76: Chapter 76 Melee

Brahma City. Night.

Deep within the Great Leiyin Temple, beside an ancient well, the Abbot stood with his palms pressed together, his eyes lowered. A brilliant golden light erupted from the well as a broken stone tablet slowly ascended into the air. The surface of the stone tablet was covered in ancient and complex characters; a single glance was enough to make one feel dizzy.

"Amitabha. The demonic hindrance has been stirred," the Abbot sighed.

An old monk stepped out from the shadows. "Only by welcoming the demon into the game can one become a Buddha on the spot. Now that the karma monument has appeared, the Laws of the West Barren will surely be reshaped."

The inn's rooftop.

Gu Sheng stood against the wind, his white clothes fluttering.

"There's definitely going to be a big scene at the assembly. The Buddhist Sect is being too greedy, wanting to keep the karma monument all to themselves."

Dawn came early to Brahma City.

The ancient bronze bell of the Great Leiyin Temple tolled ninety-nine times. The sound waves dispersed the clouds above the city, and golden Buddha light fell upon every street and alley like a literal curtain of rain.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly officially began.

Gu Sheng pushed open the wooden door to the inn's rooftop and stretched. The long street below was already packed with monks in kasayas and various visiting Cultivators.

"Let's go, time to watch the show." Gu Sheng unfurled his folding fan.

Luo Qingxue, dressed in black with a white veil covering her face, followed behind him carrying her zither. The two didn't take the main entrance, instead following the flow of people through the side streets all the way up to the main square of the Great Leiyin Temple.

In the center of the square, a towering lotus dharma platform had been constructed. Hundreds of high-ranking monks sat all around it, their chanting merging into a torrential flood of sound.

The people from the Wan Jian Holy Land occupied the best viewing platform on the east side. Grand Elder Zhao Tiangang sat with his eyes closed, cradling his heavy sword which was as wide as a door plank. The Sword Cultivator's Killing Intent felt completely out of place amidst the Buddha light.

Envoys from Central State's major sects, such as the Taichu Holy Land and the Wuji Holy Land, were lined up on both sides. The Great Xia Dynasty's Hidden Guard Commander blended into the crowd of Loose Cultivators, doing his best to restrain his aura.

Interestingly, besides these forces on the surface, many unfamiliar faces had appeared in the shadows around the square. The blood and Qi within these people surged violently; they definitely did not practice Righteous Path Cultivation Techniques.

"The people from the Nine Nether Magic Sect arrived quite quickly." Gu Sheng silently gave a thumbs-up to that Secularized Monk. Those one thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones were well spent.

In his mind, the System's mechanical voice rang out.

[Host, abnormal energy fluctuations detected. Deep beneath the Great Leiyin Temple, that karma monument is surfacing. The Laws of the Heavenly Dao are beginning to show a rejection reaction.]

"It's only right that there's rejection. It's a surprise the Heavenly Dao of the Lower Realm can even tolerate something that fell from the Upper Realm." Gu Sheng found an empty seat near the front and sat down. "If the Buddhist Sect can't suppress the situation today, the Great Leiyin Temple will turn into the Great Leiyin Tomb."

On the dharma platform, the Abbot, wearing a Seven Treasure Kasaya, slowly climbed to the top.

"Amitabha." The Abbot pressed his palms together, his voice echoing throughout Brahma City. "A great era is approaching, and demons are running rampant. Our Buddha is merciful and has specially descended the Karma Divine Stele to reshape the Laws of the West Barren and deliver all living beings."

As his voice fell, a crack opened in the center of the dharma platform.

Golden light soared into the sky.

A broken, grey-green stone tablet slowly rose. There were no extra decorations on its surface, only densely packed ancient Sanskrit characters. Every character seemed to be moving; if one looked for too long, even their Divine Soul would be sucked in.

The moment the karma monument appeared, the Buddha light shield over Brahma City expanded tenfold.

Zhao Tiangang opened his eyes, and his heavy sword let out a crisp chime. "What a grand move. Using the karma monument to forcibly modify the ley lines of the West Barren—you intend to turn the entire West Barren into your private Buddhist kingdom!"

The Abbot lowered his eyes. "Benefactor Zhao, you overstate the matter. Buddha delivers those with whom he has a fated bond. If the West Barren can be transformed into a Pure Land, it would be a blessing for all living beings."

"Blessing your ass!"

A violent shout came from outside the city.

From the direction of the West Barren Polar Region, billowing demonic clouds crashed against Brahma City's Buddha light shield like a tsunami. Atop the demonic clouds, a Bone Throne hovered. The skeletal figure of the Nether Ancestor appeared, the green phosphorus fire in his eye sockets flickering.

