Chapter 191: Karmic Fire Tempers the Golden Body

The swaying karmic fire gradually formed the face of Ksitigarbha.

"Look, you can't even withstand one tenth of my strength, yet you still have the nerve to claim you're Ksitigarbha?" Tang Luo said.

Actually, that statement isn't quite accurate—just now, that punch had already exceeded one tenth of my strength, wildly probing the edge of the unharmed limit.

Although Tang Luo spoke with absolute certainty, insisting this person wasn't Ksitigarbha.

But in reality, he was muttering inwardly, wondering what exactly this Ksitigarbha before him was.

It felt somewhat similar to the situation with the Heavenly Hound.

Could it be that during that "great upheaval," Ksitigarbha also suffered severe damage, and afterward, a situation similar to that of the Heavenly Hound occurred?

"You……idiot!"

The face of Ksitigarbha formed from the flames looked as ferocious as the Flying Emperor just now, its originally solemn and dignified countenance completely vanished.

The intense malice was nearly solidifying and pouring out.

It was clear that his current fury came entirely from the heart; beneath the mask of solemn dignity, the present ferocity and viciousness were the true visage.

"Tsk." Tang Luo laughed, continuing to provoke the Ksitigarbha before him, "If you can't win, you resort to insults—you fake Ksitigarbha are hopeless."

Saying that, he reached out and grabbed, lunging toward the flames before him.

The face composed of karmic fire suddenly dissipated, reforming elsewhere: "I shouldn't have had any expectations of you from the start—compared to that monkey, you're the hopeless beast! You'll never learn to think!"

"All you do is rage uselessly, you've thrown away all the dignity of Ksitigarbha." Tang Luo reached out again.

The karmic fire likewise dispersed, but as it vanished, countless palm shadows appeared, completely covering the surroundings.

Thousand Hands Cannot Be Defended!

The condensed karmic fire also fell within the range of Thousand Hands Cannot Be Defended.

The palm shadows vanished; Tang Luo made a grasping motion with his left hand, and in his palm was the vicious, ferocious flame-face of Ksitigarbha.

"Got you." Tang Luo said with a smile.

"No, I got you." Ksitigarbha said, and the karmic fire erupted suddenly.

But it wasn't the kind of eruption like a sky-full of flames—it surged directly along Tang Luo's palm into his body.

For a moment, Tang Luo was "ignited," instantly turning into a human-shaped torch.

This mass of karmic fire was a convergence of power, its might far surpassing that of the karmic fire from before.

Within the flames, twisted faces appeared, biting into Tang Luo's body, wildly shaking their heads, tearing, hoping to bite off a piece of flesh from him.

"Come, become part of me."

Ksitigarbha's face appeared before Tang Luo, expression once again becoming solemn and dignified: "We were originally of the same sect—why must we fight?"

"Is that all the fire you've got? Won't you increase the power a bit?" Tang Luo laughed.

Besides, his equipment had already been stored away, including his glasses—on him now were only the Merit Jade Lotus and the temporarily formed monk's robe.

Just let it burn like this.

"Arrogant!"

Ksitigarbha snorted coldly, and beneath Tang Luo's feet, a large amount of fire simultaneously rose.

These flames condensed into a completely fire-made prison, trapping Tang Luo within.

"I'd like to see how long you, this heaven-defying sinful beast, can keep your mouth shut." Ksitigarbha said.

"Now that's more like it."

Tang Luo laughed, though his face already showed signs of pain.

The burning agony of the karmic fire is not something just anyone can endure.

Ksitigarbha said nothing; the karmic fire burned even more fiercely, and aside from the fire prison, the surroundings were utterly icy cold.

There was not a trace of warmth—all power had condensed into one point, vowing to drag Tang Luo into the karmic fire hell, never to rise again.

Tang Luo's body gradually began to wither.

One could see the faces of the vengeful spirits biting into him already emitting gleeful, mad laughter.

The sound of bursting flames continued without cease.

Tang Luo sat cross-legged, hands clasped, eyes closed, yet still unable to stop the karmic fire from burning.

His skin began to turn charred black; before long, he had become a seated blackened corpse.

Flames continued to roar fiercely upon his blackened body.

"Hahahaha!"

Ksitigarbha laughed heartily, unrestrained, as if finally releasing the resentment he'd held earlier.

"It seems, this is all there is."

Suddenly, the closed-eyed, charred corpse opened its eyes—inside, the pupils shone bright, dazzlingly so.

"You!" Ksitigarbha realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

"Originally, I thought you were Ksitigarbha who had fallen into demonhood." Tang Luo said.

Falling from Buddha to demon isn't rare among Buddhist cultivators. As Tang Luo put it, these great monks usually suppress themselves idle, suppress and suppress, until some fail to hold back, in silence becoming deviant, falling into demonhood.

Those called "Magic Buddha" cultivators, in the Journey to the West world, are actually quite numerous.

Including the Great Thunderclap Temple of Ling Mountain, inside the Demon-Subduing Pagoda, many originally enlightened high monks imprisoned, who upon falling into demonhood cannot free themselves, are captured and subdued there, hoping to cleanse their demonic nature and return to humanity.

Those who can enter the Demon-Subduing Pagoda to be subdued are all powerful fallen monks, among whom even a fallen Bodhisattva is imprisoned.

Although Ksitigarbha is called the Bodhisattva closest to Buddha, he is not exempt from the possibility of falling into demonhood.

Especially given the great vow he made—"I will not become a Buddha until the hells are empty"—it's truly enormous, making it very easy to suppress oneself to the point of breaking.

