Chapter 356 – Thunder Sound Falls, Buddha Emerges, Western Divine Continent Falls, World in Turmoil

The guiding heavenly thunder followed the trajectory of Lu Chen’s Immortal Sword, descending once more.

Just as Lu Chen’s Immortal Sword pierced into the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s Myriad Snakes Domain, the golden guiding heavenly thunder struck precisely upon the sword’s hilt.

For a moment, the heavens and earth were cleansed.

The blinding lightning illuminated the entire Great Thousand Mountains as if it were daytime.

“Ah!”

Amidst the flashing thunder, a sudden scream erupted.

The Myriad Snakes Domain that had originally enveloped a radius of ten thousand miles around the Great Thousand Mountains began to dissipate at a visible pace.

As the caster of the Myriad Snakes Domain, its destruction was equivalent to the Serpent Mountain Immortal suffering a severe blow.

The Serpent Mountain Immortal, who had once exuded an imposing aura upon his arrival, now appeared greatly diminished.

The black scale at the center of his brow had quietly shattered.

His body was covered with charred lightning scars.

Yet these were merely superficial wounds.

What truly plagued the Serpent Mountain Immortal was the guiding heavenly thunder that had penetrated his body.

This heavenly thunder, embodying extreme yang and rigidity, suppressed all demons and evil spirits.

For a descended ancient immortal like the Serpent Mountain Immortal, burdened with Karma Entanglement, it was an overwhelmingly restraining force.

The raging guiding heavenly thunder within him rampaged like an out-of-control truck, causing not only immense damage but also rendering him unable to properly control himself.

His cultivation plummeted significantly, and his aura visibly withered.

At this point, though reluctant to admit it, the Serpent Mountain Immortal knew his descent had reached its end.

He first glanced in the direction where Zhuge Yan had ascended, then turned his gaze to Lu Chen nearby.

“I never expected mortals to harbor beings like you,” he said.

“But do not rejoice too soon. We will not easily abandon such a fertile world.”

“Soon, very soon… we shall return.”

“At that time, you and the sects behind you will pay for today’s events.”

Hearing the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s words, everyone present wore grave expressions.

This near-declaration of war weighed heavily on each of them.

If a single Serpent Mountain Immortal had required the Azure Cloud Sect’s Great Vehicle Stage ancestor to stake his life, the arrival of several such beings could very well lead to the fall of the Central Province.

But future concerns were for the future.

The present was undeniably more pressing.

Unfazed by the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s threats, Lu Chen unleashed his full Sword Intent, enveloping the Serpent Mountain Immortal with the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation.

Having confirmed an enemy with no possibility of reconciliation, Lu Chen held nothing back.

Moreover, the rewards for slaying a descended ancient immortal were self-evident—a transformation that could rebirth him entirely.

While others hesitated, uncertain of the consequences of killing the Serpent Mountain Immortal, Lu Chen’s Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation coalesced into the towering Fiend-Slaying Sword, descending upon the Serpent Mountain Immortal with crushing force.

Boom!

The Fiend-Slaying Sword fell, completely engulfing the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s form. Mountains crumbled, the earth split, and debris flew in all directions.The terrifying Sword Intent contained within this Divine Ability Magic Sword directly cleaved through the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s body, which had already been riddled with holes from enduring two Heavenly Tribulations.

When the dust settled, a bottomless chasm appeared before everyone’s eyes.

[You have slain the Descended Ancient Fiend (Serpent Mountain Immortal). You have obtained 10 billion experience points, Ancient Fiend Source*1]

[Name: Ancient Fiend Source]

[Grade: ???]

[Effect: ???]

Lu Chen silently retrieved his Immortal Sword from the depths of the chasm.

The Fiend-Slaying Sword was now covered in cracks.

These cracks formed partly from its initial clash with the Serpent Mountain Immortal’s Myriad Snakes Domain, and partly from enduring the Heavenly Tribulation.

Fortunately, the Fiend-Slaying Sword was of exceptional quality and shared a deep connection with Lu Chen’s will, allowing it to ultimately survive the ordeal.

Having weathered the Heavenly Tribulation, the sword had also gained significant benefits. Once fully restored, its quality would undoubtedly reach new heights.

Although the Serpent Mountain Immortal had fallen, the crisis in Central Province was far from over. The immediate concern was the severely damaged Martial God Mountain, which posed a grave threat.

The appearance of the Ancient Fiend and subsequent battles had reduced the area within ten thousand miles of Martial God Mountain to ruins, saturated with residual Ancient Fiend Power and traces of Dao techniques and Divine Abilities.

These remnants were dangerous not only to mortals but even to cultivators below the Golden Core Stage, who would struggle to protect themselves against them.

