Chapter 1968: Offend

Whoosh!

At the十字 (shí zì) street corner, the rain poured down.

As the rain fell from the sky, a beam of pitch-black light surged up from the ground, and a demonic power rapidly spread.

In just an instant, it covered the entire十字 (shí zì) street corner.

Ultimately, the entire city of 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) was enveloped by an unnervingly terrifying force.

"Run!"

"It's the Zǔshén again, run!"

At this moment, the炼灵师 (Liànlíngshī) still in the city realized what was happening.

The battle of the Zǔshén had erupted right beneath their feet.

Even though it was already too late to run, not moving at all might truly mean losing their lives there.

"Can't get out!"

"This demonic power has locked down the entire city!"

The black light beam covering the entire city had clearly transformed into invisible chains of Dao, trapping everyone inside.

死徒 (Sǐtú), 악인 (Èrén), 颓然尸 (Tuíránshī)...

Most of those present in this city were criminals on the former Holy Temple's most wanted list.

They had thought this place was a paradise, never expecting it to become a massive execution ground today.

If they couldn't break through the light beam, everyone would die once the battle's aftermath erupted!

"Combine forces!"

"Attack!"

Immediately, everyone united in resistance.

Spiritual techniques were unleashed, bombarding the demon Zǔ's power beam, but to no avail.

How could the demon Zǔ's power be broken by this disorganized rabble, who couldn't even achieve a half-saint封 (fēng)?

The four city gates of 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city, including the tall city walls, soon had clusters of people piled up, each frantically sweating.

The hope of life was right before their eyes.

But the passage between death and life was blocked.

Helplessness turned into panic and chaos, once again becoming synonymous with 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city.

"Thump! Thump!"

Suddenly, a dull heartbeat echoed from deep within the earth.

The various spiritual techniques blooming from different factions were directly interrupted, and everyone's heartbeats synchronized with this sound, as if they shared a single heart.

"Gulp..."

死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city suddenly fell silent; some even heard themselves swallowing.

Turning back in a panic, they saw countless black hard chunks exploding in the high sky, with golden vow-power Buddha patterns on them.

But the stronger force was still the demon Zǔ's power.

"It's the coffin under that pagoda!"

"Isn't this the pattern seen on the coffin under the pagoda in the previous vision?"

"Could it be that Shén Yì shattered the demon Zǔ's coffin with a single strike?"

This indeed gave some hope in the face of despair.

At the十字 (shí zì) street corner, Liú Guìfēn and Jiāng Nàyī couldn't help but turn their heads, looking towards the hole.

The black hard chunks were flying out from there.

But being close, both of them clearly saw that what flew out was not bronze fragments, but hardened demonic power, solidified over time.

"Shén Yì's powerful strike only shattered the outer demonic substance of the coffin under the pagoda?"

Liú Guìfēn's face immediately turned green.

He wanted to run; with Běi Huái ahead and the demon Zǔ behind, this cursed place seemed unbearable.

The combat power displayed by these two was completely beyond his ability to contend with.

What audacity had possessed him to come to the十字 (shí zì) street corner seeking opportunities then?

But to run...

There was no escape!

He could easily analyze that the black demonic light beam was simply unbreakable.

The one who tied the knot must untie it.

The only hope still lay with Shén Yì.

"Boom!"

But with a shift in gaze, another deafening crack exploded from deep underground.

The next instant, a bronze coffin with peeling paint and chunks missing was sent flying, its entire body bent, as if struck from below and blasted into the sky.

"It's out!"

The black-blue coffin emerged from the earth, soaring into the sky above the十字 (shí zì) street corner. Its mere aftershock shattered space and Dao.

This time, most people in 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city could also perceive the coffin with their spiritual senses.

Before they could react to what exactly had happened...

A bald, naked man suddenly teleported onto the twisted coffin body. His muscles were bulging, his demon back was hideous, and he held a double-headed gilded long staff, smashing it down hard, striking the coffin lid again.

"Boom!"

The black-blue coffin exploded into countless demonic hardened fragments.

The arched coffin body suddenly caved inward, smashing through the chaotic flow, and heavily crashed into the black hole.

"Boom!"

