Chapter 1729: Great Brahma Dragon’s Pure Spiritual Sound, All the Beings Below in Cold Despair

Impossible to land a hit! Absolutely impossible!

After that strike, it wasn't just Pei Yuan; everyone in the Five Regions could see that Master Xu's physical body was, at the very least, at the level of a Sacred Emperor. The Dead Sea had never before restricted a martial artist of such power. Today, it couldn't even hinder Master Xu in the slightest.

"Will he continue fighting, Half-Saint Pei?" Feng Zhongzui murmured, clutching the Preaching Mirror. The mirror was focused on Master Xu's back. As the Heavenly Tower Pillar manifestation disappeared, the pure water that had accumulated on both sides of the Dead Sea rapidly surged back. Great waves submerged everything once more, including Master Xu.

Yet everyone knew... a dragon would rise from the sea!

Even as the pure water completely covered his body again, the chilling sensation couldn't soothe the unease in Pei Yuan's mind. "Why is this happening? Why was I chosen? Why is his physical body completely unaffected?"

Pei Yuan gazed at the young, unyielding mountain-like figure standing tall beneath the Dead Sea not far away. He hesitated.

The Sacred Emperor's Golden Edict prohibited ancient martial arts. He was certain he hadn't misremembered; one of its clauses stated this. Could it be that Emperor Cang Sheng, upon unsealing his own combat power, also unsealed Xu Xiaoshou's? Did he want to witness a fair, just, and open battle? But this was simply too unfair. How could he possibly force even half a step from Xu Xiaoshou in his prime?

"Hesitation leads to defeat."

When Master Xu's calm voice echoed around him again, Pei Yuan couldn't help but turn to look at the Preaching Mirror. The Preaching Mirror was indeed recording him! His current hesitation was visible to everyone in the Five Regions. At this moment, perhaps all the Spirit Cultivators in the world were mocking him, just as they did during the final battle of the Qigu War.

Pei Yuan's old face flushed. He forced a sliver of courage from his past timid self and shouted, "The Dead Sea can't restrict your physical body, but what about your spiritual essence?"

This roar was meant to vent frustration and bolster his momentum, to enhance his prestige. But the black-clad youth not far away merely curved his lips, stating calmly, "Feel free to try."

That shout suddenly transformed into a question. Even Pei Yuan belatedly realized the hollowness in his own words, questioning his true intentions. *I'm actually scared! I'm actually asking questions! In a battle to claim the Dao, I'm actually trying to confirm if his spiritual essence is sealed to influence my will, and only then decide whether to act... Do I... actually want to escape?*

As this impulse flashed through his mind, Pei Yuan's waist even twisted slightly backward. But he firmly restrained his steps, cutting off the thought of leaving a pathetic retreat behind. His peripheral vision and saintly thoughts simultaneously swept across the scene again. The Preaching Mirror was, indeed, still focused on him. If he ran now, even if he survived, he would be eternally disgraced, having chosen the wrong path. A Saint must not flee!

"Xu Xiaoshou, you forced my hand!"

Pei Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, like a cornered wild dog, with no escape, attempting a desperate counterattack. He suddenly raised his hand, pressing a fingertip firmly against his brow. Instantly, a trace of blood light erupted. A drop of sacred blood floated forth. In the dark Dead Sea, it shimmered with a golden light. The light was sacred and dazzling, containing a magnificent power that soothed the heart. With just a glance, it completely calmed Pei Yuan's state of mind.

"This is..." Feng Zhongzui was stunned. To him, the golden light looked exactly like Buddhist aura. He inexplicably heard ethereal Buddhist chanting in his ears, but instead of bringing clarity or peace, it was like demonic whispers filling his mind. Feng Zhongzui became agitated.

Within the Dead Sea, among the Half-Saints of the Sacred Mountain refugee group who had already retreated far, their emotions simultaneously turned extremely volatile. "What is that? What is that sound!"

