novelraw Chapter 816 - 305: The Daoist Venerable’s Fated One! Chen Mo Joins the Dao! (Part 2)
Chapter 816 - 305: The Daoist Venerable’s Fated One! Chen Mo Joins the Dao! (Part 2)
Chen Mo was lost in thought.
Strictly speaking, he hadn’t been in the Fourth Rank for long, but his foundation was extremely solid. His reserve of Soul Power and Primordial Qi far exceeded cultivators of the same level.
If he could leverage some external force, such as the "Dragon Scale" from the Princess, he could even challenge a Third-rank Grandmaster.
He was already prepared to step into the Heavenly Human Realm, only lacking an opportunity for a breakthrough.
He initially thought he would have to wait for the "Taoist Collection" to open, seeking fortune within it, but now the opportunity presented itself in front of him.
From the benevolent gesture of the calamity force, as long as he was willing, he could completely merge with the Dao here!
"As a guardian of the Heavenly Dao, even a Daoist Venerable cannot withstand the power of calamity... purely in terms of destructive power, it’s not necessarily beneath the Returning Ruins, making it a rather good choice."
"After all, with Dragon Qi protecting me, there’s no need to worry about the so-called cost."
Chen Mo stroked his chin, pondering silently.
As if sensing his thoughts, that blazing sun sent a strand of golden light over.
This was the purest Law from the Origin.
If he were to refine it, breaking through to merge with the Dao would be as simple as breathing...
Boom—
At that moment, a tumult suddenly rose from the void within him.
In the distance, the dark chaos was torn open, mysterious light spread, and a mass of pale cyan material emerged, floating beside the "calamity force," as if the sun and moon were in the sky together!
"Returning Ruins Origin?"
Before Chen Mo could react, the pale cyan material suddenly split off a "tentacle," shooting towards him!
Almost simultaneously with that golden light, it entered his body!
In an instant, an ocean of information flooded into his Sea of Consciousness, indescribable mystical insights filled his heart.
Having heard the Dao in the morning, he could die by evening.
At that moment, the ultimate truth of heaven and earth was laid out before him, all questions had answers, and the intense satisfaction made his Divine Soul tremble, his eyes rolled back, and he completely lost consciousness.
Simply put, he passed out from ecstasy...
"Finally found..."
"Hmm?"
Soon after, Ji Hongxiu flew over and was stunned by the scene before her.
She saw Chen Mo’s Divine Soul floating in the air, with the distant "blazing sun" and "pale moon" each pulling on him with strands of aura, as if...
They were fighting over him?
"No wonder he hasn’t moved; he’s preparing to merge with the Dao?"
"A Grandmaster in his early twenties, practicing both Daoist and Martial Dual Cultivation, and merging two laws simultaneously?!"
For Ji Hongxiu, this was unimaginable, even the founding Taoist Lord of the Tianshu Pavilion could not achieve such a feat!
It completely transcended the scope of talent, only describable as "destined by heaven!"
As she stood there dazed, the source of calamity seemed to sense something, and the light blazed intensely!
Under the scorching heat, chaos boiled like water, and the black Karmic Fire also surged fiercely!
"Not good!"
"Too close to the source of calamity!"
At this speed, there was no time to escape, and in a few breaths, they would turn to ash!
The only chance for survival was—
Gazing at the figure enveloped in Dragon Qi, Ji Hongxiu gritted her teeth and flew directly towards him.
The closer she got to Chen Mo, the more intense the Karmic Fire burned, her once solid Divine Soul became semi-transparent, like snow melting rapidly under the scorching sun.
But there was no turning back now, she staked it all, driving her Soul Power with all her might, her speed soared again, like a burning meteor streaking through the dark space.
Just at the moment of collapse, she suddenly crashed into Chen Mo’s arms!
Purple-gold Dragon Qi surged around, enveloping her within, the goal of the calamity was suddenly lost, and the blazing light gradually dimmed, the Karmic Fire that burned the Divine Soul extinguished as well.
"So close..."
Ji Hongxiu’s Divine Soul flickered, she was too exhausted to continue.
Giving Chen Mo one last deep look, her consciousness fell into complete darkness.
However, neither of them noticed, a peach tree’s shadow quietly emerged in the void, its pink and white petals swirling around them.
Engraved on its thick trunk was the name Chen Mo.
Like dragons and serpents dancing, carved with profound intensity.
...
...
East Suburb of Tiandu City, Demon Suppression Department.
"Whew—"
In the courtyard, Ling Yishan was stooped, his face appeared more aged than before, his chest heaving rapidly like a worn-out bellows.
The demon from the Demon Clan had been subdued by him, the ground was littered with a dense carpet of insect corpses, and two eyeballs engraved with the character "Ding" were spinning round and round.
Originally, a D-ranked demon was nothing to him; he could easily crush it with a finger.
