Chapter 389: A world-shocking battle erupts, Buddhist disciples appear!

Zhurong's words fell silent, and a deathly silence fell over heaven and earth for an instant.

That silence was more piercing than the roars of billions of living beings.

"Chen Ku..."

Di Jun's mouth almost ground out these two words.

Each syllable carried a temperature that scorched the soul.

It was not a question, but a confirmation tempered with endless killing intent.

Taiyi's hand hanging at his side clenched finger by finger, the joints cracking from overexertion; beneath the cuff of his golden imperial robe, veins bulged like a ferocious angry dragon.

It was him.

It's him again!

That one who should be in the Western Pure Land, chanting sutras and venerating Buddha, the lord of the Buddhist sect!

In an instant, countless shattered images exploded in Di Jun's mind, turning into scene after scene of shameful marks that made his imperial blood boil.

That sword, which gathered the Demon Race's endless fortune and resentful spirits, destined to end everything—the Slay Wu Sword—had, at the moment before its final formation, golden Buddhist inscriptions appear on its blade, which ultimately shattered inch by inch into powder.

That was Chen Ku's method.

That day, above the Demon Race's Heavenly Court, a Buddha palm that covered the sky and blotted out the sun reached out from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, ignoring the billions of starlight of the Zhou Tian Star Dipper Great Array, ignoring the desperate resistance of all the Demon Race's Great Sages.

When that palm fell, hundreds of millions of Demon Race beings didn't even get to utter a wail before their souls and spirits were annihilated, their true spirits gone.

That was Chen Ku's will.

And now, this group before us, which should have been savage wilderness beasts—the Wu Clan—with indestructible flesh and blood that shakes the stars, their foundation, that domineering and peerless Nine Turns Mysterious Technique...

It, too, comes from Chen Ku!

One by one, item by item.

This is no coincidence.

This is a painstakingly calculated scheme, an undisguised targeting!

A fury of being fooled and played with in the palm of one's hand, mixed with an unstoppable killing intent, exploded from the chests of the two Demon Race emperors.

That fury was no longer a nameless fire; it had a clear name.

Chen Ku!

However, it was only a momentary lapse.

All the waves in Di Jun's eyes were instantly replaced by a cold resolve.

His gaze refocused on the iron torrent of billions of Wu Clan members before him.

"Now is not the time to dwell on these."

Di Jun's voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable decisiveness, each word as cold and hard as metal and stone.

No matter how great the future threat, we still need a future to face it.

If the enemies before us are not destroyed, our Demon Race will have no future.

"First exterminate the Wu Clan, then talk about other things!"

Hearing this, Taiyi nodded slowly.

The anger and apprehension in his eyes also fully retracted, turning into a deep, bottomless silence.

That was pure, unadulterated killing intent.

Meet force with force.

Meet water with earth.

Today, we will first level Mount Buzhou with the blood of the Wu Clan!

First, we will use the skulls of the Twelve Ancestral Wu to offer sacrifices to the souls of the fallen Demon Race!

As for Chen Ku...

Once the Demon Race unifies the Primordial Wilderness and gathers the full power of heaven and earth, we will then settle this blood debt with him!

Taiyi said no more.

All words have turned pale.

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze piercing the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"Kill!"

A single word exploded from his mouth.

The sound wave did not spread outward but condensed into a line of destruction, piercing the void ahead, causing the laws of heaven and earth to tremble.

At the same time.

Hum—

The Chaos Bell hanging above his head, as if it had existed since ancient times, moved.

It did not shake violently, only a slight tremor.

Dong!

A bell toll.

There was no earth-shattering roar, but rather an extreme silence.

The entire world lost all sound and all color at that moment.

Heaven and earth became a black-and-white ink painting.

Immediately after, a visible ripple of destructive cyan-black spread outward from the Chaos Bell as its center, sweeping wildly across the entire Primordial Wilderness in all directions.

Where the ripple passed, space like a fragile mirror shattered inch by inch, revealing the ferocious void rifts behind.

The sun, moon, and stars dimmed beneath the bell's toll.

The wind ceased.

Clouds stagnated.

Time seemed to be forcibly dragged at this moment, becoming viscous and slow.

This bell toll is an order.

It is the supreme edict of war issued by the Demon Race's supreme emperor to countless demon subjects!

The next moment.

"Roar!"

"Kill!"

"For the Demon Emperor!"

"For the Demon Race!"

The battle intent and killing intent accumulated over myriad ages were fully released at this moment.

The silent heaven and earth were instantly torn apart.

The roars of hundreds of millions of demons converged into a single stream, forming a destructive sound wave capable of shattering everything.

The vanguard of the demon army moved.

A silhouette.

Ten silhouettes.

Ten thousand silhouettes.

Hundreds of millions of silhouettes!

They were no longer isolated individuals but had coalesced into an boundless wave of destruction.

Countless silhouettes rose from the ground, blotting out the sky.

Countless claws tore the air, bringing sharp whistles.

Countless pairs of scarlet eyes reflected the majestic outline of Mount Buzhou and the Wu Clan standing ready below the mountain.

That was a torrent.

A torrent forged from flesh, steel, demonic qi, and killing intent, an unstoppable apocalyptic flood.

The earth groaned beneath their charge.

The sky trembled under their demonic qi.

On the entire Mount Buzhou battlefield, the immense killing intent almost solidified, causing the primordial experts observing from billions of miles away to feel their scalps tingle and their livers and gallbladders near bursting.

The decisive battle erupted.

On the other side.

Blood qi surged to the heavens.