Just as everyone thought the coffin would land, the black hole in the sky above the十字 (shí zì) street corner shattered, and a figure seemed to flash by.

But neither the coffin nor Shén Yì landed. At the west city gate of 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city, space collapsed, and the bronze coffin actually appeared there.

Shén Yì followed, lashing out with a staff.

"Boom!"

The bronze coffin was still struck out of sight with a single blow.

At the east city gate, however, a black hole exploded. As people's gazes followed, scenes of Shén Yì violently striking the bronze coffin appeared in the south and north as well, incredibly brutal.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In just one breath, the sky above the entire 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city was filled with over a hundred Shén Yì.

The void had been shattered, and in an instant, the bronze coffin could be struck hundreds of times.

By the end, the bronze coffin was almost fixed within ten丈 (zhàng) of the high sky, twisting and deforming back and forth.

And all around it, thousands of Shén Yì, holding thousands of Bàwáng, were unleashing a tempest-like destructive attack.

"This..."

Liú Guìfēn's pupils trembled as he watched.

He had personally witnessed the immense power of Shén Yì's strikes.

What kind of coffin was this, capable of enduring such destruction? Even a Zǔshén's body should have been injured, right?

"What is this thing, quick, tell me!"

Liú Guìfēn immediately used contribution points to exchange for information, feeling that this coffin was extraordinarily unusual. Soon, the answer surfaced in his mind:

"Tāiyuán Mǔguān, one of the three Holy Ancestor weapons. It is rumored to have been forged from the primordial mother stone at the dawn of creation, continuously refined with grandmist purple qi, and crafted over eighty-one thousand times ninety-nine years. It can seal Zǔshén and nurture Zǔ bodies."

"Later, it was modified by the power of God-Slaying and re-refined by the demon Zǔ's power. Currently, no more information can be probed."

Liú Guìfēn was stunned. What kind of thing was this? He couldn't even comprehend the materials or the time it took to create it.

Was this the foundation of the Holy Ancestor... oh no, the demon Zǔ?

Looking up, even if Shén Yì was strong, under such a terrifying divine artifact, he seemed powerless to turn the tide.

Although the black-blue coffin was deformed by the impact, not a single crack appeared.

On the contrary, as Bàwáng hammered it repeatedly, the black demonic hardened fragments flew off, revealing the coffin's true body.

It was a dull, ancient bronze color, carved with intricate Dao patterns, and engraved with elements like dragon-kun, tree mothers, and swords. If one examined closely, they could trace the marks of that ancient era.

The rumbling sound in the high sky was incessant.

Shén Yì could not harm Tāiyuán Mǔguān in the slightest. He was testing its strength, and the demon Zǔ also used this coffin to test Shén Yì's strength, soon letting out a sneer:

"The Dào Fótǎ has been shattered, the power of Rǎnmíng has waned, and Tāiyuán Mǔguān is gradually returning to my control."

"Shén Yì, a word of advice: the path of ancient martial arts does not surpass the Battle Zǔ, nor can it escape the tribulation of Dao's demise and reincarnation. Tāiyuán Mǔguān is about to open, but it is not prepared for you. Retreat quickly. Considering your功 (gōng) in shattering the Dào Fótǎ, bygones will be bygones."

The demonic sound pierced their ears, reverberating.

In an instant, the malevolent qi that had perpetually lingered above 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city for years activated, turning into a bloody, hazy mist.

The people below immediately started cursing along:

"Demon Zǔ above, Shén Yì, why do you not retreat quickly?"

"Get lost! Who told you to shatter the Dào Fótǎ? Now look, the demon Zǔ has been released, hasn't he?"

"Brainless brute, utterly unreasonable! This scoundrel is not worth plotting with!"

Shén Yì stopped, holding his staff in front of Tāiyuán Mǔguān, seemingly deep in thought.

Suddenly, he flipped his palm, revealing a crystal the size of a peach pit, translucent, and entirely wrapped in what looked like threads.

"Crack."

Shén Yì popped it into his mouth and bit it.

But at the same time, Tāiyuán Mǔguān stirred. Its patterns and Dao纹 (wén) lit up, and the entire bronze coffin turned a black-red, blood-like color.

