Chapter 716: First Pass My Tribulation

Boom!

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, standing on a lotus throne, hovered in the air, slowly pressing his palms together.

In an instant, the sky-full of rosy clouds suddenly began to surge, gradually taking shape.

They coalesced into an incomparably massive phantom, with over a thousand arms raised high in unison; before such a colossal entity, the towering Golden Body of the Luo Han, which stood as high as Gaoshan, was no larger than the phantom's palm.

Acting within the Four Great Continents requires caution to avoid drawing the attention of the Divine Court.

Yet the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva had directly revealed his Dharma Form, clearly intent on killing, which was enough to show his current fury.

Even the earlier address of Shen Yi as "my lord" carried a heavy tone of sarcasm.

The imperial court belongs to the common people of the mortal world, but before gods and Buddhas, it is merely a steward managing the mortal realm for them.

A mere slave dares to assume such a lofty posture.

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva lowered his gaze indifferently, looking down.

He saw that the youth in the black robe still had no intention of fleeing; instead, he stood calmly in place, extending a hand, his fingertips clutching a yellow, jade tablet.

With the Bodhisattva's vision, he could discern the nature of this object in an instant.

"Your wolfish ambition is blatantly obvious."

The Divine Court is actually using imperial qi to privately forge a Celestial Seal.

He raised an eyebrow, finally understanding where this young man's confidence lay.

Sudden power inevitably makes one arrogant and conceited.

But how could a mere mortal understand the vast difference between one's own cultivation and external objects?

Does he truly believe that holding a Celestial Seal makes him a true Great Luo Immortal Venerable?

Moreover, it is merely a barely sufficient "three-three" number, still far from his own level.

"A den of filth and corruption. You little wolf, traveling ten thousand li to seek refuge under that old wolf, are a creature that remembers food but not beatings; you are quite a match."

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva sneered and formed a hand seal.

In the next moment, the phantom filling the sky suddenly leaned forward; a thousand arms crashed down with a boom, like over a thousand continuous mountain ranges falling from the firmament!

Facing such terrifying assault.

Shen Yi raised his eyes slightly, his clear gaze showing not the slightest panic.

Earlier at the Imperial City, he had heard General Feng Xi say that Prefect Yan was a Great Luo Immortal who had just completed the "three-three" transformation.

Within Xishan Prefecture, the opponent had used the suppression of an entire prefecture's imperial qi to force a stalemate with the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, resulting in mutual injury.

Now it seemed that although this assault looked dangerous and terrifying, it had absolutely not yet reached the level of the next transformation.

The imperial qi here, though not as abundant as in Songfeng Fucheng, and lacking a Prefect or court official to help mobilize and suppress, could still barely suppress part of the opponent's strength.

Plus the Demon-Slaying Token in his hand.

Shen Yi glanced at the yellow jade tablet in his palm, and his five fingers slowly tightened around it.

Immediately following, the same rosy light surged from behind him, transforming into a thousand-zhang Buddha light that swept outward.

A similarly vast phantom suddenly burst forth from the earth, like a tiger that had been lying in wait for a long time, leaping into the air and crashing straight toward the sky!

In an instant, heaven and earth froze.

Six arms with nearly perfect muscle lines held up the falling Qianshan with sheer force!

After a long while, the deafening roar suddenly rolled out.

Voom—

Two giant phantoms, like ghosts and gods, were locked in a stalemate in mid-air.

The one above held up the sky with a thousand arms, majestic and domineering; the one below stood with both feet on the ground, his whole body rippling with dense yellow clouds.

"You..."

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, suspended in the center of the phantom, stared straight at the young man below.

Seeing the Buddha light surging from the other's body, his expression gradually became wooden.

"Why do you possess the Bodhisattva Fruit?"

Whether it was the theft of the Great Sutra or the Bodhisattva's preaching, all were deliberate acts by the sect; these matters were meant to incite internal chaos within the Divine Court, not to truly destroy their own foundation.

Therefore, they were all confined to the scope of fourth-rank and below.

As for the Great Sutras of third-rank and above, those were secrets not passed on.

The opponent's only channel to access the Great Sutra of the Bodhisattva Fruit was the previously escorted Lingwei Guardian True Sutra.

But... that was clearly a fragmentary sutra!

It was missing the most important part concerning the "Guardian Power" within the source of many Heavenly Dao orders.

"..."

Shen Yi also stood within the phantom, focusing on experiencing the Demon-Slaying Token in his hand, and did not respond.

The six-armed phantom slowly straightened its body, actually pushing the thousand-armed phantom upward bit by bit.

Both were Bodhisattva Fruits born from the Lingwei Guardian True Sutra, manipulating the same order source; apart from slight differences in appearance, this was not as simple as sharing the same master; the two were walking the exact same path.

