Chapter 406: The Human Sovereign
Yuan Shang was furious beyond words. While others weren’t fighting with their full strength, Li Wu had simply refused to fight at all.
Perhaps feeling uncomfortable under Yuan Shang’s intense gaze, Li Wu unconsciously took two steps back.
Yuan Shang’s expression changed drastically. “Don’t retreat!”
Li Wu turned in confusion to look behind him following Yuan Shang’s gaze – and nearly fainted from terror.
An Outer Realm Demon had crossed dimensions to appear directly behind him. The monstrous creature opened its bloody maw and swallowed Li Wu whole, not leaving even a single drop of blood behind.
The third Outer Realm Demon.
Yuan Shang immediately engaged the demon in combat, but soon found himself bleeding profusely from severe wounds that refused to heal.
The others quickly noticed this new development.
Longbrow Buddha made a decisive command: “Five will remain with me. The rest go assist Yuan Shang immediately – and bring out your immortal artifacts now!”
Hearing this, the Tribulation Transcendence cultivators swiftly moved to Yuan Shang’s position. After all, the more people there were, the less effort each individual needed to expend.
…
Watching this battle unfold, Jiang Li couldn’t help but feel exhausted on Longbrow Buddha’s behalf. If they had fought together sincerely, the worst outcome would have been losing one Tribulation Transcendence cultivator.
But with everyone harboring their own schemes and only putting in token effort, they found themselves locked in stalemate with the Outer Realm Demons – even gradually losing ground.
“What a bunch of useless bastards,” Jiang Li muttered.
…
The scale of this battle was unprecedented, with fighting occurring across the cosmos as if the world itself was ending.
Cultivators and mortals across the Nine Provinces watched in horror, trembling as they prayed for their side’s victory.
But contrary to their hopes, the Nine Provinces forces kept losing ground. The cultivators and mortals began showing expressions of despair.
“Is that…the Outer Realm Demon that slaughters all living things?”
“If even the Tribulation Transcendence experts can’t stop it…doesn’t that mean we’re doomed when the demons win?”
“I don’t want to die yet.”
“The Outer Realm Demons are too terrifying.”
“Wuwuwu…I’m not ready to die…”
Unaware that the Tribulation Transcendence experts weren’t fighting seriously, the observers believed their champions were battling desperately with their lives on the line.
Immortal Elder Changcun and the Tribulation Transcendence experts represented their last line of defense. Seeing this defense crumble, they plunged into panic and despair.
The battle grew increasingly brutal. Through some unknown means, an Outer Realm Demon devoured one of Longbrow Buddha’s arms – an injury that refused to regenerate.
As the most powerful among the Tribulation Transcendence experts, Longbrow Buddha’s every move affected the hearts of all watching cultivators and mortals.
Seeing Longbrow Buddha showing fatigue and being forced to retreat, everyone became convinced this was their final day – that the Nine Provinces would surely fall.
This despairing conviction that they would die today and their homeland would be destroyed began spreading among the populace.
Yet within this hopelessness, another thought secretly took root – they didn’t want to die. They wanted Longbrow Buddha to win.
These similar thoughts and wishes began permeating every inch of the Nine Provinces Continent through some inexplicable means, gradually merging together to form an azure-blue stream that flowed slowly, its substance hovering between liquid and solid.
At first, this stream was extremely faint, on the verge of drying up at any moment.
But as the battle continued and people’s despair and will to survive intensified, the azure stream grew stronger.
Compared to the Earth Vein from Jiang Li’s era, this azure stream was merely embryonic, not yet deserving the name “Earth Vein.”
“We want Longbrow Buddha to win.”
The embryonic Earth Vein sensed the collective hope, absorbing and releasing this wish energy.
…
Longbrow Buddha was sent flying again. Seeing this, the other Tribulation Transcendence experts finally stopped holding back, attempting to subdue the Outer Realm Demon.
Unfortunately, without proper coordination or leadership, their combined efforts still couldn’t match the demon’s power.