Blood mist swirled in the nine heavens, surging and boiling, and with this phenomenon, a demonic laugh echoed from within the coffin:

"Shàshā Mójié, refining blood to essence... Sacrifice!"

No one in the entire city of 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) reacted.

That Tāiyuán Mǔguān had transformed into a demonic coffin, linked to the blood-fiend qi accumulated in 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city for countless years, condensing a complex, winding demonic knot in the high sky, like a formation pattern.

From the demonic knot, tens of thousands of blood-colored threads hung down, precisely piercing into every living being in 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city.

"Ah—"

Screams immediately erupted, one after another.

In a blink of an eye, the炼灵师 (Liànlíngshī) huddled at the edge of the black demonic light were drained of their blood, turning into a bloody hue, and injected into the demonic knot.

The demonic knot swelled, and the blood-colored light fed back, flowing into Tāiyuán Mǔguān, making its black-red blood color even more vibrant.

Faintly, a suppressed, comfortable groan could be heard from within the coffin, as if this was a great tonic.

"Ah ah ah!"

"Save, save me!"

"Demon Zǔ, no, ah—"

The Taixu could still resist a little, but the King's Dao Realm and斩道 (zhǎndào) were almost instantly drained.

In just a few breaths, the entire 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city was filled with death, and countless corpses lay rotting.

Only a handful of people could still stand.

"This is the Blood Fiend Refining Formation?"

Liú Guìfēn was also linked, and his pure Yang body was nearly drained in an instant.

Coincidentally, he had seen this formation in "High-Level Heavenly Secrets" and knew how to break it, solving it immediately.

"The Blood Fiend Refining Formation not only swallows people, but more importantly, it also refines the dragon qi of a city, refining the past and present, refining life veins..."

"The formation takes at least ten thousand years to set up. Was the 'death' in 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city preparing for this moment all along?"

"With just this 'demonic knot,' draining 死浮屠 (Sǐ Fú Tú) city's history and exhausting its future, to what extent can the demon Zǔ recover?"

At this point, even the Dao Ancestor's inheritance couldn't calculate it.

As soon as Liú Guìfēn came to his senses, he immediately wanted to help Wū Sìniáng break the formation, but he saw Sìniáng crying and waving starlight.

The formation was already broken!

Liú Guìfēn was stunned.

You also understand Heavenly Secrets, and high-level Heavenly Secrets at that?

This was impossible; that required three million contribution points to exchange for. Do you also have a Dao Ancestor's inheritance?

Not just Wū Sìniáng, everyone still standing there was truly capable!

Leixī'er opened her divine demon eyes, completely unaffected by the Blood Fiend Refining Formation.

The corpse-缠人 (chánrén) Běi Huái resisted the power of the Blood Fiend Refining Formation, directly countering it with the power of the Medicine Ancestor, not losing much.

The Five Declines of Heaven and Man were most affected. Already mentally lost under Běi Huái's restraint, their various powers were now chaotic and erupting uncontrollably.

"Devouring body!"

As soon as this power appeared, Běi Huái's eyes lit up.

Tiānrén Wǔshuāi swallowed and shattered the Blood Fiend Refining Formation link, but the entire person fell to the ground, trembling and crawling forward in the rain, step by step towards Běi Huái's location, as if even he had lost himself, extremely terrifying.

As for Jiāng Nàyī...

After this guy rolled his eyes, his body had shriveled, but then suddenly rounded out again.

He glanced at himself and Wū Sìniáng breaking the formation. With a wave of his hand, starlight appeared, and he also broke free from the predicament by himself!

"You also have a Dao Ancestor's inheritance?"

Liú Guìfēn's eyes nearly popped out. He felt that all these beings were not human. His pure Yang body, being in the十字 (shí zì) street corner, truly felt like a sheep entering a tiger's den, surrounded by danger.

And high in the sky, as soon as the chain threads entered his body, steam rose from Shén Yì's body, easily breaking them.

A soft sound.

That muscular body was instantly scorched and burned through its skin, revealing the strong, pulsating muscle lines underneath.

"Sìshě?"

From within the demonic coffin, a light laugh emerged.

