Chapter 218: Showdown (Four)

Everyone attack together! Otherwise, once he recovers, nobody will escape death!

Mister Meng let out a loud shout, his black robe billowing without wind, and he was the first to rush toward the golden light.

The old lama dared not delay, his eyes narrowed, and the aura around him became mysterious.

Only saw him slightly raise his hand; a mysterious light seemed to flicker in his eyes, then an intangible mental force surged out like a tide, swiftly rushing to where the golden light blossomed.

This is the Esoteric Sect's unsurpassed mental secret technique.

"Hmph, ignorant of life and death!" Within the blazing Buddha light, the old monk's cold laughter rang out.

"Bang!"

With a booming roar, the Buddha light burst forth, and Mister Meng's body suddenly flew backward from the golden light, crashing into the pile of rubble.

The old lama seemed to be deliberately suppressing the force in his hand, somewhat wary of the movements above.

Otherwise, with that previous strength, this Mister Meng would probably have already been blasted to pieces.

The golden light grew ever more blazing, inside suddenly two violent pulses of aura arose, but no further sound came from within.

The old lama's deep eyes began to dim, his complexion gradually turning pale.

"Why don't you make a move?"

Niu Dingtian's silhouette suddenly appeared again, standing beside Wanyan Changzhi.

Although his clothes were still in tatters, the ash on his skin had vanished.

He glanced briefly at the lightning winding across the firmament, suppressed his internal qi, and temporarily gave up the idea of attacking.

Wanyan Changzhi's heart shook with alarm; he suppressed the urge to flee, did his utmost to stay calm, and said in a deep voice: "I harbor no intention of making an enemy of the Sect Master Niu; I have come this time chiefly to kill that person, secondarily to kill the demon leader, and I beg the Sect Master Niu to show mercy."

Saying that, he glanced lightly at Mister Meng, then cupped his fists toward Niu Dingtian in a salute.

"Do you have a grudge?"

Niu Dingtian blinked in surprise.

"His surname is Meng, I don't know his full name; he's an expert beside Tiemuzhen." Wanyan Changzhi answered honestly.

"Since you want to kill him, why not make a move?" Niu Dingtian raised his eyes to look at the tall, slim man. His azure eyes and the words just spoken left a deep impression on him.

Having been blown away by the old monk's palm, he now looked deathly pale, clutching his chest as he leaned against a large stone.

After hearing Niu Dingtian's words, Wanyan Changzhi visibly froze for a moment, and in the distance Mister Meng's face suddenly changed color.

"I'll give you only one chance." Niu Dingtian looked at Wanyan Changzhi, speaking with deep meaning.

As soon as his words fell, Wanyan Changzhi suddenly turned about, mobilizing his Profound Ice True Qi and lunging forward.

"Bang!"

"Pfft~"

In that single exchange, Mister Meng spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward.

"You're crazy!"

He staggered to his feet and then shouted angrily: "Do you really think he'll let you off? Tonight either we all die together, or the two of them die together!"

Wanyan Changzhi's face expressionless, he again swung his palm and attacked.

"Pfft~"

……

"And you?"

Niu Dingtian smiled, his gaze shifting slightly to fall upon the distant Old Ancestor Kuihua.

This hermaphrodite who two years ago forced me into a life‑or‑death struggle now stands cautiously in place, not daring to move at all.

Old Ancestor Kuihua's heart tightened; her gorgeous face broke into a fawning smile, and she said cautiously: "We acknowledge having come out against the Sect Master Niu, and we have never since thought of making a move; you let us act, and we will act."

"No longer calling yourself Old Ancestor?"

Niu Dingtian's eyebrows rose slightly, although more than half of him had been scorched by the lightning.

"No, no!" Old Ancestor Kuihua quickly apologized with a smile: "We previously dared to act against you only because Zhao Kuo led us astray; last time we already learned a profound lesson, and from now on we will never dare again."

"Actually, before we came, Zhao Kuo's little brat again wanted to strike at the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, but that rascal we gave a stern beating. Last time we gave you some compensation; this time, when we return, we will surely satisfy you."

"What do you think?" Having said that, he harbored a sliver of hope, looking forward with an expectant expression.

