Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Jieyin and Han Wu Lü E

“The miniature Buddhist nation is good, the miniature Buddhist nation is wonderful. Ghostly beings are all suppressed, and dark energy returns to the Impermanence.” Jieyin, with a dignified presence of Buddha, transmitted a message: “All protectors assist this poor monk in transforming the ghostly beings. The official seal of the ancient dynasty is here; it is necessary to hold a formal trial to clarify the past, eradicate evil, eliminate filth, and save the heroic spirits.”

The enemy wanted to employ a ghost sea tactic to block the suction vortex created by the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays. How could Li Hui allow them to succeed? Although the miniature Buddhist nation was not fully developed, it possessed various talisman formations, treasures, divine spirits, and heroic spirits to intimidate. Dealing with ghostly beings at the mid-Condense Essence stage was not a problem, but he needed to be cautious with those at the late Condense Essence stage; as long as there weren’t too many, he could handle it.

“Boom…” Six golden arms appeared, flipping over and reaching outwards in all directions. All ghostly beings below the late Condense Essence stage could not escape their grasp.

This was impressive! Originally, seventy percent of the ghostly beings had already left; now, in an instant, a large portion had been taken away. If the Buddhist cultivators saw this scene, they would certainly be amazed.

Li Hui remained calm as he took out the Jin Tian Sect command token to examine it.

Despite this token being made of clay, it revealed the competitive rankings, which even Bai Ze’s divine eye could not discern. Previously, he had made a remarkable move at the Heart Refining Branch, causing his rank to soar to thirty-nine. He had thought that after eliminating the Evil God, his ranking would rise again, but it only increased by two positions; within several hours, it plummeted down to sixty-four. The Jin Tian Sect disciples were evidently working cooperatively to accumulate merit.

“I wonder where those strong ones from Jin Tian Sect are gathering merit; their progress is astonishing. Although the top three hundred sixty can become true disciples, the number of available slots has reached a new record since the sect’s establishment, allowing them to ascend Baoyan Peak to participate in treasure allocation. But treasure allocation won’t happen all at once, right? Who gets the good treasures needs some certification, ensuring that the disciples are truly convinced. As the continent’s top sect, filled with talented individuals, who would willingly settle for second place? Who doesn’t want to display their prowess and take the lead? Moreover, being first might grant one the opportunity to inherit the Jin Tian Sect, so the competition for rankings is fierce.”

“Alas! I only increased one rank! It seems killing ghostly beings below the Bosa stage is no longer useful. The inner sect disciples of Jin Tian Sect are ordinary practitioners at the Bosa stage, and now my incarnation is also at the Bosa stage, finally standing on the same starting line. There is a saying that those who aren’t resented are mediocre; I must completely surpass Zhang Daoheng and become the head of the Daoists on the Wutu Continent.”

At this moment, Li Hui was filled with ambition. Since he could still be listed on the walls of Jin Tian Sect, it wasn’t in his character to not thrive. If he had the chance to obtain the sect’s vast foundation, it would be more powerful than thousands or tens of thousands of Green Copper Halls.

The miniature Buddhist nation acted like a sieve, filtering out the small ones and retaining the large ones. Bosa stage ghostly beings were usually massive; if any were small, they would certainly be extraordinarily powerful, having already condensed their dark energy.

“Explode!”

Hundreds of Buddhist artifacts flew out and detonated. Following that, eighteen pieces of Buddha Treasure soared forth, crashing into the ghostly beings and exploding into a sky full of golden light. Any ghostly being struck by the golden light instantly let out a scream.

“Explode again!”

Li Hui waved his hand, unleashing more Buddhist artifacts and treasures.

Jieyin had accumulated so much; having emptied the resources of countless Demon Cultivators, each of them had previously eradicated Buddhist practitioners, so the Buddhist artifacts and treasures could assist in refining demonic skills, leading to a genuine surplus.

After six or seven waves of explosions, even the Yuanchen Twelve Ghosts and the Five Swordmasters of Lingxu caught in the Dao soldiers’ formation were affected, rising with strands of black mist.