Even Beibei's brows knitted together. She had to raise the Sole Sovereign horizontally before her, using the Imperial Sword's power to slightly alleviate the demonic sounds.

"A Buddhist sect's technique?" Fang Wenxin was the oldest among the onlookers, but he still couldn't understand Pei Yuan's action. The techniques of the Western Region Buddhist Sect were actually recorded in all Five Regions. However, the power of the Buddhist Sect had always been solemn and dignified, rarely causing such mental confusion as it did now.

"Perhaps it's related to Pei Yuan's current state?" Fang Wenxin immediately saw the root of the problem: Pei Yuan's mind was in turmoil; how could he use a Buddhist sect's technique? "He shouldn't have unleashed this move..."

But soon, Fang Wenxin understood why. Pei Yuan wasn't stupid; how could anyone who cultivated to Half-Saint be stupid? But with no path to heaven and no door to earth, hoping that his own techniques could make Xu Xiaoshou budge even half a step was wishful thinking at this point. No matter how poor his condition, no matter how his spiritual techniques conflicted, he had to rely on external power. Even if this external power, borrowed now, contradicted his state and risked him falling into inner deviation!

High above the Dead Sea, Pei Yuan's robes fluttered wildly. His face was partly solemn, though at times, as if his vision blurred, his true nature could be glimpsed: a hideous visage with green face and fangs. He poured his entire spiritual energy into that drop of golden sacred blood. The sacred blood hummed, transforming into a golden relic the size of a baby's fist, floating in the Dead Sea, emitting boundless golden light. Pei Yuan raised his hands in the air, sleeves fluttering, and cried out, "Senior Zhengxin, please assist me!"

This cry, layered and resonant, pierced through the waves with force. When it reached the ears of Xu Xiaoshou, the Sacred Mountain refugee group, and indeed, all people of the Five Regions, it transformed into two distinct sounds. One was like the gentle whisper of a dignified Buddha. The other, like the sinister murmur of a cruel demon!

"Zheng...xin...?"

Many in the Five Regions watched, but few recognized who Pei Yuan referred to as Zhengxin. At that moment, in the Western Region's Great Desert, a monk of the Buddhist Sect, looking at the small Preaching Mirror embedded in the sand, felt a chill: "Patriarch Zhengxin? Isn't that the one who attained nirvana a thousand years ago..."

"Abbot, Abbot Youxi! Something's happened, something big has happened!" A young novice monk scurried towards the deep mountains.

The Buddhist monks watching the battle there were all startled. Some, whose cultivation of mind was insufficient, now wished they could rush out and invite Pei Yuan from the Dead Sea in the Central Region. Yes, to properly inquire: How could the relic of Buddha Zhengxin from a thousand years ago be in his possession?

But soon, Abbot Youxi's voice came from afar, with a hint of sighing in his tone: "It's merely sacred blood. It's just a wisp of Patriarch Zhengxin's will. Presumably, this person had some good karma with our Buddhist Sect, but that must have been... a thousand years ago."

Good karma from a thousand years ago? The sandstorms of the Western Region were too strong. The young novice monks and junior monks before the Preaching Mirror were bewildered by the explanation, each closing their eyes, bowing their heads, and pressing their palms together: "Amitabha."

At the ancient temple in the deep mountains, Abbot Youxi, still with his large belly, stood atop the dilapidated walls and broken tiles. He gazed at the distant sunset, and after resolving the distant confusion, he found himself with a new sense of bewilderment: "The Great Brahma Dragon Sound? The Great Brahma Dragon Sound, beginning with the Traveling Monks and ending with the Traveling Monks, I never thought I might hear it chanted again today?" He shook his head, withdrawing his gaze from the horizon. His hands clasped loosely, his large earlobes and belly wobbling, then he thumped down from the ancient temple.

"Yin and Yang converge, coinciding with the time of demons; the heavens are about to change. Om... Om Mani... Om Mani Padme Hum..."

