Chapter 362: One Man's Assault on the Sacred Grounds (Part 2)

Chapter 362: One Man's Assault on the Sacred Grounds (Part 2)

Yet, at this moment, struck by the silver light, the vast Joyful Land began to shake and tremble.

With the silver light hitting its center, cracks began to form, causing the jade-like Buddhist country, shrouded in green light, to shatter like fragile porcelain.

Affected by the qi mechanism, the monks of the Vajra Temple, including Gongbu, Gela, and Soyang, trembled violently, their minds and spirits shaken. Those of lower realms stumbled and fell, some clutching their heads in agony, while others spat out mouthfuls of blood.

Gongbu, Gela, and Soyang were shocked and astonished, but they forcibly calmed their tumultuous qi and spirits, doing their best to continue supporting the Joyful Land.

The shadow of Acu Buddha appeared, his left fist resting at his side, his right hand touching the ground.

With this change, the green light, now filled with cracks inside and out, forcefully halted its shattering.

However, like flowing water, the silver light seeped through the cracks, penetrating deep into the heart of the Joyful Land, beginning to erode the green light.

The Joyful Land could no longer withstand the strain.

The green light turned back into golden light.

Its defensive power against external forces diminished significantly.

"What is this?" Soyang exclaimed in astonishment.

The Vajra Temple had faced calamities and encountered powerful foes in its history.

Once, the Great Void Temple had even invaded their mountain gates.

But they had never faced such a bizarre and formidable attack.

Even with a stronger defensive formation, which had evolved into the Joyful Land, a common Ninth Heaven expert would struggle to breach it from the outside.

Yet now, it was effortlessly shattered like cutting tofu, leaving them bewildered and astonished.

Only a peerless expert like Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong could achieve this.

But who was it this time?

"Notify the master, contact Sumeru!" Gongbu remained calm, his voice steady.

"Master Lei is currently engaged with Tang Xiaotang. It might take some time for him to return. We must act quickly and seek help from Master Ci Song and the others. Alternatively, we can invite the movement of Acu Elephant Seat and the Buddha Mother Map!" Gela suggested.

Gongbu nodded in agreement.

Time was of the essence, and sending someone back to Sumeru to report the situation would be too slow.

Gongbu held a dharma flute in his hand, but instead of playing it, he snapped it in half.

Immediately, a brilliant flash of light emanated from the center of the Vajra Temple, signaling the activation of the gateway to Sumeru.

However, at that moment, a massive three-layered altar, glowing with purple, golden, and green light, descended from the heavens, overshadowing the gateway.

The defensive formation of the Vajra Temple, already strained to its limit, finally collapsed under this impact.

Gongbu and the other Vajra monks spat out mouthfuls of blood, their bodies shaken by the aftershocks.

Although they tried to remain calm and steady their minds, the strain was too much, and they could not help but be affected.

The three-layered altar, as vast as a mountain, overshadowed the gateway, blocking the path to Sumeru.

Gongbu, with unwavering focus, faced the towering figure of a young Taoist holding a nine-colored scarf and wearing the Yuan Shi crown, who had descended with the altar.

"Longhu Mountain...", So Yang muttered, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the figure, "It's him! Just like when we confronted the Lin Clan in Jiangzhou, the ancestral home of the Lin family! Just like when the Southern Zong branch fell!"

Gela, who also originated from the Great Tang, felt his heart stir as he recalled the events.

The Lin Clan's ancestral land in Jiangzhou had been devastated, with most of the Lin family perishing.

That was the beginning of the rise of the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master's Mansion.

And now, was it the Vajra Temple's turn?

The thought of surrender flashed through Gela's mind, but he quickly dispelled it.

Gongbu was already taking the initiative, striding forward to face the towering figure of Lei Jun.

Gela turned away, his eyes fixed on the white jade seal floating in the center of the three-layered altar.

He knew it was the Heavenly Master's Seal, the treasure of Longhu Mountain.

He had no intention of confronting the seal directly, but he wanted to try and shake the altar, hoping to create an opportunity for Gongbu and the others to join forces and counter the invader.

The white jade seal, suspended in midair, radiated purple, golden, and green light.

At the heart of the altar, where the seal resided, was a suspended white jade imprint.

Gela recognized it as the Heavenly Master's Imprint, the ultimate treasure of the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master's Mansion.

Although he had no intention of challenging the seal directly, he was determined to shake the altar with all his might.

The Vajra Temple's defensive formation had already reached its peak, manifesting the Joyful Land.

Despite their conflicting beliefs, Lei Jun acknowledged the uniqueness and subtlety of the Golden Temple's teachings.

With his exceptional insight and comprehension, he could perceive the wonders of the Joyful Land more profoundly than most.

