Chapter 489: 惊神步

Blinding golden light simultaneously flared behind the eighteen figures. A powerful tremor of spiritual energy exerted immense pressure on Shi Lingyun's body, as if every wisp of air around her was being constantly compressed by this force.

Just as she felt her breath constricted and grew uncomfortable, Xu Yang, standing beside her, took decisive action. His Asura power erupted forth, and the Asura Sword in his hand blazed with black light as he slashed it through the air before him.

Boom!

In a mere instant, the powerful slash struck down. The void before them was torn open by the might of Xu Yang's sword, revealing a gash.

The pressure that had enveloped Shi Lingyun vanished in an instant. The Indestructible Golden Body, the eighteen Arhats' most prized attainment, was utterly insignificant before Xu Yang.

"Hmph," he scoffed, "chanting Buddhist mantras, do you truly believe you've become undying golden Buddhas? Ridiculous!"

Xu Yang's tyrannical aura was fully unleashed. This display of power and dominance completely stunned Shi Lingyun beside him.

She truly hadn't expected that the usually gentle, calm, and serene Xu Yang could reveal such an overwhelmingly powerful side when serious.

The void's gash quickly mended itself. However, the shattered formation of the Eighteen Golden Light Arhats was unable to re-form in a short time, due to the deep black void left by the attack.

"Arhat Glare!"

The leading Golden Body Arhat roared. His physical body rapidly swelled, and the golden light totem also transformed into a complete Golden Buddha form in a very short time.

"Tathagata's Descent!"

This appeared to be an entire set of combined techniques unleashed one after another. It must be said that Garan Temple was definitely among the top-tier in Buddhist heritage.

Although Xu Yang had not used his full power against these Golden Body Arhats, their ability to resist him for even a brief moment was enough to prove their strength.

Disciples from other Buddhist sects probably wouldn't have been able to get even close to Xu Yang.

"Do not test my patience," Xu Yang warned. "That last strike was merely a warning. Dare to block my path again, and the Asura Sword will show no mercy."

Xu Yang lightly flicked his sword horizontally. The inherently domineering sharpness of the Asura Sword swiftly swept outwards, and this mere surge of intimidating aura made the eighteen Golden Body Arhats before him shiver deep down.

"Amitabha..."

Just then, as the eighteen Golden Body Arhats found themselves at a disadvantage and hesitated, three long-bearded elderly monks, clad in golden-red kasayas, suddenly floated into view at the edge of their vision.

As soon as these three appeared, the aura emanating from them caught Shi Lingyun's attention.

"Grand Monks at the peak of Tribulation Transcendence!"

As a practitioner of Buddhist teachings herself, even though she was a female cultivator, Shi Lingyun was no stranger to the profound cultivation of these top-tier monks. Such a solemn aura could only be emitted by Grand Monks at the peak of Tribulation Transcendence.

"Benefactor Xu Yang," one of them intoned, "your presence at Garan Temple truly brings glory to our humble abode!"

"Hmph, more helpers?" Xu Yang retorted. "You Garan Temple are truly dragging this out. Quickly, tell your Abbot to come out and meet me. The truth will then be revealed. Why insist on creating all this trouble?"

The leading long-bearded elder softly chanted a Buddhist mantra and slowly spoke, "Sir, you may not know, but our Garan Temple's Abbot, Grandmaster Yun Hui, has not seen outside guests for many years. The chief monks of all three halls have already appeared. Whatever the matter, the three of us here can make the decision."

Xu Yang glanced at Shi Lingyun beside him. The girl subtly shook her head, indicating that these three grand monks were clearly acting as shields, and the truly problematic individual had not been identified.

In other words, either the target didn't exist within Garan Temple, or... Abbot Yun Hui himself was the problem.

"A few days ago," Shi Lingyun began, "the Abbess of my Ciyun Temple was murdered by a mysterious person. Now, my cultivation technique's tracking indicates that the suspicious aura is within Garan Temple. I hope the Grand Monks will not obstruct us. Once the culprit is found, all truth will come to light."

The long-bearded Grand Monk's expression suddenly turned cold. "Does the Sir mean that our temple's Grandmaster Yun Hui is the culprit you speak of?"

Shi Lingyun, facing the other party's aggressive aura, was momentarily speechless. However, Xu Yang beside her remained completely unaffected.

"The truth is currently unclear," Xu Yang stated calmly. "And anyone in Garan Temple is under suspicion. I hope you all will cooperate."

Before the white-bearded Grand Monk could speak, the thick-browed burly man beside him let out a cold snort and slammed his golden staff heavily onto the ground.

"Grandmaster Yun Yang has made it very clear," the burly monk boomed. "It is absolutely impossible to disturb our Abbot Yun Hui. You two, do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."

This burly man was Grandmaster Zhen Gang, the chief monk of the Arhat Hall. He was a true martial monk by origin, with an astonishing foundation in hard qigong. His sword-like eyebrows and piercing eyes exuded an intimidating aura of unrevealed power and sharp oppressiveness.

As a fellow peak Tribulation Transcendence realm expert, Grandmaster Zhen Gang was undoubtedly a renowned guardian leader of Garan Temple. His title as Abbot Yun Hui's foremost martial monk was well-deserved.

"Since you are so stubborn," Xu Yang stated, "then I, Xu Yang, will have to offend you. First, I'll subdue you all, then I'll personally enter the temple to consult with Yun Hui. Is that the situation you wish to see?"

After speaking, Xu Yang took a step forward. In an instant, a vast and continuous wave of aura swept outwards, and the entire mountain forest stirred with unrest due to this heaven-shaking stance.

"What! This..."

Xu Yang took step after step, leaving an imprint with each. Around each imprint on the ground, faint crimson light glowed. There was no earth-shattering tremor or roar as imagined, but each step he took contained immense and profound oppressive power.

Silent, yet astonishing to all! Without intent, yet shaking all directions!

Startling God Steps!

Taking eighteen consecutive steps, Xu Yang integrated his Dao into this footwork, leaving a series of unique Dao traces behind him.

When Xu Yang stopped moving again, these eighteen footprints seemed to come alive, gushing forth with intensely hot phoenix flames!

Endless scorching flames blazed forth, and silently, they completely trapped all the Grand Monks on the battlefield within them.

The Startling God Steps was a confinement array created by Xu Yang himself after inheriting the Phoenix Domain and integrating it with his own understanding of the Dao. It was relatively easy to unleash, taking opponents by surprise. It required no extensive preparation or power accumulation, yet could achieve remarkably impressive results.

At this moment, the Grand Monks hadn't even prepared themselves before they were trapped within the sealing array formed by the boundless phoenix flames.

"Let's go."

When Xu Yang returned to Shi Lingyun's side, he had already reverted to his usual calm and composed demeanor, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

"Amitabha!" one of the trapped monks exclaimed. "The power of the Phoenix lineage has reappeared in the world! It seems Xu Yang is truly no ordinary being, and certainly not someone we can contend with. The fate of Garan Temple can only be left to destiny."