693 The Smiling Buddha Reappears

The aged voice became impatient, as if urging Jian Daoyi to act quickly.

"Kowtowing three times! Quickly kowtowing three times!" The voice kept echoing in Kendoichi's ears, like an invisible force urging him to complete the ritual quickly.

Kendo's gaze was calm, his heart was at peace, and the sword in his hand rang out with a clear sound, revealing no trace of killing intent.

A chill ran through him, as if a ten-thousand-foot glacier had instantly shattered. His eyes surged with Taoist spiritual power, like the mysterious light flowing in a deep galaxy, seeing through illusion.

At this moment, his eyes moved slightly, and he looked around a little. What came into view were piles of kneeling white bones, big and small, old and young. Looking at the coarse hemp clothes that had been there for some time, they were old but not weathered, so they were obviously not very old.

A hint of reluctance flickered in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself, his heart becoming as still as water, yet beneath that stillness lay a turbulent power.

When one forgets worldly concerns and focuses on internal energy cultivation, true qi protects the entire body like a net that is impenetrable and airtight, as if one were wearing indestructible armor.

His entire body was filled with energy, every inch of his skin and every tendon and bone was like a coiled dragon, as elastic as a dragon's tendons, full of explosive power.

Within three feet, the blood and qi surged, like a giant dragon roaring in the abyss, which was awe-inspiring.

The surging true energy, like smoke rising straight into the sky, was magnificent and earth-shaking.

True energy enters the eyes, allowing one to see through illusions!

In the illusion, a tapestry of delusion, the surrounding scenery shattered in an instant.

The tempting fruits and braised pork were instantly shattered, revealing their true and cruel nature—nothing more than a pile of cold dog bones and withered skeletons.

A sudden turn of events sends chills down one's spine and ignites rage; it's a cold, icy hell.

All I want is to kill!

Before them stood a six-foot-high shrine, where offerings were made.

In the center of the shrine, a brand-new altar stands out, upon which sits a headless, smiling Buddha.

Although the Buddha statue is headless, it has a smiling face, which is extremely eerie.

His face glowed with a faint red light, as if real blood were flowing, making him seem as if a Buddha had come to life, sending chills down one's spine.

The happy Buddha, the smiling Buddha, is not only happy that he can be resurrected, but also laughing at the ignorance of the living beings and the common people.

The smile on the smiling Buddha statue is a cruel smile, a smile that seems so joyful.

Then, in a moment of confusion, it suddenly became incredibly terrifying, like a gaping maw about to devour someone.

On the ground in front of the altar, the villagers, whose remains had turned to white bones, lay neatly arranged as if in a row.

They maintained the same devout kneeling posture they had taken in life, as if praying for the protection of gods and Buddhas.

However, the cruel reality was that these villagers all starved to death.

The manner of their deaths was horrifying.

Kendo's gaze was cold and aloof, and his killing intent instantly surged to its peak.

The rapidly circulating true energy manifested naturally behind him, forming a Tai Chi Bagua symbol. It condensed on the sword with a thunderous roar, like an electric snake slithering across it, and thunder seemed to rumble around him.

A cold wind swept through, and in an instant, it was as if a war god had descended. Sword Dao Yi seemed to have transcended the mortal realm, and strange phenomena appeared around him. Sword energy was instantly compressed and condensed into a single line.

In the blink of an eye, with a wave of his hand, sword energy surged forth like a cascading silver river, a sharp line of light cutting across the sky, its fierce killing intent seemingly capable of tearing even the void itself apart.

It is the Tao that subdues demons and transcends worldly concerns.

The man moved with the sword, his figure as fast as lightning, so fast that it was dazzling, like a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, and a thousand rays of light appeared in an instant, rushing straight towards the strange smiling Buddha head in front of him.

The Taoist true energy surged and raged within the swordsman's body, like ten thousand horses galloping, like a raging tide, the true energy pouring out like seawater, like the Qiantang River tidal bore rushing out.

The raging waves, like a tidal wave, carried the force of the earth's veins shifting!

With a fierce strike, the swordsman unleashed a burst of true energy, transforming it into an invisible giant wave that crashed down on the evil Buddha statue with overwhelming force.

The wind fell silent for a moment, and space stood still for a moment.

All was silent, so silent that it seemed as if time itself had stood still.

In an instant, this place seemed to be separated from this region of space.

What one could see was a sword cry that seemed to shake the heavens and earth, and an invisible wave of energy blocked the head of the smiling Buddha for a moment.

But it was too weak, as easily destroyed as withered leaves.

Swordsmanship is truly powerful, unstoppable, like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.

The fierce Taoist true energy surged forth like a monstrous wave. Under its bombardment, the Smiling Buddha could not withstand the pressure and instantly shattered into countless fragments, shooting out like a dazzling and terrifying meteor shower.

The surrounding space seemed to tremble slightly as an incredibly violent force raged, tearing three shocking six-foot-deep cracks into the ground, stretching for three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

The rotten, withered wood and even the dog bones were reduced to dust under the impact of this force.

As Jian Dao unleashed his sword, the surrounding air exploded, producing a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth trembled under this strike.

The immense true energy transformed into a giant wave, surging forth and sending dust and energy soaring straight into the sky.

Like beacon fires, oblivious to worldly affairs, they rise straight up for hundreds of miles.

Under the baptism of the violent and domineering Taoist power, the incessant, tempting voice in his ears abruptly stopped, and the impatient voice came to an abrupt halt.

The eerie atmosphere around them, like ice and snow scorched by the blazing sun, slowly dissipated, sending chills down their spines.

A natural breeze came slowly, bringing with it the scent of nature.

It was a place with fresh air and a seemingly tranquil environment.

The sword he had been gripping tightly in his hand slowly calmed down; only the force of his grip revealed the utter lack of satisfaction in his heart.

Feel the different wind, the fresh wind from nature.

The killing intent in Kendo's heart, however, was not diminished in the slightest, as if it had been forged by a raging fire.

He muttered to himself, his voice heavy with endless sorrow and self-reproach: 'To be unable to save the world is truly despicable!'

It was as if the bitterness was squeezed out from the depths of the heart, and every word was as heavy as lead.

Before me lie withered bones, and a fervent hope.

But they are innocent members of the suffering masses, those innocent lives struggling and dying in the darkness, demons, ghosts, mountain gods, wild shrines, cultivators, bandits.

However, their own strength always seemed unable to reach them in time, unable to save them from their dire straits.

Seeing the good people suffer, and the weak trembling before evil, Kendo tightened his grip on the longsword, full of power but unable to save them in time!

'How despicable!' he muttered angrily. 'Heaven's will is impartial; evil must be eradicated completely.'

A calm gaze concealing an unbearable pain and helplessness within.

I hate that I can't be faster, I can't be stronger!

They cannot show up when innocent lives are threatened.

The kind-hearted person, with a frail body, trembled in the darkness, his heart burning as if consumed by flames, suffering unbearable pain.

He murmured to himself, 'What a helpless situation!'