Chapter 669: Wither and Prosper Both Sorrowful

For a moment, Ning Zhuo considered using the Human Fate Threads to forcefully control Qing Chi and keep her away from the final battlefield. But then, with a soft sigh and a complex gaze, he quietly waited for her to join him.

On one hand, he deeply understood Qing Chi. Having endured for over a decade in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for his own mother, how could he not comprehend Qing Chi's determination to avenge her father? On the other hand, Ning Zhuo felt a deep sense of guilt towards Qing Chi. After all, he had disguised himself as Jiao Ma and deceived the ghost maiden for a long time. Although his intentions were good, there was undeniable exploitation involved. As for Qing Yan's death... In war, people die.

"My mission is for a greater cause," he thought. "It's about securing survival and well-being for all the countless beings in White Paper Immortal City and the entire Yin Tide Black Marsh Wetland! The Qing family was originally aligned with White Paper Immortal City, similar to the Jiao family, and fully committed to supporting it, making them the staunchest defenders of the city. The natural course of fate allowed the Qing family to form an army, which was already a tremendous boon. Having received such benefits, the Qing-Jiao Army should naturally play its part here!" This was not child's play. Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, and Luo Si — which of them wasn't risking their life? Buddhist Physician Meng Yaoyin and Old Man Graybone had invested immense time and energy, meticulously planning and strategizing. Frankly, for the Qing-Jiao Army to participate to this extent with such minor casualties was already a huge advantage. This was the result of Ning Zhuo, Luo Si, and others doing their utmost to protect them.

The black clouds churned ceaselessly, but compared to before, they were no longer as dense. The cracks grew wider and more numerous, allowing the Qing-Jiao Army and Qing Chi to pass through easily. Most of the Celestial Phenomenon Array had already collapsed. Having survived the initial and most dangerous moments, Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi could now calmly navigate the remaining turbulent currents. They successfully converged high in the sky and immediately followed the passage, charging into the sacrificial altar battlefield. Thunderous explosions echoed incessantly, indicating the intensity of the battle within.

The power of the Return to Ruin Black Sphere was extraordinary; wherever it corroded, a deep black residue remained on the turbid qi barrier. No matter how the ground-lung turbid qi surged to fill the gaps, it was completely resisted and dissipated by the lingering dark power. Thus, this passage remained temporarily stable.

Just as they reached the center of the passage, they saw Luo Si slowly flying towards them. Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi were overjoyed and hurried to meet him. The three successfully reunited. Luo Si was in a terrible state. After seeing Ning Zhuo, he slowly nodded and closed his eyes. Luo Si knew that the arrival of the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image must have been Ning Zhuo's doing. Ning Zhuo had not disappointed him. Despite their brief acquaintance, Luo Si's trust in Ning Zhuo was immense. He had directly given up on the outside world, entrusting his life and everything he had to Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo quickly supported him, holding him up as they flew together.

Luo Si was severely corroded by the ground-lung turbid qi, his injuries terrifying, and his Nascent Soul was listless and dim. Fortunately, he was fully circulating his cultivation technique and began to generate new magic power. The magic power quickly spread, reclaiming lost ground within his body and gradually expelling the ground-lung turbid qi. Seeing this, Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi discussed it and decided not to rush in. They first took Luo Si out of the passage and returned to the outside. The battle inside was fierce, and as Ning Zhuo and Qing Chi were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, it was better to observe for a while.

The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image sat cross-legged, radiating Buddhist light that pierced through all turbid qi. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God, hidden by the turbid qi, charged forward, letting out a roar and swinging his fists with all his might. The sound of his fists was like thunder, and their momentum like falling stars! The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image, however, manifested a series of gentle Buddha palm prints, pressing down with softness to overcome hardness, dissolving the fist momentum and turbid qi into nothingness, bringing them to stillness. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God suddenly lost momentum; a fissure abruptly opened on his divine body, spewing out streams of ground-lung turbid qi, causing his divine body to tremble and his aura to wane. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God suddenly fell into decline and had to retreat. Holes on his head spewed endless black smoke. The black smoke was extremely dense, forming a viscous black rain that exuded a putrid, decaying stench, enveloping the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image. The Buddhist light and black rain contended with each other, but the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image continued to advance.

Lord Wangchuan's true form wore a nervous expression, his heart anxious. He instinctively looked towards Wangchuan Immortal City: "Has the message not reached them yet? It should be time!"

