Chapter 246: Buddhist Gathering

The Twin Lotuses were crucial for forming a core, so no one was willing to back down. A chaotic melee erupted among numerous late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain were self-aware; they knew their abilities were adequate for surviving in the dense forest but insufficient for direct confrontations. After witnessing the combat prowess of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain doubted anyone could snatch anything from them.

Whenever someone managed to defeat an opponent from a slightly higher cultivation realm, it would be boasted about for days, as if it were a monumental achievement. In contrast, these two monks could fight and win consecutively against opponents a full cultivation realm above them. Such combat strength was usually only heard of in legends; the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain had never witnessed it firsthand.

"Could these two be from the Hanging Temple?"

"Can the Hanging Temple recruit two people at once?"

"Judging by their skills, it's not impossible."

Meng Jingzhou, who was arguably the second strongest among his generation, particularly within the Five Great Immortal Sects, naturally drew the attention of many cultivators due to his formidable combat power. Even Golden Core stage cultivators recognized his prowess and launched a combined assault against him.

"Lu Yang, don't just stand there watching!" Meng Jingzhou yelled, while simultaneously executing his Arhat Fist and urging Lu Yang (that scoundrel) to come assist him.

"I thought you, Sir Meng, could handle a hundred men and challenge all these heroes on your own," Lu Yang quipped as he entered combat.

Four late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators jointly attacked Lu Yang. Without even looking, he effortlessly sidestepped their assault. With a light tap on their abdomens with the back of his hand, they felt a sudden sourness in their stomachs and began to vomit uncontrollably.

"Ugh—"

"Stop him!" the crowd yelled, realizing that Lu Yang was a formidable cultivator, no less powerful than Meng Jingzhou, and a major threat in this scramble.

"Mountain Shattering Palm!" another cultivator shouted, attacking Lu Yang. Their palms were bluish-black, tempered through countless trials until their skin was as hard as iron, seemingly impossible to refine even in a forging furnace.

"Ground Prison!" Lu Yang announced, extending his index finger and lightly drawing a circle on the ground. The attacking cultivator suddenly vanished, sinking beneath the earth.

It was as if an invisible hand had forcibly dragged him underground. This bizarre technique sent shivers down everyone's spines, leaving them at a loss for how to react.

"A successor of the Drawing Path?!" someone exclaimed, recognizing Lu Yang's technique. It was remarkably similar to the cultivators from the Confucian school who specialized in the Drawing Path, whose casual strokes could overturn heaven and earth!

"Isn't he a Buddhist disciple? How does he know Confucian techniques?"

Lu Yang simply smiled faintly, offering no explanation. He continued to draw circles, moving through the encircling crowd as if through an empty space, strolling with relaxed steps. Anyone who came close to him was promptly sent into his underground prison.

"Take my blade, Heavenly Inquiry!" Duan Hongchen struck from the shadows, his Heavenly Inquiry Blade gleaming so brightly it was blinding.

"Arhat Fist!" Lu Yang's right leg half-squatted, his left leg tensed, as power coursed through his entire body, ultimately concentrating in his left fist. He thrust his left fist forward, striking with his elbow, deflecting the Heavenly Inquiry blade and landing a blow squarely on Duan Hongchen's face.

Duan Hongchen felt as if a mountain had slammed into him. The sheer force was overwhelming and irresistible, rendering any technique utterly useless.

"The sea of suffering is boundless; turn back, and the shore is there!"

Lu Yang delivered a series of rapid blows to Duan Hongchen, who felt agonizing pain, as if every bone in his body had been dislocated.

Duan Hongchen was sent flying backward, and his vision momentarily went black.

"Hmm? What is this?" He wondered. His vision hadn't gone black from losing consciousness; rather, some black object was obstructing his sight.

"Hair? Whose?" Duan Hongchen subconsciously touched his head. "So smooth… whose head is this?" "My hair?!" he finally realized. Where had his meticulously styled hair gone?

