Chapter 2023: A Heaven-Shaking Strike

These Buddha images were originally only faintly visible, but after a short while they blazed with golden light, transforming into solid statues.

Each one radiated golden light, as if forged from pure red gold.

"A Dharma Aspect Golden Body! No, just a simplified imitation." The blood-robed youth was first stunned, but after carefully scanning the eighteen Buddha statues with his spiritual sense, he coldly snorted in disdain.

"Even if it's only a simplified Golden Body, eighteen of them are enough to subdue demons and eliminate evil." The old monk said calmly, suddenly pinching a seal with both hands, and a seven-colored halo several zhang in size appeared behind his head.

When the eighteen golden Buddha images were swept by this seven-colored halo, their eyes opened wide in unison, and they actually raised their hands and stretched their legs, coming to life.

Seeing this, the blood-light incarnation's face darkened, and without a word, he reached one hand toward the back of his head.

A piercing sharp cry rang out, and a huge blood-red skull eerily appeared.

This object was five or six zhang in size, its entire skeleton crystalline and bright red, with countless strands of gray-white qi swirling around it. Upon appearing, it spewed blood-light and let out frenzied roars, a murderous aura shooting straight into the sky.

The silver-haired old man said nothing, first swinging his seven-colored feather fan fiercely toward the distance, then shaking his wrist to hurl the five gleaming silver concentric rings outward.

The seven-colored feather fan was precisely the spirit treasure Han Li had once imitation-crafted in the human realm—the Seven Flame Fan.

That imitation spirit treasure had helped him slay countless powerful foes back then; now, with the genuine article unleashing its divine power, its might was naturally unstoppable.

Only then did the fan's surface emit a booming sound, countless crimson symbols surging forth, and a crimson firebird burst out—initially only about a chi in size, but after a few flashes, it grew to ten zhang tall.

The firebird's wings merely flicked lightly, and its feathers instantly radiated seven-colored flames, scorching heat instantly filling the entire sky, as seven-colored halos rolled toward the blood-light incarnation.

As for the five silver rings, the moment they were thrown, they transformed into five colossal rings aligned in a row, appearing in midair like five silver moons, emitting a strange humming sound as they descended downward.

Jin Chan Zen Master's speed of action was no slower than the silver-haired old man's; as he chanted silently, the eighteen golden Buddha images surrounding him flickered and vanished strangely.

The next moment, golden light flared around the blood-robed youth, and more than a dozen Buddha images silently appeared, though their hands and feet remained still, invisible immense forces pressed inward from all sides toward the center.

The blood-light incarnation's face grew grim, but after a cold snort, blood-colored demonic mist rose from his body; after flicking his sleeves, countless blood-colored light clusters shot out in all directions, while the blood-colored skull behind him blurred and directly transformed into an illusory shadow rushing toward the seven-colored firebird.

For a time, thunderous booms erupted near the blood mist, and the silver-haired old man and his companion, relying on their treasures and formation restrictions, engaged the holy ancestor's incarnation together.

……

With a "Boom" like a thunderclap!

Han Li only felt his hands grow hot, as two mountain peaks over ten zhang tall suddenly flew from his grasp, while his body shuddered and he shot backward over ten zhang; after flipping midair, he stabilized in place, but an abnormal flush of crimson flashed across his face and vanished.

As for the opposing demonic giant, his body also shuddered violently as he retreated over ten zhang, the pair of dark green giant halberds he had previously condensed flying from his hands,

Meanwhile, on the other side, the three-headed, six-armed Golden Body was happily battling a pitch-black, mountain-ghost-like monster.

As they swung fists and feet, one side flashed with frenzied golden light and continuous explosive sounds, while the other surged with demonic qi, emitting piercing black light in all directions, accompanied by mournful shrieks.

But whether it was the Brahma Saint Golden Body or the humanoid monster opposite, when their massive strikes landed on each other, they seemed as indifferent as swatting flies—at most their bodies swayed a few times before lunging again, as if both were indestructible vajra bodies.

"Not bad, not bad—you actually fought me to a standstill using only your fleshly body; I'm truly encountering this for the first time. But if that's all your strength amounts to, there's no point in continuing down there." The demonic giant shook his somewhat burning wrists, the frenzied color on his face gone, speaking with a hint of cold ruthlessness.

"Don't you think you're talking too much?" Han Li heard this, his expression unchanged as he replied; with a surge of vast spiritual power circulating in his body, his slight discomfort instantly vanished.

"Hmph, Xiong Mou rarely shows such kindness, wanting to let you live a little longer. Since you don't appreciate it, then I'll send you on your way!" The demonic giant laughed wildly, the faint magical shadow behind him condensing into something seemingly solid—a massive demonic lion with three heads.

As the demonic lion's body became clear, an aura far surpassing before burst from the giant's body, and simultaneously, the blood armor on the giant let out a "puchi" as a layer of blood-colored flames instantly enveloped his entire body.

After the giant let out a feral laugh, he slowly raised both hands, spread his five fingers, aimed at Han Li's location, and slowly closed his eyes.