At the same time, he took this opportunity to make final adjustments to the silver cone.

Due to time constraints, he couldn't achieve absolute perfection, but he did his best.

Although limited to the illusory area covered by the Buddhist Pagoda Formation and the illusory Five-Clawed Vajra Pestle's Buddha Light, it still played a significant role within a short distance, allowing Gongbu Abbot to instantly teleport from one corner of the formation to the opposite corner.

However, before he could catch his breath, Lei Jun's figure appeared right in front of him, and with a raise of his hand, he threw a punch.

Gongbu Abbot formed the Single Vajra Seal, remaining unmoving and unshaken as he defended himself. Still, he was shaken by this punch, and he almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

What shocked him even more was that around Lei Jun's Dou Mu Star Divine Law Body, the Thunder Law Heavenly Talisman and the Fire Law Earthly Talisman floated together.

The purple Yang Thunder Dragon and the emerald Yin Fire Tiger appeared simultaneously.

As the dragon roared and the tiger growled, Yin and Yang harmonized.

The purple and green Yin-Yang Taiji diagram rotated in the air, and the intense light it emitted did not shine on Abbot Gongbu but instead illuminated Gela Abbot, who was trying to shake the Heavenly Master Seal to summon a Sumeru expert to the mortal realm.

Gela Abbot let out a muffled hum as he hastily formed the Single Vajra Seal to defend himself, but he was still no match for the combined might of Lei Jun's dragon and tiger strike, and his monk's robe began to burn, his entire body turning into a blazing inferno.

Soyang and the other Seventh Heaven monks took the lead and immediately attacked Lei Jun together.

Knowing that there was a gap in their cultivation, realm, divine abilities, and spiritual power, they dared not approach him.

So, they all took out their magical instruments and attacked Lei Jun from a distance.

Lei Jun glanced at those instruments.

One by one, what appeared to be ordinary objects, whose original materials were unknown, such as dharma flutes, conch shells, paintings, treasure trees, vajra pestles, dharma wheels, and incense burners, revealed their true forms under Lei Jun's discerning gaze.

His expression remained unchanged.

But as the purple and green Yin-Yang Taiji diagram dispersed, it transformed back into the Yang Thunder Dragon and the Yin Fire Tiger.

The Yang Thunder Dragon soared upward, flying high in the Ninth Heaven, quickly forming a vast expanse of purple thunderclouds.

Amid the continuous rumbling of thunder, streaks of purple lightning descended from the heavens, turning into a downpour of thunder composed entirely of the Ninth Heaven's divine thunder.

The thunderous rain drenched the entire range of the Vajra Temple, bombarding the temple like an explosion, causing the ancient temple, resembling a chain of palaces, to catch fire, collapse, and crumble.

The Yin Fire Tiger, on the other hand, descended into the earth and disappeared without a trace.

However, the ground began to shake and undulate, and the land collapsed in sections.

Wherever it caved in, a patch of emerald fire would appear, swallowing everything in its path.

Patches of fiery flames spread in all directions, eventually merging into a vast inferno.

Monks of the Vajra Temple, regardless of their cultivation level, fell in droves under the onslaught of thunder and fire.

The temple buildings, magical instruments, and treasures were reduced to ashes and smoke.

Gongbu Abbot was preoccupied with defending himself and was unable to spare any attention to his surroundings. He could only block Lei Jun's relentless punches, one after another.

Knowing that he couldn't just sit and wait for death, he channeled his inner Lion Seal to strengthen his grasp on his body and barely managed to suppress his injuries.

Then, in his hand appeared a Three-Clawed Vajra Pestle that he had personally refined.

At this moment, the real Three-Clawed Vajra Pestle merged with the illusory Five-Clawed Vajra Pestle of the Buddhist Pagoda Formation.

The golden Buddha light turned aquamarine, and the Vajra's true intent was condensed to the extreme, manifesting the mystery of imperishability, aiding Abbot Gongbu in withstanding Lei Jun's Dou Mu Star Divine Law Body strike.

Then, with the vajra pestle, he counterattacked Lei Jun!

Lei Jun's divine consciousness universe within remained unmoved, neither dodging nor evading, as he also took the blow head-on.

During the second invasion of the Lone Eagle Khanate, the existence of the Sumeru Vajra Division had not yet been revealed, so the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty was able to witness Lei Jun's confrontation with Mi Han, Zhuo Le, and other foreign experts. They knew that Lei Jun had once relied on the Heavenly Master's Robe to withstand the attacks of Mi Han and the others.

Gongbu Abbot, in a desperate attempt to survive, decided to try his luck.

When he saw that Lei Jun's body did not emit the nine-colored radiance, Gongbu Abbot was delighted.

"Could it be that he doesn't have the Heavenly Master's Robe on him?" he wondered.

