Chapter 3152: Sixth Patriarch's Robe and Bowl Successor, Yuan Chen
Yu Ling Shen clicked her tongue in wonder, sighing inwardly. Although her cultivation was far superior to Zhang Ruochen's, when it came to sensing auras and seeing through illusions, she was far inferior to him.
Even ancient gods like Xue Li and Mo Fei could not escape his tracking.
Even the Blood Inscription Banner could not blind his eyes.
And these abilities were merely the tip of the iceberg of his accomplishments.
She could hardly imagine how powerful he would become upon reaching the Grand Void Realm.
Through the Truth Light Mirror, it could be seen that the divine battle had already ended.
"The Buddha is undying; Hell shall be emptied."
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha let out a series of anguished roars, but he was firmly suppressed by the Ghost City and the altar. His divine realm world shattered, and his golden body bore many bloody wounds, with Buddha blood spraying like a waterfall.
The aura on his body gradually weakened...
Xue Li stood atop the Ghost City's gate, holding an island in his hand, his spirits high and his eyes wild with joy.
On the island, sacred medicines grew in patches, with Eon Sacred Medicines numbering in the dozens, each one a rare treasure.
But compared to that purple-misted divine medicine, these sacred medicines were nothing to a Grand Void realm great god!
"Haha! I originally planned to devour your Buddha soul to heal my injuries, but I never expected such a windfall. With this Purple Zhi Orchid, my injuries will surely heal quickly, and I might even have a chance to break through to the peak of the Grand Void realm." Xue Li was in an extremely cheerful mood, envisioning the scene of reaching the Grand Void peak in his mind.
Mo Fei Great God also laughed loudly: "Mu Tuo, Bei Shi, Tian Nan Lao Wu and the others went to seize the Giant Spirit Divine Temple—it must have been a fierce battle, and they might not have gained much. Unlike us, who reaped such rewards so easily."
Xue Li looked at Mo Fei Great God and said, "With my strength alone, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven to keep Pu Tuo here. I am grateful for your help. Since we have obtained this island, Pu Tuo's divine soul is yours!"
Mo Fei Great God's spirit lifted, and a gleeful laugh came from his skeletal mouth: "Then I, this god, will not refuse!"
For a Ghost Clan member, refining the divine soul of a great god of the same realm was definitely worth ten thousand years of secluded cultivation, greatly shortening the time for Mo Fei Great God to break into the Grand Void middle stage.
Why did Huang Tian say that time was not the only shortcut in cultivation?
Wasn't plundering in war also a shortcut to rapidly elevating cultivation?
The Hell Realm launched war precisely to elevate their strength to the peak in the shortest time possible. And war itself was a process of eliminating the weak and tempering the strong.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Have you brought the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple? Are you confident in suppressing Xue Li?"
Zhang Ruochen's boldness once again shocked Yu Ling Shen.
This was a Tai Xu great god of Fengdu Ghost City, a trusted subordinate of Shen Tu Ghost Emperor, and he wanted to kill him just like that?
However, she had already grown accustomed to Zhang Ruochen's audacity and enjoyed this thrilling feeling. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, "If Xue Li were at his peak, it would be hard to say. But he seems to be heavily injured!"
"He was severely wounded in the soul by Old Corpse Ghost, and his divine substance has been worn down by about a third. He might not be able to unleash even seventy percent of his full strength," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Your appearance..." Yu Ling Shen said.
Zhang Ruochen had already transformed into a Buddhist monk, clad in white monk's robes, spotless and pristine, young and handsome, with a transcendent Buddhist aura. "It's better to be cautious when killing a great god of Fengdu Ghost City."
Mo Fei Great God spat out billions of resentful souls, condensing them into a dragon shape. They followed the wounds on Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha's golden body, burrowing inside to devour his divine soul.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha chanted sutras, but his divine soul thoughts emitted a series of agonized screams.
Just as Mo Fei Great God was laughing cruelly, Xue Li suddenly sensed something and roared, "Who dares to spy?"
