Chapter 279: One Day, It's For You

Sihan’s heart sank at Lu Xingzhou’s words. “It was taught by a wandering eminent monk named Zhao’en. Uh... according to what Young Master Lu said earlier, was this Chan Master Zhao’en dispatched by Gu Zhanting?”

“Dispatched... I doubt Gu Zhanting could dispatch him,” Lu Xingzhou said after some thought, still not revealing the full truth. If Sihan were to foolishly try to profit from the situation, it would only complicate matters further.

So he said, “I initially thought that letting you obtain the bone dragon was a means to draw out Gu Shaoli. Now, it seems there’s another hidden purpose. For now, don’t concern yourselves with anything else. How many of you have cultivated the technique to control the bone dragon, and can it be abolished?”

Sihan replied, “Abolishing it might not be possible, but we can certainly stop practicing it. Is there something wrong with this technique?”

“This is a wicked, yin-attributed cultivation method. Normally, since your Shadowmoon Sect’s techniques lean towards the yin attribute, practicing it wouldn’t conflict. The problem arises because you are a royal court, and your imperial qi-channels conflict with this sinister energy.”

Sihan’s heart trembled slightly.

They were not cultivators of Buddhist or Daoist practices and were completely unfamiliar with concepts like qi-channels and destiny. Many among them didn’t even believe in such things.

However, coming from the man of the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord, these words held immense credibility.

The Heavenly Yao Holy Lord would not lie about such matters, especially since she intended to support them in becoming a second Great Gan. She would undoubtedly place even greater importance on qi-channels.

“Then we will immediately cease practicing this technique,” Sihan said. “Does the Holy Lord have any other instructions regarding this?”

Lu Xingzhou took out a set of formation flags. “Four of you should go and position yourselves at the four cardinal points of Shadowmoon City—east, south, west, and north—each holding a flag and immersing your spiritual sense within it. I’ll handle the rest.”

A Shadowmoon Sect elder cautiously asked, “This is for...”

“To suppress your imperial qi!”

The entire Shadowmoon Sect, as if invigorated, exclaimed, “We will follow all of Young Master Lu’s commands!”

The crowd, holding their flags, went to the four corners of Shadowmoon City, while Lu Xingzhou, with the main flag, swiftly headed to the exact center of Shadowmoon City.

In the dead of night, Shadowmoon City was deserted. In the center was a large plaza; standing there alone evoked a sense of lonely dread, much like Lu Xingzhou’s current inner state.

He didn’t know if the opponent was human or ghost. Judging by a cultivation level comparable to Ye Tinglan’s, Lu Xingzhou still largely trusted Ye Tinglan to defeat those of the same rank. Her title as “Number One Under Heaven” was earned by surpassing those of her own level; even the Demon Emperor was half a step behind her.

However, if the opponent could leverage the qi-channels of an entire nation, Ye Tinglan might be at a disadvantage.

He couldn’t do anything else, nor did he dare to involve Sihan and the others in the battle to assist. The only thing he could do was help Ye Tinglan suppress the local qi-channels, at least preventing the opponent from utilizing them.

But this was very difficult to do... at least not something a fourth-rank cultivator could accomplish.

Abstract things like qi-channels do not correspond to magical power, but to spiritual sense. For a cultivator who hadn’t yet broken through to the third rank and hadn’t initiated soul cultivation, it was simply too strenuous.

Lu Xingzhou closed his eyes, immersing his mind in the formation flags.

He could feel the qi-channels, like dragons, faintly appearing above Shadowmoon City, covering a hundred li of the sky. However, the dragon qi was drifting, seemingly with specks of starlight merging into the west, being stolen and utilized by someone. The spiritual senses of the Shadowmoon Sect elders and Sihan from the four corners were focused and solidified, helping to suppress the four directions. However, they didn’t understand the underlying reason and were merely lending their power, requiring Lu Xingzhou’s coordination.

Lu Xingzhou silently activated the destiny technique he had learned from Ye Tinglan during his time at the Tianxing Sword Sect, mobilizing the power of the Four Symbols, condensing the sky, and stabilizing the eight directions.

His spiritual sea felt like it was being pricked by needles, exceeding its capacity with just a slight exertion.

Just as Ye Tinglan had said previously, “Changing feng shui qi-channels is an act of defying heaven and altering destiny.” “Are you risking your life for Shen Tang?”

How had he responded back then?

“Perhaps one day, it will be for you, Master.”

A prophecy fulfilled.

The ironic thing was, no one knew whether Ye Tinglan actually needed this desperate help, or if she might not need it at all.

Ye Tinglan’s battle with Monk Zhao’en had also entered a fierce stage.