"Did he give it to Tang Xiaotang to guard against the Vajra Division Master?"

Before he had time to worry about his division master, Gongbu Abbot found himself face-to-face with Lei Jun.

Gongbu Abbot's head was slapped into his chest cavity by Lei Jun's palm strike!

The monk, already injured, had concentrated all his Vajra's true intent, which was supposed to be both offensive and defensive, into that desperate blow.

Having missed his chance, he could no longer defend himself and was unable to withstand Lei Jun's attack.

At the same time, the Yang Thunder Dragon and the Yin Fire Tiger wreaked havoc.

The Vajra Temple, once one of the four great sacred sites of the Tang Dynasty's Buddhist sect, now resembled the end of the Dharma and the arrival of the calamitous age.

The remaining monks could no longer hold their ground and began to flee in all directions.

Lei Jun looked on indifferently, without any intention of showing mercy.

While he finished off Abbot Gongbu and Abbot Gela, he waved his hand in the air.

Countless Golden Sword Pills appeared and floated in the air.

As his cultivation grew, the only things that could withstand his spiritual power and serve as his "ammunition" were essentially the Heavenly Master Sword and the Seven Star Sword.

But at this moment, there was no need to use such powerful weapons to swat flies.

Smaller weapons would suffice.

By reducing their power slightly, they would still be more than enough to get the job done.

However, this meant that he now had a wider range of weapons at his disposal.

An incredibly dense layer of Primordial Magnetic Force had already been spread out by Lei Jun, covering an unimaginably vast area.

It was because of this Primordial Magnetic Sword Domain that Soyang and the others were unable to contact the outside world.

Countless Primordial Magnetic Sword Pills floated within the domain.

The next moment, a buzzing sound, like a swarm of bees, filled the air.

Countless Primordial Magnetic Sword Pills simultaneously vanished from their original positions.

In the next instant, they reappeared in various directions, claiming countless lives.

"Hmm... I feel a little better now. Let's continue." Lei Jun shook his head slightly.

He still had other important matters to attend to.

First, he needed to stabilize the Heavenly Master's Seal, blocking the gateway to the void while also leaving a glimmer of hope for his opponents.

Lei Jun then proceeded to clean up the area, erasing any traces of his presence, while also taking out two black lotus pedestals.

Two identical Nine-Grade Eclipse Sun Lotus Seats hung in the air, one above the other, one positive and one negative, intertwined and stacked on top of each other.

Lei Jun then unfolded a diagram that resembled the Taiji diagram.

As the diagram expanded, its radiance dimmed, as if disappearing from sight.

Instead, the two black Nine-Grade Eclipse Sun Lotus Seats sank downward, as if merging into the invisible diagram.

The Taiji-like diagram, after merging with the two overlapping black lotus seats, also underwent a transformation, twisting and folding in a harmonious manner.

At first glance, both the lotus seats and the diagram seemed to have vanished.

Lei Jun remained calm and serene, making slight adjustments.

At the same time, he turned to look at a transparent, peculiar Buddhist pagoda standing beside him.

It was the Dharma instrument for the Nine Consciousness Confounding Spacetime technique set up by the Vajra Division Master.

Sensing the flowing radiance within, Lei Jun understood why the divination lot had shown such results earlier.

Within the Sumeru Vajra Division, there was indeed a treasure that could be considered a rarity of the ages for Daoist cultivators—a treasure that descended from the Azure Heaven to the Yellow Springs.

However, this treasure had been tempered by the Vajra Division Master's power, extending into a river that seemed to stretch from the Azure Heaven to the Yellow Springs.

Previously, when Lei Jun had directly confronted the Vajra Division Master in Longdongbei Xingshan, he might have been able to sever the river with the Division Master's personal strength.

In that case, although the treasure would still be rare and precious, its value would have been diminished, thus making it only a second-rate opportunity.

Now that Lei Jun had come to the Vajra Temple first, Abbot Gongbu and the other monks did not possess the Division Master's ability, so Lei Jun, by controlling the Dharma instrument, could obtain the complete treasure.

With Lei Jun stabilizing this end, there was no need to worry about the Vajra Division Master severing the river.

However, to retract this illusory river back to its original form, some adjustments were still necessary.

Lei Jun was in no hurry and calmly maintained the unstable void gateway and the Heavenly Master's Seal.

A black Yin Thunder Dragon flew out, encircling the illusory pagoda, half guarding and half suppressing it.

Lei Jun's eyes suddenly flashed.

High above in the sky, the light of the Grand Ultimate Heaven's Law Mirror shifted, sensing a group of people quietly approaching.

These people originated from the Tang imperial family.

Their numbers were few, but each was formidable.