Earlier, Tang Luo had guessed the Ksitigarbha before him was a wounded one who had fallen into demonhood.

But now, Tang Luo had a new thought.

"You are merely a demonic thought of Ksitigarbha." Tang Luo said, as the hanging Merit Jade Lotus emitted a brilliant golden light.

Since entering the mission world, I have been subduing demons and eliminating evil all the way, accumulating merit power to the present, which began to be consumed frantically.

Including the "Fearless" of "offering my body to feed tigers" and "I would rather go to hell than let anyone else go to hell," all the karmic fire was completely attracted, burning oneself to generate merit.

This act is equivalent to, by one's own power, thoroughly ending the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and concluding the hell on earth.

The merit power generated is not insignificant.

The flaming face of Ksitigarbha King showed a terrified expression, struggling, wanting to escape but discovering that all the karmic fire, including the foundation of his being, was firmly "grasped" by Tang Luo.

The true meaning of that phrase "I've got you" is now manifested.

The flame prison began to shrink, leaving only a layer of flame covering Tang Luo's "charred dry corpse."

At the chest, Ksitigarbha King's face roared wildly, yet even sound could not be emitted.

A layer of golden light enveloped Tang Luo, he slowly raised his hand, and grasped the flame on his chest.

"You..."

Ksitigarbha King didn't even have time to finish "speaking" before being shoved by Tang Luo into his mouth.

Demonic thoughts, of course, are not simply a single evil thought.

So-called demonic thoughts can entirely be part of the "true self," especially this Ksitigarbha demonic thought, which controls the karmic fire.

Given time, if given the chance to grow stronger, it would become a "Ksitigarbha King Devil Bodhisattva."

With Tang Luo's current strength, he can defeat it, but it is difficult to truly kill this demonic thought that takes karmic fire as its foundation and exists as an incarnation.

Only by taking such a risky move can the opponent be thoroughly exterminated, and most importantly...

Thoroughly drawing the karmic fire into the body, a burst of flame erupted from within outward, those charred skin and flesh fell off piece by piece, revealing equally black bones.

A trace of flame can still be seen persisting in burning.

The merit jade lotus hovered above the head, warm golden light radiance poured down, protecting Tang Luo.

Suddenly, the black skeleton shuddered, the last karmic fire vanished, and black ash fell down.

Revealing inside a bone as crystal-clear and flawless as jade, presenting a faint golden hue.

Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone!

Protected by merit power, the karmic fire scorched and tempered, and since the body itself cultivates only the physical form, not inquiring into the "left path."

Achieved Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone!

The Buddha bone body of the truly supreme three Buddha realms.

In the hollow eye sockets of the golden skull, two points of splendid light appeared.

"Uh... a bit radical." Tang Luo said, flesh and blood rapidly regenerated, returning to his original appearance, even white hair grew back.

The radiance of the merit jade lotus transformed into a white monk's robe draped over the body, the merit jade lotus then flowed into Tang Luo's chest.

Forming a lotus pattern on it.

"Looks like I need some time to recover." Tang Luo's complexion showed an abnormal pallor.

Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone, called Diamond Glazed Bone, removing that "Buddha" character, even changing to "Dao Bone" is not impossible.

The "body-refining cultivation method" Tang Luo practiced in the past was a revised version of the Seventy-Two Transformations, and the Seventy-Two Transformations again originated from the Eight-Nine Mystic Art, a non-Buddhist non-Daoist, seemingly Buddhist seemingly Daoist profound cultivation method.

The Three Thousand Great Dao, different paths leading to the same goal, the Buddha is originally the Dao, merely differing in outward manifestation.

Tang Luo, this Battle Victory Buddha unversed in Buddhist teachings achieving Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone, is not some heaven-defying matter.

But the problem is, he himself is in a state of unhealed severe injury, and his current condition can be described as dire.

The original upper limit of unharmed strength already approaching two successes, is now gone.

Must rely on the merit jade lotus continuously consuming merit power to heal wounds at all times, only then can the injury be prevented from worsening further.

According to the current situation, Tang Luo needs one month of time to stabilize the injury, preventing further deterioration.

According to the current consumption rate of merit power, half a month's time, the merit power will be completely exhausted.

Tang Luo needs to continue punishing evil and promoting good during this period to obtain sufficient merit power—if enough, the healing time can be entirely shortened.

Once the injury stops worsening, it also means Tang Luo's unharmed upper limit will recover to one success of strength.

But this one success of strength is already enough to catch up to the original two successes, even more.

Don't think that merely cultivating a Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone is trivial; it actually achieved a qualitative change effect, strength has risen to a higher level.

Moreover, due to the increase in strength, future wound healing will be more efficient than before, and the recovery speed will also become faster.

Tang Luo looked toward the direction of Chiyo and others.

Found that these two people had already vanished without a trace, apparently because he truly ended this Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, completed the mission and left.

In a certain sense, it also counts as saving two lives, merit power increased slightly.

"That guy seems not dead either?"

Tang Luo looked toward the place of the Slip-Head Ghost's corpse fragments, that Upper Wild Shigeru, also seemed not dead, having left just now due to the mission completion.

"Forget it."

Not something worth worrying about, he broke the Heaven-Howling Dog's one arm, later also being heavily wounded half-dead by Tang Luo, counted as "good and evil have retribution, heavenly way cycles."

Next time encountering him as an enemy, just take care of him along the way.

Tang Luo has no interest in deliberately seeking out that guy.

Now, taking advantage of not having left yet, save more people, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is over, but there are also many post-event tasks to do.

Now Tang Luo very much needs merit power.

One morning returning to before liberation, having little "cash," truly poor!