# Chapter 549: Eight Divisions Demon Subduing, Earthfire Qilin
The seawater in the Blood Spring Trench was originally as red as blood, but because there was no light in the depths of the seabed, it appeared pitch black.
"Splash!"
The golden light spot in the distance grew closer and closer, eventually forming a human figure.
It was a monk whose entire body emitted golden light. His figure was robust, his steps steady, and he carried a blade case on his back as he walked slowly forward, like a ascetic monk who had been walking on the seabed for thousands of years.
"It's that monk again."
Zhang Ruochen looked over and revealed a bitter smile.
This person was none other than the Lidi Monk of the Brahma Heaven Path.
Lidi Monk's body seemed to be forged from gold, giving off an indestructible texture. On the surface of his skin, white Sanskrit characters appeared and disappeared, constantly rising and sinking.
With each step he took, a mass of Buddhist Qi condensed beneath his feet, transforming into a three-foot-long golden lotus.
Lidi Monk took a total of seven steps, leaving behind seven golden lotuses.
Looking up from below, the seven golden lotuses were like seven brilliant stars, suspended in the black seawater according to some mysterious trajectory, casting the surrounding seawater into a golden-red hue.
Lidi Monk stared at Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, pressed his palms together, and recited a Buddhist phrase: "Amitabha! Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, this is not a place you should be. Return to where you came from!"
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King had not expected a monk to suddenly appear.
He carefully observed and discovered that this monk possessed a strange power. That power seemed both strong and weak, giving an elusive feeling.
Such a peculiar human—Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King had encountered one for the first time.
He became vigilant but still maintained a strong posture, snorting coldly: "The Blood Spring Trench is the territory of the Red Cloud Python Flood Dragon Clan. I, the king, come and go as I please. Who dares to interfere?"
Lidi Monk shook his head and sighed: "Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, you misunderstand me, the humble monk. I ask you to leave this place for your own good. The Blood Spring Trench is an ominous place, especially dangerous for you, filled with deadly traps. If you do not leave immediately, I fear you will fall at the bottom of the trench."
If he did not leave, he would fall in the Blood Spring Trench?
No matter how he heard it, those words sounded extremely harsh.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King did not believe there was any danger in the Blood Spring Trench that he could not handle, so he naturally dismissed Lidi Monk's words.
On the contrary, Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King even felt that Lidi Monk's words were a threat, a warning to him.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's gaze turned cold: "Such an arrogant monk. Do you think you can kill me, the king?"
"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! The humble monk never kills." Lidi Monk tried his best to force a friendly smile, speaking in a very amiable tone.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. This monk indeed never killed, but he was a jinx—whoever he said would die, died. He was practically a walking disaster.
He wondered if this time would be as accurate.
Lidi Monk's appearance was extremely fierce, with a face full of rough features, like a butcher. His friendly, amiable smile appeared somewhat sinister on his face.
Seeing Lidi Monk's sinister grin, Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King became even more convinced that this monk was extremely arrogant. He was, after all, a sixth-grade savage beast flood dragon king. How dare a mere human threaten him?
This insult, Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King naturally could not tolerate.
"Monk, let me, the king, see just how strong you really are!"
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's legs transformed into a crimson flood dragon tail, over ten zhang long. The tail shook violently in the water, stirring up a spiral wave. Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King charged forward rapidly, reaching Lidi Monk in an instant.
His hands struck forward simultaneously, turning into a pair of flood dragon claws over ten meters long.
Flames surged from the scales of the claws, emitting bright firelight. In an instant, the seawater within several hundred meters was boiled.
Water and fire intertwined, covering the claws as they struck down violently.
This attack by Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King clearly used his true strength, unleashing power a level higher than when he fought Zhang Ruochen.
From this, it was evident that in Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's eyes, Lidi Monk was a greater threat than Zhang Ruochen, a true formidable enemy.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King did not know Lidi Monk's cultivation level, but Zhang Ruochen knew it very well. Lidi Monk's cultivation had just reached Fish-Dragon First Transformation.
Lidi Monk could not control space, so the water pressure of the sea also greatly suppressed him.
Under such circumstances, it was simply impossible for a Fish-Dragon First Transformation cultivator to block a Half-Saint's attack.
Even though Lidi Monk had merged with the Buddha Emperor's Golden Body and had been reborn, his cultivation level was still insufficient to fully unleash the Golden Body's power.
With such a vast difference in cultivation, could Lidi Monk withstand Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's attack?
Although this monk was persistent and refused to leave, he had never harmed Zhang Ruochen. So when Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King attacked, Zhang Ruochen still worried for him.
Lidi Monk sighed. He had originally come to persuade Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King to leave, but instead had caused an even greater misunderstanding.
At this moment, he could not continue explaining; he had to fight.
