Chapter 831: Consciousness Materialization
Lin Feng, at the final moment when his sword was about to strike, chose to abandon the slash and did not swing the blade.
His body slowly descended through the air, returning to the ground. He looked at the figure bathed in Buddhist light. That figure appeared slightly surprised, staring at Lin Feng with a hint of astonishment. "The sealing mark of the Demon Sealing Stele is too powerful. It's good that you gave up. This Valley of Death is fraught with danger on all sides. Keep your strength and hope you can walk out of this valley."
"Senior, do you truly think so?" Lin Feng asked, gazing at the figure beneath the Demon Sealing Stele.
"Naturally." The other party nodded slightly, his expression calm and dignified, as if he were a Buddha, speaking no falsehoods.
"In that case, junior will take his leave." Lin Feng gave a slight bow to the suppressed great power, then turned around. His body flickered as he prepared to depart.
"Wait..." Just as Lin Feng had traveled a thousand meters, the other party called out to him. Turning back, Lin Feng looked at the great power and said, "Senior, do you have any further instructions?"
"This valley is too dangerous. Entering is easy, but leaving is as difficult as ascending to heaven. I have been suppressed here for many years, and no one has ever managed to walk out of the Valley of Death alive. Your arrival here was already a stroke of luck. If you leave like this, it will only add to my karmic sins. Enough. Try to break the sealing character. If you can, that would be best—the Valley of Death will cease to exist from then on. If it truly cannot be done, I will teach you a formidable divine ability, granting you a more powerful offensive technique to shatter the might of that sealing character."
The other party appeared solemn and majestic, bathed in Buddhist light, as if transcendent beyond worldly matters.
"Senior, I appreciate your kind intentions. However, although I am but a mortal, unable to compare with an ancient great power like yourself, I still have some self-awareness. I believe I am not incapable of walking out of the Valley of Death. Senior, I take my leave." Lin Feng's gaze carried a hint of confidence, causing the suppressed Buddhist figure's eyes to flicker slightly, though he quickly returned to normal.
"You have declined several times. Now that you have obtained your own sword, you only think of leaving. Is that not somewhat improper?" The Buddhist voice now carried a faint layer of coldness.
"Senior, such words lack the magnanimity of a Buddha," Lin Feng sneered inwardly.
The other party fell silent for a moment, then stared at Lin Feng and said coldly, "How did you see through it?"
"You were too eager. Not long ago, you yourself said: 'In the Buddhist hall, beneath the demon stone, where can one not cultivate the Dao? Since it is all cultivation, why care about place or time? When the opportunity comes, I will naturally sit here in nirvana. Yet, witnessing countless lives buried in this valley fills me with guilt, powerless to do anything, only able to chant sutras for them.'
"But when I offered to help you break the suppression seal, you seemed to forget those words, even revealing a trace of anticipation. Isn't that contradictory?"
"That doesn't seem enough to prove anything," the man said calmly, still staring at Lin Feng.
"It is not enough to prove anything. However, precisely because you were too impatient, your words carried a hidden demonic force, as if trying to influence my mind, making me involuntarily obey and believe you. Without that force, I might have believed you. But when that peculiar influence acted on my will, I had to doubt you. So I tested you, and sure enough, the greed in your eyes exposed your true nature."
Lin Feng paused for a moment, then asked with confusion, "What I don't understand is, why is your Buddhist aura so pure? It's not fake at all. For someone who has cultivated to become such a great Buddha, you shouldn't have such a nature."
Lin Feng could clearly sense that the Buddhist aura on the other party was absolutely pure and real, nearly deceiving him. Combined with the seductive power in his voice, it almost ensnared Lin Feng. Fortunately, Lin Feng's will was firm and his soul powerful, allowing him to sense something amiss and see through the other's scheme.
"Interesting, very interesting..." A smile appeared at the corner of the other party's mouth, tinged with a hint of wickedness. The sacred compassion of Buddhism vanished, and his body flickered unpredictably, sometimes a Buddha, sometimes a demon. In an instant, he was a golden Buddhist figure; the next moment, he turned into a dark demon lord.
