Chapter 569 - 520: Humans Kill Demons, Demons Eat Humans (Part 2)

Chapter 569: Chapter 520: Humans Kill Demons, Demons Eat Humans (Part 2)

A single Earthly Buddha Country can accommodate millions, or even tens of millions, of Believers, creating a life of peace and comfort.

The drawback is that an Earthly Buddha Country cannot be moved. A Buddha within their Buddha Country is empowered by Telekinesis, making their divine might unparalleled.

But once they leave, they can no longer draw upon the power of their Buddha Country. This makes it far inferior to a Grotto Heaven, which is integrated with and always accompanies its master.

Furthermore, unlike other Divinity Transformation Cultivators, when a Great Power of the Buddhist Sect passes into nirvana, a rainbow light will appear to guide them, drawing the attention of heaven and earth.

This phenomenon cannot be concealed, even from within a Buddha Country.

Therefore, it is perfectly clear which Buddhist Sects have a living Buddha and which only have Arhats presiding. There is no way to fake it.

The Jia Ye Sect is the only Divinity Transformation Level Buddhist Sect in the Cultivation Realm. The Treasure Wheel Buddha established the Ruyi Buddha Country there, and the Sect is located in the Great Phoenix region, near the Western Realm.

Inside his Buddha Country, the Treasure Wheel Buddha’s strength is comparable to that of the Celestial Punishment Peak Master.

But once he leaves it, his power would likely rank at the very bottom among all Divinity Transformation Cultivators.

Perhaps for this very reason, the Treasure Wheel Buddha has not been seen to take action in all the years since the war between the two races began.

However, there were a full four Arhats from the Jia Ye Sect stationed at the Jishui Camp.

"A powerful being has fallen!"

Kong Bai’s expression shifted. He changed direction and flew toward the opposite bank of the Jishui River.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, the three of them stood dumbfounded, staring at a Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent that had been split in two.

"Is—is that a Tier Four Mid Grade Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent? Killed with a single sword strike?"

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul flinched. Even though the deceased was a Demon Beast, a chill still ran down his spine.

After the Demon Race brought chaos to the Eastern Domain and Lankao Mountain was fully opened, many incredibly powerful Great Demons had appeared.

Aside from the mysterious White Ape that had killed the Supreme Elder of Jinyue Sect, this Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent was ranked among the top of the newly emerged Tier Four Great Demons.

Its potent Desolate Beast Bloodline placed it in the highest tier of power just below a Great True Monarch.

"There are no traces of a battle, no residual shockwaves... It was truly a single strike that split it from head to tail. Not even a Great True Monarch Sword Cultivator could necessarily do that, right?"

The fierce-looking monk glanced at Kong Bai. This Nascent Soul Cultivator beside him was from a Super Sword Sect and held the title of a genius Sword Cultivator.

His current performance, while largely thanks to the Life-Killing Demon Sword, could be considered a fulfillment of his early talent.

At only half a millennium old, he had already reached the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, even faster than his senior brother, Xiangg Ji.

Although his Cultivation had been somewhat artificially accelerated—he had devoured one Tier Four Flying Sword and more than five Tier Three Flying Swords during his growth.

"Elder Ma of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect favors a light and agile style; his Swordsmanship isn’t known for explosive power... Elder Li of the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect, on the other hand, might be able to unleash such a strike with the Cyan Lotus Sword Song. But regardless of which Elder it was, there would be no reason for them to hide from us."

Kong Bai landed and knelt, running a hand along the smooth, severed edge of a wing. His finger was grazed by the lingering, sharp Sword Intent, and blood immediately welled up.

"Besides, not even a Divinity Transformation Ancestor would ignore the Demon Body of a Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent and just leave it behind... unless the person who struck was completely drained of True Essence, left with no strength, and suffering from side effects so severe they couldn’t stay for even a moment longer."

"Doesn’t that mean we get to profit!"

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul said excitedly. The Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent was ranked high on the Merit List.

The kill, combined with turning in the Demon Body, would be enough to exchange for a Tier Four Spirit Vein or two Realm-Breaking Spiritual Pills.

If one were just standing guard at the Jishui Camp without performing any special deeds, they wouldn’t even earn half that many Merit Points in a hundred years.

"I’ll hold onto it, but we won’t exchange it for now... There’s a 99.9 percent chance the attacker used an Overdraft Sword Technique with severe side effects. But even if there’s just a one percent—or even a one-in-ten-thousand chance—that a Divinity Transformation Ancestor was responsible, I’m not willing to take that gamble. If a passing Divinity Transformation Ancestor did kill it, and we reported it for Merit Points and traded for Treasures, the situation would be irreversible!"

Kong Bai raised a hand to stop the Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul from interjecting and voiced his thoughts.

"If we only collect the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent’s corpse and don’t exchange it for Merit Points, then even if a Divinity Transformation Ancestor mentions it, we can explain ourselves by handing it over promptly. My plan is to wait ten years. If no one comes forward by then, we’ll bring out the serpent’s Demon Body."

It had to be said, Kong Bai’s reasoning was sound.

The crucial point was that the other two combined were no match for him.

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul and the fierce-looking monk exchanged a glance and could only nod, tacitly agreeing to this course of action.

Kong Bai pulled the massive Demon Body of the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent into his Realm, where it landed with the weight of a hill.

