Chapter 1037: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

The shouts from above grew increasingly loud. Li Zhouwei could already perceive the danger in Minghui's piercing, radiant eyes. He flicked his long halberd backward, parrying the golden artifact Akara was sending down. A realization suddenly struck him: "Mingxiang and Minghui are both from Lotus Temple. If this person is reliable, the threat can be reduced. Only that Zhao Kingdom general is the most troublesome."

He surged up, his divine abilities active, pouring immense magic power into his spirit artifact. The Hundred Ridge Black Stone Umbrella, which had been swaying behind him in the flames, instantly righted itself. It blocked all the incoming lights one by one, emitting creaking sounds, and the greenish-yellow glow on the umbrella momentarily dimmed.

This brief respite lasted only an instant. Li Zhouwei had already invoked the Heavenly Radiance and charged forward, his halberd pointing directly at Daisui's arrogant horse-like face!

Daisui was inherently someone who valued his life. Knowing the danger, he had long been on guard against Li Zhouwei! Even from a great distance, facing that bright, cold edge, his heart immediately sank. He gritted his teeth and hastily recalled the Void Demon-Subduing Bowl. He formed hand seals, his lips humming as he chanted a spell: "By my command!"

A bright splash of color instantly appeared in his hand. It was a golden, shimmering aura, emitting a sharp shriek in the air, descending like a swooping eagle.

Daisui had not been unprepared over the years. Although the Buddhist artifact he had intended to meticulously refine was lost during the Turbid Killings Mausoleum incident, rendering decades of effort almost useless, he managed to mitigate the loss in time and refined this Radiant Golden Aura.

Now unleashed, this aura transformed into hundreds of colorful rays in the air. They swarmed towards Li Zhouwei, striking his dharma body with sharp impact sounds and erupting in patches of purple flames.

"Halt!" But as Li Zhouwei's Heavenly Radiance rose, Minghui's gaze from above suddenly flared with rage. His gaze shifted, and the colorful light that had been battering the Hundred Ridge Black Stone Umbrella, making the spirit artifact tremble, unhesitatingly moved towards Li Zhouwei!

From each of his shoulders, a head extended, with delicate features, wide-open eyes, and chanting mouths. On one side was a rain of seductive chaos, and on the other, a light of overlapping confusion. The colorful lights overlapped, pouring down powerfully, suppressing the Heavenly Radiance!

This suppression filled the ground with dazzling colorful light, yet even more intense colors arose: "Lord Dao Wei"!

When "Lord Dao Wei" charged, it possessed the ability to dispel chaos and return to order. Minghui's three spells, without exception, landed on a profound level, causing golden patterns to gleam brightly on Li Zhouwei's face, and his eyes suddenly cleared!

Furthermore, the multi-person siege helped the "Lord Dao Wei" fate-sensing ability to rapidly increase!

The golden rays that had been able to writhe slightly on his dharma body were suddenly violently pushed away. In that very instant, the long edge of the Grand Ascendant roared forth, reaching Daisui's face!

Rolling anger was reflected in the horse-faced Mahoraga's pupils. His heart was like a mountain collapse and a tsunami: "Ming...hui..."

Of course, he was unwilling to admit that his spells were not very effective. But Minghui activating "Lord Dao Wei" and its ability to return to order undoubtedly elevated the opponent's profoundness to another level. It looked like a mistake, but the intention to secretly harm was so clear! Lotus Temple excelled in Taoist magic, being more familiar with the immortal path than even the Seven Phases. To say he didn't know the profoundness of Bright Yang was absolute nonsense! But Buddhist practitioners inherently vied with each other, and he truly had no way to deal with Minghui. Moreover, the halberd was already before his eyes, leaving no time to think!

Daisui, after all, had some skill; he simply clenched his jaw deeply and abruptly spat out an object.

