Chapter 592: Bodhisattva of Great Strength's Clay Body

The immortals of the Fire Battalion walked through Feng'an Commandery. Regional Commander Zhang Xian's Primordial Spirit flew out from the crown of his head, snatched the Evil-Repelling Banner, and gave it a vigorous shake. Instantly, the banner's surface grew larger and larger, transforming in moments into a colossal banner a thousand zhang long.

Zhang Xian carefully sensed the Evil-Repelling Banner, then said in a deep voice, "When I activate this banner, it can cover a hundred-li area. Each team operates within that hundred-li radius, searching for any activity in Feng'an Commandery. Do your best to check thoroughly, and don't let a single clue slip by."

The immortals scattered in all directions, searching their surroundings beneath the cover of the Evil-Repelling Banner.

They frequently glanced back, calculating their distance from the banner to make sure they didn't wander too far away.

Zhang Xian's Primordial Spirit propped itself against the banner and walked toward the temple of the Bodhisattva of Great Strength.

Chen Shi had no team. He was a lone operative in the Fire Battalion, neither following the group nor trailing Zhang Xian.

Zhong Lin walked alongside him. Chen Shi was wholly focused on ritual-refining the two strands of sword qi within the Purple Heaven Gourd, while Zhong Lin surveyed their surroundings.

Black Pot was the captain of one of the teams, leading the heavenly soldiers under his command in a plum-blossom formation to search Zhang Xian's left flank.

"Brother Black." Bai Fangfang suddenly made a discovery and called out in a soft voice.

Black Pot followed the sound and hurried over, arriving before a small town. Several immortals had already gathered at the town's edge, each frowning at the settlement.

Black Pot looked into the town and saw that the roads were covered in mud. It must have rained not long ago, leaving everything a filthy, sloppy mess.

Black Pot frowned and carefully walked into the town, careful not to step on any of the mud.

The others silently followed, treading on immortal light.

Black Pot crouched down and spotted an arm in the mire. One could barely make out the faintest outline of an arm. It had been soaked soft by the rain, threatening to dissolve at any moment.

It continued forward and saw the face of a clay figure.

This person appeared to still be alive, pinned beneath others. Their bodies were fused together with the bodies around them, impossible to separate. Only the face was exposed, half of the mouth submerged in muddy water. With each breath, bubbles churned up with a gurgling sound.

"Save me." A faint cry for help escaped his lips. One eye rolled, while the other had already been dissolved away by the muddy water.

Black Pot let out a sigh and shook its head.

There was nothing it could do to help.

Even if the source of the Great Dao pollution were eliminated, this person could not be saved.

As a clay figure, he could still cling to life. But the moment he regained human form, the injuries on his body would erupt all at once and kill him instantly.

Nearby was a household. Several clay figures sat on the threshold, staring blankly at them. Motionless as wooden carvings and clay sculptures, they did not move a muscle.

Rainwater soaked their legs and feet, dissolving their clothes.

They dared not move, terrified that if their legs hadn't dried yet, they wouldn't be able to bear their own weight.

Black Pot and the others continued forward, seeing more and more townsfolk. Some hid inside their homes, peeking out furtively. Others had slipped and fallen while seeking shelter from the rain, their bodies cracking into four or five pieces. Yet they were still alive, crawling desperately.

Some had only half a face remaining, yet could still blink their eyes, as if pleading for help.

They saw clay figures missing arms and legs, standing beneath eaves, staring at them with hollow, lifeless eyes.

"Is this the Great Dao pollution?"

Bai Fangfang felt she could barely breathe. Grief and indignation burned in her chest, and she blazed with fury. "What in the world caused all this?"

The anger in Black Pot's heart settled into calm. It had seen similar scenes before and knew how to restrain its emotions.

But the catastrophe in Western Ox New Continent had been wrought by the Celestial Venerable and the primordial insect. Who, then, had wrought this catastrophe in Feng'an Commandery?

The other Fire Battalion teams had also made discoveries of their own. Throughout Feng'an Commandery, no matter human or beast, everything had been transformed into mud-based life forms. Not a single one was spared.

