Chapter 1796: The Buddha Statues of All Living Beings
The surrounding crowd turned their gazes toward Yuwen Hou, seeing the cold murderous light flickering in his eyes. It was almost predictable that Yuwen Hou would retaliate against the Heavenly Terrace. The next round would likely be Ji Wuyou's battle.
"It's your turn." Yuwen Hou's eyes narrowed into slits, like a venomous snake, giving off a chilling sensation.
Lin Feng's eyes swept over the people of the Heavenly Terrace, then settled on Wu. Wu had broken into the Martial Emperor realm around the same time as Lin Feng, being a Solar Divine Bird by nature, always striving to surpass him. His strength was now extraordinary. Ji Wuyou possessed the Azure Dragon Totem, which endowed him with the vigorous essence and powerful bloodline of a true dragon, filling him with boundless strength. To deal with him, the Divine Bird Three-Legged Golden Crow was quite suitable. Lin Feng's requirement for this battle was not necessarily victory, but merely to prove the strength of the Heavenly Terrace.
Ji Wuyou, as the number one on the Hidden King List: Human List, had long been renowned. When Lin Feng first entered the academy, Ji Wuyou was already the top. Therefore, even if the people of the Heavenly Terrace lost, there was no need to feel ashamed.
"Wu, dare you go out and fight?" Lin Feng spoke to Wu. Wu's sharp eyes swept over Lin Feng, feeling a surge of anger in his chest. This guy dared to provoke him like this. With a long cry, Wu's figure rolled forward and landed on the battle platform, his gaze fixed on the Ji Gate crowd across from him.
"Who dares to fight?" Wu roared angrily. Ji Wuyou stepped forward, landing on the battle platform, his aura rolling and dragon roars echoing.
"It seems Ji Gate is truly out of people. Either they send a scapegoat, or they send Ji Wuyou." A sarcastic voice came from the Heavenly Terrace crowd. After several rounds of battles, it was clear to everyone that the Star Gate of Ji Gate no longer had the capital to be proud before the Heavenly Terrace. It seemed it was time for them to step aside.
A dragon roar and a sharp cry of a divine bird filled the battle platform with wild and violent demonic power. Ji Wuyou bore the Azure Dragon Totem on his back, while Wu transformed into his true form, the Solar Divine Bird, clashing fiercely with Ji Wuyou. Though he was outmatched, he fought like a madman, untamed and unyielding, his sharp cries shaking the heavens. The terrifying Solar Law flames seemed to have set the entire battle platform ablaze, incredibly fierce.
"Get lost!" Ji Wuyou's roar rang out as his fist slammed heavily into Wu's wing, sending Wu's body reeling back. But Wu soared into the sky again, refusing to let go, as if he would never know surrender.
"That's enough." Lin Feng transmitted his voice. Wu was fast and had a strong physical body, allowing him to hold out for a long time. But he was ultimately no match for Ji Wuyou and had already sustained considerable injuries. He couldn't keep fighting recklessly. Fighting to this extent was already sufficient.
Wu's massive pupils turned back to glare at Lin Feng. Seeing Lin Feng's sharp gaze, he let out a sharp cry and descended from the battle platform.
Although Ji Wuyou had won this battle, there was no joy in his heart. He snorted angrily, seemingly displeased, and stepped back toward the Ji Gate. Lin Feng had brutally humiliated the people of his Ji Gate, but he had not been able to achieve the same level of humiliation and suppression.
"The descendant of a great demonic power from the Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital's demon realm, originally a Solar Divine Bird—this Wu's strength is extraordinary. Though untamed, he still listens to Lin Feng's words. The strength of the Heavenly Terrace is becoming increasingly unfathomable. If given a few decades, the Heavenly Terrace might become another Ji Gate."
The crowd murmured to themselves, sighing at the formidable power of this newly risen sect.
Next, it was Ji Gate's turn to send someone out. Lin Feng's icy, cold eyes swept over the Ji Gate's position, making every member of Ji Gate feel as if Lin Feng was staring directly at them, sending a chill down their spines. If Lin Feng treated them the same way he had treated that person earlier, they would have no face left to show in the future. And since no one knew exactly how strong Lin Feng was, none of them dared to guarantee they could escape unscathed from his hands.
Thus, the Ji Gate camp fell into a brief silence. Yuwen Hou's eyes swept over the crowd repeatedly, but found almost no one willing to step forward.
"Yuwen Hou, your Star Gate is one of the three gates of Ji Gate. Since you agreed to fight the Heavenly Terrace, why be so cowardly and let others suffer in your place? Let the people of Ji Gate fight with dignity. Even if they lose, it's better than this disgraceful situation. You've completely lost face."
At this moment, a voice came from the crowd, causing everyone's pupils to contract slightly. They turned to look in the direction of the voice. The speaker was not from the Heavenly Terrace, but a young man draped in a fur robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves—Jing Shou.
Yuwen Hou stared at Jing Shou, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. Not only had Jing Shou refused to temporarily join Ji Gate that day, but now he dared to mock them. How outrageous.
"I'll take this battle." Yuwen Jing could no longer bear the strange looks from the crowd. Her figure moved forward directly, stepping onto the battle platform.
"Princess." Yuwen Hou was slightly startled, feeling a sense of unease. He stared intently at Lin Feng. If this guy made a move, Yuwen Jing would likely be unable to withstand him. Ji Wuyou's cold eyes also fell on Lin Feng, but Lin Feng sneered and said, "I won't be as despicable as your Ji Gate, seeking victory through underhanded means. I want your Ji Gate to truly see the Heavenly Terrace trample over you. For this battle, Third Senior Brother, you will fight."