This was not ordinary blood qi of living beings, but the Wu Clan's refined blood essence, condensed over myriad ages of killing intent, capable of defiling immortals and gods and eroding the Great Dao.

Crimson beacon smoke shot straight to the heavens, dyeing the sea of clouds into a bloody purgatory.

The silhouettes of countless Wu Clan members floated and sank within the blood qi, each as steady as a mountain, their battle intent pure to the extreme.

They would not yield to weakness.

Or rather, the Wu Clan's dictionary has never contained the words 'show weakness'.

Faced with the demon race's dazzling divine abilities scattered like stars across the sky, they responded with the most primitive, yet most overbearing posture.

Meet the attack!

Within the demon ranks, a great peng rose upward; with a spread of its wings, it unleashed hundreds of millions of geng‑metal sword qi, each capable of easily piercing stars.

On the other side, a Zhuque divine bird opened its mouth and exhaled endless true solar fire, a sea of flames spreading, seeking to burn heaven and earth to ashes.

Various spiritual treasures were sacrificed and suspended above the nine heavens.

The illusory form of the Chaos Bell suppressed spacetime, while the phantoms of the Hetu and Luoshu evolved the celestial cycles.

Divine radiance surged, immortal light poured down, intertwining into a heavenly net and earthly web, each strand bearing a lethal edge.

Sharp, solemn.

Faced with this heaven‑destroying, earth‑annihilating scene, the Wu Clan's response was simple and direct.

A burly great shaman, facing those hundreds of millions of geng‑metal sword qi, merely let out a roar.

His upper‑body muscles bulged, ancient bronze skin lighting up with countless mysterious totem patterns, muscles knotted like forged black iron of ten thousand years.

He did not dodge.

He simply threw a punch.

One punch.

Just a simple punch.

Where his fist passed, space shattered inch by inch, forming a continually expanding black void.

Those hundreds of millions of sword qi capable of piercing stars struck into this pure 'nothing', unable to raise even a ripple, and were utterly swallowed and annihilated.

A fist can split the heavens!

Another Wu clansman, facing the heaven‑burning, sea‑boiling true solar fire, likewise did not retreat.

He stamped his foot fiercely.

The earth thundered, bottomless fissures radiating from his foot spread wildly in all directions.

Endless earth‑evil qi surged from the fissures, forming black frenzied dragons that rushed toward the golden sea of fire.

When earth‑evil met true fire, there was no earth‑shaking explosion, only a grating 'hiss'.

Laws mutually dissolved, order mutually erased.

A foot can shatter the earth!

This is the Wu Clan.

Not cultivating the primordial spirit, not relying on external objects, only believing in oneself.

Their bodies are the strongest treasures.

Their fists and feet are the greatest divine abilities.

This battle has accumulated the grudges and fury of two races over countless ages.

Therefore, from the very first moment of collision, there was no probing, no holding back.

Within a radius of hundreds of millions of miles, everything became a battlefield.

No, it turned into a constantly collapsing, constantly destroying Chaos zone.

Hundreds of millions of miles of mountains and rivers instantly evaporated, turning into the finest dust.

The impregnable spatial barrier, now as fragile as a thin sheet of paper, was easily torn, revealing the deep, dead silence of the endless void beyond.

The chains of law snapped one by one, emitting a clear and heart‑trembling wail.

Order was completely thrown into chaos.

Here, water flows upward, flames are icy and piercing, light no longer travels straight but twists into bizarre shapes.

Vast areas of the void collapsed, forming black holes that devour everything.

The calamitous light is like an abyss.

That destructive light spread from the battlefield's center, boundless; wherever it passed, all tangible and intangible things were reduced to nothing.

An absolute supreme terror shrouded the entire Primordial Wilds.

Countless beings in secluded cultivation were startled awake; they gazed in horror at the source of destruction, their souls trembling.

"Hiss…"

A cultivator who had just broken through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, his face still bearing the joy of breakthrough, was instantly overtaken by fear, his voice trembling.

"Retreat! Fellow cultivators, withdraw quickly!"

"This battle is too terrifying! Just the aftermath is enough to shatter our Dao bodies and annihilate our souls!"

"Once swept by that calamitous light, the fate is eternal damnation!"

Countless escape lights flared up, fleeing in panic away from the battlefield.

They dared not linger even a moment.

They feared that a single delayed step would see them utterly consumed by the spreading terror.

A veteran powerhouse watched helplessly as his blessed land, cultivated over several aeons, was swept by the spreading calamitous light.

No roar, no struggle.

That immortal mountain, together with all its restrictions, spirit veins, and Dao fields, silently turned to flying ash in an instant.

His heart bled, yet he dared not show even a hint of resentment on his face.

He could only bring his disciples and flee without looking back.

The lost cave abode can be rebuilt.

If life is gone, nothing remains.

Preserving life is the most important.

"Nine Revolutions Mystic Art… this is the legendary Nine Revolutions Mystic Art!"

A powerful expert gazing at the battlefield saw a Wu Clan Grand Shaman blasted half‑body by the Demon Race's divine ability, yet in the next instant his flesh and blood regenerated, whole as before, even his aura stronger than before; he couldn't help exclaiming in astonishment.

"Indeed, the reputation is not undeserved!"

"The Wu Clan possesses the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art, and also the Heavenly Net God‑Slaying Grand Formation, still being forged and drawing the killing qi of heaven and earth."

"The Demon Race is no ordinary foe either; the Slay Witch Sword bears a fearsome reputation, and the Zhou Tian Star Dipper Grand Formation draws the power of the heavenly stars—equally a world‑shattering killing formation."