Chen Shi and Zhong Lin had walked their own path and witnessed similar sights. Both their faces were as heavy as water.

They arrived before a city. From afar, they saw clay figures pulling carts, the carts piled high with deformed clay figures who had already lost their lives. The clay figures carefully stopped the carts beside a huge pit and dumped the lifeless clay bodies inside.

In the pit lay countless clay corpses.

Zhong Lin clenched his jaw, silent.

They entered the city. It had rained here recently. The surviving clay figures were using shovels to scrape the mud-caked clay figures off the ground, loading them onto carts.

Zhong Lin watched the scene in silence. After a long moment, a single sentence squeezed out from his throat.

"O Celestial Way—"

Chen Shi suddenly spoke. "Where did the rain come from?"

Zhong Lin froze, looking at him in confusion.

Chen Shi raised his head toward the sky and said in a deep voice, "The entire Feng'an Commandery is sealed off by the Thunder Ministry's troops. If I were a Thunder Ministry expert, the first thing I would do is cut off all rainfall in this area, to keep from drowning the mud-transformed people. But it rained here."

Zhong Lin's heart stirred. "You mean... the rain in Feng'an Commandery was summoned by someone using divine abilities?"

Chen Shi nodded slightly. "The people here have all been turned into clay figures, and the Great Dao itself has been polluted. Who could possibly mobilize divine abilities to summon rain?"

Zhong Lin's eyes lit up. "The person who summoned rain with divine abilities is very likely the very one who caused the Great Dao pollution!"

Chen Shi scanned the surroundings and flew toward a fairy mountain floating in the sky. Zhong Lin followed him. The two arrived before a mountain gate. This was an immortal sect, and the characters "Cangxia" were carved into the gate.

Inside the Cangxia Sect were clay figures. Seeing them approach, fear gripped their hearts and they hastily scrambled to hide.

"Fellow Daoists, we are heavenly soldiers of the Celestial Court, sent here to investigate this matter." Zhong Lin quickly explained.

"So you are fellow Daoists of the Celestial Court."

The Sect Leader of Cangxia Sect was an old immortal who had also been transformed into a clay figure. He greeted them with a bow and said, "This old one is An Daozi, a True Immortal who has not received the registry. Forgive us, fellow Daoists. Now that we have been turned into clay figures, we can barely protect ourselves. Seeing strangers naturally fills us with fear."

Chen Shi inquired, "Brother An, when the catastrophe occurred, did you notice any abnormalities?"

An Daozi shook his head. "I do not know. I only felt that my immortal essence was growing heavier and heavier, and my Dao techniques and divine abilities lost their power. Before long, my physical body and Primordial Spirit began to turn to mud. Even the founding treasure of my Cangxia Sect could not escape."

He fetched the sect's founding immortal artifact. It was the Dragon-Seizing Stake left behind by the founder of Cangxia Sect, the Cangxia Daoist. The Cangxia Daoist had survived two Openings of the Calamity, but failed on the third, perishing with his Dao extinguished. The Dragon-Seizing Stake was his legacy to the sect.

Now, the Dragon-Seizing Stake had lost all its power, reduced to a stake of mud.

The reason he brought out the Dragon-Seizing Stake was his worry that Chen Shi and Zhong Lin might take advantage of the chaos to rob him. After all, this was a land polluted by the Great Dao. With disaster looming, hearts could turn treacherous. A little caution never hurt.

Chen Shi said, "Brother An, although you have been transformed into a clay figure, I imagine your immortal senses remain intact. Have you sensed any fluctuations of divine abilities in the vicinity since the catastrophe occurred?"

An Daozi said, "There were, actually. Not long ago, I sensed a fluctuation of divine power coming from the vicinity of Lotus Mountain. Now, even immortal artifacts have turned to mud. It is very strange that someone could still wield divine abilities."

Zhong Lin's heart stirred. He asked for the direction.

The two immediately descended the mountain and arrived shortly at the place An Daozi had described.

This was Feng'an Commandery's Lotus Mountain, so named because the peaks were arranged like a blooming lotus. At the center of the lotus was a peak called Peng Mountain. Above Peng Mountain floated thirteen fairy mountains, known as the Thirteen Pearls of Peng Mountain.

