Chapter 369: Buddha Dharma Body! Earth-Shattering Collision! Slain the Old Monk!

Above Lu Qing’s head, the gray-robed elder radiated a brilliant golden light. A massive Buddha silhouette materialized behind him. With a cold expression, the elder stood atop the Golden Small Boat, one hand descending in a crushing strike. As the palm fell, the Buddha’s shadow extended a colossal hand from behind, descending from the heavens toward Lu Qing.

The air trembled. A solemn chant echoed through the world, and golden inscriptions spiraled around the shadow’s palm. Carrying an overwhelming, crushing aura, the divine hand plummeted toward Lu Qing.

In truth, the elder’s earlier retreat—forced down by Lu Qing’s arrow barrage, seemingly captured by Earth Vein Yuan Ci Li—had been a ruse. He had deliberately let himself appear cornered, luring Lu Qing into lowering his guard. Now, at close range, he unleashed his true killing blow.

“Indeed, one must never underestimate any ZHU JI QI-level master,” Lu Qing thought, his body tense as he felt the immense pressure of the Buddha’s palm.

The old monk clearly held back a final secret. For the entire fight, he had only used the Golden Shuttle spiritual artifact. Even when trapped by the arrow array, he feigned weakness, playing the part of a desperate opponent. What seemed like a flawless trap was, in fact, a trap within a trap—his way of drawing Lu Qing in, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The Buddha’s palm spanned over ten zhang in diameter, covering the area above Lu Qing. Fast and devastating, it pressed down with such force that Lu Qing’s body felt weighed down, his movements sluggish. The very air seemed to constrict, threatening to reverse the tide—turning Lu Qing into the prey, his entire domain crushed beneath the divine strike.

“Guess it’s time to go all out.”

Seeing the palm’s imminent arrival, Lu Qing steeled himself. A white radiance flared across his body.

Boom!

The palm struck exactly where Lu Qing had stood. A massive shockwave erupted, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. The ground for over ten zhang around collapsed into a deep crater. From above, a giant palm print suddenly appeared on the plain—visually staggering.

The power of that single strike was terrifying—enough to send even the most hardened XIAN TIAN JING into paralyzing dread.

But the gray-robed elder showed no triumph. Instead, his face darkened.

He sensed it—Earth Vein Yuan Ci Li still clung to him, restricting his movements. It hadn’t vanished.

His eyes narrowed. Then, with a sudden flicker, his pupils vanished.

From below the dust, the air shuddered. The smoke exploded outward in all directions.

A figure, glowing with pale white light, burst forth from the haze, streaking toward the elder at blinding speed.

Panic surged through the elder. Without hesitation, he summoned his spirit force and struck back with a palm of his own. Simultaneously, the Buddha’s shadow roared to life, unleashing a storm of wind and another crushing palm strike aimed at Lu Qing in midair.

Faced with the overwhelming golden light and the oncoming divine hand, Lu Qing remained utterly calm. No fear flickered in his eyes. Even his War Blade and Bow and Arrow had vanished—hidden within his Qiankun Yiqi Dai.

A clear wind aura enveloped him, accelerating his speed. With his right fist clenched, he didn’t dodge. He charged straight into the palm, striking it head-on.

Roar!

A thunderous tiger’s roar echoed through the sky. For a fleeting instant, the elder thought he saw a primordial tiger emerge from Lu Qing’s body.

His heart froze. He knew it was an illusion—Lu Qing’s sheer spiritual might had shattered his mind.

Boom!

The fist and palm collided midair. A whirlwind erupted. White mist exploded outward, tearing through the sky. If this had happened on the ground, it would’ve sent sand flying and trees toppling.

From a distance, Lu Qing—small as a bug—seemed to be trying to push back a colossal, translucent Buddha hand. A futile act, like an ant trying to move a mountain.

But reality was far different.

The Buddha’s palm—crystalline and flawless—began to crack at the point of impact. The fractures spread rapidly, spreading across the entire hand, then up the arm. In seconds, the entire limb shattered into countless fragments.

“Impossible?!” The elder stared in disbelief.

How could his Buddha Dharma Body—summoned through his secret treasure—be so easily destroyed?