In Wangchuan Immortal City, Zeng Jide performed his stealing technique and pilfered another ground-lung core when an anomaly suddenly occurred. The giant stone before them suddenly vibrated violently, emitting a powerful yellow light. Immediately, the surrounding gravity doubled, nearly forcing the old and young from the Empty Gate sect to their knees. "What's happening?!" Sun Lingtong exclaimed, filled with doubt. Zeng Jide, meanwhile, discovered that one of the remaining ground-lung cores within the giant stone suddenly disintegrated, transforming into an incredibly pure and vast torrent of earth-elemental power. Following the magic array, it vanished from the spot, being teleported away. Although this earth-elemental torrent, which contained mighty earth-elemental magic power, vast ground-lung turbid qi, and surging earth fiend power, lost twenty percent during teleportation, the remaining eighty percent was infused into the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God in a very short time.

"ROAR—!!!" The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God roared skyward as if injected with a potent stimulant! All the wounds on his body rapidly healed and even reshaped under the infusion of the earth-elemental torrent. The speed was visible to the naked eye. His previously listless aura surged like a volcanic eruption, climbing steadily and quickly reaching a peak. With a furious momentum, he once again intercepted the advancing Buddha's illusory image. Boom, boom, boom! The two sides engaged in close combat. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God's fists were like pounding drums against the sky, unleashing vast torrents of turbid qi to strike the Buddha's illusory image! With every punch, space itself violently vibrated like tattered cloth, groaning under the strain! The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image, with its withered, wood-like body, was deeply shaken. Countless strands of Buddhist light around him were extinguished, and his Buddha body was damaged, dented, and riddled with countless cracks. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image's body condensed slightly. Spreading his arms, he manifested Buddha palm prints, for a time able only to parry.

In Wangchuan Immortal City. "Quick, keep up with me!" "The enemies are in here!!" "Surround them, don't let anyone escape! The Lord's command is for them to die! No matter who they are!!!" A large number of cultivators surrounded the area, completely encircling Zeng Jide and Sun Lingtong. Sun Lingtong gasped lightly, "Senior, we just took a few things, why is it like we stirred up a hornet's nest?" Zeng Jide revealed a grim expression and gritted his teeth, "Interesting! This stone is quite important to Lord Wangchuan." As he spoke, he continued his stealing technique, pilfering yet another core. Far away, in the core battlefield, the recently invigorated Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God once again lost momentum. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image gained the upper hand. The ground-lung turbid qi surged, and the barrier vibrated as another ground-lung core disintegrated, transforming into an earth-elemental torrent that was teleported by the great array. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God surged again, opening his mouth to exhale a short-range, yellowish-brown beam of light, shattering half of the Buddha's illusory image's shoulder. Yet another ground-lung core was extracted by Zeng Jide. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God lost momentum, and the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image slapped him on the head, crushing his entire skull and reducing the black smoke he spewed by more than half. Pffft— Lord Wangchuan's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he roared inwardly, "Whoever is causing trouble behind my back! After this battle, I will surely mobilize the entire nation's power to conquer you, flay your skin, grind your bones, and scatter your soul!!" He had never hated anyone this much. He felt more hatred and anger than he did towards Yin Jiuzhu or Ning Zhuo. This was truly infuriating.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God, fluctuating between strong and weak, greatly disrupted his battle rhythm, and even fighting with all his might only delayed the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image's advance. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image was also suffering; most of its power was needed to suppress the Lord Wangchuan Seal. The closer this national artifact was to Lord Wangchuan's true form, the more restless it became. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image had no choice but knew it had to achieve a quick victory! It had the advantage of being rested, and its power was strong, but it was like water without a source. In contrast, Lord Wangchuan's true form was severely injured and actively accumulating strength for a decisive battle. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God, moreover, could continuously replenish itself by utilizing the Earthly Aspect Array. Although it would also lose momentum, it ultimately replenished more. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God's fists pounded the Buddha's illusory image, cracking the Buddha's body and dimming its light. The Buddha's illusory image's palm prints were also branded onto the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God's divine body, leaving indelible marks. The battle between the two groups advanced with difficulty amidst explosions, Buddhist light and earthly qi fiercely entangled, consuming each other brutally, shattering space. Countless spatial fragments flew about like glass shards.

Ultimately, this battle group was pushed to the front of the Wangchuan tributary. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image had shrunk repeatedly, its form now only thirty percent of its original size. Its withered Buddha body was covered in cracks, its shoulder was crushed, its chest caved in, and the Buddhist light was gone, only leaking points of light from its wounds as if its essence was dissipating. The Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God was also severely damaged, his posture hunched, with one arm broken, and desperately needing replenishment. The Buddha palm prints on his body had created several massive wounds, especially on his back, which almost broke his spine, a truly shocking sight. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image pressed its palms together before its chest; though its mouth did not open, a soul-shaking Nirvana Zen Chant reverberated through the cosmos! Invisible ripples spread wildly, not only breaking free from the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God before him but also striking the Wangchuan tributary, causing turbulent waves and forming terrifying surges. The Zen sound surged forth like an invisible heavenly blade, almost slicing the Wangchuan tributary in two. The Wangchuan tributary, which had made Ning Zhuo hesitate, was merely a single move for the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image.