Lidi Monk formed a hand seal, and the seven golden lotuses beneath his feet immediately connected into a pattern. Each lotus was a node on the pattern, transforming into a golden Buddhist shadow.
"Eight Divisions Demon Subduing Formation."
The seven Buddhist shadows, plus Lidi Monk himself, made eight figures, as if connected as one, forming a formation diagram.
The Eight Divisions Demon Subduing Formation was a combined attack formation that required eight Buddhist cultivation experts to practice together to unleash its power.
However, Lidi Monk used Buddhist Qi to condense seven golden lotuses, replacing the other seven people.
Using only his own strength, he deployed the Eight Divisions Demon Subduing Formation.
Lidi Monk struck forward with one palm, and simultaneously, the other seven Buddhist shadows also struck with their palms.
The two forces collided, immediately creating a storm of true Qi that sent Lidi Monk and the seven Buddhist shadows flying backward, stopping only after landing a hundred zhang away.
Although Lidi Monk was repelled by Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, he was not injured. The flood dragon king's claws struck his body but did not even break his skin.
"Impressive." Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised.
Lidi Monk was only at Fish-Dragon First Transformation, yet he could block Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's attack without injury. Just based on that exchange, if word spread to the Kunlun Realm, it would surely shake the world.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King was also somewhat astonished. He retracted his flood dragon claws, transforming them back into human hands, feeling a dull pain in his ten fingers.
Just now, his claws had clearly struck Lidi Monk's body, but it felt like hitting a piece of metal—he could not injure the other party at all.
Too unbelievable.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King stared at Lidi Monk, narrowing his eyes: "I understand! Your physical body's strength far exceeds your cultivation level—you could be said to have achieved a saintly body through flesh alone. However, you still do not know how to use that physical strength. Otherwise, you could crush me to death with just one palm."
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King was indeed a savage beast king who had lived for over a thousand years, with extensive knowledge. With just one glance, he saw through the secret of Lidi Monk's body.
However, he did not know that Lidi Monk had merged with the Buddha Emperor's Golden Body.
Lidi Monk smiled modestly: "The humble monk has been cultivating for a short time, my cultivation is shallow, and my control over power is still at a very basic level. Naturally, I cannot compare to the flood dragon king."
Seeing Lidi Monk's "sinister grin," Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King became even more furious and began gathering power again.
Since this monk had already achieved a saintly body through flesh, he had to seize that body at all costs.
If he could eat and refine that body, perhaps his strength could advance further, reaching the level of a sixth-grade mid-rank savage beast, or even sixth-grade high-rank.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that Lidi Monk alone could not be Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's opponent. So he decisively swam over, positioning himself behind Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, holding his sword horizontally: "Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, don't forget—there's still me."
Xiao Hei, who had been hiding in the distance, suddenly exclaimed: "Zhang Ruochen, I sense a massive aura coming from above, rapidly approaching us!"
Zhang Ruochen, Lidi Monk, and Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King had all already detected that aura.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King looked up and saw a patch of crimson firelight covering the sea area above them. The entire Blood Spring Trench seemed to be burning.
The temperature of the seawater rose sharply, as hot as molten lava. Even the Red Cloud Python Flood Dragon at Fish-Dragon Third Transformation could not withstand that high temperature, letting out screams as if being boiled alive.
"Not good... that's... Earthfire Qilin..."
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King's expression changed drastically. No longer paying attention to Zhang Ruochen and Lidi Monk, he let out a long roar and immediately transformed into his true form—a hundred-zhang-long giant flood dragon—charging toward the bottom of the trench.
The Earthfire Qilin was evolved from the Red Ru Beast, a sixth-grade mid-rank savage beast.
Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King was only a sixth-grade low-rank savage beast. Seeing the Earthfire Qilin, he could only flee for his life, hoping to reach the bottom of the trench to escape disaster.
"Let's go!"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Xiao Hei and immediately used Space Displacement to charge toward the bottom of the trench.
Lidi Monk, having achieved a saintly body through flesh, burst forth with speed even faster than Zhang Ruochen's Space Displacement, rushing ahead of Zhang Ruochen.
Space Displacement did not consume time, but Zhang Ruochen could only displace a maximum of fifty zhang each time. Afterward, he had to pause briefly to gather spatial power before he could perform the next displacement.
For this reason, over long distances, Zhang Ruochen's speed was actually at a disadvantage.
"Roar!"
A deafening qilin cry sounded.
Above, the thick seawater was pushed aside by a rolling mass of fire clouds, rushing downward rapidly.
If one looked closely, they would see, at the center of that fire cloud, a qilin with a pair of wings chasing behind Zhang Ruochen, getting closer and closer.
(Next chapter, updated at noon)