One punch had shattered the Buddha’s arm.

Lu Qing didn’t pause. Clear Wind surged around him as he descended several zhang, absorbing the recoil. Then, with a powerful surge, he rocketed upward, closing in on the elder.

He had only one chance. The Golden Small Boat gave the elder an unbeatable advantage—high ground meant he could attack or retreat at will. But now, with the elder so close, Lu Qing couldn’t let this opportunity slip.

He saw the shattered arm of the Buddha’s shadow slowly regenerating. He had to finish this quickly.

Drawing on Ling Fu power, Lu Qing gained a brief flight ability. He shot toward the elder, unleashing another punch.

The elder had already seen the power of Lu Qing’s fists. He wouldn’t dare block. But just as before, he played his game—stepping into Lu Qing’s domain, feigning surrender to lower his guard, hoping to strike at the last moment.

Now, however, he was trapped. Earth Vein Yuan Ci Li bound him, slowing his movements. He tried to retreat—but it was too late.

With no choice, he slashed his fingers, commanding the other arm of the Buddha’s shadow to strike again.

But this time, no miracle came.

The second punch met Lu Qing’s fist—only to shatter just like the first.

Clear Wind surged once more. Lu Qing reappeared before the elder, striking again.

This time, the elder had no defense. He forced his spirit force into one final, desperate palm strike—his last line of defense.

But even his strongest technique couldn’t stop Lu Qing’s punch.

The elder’s body—though hardened through cultivation—was no match for Lu Qing’s overwhelming power. His arm exploded into fragments. Blood gushed from his mouth as he was flung from the Golden Small Boat, tumbling backward through the air.

“Now’s my chance!”

Lu Qing had long coveted the Golden Small Boat. Without hesitation, he ignored the fleeing elder and lunged, grabbing the vessel. With a mental command, he pulled it into his Qiankun Yiqi Dai.

The elder, already reeling from the earlier blow, had been struck not just by force—but by the sheer intensity of Lu Qing’s spiritual intent. His spirit nearly shattered. He could no longer control the boat.

So Lu Qing claimed it—smoothly, without resistance.

Then, with Clear Wind swirling around him, he shot after the elder.

Though it seemed complex, the entire sequence—from knocking the elder from the boat to seizing it—had happened in the blink of an eye.

When Lu Qing reached the elder, he had not yet touched the ground.

Facing the elder’s terrified gaze, Lu Qing showed no emotion. His fist slammed forward—crushing into the elder’s chest.

Thud!

No mercy. The punch exploded through the elder’s body, tearing it apart.

But even so, the elder’s body—refined by a ZHU JI QI-level cultivation—wasn’t completely obliterated. Though his chest was torn open, a gaping hole through and through, he still lived—flying into the earth, crashing down with a thunderous impact, creating a massive crater.

Lu Qing landed beside the pit, observing the elder—now barely breathing, gasping his last.

The old monk had endured Lu Qing’s full strike while in Rou Shen Bao Guang state. Though his body hadn’t shattered, he was beyond saving.

“You glow with treasure light… You’re a body cultivator?” The elder’s fading consciousness whispered, eyes widening in realization.

According to records left by the ancestors of Xuan Kong Shan, body cultivators were terrifying. Despite their flaws, they ranked among the top three in combat prowess—especially in close combat. Unmatched.

And now, he had been bested by one who had reached the Treasure Light Realm—by a body cultivator.

He had lost fairly.

“One thing… I must know. What grievance did Xuan Kong Shan have with you? Why did you slaughter our disciples?” The elder, accepting his fate, stared at Lu Qing’s mask, asking the question that haunted him.

But Lu Qing didn’t answer.

His voice was cold, expressionless.

“Ask that in the afterlife.”

And with that, he struck again.

The final punch shattered the elder’s already broken body. In a burst of crimson mist, the old monk vanished—erased from existence.

Just as his body exploded, a gray light shot from the blood mist—flying straight toward Lu Qing’s brow.

Blindingly fast. Impossible to react.

But then—like a curtain of light—faint golden fabric materialized from Lu Qing’s body, forming a protective aura around him.

The gray light slammed into it—sizzling, hissing, as it was burned to ash.

