Final Battle - 10
Do not contemplate.
Yueyuan stood quietly on the eaves of the main hall of the Bu Nian Temple, looking down at the view.
A dozen or so disciples were controlled by Yue Yuan using an unknown evil spell, losing their minds and attacking their former fellow disciples with ruthless and unrestrained moves.
This scene did not stir the slightest ripple in Yue Yuan's eyes. He merely uttered a sound of doubt, seemingly finding the defensive line below not yet completely collapsed and feeling that it was beyond his calculations.
So he casually waved his hand towards the direction of the mountains and forests outside the temple.
In the shadows of the mountains and forests, countless pairs of crimson eyes lit up. Monsters of all shapes and sizes, with ferocious forms, surged like a flood bursting its banks, smashing through walls and trampling vegetation, bringing with them a foul stench and a violent demonic aura into the already crowded battlefield.
Their eyes shimmered with the same crimson light as those of the controlled disciples, clearly driven by the same evil magic, and they knew only how to frantically tear apart any living thing in front of them.
Just as the black bear at the forefront raised its giant paw, about to smash the head of an injured disciple, Bu Jiu raised his hand, palm up, fingers slightly clenched.
A tiny, dark gold-colored spark silently appeared in his palm.
The spark drifted out and disappeared into the faintly shimmering crimson rune on the black bear's chest.
Immediately afterwards, a ring of dark golden ripples rapidly spread out from the black bear.
Wherever the ripples passed, the charging demonic beasts seemed to be frozen in place, their movements abruptly halted. The evil runes that controlled them shattered inch by inch under the cleansing force of the ripples, turning into wisps of smoke.
The out-of-control monsters stopped in their tracks, shaking their heads as if they didn't understand why they were there. Then, startled by the strong smell of blood and the chaotic atmosphere of the battlefield, they let out uneasy growls and began to push and shove each other to retreat. Some of the weaker monsters even tucked their tails between their legs and whimpered as they scattered towards the outside.
Bu Jiu slowly withdrew his hand, his demonic power subtly circulating. He stared at his palm, then looked around.
The seemingly effortless dispersal of the beast tide was actually achieved by injecting demonic power into the core of the evil runes within the beasts' bodies, disintegrating them from the inside. This method is effective against beasts with low intelligence, and the injected demonic power ignites immediately without leaving any residue.
However, this method is absolutely unacceptable for those disciples who are under control.
These disciples all practice authentic cultivation methods, their spiritual energy is balanced and has long been integrated with their own meridians.
His demonic power, though capable of dispelling evil, is ultimately rooted in the demon race. To rashly inject this fundamentally different power into the disciples' meridians…
The consequences would be unimaginable.
The controlled disciples rushing frantically towards him were once the talented young men of Zongtian Pavilion who shared drinks with him, the young men of Changfeng Sect who respectfully sought his guidance on swordsmanship, and the juniors in the temple who diligently cultivated and would shyly greet him when they saw him... Now, their faces were contorted, and all they knew was to brandish their weapons, each move aimed directly at his vital points.
He couldn't bring himself to kill, or even inflict irreparable serious injury. He could only try to bind him or exploit his weaknesses with his movements. But this undoubtedly increased his energy expenditure greatly; each move required extreme control, and his mental energy was severely depleted.
To his side and behind him were the wounded and gaps in the defense that needed his protection even more.
You Hang knelt beside a dilapidated artificial hill. Although she had temporarily sealed the deep, bone-revealing wound on her shoulder with her spiritual power, it was nearing its limit. She could only barely maintain a small protective shield to protect the disciples who had fallen to the ground around her.
Xun Jing's situation was even worse. He had taken a heavy blow to the chest and abdomen while shielding Sui An from a sneak attack. He was being supported by two young disciples, blood still flowing from his mouth, his eyes were already somewhat unfocused, but he was still trying to form hand seals.
Sui'an, the junior sister who always hid behind her senior brothers and sisters, now had her face covered in tears and bloodstains of unknown origin. She seemed terrified, her body trembling uncontrollably, but she bit her lip, forcing herself not to cry out.
Clutching a nearly empty medicine pouch and several stacks of low-level talismans tightly in her arms, she stumbled and ran within the ever-shrinking safe zone. Whenever she saw a senior brother with a large gash on his arm, she would rush over, trembling as she sprinkled medicinal powder on him.
When she saw a senior sister collapse to the ground, exhausted from her spiritual energy, she would kneel down beside her and haphazardly slap on a talisman that was better than nothing. She even tried to drag a seriously injured disciple who had been knocked to the ground by a demonic beast, using all her strength, her little face turning red.
"Sui'an! Go back! Don't come out again!" Bu Jiu caught sight of an out-of-control sword aura sweeping towards her and sternly dispersed it.
Sui An was so frightened by his unprecedented tone that she trembled all over and quickly hid behind him, grabbing her senior brother's arm and daring not to move.
In that moment of distraction, Qianji's cold glint reappeared in the shadows. It wasn't aimed at Bujiu, but rather at Youhang's neck, who was doing everything he could to heal his disciple.
Without a second thought, Bu Jiu twisted his body and swung his arm, sending out a fire arrow that struck first despite being delayed!
"Clang!" The fire arrow collided head-on with that cold light, both deflecting and grazing You Hang's neck, leaving a trail of blood.
You Hang let out a muffled groan as his spiritual energy became disordered. He was struck on the shoulder by a disciple who suddenly attacked him, causing him to crash into a stone pillar and slide down, unable to stand up for a moment.