But the opponent clearly came prepared and summoned some unknown entity through a swarm.
Even though it’s just an avatar, it’s still brought significant trouble to him...
"If it weren’t for being constrained by the Dao Lock, unable to unleash even forty percent of peak power, I wouldn’t be in such a dire state. It’s cost me three years of lifespan."
"But at least, it’s been resolved in the end."
Just as Ling Yishan let out a sigh of relief, a resounding Buddhist chant came from outside the door:
"Amitabha Buddha."
? !
Ling Yishan abruptly lifted his head to look.
He saw two figures, one tall and one short, entering through the main gate.
The leading man was tall and brawny, his monk robe stretching taut, holding a string of Buddha Beads in his hand, with rugged features that exuded authority without anger.
The small monk followed closely, his face turned pale with fright upon seeing the ground covered with bug corpses, clutching the big monk’s pant leg tightly.
Ling Yishan frowned, "Who are you...?"
Hui Neng looked at Ling Yishan with a somewhat complex gaze, as if stirring up certain memories. He clasped his hands together solemnly, saying, "I am a humble monk from the Western Regions, visiting especially to marvel at the Array."
"Western Regions?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Yishan’s face turned cold, "So it turns out you’re from Wuwan Temple, a bald donkey?"
"My Dharma name is Hui Neng, I am not any bald donkey. Speech karma is a taboo in cultivation, I hope you speak with caution." Hui Neng corrected.
Ling Yishan sneered smugly, "You bald donkeys are as hypocritical as ever... You’ve been in the Capital City for a while, right? Only now do you show up, is it because you want to take advantage of someone’s misfortune? Isn’t this karma barrier?"
Hui Neng shook his head, "My intentions are all compassionate, where is karma barrier to speak of? Moreover, if you make way, I guarantee your safety."
"What if I don’t make way?" Ling Yishan raised an eyebrow.
Hui Neng said indifferently, "Amitabha Buddha, then I have no choice but to act with thunderous means with a Bodhisattva’s heart."
"Heh, always cloaking your evil deeds in the guise of compassion, yet claiming not to be hypocritical?" Ling Yishan squinted slightly, staring intently at him, "I’m standing here, go ahead and try?"
"After all, you are the Ultimate Venerable, although your strength is barely one-tenth, but respect should still be given."
Hui Neng pressed his thumb consecutively, one Buddha Bead after another shattered, dazzling golden light erupted, his aura surged continuously.
Third Grade, Second Grade, First Grade...
Only after crushing the eighth bead did he stop.
Hui Neng was enveloped in blazing Buddhist light, a seven-colored halo emerged behind his head, radiating intense Buddhist nature!
"Now, will you make way?" The voice sounded like a resonant bell, creating ethereal Buddhist chants echoing in the air.
Ling Yishan’s expression grew serious, "So many Buddha Bones? Who are you really?!"
"I have already told you, Dharma name—"
"Hui Neng!"
As the words fell, the void shattered, a colossal golden palm inscribed with the character "卐" descended from the sky!
Boom—
The ground quaked and the mountains shook!
The entire courtyard was flattened!
The gigantic palm dissipated, amidst the flying dust, Ling Yishan still stood on the spot, his body like a resilient pine tree.
His cheeks drained of color, yet he refused to retreat half a step.
"Is it necessary?"
Hui Neng sighed, forming a Dharma Seal with both hands, chanting a spell: "Om Maha Kala Ni Ka Hum, Pala Ma Lin Ta Ning..."
Behind him, numerous golden eyes lit up, densely arrayed across the sky.
As the last syllable sounded, the golden eyes shot out blinding Buddhist light, like torrential rain rushing toward Ling Yishan!
Boom boom boom—
Amidst the deafening explosions, Hui Neng reached out and picked up the small monk, flying towards the interior of the Demon Suppression Department.
However, just as his figure ascended, it suddenly halted.
Looking down, he saw Ling Yishan enduring the Buddhist light, clutching his ankle tightly, with a sly grin and blood lightly trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"I thought this technique seemed familiar, turns out it was you, this old undead?"
"Declared deceased to the outside world, yet used your soul hidden within the Buddha Bones, borrowing disciples’ bodies to linger on... I see, you wish to seek immortality?"
"Heh heh, greed, anger, obsession — all three poisons contained, what kind of Buddhist law do you study after all?"
Faced with Ling Yishan’s mockery, Hui Neng’s gaze turned from compassionate to indifferent, calmly saying, "Since you are obstinate and determined to die, I’ll have to lead you out of this sea of suffering, into the cycle of reincarnation."
He extended his right hand, placing it atop Ling Yishan’s head—
Intense Buddhist light surged forth!
...
...
ps: I’m not intentionally leaving it hanging here. I woke up with gout acting up, my knee is swollen like a bun, restless sitting, and I’m already burnt out Or2