"Old bald donkey, you actually dare to touch something like the karma monument. Do you really think the West Barren is the back garden of your Great Leiyin Temple?"

The Nether Ancestor pressed his hand down. A giant bone hand, condensed from pure Devilish Qi, slammed heavily against the light barrier.

The collision of the two forces shook the heavens and the earth.

Cultivators with lower cultivation levels inside the city covered their ears, bleeding from their seven orifices.

Gu Sheng sat on his chair, lightly waving his folding fan. Luo Qingxue plucked her zither strings, and a circle of extremely cold sound waves protected the two of them, isolating them from the external impact.

[destiny points increased by five thousand. The Demonic Sect has entered the game; the plot has undergone a major deviation.]

"Fight, keep fighting." Gu Sheng watched the giant bone hand in the sky, wishing for nothing but chaos.

The Abbot's expression remained unchanged as he lightly tapped the karma monument.

The Sanskrit characters on the stone tablet flew out, transforming into a golden chain that went straight for the Nether Ancestor. The chain ignored the obstruction of the Devilish Qi, directly piercing through the Bone Throne and wrapping around the Old Ancestor's withered bones.

"Karma added to the body, Karmic Fire burns the soul," the Abbot spoke the true words.

The Nether Ancestor let out a shrill scream. Golden Karmic Fire erupted from the gaps in his bones, burning furiously. A Saint Realm cultivation base actually had no power to fight back before the karma monument.

The entire audience was in an uproar.

Veins bulged on the back of Zhao Tiangang's hand as he gripped his sword. The power of the karma monument exceeded everyone's expectations. If even a demonic giant of the Saint Realm could be easily suppressed, what would the various Holy Lands of the Central State have to contend with the Buddhist Sect if they truly mastered this treasure?

"Everyone, are you still just going to watch the show?" Zhao Tiangang drew his heavy sword, pointing the blade directly at the dharma platform. "If the Buddhist Sect can deliver the Demonic Sect today, they can deliver us tomorrow. The karma monument must not remain in the Great Leiyin Temple!"

The Disciples of the Wan Jian Holy Land all drew their swords.

The envoys from the Taichu Holy Land and the Wuji Holy Land looked at each other and summoned their respective Magic Treasures.

These old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years understood the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold' better than anyone.

Gu Sheng remained in his seat, motionless.

"Aren't you going to snatch it?" Luo Qingxue asked.

"What's the use of snatching a rock? A product of the Heavenly Dao is a hot potato for whoever takes it." Gu Sheng closed his folding fan. "However, I can't let the monks be too comfortable either."

He rummaged through his storage ring for a moment and pulled out a pitch-black bead.

The Law-Breaking Thunder Bead. An Advanced consumable from the System mall, exchanged for one hundred thousand destiny points. It was specifically designed to break various barriers and Formations.

Gu Sheng flicked his finger.

The thunder bead turned into a streak of light, and under the cover of the general chaos, it silently attached itself to the Formation Eye at the base of the karma monument.

On the dharma platform, the Abbot was focusing all his strength on using the karma monument to suppress the Nether Ancestor and didn't notice this inconspicuous bead at all.

"Burst," Gu Sheng whispered.

There was no earth-shattering sound.

The Formation patterns at the base of the karma monument fell into disorder. The originally orderly golden Sanskrit characters began to crash around like headless flies.

The golden chains wrapped around the Nether Ancestor snapped inch by inch.

The Old Ancestor broke free from his restraints and laughed wildly. "Heaven helps me! Disciples of the Nine Nether, kill your way in!"

Demonic clouds pressed down, and under the pressure from both inside and out, a gap was finally torn in Brahma City's Buddha light shield.

Countless demonic Cultivators swarmed into the city like locusts.

The sword light of the Wan Jian Holy Land, the Buddhist Sect's Demon-Subduing Pestles, and the blood-red killing aura of the demonic Cultivators all clashed and slaughtered one another in the square.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Dharma Assembly had completely turned into a Shura Field.

Gu Sheng stood up and brushed the dust off his robes.

[Host has successfully destroyed the karma monument's Formation Eye, triggering great chaos in the West Barren. destiny points have surged by one hundred thousand.]

"Work's done. Back to the inn to sleep." Gu Sheng turned and walked out.

Luo Qingxue followed with her zither. The two of them walked through the chaotic crowd with a leisurely pace, looking completely out of place amidst the surrounding slaughter.

Notably, the moment they left the square, the ancient bronze bell deep within the Great Leiyin Temple let out a dull, mournful wail.