The demon Zǔ, having tested Shén Yì's strength, was unconcerned, rapidly recovering his physical power through the Tāiyuán Mǔguān.

The爆发 (bàofā) of Sìshě was too high; for a short period, it could reach the Zǔshén level, which was why it couldn't be fully activated on the Holy God Continent.

Even if Shén Yì swallowed the Xiàngshì Zhū'ǒu Jīng, to deal with Tāiyuán Mǔguān without injury, he could only activate Shěshēn.

Could Shěshēn shatter a Zǔshén's body, shatter the Tāiyuán Mǔguān, which was refined from primordial mother stone and grandmist purple qi, and nurtured for so many years?

If he didn't want to rely solely on Shěshēn, Shén Yì would have to bring out other spiritual medicines, like the Battle Zǔ.

But in this era, were those medicines that could allow him to unleash "Shě Líng," "Shě Yì," and "Shě Wǒ" still around?

Under guidance, similar spiritual medicines had been eradicated by the demon Zǔ long ago. Apart from past remnants, the only one that could still sustain ancient martial arts spiritual medicines in this era was likely Shénnóng Bǎicǎo.

"Shěshēn, it's completely insufficient..."

Shén Yì naturally understood this principle; the strength of Tāiyuán Mǔguān was too high.

But in his dictionary, there was no word for "retreat."

His skin was scorched, indicating the activation of the Xiàngshì Zhū'ǒu Jīng's power, allowing him to sustain his body and borrow the power of Shěshēn.

At this moment, each beat of his heart could unleash surging power.

But it wasn't enough!

Far from enough!

Shén Yì held his staff, standing high in the sky, eight acupoints on his body lit up.

"Bāmén?"

From within the demonic coffin, the demon Zǔ laughed even more wildly.

Following Bāmén, the constellation power within his body activated, surging forth like a torrent, and power waves already swirled in the high sky.

"Qīxiù?"

Was this a joke?

Even Sìshě struggled to break through the predicament, what good were Bāmén and Qīxiù?

"Liùdào?"

But this stubborn donkey seemed to know nothing of laughter.

Suddenly, the Heavenly Dao mark on his forehead lit up, and the Human Dao, Hell Dao, Asura Dao, Hungry Ghost Dao, and Animal Dao all opened simultaneously.

The Liùdào internalized.

No longer outwardly manifested.

Shén Yì was just Shén Yì; his body showed no changes.

"This is..."

The demon Zǔ raised his guard, noticing some clues.

Shén Yì's gaze was incredibly resolute. Could this guy want to cut off his Dao foundation, fully open Sìshě, and then use Liùdào to enter Buddhist dharma, opening the Sānjiè?

Could he do it?

Whether he could or not, was beside the point.

Once Sìshě was fully open, he would be gone; if Sānjiè emerged, he wouldn't even be able to sustain his physical form and would completely vanish.

Even Shénnóng Bǎicǎo couldn't save him!

Without the Zǔshén's destiny, Tāiyuán Mǔguān was the biggest obstacle in front of Shén Yì, an insurmountable mountain!

"Turn and retreat, there is still a glimmer of hope."

From within the demonic coffin, the demon Zǔ's deep voice resonated. Shén Yì's body was too perfect; He had other great uses for it and truly couldn't bear to destroy it.

"Retreat..."

With Bàwáng in hand, how could Shén Yì retreat?

When he left the Dào Fótǎ, he had already seen that Xiāng'er had long since left the十字 (shí zì) street corner and returned to Xìngjiè, escaping the sea of suffering.

Shén Yì's only obsession now was: if he was gone, what would happen to Xiāng'er?

But...

"Retreat?"

A fierce light erupted in his eyes, and Shén Yì took a step forward.

But in the heat of battle, there could be no retreat.

If he retreated now, his Dao heart would collapse, which would be no different from cutting off his own lifeline. It was better to fight to the death!

"Sìshě!"

Just as his mind roared wildly, about to give it his all.

In his ears, the incessant murmuring that had persisted since entering the Dào Fótǎ, echoed again:

"Shén Yì..."

Shén Yì was stunned. At this point, they knew each other inside and out.

The demon Zǔ no longer needed to beat around the bush with him.

