Chapter 1046: Borrowing the Incense Offerings of the Buddhist Kingdom for Use

The faith of incense forcefully congealed the embryonic form of a Dao Fruit, which was exactly how that shameless Immortal’s embryonic Dao Fruit had taken shape.

"An embryonic form of the River of Time Dao Fruit that is nearing perfection? Doesn't that mean he can already sense the suppression of the actual Dao Fruit?"

Lu Yang recalled something, reaching into his robes to pull out three Immortal-Seeking Tokens he had plundered from the Qi cultivators.

There had originally been four, but since Immortal Ying Tian had already been found, there was no need to carry that one around.

The tokens were exceedingly peculiar; even when Immortal Ying Tian hid within the pocket realm of the ancient ring and Hui Doudou could perceive nothing, Lord Yougui, holding the token, could still discern the Immortal's precise location.

"Could these tokens have been forged using an embryonic Dao Fruit that is nearly complete?"

With the might of the Great Qi Dynasty, they were entirely capable of forcefully congealing four embryonic Dao Fruits. By exploiting the cosmic law of 'the complete Dao Fruit suppressing its embryonic form,' they could reverse-engineer a way to locate the four ancient Immortals.

"If that is the case, then the wielder of the River of Time Dao Fruit..." Having deduced the method behind the tokens' creation, Lu Yang's thoughts swiftly drifted to another conundrum.

"Heavenly Venerable, can you not take action?" Xinding’s frantic cry shattered Lu Yang’s train of thought. His voice was laced with anxiety, deeply worried for Master Mingyu’s safety.

A battle between Half-Immortals was something Xinding could not hope to interfere with. His sole reliance was this mysterious, unfathomable Tofu Heavenly Venerable who had been aiding him all along.

Though the Tofu Heavenly Venerable had once warned that should he ever strike, the entirety of the Western Heaven Temple would be reduced to rubble.

But the dilemma now was that even if the Tofu Heavenly Venerable remained idle, the temple was already on the verge of ruin!

...

In the eyes of Lord Sichen, the future lay bare and clearly visible. Master Mingyu’s assaults were formidable indeed, but if they failed to land, it was all sound and fury signifying nothing.

"And even if you can strike me, what of it?"

Lord Sichen braced himself to receive a blow. Shifting the Sky-Cleaving Axe before his chest, he used the broad face of the blade to precisely deflect the Wisdom Sword of the Immovable Wisdom King. Lord Sichen merely recoiled a few paces, feeling a passing numbness in his hands, completely devoid of any actual harm.

His greatest vulnerability had always been a lack of effective offensive and defensive measures, a flaw now thoroughly mended by the presence of the Sky-Cleaving Axe. He could now be considered whole in his cultivation, entirely flawless.

Even if he could not discern the exact nature of Mingyu’s embryonic Dao Fruit, what did it matter? The monk's methods simply could not shake him.

"Though it is rather bothersome, how he keeps obstructing me." Master Mingyu was no easy opponent. Several times Lord Sichen had attempted to flee the Western Heaven Temple with the axe, only to be cut off by the master.

Even with his foresight into the future, evading Master Mingyu's net-like barrage of attacks proved a grueling task.

"If you refuse to let me flee, then do not regret the consequences!"

Lord Sichen pivoted his assault, lunging directly toward the monks and citizens of Western Heaven City who had yet to escape, spewing forth a torrent of emerald venomous mist.

"The Five Venom Scripture!"

Should a cultivator of the Soul Transformation stage inhale even a single breath of it, they would dissolve into a pool of pus within moments, to say nothing of those beneath that realm.

Witnessing this, Master Mingyu’s eyes flared with righteous fury. His speed surged to another tier as he threw himself directly ahead of Lord Sichen, manifesting his dharma idol to block the toxic haze.

"How can he be so fast?!" Lord Sichen had not anticipated that Master Mingyu would seem a man transformed, his speed and strength multiplying exponentially as the dharma idol of the Immovable Wisdom King grew increasingly solid.

In Buddhist lore, the Immovable Wisdom King was a guardian deity tasked with protecting the faithful. Reflected in his embryonic Dao Fruit, this meant that the more lives he shielded, the mightier his strength became.

"The Buddha's Light Illuminates All!"

The dharma idol unleashed a radiant Buddhist aura resembling a scorching sun, causing the venomous mist to sizzle and evaporate beneath its brilliance.

The Immovable Wisdom King also bore legends of healing pestilence, a deity to whom believers prayed for health and deliverance.

