Chapter 284: Earthly Immortal

When he saw Su Yi charging toward them, the white-eyebrowed elderly monk suddenly roared like a lion. “Wind, lightning, earth, and fire. Kill him!”

The Tiger Fighter Arhat Formation?comprised?of eighteen monks blazed with searing Buddhist light, which condensed into a hovering golden Buddha statue. The illusory statue then slapped downward.

The force bore down, throwing the air into disarray with a series of booms.

Upon closer inspection, within the palm, there were hurricanes, booming thunder, and a sea of flames… It was suffused with elemental energy, as miraculous as could be.

Even watching from a distance, Su Yi’s companions' hearts shook, and their hair stood on end.

This was just too much!

Eighteen Xiantian Martial Ancestors of the Great Qin’s Shanglin Temple were working together. Even on their own, any one of them was far beyond a mundane cultivator of the same realm. When they combined their power, how could the resulting force possibly be ordinary?

It was no wonder the Tiger Fighter Arhat Formation was famed for its ability to suppress even Earthly Immortals!

Practically simultaneously—

The low, clear hum of a sword rang out.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Su Yi didn’t so much as dodge. He suddenly stepped into the air and swept the Abstruse God Sword through the skies.

Whoosh!

A streak of sword qi burst forth, glittering and translucent, with unparalleled sharpness. It swept through the air, seemingly capable of splitting both heaven and earth, or demarcating purity and filth.

Shortly after, it disappeared.

Su Yi’s tall, lean figure drifted gently to the ground.

Boom!

Almost as soon as he steadied himself, the palm infused with four elemental powers burst like a popped bubble, then scattered like rain.

Immediately afterward, the golden Buddha, the manifestation of the Tiger Fighter Arhat Formation, cracked and split apart.

And then—

Awakening Balance was one of the monks forming the formation. He suddenly shrieked, “How is this….”

But before the words even left his lips, his head flew through the air with a splatter of blood. Even in death, his bewilderment and shock remained on his face.

Boom!

Sometimes, tugging a hair could move an entire body. When Awakening Balance died, the entire Tiger Fighter Arhat Formation crumbled.

The monks, each of them a Xiantian Martial Ancestor, all staggered back. The backlash dealt them a heavy blow, and their expressions filled with rage, confusion, and uncertainty.

One slash, yet he’d broken their combat formation and slain Awakening Balance!

That overbearing momentum made the monks shudder despite the absence of cold. They almost dared not believe their eyes.

They could tell that Su Yi was just a second-level Grandmaster. How could a young man like him wield such terrifying power?

Even Ning Sihua and the others felt dazed and dumbstruck.

He broke that terrifying combat formation just like that?

But to Su Yi, it couldn’t have been any simpler.

This was a formation formed of martial artists. At best, it was a fusion skill.

So long as his divine sense locked onto any individual member, all he had to do was target their mind, intimidate them, and kill them. The rest of the formation would just fall apart on its own.

“Don’t just stand there.” Su Yi glanced at his companions in mild exasperation. “Do I need to deal with people like this on my own too?”

His companions each reacted as if awakening from a dream. All of them were sheepish, and they hurriedly charged into the fray.

At the same time, Su Yi held his sword and walked forward, his blue robes swaying. He looked leisurely and at ease, but in truth, his qi had long since started circulating through him.

“Stop!” A withered monk bellowed and waved his spade, stirring?up sweeping, despotic Astral Force.

Crunch!

Su Yi waved his sword, and the spade forged of numerous spiritual materials split in two, as if it were made of paper. The sword qi continued past the blade, cleaving the monk in two as well.

A Xiantian Martial Ancestor far stronger than mundane martial artists of his level had died, just like that. Su Yi killed him as if he were slaughtering a chicken or monkey.

“Die!” Another two monks charged, one wielding a bamboo staff, the other a monk’s saber. Their auras surged around them, and they had no fear of death.

But before they could even get close, Ning Sihua blocked the staff-wielding monk’s path.

As for the monk wielding the saber, a whole swath of Origin talismans surrounded him, instantly bursting into various types of destructive power—lightning, fire, wind, and sharp blades.

In an instant, the blast burnt him to?cinders. Not even bone fragments remained.

This shocking, despotic scene was naturally the work of Lan Suo. In just one move, she’d used more than ten precious Origin talismans. Furthermore, she’d done so crisply and cleanly, without even blinking.

Su Yi seized the opportunity and broke out of their encirclement, then casually walked further ahead.

The monks wanted to chase him, but Ning Sihua, Mu Xi, and Lan Suo blocked their path.

Especially Lan Suo. She was the greatest threat to the monks. She wasn’t just covered from head to toe in spiritual treasures; she flung her talismans around as if they were worthless.

In the blink of an eye, she obliterated three Xiantian Martial Ancestors, and left numerous other monks injured.

Mu Xi and Ning Sihua naturally wouldn’t let an opportunity like this slip through their fingers. One hefted his golden spear, while the other swung her Waning Blueflame Moon Halberd. Both attacked, their power on full display.

They were just three people, but although the monks outnumbered them, they couldn’t overpower them so easily. On the contrary, the smaller group slew and thwarted them at every turn.

Rumble~!

The hall boomed and shook nonstop. The lights of various treasures ran rampant, and energy currents swept outward.

Meanwhile, as their chaotic battle raged on, Su Yi had already reached the far end of the hall. His eyes instantly locked onto the young monk, Sutra Crane.