A broadly knowledgeable Quasi‑Sage expert, his gaze solemn, analyzed the situation.

"In this battle, who is stronger and who is weaker?!"

Someone beside him couldn't help but ask.

The expert heard the words, merely gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"Cannot be predicted."

"Such a heaven‑shaking war involves the two Supreme Emperors, the twelve Ancestral Shamans, countless Demon Gods and Great Sages… its course is no longer something we can predict."

Such discussions rose and fell among the fleeing masses.

But more prevalent was the silent shock.

They merely kept withdrawing, retreating again and again.

Only when they retreated to what they considered a safe distance did they dare to stop, using various divine abilities and secret methods to observe from afar the battlefield now turned into destruction and Chaos.

Some also pondered, speculating on the battle's final outcome and its impact on the whole Primordial Wilds' pattern.

Moreover, some beings gazed deep and far, looking past the bloody battlefield toward the west.

The direction of Mount Sumeru.

Their minds were captivated by the might of the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art.

Merely the twelve Ancestral Shamans, having received Chen Ku's transmitted method, were already able to temper their flesh to such a degree.

Every movement possessed the power to collapse heaven and split earth, immensely powerful, irresistible.

So…

A thought that made everyone's heart tremble inevitably surfaced.

It is easy to imagine that, as the transmitter of this method, Chen Ku's mastery of the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art must be profoundly beyond what all beings can imagine.

How strong must that be?

How peerless and ancient its bearing!

…

Western Buddhist Sect, the Sacred Realm of Spirit Mountain.

Boundless Buddha light illuminates all, the Sanskrit chant and Zen chant arise and cease in the void, golden lotuses bloom one after another on the ground, then silently vanish, cycling repeatedly, evolving the supreme subtle truth of a pure land.

Compared to the blood-red killing aura sweeping heaven and earth outside, this place is peaceful, as if it were another era.

Jieyin the Holy One sits cross-legged atop a golden lotus; though his visage remains as ever pained, deep in his eyes lies a hint of brightness that cannot be concealed.

He slightly nods, the corner of his mouth twitching, revealing an extremely faint smile.

"Hehe, not bad!"

"That reckless fellow Zhurong, always blunt and outspoken, today's action was unintentional yet has brought fame to my disciple."

"His voice was not loud, yet it carried the rhythm of a sage's word becoming law, clearly ringing in the ears of Zhunti and Hongyun."

"What he said refers to not long ago, when the Wu Clan's ancestral witch Zhurong, before the Demon Race's formation, openly revealed to countless mighty beings of the wilderness the astonishing secret that Chen Ku bears the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique."

"This matter is enough to make heaven and earth tremble."

"Had it been anyone else, harboring such heaven-defying technique and thus exposed to the public, they would surely find it hard to rest or eat, fearing to become the target of everyone's wrath."

"Yet Jieyin feels no anger at all; instead, his heart is filled with relief."

"This is an excellent opportunity to greatly boost the prestige of his own disciple."

"Does the gun shoot the bird that sticks its head out?"

"Such precepts apply only to ordinary cultivators struggling beneath the Heavenly Dao."

"Now Chen Ku has already become a Primordial Luo Golden Immortal."

"Such cultivation, such realm, already stands on par with the Heavenly Dao and equals the sages."

"Even if he exhausts all limelight, what then?"

"Looking across the three realms and six paths, who would dare to be adverse to him?"

"Even stepping back ten thousand steps, who could truly be adverse to him?!"

"Hearing Jieyin's words, Zhunti and Hongyun beside him nodded in deep agreement."

"Zhunti held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, lightly brushed it, unfurling a circle of seven-colored radiance, and he sighed:"

"What the senior brother said is indeed correct."

"Now the influence of my nephew Chen Ku spreads across the four seas of the wilderness; I fear it has already surpassed us sages."

"His tone held both astonishment and a hint of pride in sharing the honor."

"Hongyun the elder clapped his hands and laughed; the joy on his signature smiling face sprang from the depths of his heart."

"Not only surpassing, it's literally leaving his name everywhere."

"Although he has never personally set foot on any battlefield, whether before the Wu-Demon clash or the waves of the Eastern Sea, his name echoes everywhere."

"Indeed, the facts are exactly so."

"Now in the wilderness, the two characters "Chen Ku" have become an invisible "trend"."

"A kind of mighty trend capable of influencing the pattern of heaven and earth and swaying the thoughts of all beings."

"Amidst this peaceful atmosphere, the smile on Hongyun's face suddenly faded, his expression turning solemn."

"His gaze swept across the void, as if penetrating the endless Buddha light of Spirit Mountain, he saw the wilderness beyond billions of miles, soaked in blood and fire."

"Even though he resides in the Western Pure Land, that soaring killing intent and resentment still make him, as a sage, feel a faint palpitation."

"Now the great war has fully erupted!"

"Hongyun looked toward Jieyin and Zhunti, reminding them solemnly."

"We too should immediately instruct all our disciples, effective today, to close the mountains and not go out, absolutely forbidding them from entering the world on their own, lest they be drawn into this Great Calamity and stained with the boundless karma of the Wu-Demon war."

"Upon hearing this, Zhunti immediately nodded, his face equally grave."

"What you say, fellow Daoist, is absolutely correct."

"The Wu-Demon Great Calamity is one of the most terrifying catastrophes since the creation of heaven and earth; the karmic force it generates is enough to make even a half-sage suffer eternal ruin, let alone a sage, who would not lightly stain himself with it."

