Chapter 551: A Calamity That Destroys Cities! The Great Divine Power of the Kasaya! Commanding Wind and Rain! Gu Insect Grand Formation! Earth-Yin Demon Insects!

Just then, Xu Tiannan, Master Baoshu, Celestial Master Zhao, and Wuse all unleashed their divine powers and rose into the sky.

“So many gu insects... if they fall into Mianzhou City, the citizens will be devoured in an instant!” Xu Tiannan’s face darkened as he spoke in a low voice.

“Amitābha. When things defy reason, there must be something sinister at work. Protect Mianzhou City first!” Master Baoshu removed the kasaya from his body and cast it into the air, chanting the Six-Character Mantra.

In an instant, brilliant Buddhist light erupted from the kasaya, enveloping the entire Mianzhou City.

“Master Baoshu... what astonishing divine powers!” Celestial Master Zhao exclaimed.

“Act quickly. I won’t be able to hold on for long,” Master Baoshu said, his expression tinged with pain.

Celestial Master Zhao’s lips twitched at his words. So the old monk was forcing himself?!

Even so, being able to cover the entire Mianzhou City with a kasaya in an instant was no small feat.

“Wind, arise!” Celestial Master Zhao formed a hand seal, drew out a peachwood sword, and pointed it toward the heavens.

He was wielding the art of commanding wind and rain. Several massive tornadoes descended from the heavens, charging straight toward the swarm of gu insect. Within the tornadoes roared razor-sharp gale force winds, capable of shredding anything in an instant. The gu insects were no exception.

However, Gold-Devouring Insects fed on metal, their bellies seemingly containing endless space; no matter how much they ate, they could swallow it all. This had forged their bodies into something incomparably hard.

Although Celestial Master Zhao’s gale winds were earth-shaking, the actual damage they inflicted was not great. The main issue was simply that the number of gu insects was far too vast.

Xu Tiannan, dressed in his crimson official robe, withdrew a

hu

scepter [1]from his sleeve. It was an object officials often carried in hand.

“Decree of Bestowal!”

As Xu Tiannan’s voice fell, a terrifying wave of mental force burst forth from his body. Like countless sharp swords, it shot straight toward the nests of the Gold-Devouring Insects.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With that, the insects exploded one after another. Yet even so, they forced their way through Xu Tiannan’s mental assault, surging forward relentlessly and slamming into the kasaya.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Master Baoshu’s face twisted in pain, yet the old monk still maintained the bearing of an enlightened master, regaining composure in an instant.

“This isn’t right. These gu insects have formed a formation, allowing them to negate much of the damage. There is a master of insect control manipulating them from the shadows!” Celestial Master Zhao said gravely.

Wuse pressed his palms together, and a massive golden Buddhist palm descended from the heavens, smashing into the sea of insects.

In an instant, countless Gold-Devouring Insects were pulverized. But immediately afterward, the remaining insects dispersed like rippling water, then regrouped once more.

This sight caused all three Yang Spirit experts to grow solemn.

“To cultivate the art of insect control to this level, this must be a Yang Spirit cultivator,” Celestial Master Zhao said.

“Who’s hiding in the shadows? Why not come out and face me openly and honorably in battle?” Xu Tiannan’s voice boomed like thunder.

“Honorably? You slaughtered my disciple. Today, I shall use the blood sacrifice of a hundred thousand citizens of Mianzhou City to console my disciple’s spirit in the heavens!”

A vague voice echoed from the horizon, yet it rang clearly in the ears of every person in Mianzhou City.

At this time, Xu Tiannan and the others felt that terrifying aura as well, and they were dumbfounded. Although the enemy had not appeared, the power he revealed was unmistakably far beyond the rudimentary third realm. That aura alone was enough to chill the soul.

“intermediate third realm?” A shiver ran through Xu Tiannan’s heart.

He would never believe that this had nothing to do with Prince Qing’s Mansion, even if beaten to death. Otherwise, where could such an old demon have come from?

Buzz buzz buzz!

The Gold-Devouring Insects continued their relentless assault on the kasaya, causing Master Baoshu’s expression to grow increasingly grim.

Ordinary Gold-Devouring Insects, even gathered in such numbers, should never have been able to contend with a third realm primordial spirit, let alone with four Yang Spirit experts present.

