The lightning bolts shot down rapidly, shattering layer upon layer of barriers, but in the process they were gradually weakened. When only a few strands of the barrier remained, the lightning finally dissipated, turning into wisps of white smoke.
But the thunderclouds remained, lightning flashing within them. A moment later, a bolt of lightning, even wider and more ferocious than the previous one, shot down again with a deafening roar. The sound was so loud that Lingxi instinctively shrank back.
Wolf Yuan glanced at her, then quietly moved aside to block her path, shielding her behind him with his tall and imposing figure. Next, Wolf Yuan raised his hand, releasing a black demonic aura that combined with other demonic energies to create barriers beneath the lightning.
And so, lightning struck again and again, each strike more ferocious and intense than the last. Eventually, dozens or even hundreds of bolts of lightning shot down simultaneously, chaotically covering an area of about ten miles in radius, blasting patches of the ground black.
Liuli had long since lost her earlier arrogance. She was now squatting at Li Molin's feet, her neck hunched, staring fearfully at the fierce bolts of lightning. Amidst his busy schedule, Li Molin glanced down at her obedient and docile appearance, shaking his head and chuckling.
Time passed slowly, and after about half an hour, the lightning in the thunderclouds in the sky finally began to weaken, and the thunderclouds began to show signs of dissipating.
At this moment, the area was charred black, filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and wisps of white smoke drifted up hundreds of feet into the air, shrouding the place in a light mist.
Although the heavenly tribulation was exceptionally fierce, there were still many people resisting it. Li Molin and the other three hundred-plus demons were not injured, but were exhausted and panting heavily. Looking up at the slowly dissipating thunderclouds, they exchanged glances and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, the thunderclouds dispersed in all directions, revealing the clear sky behind them, and the dazzling sunlight shone down, illuminating the land that had just been shrouded in darkness.
"It's done..."
"The heavenly tribulation is finally over."
"It's finally over..."
"I wonder if the tribulations we'll face in the future will be even more severe than this?"
"..."
The crowd began to chatter amongst themselves.
Li Molin surveyed the assembled demons and shouted, "Yu Ke, send a message to the clan! Convey my order, Li Molin! Those who resisted the heavenly tribulation here today can go to the weapon hall and choose a weapon of their choice, either intermediate or lower grade, after returning to their clan!"
The group of demons erupted in an uproar, a hint of joy appearing on their faces as they murmured amongst themselves:
"Thank you, young master!"
"Thank you, young master!"
"..."
Li Molin nodded lightly and looked down at Liuli. At that moment, Liuli was also tilting her head and looking at him. When she saw him looking over, Liuli smiled and chuckled.
Li Molin shook his head and smiled gently.
--
Bodhi Temple on Pure Land Mountain.
Having survived this calamity, Bodhi Temple suffered heavy casualties, losing nearly half of its more than nine hundred inner disciples, most of whom were young. Although these young disciples were of excellent aptitude and extremely suitable for practicing Buddhism, they had only been disciples for a short time and their cultivation was still shallow.
When Shi Ning learned of the casualties, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. These young disciples were the future of Bodhi Temple.
At this time, all the outer disciples had returned to the mountain and were working with the surviving inner disciples to clean up the corpses and bloodstains that had fallen from the chaotic battle in the air. The mountain was bustling with activity.
Except for the Buddhist hall, this place remains quiet.
The Buddhist hall was built at the very back of the meditation room complex. It was constructed of brick and stone, covering an area of about one acre, and was roughly square in shape.
Stepping through the two exquisite wooden doors, one finds the Buddhist hall to be extremely spacious, with four wooden pillars supporting the roof on either side. The pillars are carved with lines of small characters, which, upon closer inspection, can be identified as various Buddhist scriptures.
At the very back of the Buddhist hall is a platform about the height of a person, on which a Buddha statue is enshrined. In front of the Buddha statue is a long table with a few sticks of incense in the incense burner in the center. Fresh offerings are placed in front of the incense burner.
On either side of the Buddha statue, against the wall, are rows of stone platforms, each tiered in seven steps. The shortest platform is about half a person's height, while the tallest is about two people's height. Each step is the same width, about a foot wide. On these seven steps, the memorial tablets of the patriarchs of Bodhi Temple are arranged according to their seniority.
Several prayer cushions were placed on the ground in front of the Buddha statue. Shi Ning and Shi Chan sat on the left cushion, and an old monk and a middle-aged nun sat opposite them.
The old monk was the leader of the disciples from Jinyuan Temple who were sent to reinforce the temple. He was a disciple of the Hong generation and his Dharma name was Hongcan. The nun was the leader of the disciples from Pudu Nunnery who were sent to reinforce the temple. Her Dharma name was Shanhua.
Shi Ning first left the prayer mat and stood aside, put his palms together in a Buddhist salute, and solemnly said, "Bodhi Temple was able to survive this calamity thanks to Uncle Hongcan and Uncle Shanhua who brought people to help. On behalf of Bodhi Temple, Shi Ning would like to express his gratitude to the two uncles."
Hongcan and Shanhua sat upright on the prayer mats and bowed slightly in return, saying in unison, "Our three sects are of the same blood and should naturally help each other. Shi Ning, you don't need to be so polite."
Shi Ning nodded and sat back down on the futon. A hint of worry appeared on his face as he asked, "Did either of you notice the nine-tailed fox today?"
Shi Chan was sitting cross-legged with his hands clasped together, his head slightly lowered, remaining silent. But when he suddenly heard Shi Ning mention the words "nine-tailed fox," his brows furrowed slightly.
Hongcan and Shanhua's expressions both darkened. Hongcan frowned and said, "This humble monk has seen it. There are still evil foxes in this world. This is not a good thing."
Shi Ning nodded and said, "That's right. Since our Buddhist sect exists in this world, there must never be any evil foxes. Otherwise, the 'fox calamity' will be repeated sooner or later!"
Hongcan deeply agreed, saying, "The 'fox calamity' incident must never happen again. We Buddhist disciples should unite in hatred against this enemy and vow to kill all the evil foxes!"
Shi Ning turned to look at Shi Chan and asked, "Junior Brother Shi Chan, did you hear what Senior Brother and the two Uncles said?"
Shi Chan's body trembled slightly, and he lowered his head even further. He nodded and replied, "Yes."
Shi Ning looked directly at him and continued, "Do you know about the 'Fox Tribulation' incident?"
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