Finally, a terrifying demonic aura erupted. Even though he was suppressed and sealed, it was still profoundly shocking, exuding boundless, fearsome power. "A demon, truly a demon." Lin Feng's pupils contracted as he stared at the figure before him. Buddha and demon—they appeared in the same person. This man's ability to disguise himself was too terrifying. Clearly a demon, yet he could bathe in ten thousand feet of Buddhist light and become a Buddha on the spot. However, his true nature remained that of a demon.
"Since you've seen through me, I won't say more. Do it yourself. Follow what I said earlier. Use your formidable power to break the sealing force." Having transformed into a demon, even his voice carried a terrifying, domineering aura.
Though suppressed and sealed, he still stood high above, looking down on all beings.
"Do you think that's possible?" Lin Feng sneered.
"If you won't do it, then I'll do it myself."
As his words fell, a terrifying black light shot out from the void, aimed directly at Lin Feng. It did not strike his physical body but targeted his brow.
Lin Feng swung his sword, and a thunderous roar echoed out. However, there was no point of impact; he could not cut down the dazzling black light.
The black light was like a sword of will, piercing directly into Lin Feng's mind. His head trembled violently, as if about to explode. At the same time, the tens of thousands of residual souls he had cultivated all surged forward, transforming into countless sharp swords, annihilating everything.
"Boom!" A violent explosion resounded in Lin Feng's mind. He felt an excruciating pain, as if his head were splitting apart. The other party's strength was too terrifying. He could materialize will attacks into solid black light, invading Lin Feng's sea of consciousness. Fortunately, Lin Feng had cultivated the Remnant Soul Heaven Art, giving him powerful soul strength. The tens of thousands of residual souls formed an incredibly strong shield, allowing him to withstand this terrifying materialized attack.
"Hmm?" The suppressed and sealed demon lord raged, his hair flying wildly as he stared at Lin Feng, as if deeply humiliated. From his brow, terrifying black swords of light shot out, piercing through the oppressive sealing aura and heading straight for Lin Feng's head. He intended to erase Lin Feng's consciousness, take it for himself, and seize control of Lin Feng's body.
"Chi, chi..." The terrifying black light devoured Lin Feng's consciousness. How could Lin Feng allow that? He activated the Buddha-Demon Art, and tens of thousands of residual souls roared and howled madly, resisting the terrifying black light. In the entire void, it was as if swords and oceans were raging furiously, a magnificent sight.
The suppressed and sealed powerful being, using only his formidable will, twisted the space into chaos, seeking to destroy Lin Feng's consciousness and seize control of his body. "Boom, boom, rumble..." A terrifying wave of will clashed within Lin Feng's mind, shaking his entire body numb and causing his head to buzz. If it had been anyone else without his firm will and terrifying soul power, they would have had their consciousness obliterated long ago. Of course, without the suppression and sealing of the Demon Sealing Stele, he would have been dead already. With just a thought, the other party could have annihilated him with a will attack.
"Very good. Let's see how much you can control." The other party snorted coldly. Rumble! The demon sword in Lin Feng's hand trembled violently, releasing a terrifying demonic nature. Lin Feng felt his consciousness being eroded by the demon sword. The horror of the demon emerged once again.
"Chi!" Sword energy shot through the nine heavens, streaking into the void. Lin Feng could no longer hold onto the demon sword. His treasure was being controlled from a distance by the other party.
"So it was you who brought the demon sword here," Lin Feng said coldly, his pupils icy. He had never been able to fully control this demon sword; it was too powerful.
"So what if it was? Your sword, lend it to me for a moment." The other party said coldly, demonic light swirling around him without pause. The demon sword soared into the air, then suddenly struck toward the sealing character on the mountain wall.
"Get back!" A rolling, furious shout rang out. Lin Feng stepped into the air, carrying the Demon Sealing Stele on his back, like a demon god covering the world, possessing an unparalleled bearing.
"Boom!" The Demon Sealing Stele suppressed the demon sword, sending it flying back. Lin Feng stood beside the sealing character, staring at the demon sword, refusing to yield.
The other party wanted to use his demon sword to break the sealing force, but how could Lin Feng allow that? Absolutely not. If this demon lord broke free, it would surely mean Lin Feng's death!