On Peng Mountain there was also an immortal sect, calling itself the Immortal Lotus Sect.

At this moment, the Thirteen Pearls of Peng Mountain lay in disarray. Some fairy mountains had collapsed, others had split apart. It seemed a great battle had taken place here not long ago.

When Chen Shi and Zhong Lin arrived, they saw that the people of the Immortal Lotus Sect had also all been transformed into clay figures. Most of these clay figures were already dead, their bodies shattered by the residual shockwaves of divine abilities. Even those who had survived were blasted into pieces, limbs torn asunder.

Zhong Lin moved at lightning speed, searching for survivors, while Chen Shi observed the traces left behind by the battle.

After a thorough search, Zhong Lin gathered many shattered limbs and pieced together several clay figures.

Zhong Lin asked, "Who was it that used divine abilities to kill?"

The clay figures rolled their eyes and opened their mouths, but only rasping, wheezing sounds came out. They could not speak.

Chen Shi's voice drifted over from afar. "Piecing them together won't help. Their Primordial Spirits and souls are shattered. You can't revive them by reassembling them."

Zhong Lin frowned slightly and walked over to him. He saw Chen Shi examining one of the peaks.

A massive palm print had been left on the peak, embedded deep into the mountain body. The strike was ferocious and overbearing in the extreme!

"That's a Buddhist Sect hand seal, the Maha Nepa Seal!" Zhong Lin said.

Chen Shi stepped forward, walked into the palm print, and wiped his hand across the mountain surface. He looked down and saw his hand covered in mud. "This palm print should have been left by the Clay Bodhisattva."

Zhong Lin's heart stirred. "Could it be that the Clay Bodhisattva is the culprit? He caused this Great Dao pollution, and then began casting spells to summon rain, trying to wipe out all life!"

He observed the surroundings and said, "The reason he came to the Immortal Lotus Sect is because this is an immortal sect. He was worried these people might not all be dead, so he came to eliminate them root and branch."

Chen Shi asked, "Why would the Clay Bodhisattva do such a thing?"

Zhong Lin said, "He should be a great demon that possessed the golden body manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Great Strength, causing this Great Dao pollution."

Chen Shi asked, "Then why does he know Buddhist Sect hand seals?"

Zhong Lin frowned.

"Because he is a member of the Buddhist Sect."

Chen Shi answered his own question. "He is the Bodhisattva of Great Strength himself."

He leaped into the air and flew off into the distance, his voice trailing behind. "Let us go find this Clay Bodhisattva!"

Zhong Lin hurried to catch up, following the trail of destruction left by the Clay Bodhisattva.

They traveled several dozen li, and were just about to run out of the Evil-Repelling Banner's coverage when suddenly a thunderous boom erupted ahead. Immediately, a swell of Sanskrit Chants filled the air. A wave of light and heat slammed into them, as if an enormous sun had suddenly risen from beneath the earth, pressing down upon them!

"The Clay Bodhisattva!"

Chen Shi and Zhong Lin said in unison.

Before the sun, a clay Bodhisattva standing one zhang and six chi tall rose slowly into the air. His hand formed a seal, and the seal technique came crashing down along with that colossal sun!

The light and heat became wildly unrestrained in an instant, as if the Great Dao itself had suddenly become extraordinarily lively. This method of channeling Dao techniques was something Chen Shi had never seen before!

Unstoppable!

In a flash, he ran through every technique he had ever learned. In that instant, he realized with absolute certainty that he could not block this strike!

Suddenly, the Azure Dragon's Roar he had comprehended from the Azure Tablet of the Spiritual Treasure flashed into his mind. Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed this seal technique.

Zhong Lin heard a stirring, passionate dragon's roar reverberate in his ears. Then he felt the Azure Dragon Energy of the Eastern Heaven become extraordinarily lively, extraordinarily violent. Even his skin began to itch, as if dragon scales were about to sprout, as if his body were about to transform into a dragon's frame, horns growing from his head!

Then, azure energy filled the sky. Enormous dragon scales flooded his vision, blocking out everything else.