“No! Merit Power? That’s impossible!” The elder’s final scream echoed—then died.

The gray light was his soul.

Knowing death was inevitable, he still refused to accept it. In his final moments, he unleashed a soul technique—his last desperate attempt to invade Lu Qing’s Brow Qi Cavity.

If successful, he could possess Lu Qing’s body, reclaiming a powerful cultivator’s form. Even if he couldn’t possess, merely damaging Lu Qing’s soul would allow Xuan Kong Shan to temporarily neutralize a major threat—and leave behind his own soul essence, enabling future tracking and assassination.

But he had never expected Lu Qing to possess a Merit Robe—an artifact capable of repelling all soul attacks.

The elder’s final plan was utterly destroyed. His soul was burned to nothing before it could even touch Lu Qing.

“These old fools… they really have all sorts of tricks.” Lu Qing touched his brow, sighing.

The soul attack had been fast—fast enough to catch even him off guard.

But even if the elder had succeeded, Lu Qing wouldn’t have panicked.

In fact, he thought, “If that old monk could see what’s inside my Brow Qi Cavity, he’d be the one who died of shock.”

With the Soil Spirit Pearl and Shen Hun Fu Lu guarding his soul, Lu Qing knew—no soul attack below the Golden Core stage could harm him.

Having neutralized the final threat, Lu Qing turned his gaze to the crater.

The elder’s body had been reduced to mist—but one thing remained.

A small, golden bead, glowing faintly, hovered in midair.

Lu Qing recognized it immediately—it was the elder’s unique treasure, refined through cultivation.

He was about to use his abilities to examine it when his expression shifted. He looked up toward the Lingshan Mountains.

A sharp intuition stirred.

Another powerful presence was approaching—fast. And it carried a faint, chilling sensation.

Lu Qing didn’t hesitate. He leapt into the crater, snatched the golden bead, and sealed it within his Qiankun Yiqi Dai.

“Xiao Li, come!”

From the shadows, Xiao Li suddenly appeared in the air, landing softly into Lu Qing’s arms.

Holding her close, Lu Qing’s body surged with green light. A glowing streak shot forward, vanishing into the distance.

No longer holding back, he unleashed his full Ling Fu power. His spirit force roared through his limbs. One step—fifty zhang. Another step—another fifty. In an instant, he became a streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.

Seconds later, a figure arrived at the battlefield.

The man’s expression darkened. He scanned the scene, then froze. His eyes locked onto the blood-stained crater.

His face turned ashen.

He could sense it—Ku Rong Elder’s soul essence had vanished here.

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After fleeing the battlefield, Lu Qing pushed his Ling Fu and movement techniques to their limits. A glowing streak raced across the land.

He ran for hundreds of li. Only when he felt no pursuit behind him did he finally vanish into a deep mountain range, finding a cave to hide.

With a spiritual artifact shielding him from celestial divination, and Shen Hun Fu Lu masking his aura, he was certain—no one could find him if he truly wished to hide.

He remained still in the cave for half a spirit hour, confirming no one followed.

Then, he relaxed.

Earlier, he’d sensed a faint, dangerous aura from the Lingshan Mountains.

It wasn’t strong—but Lu Qing wasn’t willing to take the risk.

Right now, he was in the shadows. Xuan Kong Shan was in the open.

As long as he stayed hidden, they couldn’t find him.

Why risk a fight?

From the elder’s performance, he knew Xuan Kong Shan was deeply entrenched—rich in treasures, skilled in cultivation.

Even he had needed to pull out many hidden cards to defeat one of them.

If the new arrival was stronger than the elder, he might not escape so easily.

And if reinforcements came, he could be trapped—cornered in a pit.

His mission here wasn’t to die in a battle. It was to cause chaos for Xuan Kong Shan.

So hiding in the dark was the wiser path.

Besides, the fight had already given him much.

Once he’d processed everything, he could return to torment them again.

With that thought, Lu Qing took out a stack of jade talismans. With a flick of his fingers, he shot them into the ground, setting up a simple concealment array.

Only then did he open his Qiankun Yiqi Dai—and pull out the Golden Small Boat.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end