Across the Preaching Mirrors in the Five Regions, a Buddhist chant began, slow at first, then rapidly accelerating. As the pace quickened and the intonation clarified, everyone's heartbeats were stimulated, then sped up, thumping wildly. This endlessly repeated six-syllable mantra, far from bringing clarity or peace of mind, made everyone feel as though their eardrums would burst and their brains would explode.

"What is that sound? What kind of spiritual technique is this?"

Pei Yuan was alternately devout and deranged, both revering Buddha and succumbing to demonic influence, completely irrational. But as he produced the golden relic, the Buddhist chanting reverberating in the Dead Sea was even more frantic than what echoed across the Five Regions.

"Ahhh—" Agonized screams immediately echoed through the Black Stone Prison. Countless strange individuals and beasts clutched their heads, writhing on the ground, despite the Black Stone Prison's isolation!

Behind the waterway, the Half-Saint refugee group had their powers sealed. Even Beibei couldn't withstand the first sound of the Buddhist chant; the Imperial Sword couldn't block the sound wave attack, and blood flowed from her seven orifices. "Retreat! Quick, retreat!"

Fang Wenxin clutched his forehead with one hand, feeling his head would split into eight pieces, unable to look directly at Pei Yuan's true form, which was both Buddha and demon, at the center of the battlefield. He sensed some terrifying power gathering at that spot. If they delayed any longer, he feared they would all perish there.

"To the Black Stone Prison!" Beibei regained a sliver of clarity. With a swing of her greatsword, she retrieved the Sovereign Order and led the others to hide in an empty Black Stone Prison. At the last moment, she cast a glance back. The Dead Sea was a maelstrom of terrifying waves and chaos, yet that lone, slender black-clad figure remained submerged, completely motionless. "Can he withstand it?"

In the distance, as the Buddhist chant accelerated, the relic glowed with boundless golden light. Behind Pei Yuan, an immense and majestic apparition coalesced! That form... that form was... Beibei only took one look and nearly had her mind drawn into it. Fortunately, Fang Wenxin pulled her into the Black Stone Prison and closed the door, allowing her to regain her composure.

"A temple?"

In the deep South Sea, Dao Qiongcang's face was etched with shock. What appeared on the Heavenly Mechanism Curtain before him at that moment was the vast, world-encompassing golden phantom of a temple behind Pei Yuan. The phantom was too faint. So faint it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, revealing nothing clear. Yet the memory in Dao Qiongcang's mind was too profound. With just one glance, the dormant shock resurfaced:

The temple body, squarely built, rose ten thousand stories high;Golden bricks and golden tiles glittered radiantly.Beneath the temple, ten thousand monks, bare-chested and in golden kasayas;Their tiger-like eyes shone brightly, their strides unified.

"Ten thousand monks bearing the temple, a thousand Buddhas returning to the pagoda... Is this the Great Brahma Dragon Sound of Youyuan?"

When, amidst the confusing Buddhist chants, the layered, unified heavy footsteps of ten thousand resounded, and that massive temple advanced with those steps, pressing down upon one's mind, goosebumps rose all over Dao Qiongcang's body. Within the Heavenly Mechanism Curtain, the illusory "Myriad Monks Bearing the Temple" image was actually too faint. So faint that one couldn't even discern the color, posture, or even if they were monks at all beneath that massive temple. Yet the shock that the "Great Brahma Dragon Sound" brought to the Ten Esteemed Ones back then was not diminished by Pei Yuan's current lack of skill.

For a moment, Dao Qiongcang even thought he had miscalculated. Perhaps Pei Yuan was actually Ai Cang Sheng's supreme strategy, capable of powerfully suppressing and killing Xu Xiaoshou in the Dead Sea!

Dao Qiongcang dared not delay further. He pulled up all information related to "Pei Yuan" and the "Great Brahma Dragon Sound." After being automatically refined by Xiao Qi, the information became simple and easy to understand. Looking closer... in fact, even upon closer inspection, it wasn't anything that could cause major ripples.

