Chapter 344

Chapter 344: Clash of Righteous and Evil Sects

As they drew near, the East Kunlun Taoists finally glimpsed the White Bone warship’s structure. The entire vessel was constructed from bleached bones, its surface densely packed with skeletal remains—tens of thousands at minimum, likely exceeding a million.

This meant over a million humans had been slaughtered to harvest enough skulls for crafting such a warship.

These skulls radiated lingering resentment, clearly belonging to tortured souls who died in agony. The boundless curse formed by their final hatred powered this aerial vessel, making it a terrifying Seventh-rank mid-grade treasure ship.

The dark miasma surrounding the White Bone warship had been specially refined to corrupt magical treasures and Flying Swords—a nightmare for Righteous Cultivators.

East Kunlun’s sword cultivators particularly loathed this. Their Flying Swords demanded absolute purity. Even minor contamination by this venomous hatred required immense effort to cleanse.

While East Kunlun’s sword fanatics feared no single opponent, they found mass-produced hatred from the White Bone warship troublesome.

Yet to display their courage, the East Kunlun cultivators held their ground.

They assumed all factions gathered for the Lost Forest’s Secret Realm would maintain restraint outdoors.

This reasoning held true in previous years. Typically, righteous and evil sects merely observed each other outside secret realms without conflict.

But this year differed.

The White Bone warship charged directly at East Kunlun’s flying sword while unleashing hundreds of shrieking green ghost skulls toward the Taoists.

"Damnation! Forbidden Sky Ghosts! Fall back!" The lead Taoist barked, releasing crimson Sword Rays to block the assault as others swiftly retreated with their flying sword.

Fortunately, East Kunlun prioritized speed over defense. Their flying sword executed an elegant aerial pivot, darting past the warship like a dragonfly—a testament to their sword cultivation mastery.

The slower White Bone warship didn’t pursue, instead occupying East Kunlun’s former position above the oasis.

Mocking laughter echoed: "Pathetic East Kunlun! Scramming before our White Bone Sect? Hah!"

East Kunlun’s Taoists bristled with rage. The lead cultivator roared, "White Bone Sect! Provoking battle outside Lost Forest? We’ll oblige!"

A sneering youth materialized on the warship’s prow. "Fight me? Vermin like you? I could erase you with a gesture!"

Recognition drained the Taoist’s anger. "True Young Master of White Bone Sect? Weren’t you dead?"

"Fool! Can’t corpses revive?" the youth retorted.

"But this marks your fourth resurrection!" The Taoist gaped. "Your last death was final!"

"None of your concern!" True Young Master snapped. "I live again to torment righteous and evil sects alike. Scram before I crush you!"

"By what right?" The Taoist shouted. "You breach our Agreement!"

"Agreements?" True Young Master laughed cruelly. "My word is law! Disobey and die! Let’s play before entering Lost Forest—KILL THEM!"

The warship reactivated, spewing green skulls amidst spectral wails.

East Kunlun’s Taoists wisely fled while cursing, refusing to engage overwhelming force.

True Young Master gave frenzied chase like a rabid hound, his madness fixated on East Kunlun’s destruction.

The people of East Kunlun had no choice but to keep fleeing. Though their pursuers couldn’t catch up, being chased like stray dogs infuriated the prideful East Kunlun cultivators.

At that critical moment, golden light suddenly appeared on the distant horizon accompanied by solemn Buddhist chants. The East Kunlun group immediately rejoiced – this could only be the arrival of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the sole Buddhist disciples in the area.

Buddhist disciples specialized in suppressing evil, their sacred light being particularly lethal to malevolent spirits. With the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s assistance, the combined forces could stand against the White Bone Sect.

East Kunlun’s flying swords swiftly changed course to meet them, soon joining forces with the Buddhist contingent. To everyone’s surprise, the Great Thunder Sound Temple had brought an entire Buddha Mountain – a thousand-foot peak densely covered with countless Buddha statues glowing faintly golden under perpetual incense smoke.

These Buddha Mountains were unique Buddhist creations. Devout disciples spent millennia channeling magic into them, repeatedly refining every inch of the stone. This process not strengthened the mountain but also infused it with boundless Buddhist power. When engraved with sacred formations, the entire mass could soar through skies.

In battle, these mountains proved formidable. Their radiant aura repelled evil spirits while bolstering allies’ strength. Functioning like massive treasure ships, they contained powerful restrictions that unleashed devastating attacks when activated.

However, constructing such mountains required tens of millennia, making them exceedingly rare. Yet each possessed combat strength rivaling Seventh-Rank Treasure Ships.

Seeing the Buddhist mountain alongside the pursuing White Bone warship, East Kunlun disciples exchanged puzzled looks. The senior Taoists especially frowned deeply, thoroughly confused.

Traditionally, conflicts in the Lost Forest involved Sixth-rank treasure ships – an unspoken rule maintained for millennia as these weren’t full-scale wars but mere disciple protection. Yet now the White Bone Sect deployed a Seventh-rank warship while the Buddhists brought their sacred mountain, both far exceeding normal strength.

East Kunlun members secretly wondered if something unusual was happening with this Lost Forest expedition.

As they pondered, an old monk atop the Buddha Mountain called out: "This humble monk Fa Yin from the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s Discipline Hall greets our East Kunlun Dao friends."

The lead Taoist bowed. "I am Wu Liangzi. Honored to meet you, Master."

"Junior Brother Wu Liangzi," Fa Yin acknowledged. "Are those White Bone Sect followers chasing you? Why?"

"These demons broke our old Agreement!" Wu Liangzi fumed. "They attacked without warning, vowing to drive us out! How can we righteous sects tolerate this?"

"Indeed!" Fa Yin’s voice turned steely. "Since demons seek trouble, let’s show them our might! Guard our flank while we engage them."

Recognizing East Kunlun’s disadvantage against the bone ship, Fa Yin tactfully assigned them supporting roles without mentioning retreat. Grateful, Wu Liangzi vowed: "We’ll secure the flank!"

East Kunlun’s flying swords shifted position as the Buddha Mountain directly confronted the White Bone warship. Though dominant earlier, the bone ship now hesitated – Buddhist light countered its hatred-powered spirits. A single chant of the Great Compassion Mantra could purify the vessel’s vengeful souls, rendering it powerless.

True Young Master reluctantly announced: "Monks! We merely taught East Kunlun fools a lesson. For your face, we’ll spare them today. Let’s await the Lost Forest’s opening."

But as he turned to leave, Fa Yin coldly sneered: "Leaving won’t be that easy!" Golden Buddhist light erupted from the mountain like radiant clouds, engulfing the enemy warship.