"Although the Buddhist sect has a momentum of great prosperity, its foundation is still shallow, and its disciples' cultivation varies greatly; once drawn in, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Upon thinking this, Zhunti hesitated no longer."

"He raised his hand; Great Dao runes flowed at his fingertips, and a grand, solemn, vast will began to coalesce."

"He intended to, with the authority of a sage, employ the Great Dao's sound-transmission method to proclaim the decree throughout the Western realm, reaching every Buddhist disciple and even the true spirits of all beings."

"But just as that Great Dao's sound was about to reverberate through heaven and earth,"

"A plain hand reached out and lightly pressed upon Zhunti's arm, which was about to swing down."

"Uncle Master, wait!"

"His voice was gentle, yet it seemed to carry an irresistible force."

"The one who made the move was none other than Chen Ku."

"This scene was utterly beyond expectation."

"The vast Dao sound that Zhunti was about to emit came to an abrupt halt."

"The sage's will condensed at his fingertips, as if seized by an invisible hand, instantly vanished like smoke."

"In that instant, atop Spirit Mountain, all sounds ceased."

"Whether Jieyin, Zhunti, or Hongyun, the three Heavenly Dao sages, their movements were completely frozen."

"Their gazes, like three bolts of substantive lightning, converged upon Chen Ku."

"What does this mean?!"

"Could it be that Chen Ku intends to let his disciples act as they please, actively courting the karma of the Great Calamity that could bury everything?"

"This… this would not be pushing the entire Buddhist sect into the abyss of eternal ruin, would it?!"

"For a moment, even with a sage's state of mind, he felt a surge of bewildering astonishment."

"Their eyes were filled with heavy incomprehension, and even a hint of hidden suspicion."

They stared at Chen Ku, waiting for an explanation.

An explanation sufficient to convince them and overturn their previous decision.

Yet under the gaze of the three sages, which almost seemed to see through everything, Chen Ku's face showed not a trace of nervousness.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his expression still calm.

Immediately, he gave a meaningful smile, one that carried the profundity of having perceived the heavenly secrets and seen through the game board.

"Hehe."

He chuckled lightly, then slowly spoke.

"For the other beings of the primordial wilderness, this witch-demon war is an immeasurable catastrophe they would flee from at all costs."

"However..."

Chen Ku shifted his tone; though his voice was flat, each word he uttered struck like a heavy hammer, slamming hard into the hearts of the three sages.

"For us Buddhist disciples, this witch-demon war is, however, a rare opportunity that comes once in myriad ages, a great fortuitous chance."

Upon saying this,

Boom!

It was as if an invisible Chaos divine thunderbolt explosively detonated in the minds of Jieyin, Zhunti, and Hong Yun.

Opportunity?

A great opportunity?!

They were completely dumbfounded.

To call a Great Calamity capable of burying an age and returning heaven and earth to Chaos... an opportunity?

What a subversive statement!

What a crazy idea!

The radiant light of Zhunti's Seven Treasure Wondrous Tree stalled; he opened his mouth, only to find his Dao-heart wavering slightly at this moment, momentarily unable to formulate a rebuttal.

Hong Yun's astonishment was beyond words; he even wondered if he had misheard.

Only Jieyin, after the initial extreme shock, suddenly grasped something.

As the saying goes, none knows a disciple better than the master.

He knows better than anyone that his disciple never speaks without basis.

Behind each of his seemingly mad actions lies a profound layout beyond ordinary comprehension.

In Jieyin's mind, countless thoughts flashed wildly, past scenes streaming rapidly.

Finally, a detail he had overlooked, like lightning, tore through the fog in his mind.

He recalled how, on that barren western land, countless aeons of karmic storms had once raged.

He recalled how Chen Ku, by an extraordinary means, had transformed that world-destroying Great Calamity storm, resolving it outright and purifying it into harmony.

A bold thought so shocking it shook his very spirit surged up uncontrollably.

Jieyin's breath, at this moment, even showed a trace of extremely subtle disturbance.

He fixed his gaze on Chen Ku, his eyes full of wavering astonishment, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

"My disciple means..."

"Could it be... could it be that he intends to use the supreme sublime doctrine of our Buddhist sect to purify the boundless karma produced by this war?"

Upon saying this, his voice suddenly rose, his pupils contracting as well.

"And... to ferry across the countless vengeful spirits of the fallen witch and demon clans?!"

The instant his words fell, Jieyin suddenly realized he might have touched upon the truth.

When it comes to ferrying vengeful spirits and purifying resentment, the methods mastered in the West are simply astonishing, worthy of being called the ancestors of this path!

In the past, it was precisely by relying on these methods that they completely resolved the deep-rooted ailments of the Western world, revitalizing that barren land and laying the firmest foundation for the flourishing of the Buddhist sect.

And now, the witch and demon clans are expending all their strength, locked in a deathless, brutal slaughter.

Even though separated by billions of miles of vast void, with their sage fruition they can clearly "see" that on the primordial wilderness, vast sheets of blood rain burst forth, dyeing the nine heavenly clouds a glaring crimson.

It is not hard to imagine that after this battle, the heavens and earth will be filled with terrifying vengeful spirits, resentment, and karmic retribution appearing out of nowhere.

That will be a negative force sufficient to throw heaven and earth out of balance and make the Great Dao wail.

Yet this force, in Chen Ku's mouth, became... a "great opportunity"!

Indeed!

At the very moment Jieyin's words fell, Chen Ku's face showed an approving smile.

He gave his master a crisp nod.

"Not bad, disciple, that's exactly what I meant!"

