Chapter 138: The Centipede Bodhisattva
This damn spiritual master! A spiritual master, as the name suggests, is someone who is prepared and offered to ghosts and gods in various ways.
Fang Lingqing whispered in a hoarse voice, "This is... too much!"
Just as Qiao Wan was about to pull Wang Ruyi towards the door, a golden light enveloped the entrance. Unable to stop in time, Qiao Wan collided with Wang Ruyi against the sparkling golden barrier.
Wang Ruyi exclaimed, "Lulu, Taoist Friend Lu, I feel dizzy QAQ!"
Qiao Wan said sternly, "Hold on."
She picked up Wang Ruyi, gathering her inner strength. Her spiritual energy transformed into electric currents, surging towards her fist, which she then slammed into the barrier with sparks flying.
Throw Your Thunder, Improved!
With a buzzing sound, the barrier remained unyielding.
Qiao Wan quickly turned around, and behind her, the statue of Buddha let go of Zheng Changming and headed straight for the remaining few people. The thirty-two arms behind them kept stretching, like some strange and eerie creature.
In the blink of an eye, Meng Canglang swiftly moved his Canglang Sword and stood in front of everyone.
The move "Angry Waves Shaking the City" created surging white waves, and the turbulent waves crashed towards the Buddha statue.
At this moment...
Qiao Wan was slightly stunned. In this critical moment, she couldn't help but take another look at Meng Canglang.
Meng Canglang shouted in a low voice, "Run!"
As soon as the words were spoken, they saw dozens of arms frantically spinning within the raging waves, forcefully breaking through the sea waves and stirring up countless silver splashes in the sky.
The little splashes fell like stars.
Within this silver galaxy, one of the arms broke free from the encirclement, pushed aside the waves, and persistently reached out to grab a young boy in the temple who was stunned into silence.
Liu Xinwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly swung his sword to block the long and eerie arm, protecting the bewildered young man behind him.
He turned and asked Qiao Wan, "Taoist Friend Lu, can this barrier..."
Before he could finish speaking, another arm broke through the waves behind the man, raising a long sword high in the air, slowly preparing to strike down.
"Be careful!"
Fang Lingqing suddenly snapped back to his senses and quickly drew his sword to defend.
Liu Xinwen, still shaken, hadn't had a chance to thank him for saving his life when he suddenly felt a void behind him.
He turned around and saw a disciple of Zhanyun Peak, who had been lifted high by a statue of Buddha. The young man's face was pale, and he immediately let out a cry as he sent a flying sword to attack. The sword struck the Buddha's arm, creating sparks.
The Buddha's lips curled into a smile as one of its arms swiftly rotated.
With a wave of its hand, the precious sword was raised and then brought down.
Thud—
A lifeless head fell from the sky, rolling and landing heavily on the cushion. Blood splattered onto the painted walls of the temple. The elite disciples from the three sects had no chance to resist, and before they could even make a sound, they were beheaded in front of everyone.
With one hand free, someone picked up the severed head from the cushion. The smile on the Buddha's face became even more eerie in the flickering light.
From a distance, it still looked like a Buddha statue, but it moved with stiff movements, yet incredibly fast, too fast to even blink.
"We shouldn't be greedy... we shouldn't..." Liu Xinwen gritted his teeth and questioned, "Didn't we all go to get them? What's happening?"
Fang Lingqing immediately turned his head and looked at Qiao Wan, asking, "Lu Cixian, can you go out?"
As the only one present who practiced body cultivation, Qiao Wan said, "I'll try."
Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fist once again.
I strike!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fists fell like raindrops on the protective barrier at the entrance, but the barrier remained unmoved.
Just then, the gaze of the Bodhisattva shifted, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, it lowered itself to the ground!
Dozens of arms propped up like centipedes, a plump face with a gentle smile leaned forward, and then shot out with lightning speed!
...
Can't be greedy. Can't be greedy.
As Qiao Wan kept smashing, she silently recited the words Yan Shiyuan had said before, her heart pounding.
They were taking the incense one by one, but each person only took one stick. What went wrong?!!
She wanted to go and look at the incense table!
Having made up her mind, Qiao Wan immediately retracted her fist and headed straight for the incense table.
When she reached the incense table, the two red candles in front of the incense burner also changed. A pungent smell penetrated her nostrils. The candle wicks were tightly wrapped strands of hair.
Qiao Wan's heart sank, these were corpse oil candles.
Without looking any further, she quickly averted her gaze and leaned closer to the incense burner.
On the incense ash were several round, empty imprints.
She understood.
Qiao Wan suddenly woke up.
Before them, someone had already taken the soul incense! And not just one!
The centipede-like Buddha statue leaped onto the wall and swooped down again...
Qiao Wan had a vague guess in her mind. She immediately pushed the incense burner onto the incense table, turned around, and returned to the boundary at the doorway, raising her fist once more.
Throw Your Thunder, change!
This time, her fist hit the boundary, and it seemed to show a slight change.
Qiao Wan thought to herself, "Just as I suspected."
Noticing Qiao Wan's movement, Fang Lingqing exclaimed with joy, "What's happening?"
Qiao Wan's face was calm and she whispered, "I might know how this boundary works."
The fragrance in the incense burner cannot be taken in excess. If the number exceeds a certain amount, there will be a corresponding cost. After that, for every incense burned, a person will be sacrificed. Each sacrificed person weakens the barrier, until all sacrifices are made and the barrier breaks itself.
Qiao Wan said, "And we happen to be the unlucky ones caught up in this wave."
After listening to Qiao Wan's words, Fang Lingqing widened his eyes and choked, "How is this possible?"
The expressions of the people in Fanxin Temple immediately changed. "How are we going to get out?!"
Do we really have to make sacrifices?!
Including Qiao Wan , Wang Ruyi , Fang Lingqing , Meng Canglang , Liu Xinwen , Zhixin , and a few disciples from the Three Teachings, there were just over ten people in total. Wang Ruyi's status as a person was uncertain, as two sacrifices have already been made. If they really have to make sacrifices as Qiao Wan said, then most of them would not survive.
"Don't worry," Meng Canglang said in a deep voice. "If we work together, we might be able to find a way out."
Upon hearing Meng Canglang's words, Zhixin's expression eased slightly.
This is Meng Canglang, with the Canglang Sword. If they still have the Canglang Sword, maybe they can really escape.
"I will deal with it." The giant sword cut through the waves, and Meng Canglang said, "Taoist Friend Lu, please help break through the barrier at the entrance."
Liu Xinwen turned his big knife and walked to Meng Canglang's side, saying in a low voice, "I will help you."
And so, the temple spontaneously divided into two groups. One group followed Meng Canglang to stop the mysterious Buddha statue, while the other group followed Qiao Wan to figure out how to break the barrier at the door.
There were also a few disciples from Taixuan Temple and Zhanyun Peak who stood beside Qiao Wan, anxiously trying different formations.
"How is it?" Qiao Wan asked, "Any progress?"
The disciple from Taixuan Temple shook his head, with a pale face and cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "It's no use."
On the other side, Meng Canglang was still entangled with the centipede-like Buddha statue.
In the blink of an eye, the centipede Bodhisattva rushed forward again.
Meng Canglang looked ahead, his eyes slightly cold. His huge sword flew out, like a tidal wave, creating towering waves, blocking everyone in front.
The people present felt a slight certainty in their hearts.
Yes, Meng Canglang! He is still using the Canglang Sword to hold them off!
As the crowd experienced a mix of sadness and joy, tears streaming down their faces, Fang Lingqing looked up at the radiant Bodhisattva, though his heart couldn't feel much relief.
This thing in front of them probably has cultivation at the later stage of Elemental Infant. Even if Meng Canglang's cultivation is high, it is only at the Gold Core stage! Gold Core stage against later stage of Elemental Infant! Who knows how many people this thing has harmed before.
They couldn't find a way to break the barrier on the side of Taixuan Temple and Zhanyun Peak. Qiao Wan rolled up her sleeves and continued to smash, the electric sparks crackling on her fists.
Qiao Wan smashed the "wall" while asking Fang Lingqing in a deep voice, "What do you mean by '卯' that you just said?"
Fang Lingqing pulled out his sword and helped Qiao Wan by striking together. He gritted his teeth and explained, "This is a gift for the spiritual master."
It was different from those sold in the black market. This was a genuine offering for the spiritual master, meant to be sacrificed for the spirits and gods to consume.
There were many different ways to offer sacrifices, each with their own unique methods of death.
"卯" meant to be split in half. Fang Lingqing continued to explain in a rough voice, "But it's just one of the many forms of sacrifice."
Before he could finish speaking, they heard a scream.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Qiao Wan quickly turned her head.
She saw dozens of spinning wheels made of hands, brutally smashing one of the disciples into pieces. The chunks of flesh fell to the ground.
The Buddha had a smile on their beautifully painted face, tainted with bits of flesh and splatters of blood. They planted their many arms on the ground and launched into another swift attack!
[Third]
[Carve]
Liu Xinwen's face turned pale and he shouted, filled with sorrow, "Changdong!"
Upon seeing this scene, the temple fell silent for a moment, and everyone's faces turned pale as they hurriedly moved.
The pile of corpses on the ground belonged to Yao Changdong, the younger martial brother of Liu Xinwen.
Witnessing the tragic death of his martial brother, Liu Xinwen's eyes reddened as he raised his big sword and charged forward!
The "Bodhisattva" maintained a creepy smile, half-closed eyes, and raised the vajra held in his other hand. Meng Canglang's face suddenly changed, and he immediately separated the sword light to intercept. This sword came crashing like a raging wave, lifting up a thousand piles of snow.
Behind the "Bodhisattva," several hands appeared and intercepted the blue sword light.
The sword light showed no signs of weakening, continuously pressing forward until it finally cut off one of the "Bodhisattva's" hands.
The hand, resembling a lotus node with a Buddhist seal, fell with a thud into a small tripod on the incense table.
The Bodhisattva's smile remained unchanged at the corner of his mouth. Thirty-one arms behind him began to wildly spin once again. The axe in his other hand swung straight towards Liu Xinwen once more!
Liu Xinwen blocked the attack with his sword.
But this axe was like tearing through a thin piece of paper, from top to bottom, splitting the blade as it went down.
The edge of the axe sparkled with a cold silver light.
At that moment, Meng Canglang swiftly moved through the forest and appeared in front of Liu Xinwen. Seeing the axe about to strike, Meng Canglang acted without hesitation and threw Liu Xinwen away.
In front of him, a huge sword made of condensed water slowly floated up.
With a loud bang.
His back heavily hit the wall, causing Liu Xinwen to cough in pain. Looking up, he was filled with fear.
After sending away Liu Xinwen, Meng Canglang realized it was too late for him to hide.
A young man stood in front of him, his silhouette firm and his expression calm. He continued to wield his water sword against the enemy, but this axe directly split open the water sword in front of Meng Canglang. It then struck down along his shoulder blade.
Meng Canglang stumbled.
The young man's long arm "plop" fell to the ground.
And it wasn't over yet, another diamond staff swung towards the back of the young man's head.
At a critical moment, a figure dressed in green rushed in like a strong wind!
Fang Lingqing stumbled and knocked over the statue of a Buddha, then hurriedly ran to Meng Canglang's side, his eyes filled with anger, calling out, "Senior Brother!"
Meng Canglang suddenly looked up and saw Fang Lingqing standing behind him.
The golden staff slowly rose up again.
Meng Canglang's expression changed once again. "Little Fang!"
Fang Lingqing was taken aback, feeling a sharp pain in his knee as he was suddenly tackled to the ground by Meng Canglang.
Although he narrowly escaped death, his leg was broken.
Fang Lingqing blankly touched his knee, then suddenly realized that Meng Canglang was still by his side.
"Senior Brother, are you okay?"
Meng Canglang covered his broken arm and stood up, blood trickling through his fingers.
"I'm fine," he said after catching his breath. Then he shouted, "Come!"
The Canglang Sword, which had been stuck in the ground, immediately flew through the air and landed firmly back in its owner's hand.
Qiao Wan couldn't defeat Fang Lingqing and Meng Canglang. The centipede statue immediately changed direction and randomly targeted one of them. With a swing of the diamond cudgel, it pierced through the person from head to toe, like a cow or sheep being disemboweled by an iron rod.
[Fourth person]
[Zu]
Qiao Wan clenched her lips, trying not to look elsewhere. Her eyes were focused only on this golden barrier.
Her punches became faster and furious, like a raging storm.
Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster! Even faster!
Although she didn't want to admit it, after the deaths of four people, this barrier had indeed become much weaker.
But she still couldn't break it!
As Qiao Wan swung her fist and desperately chanted "faster, faster, faster, faster, faster," the centipede statue on the ground turned its head and used its numerous hands to make a motion on the ground, leaping into the air.
In an instant, four people died.
A look of horror instantly spread across the faces of everyone present.
This is Meng Canglang, a man. Canglang Sword, Meng Canglang! How can they defeat this thing in front of them if they can't even defeat Meng Canglang?
Everyone present became dry-throated and stunned.
"We can't get out."
Fanxin Temple stared blankly at the bloodthirsty centipede Buddha statue in front of him, as if in a trance.
This is a Buddha...
As the Buddha statue approached and got closer, he knelt down with his hands together.
This is a Buddha!
The monk looked in awe and devoutly bowed.
In the distorted light, the Buddha statue smiled at the corners of its mouth, and its half-closed eyes fell on its disciple.
Then, one sword sliced open the disciple in front of it, revealing his intestines.
[The fifth one]
[It attacked]
...
The temple fell completely silent.
The monk's death seemed to open a switch with a "click."
Hair made into corpse wax candle wicks, a plate of meat with blood veins, and a human head boiled in a small pot until it became mushy.
"They will all die. These so-called elite disciples of the three teachings will be treated like cows and sheep, placed on the altar to worship the gods.
But why... why them? They don't want to die!
Just at that moment, Deng Changqing suddenly roared in anger. He lifted his dust brush and pulled out a sword, quickly thrusting it towards Qiao Wan!
Kill first.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Five have already died. Just a few more kills and we can escape.
Qiao Wan caught a glimpse of the long sword in Deng Changqing's hand from the corner of her eye. She swiftly dodged, but was struck in the chest by the dust brush.
Damn it!
With a sharp pain in her chest, Qiao Wan clenched her teeth. Blood gushed from her mouth. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Qiao Wan lifted her head to look.
Deng Changqing had already rushed towards the others, and as he moved, the hesitant ones in the temple also started to act.
In that narrow temple, colors intertwined and turned into a frenzy of killing each other.
And the centipede bodhisattva, supported by the ground, stretched its neck, and nodded its head to look.
The fresh blood almost turned the lights red, spreading out into a hazy and mysterious light.