Yet the flight patterns of these insects contained a powerful formation. Not only did it block damage, it also weakened their magical power to a certain extent, suppressing the four great Yang Spirit experts.

Of course, even if the enemy was in the intermediate third realm, if the four Yang Spirit experts joined forces, he would still only meet a bitter end.

But this method of fighting was simply too despicable; the enemy never showed himself, merely directing the insects to attack.

These insects could never kill four Yang Spirit experts. But the enemy’s real target had never been them in the first place, it was the civilians of Mianzhou City. If the insects entered the city, Mianzhou would surely turn into a living hell!

Boom!

Suddenly, divine flames erupted across the sky, and countless fire crows burst forth. Ferocious fire dragons and blazing arrows of flame poured down like rain. Immediately, razor-sharp sword lights slashed into the Gold-Devouring Insects like cannon fire.

In a single instant, Li Yanchu deployed his pseudo-mythical artifacts. Fire attacks and lightning techniques were extremely effective against gu insects, so it was a perfect counter.

The effect of the fire crows filling the sky was explosively devastating. He had unleashed the Ten Thousand Crows Urn! This pseudo-mythical artifact might not rival the Five-Dragon Wheel or the Heaven-Illuminating Seal in direct duels, but against large-scale swarms of gu insects, the Ten Thousand Crows Urn’s effectiveness was beyond comparison.

Each fire crow was stronger than a gu insect. Thus, at the moment of contact, they completely suppressed the bizarre swarm.

The gu insects suddenly formed a strange formation among themselves, attempting to neutralize the divine flames.

Clang!

A blade-light flashed across the heavens, cleaving the swarm cleanly in two. At the same time, even the clouds in the sky were split apart. With that single strike, Li Yanchu severed not only hundreds of gu insects, but also the strange interconnected formation binding them together.

The Jiaoslayer was a hundred-thousand-merit-points treasure. Its mysterious resonance rippled out the instant it struck the insects, directly shattering the formation.

Just like that, the formation was broken!

Xu Tiannan froze for a moment. The four Yang Spirit experts immediately joined forces, annihilating the remaining gu insects. Only then did Master Baoshu withdraw his kasaya.

“This was merely a warning. Within three days, I shall turn the entire Donglin Prefecture into a realm of ghosts!” The voice in the sky carried an aura of destruction and madness.

At this time, Xu Tiannan’s brows knit tightly. Such great demonic figures were truly a headache; once they descended into the mortal world, they spoke lightly of blood sacrifices, slaughtering tens of thousands and wiping out cities.

At this time, a flash of spiritual light passed through Celestial Master Zhao’s eyes. Just now, he had activated Mount Longhu’s heavenly divination techniques. Not everyone was like Prince Qing’s heir, capable of shielding themselves from the divinations of a third realm Yang Spirit Celestial Master.

“Mount Jiuchong, Jiuxuan Cave, Golden Feather!” Celestial Master Zhao said in a low voice.

The opponent had made such a tremendous commotion. Through heavenly divination, Zhao had already pinpointed his location.

“Good! We go to Mount Jiuchong at once and behead this demonic fiend, lest he continue to poison the mortal world!” Xu Tiannan’s eyes blazed with fury.

Li Yanchu used the Cloud-Riding Immortal Art, rising into the sky as he removed the Golden Radiance Crown and revealed his form.

At this time, the four great Yang Spirit experts, along with Li Yanchu, sped toward Mount Jiuchong. This scene directly stunned the citizens of Mianzhou City; such transcendent divine powers struck them with overwhelming impact, especially Wei Wenzhong, the head of the Wei family. Watching Li Yanchu and the four Yang Spirit experts disappear into the distance, his heart raced with excitement.

“What a solid pillar of strength!” Wei Wenzhong was elated.

1. A hu (Chinese: 笏) is a flat scepter originating from China, where they were originally used as narrow tablets for recording notes and orders. They were historically used by officials throughout East Asia, including Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, and Vietnam. They are known as shaku in Japan, and are worn as part of the sokutai ceremonial outfit. They continue to be used in Daoist and Shinto ritual contexts in some parts of East Asia. ☜