Pei Yuan was indeed a figure from a thousand years ago. In his era, he had a battle with Sacred Emperor Feng Yujin, the Sealed Heaven Emperor, which ended in a crushing defeat. That wasn't important; what was important was "a thousand years ago"! A thousand years ago, the Buddhist Sect, though reclusive, actively engaged with the world more than the current Western Region Buddhist Sect, manifesting Sacred Emperor relics. The Buddhist Sect possessed extremely strong combat power. Their disciples traveled eastward to spread the Dharma, known as "Traveling Monks." The "Buddhist Treasure Arts" they imparted even overshadowed the then-popular "Spirit Cultivation Sacred Martial Arts."

Who the first Traveling Monk was, Dao Qiongcang's database had no record. But the supreme Buddhist Treasure Art transmitted by the first Traveling Monk to the Spirit Cultivators of the Five Regions was the "Great Brahma Dragon Sound." This technique, at the time, was renowned throughout the land. Because upon its first appearance, it shattered the worldly Dao heart of a Half-Saint, who then publicly repented and converted to the Buddhist Sect.

Coincidentally... the last Traveling Monk a thousand years later also shone brightly among the Ten Esteemed Ones with the "Great Brahma Dragon Sound." However, that very chant also marked the end of the Buddhist Sect's eastward journey. After that chant, this person vanished without a trace. The Sacred Emperor relics of the Western Region Buddhist Sect no longer appeared. The Buddhist Sect retreated, the concept of Traveling Monks disappeared, and from then on, it was difficult to find even one formal Buddhist Sect disciple in the Five Regions.

"Youyuan..." This last Traveling Monk was, naturally, Buddha Youyuan among the Ten Esteemed Ones. Dao Qiongcang still possessed the Buddhist Sword of Wrathful Immortal, gifted to him at their parting. This, one of the five chaotic divine artifacts meant to suppress the Buddhist Sect's destiny, had also been taken out and not yet returned.

"The Great Brahma Dragon Sound..." Observing the Heavenly Mechanism Curtain, even at its culmination, Pei Yuan's Myriad Monks Bearing the Temple manifestation of the Great Brahma Dragon Sound did not materialize to the exaggerated extent of Youyuan's. Dao Qiongcang's tension eased, but his fingertips twitched, and he frowned, beginning to calculate something.

"The first performance of the Great Brahma Dragon Sound. The swan song of the Great Brahma Dragon Sound. And now, the echo of the Great Brahma Dragon Sound... what does it mean?"

Dao Qiongcang only calculated that the Sacred Divine Continent's Ancestral Tree was lost, and its destiny was damaged, but the answer itself hadn't yet been figured out.

The main Preaching Mirror on Feng Zhongzui's side zoomed in. The image seen across the Five Regions now showed only a lone, arrogant black-clad figure from behind. Xu Xiaoshou!

"Om Mani Padme Hum! Om Mani Padme Hum! Om..."

Piercing, high-frequency, rapid Buddhist chants assaulted his ears. Xu Xiaoshou's eyeballs slightly protruded, covered in bloodshot veins, as if he were wearing a Golden Fillet. He realized he had still underestimated a Half-Saint. A lean camel is still bigger than a horse; Pei Yuan's lifelong accumulation truly held some power. He didn't seem like a Buddhist disciple at all, yet at this moment, he summoned such a technique!

"Zhengxin... Who is Zhengxin? What is his relationship with Buddha Youyuan of the Ten Esteemed Ones?" Of all his imaginings about the Buddhist Sect, the only connections Xu Xiaoshou could make were to Buddha Youyuan and a young monk named Bule. Of the rest, he knew nothing. But the commotion Pei Yuan was causing now was simply too immense!