"Come," Lord Wangchuan's true form defiantly charged out. He had seized every second to recuperate, struggling to find rest, but had managed to accumulate enough power for a final battle. Instantly, the Wangchuan tributary roared, and within its raging currents, a jiao-dragon formed, lunging towards the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image neither dodged nor retreated. It instead parted its palms, spread its arms, and poured almost all its combat power into the confrontation. Its form grew dim, but the essence of Nirvana Zen became even purer and more profound than before. Buddhist teaching—Withering and Flourishing, Shared Sorrow! The watery jiao-dragon seemed to eagerly embrace the Buddha's illusory image, yet as it approached, it withered like dying vegetation, its might plummeting. Conversely, the Buddha's illusory image's aura surged, as if absorbing the watery jiao-dragon's power, its might continuously rising. Lord Wangchuan's body was enveloped in surging nether light, and the illusory image of Wangchuan river roared behind him. He fought with all his might, his face solemn and grave, staring intently at the formidable enemy before him. The combat power he had painstakingly accumulated plummeted like a flood, just like the successive watery jiao-dragons. But the next moment, the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God pounced from behind. With a furious roar, his divine body suddenly collapsed, compressing to its limit, transforming into a massive meteor. BOOM— The meteor rushed forward, burning with a dark yellow flame, trailing a long tail of black smoke. This was a suicidal strike! The meteor crashed into the Buddha's back. Resisted by the surging Buddhist light, its speed slowed, but it kept approaching. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image was caught in a pincer attack, assailed from both front and back. Its 'Withering and Flourishing, Shared Sorrow' ability could restrain enemies and strengthen itself, but such an assault had exceeded its transformation limit. The Buddha's body swayed, like a candle flame flickering in a strong wind. A flicker of joy passed through Lord Wangchuan's eyes; in this desperate struggle, he finally saw a chance for victory!

In Wangchuan Immortal City. Zeng Jide shouted, activating his life-bound magical artifact again. The Three-Armed Monkey Buddha statue suddenly glowed, Buddhist light coalescing to form a monkey's claw that directly grasped the entire giant stone. The next moment, Sun Lingtong heard a sharp shriek from the monkey's head as the claw retracted, pulling the entire giant stone back! The giant stone was massive, but it became smaller and smaller during the retrieval process. Finally, Zeng Jide recalled his life-bound Buddha statue, holding a miniature carving of the giant stone, now shrunken several times over, in his hand. Zeng Jide grunted, his aura plummeting. He held the miniature stone carving in one hand and grabbed Sun Lingtong's arm with the other. "Go!" Sun Lingtong felt a dizzying blur, as if she had entered a kaleidoscopic world of colorful flowers. Almost in the very next breath, a group of cultivators from the City Lord's Manor burst in. "Don't let anyone escape—where are they?!" The cultivators' expressions drastically changed.

At the sacrificial altar battlefield. The Earth Fiend meteor suddenly shook; its furiously burning dark yellow flames rapidly dimmed, becoming small flickering embers. The extremely compressed meteor body quickly disintegrated, countless fragments breaking apart, and large masses of turbid qi scattered uncontrollably. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image's pressure sharply decreased, and it regained its mighty presence! It stepped forward, spreading its arms as if to embrace, moving towards Lord Wangchuan. Watery jiao-dragons and massive waves continuously crashed against its face. The Buddha's illusory image grew even dimmer, and the number of cracks on its body surged, crisscrossing everywhere. Lord Wangchuan retreated continuously, his face extremely pale, mixed with a hint of sorrow. His gaze remained sharp, filled with rage, unwillingness, and resentment, but soon it turned to hesitation and fear. He knew the battle situation well; he absolutely could not hold on. If he didn't retreat now, he would be embraced by the Nirvana Buddha's illusory image, meeting his demise! A dignified Lord was about to lose his life in this act against the heavens. "Very well, Silent Ghost Monk, I didn't expect you to be the ultimate victor." "The enmity for obstructing my path is irreconcilable; I will remember this!" The next moment, Lord Wangchuan spat out a mouthful of his essence, activating the Celestial Phenomenon Array to teleport himself away, vanishing from his spot. Without his support, the turbulent currents reversed, and all the watery jiao-dragons exploded. The Nirvana Buddha's illusory image's frontal pressure plummeted, and it turned to attack the Earth Fiend Turbid Filth God. It spread its five fingers, and the Buddha hand grew larger and larger, as if it sought to encompass the cosmos! The Buddha hand descended, directly covering the meteor-like divine body, and squeezed fiercely. BOOM—!!!!!!