Thereafter, Chen Ku's gaze swept past what was before him, turning toward the lofty Sumeru Mountain standing amid Buddhist light, and the mountains below and between, thick with Buddhist disciples.

Silhouette after silhouette gathered, forming a golden sea.

At this moment, that sea is not calm; each droplet reflects the distant heaven-shattering, earth-destroying witch-demon war, and every face is interwoven with shock, fear, and bewilderment.

The heavens wail, the earth weeps blood.

The disciples of the sages' lineage, at this moment, all tightly seal their mountain gates, restraining their aura to the utmost, fearful of being tainted even slightly by that terrifying karma and calamity.

They avoid it, fearing it above all.

In this utter silence where ten thousand horses are silent, a voice sounded.

"Golden-Winged Great Peng, Guanyin, where are you two?!"

Chen Ku suddenly spoke.

His voice was not loud, nor did he use any power, yet it easily pierced the battlefield's roar, clearly reaching the ears of every being within the Sumeru Mountain domain.

That voice carried an indisputable calm.

Among the crowd, Jinchi Dapeng and Guanshiyin, whose minds and spirits had originally been torn apart, were sighing at the terrifying might of the witch-demon great battle, and their bodies shuddered at the same time.

The look of astonishment on their faces froze instantly.

Senior Brother Chen Ku?

What does he want from us two?

Countless thoughts flashed through in the blink of an eye, but the body's instinct had already overwhelmed all thinking.

The two dared not hesitate in the slightest; they took a step forward, their bodies turning into two streams of light that shot up into the sky, halting in midair, and, across the vast void, they deeply bowed toward the direction where Chen Ku was, performing a great salute.

"Senior Brother Chen Ku (Senior), we are here!"

The voice was respectful, yet could not hide a hint of trembling and bewilderment.

Chen Ku's gaze seemed to pierce endless space, landing on them, and he gave a slight nod.

That plain gaze, however, made the two feel an invisible pressure.

"You two, having just emerged, rush to a place ten thousand li beyond the witch-demon battlefield."

"Afterward, Junior Brother Guanshiyin will spread the wonderful doctrine of our Buddhist Gate, ferry across the battle's resentful souls, and purify the resentment!"

The words fell.

Mount Sumeru fell into an eerie stillness.

Jinchi Dapeng and Guanshiyin were completely frozen; the two slowly glanced at each other, each able to see utter astonishment in the depths of the other's pupils.

What?!

Go… go to outside the battlefield?

Ferry across resentful souls?!

This…

Jinchi Dapeng's head buzzed, and he almost thought he had misheard.

You must know, that is the witch-demon great calamity! It is an infinite killing calamity that even Sages must retreat three leagues from!

Every moment, Great Luo Golden Immortal–level powerhouses fall like weeds, and their resentful qi, killing qi, and karmic force are enough to taint any Quasi-Saint fruition!

Other Sages' disciples now shrink back in their own Daoist temples, not daring to take a breath.

The Chan Sect's golden bell has never been rung.

The Jie Sect's Xiandao Grand Formation is tightly sealed.

The Ren Sect practices non-action, as if this great matter does not exist in the world.

But our own Senior Brother Chen Ku actually wants them to rush forward willingly, thrusting their hands into this scorching flesh-and-blood grindstone?!

On Guanshiyin's face, usually compassionate, a heavy bitterness now surfaced, unable to be held back.

Is this not letting oneself go to one's death?

Ten thousand li beyond the battlefield… though it sounds distant, for such a heaven‑earth‑destroying great war, what difference is there between ten thousand li and one cun? The aftershock of a single divine ability, a wisp of escaping killing intent, is enough to doom oneself eternally!

His Dao heart wavered for the first time.

It seemed he sensed the fear and resistance nearly overflowing in Guanshiyin's heart; Chen Ku's voice sounded again, without a ripple.

"Do not forget the lessons I previously gave you!"

That voice was plain, yet it was like a thunderclap exploding in Guanshiyin's sea of consciousness.

Lessons…

Senior Brother Chen Ku's lessons!

"Who should be bold, who should be steady!"

Chen Ku's voice continued, each word like a heavy hammer shattering the confusion and fear in Guanshiyin's heart.

"Junior Brother Guanshiyin, you only need to propagate the Dao and teach the Dharma, salvaging all beings."

"Jinchi Dapeng, you must exert all effort to protect the former's safety."

Boom!

Upon these words, the confusion, fear, and hesitation in the eyes of Guanshiyin and Jinchi Dapeng vanished in an instant!

In their place arose two dazzling, blinding rays of light.

So that's how it is!

This is how it is!

In their hearts, a tremendous surge rose, and they finally fully grasped Chen Ku's profound meaning.

The previous lessons, those teachings and drills that seemed utterly unrelated, will finally be put to use today!

Senior Brother Chen Ku's layout is actually so far‑reaching!

Guanshiyin is the propagator, using the wonderful doctrine of the Buddhist Dharma as a spear to reap the endless merit and qi fortune.

Jinchi Dapeng is the protector, using his unmatched speed and tyrannical flesh as a battle shield to block all danger.

One attacks, one defends; one soft, one hard.

One propagates the Dao, one protects the Dao.

The two complement each other, each serving as the other's flank, enabling them, at the edge of this heaven‑toppling killing calamity, to safely seize the supreme opportunity!

Moreover, Jinchi Dapeng now possesses Quasi-Saint cultivation; his martial prowess is outstanding among his peers, and merely staying ten thousand li from the battlefield to guard the single‑minded Dharma‑propagating Guanshiyin is more than enough.

