Chapter 415: Qinghe Continuous Mountains, Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 415: Clear River and Linked Mountains, Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains

Xuanwu wielded a sword.

But the "Bodhisattva" never imagined she would draw a Azure Dragon sword.

The lotus throne she coiled upon was also life force, but that was meant to sustain human vitality; the Azure Dragon sword was for facing enemies...

If among the Four Symbols there was anything most capable of countering her current form, the Azure Dragon ranked second, while the Vermilion Bird was truly first.

One embodied life, the other death.

Yet the Vermilion Bird had not yet attained the death-lord essence inherent in her constellation; she was still wrestling with the common understanding of flame, otherwise the Maitreya over there would have been instantly slain.

But here, Xuanwu had drawn the personal divine sword of the ancient Azure Dragon! The surging life force, upon the slightest contact, pressed her so hard she could barely muster strength.

Fortunately, the lotus throne's vitality offset much of it, or she would have lost without even fighting.

"Bang!" The demon hand struck the sword blade; the "Bodhisattva" let out a shriek, and San Niang also grunted, stumbling backward.

Every coin has two sides—the Bodhisattva's current state was severely countered by everyone, but at least the fragility of her former Bright Consort form was gone. This strike carried immense power, true corpse-demon strength.

This was precisely why she had entered this state; if not for the counter, the fight would have been far harder.

"Buzz!" A psychic blast erupted in everyone's minds simultaneously, each person letting out a muffled groan. Others fared slightly better, but the weaker ones—including Zhao Changhe and Fa Chi—had blood seeping from their seven orifices.

Zhao Changhe had come to block these "guardians," but the weaker guardians beside him didn't even need his intervention; they were all stunned into soul-scattering, leaving only dried corpses controlled by the gu worms.

The next moment, coins flew everywhere. Ying Wu freed his hand and wiped them out in one move: "Leave this place."

No need for his command; Zhao Changhe and Fa Chi, both somewhat speechless, tacitly fought their way back toward the exit of the secret realm.

Fight your mother—this was no place for the Human Roll.

Before leaving, Zhao Changhe glanced back. The battle there had already shifted to a different template.

Ying Wu no longer approached the corpse demon; he simply threw money—coins flying everywhere, golden light blazing, reminding Zhao Changhe of the "Golden Coins Strike." He wondered what it felt like for the corpse demon facing that move.

San Niang closed her eyes, guarding herself, while the ancient dragon sword flew on its own, slashing wildly at the corpse demon.

A monk and a Taoist formed a formation, chanting sutras, constantly weakening the corpse-demon aura.

There was even a Golden Bell Shield, defending everyone against the corpse demon's area attacks.

The corpse demon fumed and roared: "You call yourselves first-rate of this age, yet you fight so shamelessly! If you have guts, face me head-on!"

The group remained silent. How did they become first-rate? By surviving to be first-rate.

The corpse demon was invulnerable to weapons and immensely strong; the worst part was that it felt no pain when struck. But they were living humans, not corpses—a single scratch could drastically reduce their combat power. Who would engage it head-on?

Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingshi exchanged glances, both sighing inwardly. Their own sword spirits were lacking—how had a demonic cult woman and a gangster stolen the spotlight? Did only they possess treasures?

But it didn't matter. The sword spirits had recovered a little, and though individually weak, together they could at least do something useful.

The Clear River Sword and the Linked Mountain Sword rose simultaneously—targeting the lotus throne.

Why had the corpse demon been squatting in the secret realm all along? Because it was only a remnant soul without a body, and its remnant soul's power hadn't reached the indestructible level of certain other beings. Once deprived of the lotus throne's protection, the remnant soul might itself dissipate.

Even the ancient Four Symbols, clearly more powerful than this corpse demon, had perished back then. How could it survive?

Thus, severing the connection between the lotus throne and the corpse demon was the true key to this battle. Otherwise, the corpse demon would be undying, and all fighting would be in vain.

The two swords combined—purple qi and yellow light intertwined, charging straight at the lotus throne.