Although the Myriad Monks Bearing the Temple manifestation was hazy and ethereal, Xu Xiaoshou bore the brunt of it, arguably the sole designated target. He felt as though his physical body, soul, and will were stuck between gears, repeatedly crushed, crushed, and crushed again!

"Hah—" Xu Xiaoshou let out a low roar, veins bulging on his forehead. Without needing to think, purely from his personal experience, he could discern that this was definitely an attack surpassing Sacred Martial Arts... *Could Half-Saints, when pushed, all unleash Sacred Emperor-level damage? Jiang Buyi's Three Tribulations Eye was one thing. Grand Tutor Ci's Erosion Gold Kylin was also acceptable. But you, Pei Yuan, also had something hidden?*

"Good timing!" The baptism of body, spirit, and will. Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe that Pei Yuan, in his current deranged state, could use Buddhist techniques to crush his foundational three pathways of super-Daoization. What he wanted was to be as unmoving as a mountain. The momentum he was accumulating was to respond to Ai Cang Sheng with a thunderous impact later! And amidst all this, no matter what happened... he would not retreat a single step!

"Come! Pei Yuan, let me see what you're capable of! Pei Yuan... Pei Yuan... Pei Yuan..."

These mocking sounds echoing in his mind were like demonic temptations, tearing out Pei Yuan's inner savagery piece by piece. Finally, blood-red demonic light burst from his eyes. He could no longer suppress the power of Buddha Zhengxin's relic at his glabella. When power could suppress the sea! When momentum could uproot rivers!

"The Great Brahma Dragon Sound..." Pei Yuan, unable to restrain himself, joined his fingers and slashed forward, his face flushed, letting out a roar:

At this moment, the image on the Five Regions' Preaching Mirrors violently distorted. This strange syllable, with the force to destroy mountains and uproot rivers, pierced through the Dead Sea's seals and breached the temporal blockade. Suddenly, the spectators before the Preaching Mirrors, whether Innate, Grandmasters, Throne, or Transcendent Void, only a few with resolute minds could retain some clarity. The rest, as if an overwhelming tide had passed, blacked out, their legs giving way, collapsing unconscious on the spot.

In the deep South Sea, as that syllable came through the Heavenly Mechanism Curtain, the deep sea twisted, ripples surged in all directions, sea beasts wailed in fright, either falling unconscious, asleep, fleeing, or sinking. Dao Qiongcang instinctively retreated a thousand miles, not forgetting to take the Heavenly Mechanism Puppet, which could only observe but not act. The waves surged at his heels. Yet, disaster was always a step behind him. Only a thousand miles away, when the strange syllable's power slightly weakened, Dao Qiongcang finally let out a shaky breath. He glanced at the Heavenly Mechanism Puppet out of the corner of his eye and froze awkwardly. He opened his mouth, his brows twitching, and softly said: "I'm not primarily afraid of him, nor am I afraid of Youyuan, of course. I'm afraid the Great Brahma Dragon Sound might affect you. This Heavenly Mechanism Puppet, well, it's not very sophisticated."

Myriad monks bore the temple; the Buddhist chant emanated from within the temple, manifesting in the Dead Sea. An invisible wave swept from back to front. Pei Yuan's furiously glaring eyeballs were shattered with a pop. He was stunned, just about to resist. His body, in silence, disintegrated.

"No—" Pei Yuan cried out in terror. This Great Brahma Dragon Sound was meant to expel evil and suppress malevolence, locked onto Xu Xiaoshou; the attacker and target were extremely clear. *What does this have to do with me? Why suppress me?*

His soul's voice barely managed an unwilling roar. Pei Yuan's soul body cracked into pieces with a snap, crumbling into dust, seemingly on the verge of perishing on the spot. However, the golden relic that remained before him at this moment emitted a soft golden power. It encircled Pei Yuan's soul fragments, purifying his terror.