"So it is me."

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva murmured to himself; his voice seemed calm, but his facial features gradually twisted.

He did not know how Shen Yi had found the order source, but he could see that the other was clumsily imitating him, following closely behind step by step.

The reason was probably that strand of golden thread bestowed upon him.

The dog chain he had personally put on him was actually leading this beast to reach third-rank!

"Since this is my fault, I must make amends!"

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva formed hand seals continuously; the phantom above suddenly erupted in violence, and a thousand great arms crashed down like a violent storm, coming with fierce momentum, fully displaying brutality and wildness!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Even as the ground beneath his feet gradually cracked and sank, Shen Yi remained immovable, relying solely on his Bodhisattva Fruit to withstand the bombardment.

This style of magical combat, even within the Puti Sect which favored head-on clashes the most, could only be called foolish.

No technique, merely a direct clash of calamity power.

"Do you think your foundation can surpass my accumulation of fifty-three?"

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva wore a sneer, yet found the other offered no response; only a faint, mocking smile had quietly appeared on that clean, white face.

Seeing this, his expression darkened slightly; the lotus throne beneath his feet suddenly shot backward, and the celestial phantom instantly ceased its pounding motion.

Shen Yi seemed to have expected this; the moment the other withdrew, he manipulated the Bodhisattva Dharma image to suddenly seize several of the phantom's arms in the sky.

"Presumptuous!"

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva roared furiously; the lotus throne he stood upon seemed grabbed by an invisible giant hand, utterly unable to escape.

The moment Shen Yi revealed his Buddha light, he had already formed the intention to retreat; his feigned ferocity was merely to make the other lower their guard, facilitating his own escape.

But this youth acted entirely against all reason, leaving him quite perplexed.

"Has your injury healed?"

Shen Yi casually swept upward, forming a hand seal; instantly, six arms in the sky waved in unison, tearing the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva's Dharma image open like ripping cloth, creating a long gash!

"..."

With the Fruit damaged, the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva trembled violently, a dark red flush rising on his face.

He looked over in disbelief: "How do you know?"

His true condition was known to only two people within the Great Hall of Xishan Mansion, plus the black dog he led.

Taking the Bodhisattva's changing expression into his eyes, Shen Yi's gaze finally rose with unmasked ferocity.

Cultivation cannot be simply added up.

After exhausting all Imperial Qi Golden Pills, minus losses and errors, Shen Yi's Bodhisattva Fruit reached thirty-six; yet this did not mean that adding the Demon-Slaying Order would simply add another thirty-three strands of Origin.

After all, that was merely an external object.

Even if pushed to its limit, Shen Yi could at most fight the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva to a standstill.

This was without considering what trump cards the Bodhisattva might be hiding.

The reason Shen Yi was so certain the other actually intended to flee was the words left behind by General Yan Lanting after he departed Xishan Mansion.

The other had told the other two Southern Pacification Generals that he had won.

Since General Yan had won yet remained so severely injured that he still needed seclusion to recover, the Bodhisattva before him was likely strong in appearance but weak within.

This was why Shen Yi risked staying here to wait for the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva.

If the situation worsened further, the other would likely lack the courage to venture alone into the Divine Dynasty to seek someone before his injuries healed.

"You came to Xishan Mansion to seek me; now that we have truly met, why do you wish to leave?"

As the words fell, Shen Yi's Bodhisattva Dharma image rose from the ground; the Imperial Qi contained within the Demon-Slaying Order took the form of dense yellow clouds, surrounding his body like a set of ethereal armor.

After a continuous hundred or so punches, the Thousand-Armed Dharma image, which had just been majestic and domineering with a posture of supporting the sky, was now pounded into节节 retreat, possessing no ability to fight at all.

"Pfft!"

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva struggled to hold on, his face the color of pig liver.

The sound in his ears was like an exploding thunderclap, making him want to open his mouth and curse; he had thought this fellow had treacherous ambitions, betrayed the Sect, and defected to the imperial court.

Only now, hearing these words, did he realize the other was originally a member of the imperial court.

Yet the moment he opened his mouth, he could not help but spew a mouthful of golden blood.

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva could only first mobilize his Dharma image to fully block the six incoming giant fists; only then, seizing the chance to catch his breath, did he roar in fury:

"I granted you divine arts, transmitted the Great Scripture to you, and guided you into the Sect; though we lack the name of master and disciple, we possess the reality!"

"If you kill me, it shall be considered deceiving Heaven and extinguishing ancestors, violating human ethics, spurned by Heaven and Earth, and destined to suffer calamities for ten thousand generations!"

"..."

