Chapter 563

Chapter 563: The Hidden Dagger Revealed

Witnessing this situation, Fang Lie no longer dared to be careless. He urgently activated the divine skill of Void Escape, causing his numerous clones to scatter and vanish without trace in the blink of an eye!

By the time Ming Kong reacted, dozens of Fang Lie clones had dispersed across hundreds of miles of space, leaving the monk utterly dumbfounded!

No matter how formidable Ming Kong was, he couldn’t possibly attack so many targets simultaneously. He would have to eliminate them one by one.

But here lay the problem—each Fang Lie clone possessed Void Escape techniques. How could Ming Kong possibly catch any of them? Even if he managed to capture one, the remaining dozens would still remain beyond his reach!

As Ming Kong stood frozen in confusion, the multiple Fang Lie clones simultaneously snorted coldly. "To receive without returning is discourteous. Taste my counterattack—Soulfire Lance!"

With those words, they unleashed volleys of Soulfire Lances. Each clone fired over a dozen lances, combining into hundreds of blazing projectiles that filled the sky.

Each three-inch-thick lance carried tremendous power, shooting toward Ming Kong from all directions and nearly sealing off every possible escape route!

Yet Ming Kong showed no trace of fear. While controlling his treasure-transformed Great Might Tianlong to pursue the nearest Fang Lie clone, he summoned another artifact—an exquisite Golden Bell adorned with 108 intricate dragon reliefs.

Upon activation, the bell materialized into the awe-inspiring phantom of Tianlong Arhat, one of the Eighteen Arhats from Buddhist tradition.

This thousand-zhang-tall Buddha projection radiated majestic Buddhist light that enveloped a hundred-mile radius.

The hundreds of approaching Soulfire Lances dissolved upon contact with the golden radiance, failing to cause even the slightest harm!

This spectacle clearly demonstrated the treasure’s extraordinary power.

Indeed, the artifact’s appearance immediately provoked exclamations from onlookers: "Heavens! That’s the Tianlong Golden Bell—the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s mightiest Peak Eighth-Rank treasure, just half-step from becoming Ninth-Rank!"

"No wonder Ming Kong’s Tianlong Zen Chant surpasses ordinary disciples and rivals Thunder Tribulation Immortals! This treasure amplifies the chant’s power multiple times—it’s specifically designed for that divine skill!"

"But doesn’t Master Tianlong control this treasure? How did Ming Kong obtain it? And it’s manifesting the Tianlong Arhat form!"

"Legends say this bell has two transformation states: one as the Arhat’s mount for chant amplification, the other as this combat-ready Arhat projection with both offensive and defensive capabilities!"

"Master Tianlong must’ve sacrificed copious amounts of Purple Palace energy to enable this ultimate transformation! The madman!"

"What choice remains? Fang Lie’s undying nature and arsenal of Eighth-Rank treasures leave Ming Kong no alternative. Failure to reclaim the Sect’s treasures in the Celestial Platform Competition would disgrace the entire temple!"

"Precisely! As abbot, Master Tianlong must protect the temple’s dignity. This is his only opportunity—he must stake everything!"

"Marvelous! With this Tianlong Arhat manifestation, what can Fang Lie possibly do? Even Thunder Tribulation Immortals would struggle here!"

Noticing the irregularity, Mo Qianxun angrily confronted Master Tianlong: "Senior Brother! Using elder’s Nascent Soul energy to empower treasures in arena combat—isn’t this blatant cheating?"

The temple master coldly retorted: "Admittedly unfair. But to recover our Sect’s treasures, I’ll endure this shame."

Mo Qianxun nearly choked with rage. With the admission of shamelessness, what rebuttal remained? Truly, shamelessness reigned supreme!

Meanwhile, Fang Lie’s fury ignited at the temple’s underhanded tactics. "Ming Kong! You think ancestral handouts guarantee victory? How naïve!"

"Prove it then," Ming Kong taunted.

"Watch me extract your black heart with Void Claws!" Fang Lie shot back.

Multiple clones attempted Void Escape approaches for close-range attacks. But shockingly, they rebounded from the void a hundred miles away—as if colliding with solid stone!

Ming Kong smirked at Fang Lie’s disheveled state.

Activating his Void Eye, Fang Lie discovered the hundred-mile radius saturated with Tianlong Arhat’s Buddhist light permeating every Subspace layer.

The petrifying radiance repelled all Void Escape attempts, leaving clones dazed and vulnerable to the pursuing Great Might Tianlong’s lethal strikes!

Fang Lie saw his forces diminished without gain and finally raged, "Damn it! Witness The Great Unity Spell!"

Dozens of Fang Lie clones pressed sword-like fingers to their brows, then thrust toward Monk Ming Kong. Instantly, dozens of radiant butterflies shot toward him!

Facing these butterflies, the usually stoic Ming Kong turned grave. He knew the terror of karmic divine skills—they defied logic. Sealed space? Tianlong Arhat’s Shadow defenses? Useless. Those butterflies would pierce through and strike him!

A single hit meant his end. Unlike Fang Lie, he lacked an undying nature.

Yet Ming Kong stayed composed, eyes locked on the butterflies, awaiting his moment.

As the butterflies entered the Buddhist light, their speed slowed under the Arhat’s radiance. Still, they pressed forward until mere hundreds of feet from Ming Kong.

He suddenly drew a golden dagger and slashed. Blade light flashed—every butterfly vanished as if never existing!

The crowd gasped. Those butterflies were manifestations of the Law of Cause and Effect—intangible, unstoppable by ordinary treasures. Only another karmic treasure could counter them.

All eyes fixed on Ming Kong’s dagger.

Thick and unadorned, its blunt edge bore only a swastika on the hilt. Simple, almost plain. Yet closer inspection revealed its blade was formed from hair-thin swastika divine patterns. Black mist seeped from the seams, as if linking to another realm.

Several Buddhist masters paled. "Junior Brother Tianlong, is this Chongming Ancient Temple’s Kṣitigarbha Vow Sword?"

"Indeed," Master Tianlong confirmed.

Outrage erupted. "Amitābha! This is a crime! The Kṣitigarbha Vow Sword aids high monks’ sacred liberation. Using it to kill blasphemes Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva!"

"Repent now, Junior Brother! Withdraw this blade before irreversible harm!"

Their fury was justified. A Bodhisattva-bestowed treasure for enlightenment, twisted into a weapon? This reeked of Betraying the Sect and Ancestor! Even non-disciples had to denounce it.

Master Tianlong remained unshaken. "Senior brothers overreact. I vowed before Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva—using this blade to redeem Fang Lie grants me discipleship upon ascension. The Bodhisattva approved."

"Ah…"

"So that’s why!"

"Then we’ll not intervene," the masters conceded.

But Sect Leader Mo Qianxun exploded. "Tianlong! You exploit his undying nature to damn Fang Lie to eternal hell!"

"Sect Leader Mo exaggerates." Master Tianlong smirked. "Fang Lie’s bloodshed harms the righteous sects. I send him to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva for redemption through supreme Buddhism—a mercy."

"Mercy your VIP Sir!" Mo Qianxun roared. "Harm one hair on Fang Lie, and we become eternal enemies!"