The demonic lion's six eyes, originally tightly shut on its three heads, slowly opened, fixed on the giant ape without blinking, pupils emerald green like water, devoid of any emotion.

Seeing this, Han Li instantly felt a chilling sensation cover his body; his heart startled, he let out a loud shout, made a seal with one hand, and the Brahma Saint Golden Body, which had been entangled with the black monster in the distance, vanished into thin air, while his body swelled and instantly transformed into a golden-furred giant ape over ten zhang tall.

A flash of golden light behind the giant ape, and the three-headed, six-armed Golden Body appeared, then lunged and merged with the giant ape into one.

The golden ape's aura also surged significantly, and as he spread his two hands, a green and a black mountain peak appeared out of thin air in his palms.

At this moment, the giant's palms flashed with blood-light, and two sticky, quasi-solid blood-colored light columns spewed out, while the demonic lion behind him also opened its three mouths wide, emitting light columns of blue, white, and black—three utterly different kinds.

In just a flash, the five light columns merged into one in midair, forming a thicker, four-colored light column.

This light column made no sound, but the terrifying power it contained made even Han Li, who had just transformed into the giant ape, shudder involuntarily; without thinking, he poured his magic power like a flood into the two mountain peaks from his palms, where green and yellow light suddenly blazed.

With two "Boom—" sounds, the green and black mountain peaks merely flickered before shooting up from the ground, becoming giant flashes several hundred zhang tall, shielding the giant ape completely.

After a flash, the four-colored light column fiercely struck the two mountain peaks.

Following a sound like heaven and earth collapsing, various colored halos appeared before the mountain peaks; the rolling flames they formed merely rolled once, then instantly rose to over a thousand zhang high, submerging both mountain peaks and the giant ape behind them.

Within the flashing flames, the surfaces of the two extreme mountains twisted and trembled, then rapidly shrank back to original size, vanishing without a trace in just a few breaths.

With no extreme mountains to block it, that terrifying power surged relentlessly toward the giant ape.

The golden-furred giant ape let out an angry roar, and as the black demon armor on his body surged with dark qi, countless black symbols swarmed out, forming a massive light curtain that actually blocked the seemingly unstoppable flames from outside.

As the black symbols' light curtain collided and intertwined with the flames, it emitted a terrifying roar that made hearts tremble.

The light curtain formed from the black symbols twisted and blurred, emitting a strained "gah" sound, as if it might collapse at any moment.

The golden-furred giant ape let out a roar mixed with shock and anger; after a layer of golden light flowed across his body, he suddenly swelled to more than ten times his original size, and as the spiritual light on his temples and beneath him blazed, two additional heads and four golden arms sprouted out, instantly transforming him into a three-headed, six-armed heaven-supporting golden ape; as soon as the transformation completed, his six arms simultaneously reached toward the high sky, six clusters of piercing golden light appeared, then converged before him, forming a golden vortex that floated into existence and, after a flicker, expanded to the size of several mu.

Within the golden vortex, a slight turn unleashed a tremendous force that violently collided with the various colored flames.

After another earth-shaking roar, waves of air surged outward like a hurricane, distorting the nearby void and emitting piercing explosions, as if the entire space were about to be torn apart.

Seeing this astonishing sight from afar, the demonic giant's face also changed; after a thought, he clenched his five fingers, and the spewing golden light column instantly retracted and vanished.

However, at this moment, the giant's face showed a hint of fatigue, as if his earlier attack had consumed considerable true essence.

At the same time, the three-headed demonic lion behind him also closed its mouths, ceasing its attack, and its six eyes' divine light dimmed considerably.

But when the astonishing phenomenon from afar finally dissipated and the true scene reappeared, the demonic giant, upon seeing it, twitched the corner of his mouth and for the first time revealed an expression of astonishment.

Only then did one see the golden-furred giant ape standing motionless in the distance, yet his six arms continuously forming seals; the golden vortex before him, originally the size of several mu, had not diminished but now had expanded more than tenfold, its edges humming as they expanded and contracted, while from its center emanated rings of pale golden waves, appearing mysterious and abnormal.

"My earlier strike, in terms of power, is not much weaker than a casual blow from a Mahayana cultivator. You remained unharmed—it seems I truly underestimated you." The demonic giant's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he spoke.

"Impoliteness in exchange is improper. You may speak after receiving my strike." The giant ape's six eyes flashed with cold light, and he spoke in icy human words; then his six arms trembled and simultaneously lunged forward to fiercely grasp the void before him.

With a "puchi" sound.

That massive vortex spun rapidly, then was compressed by an invisible force into a golden light ball the size of a skull.

Next, the giant ape stepped forward with his thigh, his huge body blurring together with the light ball before him, and simultaneously vanished from the spot in a flicker.

The next moment, the demonic giant's pupils contracted, and he suddenly lifted his head.

In the high sky, golden light filled the air; the giant ape's form had silently appeared high above, now fiercely hurling downward the golden light ball in his hand.

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