"Swoosh!"
On the Blood Inscription Banner, the blood-colored runes surged with light, flying backward and pressing down toward Zhang Ruochen and Yu Ling Shen.
"Break!"
Zhang Ruochen pointed at the void and uttered a single word. Instantly, before the Blood Inscription Banner could press down, the space within thousands of miles shattered, collapsing into the Void World.
Zhang Ruochen and Yu Ling Shen teleported in two different directions, dodging the Blood Inscription Banner.
Yu Ling Shen was adept at seizing opportunities. Like a graceful light serpent, she instantly charged into the Void World and struck out with a palm. A sea of Time Imprints appeared at her palm, forcing the attacking Xue Li back into the Void World.
"Who are you? State your name!"
Xue Li unleashed the Ghost City, striking at Yu Ling Shen.
Yu Ling Shen descended from above, throwing down the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple, which shattered the Ghost City formed by Xue Li's Rule Divine Marks. A series of divine formations emerged from the base of the Ancestral God Temple, pressing down on the retreating Xue Li.
"Yu Ling Shen, how dare you oppose Fengdu Ghost City?" Xue Li recognized the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple and roared.
"Heh!"
Yu Ling Shen was naturally unafraid, because in the first exchange, she had already enveloped Xue Li within the divine formations of the Yaksha Clan's Ancestral God Temple while he was unprepared.
From then on, she would hold an overwhelming advantage.
No matter how many trump cards he had, how could they compare to the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple?
As long as Zhang Ruochen didn't mess up, the benefits of killing two Tai Xu great gods in one day would be greater than what she had accumulated in a hundred thousand years. It was truly a case of not opening shop for a hundred thousand years, but one sale feeding you for a hundred thousand years.
Yu Ling Shen dragged Xue Li deeper into the void.
Everything that had just happened occurred in the blink of an eye. Mo Fei Great God had no idea what was going on and quickly brought the altar and Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha out of the Void World.
"Amitabha!"
A patch of golden Buddha light swept in from the east.
Mo Fei Great God fixed his gaze and saw a golden, radiant divine tree, exuding an incomparably powerful aura. Buddhist sounds that shook his divine soul emanated from the tree.
"Bodhi Tree! How could it be the legendary Bodhi Tree?"
Mo Fei Great God was so startled he nearly lost his soul, because this tree was planted by the Sixth Patriarch, who had long listened to the Sixth Patriarch's chanting and preaching, absorbing the true essence of his Dao.
"Where do you think you're going? This humble monk will cleanse all the evil in the world today."
Zhang Ruochen held the Bodhi Tree and swept it out again. The rules of heaven and earth were instantly cleared away, and the entire starry sky echoed with Buddhist sounds.
With this strike, Zhang Ruochen sent the Bone Altar flying.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha, who had been suppressed beneath the Bone Altar, was instantly freed.
"Thank you, great master, for saving my life."
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha fixed his gaze on the Bodhi Tree, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He formed hand seals, purifying the resentful souls that had invaded his body, then chased after them, unleashing the Great Sun Divine Light Seal.
This seal was as bright and massive as a star, heavily striking Mo Fei Great God.
The Bodhi Tree descended from the sky, radiating ten thousand Buddhist rays. Countless Buddhist Dao rules were like golden divine chains.
"Ah..."
Mo Fei Great God screamed in agony, wounded by the Bodhi Tree, and immediately used a life-saving secret technique to flee far away.
There was no other choice. Xue Li had been dragged into the Void World and hadn't returned, clearly encountering a powerful enemy. Now, a Tai Xu great god wielding the Bodhi Tree had appeared, with unfathomable cultivation. Who could withstand this?
He naturally didn't know Zhang Ruochen's true cultivation level and could only choose to flee.
Zhang Ruochen dared not leave any traces, so he naturally couldn't let Mo Fei Great God escape. He roared deeply, "Bodhi stretches three thousand miles, slaying demons and suppressing ghosts."