"Not at all."

Niu Dingtian shook his head.

Thereafter, his face like profound water, he calmly regarded Old Ancestor Kuihua and sent a mental transmission: "Tonight, as long as those present are still in the Innate realm, not a single one will be able to leave alive."

"Including him!"

Having said that, he pointed to where the old monk had previously lain; there the golden light shone dazzlingly, seeming almost substantive, making it hard for onlookers to see the concrete situation inside.

Old Ancestor Kuihua's face changed slightly upon hearing that.

"Of course, those below the Innate realm can still leave." Niu Dingtian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression easing slightly, and again spoke with deep meaning.

"Those below the Innate realm can leave?" Old Ancestor Kuihua gritted her teeth, her mind racing with calculations.

He did want to flee, but in the dark it seemed as if some qi mechanism had firmly locked onto him.

The two's strength differed vastly; had it not been for seeing Niu Dingtian and the old monk struck down with serious injuries, he wouldn't have had the courage to rush out at all.

"Damned cow-nose!" Old Ancestor Kuihua couldn't help but grit her teeth and silently curse Wang Chongyang.

Niu Dingtian let out a light sigh, turned his head slightly, and gazed at the ever‑more blazing golden mass, saying slowly: "Wang Chongyang and that monk's strength is nearly drained; once the old ghost frees his hands, even if you try to run, you won't be able to."

"Drained?" Old Ancestor Kuihua felt both shock and fear, she stared intently toward it, but aside from the blazing, dazzling golden light she saw nothing.

Inside, the aura pulses came and went; outside, the red‑clad old lama's face was ashen, yet he still struggled to hold on.

"Sect Master Niu, you are magnanimous; please spare us this once!"

Old Ancestor Kuihua's face suddenly fell; she lowered her voice to plead: "When we return to Lin'an, with our influence in the palace, whatever you want is just a matter of a word."

Niu Dingtian, however, remained unmoved; amidst his disheveled hair, a pair of clear eyes lay calm and waveless, merely gazing silently at him.

Kuihua Laozu seeing this, knew tonight could not be easily resolved, began to become hesitant and struggling. Whether the Niu-surnamed kills him or not, he also does not release him, obviously forcing him to act personally to destroy his own innate strength.

But this is what he cultivated through a lifetime of hard practice, involving his future lifespan—how could he bear to give it up?

"Pfft~"

"Boom!"

At that moment, the red-robed old lama spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body instantly blown away by an invisible force.

Kuihua Laozu saw this and his face changed dramatically.

A flash of resolve crossed his eyes, he gritted his teeth, and fiercely slapped his palm toward his own abdomen.

"Pfft~"

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth, his face turning deathly pale as his aura suddenly weakened.

"We have already destroyed our innate meridians; in this lifetime we can no longer reach this realm, Sect Master Niu, can you now rest easy?"

Kuihua Laozu's aura weakened; as he spoke, his fair, smooth skin rapidly began to age, large wrinkles appearing on his face.

The innate meridians are the channels through which innate vital energy circulates; they are the foundation of innate experts.

By destroying it, not only did his realm fall, but the innate essence and energy that maintained his appearance also instantly dissipated.

"If you cannot satisfy me, you should know the consequences." Niu Dingtian said lightly, then turned away and no longer looked at him.

Kuihua Laozu heard this and was stunned.

After reacting, he instantly felt as if granted a great pardon, and hurriedly fled toward the distance.

"Do you really have such audacity?"

Just as Kuihua Laozu's red silhouette disappeared, the old monk's indifferent voice sounded from behind the mountain.

At the same time, two black shadows were suddenly thrown from the golden light, smashing directly onto Mister Meng, who was covered in wounds and desperately struggling against Wanyan Changzhi.

Afterward, the golden light gradually faded, revealing the old monk's extremely ruddy face; his eyes gazed indifferently at Niu Dingtian.

"You... you demon!"

Mister Meng had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his face as pale as paper; after climbing up from the ground, his eyes stared in horror at the two corpses before him.

He had thought that the two on his side, unable to match each other's strength, had been blown away like the old lama, and for this he had risked serious injury to go meet them.