Therefore, this consciousness was unlikely to be from the demon Zǔ; only one possibility remained:

There was resentment!

Under the Dào Fótǎ, not only the demon Zǔ, but also the remnants of resentful power must have always been there!

As if sensing Shén Yì's resolve, the murmuring gained some vitality and content.

It was no longer an empty name, waiting to be accepted, but cut to the crucial point:

"Shén Yì..."

"Dào Fótǎ... can assist..."

Shén Yì didn't hesitate. He stood with his staff held diagonally in his right hand, and with a flip of his left hand.

The shattered Dào Fótǎ gathered from all directions into a golden light, condensing in his palm, reappearing in its pagoda form.

Bàwáng held diagonally, palm supporting the pagoda.

At this moment, the demon Zǔ in the coffin seemed surprised by this sight, sensing the sudden change in Shén Yì's aura.

And at the very instant the Dào Fótǎ was placed in his palm, the voice of the resentful Buddha in Shén Yì's mind became incredibly clear.

That voice, like a grand bell, a Buddhist chant, resonated in his spiritual world, cleansing the dust from his mind:

"Buddha has three realms: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm..."

"Deluded sentient beings, cycle through birth and death."

"Mortals dwell within, sinking in the sea of suffering."

Everything in the world suddenly disappeared, and then returned to the golden vastness from when he first entered the Dào Fótǎ.

Shén Yì, his true self, sat cross-legged in this golden Buddhist realm. His tiger eyes were wide open, yet Dao charm emanated from him, clearly having gained much. He murmured in resonance:

"Ancient martial arts have three realms: duàn (severing), lí (detaching), miè (extinguishing)..."

"Severing the nine knots, eliminating vexations."

"Extinguishing all outflows, achieving transcendence through non-action."

The world seemed to invert, constantly rotating. Buddhist light gathered, reflecting a figure opposite Shén Yì, like a mirror.

That was also a bald man sitting cross-legged, but he was handsome, with a cinnabar spot between his brows, and a short, well-proportioned physique, completely opposite to the burly Shén Yì.

Shén Yì on the left, resentful on the right.

Shén Yì in front, resentful behind.

The two figures, one with eyes open, one with eyes closed, reflected the Dao to each other, speaking in turn, tacitly understanding, and resonating in sync:

"Buddhist dharma is boundless, serving as a warning."

"Ancient martial arts speak of strength, sweeping away all dharmas."

"Gentleness is yin, encompassing the six paths."

"Fierceness is yang, the three realms return to nothingness."

During the verification of the Dao dharma, resentful and Shén Yì drew closer, eventually merging into one.

This profound transformation was completed in an instant, settling within Shén Yì's spiritual world.

To outsiders, it merely looked like Shén Yì summoning the Dào Fótǎ before the Tāiyuán Mǔguān.

The Dào Fótǎ transformed into golden light and entered Shén Yì's body.

"Om..."

The sound of the Great Dao and Buddhist dharma emanated from his body.

The demonic coffin suddenly trembled, as if seeing something even the demon Zǔ found unbelievable.

Shén Yì clearly had his eyes closed, yet also seemed to be open; the Heavenly Dao mark on his forehead was now stained with cinnabar and golden red; he was alone, yet also seemed to be a convergence of yin and yang, overlapping with another soul.

His lips moved, muttering.

At first, it was unclear, then the sound of Dao dharma spread, and finally, Bàwáng rotated in his palm, held diagonally in the air.

He opened his eyes, Buddhist light shone, and the sound of Dao echoed like a bell throughout the Five Domains, north and south:

"...And now, the three realms and six paths enlighten my heart, therefore I receive the precepts and temporarily return to the Buddhist path."

Bald Shén Yì, his head marked with precepts, one by one.

When the number reached the extreme of nine, a beam of golden light opened and closed, a lotus seat bloomed beneath him, and Shén Yì transformed into a Buddha body, solemn and dignified. In one hand, Bàwáng directly broke the precepts, and in the other, compassion was proclaimed over his chest. He looked directly at the Tāiyuán demonic coffin before him, his expression devoid of joy or sorrow:

"Amitabha... This humble monk apologizes."