The heavens and earth shook violently. Zhong Lin felt every other sound vanish, leaving only a crackling, splitting noise, like the ear-splitting sound of space itself tearing apart!

His body was launched high into the air, as if an invisible giant had swung a massive hammer into his body, sending him flying!

"Crap!"

His mind went blank. "I'm probably going to be blasted a hundred li away!"

At that moment, a massive banner flew over and wrapped around his body, halting his momentum.

Zhong Lin steadied himself and saw Zhang Xian leading the warriors of the Fire Battalion racing toward them at full speed.

Chen Shi's disheveled hair whipped wildly in the wind, his robes torn and tattered. Surging Azure Dragon Energy still churned violently within his body and all around him.

The Clay Bodhisattva was taken aback that Chen Shi could withstand his strike. He immediately struck again, once more using the Maha Nepa Seal, this time with even more overbearing force than before.

This seal conjured the wrathful Buddha manifestation. Behind him appeared a thousand Buddhas, all striking out with their palms, forming seals, and crashing down upon Chen Shi!

Chen Shi once again surged the Azure Dragon Energy of heaven and earth, using the Azure Dragon's Roar once more to meet the strike head-on.

"He only knows this one move!"

The Clay Bodhisattva saw through it at once and was about to change tactics to kill him, when suddenly a stream of immortal swords flew in from all directions, forming a formation in midair. It was the Primordial Chaos Sword Formation, layer upon layer, impossibly complex, yet operating with flawless precision.

Black Pot was simultaneously controlling the twelve hundred immortals of the Fire Battalion, deploying the Primordial Chaos Sword Formation to rush to Chen Shi's aid.

The warriors of the Fire Battalion were all new recruits, completely incapable of forming such a polished formation. Yet sword qi pierced straight through to the heavens and beyond, its power fierce and overwhelming.

The Clay Bodhisattva's expression changed instantly. Unwilling to clash head-on with the sword formation, he immediately abandoned Chen Shi, leaped into the air, and flew outward.

But the formation was already complete, closing in around him. Just as it was about to swallow him whole, the Clay Bodhisattva threw punch after kick, and before the outer layers of the formation could fully encircle him, he punched his way out. Along his path, heavenly soldiers were sent tumbling left and right!

The formation was broken. Black Pot was also startled, and dared not give chase.

Behind them, Regional Commander Zhang Xian, carrying the Evil-Repelling Banner, flew over at full speed and shouted from afar, "What happened?"

Chen Shi steadied his surging energy and blood. Suddenly, he leaped into the air and shouted, "Black Pot, the Yin-Yang Dao Field!"

Black Pot let out a bark, rose onto its hind legs, reached up to grab the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler flying toward it, and stamped its foot down heavily. The Yin-Yang Dao Field erupted.

At the same moment, around Chen Shi, another Yin-Yang Dao Field erupted as well.

The two Yin-Yang Dao Fields overlapped. Man and dog charged forward simultaneously, barreling straight toward the Clay Bodhisattva.

Zhang Xian shouted in alarm, "What are you two doing? Get back here! Don't run outside the Evil-Repelling Banner's range!"

Even as he spoke, Chen Shi and Black Pot had already charged a hundred li, entering the range of the Great Dao pollution.

Although the Great Dao pollution here was not as severe as what the primordial insect had caused, the primordial insect had mainly spread Demonic Energy, whereas this Great Dao pollution was something Chen Shi had never encountered before.

He had little confidence in whether his Yin-Yang Dao Field could withstand this Great Dao pollution.

The moment he and Black Pot rushed out of the Evil-Repelling Banner's coverage, the circulation of his yin and yang energies became sluggish and obstructed. This alien path was beginning to affect the Yin-Yang Great Dao!

The effect was still very slight. But if he kept going, he would inevitably be transformed into a clay figure within two days!

"Though not as powerful as the primordial insect, it is extremely strange. A variant Great Dao I have never dabbled in."

Chen Shi did not stop, charging straight for the Clay Bodhisattva. He said silently to himself, "The Evil-Repelling Banner can only last one day. Black Pot and I can do better!"