Having figured all this out, the two exhaled the pent‑up frustration in their chests, leaving only endless admiration and soaring battle spirit.

They thought no more, bowed again, and their voices were now utterly resolute.

"We will dutifully obey the senior brother's (senior's) Dharma edict!"

Before the words even fell, the two turned their forms into a golden and a white divine rainbow, tore through the void without hesitation, and raced toward the witch‑demon battlefield where killing qi surged to the heavens!

Chen Ku's gaze did not linger on them at all; without pause, he shifted his sight and fell once more into the crowd below.

"Kasyapa, Kongxuan, step forward and obey!"

His voice remained calm, yet carried an irresistible majesty.

Ascetic monk Jia Ye and the haughty Kong Xuan stepped forward together, bowing to receive the command.

"You two, having been born alike, rush to the battlefield beyond the witch and demon war..."

"A Na Lü, Iron-eating Beast..."

"..."

Orders flowed one after another from Chen Ku's mouth in an orderly manner.

Each roll call involved two people.

Each arrangement was one for attack, one for defense, one still, one moving.

A preacher must be assisted by a strong practitioner who cultivates the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art and follows the path of slaughter, providing protection.

This orderly, even astonishing command left the ever-silent Jieyin and Zhunti, the two sages, staring dumbfounded.

Their expressions shifted from initial shock, to doubt midway, and now to utter astonishment.

Crazy?

No……

It's not crazy!

Chen Ku intends…… intends to dispatch all the elite disciples of the Buddhist sect!

He aims, in this Great Calamity sweeping the primordial wilderness, to set up a world-shaking grand scheme for the Buddhist sect!

How terrifying is the witch and demon war!

Every moment, fallen beings number in the hundreds of millions! That soaring resentment and karmic force almost taints the entire primordial wilderness' sky black.

With such a vast sea of vengeful souls, relying on just one or two people could never ferry them away in a lifetime.

Only by dispatching all Buddhist sect disciples, spreading them like a vast net, could this boundless karmic force be transformed into the Buddhist sect's merit.

Of course, Chen Ku appeared carefree, but his thoughts were meticulous to the extreme.

He fully considered the differences in each disciple's cultivation.

Guanshiyin and Jinchi Da Peng, these top-tier combatants, were stationed tens of thousands of li away to face the fiercest surges.

As for the weaker disciples, they were spaced 100,000 li apart, even up to several hundred thousand li!

Under the premise of guaranteeing absolute safety, carrying out this salvation effort tempers the Dao heart and reaps merit.

For these Buddhist sect disciples, this very act is itself a tremendous fortune!

Later, Jieyin and Zhunti also completely saw through Chen Ku's every intention.

Any lingering worry and apprehension previously harbored in their hearts had long been swept away by endless excitement and joy.

On Jieyin's face, usually worn by years of hardship, now blossomed with an unprecedented radiance; he nodded heavily, his voice trembling with irrepressible emotion.

"Preaching and protecting the Dao, they complement each other and achieve completion!"

"Marvelous! Marvelous!"

He glanced at Zhunti beside him, his joy nearly overflowing.

"Hehe, this way, our Buddhist sect's disciples will be like millions of pieces, instantly deployed across heaven and earth."

"Regardless of which side wins the witch and demon war, any karmic force or trace of causality they create will ultimately flow into our Buddhist sect's hands, transforming into our sect's fortune and merit."

"After this battle, our Buddhist sect…… will surely soar again and rise steadily!"

Jieyin's delight overflowed his words.

He seemed to already see, beneath that blood‑colored sky, an invisible vast net woven of Buddha‑light slowly unfolding.

Millions of pieces!

These words are certainly not empty talk.

In the former heavenly numbers verdict, the Jie Sect boasted myriad immortals coming to court and possessed tens of thousands of disciples, making it the undisputed greatest sect in the primordial wilderness.

But now, that primacy has long since changed hands.

Since Chen Ku took over the West, the Buddhist sect's name has echoed throughout the universe; every sentient being longs for it and flocks to Mount Sumeru.

Mountain sprites, tree spirits, ancient remnants, and even human cultivators.

Their number is already beyond counting.

From second‑generation Buddhist sect disciples to third‑generation, and even newly initiated fourth‑generation disciples, they advance in layers, already forming a prairie‑fire momentum.

Incense flourishes, the lineage unbroken.

This sight caused Zhunti, one of the two Buddhist sages, to feel his Dao heart roil with violent waves.

His gaze withdrew from the ocean of Buddha‑light formed by the gathering of hundreds of millions of beings, filled with an unprecedented astonishment, and fixed firmly on the back of the young Daoist before him.

A single thought, a bolt of lightning, exploded deep in his mind.

Zhunti's Adam's apple rolled once, his voice taking on a barely perceptible dryness.

"Junior disciple……"

He paused, as if organizing his words, and also as if calming his surging emotions.

"Before this, you taught the masses and dispelled their doubts."

"Could it be that from then on you have been laying the groundwork for today's situation?"

As the words left his mouth, Zhunti himself felt a pang of anxiety.

Such a conjecture is too shocking.

He involuntarily recalled the scene when Chen Ku first opened the altar to expound the Dao.

That day, what Chen Ku transmitted was neither profound Buddhist doctrine nor supreme supernatural power.

But rather two opposing, even somewhat contradictory "Dao"s.

One is "steadfast".

One is "rash".

He thoroughly analyzed when facing an enemy: when to retreat, when to advance, how to wear down a strong foe with a steady posture, and how to launch a thunderbolt strike with a rash attitude, tearing apart the battlefield.