Hearing this, Shen Yi glanced indifferently at the black dog below, who had already been struck as if by lightning.

One must admit, aside from the grace of transmitting the Scripture when first arriving in Shenzhou, today he owed Master Zhikong another favor.

Without the other's example as a warning, Shen Yi might truly have been unable to withstand the threat to his life, simply bowing into the Puti Sect to resist Shenxu Laozu, rather than bitterly searching for opportunities everywhere himself.

Even such a devout disciple of the Sect could ultimately end up transformed into livestock.

Such a great Sect is better left unjoined.

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, extended his hand, and suddenly clenched his five fingers tight.

With his movement, the Bodhisattva Dharma image also formed a fist; instantly, the wind stopped and the clouds stilled.

The towering phantom suddenly punched.

The surrounding yellow clouds gathered like dragons, coiling arms outward; like arrows leaving the string, they transformed into six long rainbows piercing the sky in the firmament!

Pfft! Pfft!

The six long rainbows simultaneously pierced the Thousand-Armed Dharma image in the sky; this shadow that blocked the sun and covered the moon froze entirely in mid-air; the large holes on its body gradually expanded until it could no longer maintain the integrity of its form, quietly dissipating into the world.

"You need not suffer calamities for ten thousand generations."

The voice rising from the sky was as clear as ever.

Feeling his Fruit nearly shatter within his body, the lotus throne beneath the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva's feet cracked, turning into flying petals; the whole person, drained of strength, tumbled toward the mountain peak, only his palms tightly clutching the fabric over his heart, as if hoping to protect his Fruit through this method.

He crashed to the ground; unable even to rise, let alone utter threats, he used hands and feet to support his trembling body, attempting to crawl down the mountain.

Behind him, a golden lotus throne hovered.

"You need only pass through this calamity of mine."

The youth in black robes stood with hands hanging below, like a god or Buddha high above.

He took a step forward; auspicious clouds formed steps beneath his boots; walking slowly to the back of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, he suddenly stamped his foot down onto the Monk's spine, pinning his fleeing figure firmly to the ground.

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva turned his head in panic, meeting Shen Yi's eyes gazing down in silence.

He saw the other party slightly lift his lips: "Can you pass?"

The question seemed calm, yet it sounded like a death knell.

The answer was already too obvious.

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva felt the excruciating pain of bones exploding throughout his body; only a muffled crack echoed in his mind. He wanted to beg for mercy, but someone seized the back of his head.

Crack!

Shen Yi bent down, suddenly exerted force, and when he stood straight again, a bare skull was already in his hand.

He returned to the black dog's side, placed the skull on the ground, and sat beside it: "I do not yet know these strange and peculiar methods, so I cannot help you return to your original state for now."

To speak seriously, apart from the Great Sutra of the Puti Sect's realm of cultivation, Shen Yi had not read a single other scripture.

"..."

The black dog's mind finally returned from its daze.

It stared blankly at Shen Yi, trying to merge him with the face in its memory.

At their first meeting, the other party had just entered the Divine Dynasty and was a wandering cultivator who needed to report at the Earth God Temple; he was even inferior to this little novice monk who had descended the mountain for the first time.

Yet every reunion since had involved slaughter.

Only the targets slain by the other party had successively changed from Travelers to Arhats, and now to a Bodhisattva.

From beginning to end... it was merely a few years, counted on one's fingers.

For Master Zhikong the Monk, the horror of this matter was no less than opening one's eyes to see the Buddha.

But the magical duel witnessed with his own eyes just now was so real, still vivid before his eyes even now.

"His... his attainment can be observed..."

The black dog extended a paw, pointing at the corpse of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva.

For disciples of the Puti Sect, a Bodhisattva is an existence to be revered for a lifetime; even after entering Nirvana, their attainment is something that must not be desecrated, let alone for someone like Master Zhikong the Monk, who is so upright that he holds the Dragon and Tiger Great Sutra but never turns a page.

But at this moment, he was actively reminding Shen Yi.

Clearly, this period of "training" following the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva had given him a deeper understanding of the Puti Sect.

"In that case, then Venerable One, please accompany me on the road."

Shen Yi was also somewhat surprised; even in the past, when he was insignificant, those cultivators would not carry their techniques on their persons, so unless the other party was a demon capable of reshaping a soul, he basically held no expectations for this.

Hearing these words,

he no longer rested, went straight back to the corpse of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva, and with a casual gesture, a small, gray, faded Thousand-Armed figure covered in cracks yet feeling like jade fell into his palm.

The source of order within it had already scattered, leaving only this Bodhisattva's insights.

If one could comprehend the mysteries within, it might make up for the deficiency in his own methods.

(End of this chapter)