The Bodhi Tree suddenly grew, turning into a three-thousand-mile-tall towering Buddhist tree. Driven by Zhang Ruochen's divine power, its might shook the star domain, striking Mo Fei Great God, who had fled hundreds of thousands of miles away, from a distance, causing his ghostly body to explode.
Zhang Ruochen took Divine Spirit Steps, catching up in a few steps and suppressing him.
By the time Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha arrived, the battle was already over. The Bodhi Tree stood in the void, lush and full of infinite Buddhist essence. Mo Fei Great God was firmly suppressed, turned into wisps of ghostly qi, pressed beneath patches of golden leaves.
Zhang Ruochen stood gracefully under the tree, ethereal and otherworldly. One hand, with a large sleeve like a cloud, was behind his back, while the other hand, heaven knows where, produced a string of Buddhist beads. He gently recited, like a man of great attainment.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha bowed again and said, "Thank you, great master, for saving my life. May I ask what connection the great master has with the Sixth Patriarch?"
"This humble monk, Yuan Chen, does have some connection with the Sixth Patriarch, considered half a successor!" Zhang Ruochen said calmly, without the fierce demon-subduing demeanor from before.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha's eyes showed a strange light, and he asked, "May I ask if the great master's Dharma name was bestowed by the Sixth Patriarch?"
Zhang Ruochen had, of course, made up this Dharma name on the spot.
But since he had already put on the act, he had to continue. Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly and said nothing.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha quickly bowed and said, "Disciple pays respects to the Master Uncle."
The smile on Zhang Ruochen's face froze, and he said, "Ancient Buddha, please do not perform such a great bow."
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha said, "The Sixth Patriarch took ten disciples in his life, all with the character 'Yuan' in their Dharma names. Only the Sixth Patriarch's personal disciples could use 'Yuan' in their names. The Sixth Patriarch bestowed 'Yuan Chen' upon the Master Uncle, clearly regarding him as the eleventh personal disciple."
"Disciple Pu Tuo is a disciple of Yuan Yi Ancient Buddha."
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat uncertain whether he had slipped up in his act, unsure if Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha was testing him. So he said, "This humble monk has not seen the Master for many years, having been cultivating and spreading the Dharma in the border universe. I am unaware of these matters in the Western Buddha Realm."
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha said, "The Master Uncle has gained the recognition of the Bodhi Tree, clearly the robe and bowl successor appointed by the Sixth Patriarch, of supreme noble status."
Zhang Ruochen inwardly relaxed a little, it seemed Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha had not questioned his identity.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha asked, "That great god who came with the Master Uncle—who is he?"
"A Dao friend from the border universe, with considerable cultivation, but not well acquainted—a shallow acquaintance."
Zhang Ruochen tore open space, his pupils turning golden, radiating the light of the Buddha, and peered into the Void World, but could not find Yu Ling Shen's aura.
He wasn't worried about Yu Ling Shen. Her cultivation was already above Xue Li's, and with the help of the Yaksha Ancestral God Temple, if she couldn't suppress and kill him, Zhang Ruochen would have to consider whether to support another great god to manage the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha's brow was deeply furrowed, clearly unable to let go of the loss of Cloud Cliff Island.
"All dharmas are empty, but cause and effect are not empty. All blessings and losses in the world have their roots in cause and effect," Zhang Ruochen said.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha smiled bitterly: "It is this disciple who is attached to appearances, far inferior to the Master Uncle in Buddhist Dharma and state of mind."
Zhang Ruochen also smiled bitterly inwardly. There was no helping it—who told you to lose the divine medicine first? Being able to save your life today could be considered a blessing in disguise.
If he hadn't lost the divine medicine first, Zhang Ruochen would have been too embarrassed to snatch it.
"Swoosh!"
A golden spark ignited in the pitch-black cosmic space, and the fluctuation quickly spread.
Pu Tuo Ancient Buddha looked over and said, "Not good! My disciple Jing Xiu has encountered danger and sent out a distress Buddhist seal."
...
Who still remembers who Jing Xiu is?