Back then, not to mention those newly initiated disciples, even he and Jieyin thought it was just his junior uncle passing on some practical combat experience.

Although profound, they never gave it much thought.

But now...

Zhunti's gaze once again turned toward the distant Wu-Demon battlefield.

Among the battle formations formed by Buddhist Sect disciples, the scene matched exactly what he had imagined.

Those disciples with steady natures and long breaths formed a solid formation, immovable as vajra, Buddhist light shining everywhere, layer by layer dissolving the Demon Race army's fierce assaults; no matter your myriad divine powers, I stand unmoved.

Meanwhile, the disciples with violent breaths and high fighting spirit, under the protection of the formation, grouped in threes and fives, formed spearheads, and upon spotting an opportunity, surged forth boldly!

Their momentum was ferocious and unstoppable, often able to tear open a weak point in the Demon Race army in an instant, reap battle results, and then swiftly return to the formation.

One steady, one rash; one still, one moving.

Their coordination was seamless and unhindered, actually raising the Buddhist Sect army's combat power by several levels out of thin air!

If one were to say all this is merely coincidence...

Zhunti was the first to not believe it.

Coincidence could never be so exquisitely precise.

The only explanation is Chen Ku's unfathomable mind.

He possesses the eye that sees the future and the means to lay plans in advance!

Faced with Zhunti's nearly questioning, astonished words, Chen Ku did not even turn his head.

He still stood there, upright and tall, like a spear piercing the heavens.

His silence was the best answer.

The last glimmer of luck in Zhunti's heart also vanished completely, replaced by a deeper shock.

He... what exactly is he plotting?

Chen Ku's gaze, deep as the starry sky, reflected the tragic scene of the Wu-Demon two clans' bloody battle.

The cries of countless beings, the clash of divine powers and treasures, the collapse of cosmic order... none of this could cause even the slightest flicker in his eyes.

For today's layout?

No.

The pattern is too small.

What Chen Ku schemes is far more than just a minor Wu-Demon Great Calamity.

The 'steady' and 'rash' ways he teaches are prepared for the endless ages of the entire Buddhist Sect's future.

After a thousand years, ten thousand years, and even countless aeons.

As long as Buddhist Sect disciples continue to pair in this way, they can form the most resilient and also most explosive force.

This is his true purpose.

For the Buddhist Sect, to forge an indestructible foundation that withstands myriad calamities.

The distant battle's radiance grew ever fiercer.

Blood and fire intertwined, killing energy colliding with Buddhist light, dyeing the entire sky in mottled disarray.

A long sigh escaped from Chen Ku's mouth.

He finally turned his head, his calm gaze sweeping over the several primordial top experts beside him.

"Master, Master Uncle, Fellow Daoist Hongyun!"

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable weight.

"We too should prepare."

"The great battle has already intensified; relying only on you junior fellow disciples, I fear it is still far from enough."

Chen Ku's words fell.

Just moments ago, Jieyin and Zhunti, still immersed in shock, and Hongyun, who had silently observed the battle all along, saw their expressions change in an instant.

The earlier astonishment and scrutiny of Chen Ku's layout vanished in an instant.

In its place came the absolute focus of a sage.

Their gazes became extremely solemn, sharp as if they could pierce spacetime, firmly locking onto that ever more violent battlefield.

The great battle is about to escalate.

And they, too, are likely about to join the fray.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The fierce winds above the Nine Heavens were dyed crimson by boundless blood qi, the earth had long since split apart, forming a deep abyss of scorched black and dark red intertwined.

The tattered Wu Clan battle flag was planted upside-down on a giant beast's skeleton; the Demon Race's star banner lay torn and dim, clutched tightly by a broken hand claw covered in green scales.

The clamor of slaughter had ceased, leaving only a deathly stillness that makes one's soul tremble.

This is a stillness as if even time itself had been frozen.

Upon this wasteland resembling the precipice before Chaos first opened, a thread of golden light tore through the blood-colored sky without warning.

That light was not blazing, yet warm and steadfast, bringing an undeniable compassion that slowly seeped into every inch of this space soaked in resentment and killing intent.

One figure, two figures, three figures...

Figures emerged one after another, bathed in that golden light, stepping forth from the depths of the void.

Some held willow jade pure vases, some smiled while holding a flower, some had five-colored divine light flowing behind them, some moved as swift as flowing light yet with utterly different auras.

Guanyin.

Jiaye.

Kong Xuan.

Jin Chi Da Peng.

Each one is an awe-inspiring existence in the Primordial Wilds capable of stirring the winds and clouds of a region.

Yet at this moment, they all appeared together at the final place of the Wu Clan–Demon Race decisive battle.

Between heaven and earth, countless mighty beings hidden in the crevices of dimensions and in blessed grotto-heavens have long turned their divine senses into invisible eyes, scrutinizing this battlefield.

When these several figures appeared, those hitherto calm divine senses all at once stirred up a violent fluctuation.

At first, there was astonishment.

The residual sound of the Chaos Bell has not yet dissipated, and the killing qi of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Fiends Grand Formation continues to erode the laws of heaven and earth.

This timing is too delicate.

"Huh? A Buddhist disciple has appeared in the world?"

Inside an unnamed blessed grotto-heaven, an ancient voice muttered to itself, tinged with incredulity.

His gaze pierced the boundless space, locking onto those several figures; his divine sense swept over them repeatedly, confirming their identities.

No mistake.

