Chapter 1347: Chilu (II)

Bang!

Li Ximing took the blow and transformed into light as he withdrew. The three were suppressed by the divine ability and naturally could not give chase. They could only watch helplessly as he returned to the pass.

The hammer wielding Merciful One was charred black all over. A massive wound had been blasted into his chest, nearly tearing him in two. Most of his momentum was gone, and golden lacquer fluid kept spraying from his mouth as he coughed, "What a vicious fire art!"

In their eyes, Li Ximing's palm strike had come without warning. He must have secretly chanted and concealed the fluctuations of True Fire with divine ability, accumulating energy bit by bit. It had indeed been vicious.

Li Ximing retreated back to the pass and exhaled a breath of Bright Yang light. Between the protection of the Mountain Charging Profound Veil and the opponent's hurried strike, he only felt some internal turbulence and nodded inwardly,

A monk's body is indeed tough. Fortunately, it is also cumbersome.

This palm strike had little divine ability at its core. It relied almost entirely on True Fire and talisman qi. It would never have landed against the likes of Changxiao or Yehui once divine abilities were added. However, against the Merciful Ones, it was far easier to succeed.

The three below had long since grown terrified. If this continued, the two would sooner or later be slowly worn to death by Li Ximing. Pingling had no choice but to transmit urgently, "This man is sinister and worthy of the name of Wei's Li. Every art he cultivates from start to finish is clearly aimed at Buddhist cultivators. He is truly an enemy of our Dao. His strength cannot be underestimated. We cannot delay any longer."

The two behind him nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing. Only then did they think of the situation within the formation with lingering fear.

Boundless Water-Fire is far too terrifying. It cuts off the great void. Those inside not only cannot sense the outside world, they are also constrained. It is better to come out and face the enemy, relying only on the Buddhist land to answer our plea.

The three of them had actually felt relieved when they were sent out. Inside, that woman had stood upon a purple pavilion, holding a clay pot. The Boundless Water-Fire she spewed could rightly be called the bane of the Merciful Ones. Others merely cut off the great void. That fire erased the great void entirely. Touch it even a little and the great void would be severed wherever one fled. If one were gravely injured, even death would not return them to the Buddhist land.

A single Boundless Water-Fire was troublesome enough. More frightening still was the Upper-Minister Vessel passed down by the Purple Smoke Gate. Empowered by Boundless Water-Fire, the flames it spewed had nearly flooded the grand formation. If not for Maha Zhelu personally guarding it, no one knew how chaotic it would have become inside.

They were the weakest of the group, so they were driven out and spared from facing those terrifying flames. Yet with Li Ximing suppressing them like this, given enough time, even their dharma bodies would likely be ground down until all their efforts were wasted.

At this moment, the eight-armed dharma wheel in midair finally lit up, and a monk with crimson skin and jade green eyes flew out. He rode a short haired tiger whose fur burned like flames, imposing and awe inspiring. Traces of liberation were still lingering in his eyes, though his complexion was slightly ashen.

When his gaze swept across the radiant pass between heaven and earth, he froze for an instant, then exclaimed in delight, "Remnants of Wei's Li!"

He strode through the air and grabbed the air with one hand, dragging out a crimson pagoda. His eyes flared with fury as the pagoda immediately shot forth light, and the red-faced Merciful One shouted, "You still dare to be so arrogant!"

Li Ximing felt a surge of danger and immediately knew this was no ordinary foe. He snapped his head around as heavenly light surged forth from between his brows. A loud explosion rang out in midair as smoke scattered. The red-faced Merciful One was already upon him with his tiger, iron like palms slamming down toward his face.

The Mountain Charging Profound Veil flashed into being in an instant, but shattered under that palm strike. The fierce tiger beneath the Merciful One roared violently, and resounding Sanskrit chants filled Li Ximing's ears, causing his mana to stagnate and forcing him to retreat.

Unexpectedly, this man's dharma body was formidable. He did not pause at all as crimson light flared in his eyes and he opened his mouth twice, spewing red flames that poured down like rain.

Although Stable Earth Spirit Containment could not ward off fire, Li Ximing's Heaven-Venerating Gate strengthened his dharma body and greatly enhanced resistance to flames. Standing atop the Heaven-Venerating Gate and sheltered by heavenly light, he endured the blast of fire with only a sharp pain in his chest and no serious injury. Yet the flames clung to his chest, so he immediately brought two fingers together and released the Profound Fire of the Three Phases' Guard.

Though the red-faced Merciful One attacked fiercely and was clearly far stronger than the three below, he knew that dealing with an early Purple Mansion Realm cultivator was still taxing. Thus he remained highly vigilant, retreating a step when scorched and blocking with his pagoda.

This pagoda was forged from Geng Metal. Fire refines metal, but is restrained by True Fire. Fortunately, among the three metals, Geng Metal feared fire the least. Chilu was also adept with flames, allowing him to suppress the fire for the moment.

Once the Profound Fire of the Three Phases' Guard withdrew, the flames beneath the Heavenly Gate finally ceased and the structure began to tremble slightly. Li Ximing sighed inwardly and used his divine ability to wipe away the flames on his chest. As the red-faced Merciful One's pagoda pressed down, the Heaven-Venerating Gate finally rose from the ground. He fell into its center and used the power of his divine ability to protect himself.

The three finally broke free after being scorched by True Fire for so long. The treasure artifacts wielded by the sword bearer and hammer bearer had been slightly warped by the heat. The three rode the wind upward and said respectfully, "Many thanks to Lord Chilu!"

"No matter!"

The red-faced Merciful One's attention was solely on Li Ximing, leaving no room to speak further with the others. His eyes glimmered faintly as he shielded the three from the descending heavenly light. The pagoda returned to block Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light, while his heart surged with intent,

It would be best to scheme and kill this man!

Li Ximing stood unmoving, restraining the spirit artifact hidden in his sleeve. If this great battle had concerned Li Ximing's own interests, he would certainly have continued to pin the three down without letting go and endured Chilu’s assault long enough to cripple the two weaker Merciful Ones beyond further combat. That would have been the best way to defeat all four.

However, this battle was someone else's affair. If he fought so fiercely and allowed Chilu to close in, Li Ximing would surely be injured. Whether that pill could restore him was another matter. After so many years of hardship, he knew how much effort a single injury required to recover and truly did not wish to waste more time.

Moreover, the opponents could not use formations to besiege him, and the Surging Yang Star Command Treasure Disk had the ability to break free of any restrictions. There was no need to fight these four to the death. He simply stood quietly as he thought,

Each of these Merciful Ones grows greedy upon seeing me, and none of them will let me go easily.

Sure enough, Chilu had already formed seals and begun casting, with the three guarding him. Li Ximing's gaze darkened as it fell once more upon the hammer wielding Merciful One, whose body was already badly ruined.

I'll send this fool off first!