At the forefront was an eight-realm Confucian cultivator, Princess Zhang Ying of Shanyang, from the Tang imperial family.

Accompanying her was another eight-realm Confucian cultivator, Xiao Hang, the young clan leader of the Xiao Clan from outside the Long region.

Lei Jun vaguely sensed that while Xiao Hang's current strength was slightly inferior to Zhang Ying's, his literary talent and aura at this moment were even more remarkable.

Not only was he incredibly talented, but as the current clan leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Hang had undoubtedly brought the clan's heirloom treasure, the Haoran Sword, on this journey.

The Haoran Sword was one of the Seven Famous Swords of the Tang Dynasty and was renowned as one of the two greatest Confucian gentleman swords, along with the Heaven Master Sword.

During the previous invasion by the Lone Eagle Khanate, Xiao Hang happened to be visiting Pure Yang Palace, so he naturally did not need to unsheathe the Haoran Sword.

But this time, it was a critical moment, and Xiao Hang had no reason to hold back.

Those who accompanied Xiao Hang and Zhang Ying were all elite cultivators.

Their target was evidently the Vajra Temple as well.

Before coming to the Western Regions, Lei Jun had communicated with the Tang imperial family but did not mention his specific plans.

However, since they knew that the Vajra Division Master was no longer in the temple, the Tang imperial family also thought of striking at the root and giving their opponents a heavy blow.

If the Joyful Land had not been broken before, even with Xiao Hang's Haoran Sword and Zhang Ying's combined strength, it would have been difficult to break through the Joyful Land in a short time.

So...

Lei Jun noticed that in front of the Vajra Temple's mountain gate, apart from Xiao Hang and Zhang Ying, the other Tang cultivators began to take out a large number of sacrificial and ritual instruments.

Well, apart from us, the Heaven Master's Mansion, the Empress of Tang has also prepared gifts for the Sumeru Vajra Division.

Coupled with some arrangements in Yunzhou, it seems that the Tang imperial family, who seemed to be running out of resources, had actually set aside a portion specifically for dealing with their opponents.

However, the Vajra Temple was not what they expected.

As Xiao Hang and the others prepared to approach the mountain gate of the Vajra Temple, they found that the place had already turned into a scene of apocalypse.

To call it a ruin would be an exaggeration.

Back then, when Bodhi Temple was almost wiped out, it was no different from this.

"One of the four sacred sites of the Buddhist sect has been destroyed... This is indeed the doing of someone from the Tang Dynasty," Xiao Hang muttered to himself.

Including himself and Zhang Ying, although they had come for this purpose, they had not expected it to be so thoroughly destroyed.

Who did this? The group proceeded with caution as they drew closer.

From afar, they noticed the drastically different landscape where a tall altar shone with purple, golden, and green light, and they immediately realized what had happened.

One could say that they had some premonition.

But at this moment, they were filled with even more doubts.

Wasn't the National Teacher and Lei Tian Shi supposed to be dealing with the Vajra Division Master?

As they drew closer, they saw a black thunder dragon quietly coiling below a three-layered altar, and a tall young Daoist stood with his hands behind his back.

"Lei Tian Shi," Xiao Hang and Zhang Ying breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped forward to pay their respects. "We are also here for the Vajra Temple. We didn't expect the Heaven Master's Mansion to arrive before us."

Lei Jun calmly returned the salute. "Your Highness, Mr. Xiao, please forgive me for not consulting with you beforehand. This matter is urgent, and secrecy is crucial. Please do not take offense."

Princess Zhang Ying of Shanyang said, "Not at all, not at all. The Heaven Master's Mansion's actions to eliminate the rebel monks from the West are truly commendable and greatly appreciated by the Tang Dynasty."

As she spoke, she scanned the surroundings. "I wonder where the National Teacher is and where that rebel monk, the Vajra Division Master, is?"

As Zhang Ying spoke, she suddenly paused, feeling that something was amiss.

Xiao Hang also sensed something unusual.

There didn't seem to be any other cultivators from the Heaven Master's Mansion here...

Not to mention Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, or Yuan Mobai, but even Mo Bai and the others weren't here?

In that case, everything here...

Zhang Ying retracted her gaze and turned back to Lei Jun.

Xiao Hang's lips moved as if he wanted to ask something, but he didn't make a sound.

Those who came with them had initially felt relieved to see the Vajra Temple in ruins.

At this moment, everyone looked at each other, gradually realizing something, and one by one, they froze:

One person...

One person?! One person destroyed the Vajra Temple, one of the four sacred sites of Buddhism?!

Lei Jun remained calm and replied to Zhang Ying's previous question:

"Tang Xiaotang is currently fighting the Vajra Division Master in Longdong. I came here first to cut off his escape route."

PS: An 11,400-character chapter.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end