"Drip-drop." In the Dead Sea, the sound of falling tears actually echoed. Pei Yuan's soul body self-atoned, kneeling in the void, his face filled with remorse. He realized his mistake. He had used the good karma left to him by Buddha Zhengxin to commit evil. If this strike shattered Xu Xiaoshou's Dao heart—no, even if it just harmed it in the slightest—what salvation would there be for the Five Regions afterward?

Pei Yuan looked up, tears streaming down his face, speechless. With a single strike, the Dead Sea roared. It was as if a divine hand had swept powerfully across the Dead Sea, starting from Pei Yuan's body, passing through Xu Xiaoshou, and pushing the great waves backward! The Black Stone Prison, the pure water canals... from front to back, were pushed out, creating an area devoid of water!

In the nearest Black Stone Prison, there wasn't even time for screams to erupt; the prisoners' bodies, spirits, and wills were forcibly extinguished. Further back, the wave's momentum was slightly hindered. Even so, the Black Stone Prison hummed and trembled, and the prisoners' shackles clattered.

"Ahhh—" Amidst continuous screams, strange individuals and beasts either had their bodies shattered or their spiritual essences torn apart, displaying various gruesome sights. Some knelt on the spot, deciding to repent and change their ways amidst their confessions. Others fell backward, their spiritual essences gone, like walking corpses. In but a blink of an eye, the Great Brahma Dragon Sound, having swept through, caused countless casualties and injuries. As it swept over the Black Stone Prison of the Sacred Mountain refugee group...

"Imperial Sword: Heaven's Release!" Beibei suddenly felt her power return! Without a second thought, the Imperial Sword flew up, vanishing and transforming, while her body dissolved. In the Black Stone Prison, a majestic empress wielding a sword appeared.

"Sword Emperor above, divine Buddhas below!" The empress, wearing a crown and splendid robes, her manifestation solidified, suppressed the temple with myriad swords. With a single declaration, her imperial decree took form. The Great Brahma Dragon Sound swept past this Black Stone Prison, yet those inside remained unharmed, preserving themselves.

Feng Zhongzui was trembling. Imperial Sword: Heaven's Release! And it was Heaven's Release, right behind him! What a feeling! Was he, despite her stature, being grandly protected by the Northern Sword Immortal? He suppressed his overwhelming joy, and with the relief of having survived a catastrophe, he quickly extended the Preaching Mirror outside the Black Stone Prison. The Northern Sword Immortal could strike with her sword. But judging by Master Xu's earlier demeanor, he didn't intend to draw his. So, with only a physical body and mortal spiritual essence... could Master Xu withstand this Great Brahma Dragon Sound from "Venerable Monk Zhengxin"?

The Buddhist chant passed. The image captured by the Preaching Mirror was visible to all in the Five Regions. Master Xu's black robes were torn into fragments, barely covering him. His partially exposed back was a bloody mess of scars. He was practically covered in wounds! But astonishingly, they had already scabbed over!

"Master Xu... utterly motionless." Feng Zhongzui felt electricity surge from his feet to the crown of his head; his entire being ascended. Not only did he not move! Master Xu stood his ground, gazing forward with pride. His physical body was covered in wounds, but his hidden spiritual essence, under the Great Brahma Dragon Sound, was swept out and materialized.

In the image seen across the Five Regions... Master Xu was in front. His spiritual essence manifestation was behind him. A silver moon, a solitary tower, a black silhouette! It was a towering, solitary ninety-nine-story building. The black silhouette stood at its pinnacle, alone and aloof against the backdrop of the silver moon.

The Great Brahma Dragon Sound swept past. The silhouette of the solitary tower lowered its gaze. With just one side glance, Half-Saint Pei Yuan, who was repenting and self-enlightening at the base of the tower, widened his eyes, then completely erupted with demonic energy.

"Crack!" The world only heard a sound like a mirror shattering, thinking it was the Preaching Mirror cracking.

The next second, Pei Yuan's heart-wrenching scream echoed: "No!!!" Hum!!!