At this moment, the ghostly beings that could still charge forward were minimal, forming a circular isolation area hundreds of zhang wide. Taking advantage of this, Li Hui withdrew a half-blue, half-black small gourd.

This small gourd was the Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd, formerly belonging to the Cold Armor Emperor. Since the last time he had placed the difficult-to-resolve Remnant Soul in it, the emperor had been bouncing around restlessly, battling fiercely with a group of old ghosts.

However, within the Cold Palace, one particular spirit was extremely domineering. This woman, named Lü E, had caused upheaval in the Cold Palace’s history; one of the incidents was attributed to her. After her death, she tried to possess others but was captured by a high-level demon cultivator. Although her spirit was difficult to refine, she could only be suppressed beneath the Cold Palace, left to this day.

Now, this Lü E was at odds with the Cold Armor Emperor, each occupying their own space in the gourd, preparing for another battle as they amassed power until one of them broke free or devoured the other.

Li Hui said, “I have accumulated some merits and am willing to use them to help both seniors cleanse the burdens of the past. However, to remove your karmic burdens, you must also perform good deeds.”

“The Buddhist nation requires four heavenly kings to preside over it. I wish to guide both of you to it. With the heights reached by Elder Cold Armor and Elder Lü E, you could quickly cultivate to the Myriad Forms Stage.”

The Cold Armor Emperor snorted coldly: “Dream on! This lord will not lower himself, and the Myriad Forms Foundation you mentioned is insubstantial and unworthy of note.”

A laughter resounded: “Ha, ha, little one thinks he can let us be his henchmen. However, being a Buddhist protector is a troublesome business; once you take on that role, it is hard to discard it. By offering your merits to us, it’s equivalent to signing a contract of servitude. Unless you die, don’t expect to gain your freedom.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, then it seems I spoke too soon. I wish you both a swift ascent to paradise.” Li Hui took out a stack of talisman paper to wrap the gourd.

“Wait…” The Cold Armor Emperor felt quite helpless. Over the past year, he had restored some of his strength, but the brat holding the gourd had been progressing even faster. This little one possessed powerful talisman techniques, with talismans that transformed in countless ways. Even a grand emperor like him could not fathom how such cultivation could create a Jade Symbol. This level of potential could not simply be termed against the heavens; it was extraordinary and completely transcended the boundaries of heaven and earth.

Therefore, unwilling to face reality, he had to face it. This little one had already grown and had plenty of methods to deal with this fallen emperor.

“I am a king of heaven and cannot be sent about at will, nor can my merits be reduced or unjustly oppressed, nor may I be maliciously targeted…” The Cold Armor Emperor began to lay down conditions, fearing great losses if he didn’t state his intentions clearly before becoming a servant.

“Good, good say,” Li Hui smiled and agreed, then turned to Lü E: “And what about you, Elder Lü? If you think this humble temple is too small, I can provide a better place.”

“Hmph! You want me to serve you forcefully today? Are you not afraid of brewing bitter wine and facing misfortune in the future?” Lü E said haughtily, unwilling to beat about the bush.

“It seems the elder is not sincere. I would never force you; I can assist you in shifting to the path of ghosts. That’s not difficult for me.” Li Hui kept adding talismans to the gourd.

Was this not coercion? Angered, Lü E exploded in frustration inside the gourd but could find no way to counter. She scoffed, “Fine! If being a protector is what you want, I’ll comply. What can I do when under someone else’s roof? Besides, I only have my Remnant Soul left.”

Li Hui sighed: “I know that a forcibly twisted melon is not sweet! However, with the great calamity approaching, do you two truly have such confidence to withstand it? Whether Remnant Soul or spirit, sustaining your consciousness until today indicates that both of you had exceptional depth in cultivation during your lifetime. If you succeed in possession, how confident are you in breaking through your original realm to ascend higher? Rather than that, why not follow along with me, serving as protectors and heavenly kings to suppress evil, alleviate your inner grievances, and accumulate merits for future plans?”

The Cold Armor Emperor laughed: “Haha! I had forgotten you; now the fateful thread has risen again. Just go, just go, it’s time to return!”