Chapter 686 - 376: Making a Move

The black blood pooling beneath the Dharma Body had, at some point, been ignited. The Blood Lake instantly transformed into a sea of fire. The moment Hai Shu lowered his head, crimson flames shot toward the sky, engulfing his massive Dharma Body in an instant.

"Where did this fire come from? How can there be fire?"

"Someone’s ambushing us! Who is it? Who?!"

"Find him and kill him!"

All at once, the heads connected to the Dharma Body erupted into a clamorous uproar.

Hai Shu’s expression grew even more furious.

"Shut up!"

He roared. With a wave of his hand, a surge of the Power of Rules instantly froze the burning crimson flames into crystal. He then slammed his other hand down, shattering them to pieces.

The flames were extinguished in an instant. But now, Hai Shu and all the heads stared wide-eyed, their gazes locked on a figure that had suddenly appeared before the Dharma Body.

It was a complete stranger—the same person who had delivered the Forbidden Calamity Dharma Body. He now floated before the massive Dharma Body, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Long time no see, Hai Shu!"

Yang An said with a smile. But the moment the words left his lips, a blade of light flashed, slicing through the hands of Hai Shu’s Dharma Body as if they were tofu.

In a flash, Yang An vanished from before Hai Shu. Also gone were Hai Xin, whom Hai Shu had been about to crush, and Piglet, who was trapped in a cage.

Two massive, severed arms slammed to the ground, spewing forth torrents of foul, black blood. But Hai Shu and the host of heads wore expressions of utter disbelief.

’This technique... this aura...’

The very moment Yang An struck, they recognized who he was.

The Buddha’s Son!

And in that same instant, realizing that the one who had escorted the Forbidden Calamity Dharma Body was none other than Yang An, they immediately understood why he had appeared here.

The involvement of the Buddha’s Son with the Forbidden Calamity naturally pointed to a conspiracy. He had to be here to rescue Hai Xin.

But after the initial shock, expressions of greed and ecstasy crept onto the faces of Hai Shu and the numerous heads.

The only two catalysts they needed were the Forbidden Calamity’s Reincarnation Dharma Body and Yang An himself.

And now, both Yang An and the Forbidden Calamity’s Reincarnation Dharma Body had appeared at Great Virtue Temple. It was as if a priceless gift from the heavens had been delivered right to them.

"Quick, grab him! Grab him!"

The numerous heads shrieked themselves hoarse, desperate to capture Yang An, obtain the Dharma Body, and achieve Buddhahood right then and there.

But Yang An’s disappearance only made Hai Shu’s smile grow wider.

"Now that you’re here, you’re not getting away."

Flesh and blood surged from the Dharma Body’s severed arms, and they regenerated in the blink of an eye.

Hai Shu immediately pinpointed Yang An’s location, his gaze shifting to where Yang An had just reappeared.

Yang An hadn’t fled. After rescuing Hai Xin and Piglet, he tossed them aside and landed atop a building. He looked at Hai Shu with a smile, seemingly waiting for him to make a move.

Hai Shu did not disappoint. Having locked onto Yang An, the Demonious Lotus Platform beneath him bloomed. Countless arms coalesced into a single giant hand that lunged for Yang An.

Yet Yang An remained standing on the building, perfectly still, showing no intention of dodging.

Just as the massive hand was about to close in, it froze in mid-air.

CRACKLE—

Hai Shu’s expression stiffened. The Buddhist Mantras covering the Dharma Body began to shatter en masse, and ever-increasing torrents of black blood gushed from within it.

The Lotus Platform that had formed the giant hand disintegrated as if it were sand. At the same time, the other heads began bleeding from all seven orifices and screaming in agony.

Meanwhile, every inch of Hai Shu’s massive Dharma Body began to show a crystalline sheen, as if countless motes of light were flitting about within it.

"When?!"

The tremendous backlash erupted in an instant, catching Hai Shu completely off guard. The Dharma Body he could control just a moment ago was now showing signs of collapse. Even the other fused Insect Daos were spinning out of his control.

At that moment, Yang An watched Hai Shu’s plight with unconcealed glee. He had no intention of answering Hai Shu’s question, of course.

He had held back for so long because he had noticed a critical weakness in Hai Shu’s Dharma Body. Although the creature had devoured numerous Insect Daos in its attempt to break through to the Immortal Platform, it had also paid a terrible price, leaving its Dharma Body highly unstable.

Furthermore, the beings fused within it had not integrated completely, meaning Hai Shu still lacked absolute control.

In such a state, Hai Shu was irritable and frantic, making it difficult for him to notice subtle details.

Having noticed this, Yang An finally made his move precisely when Hai Shu was suffering from the backlash of his own Dharma Body.

First, he used the Lighting Technique to ignite the blood flowing from Hai Shu’s Dharma Body, creating a towering inferno. He used this as a diversion to silently infuse light into Hai Shu’s Dharma Body with the Power of Rules.

The instant he revealed himself, Hai Shu and the fused Insect Daos spotted him. But with all their attention focused on him, the power of the Golden Sun successfully took root inside the Dharma Body.

He then seized the opportunity to rescue Hai Xin and Piglet, goading Hai Shu into attacking him. Just as the attack was about to land, he detonated the Power of Rules he had left inside Hai Shu’s body.

Yang An had hidden and observed Hai Shu for so long, all in anticipation of this very moment.

His combat prowess was such that he could face numerous Insect Daos and claim to be invincible.

But Hai Shu’s condition was bizarre. While he hadn’t reached the Immortal Platform, he had clearly surpassed the level of the Insect Dao.

He wasn’t certain he could defeat him, which was why he had acted with such caution. Fortunately, he was extremely satisfied with the results.

The power of the Golden Sun was the power of Sunlight itself. All corruption crumbles before it. This was especially true for Hai Shu, who was already on the verge of a backlash and was highly unstable to begin with.

Those tiny motes of light were like countless needles weaving through the Dharma Body, destroying everything they touched.

With a look of disbelief, Hai Shu desperately tried to control the Power of Rules inside him and stabilize his Dharma Body. But its collapse, hastened by the eruption of the Golden Sun’s power, was only accelerating.

More and more black blood spewed out as the last of the Buddhist Mantras on the Dharma Body shattered. Hai Shu’s Dharma Body rapidly twisted and contorted, becoming a giant, unstable mass of flesh and blood.

"No! You can’t do this! Stop! This is my chance to become a Buddha! You damned, malicious fiend!"

Hai Shu was now in unbearable agony. The collapse of his Dharma Body, combined with the erupting backlash, caused his voice to become distorted and muffled.

Yang An remained unmoved. He slowly raised a hand, channeling the Power of Rules. It was time to strike while his enemy was down and finish him off.

"Become a Buddha? You?"