"Not good!" Caught off guard, Lord Sichen was ensnared by the divine light, finding himself pinned to the spot, unable to stir.

"The Bodhi Sovereign Heaven!"

The dharma idol glared with wrathful eyes, hoisting high the demon-subduing vajra pestle, which was instantly wreathed in golden Buddhist flames.

With this single strike, Lord Sichen would surely perish!

"Worldly Time, Decelerate!"

"Personal Time, Accelerate!"

Lord Sichen invoked two abilities of his River of Time embryonic Dao Fruit in rapid succession, propelling his own speed to the absolute limit until the world appeared frozen in his eyes.

"The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Skin!"

Executing a fleeing technique, he left behind a mere empty shell, his true form seizing the fleeting instant to break free from the shackles of the divine light.

Boom!

Master Mingyu’s gathered strike fell upon nothingness, shattering naught but a hollow husk.

"Junior, you court death!" Lord Sichen would play no longer. Had his reactions been a fraction slower, he would have fallen right here in the Western Heaven Temple.

"Taste the true might of the Sky-Cleaving Axe!"

Lord Sichen swung the axe against the dharma idol, carving a gaping maw directly into its chest!

And this was merely a fraction of the weapon's true potential!

The two entangled in bitter combat once more. Though Master Mingyu grew stronger under the blessing of 'protection,' he remained utterly incapable of inflicting any substantive damage upon Lord Sichen.

"Is Senior Brother truly about to lose?" Master Mingtian murmured, filled with profound dread, astonished that the peerless Master Mingyu was being systematically suppressed.

"That is an embryonic Dao Fruit related to Time itself," Master Minghuai sighed. Karma and Time were ever the most vexing of arts, a truth that held firm even at the stage of an embryonic Dao Fruit. No one desired to exchange blows with a Half-Immortal who commanded the laws of time.

"Furthermore, the greatest flaw in Senior Brother's embryonic Dao Fruit is its lack of specialization. A balanced mastery across all fields means a vulnerability across all fields. Facing a temporal Dao Fruit, it is nigh impossible to gain the upper hand."

Rumble!

After hundreds of exchanges, the Immovable Wisdom King dharma idol was hurled backward like a tattered kite by a blow from the axe, demolishing countless structures of the Western Heaven Temple before skidding into the chaotic forbidden zone.

Having endured such high-intensity warfare, the chaotic mists of the forbidden zone had mostly dissipated. Master Mingyu clutched his chest; though the legends spoke of the Wisdom King's healing, it could not withstand Lord Sichen's relentless, unceasing onslaught.

Lord Sichen was in high spirits, feeling in this moment like an omnipotent Immortal who could dispose of mortal lives at a whim. "Perfect. I shall trample this so-called chaotic forbidden zone and the Western Heaven Secret Realm into dust!"

Catching sight of Xinzhen and Xinding hiding within a crater, a cruel smile curled upon his lips. "I might as well finish you off together."

Lord Sichen swung the Sky-Cleaving Axe in a grand arc, faintly resurrecting the primordial force that had once split the heavens, causing the very world to tremble!

"Heaven-Cleaving Strike!"

"Senior Brother!" Minghuai and Mingtian bellowed at the sight, wishing they could teleport across the distance to shield him from the blow, but they were too far away to intervene.

Clang!

Defying all expectations, an object wrapped in tattered cloth shot forward, colliding with the Sky-Cleaving Axe and miraculously halting the strike!

The cloth dissolved into ash amid the impact, revealing a peerless immortal sword.

"Who goes there!"

A figure donning a tofu mask flew down beside the Azure Peak Sword, gazing at Lord Sichen with a faint smile. "Heh, young man, this seat shares some old acquaintance with Immortal Ying Tian. If you surrender now and return the Sky-Cleaving Axe, I may yet spare your life."

"A mere Soul Transformation cultivator dares utter such arrogant boasts? You truly do not know how the word 'death' is written!" Lord Sichen froze for a moment, only realizing he had been bluffed once he discerned Lu Yang’s actual cultivation level.

"It seems you decline." The masked man sighed, disappointed by the response. "This seat is beset by the shackles of karma and finds it inconvenient to strike. Why must you force my hand?"

The man lifted his gaze, his eyes calm beneath the mask as he spoke softly:

"Since it must be so, I shall borrow the incense faith of this Buddhist nation."

"Herewith, I make a grand vow to resurrect the World-Honored One."