This object was gleaming white like jade, an actual jade skull. Its deep eye sockets were empty, and its mouth held thunderous purple lightning; it thrust forward and clanged as it bit the cold edge!

The Grand Ascendant, with its dazzling light effect, operated; the bright, light-and-shadow-like long halberd sprang forward, striking his horse head like lightning.

"Boom!" Heavenly Radiance and purple flames exploded; the massive golden body retreated several steps, crouching and nearly falling. The halberd immediately swung back, only to see rolling crimson flames appear from thin air, hooking onto the crescent-shaped halberd again, causing it to pause.

"Clang!" A flash of light erupted instantly beside Li Zhouwei. A jade vajra scepter carved with Sanskrit script quietly appeared at some point. Concealed within layers of spiritual light, it silently dropped!

It was Mingxiang, the most highly cultivated practitioner present, who made the move.

Mingxiang naturally saw the conflict between his junior brother and Daisui very clearly. Although he didn't know why the two had fallen out, he sided with his kin, not with justice. Mingxiang could clearly have moved to block the halberd and put Li Zhouwei in a more passive position, yet he specifically waited until Daisui had taken a hit from the halberd before acting, and chose a lethal offensive!

But precisely because the jade vajra scepter appeared, Minghui's expression changed, and he inwardly thought, "This is not good."

Li Zhouwei, with his flashing golden eyes, also saw it clearly. This object looked unremarkable, yet it made his expression grave. He turned sideways to dodge it, simultaneously using his halberd to block, and then activated the "Supreme Radiance of Suppression" from his brow.

"Hum!" The "Supreme Radiance of Suppression" had been cultivated for many years, and its power was gradually approaching the limit this art could achieve. It illuminated the heavens and earth with apprehension, yet Mingxiang in the sky sat cross-legged, clapping his hands together. His left palm faced upwards, cupped below his chin, his right palm faced downwards, covering his waist, and he slightly turned his body, chanting: "Three sufferings, three poisons, principles yield to them, burning one's own good roots, even saints will not save."

Immediately, the light of the Buddhist realm shone down, with specks of sweet dew. The "Supreme Radiance of Suppression" seemed to encounter myriad obstacles; its light diminished, scattering and shifting in five directions. The vajra scepter, bathed in the light of Bright Yang, managed to free itself, only slightly hindered, and still descended with dazzling colors, landing with a clang!

"His cultivation is truly high. It's no exaggeration that Lotus Temple excels in both immortal and Buddhist practices! This golden artifact is probably just as formidable!" Li Zhouwei, having only witnessed this one move, was secretly surprised. He raised his halberd high, having no choice but to directly confront the vajra scepter.

"Clang!" Sparks flew from the gleaming curved blade of the Grand Ascendant. The halberd shaft suddenly bent, as if bearing a mountain ten thousand zhang tall. Countless scriptures appeared on the vajra scepter, projecting in all directions like phantoms.

"Suppress!" The vajra scepter was clearly designed to suppress magical artifacts, having accumulated power for a long time, its might terrifying. But at the same time, the golden patterns on Li Zhouwei's face suddenly brightened, and the color of his eyes shifted from dark gold to golden.

"Lord Dao Wei" activated! And as the number of attacking enemies suddenly increased, boosted by the White Qilin's fate, and sensing "Lord Dao Wei," the power of this dharma body divine ability surged at an extremely rapid pace, adding five points beyond its full ten, causing a brilliant Heavenly Radiance to ignite around him!

Li Zhouwei's charge, originally struck down by the vajra scepter before it could even begin, was now revitalized. He held the Grand Ascendant with only one hand, while his other hand shot up like lightning, suddenly sweeping. He firmly grasped the golden orb sent flying by Five Eyes, its sharp radiance abruptly halted, barely an inch from his face, only to be instantly shattered!

"Squeak, squeak..." The golden orb still possessed sentience, clattering and struggling in his grip, trying desperately to break free. But Li Zhouwei showed no sign of triumph, his expression gradually darkening.