When Yuwen Jing stepped forward, Lin Feng noticed the fluctuation in Tian Chi's eyes, his battle intent sharp. In their previous battle, Tian Chi had lost to Yuwen Jing, who had stored powerful laws. Now, more than a year had passed, and he was determined to reclaim his defeat.
"I defeated you before, and today you will still be my loser." Yuwen Jing exuded strong confidence. How could she be defeated by someone she had once beaten? Tian Chi had no hope at all.
"Seeing mountains as mountains, seeing water as water; seeing mountains not as mountains, seeing water not as water." Tian Chi murmured softly, his hands clasped together. Buddha light radiated from him in all directions, and an ancient Buddha appeared behind him, its boundless light illuminating heaven and earth. Seeing mountains as mountains again, he was still the same person he had been before.
"Nonsense and gibberish. Under the Four Seasons Life-Seizing Sword, mountains and water will all be annihilated." Yuwen Jing shouted coldly. The Four Seasons sword light surged toward Tian Chi, four types of sword intent descending simultaneously, crushing the Buddha light.
Tian Chi's eyes closed slightly, and endless Buddha light burst forth, causing illusory Buddha shadows to appear throughout the void, as if countless Buddhas had manifested together.
"Kill!" Yuwen Jing cried out sharply. The sword light crushed forward, piercing into the Buddha statue. Terrifying power erupted, shattering Tian Chi and the Buddha statue into pieces. But the joy in Yuwen Jing's eyes lasted only a moment before her face turned cold. A buzzing sound filled her ears as she looked around—she was surrounded by illusory Buddha shadows, making her feel dizzy.
"Seeing mountains not as mountains, seeing water not as water." Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at Tian Chi. The mortal world was like an illusion, everything like seeing mountains through mist—real yet unreal, true yet false. Just like Tian Chi at this moment, he didn't even know which figure was his true self.
"Third Junior Brother has awakened." Hou Qinglin's handsome eyes flashed with a brilliant smile when he saw this. He knew that the Tian Chi of today was no longer the Tian Chi of the past.
"Second Senior Brother, what's happening?" Lin Feng looked at Hou Qinglin beside him and asked in a low voice.
"Lin Feng, Tian Chi practices the Buddhist path, which values the word 'awakening' above all else. With a single moment of enlightenment, he can comprehend the highest Buddhist principles and wield supreme power. Third Junior Brother obtained a great Buddhist technique by chance in the past, called the Buddha Statues of All Living Beings. Unlike other techniques, this one is extremely difficult to comprehend. But every time he awakens, his strength leaps forward. It seems that practicing the Heavenly Derivation Scripture for the past six months has led him to a profound realization."
Hou Qinglin transmitted his voice to Lin Feng, then smiled and said, "This battle, Third Junior Brother will surely win."
On the battle platform, the Buddha Statues of All Living Beings surrounded Yuwen Jing's form. Waves of Buddhist chants rolled forth, trapping the Four Seasons sword. It was as if she had a full body of power but nowhere to release it. Finally, Yuwen Jing even madly unleashed the terrifying power stored within her body, blasting the Buddha statues apart continuously. But the living beings' Buddhas grew angry, spitting out the great Dao chants that shook Yuwen Jing's soul. Then, the seals of the Buddhas pressed down, slamming Yuwen Jing heavily onto the ground.
Yuwen Jing stood on the battle platform, raising her cold eyes to gaze at the Buddha shadows in the void. Her pretty face was pale. Defeated. She had been defeated by someone she had once beaten. Feeling the gazes of the crowd, she felt as if those looks were all directed at her in humiliation, making her body burn with a stinging pain.
But Yuwen Jing was overthinking. In a world that only revered the strong, most eyes were now on Tian Chi. They did not doubt Yuwen Jing's strength, but they were shocked by Tian Chi's power. Compared to a year ago, this mysterious ascetic monk had become terrifyingly stronger. Such progress left many feeling powerless, as if he had undergone a complete transformation.
"You have lost." A ethereal voice rolled down from the void, impossible to pinpoint where it came from. Yuwen Jing's sword intent surged, but Yuwen Hou called out, "Princess."
Yuwen Jing's expression stiffened. A trace of defeat finally flickered in her deep, beautiful eyes. Her figure flickered as she stepped off the battle platform. This battle, the Heavenly Terrace had won.
With Yuwen Jing's defeat, aside from a few like Ji Wuyou, Ji Gate had almost no one left to field. Against Hou Qinglin, Xi Men Xiao, and the others, they were almost certain to lose—unless Ji Gate kept sending Ji Wuyou to fight.
"Buzz!" A gentle breeze swept by as Ji Wuyou once again stepped onto the battle platform. Bearing the Azure Dragon Totem on his back, Ji Wuyou's eyes were filled with boundless pride. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the eyes of the Heavenly Terrace members. His lips moved slightly, spitting out cold, domineering words: "All of you, come one by one."
"So arrogant!" The crowd watched Ji Wuyou standing in the void at the center of the battle platform, their hearts surging. If Ji Gate wanted to turn the tide, they had to rely on Ji Wuyou alone. And now, Ji Wuyou had stepped forward, ready to take on the entire Heavenly Terrace!