The Outer Realm Demon charged at Longbrow Buddha, its belly splitting open to reveal dozens of arms that reached out to drag the Buddha inside.
Longbrow Buddha wanted to resist, but had no strength left.
Just as he thought this was the end, a gentle power flowed from the Nine Provinces Continent, nourishing his body.
“Faith power?” As a Buddhist, Longbrow Buddha recognized this energy immediately. He only wondered where it came from.
Soon, he sensed the thoughts contained within the faith power and understood its origin.
“This faith power condensed into a stream beneath the Nine Provinces before transferring to me?” Longbrow Buddha was astonished – he’d never heard of such a phenomenon. But now wasn’t the time to ponder this.
The faith power rapidly restored his strength, even enhancing his physical body to near-immortal levels.
The newly formed Nine Provinces Earth Vein was still unstable, transmitting faith power intermittently rather than providing a continuous flow.
“Fight on!”
Grateful for what he’d received, Longbrow Buddha – now stronger than at his peak – led several Tribulation Transcendence experts back into battle.
“Ten Thousand Buddhas Pay Homage!”
Buddhist chants echoed impossibly through the cosmos as radiant Buddha breath erupted forth. Longbrow Buddha unleashed a golden palm strike that seemed to contain the combined might of countless Buddhas striking simultaneously.
The demonic creature froze momentarily under the disorienting chants and immobilizing Buddha breath, allowing the devastating palm strike to land squarely on its inky black form – the aftershocks shattering nearby stars.
But as an Earthly Immortal-level entity (and not a newly ascended one at that), the demon survived this attack.
“ROAR—”
The Outer Realm Demon issued an incomprehensible bellow.
“Other Mountain Stone, strike!”
The Island Lord of Penglai Immortal Isle activated his immortal artifact, blasting a bloody hole through the demon.
“Demon Pillar Holding Up Heaven!”
“Mountain-Suppressing Seal!”
Several Tribulation Transcendence experts unleashed dazzling techniques with magnificent displays – though only the Penglai Island Lord fought seriously, the others still putting on an act.
Since Longbrow Buddha could still fight, they saw no need to exert themselves.
“Immovable Vajra Method!”
Longbrow Buddha transformed into the Fudo Myoo, manifesting a wrathful visage as brilliant light illuminated all, his presence utterly unshakable.
“ROAR—”
The Outer Realm Demon seemed to recognize something familiar, roaring even louder.
The demon’s belly split open again, countless arms emerging – two of which bore Buddhist prayer beads.
Longbrow Buddha’s heart trembled, but he silenced his thoughts with scripture, focusing solely on the battle before him.
Whatever this demon’s origins, today he would slay it!
This particular Outer Realm Demon proved extraordinarily powerful – if Earthly Immortals were divided into early, middle and late stages, this creature’s physical strength reached the late stage.
It displayed natural resistance to Buddhist techniques and instinctively avoided Longbrow Buddha’s attacks. Even with his enhanced power, the Buddha struggled to inflict fatal wounds.
“KILL!”
Longbrow Buddha exhausted every means at his disposal, even burning his blood and lifespan in desperate attempts for a mortal body to overcome an immortal demon.
Ultimately, Longbrow Buddha fell just short – sacrificing his life to inflict wounds the demon couldn’t regenerate from.
The great Buddha perished, transforming into a perfect sarira.
With his final act, he guided the faith power back to the embryonic Earth Vein, accelerating its maturation to provide continuous faith energy for those who would follow.
“Master!” The young monk cried out upon seeing this, leaping into the cosmos without regard for his own life to avenge his teacher.
“How dare you all still hold back!”
Yuan Shang, battling the third Outer Realm Demon, noticed this development and flew into a rage, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
“Longbrow Buddha has fallen! You’re next if this continues! None of you will survive at this rate!”
The people placed their hopes on Yuan Shang – leader of the righteous path and High Priest of the Xuantian Sect, renowned for upholding justice for cultivators and mortals alike.
The maturing Nine Provinces Earth Vein followed the people’s will, channeling faith power to Yuan Shang.