"Boom!" At the same time, dark clouds rolled in the sky, and purple lightning descended, narrowly striking down the aura Daisui had hidden in the shadows. This made Minghui secretly sigh in relief: "He's prepared too..."

Li Zhouwei had not yet used his most crucial spirit treasure and the "Heavenly Gate of Audience," clearly understanding the implication and still preparing to deal with Gongsun Bei. But Li Ximing had not appeared yet, and the cultivators from Song Court had not arrived; these practitioners were not to be trifled with!

Indeed, while Li Zhouwei dealt with Mingxiang on his left, Akara had already emerged ferociously with his sword raised, suddenly striking down. None of the Mahoragas were easy to deal with; even with his formidable dharma body, he was momentarily trapped in mid-air by their golden artifacts and spells!

Akara's golden-red sword slashed down fiercely, but Li Zhouwei's divine abilities still seethed throughout his body. His immensely profound magical power and extraordinary cultivation converged. With "Lord Dao Wei" activated, he managed to recall the Hundred Ridge Black Stone Umbrella through layers of colorful light obstruction, barely blocking it in front of him!

"Clang!" What reached their ears was an extremely crisp metallic clang. It was as if something dazzlingly golden had swept past, the air hummed, causing all the Buddhist practitioners to simultaneously gasp and their vision to blur.

"Pffft!" It was Akara spitting blood.

Five Eyes felt his scalp tingle, and his heart cried out in alarm: "The Qianyang Bracelet has appeared!"

Akara, who was directly facing him, had not expected Li Zhouwei, who was merely restrained by their combined efforts, to suddenly erupt after only a few exchanges. The power of his divine ability was ridiculously vast; a chill rushed to his nostrils, and the world before him instantly shattered into countless fragments of chaos, causing a splitting headache.

Li Zhouwei had already released his grip; the Grand Ascendant instantly straightened, exploding with shattered Heavenly Radiance. His powerful palm was empty, allowing the golden orb to emit a dazzling glow. He even allowed his spirit artifact to be suppressed by Mingxiang, instead rising with a charging momentum, disregarding everything to grab forward with a large hand, locking onto Akara's neck!

In this fleeting moment, only Five Eyes' golden orb was close enough to potentially offer a breath of rescue!

But this Bodhisattva lowered his gaze slightly and did not push the golden orb. Yet he dared not do nothing; instead, his eyes erupted with greedy light, and he tapped and pushed his thumb on his knuckle, his body transforming into light that gathered and dispersed. He actually resonated with the golden orb, using it to appear beside Li Zhouwei, bringing his palms together and pointing directly at the Hundred Ridge Black Stone Umbrella, which was in mid-air, devoid of magic power, and isolated, wanting to seize it amidst the chaos!

But the light on Li Zhouwei's brow had already transformed into darkness; a momentary brilliant glow, and countless black-gold streaks of light erupted, instantly engulfing all colors around him.

"Emperor Qi Light!" "Aooo!"

The first to let out a miserable shriek was naturally Akara. Struck by the Qianyang Bracelet in such a manner, he was utterly disoriented, with the world blurring before him. Minghui, by his side, quietly let go of the Hundred Ridge Black Stone Umbrella, and Five Eyes, consumed by greed, followed closely to seize the umbrella; astonishingly, no one came to Akara's aid!

A powerful hand gripped Akara, and black-gold streaks of light swept down from his face. His crimson head instantly became mottled, and as the hand gripping his face exerted force, a sound of shattering glass erupted.

"Crunch!" Akara's glass-like eye was pressed in by a thumb and shattered first. And the hand tightly gripping his face seemed to rapidly enlarge, its knuckles becoming massive, its sharp claws protruding, and numerous savage scales sparsely growing, spontaneously generating an additional third of its power!