This effectively destroyed one of Central Province’s most fertile lands, with no quick restoration in sight.

Moreover, the lingering Ancient Fiend Power would gradually corrupt the surrounding environment. To prevent its spread and contain the damage, Central Province had to station guards here permanently.

This task required the joint efforts of multiple major sects.

While the battle appeared to be a victory for Central Province, neither the Azure Cloud Sect nor other schools felt much celebration. The cost of this victory had been far too high.

The Martial God Mountain, one of Central Province’s Ten Great Sects, had been completely annihilated. From its Great Vehicle Stage patriarch down to ordinary disciples, barely one in a hundred survived—only those who had been traveling abroad or managed to escape early.

Everyone else perished in the conflict.

The fall of a Top Ten Sect significantly weakened Central Province’s overall strength.

The greatest loss, however, was Zhuge Yan, the Great Vehicle Stage patriarch of the Azure Cloud Sect, who had sacrificed himself by merging with the situation and achieving ascension on the battlefield.

Coupled with the death of the current Martial God, the Great Thousand Mountains uprising had claimed two Great Vehicle Stage cultivators—an unbearably heavy price.

Most crucially, despite these sacrifices, the threat remained unresolved. The Serpent Mountain Immortal’s final words made it clear that he and his Great Thousand Mountains would return, next time fully prepared.

This hung like a sword over every cultivator in Central Province, its fall imminent yet unpredictable.

The Serpent Mountain Immortal had demonstrated through his power that he and his Great Thousand Mountains possessed the capability to destroy Central Province entirely.Just as Central Province was struggling with the aftermath of the Great Thousand Mountains chaos, another blow fell like rain through a leaky roof.

A monk from Little Thunderclap Temple in Western Divine Province tightened everyone’s already strained nerves.

“So you’re saying that Clarity Buddha’s heretical demon form has broken through the seal and is now roaming freely in Western Divine Province?”

“Yes.”

Gu Liqing frowned deeply, lost in thought for a long while.

After some time, he looked seriously at the Little Thunderclap monk before him and asked, “Do you have any leads on who released that heretical demon form, or who corrupted the eminent monks of your Four Emptiness Mountain?”

The Little Thunderclap monk shook his head, indicating they still hadn’t found any trace of the mysterious organization that had corrupted both Four Emptiness Mountain and other Little Thunderclap monks.

Just as Gu Liqing was about to speak further, the monk before him suddenly showed signs of agony, his entire body trembling violently.

The Buddhist Power within him began to fluctuate wildly at that moment.

Seeing this, Gu Liqing acted almost instinctively, attempting to help suppress the abnormality affecting the monk.

However, Buddhism and Daoism were fundamentally different systems.

Moreover, Gu Liqing was primarily a Sword Cultivator, not particularly skilled in healing arts.

In the end, he could only use his cultivation to help repair the monk’s physical body, but was unable to help control the raging Buddhist Power within him.

Moments later, Gu Liqing watched as the monk’s golden Buddhist body shattered before his eyes.

The monk’s cultivation plummeted by an entire major Realm, falling from the original Nascent Soul stage to the Golden Core Stage.

Worse still, it appeared to be continuing its slow decline, showing no signs of stopping.

This gradual decline, however, gave the monk some breathing room.

He first stared in disbelief at his shattered golden body, then turned to Gu Liqing with a grim expression and said, “Something has happened at Little Thunderclap Temple…”

The Origin of a Buddhist cultivator’s power comes not only from personal practice but also from the Power Of Will of all living beings.

When problems arise among these living beings, it directly affects Buddhist cultivators who draw Power Of Will from that region.

This particular Little Thunderclap monk derived his Power Of Will from the Mortals of Western Divine Province.

His current condition unmistakably indicated to both him and Gu Liqing that something terrible had happened to Little Thunderclap Temple and Western Divine Province where it was located.

Otherwise, his cultivation wouldn’t have plummeted so drastically without him sustaining any injuries.

There could only be one explanation for such a phenomenon: either the devotees who previously worshipped at Little Thunderclap Temple had suddenly converted to another faith, or these followers had suffered mass casualties—or possibly both scenarios had occurred simultaneously.

Regardless of which scenario, one thing was clear: something catastrophic had definitely happened to Little Thunderclap Temple and Western Divine Province.

Western Divine Province, Little Thunderclap Temple.

“Abbot Wuchen, we have fully activated the Vajra Array, but it can only protect our temple and the area within a hundred-mile radius.”

“We are powerless to protect the remaining regions.”

Hearing this report from a Vajra Protector beside him, the newly appointed Abbot Wuchen of Little Thunderclap Temple nodded calmly.

