Chapter 344: A Dragon Appears in the Field, Manifest to the World

Time continued to rewind.

Finally, [Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning] barely crossed the span of time it took to construct the pure land, and Baohu's figure gradually drifted out from its depths.

But that was the end of it.

Truthfully, Baohu had been genuinely startled at first. The sheer abundance of lifespan Wang Ping displayed was so exaggerated that it exceeded that of an ordinary Tribulation Transcending Third Layer cultivator.

Fortunately, he couldn't hold on. He didn't manage to use [Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning] to rewind time all the way back to the grassland. Instead, after escaping the [Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land], he drifted down another ten thousand miles or so before being forced to stop. He clearly lacked the strength to continue the reversal.

"Benefactor... why go to such lengths?"

Baohu pressed her palms together. Her gaze fell upon Wang Ping, finding that his black hair had turned entirely white and visibly withered.

"Even if you dragged me out of the pure land, what then?"

Glancing around, Baohu remained perfectly composed. "I am still beyond the heavens. How do you plan to kill me without disturbing the [Heavenly Frost Cave Abode]?"

Wang Ping said nothing.

His eyelids drooped low; he seemed completely exhausted. Baohu stared straight at him, suddenly frowning for no apparent reason.

Something felt wrong.

Yet, for a moment, she couldn't place exactly what it was... This eerie sensation instantly put her on high alert, and she didn't dare be the slightest bit careless.

A second later, it suddenly hit her.

'A clone.'

Baohu's eyes lit up. That flash of insight instantly wiped away all her earlier doubts. 'This isn't his true body. It's just a clone!'

She remembered now. During her earlier clash with him, the Immortal Physique Wang Ping used to unleash [Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning] had actually belonged to a clone. His true body didn't possess that Immortal Physique. The one fighting her this whole time had only been a clone. So where was Wang Ping's true body?

'Hiding in the shadows, waiting to deal me a fatal blow?'

Baohu laughed to herself.

'I see. So this is his trump card. The clone paves the way while the true body lies in wait. He intentionally showed weakness, just waiting for me to lower my guard so he could launch a sneak attack.'

'Did he think I wouldn't dodge?'

Having figured out Wang Ping's trump card, Baohu instantly swept aside all her hesitation. All the inconsistencies she had felt earlier now had a natural explanation.

'I'll take down this clone first!'

With that in mind, she raised the gourd in her hand again. Purple light rippled, and she prepared to repeat her old trick, sucking him into the Purple Gourd space once more.

This time, however, Wang Ping hoisted the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron]. His figure flashed, vanishing from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already ten thousand miles away. Meanwhile, the Purple Gourd's light was still crawling along the tether of the [Three-Pronged Vajra Hook]. Just as it closed in on him...

Whoosh!

Wang Ping vanished again, teleporting another ten thousand miles backward. The purple light was forced to keep extending, the immense distance slowing the whole process down to a crawl.

"Oh?"

Baohu's beautiful eyes flickered at the sight. Seeing through Wang Ping's countermeasure, she couldn't help but praise him. "A counter for every move. Benefactor, are you truly unwilling to join my Brahma Nation?"

The method was simple, yet highly effective.

The effect of the [Three-Pronged Vajra Hook] hadn't been shaken; all of her attacks aimed at Wang Ping were still guaranteed to hit. The process, however, had been stretched out endlessly.

Under these circumstances, the so-called "guaranteed hit" became a false premise. While this meant Wang Ping posed no threat to her either, she couldn't forget that she was the one who needed to end this fight quickly. After all, inside the nearby [Grand Vow Golden Body], Xianfu was still eyeing her like a tiger watching its prey.

'And there's another troublesome point.'

Maintaining the [Three-Pronged Vajra Hook] consumed magical power, and no divine power could sustain its effect across an infinite distance.

At least, she couldn't.

Therefore, as Wang Ping moved further and further away, the drain to maintain the [Three-Pronged Vajra Hook] would only grow. In the end, the losses would outweigh the gains.

Unless she chased after him.

However, Baohu absolutely refused to do that. The risk was simply too high... But the awkward truth was that if she didn't give chase, her only option was to dispel the technique herself.

Release the [Three-Pronged Vajra Hook].

Except Wang Ping had merely retreated; he wasn't dead. The second she released the hook, he could turn right back around and attack her, completely unharmed.

And this time, Wang Ping would undoubtedly be on guard against the [Stellar Magnetic Profound Sand]. Planting her aura on him again to ensure the hook hit would be practically impossible. Just like that, a battle she had overwhelmingly favored had been dragged right back to a stalemate!

'Impressive.'

Baohu's thoughts remained calm. In a flash, she had already devised a solution. 'His ability to instantly teleport must rely on the profound power of that Spiritual Treasure cauldron.'

In that case, she just needed to find a way to eliminate that Treasure Cauldron.

And she had just the method.

With that thought, Baohu immediately formed a hand seal, summoning her [Grand Vow Golden Body] once more. However, the golden avatar was now covered in dense cracks.

Clearly, Xianfu was about to break out.

She didn't have much time. She had to deal with Wang Ping as fast as possible. Without another word, Baohu gripped the [Secret Traces Vajra Pestle].

Then, she hurled it with all her might.

Clang!

In an instant, the [Secret Traces Vajra Pestle] plunged into the [Grand Vow Golden Body], swapping places with another Spiritual Treasure she had kept inside.