Upon holding them in his arms and taking a look, he was so frightened that he flung them away.

Wanyan Changzhi was also startled and fearful; after glancing at Mister Meng, he ceased his attack and instinctively moved closer to Niu Dingtian.

Niu Dingtian, however, fixed his gaze on the old monk and said with a light smile, "There are still three; I can wait a bit longer for you."

Saying that, he glanced at the thunder-interwoven sky and said, "If you don't hurry up, this won't wait for you."

Upon hearing this, the old monk's eyes narrowed, without any hesitation he lunged straight at the nearest Mister Meng.

"Sect Master Niu! Old man..." Wanyan Changzhi exclaimed in shock, hastily turning his gaze to Niu Dingtian.

"Heed this advice from the sect master: in your next life, don't be reborn as a golden person!"

Before Wanyan Changzhi could finish speaking, Niu Dingtian's figure vanished instantly, leaving only a clear, cold voice echoing leisurely through the mountains.

Half an hour later——

At the edge of the back courtyard cliff of Shaolin Temple, Niu Dingtian was sitting cross-legged on a large rock.

As the golden light below the cliff gradually faded, the pure radiance on his body retracted inward, and he also withdrew his gaze from the winding, wandering lightning.

"My senior brother once said that after those in the Heaven-Man realm shatter the void, they are at their weakest moment, which is why countless Heaven-Man realm cultivators have perished in the turbulent void."

The old monk's figure shifted from illusory to solid, appearing behind Niu Dingtian, and he said lightly, "Now that the Damo Cave has been destroyed, you can only join forces with me to shatter the void and leave this world."

Niu Dingtian shook his head, using the same tone to say lightly, "You go first; I still want to stay a few days. Since we haven't fought, we don't know each other—I will come to guard your Dharma."

To guard my Dharma?

The old monk's face gradually darkened; he couldn't help but snort coldly and angrily said, "Do you really not know what's good for you?"

His current show of goodwill is also rather helpless; after all, the recent thunder left him still feeling uneasy.

If he does not leave this realm, he will either be struck dead by lightning, or end up in a mutually destructive battle with this guy, only to be struck dead by lightning afterward.

But to have him, in front of this brat, rely on his own strength to break open the void—unthinkable! "Actually, I still prefer seeing you when you previously called yourself a poor monk."

Niu Dingtian's eyebrows twitched with frivolity; he slowly turned his body, gazing lightly at the old monk, and mocked, "That might cause me to forget the power lodged within your body."

The old monk's pupils shrank sharply, his eyes glowing with golden light as he stared straight at Niu Dingtian.

"Do you really think I can't kill you?" the old monk said, his voice cold as a Buddha.

"You can try."

Niu Dingtian gave a cold laugh.

In the next instant, the two moved, instantly transforming into a golden and a white blazing light, darting between the peaks like lightning and colliding fiercely.

The old monk shouted furiously, like an angry-eyed arhat; with a wave of his hand, golden Buddhist light suffused the air, seeming able to pierce the void and carrying endless pressure.

Niu Dingtian gave a soft shout; the mountain's pure radiance suddenly appeared and swiftly flowed into his body.

Among the mountains, space twisted slightly, the air seeming to solidify, suffused with mysterious undulations.

In the sky, dark clouds like ink rolled and surged; lightning threaded through the clouds, occasionally illuminating the entire mountain range and casting eerie shadows.

As the battle continued, the aura they emitted grew stronger and stronger, gradually no longer holding back.

Above, the dark clouds tumbled; a purple lightning bolt streaked through the clouds, followed immediately by more purple thunder roaring.

That lightning seemed to come from another world, bearing an aura that would destroy everything.

Niu Dingtian's heart jolted; he exerted all his strength in the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, sending out strands of dragon-shaped cold air that carried the old monk southward.

The old monk also had the intention to leave this place; with his cooperation, the two, bearing blazing light, tore through the night sky, from above Dengfeng City like meteors, flashing swiftly southward.

But the thunder in the sky seemed to possess sentience, one moment churning and brewing, the next pursuing the two's escape direction relentlessly. (End of chapter)