Almost at the same instant that Bu Jiu made his rescue attempt, Yue Yuan on the roof finally moved.
He only took a small step forward.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure poured down from the roof, instantly enveloping the entire Bu Nian Temple.
Bu Jiu felt his bones creaking and his demonic power surge back like a torrent crashing against a mountain wall.
He felt a sweet taste in his throat and forced himself to swallow the blood that was rising in his mouth. The bluestone slabs under his feet cracked and dented inch by inch.
The disciples who were not under control cried out in pain. Those with weaker cultivation levels fainted immediately. Even Xun Jingdu gasped and his vision went black for a moment.
Yueyuan's gaze fell on Bujiu, whose body was trembling slightly.
"You think you can protect them?" his voice rang out. "Use your life to pay for the fate of these ants?"
He slightly raised his chin, and the overwhelming pressure that enveloped heaven and earth intensified once again.
“Crack…” Bu Jiu clearly heard the faint cracking sound of his meridians breaking under the strain. The intense pain swept through his limbs and bones, and every breath was filled with the smell of rust and the feeling of being torn apart.
We cannot fall... We cannot retreat...
Behind him were You Hang's labored breathing, Xun Jing's fading pulse, Sui An's suppressed sobs, and his disciples who trusted him and entrusted their lives to him...
And... Ji Wang.
Bu Jiu's demonic power circulated at its maximum speed, even beginning to draw life force in reverse.
A wisp of dark red, almost black flame struggled to rise from his hand, stubbornly burning against the overwhelming pressure.
He knew he might not last another breath, and Yue Yuan hadn't even really made a move yet.
But so what?
"Oh? A stubborn resistance?" Yue Yuan seemed to finally become interested in his tenacity, or perhaps he was simply tired of this one-sided game of suppression.
The right hand, which had been behind his back, finally extended, and made a loose clench in his palm: "The formation begins."
Those two words were like the trigger of a switch that had been set up long ago.
Suddenly, countless thicker and more bizarre purplish-black array patterns erupted from the ground of the entire Bu Nian Temple, tearing through the bluestone slabs, wrapping around the remaining pillars, and instantly covering every inch of land and every wall.
These array patterns, together with the remnants of the previously altered mountain-protecting array, formed an even larger and more vicious final array.
The air froze completely, even thoughts became sluggish. Sound was completely cut off, leaving only the deep, heart-wrenching roar of the array in operation.
The immense pressure no longer came from above, but rather from all directions, from beneath one's feet, and from the air itself.
Bu Jiu could no longer suppress the gushing blood. The cracking sound from his meridians was clearly audible, and his bones groaned under the unbearable strain. His vision was instantly swallowed by darkness, but his will still held on, refusing to kneel down.
Xun Jing and the others couldn't even groan before being pinned to the ground, unable to move.
Yueyuan remained standing on the eaves, in the center, yet seemed to exist in another time and space, not even the hem of his clothes fluttering.
He looked down at the crowd below who had completely lost the ability to resist, and his gaze finally landed on Bu Jiu, who was barely holding on.
“It’s over.” Yue Yuan slowly raised his other hand, aiming it at Bu Jiu’s head.
"Leap—Abyss—!!" A furious shout rang in everyone's ears.
Immediately following was a streak of dark gold and blazing white light, piercing through the air.
The moment it tore through the sky and descended, even the surging, viscous array of light below was forced to shrink abruptly by its sharpness, its radiance dimming by three-tenths.
This ancient treasure, which Ji Wang had nurtured day and night with the innate Dao source and whose core was marked with "Tracing the Light," was no longer spindle-shaped, but had completely unfolded, transforming into a crack that stretched across the sky.
The oppressive aura it left behind carved a terrifying trail that could not be healed for a long time. Its power and sharpness far surpassed any previous manifestation.
This attack was unrestrained, even burning its own essence, carrying a naked intention of mutual destruction!
Just before the Reverse Scale Shuttle's sharp edge exploded, Yue Yuan's face, which had always been in complete control, finally showed a subtle change.
He had calculated many things, but he clearly did not expect Ji Wang to break through the deadlock and return at this time, nor did he expect that the opponent would deliver such a fatal blow as soon as they met.
The invisible protective barrier around Yue Yuan shattered like the most fragile glass under the sharpness of the Reverse Scale Shuttle. The light pierced his arm fiercely, then passed through him with unstoppable destructive force.
"Ugh...!" A muffled groan escaped from Yueyuan's throat.
A long gash was instantly torn open from his left shoulder to his ribs. The area directly hit by the Reverse Scale Shuttle was writhing wildly, trying to repair his body, but it was constantly annihilated by the flames and light-tracing power flowing on the shuttle, leaving a shocking wound.
Yueyuan's figure was shaken off the roof by this violent and unparalleled impact, and he staggered back half a step.
He looked down at the wound on his left side that was constantly festering and struggling to heal, then his gaze locked onto Ji Wang, whose breathing was rapid and disordered.
When he met Ji Wang's eyes, which were burning with hatred, a very abrupt smile slowly appeared on Yue Yuan's face.
"Finally here, junior brother." His voice was so low it was almost audible to himself, carrying an indescribable sense of satisfaction. "Then you should understand..."
"This is far from over."
As he spoke, the dark purple array below, which had been loosened by the impact of the Reverse Scale Shuttle, seemed to be injected with new commands, emitting a low rumble once again. The light flowed in a more eerie way, faintly pointing at Huai Qing and the others who had just arrived.
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