The [World-Begging Alms Bowl]!

This Spiritual Treasure had previously been in Jingshan's hands. It possessed the power to beg for alms—it could even coax away other Spiritual Treasures out of thin air. It was called begging, but in truth, it was outright robbery.

Such a Spiritual Treasure couldn't compare to the [Secret Traces Vajra Pestle] in pure destructive might, but it was perfect for this exact moment. Holding the Alms Bowl steady, Baohu aimed it at Wang Ping from afar and chanted an incantation. The Alms Bowl instantly seemed to transform into a giant beast opening its blood-soaked maw, snapping violently at Wang Ping.

Whoosh!

Wang Ping's fleeing form jerked to a sudden halt. He looked down, only to see that the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron] he had been gripping had vanished into thin air.

On the other side, Baohu's five fingers clamped tightly over the Alms Bowl. The vessel shook and trembled constantly, as if some living creature was struggling wildly inside.

Regardless, she had achieved her desired effect.

Although she was down one Spiritual Treasure on her end, it was a harmless trade. Wang Ping, stripped of his [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron], was completely powerless to dodge her attacks!

The next second, the purple light roared in.

"Collect!"

It was a familiar scene. Wang Ping once again fell into the Purple Gourd space suffused with purple qi. Then, unable to wait, Baohu violently shook the gourd.

"Ah—I'm dead!"

Wang Ping roared furiously, swinging his twin maces and channeling his spiritual armor in a stubborn final stand, but he only battered himself bloody against the purple qi.

Soon, Wang Ping's body began to dissolve. He was forced to unleash [Nine Breaths Qi Ingestion] again, turning into a sky full of swirling clear qi. Yet, it was to no avail. Inch by inch, he shattered, ultimately dissolving into nothingness amidst a shrill scream, leaving only two Spiritual Treasures clattering down inside the Purple Gourd space.

'He's finally dead... Spiritual Treasures?'

In that instant, greed and wild joy surfaced in Baohu's eyes. After all, two Spiritual Treasures were incredibly precious, even to someone serving under a Bodhisattva like her.

On the surface, she appeared to lose her composure, but in her heart, she was sneering:

'In our last clash, I lost purely due to greed and carelessness, falling for his trap... Does this Dousheng actually think he can use the exact same trick on me?'

Suddenly, the world grew dim.

In a flash, Baohu looked up. Every trace of greed vanished, replaced by a profound calm as she abruptly snapped her head to the side.

What met her eyes was none other than a young Daoist.

His Daoist robes fluttered, and a warm smile rested on his face. He stood just three feet away from her, looking as though he had been standing there since the very beginning.

'His true body is here!'

Baohu's jade-green eyes contracted violently.

Truthfully, she was somewhat startled. She hadn't expected Wang Ping's true body to successfully sneak so close to her.

'But it makes no difference. I've sealed his two Spiritual Treasures inside my gourd, especially his most vital Martial Dao treasure. Without it, he can't display even thirty percent of his Martial Dao prowess. As for what remains of his Immortal Dao... he only has the [Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart]. He can just drop a few more Heavenly Thunder to annoy me, nothing more.'

With such meager skills, what did it matter if you got close?

With that thought, the profound art Baohu had been preparing for quite some time roared to life. A wondrous Brahma Nation dharma flowed from her lips:

"Who is this, that you vile demons dare approach and disturb!"

A rumbling Sanskrit chant echoed:

"The great ocean's water is clear and sweet, yet today it is all bitter and salty; fire was originally heaven's mouth, but now it consumes all; you know not that the days diminish and the heavens of Saha fall, how dare you slight this sage!"

This was the [Secret Traces Vajra Repelling Demons Dharma]. It corresponded to an ancient deed of the [Master of Secret Traces], where he drove away a horde of demons who had come to disrupt the Living Buddha's enlightenment.

For this reason, it was hailed as the foremost protective dharma of the Brahma Nation.

Baohu had kept this dharma hidden all this time to guard against a sneak attack from Wang Ping's true body. Now that she had unleashed it, she was confident it could block absolutely any measure he attempted.

At the very worst, it would buy her time to react.

But when she truly looked at the young Daoist standing beside her, her confident, assured, and beautiful face was slowly filled with astonishment.

Wherever her gaze fell, dark currents of water surged around the young Daoist. Above his head, a majestic beam of radiance shot straight into the void. Following that light, she could faintly see the torrent of destiny churning, as well as a towering figure—resembling both a dragon and a Kun—emitting a melodious whale song amidst the flood of destiny:

"Respectfully inviting the water qi to take the lead, possessing the utmost yin nature, circulating the cosmic cycle, hibernating in the abyss to separate the turbid from the clear."

Clang.

A soft chime. It was the circulation of a divine power. It was "the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time," and a "dragon appears in the field" to manifest to the world. At this exact moment, it finally blossomed with supreme brilliance.

"[the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time]."

The [Secret Traces Vajra Repelling Demons Dharma] she had prepared for so long failed to provide even the slightest obstruction. It was completely drowned out by the brilliance, like a stone sinking into the deepest abyss of the ocean.

Sinking to the bottom of the sea alongside it was every last shred of Baohu's confidence.

She didn't even have time to react.

Everything before her eyes completely exceeded her expectations. It had so fundamentally shattered her assessment of the situation that she simply didn't know how to react.

'Tribulation Transcending Third Layer...?'

'A water qi divine power...?'

'Huh???'