The corpse demon didn't block. With a "clang," the two swords struck the lotus throne but failed to damage it in the slightest.

The corpse demon laughed: "Fools! Can you possibly understand ancient wonders?"

Its laughter suddenly caught in its throat. In the midst of its frantic movements, it batted away the ancient dragon sword, dodged the Golden Coins Strike, and stared down in horror at the lotus throne beneath it.

What was happening?

It could feel the life-force transmission being cut off... yet the lotus throne was unharmed!

How could this be?

They weren't attacking the lotus throne itself!

The Clear River Sword—ten thousand miles of rivers. The Linked Mountain Sword—the world's mountain ranges.

Together, what did they represent?

The rivers and mountains of the human world!

Symbols of the earthly pulse! Thus, the families rooted in the human world, enduring for millennia without end.

What they were shaking was the transfer of the earth's veins, severing the connection between the lotus throne and the corpse demon!

If this continued, without needing them to fight, the corpse demon might gradually wither away—at the very least, it could no longer maintain this corpse-demon body. The Maitreya body it had reserved for itself had been diverted and was still unavailable...

The corpse demon was so furious it didn't know where to vent. These people were not only highly cultivated but also wielded treasures one more formidable than the last, all capable of countering it.

Even if the Golden Horde's Khan Temujin or the Divine Flame Sect's Li Shentong had come—both stronger than this group—the corpse demon wouldn't have felt so miserable. Those were at least straightforward brutes. How had it run into this motley crew of bizarre tricks? What rotten luck!

In the midst of its frantic movements, the corpse demon extended its divine sense outward and felt a stir.

Maitreya was struggling forward along the path of flames, already at the foot of Mount Kuaiji.

If it were too far, abandoning this body and sending its remnant soul out might be intercepted by these demon-subduing bastards. But if Maitreya came a little closer, they surely wouldn't have time to stop it.

As long as it successfully entered Maitreya's body, this group's absolute power would be no match for it...

Just one step away.

Zhao Changhe and Fa Chi fought their way out of the secret realm, immediately spotting Maitreya struggling forward through the twin heavens of flames and sword qi.

In fact, Fa Chi's mental state was better than Maitreya's. He hadn't had his spiritual platform burned by the Vermilion Bird; the gu worm had merged quite perfectly with his mind. He didn't even know he was infested, thinking normally.

Zhao Changhe finally spoke: "Seeing such things, and the monster that 'Bodhisattva' turned into inside, do you still believe they are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Still have faith?"

Fa Chi said, "Only the ignorant masses of the mortal world are deceived by appearances. The Bodhisattva is immortal and eternal—if not divine, then what?"

Zhao Changhe: "Go to hell."

It was his own mistake to try reasoning with these idiots.

Anxiety gnawed at him. Though he no longer knew the battle situation inside the secret realm, he could still deduce that Maitreya's body was prepared by the "Bodhisattva" for herself, not relying on that Bright Consort form.

Maitreya's cultivation was far beyond ordinary. Once the ancient remnant soul merged with Maitreya's body, the boss's third phase—even if they could defeat it—would likely cost lives.

He had to stop it!

He couldn't intervene in the battle inside, but he might still be able to handle Maitreya here... Judging by Maitreya's state, both he and Wan Zhuang's Vermilion Bird were pushed to the brink—one more straw could break the camel's back. Both sides were like that.

Where was that straw?

He and Fa Chi.

The outcome of two Human Roll fighters could affect the Maitreya battle; whether Maitreya reached the secret realm could affect the corpse-demon battle.

But Fa Chi was beyond persuasion—only a fight remained.

He hadn't been idle earlier; he had been fighting Fa Chi for a long time, and it was truly tough.

Fa Chi ranked thirty-eighth on the Human Roll—already a difficult opponent in a fair fight. With his "blessing," his strength was greater, his defense stronger. After all this time, Zhao Changhe hadn't gained the slightest upper hand.

But now, he not only had to win—he had to win quickly! He couldn't allow Maitreya to get any closer!

Zhao Changhe's eyes turned blood-red.

Heaven and earth, I am no more!