He raised his head and looked beyond the temple grounds.

Outside Little Thunderclap Temple, figures clad in black monastic robes were everywhere.

These individuals wore black lotuses on their chests with varying numbers of petals indicating their ranks.

It was precisely these people who had completely uprooted the Foundation that Little Thunderclap Temple had built over ten thousand years in Western Divine Province.Their actions were straightforward: kill all those unwilling to convert.

The survivors all betrayed Little Thunderclap Temple and pledged allegiance to the so-called Black Lotus Sect.

Little Thunderclap Temple had not been idle in trying to stop this.

But the strength of this so-called Black Lotus Sect was simply overwhelming.

Not only did they command many Revered Ones at the Transformation Soul Stage,

their leadership even included a Reincarnated Bodhisattva whose power rivaled that of a living Celestial Being.

And the vessel for this Bodhisattva’s descent was none other than the heretical demonic body of Clarity Buddha, the Buddha of Four Emptiness Mountain.

Faced with such a Reincarnated Bodhisattva, nearly invincible below the level of an Immortal,

Little Thunderclap Temple naturally suffered defeat after defeat, unable to withstand even a single encounter with the enemy.

As for Clarity Buddha, the living Buddha of Four Emptiness Mountain, he had yet to find a suitable opportunity to intervene.

Given his current condition, he could act for no more than an hour at most.

If he failed to eliminate the Black Lotus Sect’s Reincarnated Bodhisattva within half a day,

he would either achieve Buddhahood on the spot or perish where he stood.

Whether it was due to the Reincarnated Bodhisattva’s own methods or because the vessel he occupied was Clarity Buddha’s Heart Demon body,

the Bodhisattva was able to pinpoint Clarity Buddha’s location with absolute precision.

Meanwhile, Clarity Buddha, to evade the Heavenly Tribulation, had to seal away most of his cultivation most of the time.

Thus, once Clarity Buddha unleashed his cultivation,

if he failed to locate and subdue the Black Lotus Sect’s Reincarnated Bodhisattva within an hour,

he would be forced to admit defeat.

But the Black Lotus Sect’s Reincarnated Bodhisattva clearly had no intention of waiting idly for Clarity Buddha to come knocking.

Back and forth, Little Thunderclap Temple found itself in an increasingly passive position.

This eventually led to the current situation, where most of the Western Divine Province had fallen, and the Black Lotus Sect’s army was pressing at their borders.

For Little Thunderclap Temple, however, this was both a crisis and an opportunity to completely eradicate the Black Lotus Sect.

After all, at this stage, if the Black Lotus Sect wished to fully control the Western Divine Province,

Little Thunderclap Temple was an obstacle they could not bypass.

Clarity Buddha could also seize this opportunity

to confront the Black Lotus Sect’s Reincarnated Bodhisattva head-on.

This battle would almost certainly determine the fate of Little Thunderclap Temple, and indeed the entire Western Divine Province.

Within the Black Lotus Sect’s army, a woman of transcendent aura and saintly countenance sat atop a black lotus, her gaze calmly fixed on Little Thunderclap Temple, which was bathed in Buddha light.

This was the Black Lotus Sect’s Reincarnated Bodhisattva, Wushu.

Wushu gazed intently at Little Thunderclap Temple, as if waiting for something.

Before long, a deep, resonant bell tolled from within Little Thunderclap Temple.

Then, a towering column of Buddha light illuminated the entire sky above the temple, dyeing the heavens into a golden sea.

Under the intensity of this Buddha light, the Black Lotus Sect’s followers began to retreat step by step.

Only Bodhisattva Wushu remained seated upon her black lotus throne.

Boom!

From the boundless sky, a colossal palm tore through the clouds, descending toward the location of the Black Lotus Sect’s army.

Through the rent in the clouds, the crowd caught sight of a massive Buddha seated high in the heavens.

That enormous golden Buddha palm had come from him.

Faced with this majestic Buddha palm, the members of the Black Lotus Sect wore grave expressions.

For this single strike alone was enough to decimate more than half their forces.

Such was the power of a living Buddha.

But just as the Buddha palm was about to crash down upon them, the seated Reincarnated Bodhisattva Wushu finally moved.

A flicker of black Buddha light shimmered.Wushu immediately transformed into a colossal Buddha manifestation as well.

He extended his hand to meet Kongming’s Buddha palm head-on.

The two enormous Buddha palms collided.

Instantly, a cataclysmic impact erupted that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.

In mere moments, the Black Lotus Sect members began retreating continuously, only stopping after withdrawing ten thousand li.

Only at this distance could they feel somewhat secure.

(End of Chapter)