"To think the Star Palace has such a powerhouse. Regardless of whether it was a Secret Technique, killing the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent is astounding enough... But there’s still the Dapeng King and the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede. Surely they can’t kill those two Great Demons as well, right?"

The Yellow-Faced Cultivator said with some lingering fear, looking at the deep depression left by the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent’s body.

He had never taken the Star Palace seriously before, thinking of it as just an underground faction formed by a few disillusioned Nascent Soul Loose Cultivators.

He had even once volunteered to join his Sect’s army in pursuit of the Po Jun Star Monarch.

’Looking back now, failing to catch him might not have been a bad thing.’

"It’s impossible for everyone in the Star Palace to be at this level. One or two, maybe. If they all had this kind of power, the Star Palace’s reputation couldn’t be kept under wraps, no matter how low-key they tried to be. In terms of speed, the Dapeng King can cover a thousand li with a single flap of its wings. I wonder if a Great True Monarch commanding a Tier Five Flying Sword could even match that. If you’re weaker than the Dapeng King, you won’t even have a chance to escape. If you’re stronger, you’re still helpless when it just flaps its wings and flies away."

A deep interest flickered in Kong Bai’s ink-black eyes. ’The Star Palace is full of Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators, each with different Divine Techniques. They would make for excellent sparring partners.’

"As for the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede, do you really think someone in the Star Palace is capable of killing it? That Great Demon, a mutation with Desolate Beast Bloodline, has been the de facto lord of Lankao Mountain for over a thousand years, with the Red-Eared Ancestor remaining in seclusion. Great True Monarch Jiuyue once commented that its strength is no less than that of the Ten Thousand Years Profound Turtle or the Demon Whale, only a notch below the Dragon Monarch. Of course, the Dragon Monarch, now possessing an Exotic Treasure, has left all other Great True Monarchs in the dust and can no longer be judged by the same standards."

"If even Great True Monarch Jiuyue said that, then the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede’s true strength must be far greater than what we’ve seen."

The three continued their conversation as they followed the trail.

Another hour passed before they came across a corpse, half of which was picked clean to the White Bone, its face frozen in terror.

"The Yellow Dragon Ascendant of the Dragon Emperor Sword Sect... so he was a member of the Star Palace!"

The Yellow-Faced Cultivator’s expression changed drastically. He looked at the gruesome wounds and the clear signs of a Nascent Soul having fled the body, his voice low.

"I wonder if he was pecked to death by the Dapeng King, or if his Nascent Soul managed to escape..."

"He’s dead. Divine Soul Annihilation."

Kong Bai saw a wisp of a remnant soul lingering before the Yellow Dragon Ascendant’s corpse, unwilling to depart.

A gust of chilling wind blew past, and the remnant soul dissipated into nothing, leaving not even the slightest trace of its existence in the world.

The three sighed in sorrow and placed the Yellow Dragon Ascendant’s body into a Jade Coffin for preservation.

Although they were not allies, they were all of the Human Race and he had died at the hands of the Demon Race. It was only natural to feel a kinship in sorrow.

’It seems the Star Palace member who killed the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent was indeed an exception. The others who survived were just lucky that the Demon Beasts they encountered weren’t strong enough.’

’The last Star Palace member, the one being pursued by the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede, has probably met an even worse fate. I’m afraid they’re nothing but a pile of bones by now.’

"Fellow Daoist Kong, why don’t we turn back? There’s no point in pursuing this further..."

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul had no intention of confronting the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede. It was better to return to the Jishui Camp early.

They had already figured out it was a conflict between the Star Palace and the Demon Race. With one person and one demon dead, it was enough to report back.

He was afraid that Kong Bai was too proud to suggest retreating, so he spoke up first to prevent the three of them from chasing their way into a dangerous situation.

"Absolutely not. How can we give up halfway? If that person is still alive, we might have a chance to save him and find out the full story. If he is dead, I will still find a way to bring his body back. I will not allow the Relic of a Human Race True Monarch to be desecrated in the hands of a Great Demon."

Kong Bai’s black eyes glinted with a cold light as he lifted his head and spoke aloofly.

"Rest assured. Since I brought you out, I am confident I can bring you back. With my power alone and the Life-Killing Demon Sword, I may not be able to defeat the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede, but protecting ourselves is more than enough."

Only at this moment could one catch a glimpse of the arrogant, high-spirited junior brother of the Life-Killing Sword Sect who looked down on everyone.

...

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Bai Zichen dodged several black shadows in quick succession. Each time a shadow fell, it caused space to tremble, creating finger-width cracks in the void that were quickly repaired by the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

’Close as the Palm of Your Hand, Far as the Ends of the Earth... this Divine Technique wasn’t created for travel or escape. It was meant to complement a Body Technique, to be paired with the Five Crystal Glaze Body to become a Body Refining expert feared by all.’

Every time he narrowly dodged an attack from the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede behind him, he couldn’t help but marvel at this Divine Technique.

’Damn bug, why won’t it stop chasing me? This is endless!’

The chase had already covered nearly ten thousand li, and even Bai Zichen, with his Five Crystal Glaze Body, felt his legs growing sore and numb.

Here, the river narrowed, and the Spirit Fields on both banks had been abandoned, turning into desolate wasteland.

Bai Zichen finally stopped and waited quietly for the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede.