Chapter 282: Even If It's Eternal Damnation, I'll Go!
Chapter 282: Even If It Leads to Eternal Damnation, I Shall Advance!
'This battle cannot continue!'
Venerable Vimalakirti felt a chill run down his spine. His shattered golden body now bled profusely, while the scorching black flames slithered across his form like serpents.
These fire serpents, conjured from Lü Yang's Dharma Body, were utterly insidious. They seeped through the cracks left by his fractured golden body, infiltrating his internal organs and setting them ablaze. Simultaneously, that eerie soul-siphoning force relentlessly tugged at his spirit.
By all accounts, he had been thoroughly overpowered.
Venerable Vimalakirti hovered mid-air, palms pressed together in prayer, his face contorted in agony. Though seemingly defenseless and in excruciating pain, his mind remained crystal clear.
'Should I deploy that spiritual sword now?'
He waited.
Waited for Lü Yang to strike first with that sea-splitting sword light. Yet despite his anticipation, Lü Yang refrained from drawing his blade, opting instead to maintain their stalemate.
"Ai—!"
Finally, Venerable Vimalakirti exhaled deeply, his expression devoid of joy, instead tinged with regret. "I truly underestimated you."
As his words faded, the Pure Land Venerable shuddered violently—as if merely shedding a garment—peeling away an entire layer of skin. Along with it went all the wounds Lü Yang had inflicted, including the black fire serpents and other mystical assaults.
This had been his carefully concealed trump card.
Had Lü Yang truly unleashed [Tribulation Wave] against him, he could have employed this ingenious technique to shed his flesh and endure the calamity in its stead, thereby neutralizing Lü Yang's lethal killing move.
Yet Lü Yang had remained motionless.
Under such circumstances, continuing to endure Lü Yang's attacks would be akin to boiling a frog in warm water—more loss than gain. Thus, he had no choice but to prematurely activate this technique.
Yet confusion still gnawed at him.
'How was I exposed?'
The Pure Land boasted countless mystical arts, and this [Burning Body as Offering to Buddha] technique was one he had scarcely revealed to others. Logically, Lü Yang shouldn't have been prepared for it.
'Could he have deduced it?'
'But he merely holds the temporary title of Grand True Person—how could he possibly calculate my moves? Unless... he possesses a Heavenly Secrets Ultimate Treasure. If so, my chances of victory grow even slimmer...'
A heavy weight settled in Venerable Vimalakirti's heart.
As it turned out, Lü Yang had indeed seen through his preparations—thanks to the [Clairvoyance] divine ability of [Tribulation Wave], which allowed him to perceive causal connections through calculation.
The next moment, Venerable Vimalakirti sighed deeply, pressed his palms together once more, and manifested infinite radiance behind him. Countless Buddhist monks materialized, seated solemnly within temples, gathered in meditation groves. In unison, they chanted scriptures, their voices coalescing into rolling thunder, each word imbued with profound meaning, amplifying Venerable Vimalakirti's power.
"Amitabha!"
The solemn Buddhist invocation resounded, instantly dispelling Lü Yang's soul-siphoning technique. Venerable Vimalakirti's figure vanished, replaced by an ancient monastery.
[Immaculate Pure Land Temple]!
Lü Yang narrowed his eyes at the sight, thinking to himself: 'He's even brought out his foundational temple from the Pure Land? He's resolved to fight me to the death!'
In truth, Venerable Vimalakirti had no other choice.
Beyond summoning [Immaculate Pure Land Temple], he also expended half a lifetime's worth of accumulated treasures. Amidst the Buddhist radiance, dozens of exquisite spirit treasures materialized.
Prayer wheels, wooden fish, flying daggers, command banners, golden alms bowls, jeweled canopies, jade vases—though most were low or mid-grade magical artifacts, they now converged into a single entity. Their spiritual light flowed like a river, intertwining with a few superior-grade spirit treasures to encircle the temple, forming an impregnable defense.
[Myriad Treasures River]!
Multi-Treasure Dao Child had initially pledged allegiance to the Pure Land and thus offered this very technique to them. Now, Venerable Vimalakirti wielded it with mastery.
Lü Yang, however, remained unfazed.
With a mere thought, he conjured a dazzling divine ability at his fingertips—imbued with bizarre primordial magnetic force capable of dismantling the Five Elements—and hurled it into the Myriad Treasures River.
[Disrupted Harmony Magnetism]!
This innate divine ability countered all Five Elements. Any magical treasure brushed by its magnetic light would instantly lose its mystical properties.
Under the divine light's illumination, the Myriad Treasures River disintegrated like melting snow, its spiritual radiance scattering uncontrollably. Venerable Vimalakirti could only watch helplessly, his face etched with resignation. Never had he imagined that as a Grand True Person, he would be cornered so thoroughly by Lü Yang that even his defenses were on the verge of collapse!
'Perhaps... I should retreat for now?'
Buddhist cultivators of the Pure Land were nothing if not adaptable. A sliver of fear crept into Venerable Vimalakirti's heart as he realized that engaging Lü Yang in a deathmatch here would be a losing proposition.
'I'm not at my peak condition!'
'If not for Hong Ju killing me once, leaving me with hidden injuries that flared up under this junior's divine ability, I would never have been reduced to such dire straits.'
'Once I've recovered, I can always challenge him again.'
His mind raced, and in that fleeting moment, Venerable Vimalakirti reached a decision. Drawing a deep breath, he abruptly expanded [Immaculate Pure Land Temple] behind him!
In an instant, the majestic temple yawned open like a gaping maw, swallowing Lü Yang whole in an attempt to trap him. Meanwhile, Venerable Vimalakirti himself summoned a beam of escape light, intending to flee the Foundation Establishment realm and return to the mortal world—denying Lü Yang any chance to slay him.
The temple's solemn aura made spatial escape impossible.
Even Lü Yang's [Tethering Closeness] technique had been accounted for and sealed by Venerable Vimalakirti's preparations.
"Hmph, trying to run?"
Lü Yang's eyes flashed coldly. With a sudden shudder, black flames erupted around him as he unleashed [Heavenly Dominion Manifestation Dharma Body] once more!
At the heart of the Buddhist temple, upon its grand hall, stood a towering demonic deity.
Three heads, six arms, a ghastly visage with fanged teeth—it kicked at Buddhas and cursed patriarchs, toppling meditation groves. Its six arms gathered immense strength before hammering down upon the temple with devastating force.
"BOOM—!"
A deafening explosion was followed by an eerie silence. The entire [Immaculate Pure Land Temple] caved inward from the central impact.
Inside the temple, countless projections of monks and priests chanted sutras in unison, summoning karmic flames to rain upon the Dharma Body. Yet far from hindering its movements, the flames only fueled its power further. Its six arms pummeled relentlessly, each strike landing with earth-shaking force upon the temple's structure.
"Pfft—!"
Venerable Vimalakirti spat a mouthful of blood.
'What a demon!'
[Immaculate Pure Land Temple] was the manifestation of Venerable Vimalakirti's foundational Dao. He had intended to temporarily trap Lü Yang within it, planning to recall it remotely once he made his escape.
At worst, it would buy him some time—minor damage was an acceptable trade-off.
But now Lü Yang, disregarding his own injuries, was forcibly driving the Dharma Body to assault the temple, leaving Venerable Vimalakirti caught between a rock and a hard place. Could he truly stand by as Lü Yang shattered his foundational Dao?
Venerable Vimalakirti was no indecisive man.
In that split second, he made his choice: '...Never mind! Survival comes first! It's merely a blink to reach the mortal world—there's no way he can destroy my foundational Dao in that time!'
The next instant, he rode his escape light out of the Foundation Establishment realm.
Yet in that same moment, Venerable Vimalakirti felt as though he'd plunged into an icy abyss.
Because there, in the mortal world before him, stood a young Daoist who bore Lü Yang's likeness—calmly holding [Tribulation Wave] as he regarded Venerable Vimalakirti with tranquil eyes.
But Lü Yang was still inside [Immaculate Pure Land Temple]!
'That avatar!?'
In a flash, Venerable Vimalakirti recalled the immortal embryo avatar he had crushed earlier. Despite being reduced to pulp, it had somehow reformed?
'This is bad...'
Had he chosen to fight Lü Yang to the death instead of fleeing, the outcome might still have been uncertain. But his moment of cowardice had backed him into a fatal corner!
Yet he had no time for further reflection.
Because at that very moment, Lü Yang's true body inside [Immaculate Pure Land Temple] ceased its assault, concentrating all his will upon the immortal embryo avatar wielding the divine sword.
By withdrawing his attacks—even releasing his protective radiance to endure the temple's crushing pressure—his already substantial injuries worsened dramatically. Yet in turn, the more severe his wounds, the greater the boost [Dharma Body] provided to his divine abilities and magic power, elevating him almost instantly to his peak!
Clang! Clang—!
[Tribulation Wave] in the avatar's hand emitted a piercing sword cry. The [Proclaiming Might] divine ability, previously exhausted after splitting the sea, had now fully recovered.
Strangely, Venerable Vimalakirti found himself calming.
"Kill me, and there will be no turning back with the Pure Land," he said solemnly. "From then on, the Bodhisattvas will show no mercy—they will truly seek your life."
"Do you truly wish for eternal damnation?"
He didn't expect Lü Yang to spare him—only hoped for a flicker of hesitation that might allow him to evade this deadly predicament.
But the response he received was a sword light that advanced without hesitation.
[Proclaiming Might]!
The sea-splitting sword stroke reappeared, engulfing Venerable Vimalakirti's form in its brilliance. His body fragmented inch by inch before dissolving into fine dust scattered upon the wind.
Eternal damnation?
Even if it leads to eternal damnation, I shall advance!