"Boom!" With the spirit treasure weakening his spirit first, and the Emperor Qi Light pouring down afterward, "Lord Dao Wei" had already performed at 150% of its full power. Even if Akara was under the Golden Lotus Seat, with a dharma body refined for hundreds of years, his head at that moment was like an ordinary glass object, exploding with a pop!

"Whoosh, whoosh..." Rolling dust and shattered glass drifted down from the sky. Buddhist dharma bodies had no weaknesses. Akara's headless body burned with bright flames, his entire being now filled with the extreme Yang power left by the Emperor Qi Light. His hands were still pushing Li Zhouwei's arm; this Bodhisattva was furious and terrified to the extreme, yet could only clearly feel his dharma body shattering!

Five Eyes was scared out of his wits, but having already feigned greed, and not daring to drop what he held, he could only suppress the umbrella and swiftly retreat, his heart filled with dread: "Good heavens! Terrifying to death!"

He fled, clutching his head, his heart startled by the Wei King's decisive brutality, muttering to himself: "Buddha be... no... Immortal Venerable above... We're on the same side... same side!"

Li Zhouwei, however, was in no mood to pay him any mind. He even spun around without a moment's hesitation the instant he crushed Akara's dharma body. Akara was covered in Emperor Qi Light, his dharma body ruined, but Li Zhouwei had not been able to release the Grand Ascendant without consequence. At this moment, his weapon was suppressed by the vajra scepter; the halberd's tail trembled, constantly twitching as it was pulled by his divine ability, attempting to escape, but the radiance suppressed it ever tighter. Not only did he have no time to rest, but if he relaxed for even an instant longer, the hard-won initiative would surely be lost!

"Lord Dao Wei" operated, parrying Daisui's spell, finally allowing Li Zhouwei to grasp the halberd's tail with one hand. But Mingxiang was already the strongest Mahoraga present, and his reaction was equally swift. He didn't even spare a glance for Akara, his mind clearly set on the Grand Ascendant. How could he allow Li Zhouwei a chance to reclaim it? The emerald light rapidly closed in, ultimately slowing Li Zhouwei by an instant, dyeing the entire halberd with verdant light, rendering it almost immobile.

Witnessing these scenes, Minghui cried out in his heart, virtually weeping: "Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Do you even know what 'holding back' means?! You're going to get me and Master killed!"

This, however, was not Mingxiang's fault. The master and disciple dared not tell him about the events at the lake, trying their best to cover up, only saying that the purpose was to deplete the strength of other Buddhist cultivators and make a hefty profit. Mingxiang naturally intended to make a significant gain; how could he let go of the Grand Ascendant!

A trace of regret flashed in Li Zhouwei's eyes, but without much surprise. He simply endured the spells of Five Eyes and Minghui, suddenly exerting force with one hand, his golden eyes blazing as he stared directly at the vajra scepter!

"Pffft!" No matter how much the two tried to hold back, the solid hit was undeniable. Li Zhouwei's face flushed, and the magic power within him precariously completed its transfer. The golden light-and-shadow figure reappeared, violently striking the scepter.

"Clang!" No matter how powerful the vajra scepter was, it ultimately couldn't compare to the Qianyang Bracelet; it let out a wail, as if it had been slapped hard, and bounced high. The emerald light suppressing the halberd lost its support and rapidly faded, but a figure emerged from mid-air, holding a purple bowl, having waited for a long time, finally covering the spirit treasure whose force had just dissipated!

It was Daisui!

This person was originally an immortal who converted to Buddhism, extremely cunning, and understood immortal cultivators even better. He had accurately calculated this moment, pouring all his magic power into the Void Demon-Subduing Bowl in his hand, rapidly activating his spiritual sense in the Void: "General Gongsun, now is the perfect time!"

This scene, falling into Minghui's eyes, made his heart sink, startled him, and suddenly gave him a terrifying conjecture: "Li Ximing still hasn't made a move... Could it be... he's not here?"