That unique peaceful aura, utterly distinct from all martial ways of the world, is precisely that of the Western Buddhist tradition.

"Could it be that they also intend to intervene in this Wu Clan–Demon Race final battle?!"

In the depths of the Netherworld Sea of Blood, a scarlet thought surged skyward, stirring the boundless karmic flames.

That thought was filled with vigilance and greed.

The Wu Clan and the Demon Race have fought to the point of exhausted resources; is this not the perfect time for the fisherman to reap the benefits?

Does the Buddhist tradition also want to come and get a share?

"Buddhist tradition… could it be that they intend to aid the Wu Clan side?!"

Above the Nine Heavens, within the fragments of the Demon Race's Heavenly Court that remain, a demon god lets out an unwilling roar.

After all, the Demon Race once had karmic ties with the Buddhist tradition.

Moreover, Jin Chi Da Peng and Kong Xuan hail from the Phoenix Clan, having myriad connections with the Demon Race.

But the aura they now exude has completely turned toward the Buddhist tradition.

Is this betrayal, or is there some other scheme?

Gazes and divine senses intertwined and collided silently in the void.

Speculation, suspicion, vigilance.

On the entire Primordial Wilds, all surviving beings directed their attention here.

They waited.

They waited to see where this earth-shattering step of the Buddhist tradition would land.

Was it a slaughter blade swung at the remnants of the Wu Clan?

Or was it a sharp sword thrust at the dying demon god?

However, what happened next caused all the watching gazes to freeze completely.

Guan Shi Yin held a pure jade vase, its mouth slightly tilted.

There was no power to destroy heaven and earth, no shattering of laws.

Only a single drop of crystal-clear sweet dew drifted leisurely from the vase.

The sweet dew dispersed upon leaving the vase, turning into a fine mist that enveloped heaven and earth.

The rain threads showed a faint golden hue, carrying a fresh fragrance like that of newly sprouted plants.

When the first drop of golden rain fell upon the scorched earth, the land cursed by the Wu Clan–Demon Race's blood, unable to recover vitality for a hundred million years, actually emitted a soft 'hiss'.

Strands of black qi visible to the naked eye were forced out from the soil and from the skeletons.

That was the deepest resentment of the fallen warriors, the most vicious curse.

Yet under the scouring of these golden rain threads, those ferocious roaring black qi gradually melted away, gradually purified.

The shrill wails gradually turned into a sigh of relief.

On the other side, Venerable Jiaye wore a faint smile and stepped forward.

Under his feet no auspicious clouds appeared; instead, a golden lotus blossomed in the foul blood pool.

One.

Ten.

Hundreds of thousands, millions.

In an instant, the golden lotuses bloomed across the entire battlefield.

These golden lotuses took root among corpses and resentment, drawing not the essence of flesh and blood, but those restless souls unable to find peace.

Countless fragmented souls, attracted by the golden lotus's Buddhist light, poured one after another into the lotus cores.

The golden lotuses gently closed, then reopened; the souls had lost their malevolence, turned into the purest true spirits, their faces serene, they bowed slightly to Jiaye before turning into points of light that drifted toward the depths of reincarnation.

Kong Xuan stood in the high heavens.

He did not unleash any treasure; he simply slowly unfurled the five-colored divine light behind him that shook the Primordial Wilds.

Red, azure, yellow, white, black.

The five beams of divine light turned endlessly, forming a huge halo.

In the past, whenever this divine light appeared, it swept away and destroyed everything; it was a top-tier killing weapon of heaven and earth.

But today, this five-colored divine light displayed no killing power at all.

The halo turned, not sweeping toward any particular enemy, but enveloping the entire expanse of heaven and earth.

Where the brilliant light flowed and passed, the pervasive killing intent and boundless hatred in the space—so intense they could make even a Great Luo Golden Immortal lose composure—were forcibly swept away by that five-colored divine light.

Not annihilation, nor suppression.

But rather, salvation.

It transforms the very essence of destruction and malice into a peaceful, righteous vital energy, which slowly returns to heaven and earth.

The Golden-winged Great Peng then let out a clear, resonant cry.

This cry pierces metal and splits stone, yet carries not the slightest killing intent.

The sound waves spread, forming concentric golden ripples.

Those powerful heroic spirits that lingered in the battlefield's skies, having become fierce ghosts through obsession, froze in their forms upon hearing this cry.

In their hollow eye sockets, a glimmer of clarity seemed to appear.

They forgot hatred, forgot slaughter, remembering only who they were and where they came from.

Finally, in the Peng's long cry, they laid down their remnant troops, bowed far off toward their homeland, and their silhouettes dissipated like blue smoke.

Everywhere in the world, strands of Buddhist wondrous dharma permeated forth, bursting with Buddhist Dao golden light.

This light illuminated the gloomy Sea of Blood and warmed the icy Nine Heavens.

Those mighty beings who had been tense, astonished, and fully on guard fell into an even deeper shock.

Their divine sense and their Dao hearts were both struck by an unprecedented impact at this moment.

"They… are they ferrying away grieving souls and purifying resentment?!"

An ancient existence muttered to itself, its voice carrying a dreamlike sense of unreality.

Slaughter, contending for supremacy, seizing fortune, proving the Dao to attain Primordial Unity.

This is the eternal, unchanging theme of the Primordial.

But the Buddhist Sect's act is like forcibly splashing a swath of merciful golden radiance onto this bloody, cruel scroll.

It appears so out of place, yet so……

Moving to the heart.

"This……"

Obviously!

The Buddhist disciples' act also once again exceeded everyone's expectations.