly and had considerable knowledge.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, several martial monks subconsciously took a half step back, and even Yuantong showed a look of fear.
Samadhi Fire—that's something even storytellers know about.
It is said to be something even gods fear; any mortal who touches it will die instantly, with no chance of survival.
Seeing the terrified looks on everyone's faces, Zhang Chengming's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"You guys know your stuff!"
He finally found a long-lost pleasure!
This thrill of looking down on all living beings and controlling life and death is wonderful.
"Then let me show you the power of my strongest talisman!"
Zhang Chengming gently shook the talisman in his left hand, and the talisman burned silently.
It ignited a silent yet intense golden flame, first engulfing the talisman from its edge inwards. With each inch burned away, a wisp of golden flame would emerge from the talisman, hovering in the air, growing more and more numerous and denser.
It was a cycle of birth and death, seemingly an endless proliferation.
The instant the talisman burned completely, these floating flames suddenly merged, expanded, and exploded!
boom!
A burst of crimson flame erupted, with golden runes flowing within the flames, twisting and writhing like living things. The heat wave swept over us, and even the wild grass a hundred feet away was instantly scorched, curled up, and turned to ashes by the heat wave and the hot wind.
The faces and hair of the few ordinary officials who were nearby were all curled up from the heat.
"How impressive is the Samadhi True Fire Talisman?"
Zhang Chengming sneered, and simultaneously raised his right hand, causing the second talisman to ignite.
This time, however, it transformed into a blue gale.
It is a kind of wind that swirls out from the center of the talisman, growing bigger and bigger. At first, it was only the size of a palm, but in the blink of an eye, it became as thick as a pillar.
In the blink of an eye, it was already as thick as two people could hug.
"This is the Auspicious Wind Talisman!"
Zhang Chengming stood proudly, surrounded by swirling winds that enveloped the golden flames that filled the sky.
The wind whips up the fire, and the fire, aided by the wind, merges and swirls upwards.
It eventually transformed into a towering pillar of fire, reaching a height of seven or eight zhang!
The firelight instantly illuminated half the sky, shining as brightly as day.
Zhang Chengming stood with his hands behind his back behind the source of wind and fire, looking every bit the part of a great demon-slaying master.
"This is my unique Samadhi Wind and Fire Technique. Touching it will cause your soul to dissipate and your bones to stand still; burning it will annihilate both your form and spirit! You who are able to die under this technique are truly fortunate beyond measure!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed his hands forward.
A pillar of fire shot straight up and swept towards Zhong Xuan and the monkey!
A wave of heat arrived first, causing nearby people to feel a burning sensation in their lungs even when they tried to breathe.
The monkey felt its skin on its face was dry, cracked, and painful, making it difficult to even open its eyes. All it could see was a blinding golden-red color.
Just then, a sudden burst of Buddhist light shone brightly on Zhong Xuan and the monkey.
"Don't panic, you two!" Master Jingyuan's gentle voice rang out nearby.
The lotus seeds in the arms of the man and the monkey flew out and hovered three feet above their heads. They spun gently, and with each rotation, a golden halo spread out, layer upon layer, growing thicker and thicker until it finally transformed into a golden curtain of light that cascaded down like a waterfall, enveloping the two of them.
A lotus flower protects the body, shaped like a six-tiered lotus platform!
"Lotus Platform Protector!" Abbess Jingyuan stepped forward, shouted, and clasped her hands together.
She closed her eyes, and her magical power surged forth like a tidal wave, without holding back a single drop, pouring it all into the lotus seed. The two nuns behind her, one big and one small, turned pale, but still pressed their palms against the nun's back and gritted their teeth to transfer their meager magical power to her.
The three people's magical power merged into one, continuously flowing into the lotus seed.
The lotus seeds shone even brighter, and the golden lotus platform's light curtain grew three inches thicker.
The Buddha's light clashed with wind and fire!
boom!!!
The deafening roar shook the earth, and the golden-red flames collided with the golden light barrier, the raging flames crashing like waves against the shore, scattering sparks everywhere.
The light screen on the lotus platform trembled violently, but held firm.
The raging flames couldn't break through, and the light barrier couldn't push them out either; the two were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, neither willing to back down.
But Zhang Chengming stroked his short beard and smiled, a mocking and cruel air of victory in his eyes, saying, "Struggle! Struggle until you're exhausted. Then take one last Five Thunder Talisman from me, and your souls will be scattered to the winds! You won't even be able to reincarnate!"
The local battles on the other side, however, showed even more distinct differences.
"Hold on!" Yuantong gritted his teeth, picked up his staff, and formed a battle formation with the seven monks.
Only in this way could they tightly bind a golden warrior. The footsteps of the group intertwined, and the shadows of their staffs were heavy, clearly showing that they had given it their all.
But when the Golden Warrior punched down, it easily caused the tiger's mouth to split open, and blood flowed down the staff.
Several officials and monks drew their bows and arrows, attempting to shoot at Zhang Chengming. The arrows whistled through the air, but just as they reached about three feet around him, they were struck by the swirling gale.
The arrow paused, then was swept into the wind, swirling in the air before being incinerated into ashes by the wind's firepower with a soft "poof," making it impossible to even get close.
Zhang Chengming glanced at them coldly, inwardly sneering: The talisman formations of the three mountains of Longhu Mountain are so profound, how could these unorthodox and third-rate cultivators possibly understand them? It's already an honor for them to be able to hold out for a short while!
Abbot Jingchen's forehead was covered in sweat. He stared at the pillar of fire and the boy suppressed by it. Finally, he made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, hold on for a little longer! This humble monk will return to the temple to ask the high deities to retrieve the temple's treasured Buddhist artifacts and invite the Dharma protectors to descend."
"Summon the Dharma Protectors?" Zhang Chengming scoffed, his gaze sweeping sideways with utter mockery. "You can summon the Dharma Protectors, but I can't summon the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals? Or are you trying to arbitrarily instigate a conflict between the Buddhist army and the Heavenly Army?"
Upon hearing this, Abbot Jingchen was struck dumb.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word—yes, if the Dharma Protector were truly invited, how could Zhang Chengming let it go? When heavenly soldiers and generals descend upon Jisaguo, it would be a face-off between Buddhism and the Heavenly Court.
He can't afford to wear such a big hat!
For a moment, the head monk Jingchen was frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.
But the lotus throne and Buddha light in his eyes were dimming at a visible speed under the scorching wind and fire.
The golden light barrier, which was originally three inches thick, is now only one inch thick, and tiny cracks have begun to appear at its edges. Each time it is licked by flames, the cracks widen.
The lotus platform's light curtain seemed to tremble and groan, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Master Jingyuan's forehead, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground. Her face gradually turned as pale as paper, and her lips lost all color.
The two nuns behind her were swaying precariously, almost completely exhausted.
The magical energy fluctuations emanating from the three individuals were so weak that they were almost imperceptible.
But the nun still held on desperately, secretly drawing out her innate essence and spirit.
As she looked at the boy's figure on the screen, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.
—If this child were to enter my Buddhist order, he would surely become a great man! If we could save him, it would be worth sacrificing our cultivation and lifespan.
"donor!"
The nun called out again, her voice now tinged with pleading, "Do you have any other ideas? Just say it! I will cooperate fully!"
All eyes turned to the boy.
Zhong Xuan could see the desperate attitude of Abbess Jingyuan, so he nodded.
From the moment the pillar of fire appeared, his gaze never left Zhang Chengming.
Having already used the Tai Xuan Illumination Qi Method, I have seen through the secret of this true man's extraordinary strength.