“With your power, I’m afraid you’ll find it difficult to subdue a drop of true dragon blood.” Su Yi could tell at a glance that the elder of Shanglin Temple’s Taming Dragon Hall’s cultivation was at the very pinnacle of the Xiantian Martial Ancestor Realm.

But as he fought the “dragon”?formed?of blood essence, he was obviously struggling to seize any advantage.

Sutra Crane only sighed. “Benefactor, it’s bad enough that you refused to heed our advice, but you even forced your way in and killed my fellows? You’ve taken this too far!?Fine. Today, I will break my vow against killing and take your wicked life in the name of the Buddha!”

His voice still echoing through the air, the young, handsome monk’s aura suddenly changed. His entire body surged with terrifying golden Buddhist flames.

A sound like the low rumble of thunder arose within his body, as if his entire skeleton were rattling. Muscles expanded on his thin frame, and he was suddenly tall and fierce.

His breath boomed like thunder, and his eyes shone like twin suns. That forceful, mighty body blazed with golden flames; he looked like a glaring temple guardian, a figure straight out of Buddhist legend.

.

Boom!

A terrifying wave of force swept forth like a tsunami, covering the entire hall.

The young monk’s appearance and aura had changed so much, he seemed like an entirely different person. It seemed he’d transcended the ranks of mortal martial artists, ascending to the heavens in a single step.

“The Earthly Immortal Realm!” Mu Xi’s startled cry rang out from afar.

Ning Sihua and Lan Suo were visibly stunned too. They wouldn’t have guessed that the young monk, Sutra Crane, would break through now of all times!

Blood Circulation, Qi Accumulation, Inner Furnace, and Anāsrava. These four realms, combined, were called the Martial Dao. All were considered without the bounds of mortality.

By crossing the threshold of the Origin Dao, a martial artist transcended mortality. Their voice could create thunder, and they could subsist on nothing but wind and dew, abstaining from grain and other foods.

This was why, upon reaching this level, a martial artist was called an Earthly Immortal.

In other words, the line between the Anāsrava Realm and the Origin Dao divided mortal martial artists from true cultivators! Just one step, and the power at their disposal changed completely!

The white-eyebrowed monk let out a long sigh, his expression conflicted.

He was well aware that Sutra Crane had long since possessed accumulations sufficient to enter the Origin Dao, but he’d forcefully suppressed his cultivation; he was hoping to realize a natural breakthrough.

Yet now, Sutra Crane had forced his way through his bottleneck. Although he’d successfully entered the Origin Dao, this would inevitably affect his foundations.

“A forced breakthrough?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed, “And here I was just worrying about how I’d yet to find any opponent worth fighting. Now, I can use you to test my skills.”

Ning Sihua, Mu Xi, and Lan Suo were speechless. “.....”

The other monks, meanwhile, were baffled. “?????”

Even Sutra Crane, who had only just broken through and become an Earthly Immortal, was a bit stunned.

A moment later, he smiled faintly. “Benefactor, your courage is extraordinary indeed. I just don’t know if you can maintain your delight even in the face of imminent destruction.”

As he spoke, his palm chopped the air.

Boom!

Golden Buddhist flames ran rampant. A radiant golden palm streaked through the air, flowing with imposing spiritual origin as it swept toward Su Yi.

Upon stepping into the Origin Dao, one’s true essence became “spiritual origin.” With this, one could manipulate the power of heaven and earth to slay their foes.

Examples of this included manipulating the elements and controlling flying swords.

Sutra Crane had only just barely broken through, but his cultivation had obviously changed completely. This single palm put the power of an Earthly Immortal on full display.

Su Yi made no attempt to dodge. He just swung his sword vertically.

Clang!!

The sword qi and palm clashed, producing a heaven-shaking impact.

Immediately afterward, Su Yi staggered several steps back, unsteady on his feet, his energy churning and chaotic.

Everyone present—both friend and foe—were shaken. They couldn’t help but gasp.

That was the attack of an Earthly Immortal! How could a young second-level Grandmaster possibly counter it!?

Admittedly, Su yi had been forced several steps back.

But they feared that in his shoes, just about any Xiantian Martial Ancestor would have fallen already!

Sutra Crane’s eyelids twitched, and his gaze focused. “How could a monster like you exist in this world?”

Su Yi said flatly, “In this world, there are many things you aren’t aware of.”

As he said this, he carried his sword and strode forth, his sleeves billowing as his entire cultivation circulated through him. Without the slightest hesitation, he put the profundities of the Rejoicing Sword Sutra on full display.

He called upon his full strength, no longer holding anything back.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Streaks of profound and inscrutable sword qi swept forth, free and unrestrained. Without exception, they carried the subtle and unfathomable charm of the Dao. When executed through a divine weapon like the Abstruse God Sword, their power was shocking.

“Hmph! If I don’t dispose of an evildoer like you now, you’ll surely bring disaster to the populace one day!” Sutra Crane bellowed, then waved his sharp, snow-white monk’s saber, filling the air with dazzlingly white, imposing saber qi.

A grand battle broke out.

Booms echoed throughout the hall. Everything was in chaos.

Streaks of sword and saber qi clashed, producing currents of destructive energy, like tidal waves sweeping across the ocean.

Force on this level could easily kill a Xiantian Martial Ancestor!

But to Sutra Crane’s bewilderment, even with his power post-breakthrough, he obtained no advantage in their fierce and violent clash.

Although he launched a rapid-fire series of fatal attacks, forcing Su Yi back, Su Yi always dodged right in the nick of time, avoiding death by a hair.

This was simply unbelievable!

It was almost impossible to believe that a second-level Grandmaster could wield such power!