As a master, the most crucial thing was to appear profound and unfathomable. And the most indispensable element for achieving that look was hair!

With his hair now gone, his aura of mystery was instantly halved.

"Watch out! His Arhat Fist makes people lose their hair!" Duan Hongchen loudly warned everyone.

An Ke, who had been contemplating a sneak attack, heard this and her pretty face instantly turned ashen.

Failing to obtain the Twin Lotuses was a minor concern; she could always find another method for core formation. But losing her hair was a huge deal!

Without a moment's hesitation, she turned and fled!

"Trying to run?" Lu Yang clearly wasn't in the habit of letting enemies escape and pursued her relentlessly.

"Don't chase me! I don't want the Twin Lotuses anymore!" An Ke cried out, signaling her surrender.

"Trying to make me lower my guard, are we? I'm tired of that trick!" Lu Yang thought, putting himself in her shoes and assuming An Ke was just trying to be deceptive, like him.

"Do not harm Fairy An Ke!" someone shouted, enamored by her beauty, stepping in to block Lu Yang. He was sent flying by two of Lu Yang's punches, his hair scattering across the ground.

"Stop, you villain!"

"Don't hurt anyone!"

One after another, people attempted to stop Lu Yang, but each was sent sprawling by his Arhat Fist.

"Can you give a buzz cut?" someone quietly asked Lu Yang.

Lu Yang nodded. He had practiced the Arhat Fist for four days in the training grounds, achieving significant mastery, and could now customize hairstyles at will.

"Give me one!"

Lu Yang "kindly" struck, sending the opponent flying.

The entire lake area descended into chaos. An Ke ran around the lake, with Lu Yang in hot pursuit. Anyone Lu Yang managed to touch received two resounding punches and instantly became bald.

Fortunately, An Ke's protector eventually appeared, pulling her away and fleeing before Lu Yang could strike her.

"Next!" With his original target gone, Lu Yang quickly found new ones.

Lu Yang's Arhat Fist possessed power comparable to the authentic technique, along with its unique hair-shaving effect. It was so clearly a Buddhist fist art that even enlightened monks would undoubtedly praise it as "orthodox Buddhist."

Regardless of their willingness or cultivation level, everyone present eventually received two punches from Lu Yang.

Lu Yang was like a lawnmower, leaving not a single strand of hair wherever he went.

"Let's deal with this brat first!" the crowd roared, abandoning their pursuit of the Twin Lotuses and setting their sights entirely on Lu Yang. Even Meng Jingzhou was ignored.

Witnessing this spectacle from the lakeside, the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain broke into cold sweats, desperately trying to reduce their presence lest the furious crowd turn their wrath upon them.

For heaven's sake, they were merely guides and had no vested interest in Lu Yang's actions!

"Excuse me, what happened here?" a gentle voice inquired beside the hook-nosed leader's ear, startling the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain, who thought they were being targeted.

They turned to see a man and a woman who had arrived at some point, unnoticed.

The man was powerfully built, resembling a barbarian, while the woman was slender, with a somewhat youthful, even childlike, face, suggesting she was not very old.

These were Mang Gu and Tao Yao Ye.

Not long ago, their Senior Sister had sought out Mang Gu and Tao Yao Ye, telling them that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's experience in the dense forest had been beneficial, and that they should learn from it.

So they took a flying boat, then a carriage, and after a long, winding journey, finally arrived at Zhenyao Pass.

Once at Zhenyao Pass, they heard the Twin Lotuses were about to bloom, so they came to observe the situation and join the excitement.

To their surprise, upon arriving, they found a group of bald individuals fiercely fighting in a muddy pit, resembling a bizarre Buddhist gathering.

It was only after asking around that they learned Lu Yang had used some demonic art to shave people's heads, inciting public outrage, and was now being besieged by the angry crowd.

"So that's it," Mang Gu suddenly realized. "Senior Sister wants us to learn from Brother Lu Yang's courage in facing hardships and bravely confronting a multitude of enemies!"