Chapter 358: Yuanshi Tianzun's 'Praise

A myriad-zhang giant merely waved his hand, and countless stars were annihilated.

Witnessing this, Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes flickered.

Immediately, a dharma manifestation rose from within his body, and lo and behold, it too was myriad zhang tall.

The Yuanshi dharma manifestation showed no expression on its face; it simply clenched its right hand, and a stellar giant sword appeared in its palm.

"Boom—"

As the stellar giant sword swung, before its blade even arrived, the emanating pressure made the immortals rushing toward Heaven Beyond Heaven feel an overwhelming terror.

"We can't take it anymore—this overflowing pressure is too strong; we can't get any closer!"

Wuliang Xianweng said with difficulty.

At that moment, amidst the immortals' sight, they could only vaguely see two towering figures facing off; as for what exactly was happening, they couldn't make it out.

"Nezha, it's up to you!"

Jinzha's side likewise felt the immense pressure, but he knew his younger brother had recently been tinkering with some gadgets, perfect for the current scene.

"Got it!"

In tacit understanding, Nezha reached into his own robe pocket.

Immediately, an iron lump appeared in his palm.

As Nezha waved his right hand, the iron lump expanded, transforming into something like a boat yet not a boat, like a raft yet not a raft.

"What is that?"

Wuliang Xianweng also noticed Nezha's movement; this suddenly appearing thing gave him a familiar feeling.

"Senior Senior Brother, that thing looks just like the flight magic artifacts of those extraterrestrial demons!"

At that moment, Qingxu Daode Tianzun reminded them.

After Qingxu Daode Tianzun's reminder, the immortals also recalled that the thing Nezha produced was exactly like the flight magic artifacts used by those extraterrestrial demons they had encountered in the Chaos Sea before.

"Come on in, everyone—remember, don't use your own mana and divine sense, or you'll be crushed by the pressure!"

Nezha activated the flying ship and at the same time reminded everyone.

Everyone instantly understood as well—indeed, the sage's pressure is terrifying precisely because their own mana and divine sense automatically oppose the sage's pressure.

The result was that they pitted their fragile, egg-like mana and divine sense against the sage's pressure, which was as hard as stone, even diamond, and thus naturally got crushed into dust.

However, the sage's pressure itself possesses no substantive harm.

For example, no matter how terrifying the sage's pressure, a tiny blade of grass can remain unharmed.

Of course, if the sage infuses mana or divine sense into the pressure, that's another matter.

Now, Nezha and the others, without using a trace of mana or divine sense, simply rely on Nezha's flying ship to enter the area shrouded by the sage's pressure, and they will naturally be unharmed.

After all, they merely came to watch the battle; neither Yuanshi Tianzun nor Ao Yifan would deliberately target them.

"Senior Senior Brother, we—"

Watching Nezha and the others board the flying ship one after another, Chijingzi couldn't help but speak up.

But before he could finish, the flying ship, under Nezha's control, shot into the area covered by the sage's pressure, with no intention of inviting them aboard.

Well, this time Wuliang Xianweng no longer needs to wrestle with whether to swallow his pride and apply to board the ship.

However, being unable to observe a sage's battle up close is truly a pity for them.

After all, observing a sage's battle can deepen their understanding of the Dao and greatly aid their cultivation path.

"What a pity—I never expected even that Huanglong fellow to……"

Chijingzi said.

But upon noticing Wuliang Xianweng's unfriendly gaze directed at him, he immediately shut his mouth.

……

"Hehe, Nezha's talent in technology is truly impressive; perhaps he could one day forge a path of technology leading to the Dao!"

Seeing his child's achievement, Ao Yifan's face filled with gratification.

However, this is also no time to be distracted.

Facing the stellar sword descending from the heavens, Ao Yifan pressed his palms together.

Immediately, a bodhi tree slowly rose above his head.

Its canopy covered the sky; in an instant, the bodhi tree enveloped a radius of a hundred li.

This move is the Bodhi Marvelous Method that Ao Yifan sent to the children at Square Inch Mountain to cultivate.

Although a single child's cultivation of the Bodhi Marvelous Method is imperfect,

but Ao Yifan sent over enough children that, accumulated over time, it gave him a profound insight into Puti Laozi's Bodhi Marvelous Method.

"Boom—"

At the same moment, the stellar giant sword fell, shaking the bodhi tree violently.

Countless radiant bodhi leaves drifted down, yet in the end they blocked Yuanshi Tianzun's strike.

"To come and not go back is improper!"

A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as countless drifting bodhi leaves swirled, instantly sweeping toward the Yuanshi dharma manifestation.

In the blink of an eye, Yuanshi Tianzun's consciousness grew slightly hazy.

It was as if the very spirit of the person had been instantly emptied.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort, and in an instant Yuanshi Tianzun broke free of that ethereal state of mind.

At the same time, the myriad bodhi leaves that had swept the Yuanshi dharma manifestation likewise turned into ashes filling the sky.

"The Western Teaching's methods— I never expected that fellow Daoist's studies would be so eclectic!"

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at Ao Yifan and said.

It's just a bit of superficial skill; to a Heavenly Venerable, it's nothing.

Smiling, he dispersed the Enlightenment Marvelous Method from atop his head; Ao Yifan clearly understood that just now he had merely caught the Primordial Heavenly Venerable off guard, and if he tried to use this half-baked Enlightenment Marvelous Method to attack the Primordial Heavenly Venerable again, it would only bring disgrace upon himself.

"I have to admit, fellow Daoist, your talent is quite good; even my Heaven-Reaching Sect junior disciple is not as good as you!"

In the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's words, there was no concealment of his praise for Ao Yifan.

However, the Heaven-Reaching Sect Master, who was spying across endless time and space via divine sense, had a face that turned black.

"Primordial Heavenly Senior Brother, indeed still so narrow-minded, not forgetting at all the grudge from being schemed against by me."

At the same time, the great beings who were paying attention to this battle of saints all stared at each other, dumbfounded.

After all, the Heaven-Reaching Sect Master's talent is recognized as the best in the Three Realms; even the Supreme Purity Saint has personally admitted this.

However, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable now says that Ao Yifan's talent surpasses even that of the Heaven-Reaching Sect Master, which is truly shocking and unprecedented.

"But..."

Before the crowd could digest that shocking and unprecedented news, they heard the Primordial Heavenly Venerable continue speaking.

"But, although your talent is good, you share the same flaw as my Heaven-Reaching Sect junior disciple: your heart is not pure, you cannot focus on a single path, and thus you will ultimately end up mediocre."

"Er..."

Ao Yifan was speechless for a moment; he always felt that the other's praise was false, wanting to use this opportunity to take a jab at the Heaven-Reaching Sect Master in front of the great beings of the Three Realms—that was the real intention.

"Hum—"

The next moment, a sword qi shot forth from the horizon.

Upon seeing this, the great beings of the Three Realms instantly understood who the owner of that sword qi was.