Initially, Zhao’en had a certain degree of disdain for this woman.

He had not been in this world for a short time. From the familiar way he conversed with Ye Tinglan, it was clear he was quite knowledgeable about the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord, one of the most powerful figures in this world. According to various sources, this Heavenly Yao Holy Lord was not even a hundred years old.

For an ultra-grade cultivator, this age could be considered an astonishing feat of genius; even in ancient times, it would be extremely rare and remarkable. But in battle, this could be a disadvantage, as less than a century of combat experience was clearly immature compared to thousand-year-old monsters like them, and her understanding of ancient profound scriptures and strange techniques was clearly lacking.

The "old woman" in Anu's words was undoubtedly a young woman to these ancient monsters. A young woman, still in the throes of a romantic awakening, would obviously be emotionally volatile and full of vulnerabilities.

The battle, however, proved entirely different.

According to his observations, neither the Great Gan nor the Tianshuang nations had much of a Buddhist presence. Logically, Ye Tinglan should not be so familiar with Buddhist techniques. Yet, in actual combat, he found her extremely proficient.

His supposedly exquisite "ancient strange techniques," Ye Tinglan handled as if she had practiced them face-to-face thousands of times, posing no threat at all.

He believed he could exploit vulnerabilities in her mind, using various mental intrusions or illusions. Yet, they had no effect on Ye Tinglan whatsoever, instead causing a stinging pain in his own spiritual sea.

For instance, right now, he used a self-conjured method of ultimate bliss, guiding her into a heavenly illusion to see her most tender and sweet “lover.” As a result, the “lover” was directly strangled by Ye Tinglan, without her even changing her expression.

The illusion shattered like glass, and Ye Tinglan’s sword nearly pierced Zhao’en’s heart. Fortunately, Zhao’en dodged quickly, only getting a spray of blood.

“With such an unyielding mind, how can you be swayed by romance?” Zhao’en retreated rapidly, asking incredulously, “Could it be that you’re just toying with your lover?”

Ye Tinglan’s face was impassive, her sword aura chilling like frost.

She had no obligation to answer the monk’s question.

In fact, the way Lu Xingzhou and she interacted was completely different from what most people understood. As for a “lover,” she hadn’t even agreed to that! Lu Xingzhou was still pitifully begging for a little “tofu” using “rewards” and “I’m tired.”

“This ‘lover’ in your illusion immediately started spouting ‘I love you’ and cloyingly seeking intimacy... That’s insane! Forget an illusion, even if the real Lu Xingzhou acted that way, she’d strangle him without a second thought.”

Furthermore, this monk’s secret technique was ill-intentioned. If she had truly been swayed in the illusion, she would likely have been enticed into lust and become a human cauldron.

She was all too familiar with such “blissful union” techniques. She could even teach Lu Xingzhou how to resist the Profound Harlot Technique, so how could she lack experience herself? She was indeed an expert.

There’s nothing new under the sun. The Profound Harlot Technique wasn’t created out of thin air; it was merely an ancient inheritance. Perhaps it truly originated from a branch of Buddhist joyous cultivation.

But just as she was gaining the upper hand in the battle, the monk in front of her vanished again, and the scene changed once more.

Another illusionary invasion? Is this endless?

Ye Tinglan abruptly looked up.

Her original position was a mountain hollow surrounded by dark, towering peaks, like being in an abyss. Now it was even more apparent, as if she had fallen into a demonic abyss. The surrounding peaks had transformed into pillars of Buddhist light, resembling gigantic fingers standing tall, suppressing her beneath them.

Above, a gigantic golden Buddha face looked down from on high.

Like an ant in the palm of a god or Buddha, no matter what tricks she employed, she couldn’t escape.

Immense pressure bore down on her body and mind, rendering her immobile, leaving only desperate cries and struggles.

Ye Tinglan’s knees buckled, and she nearly had to brace herself with her sword.

This wasn’t an illusion... or rather, it wasn’t just an illusion.

This was the opponent’s ultimate technique, an ultra-grade forbidden technique like a “Buddha Kingdom in the Palm,” combining physical oppression with mental assault. For anyone with an unstable mind, merely falling into such a despairing scene would be enough to crush them.

But this was originally an imagery that should only be caused by an absolute gap in cultivation, and should not arise when fighting among peers.

The opponent had borrowed other power, combining it with his own, which resulted in this disparity in power levels.

Ye Tinglan knew what it was... She hadn’t expected this monk to have stolen the local qi-channels to such an extent.

In other words, if she could break this move, she would be able to completely sever the opponent’s connection to the local qi-channels, and everything would return to square one. The opponent would never have dared to use this move carelessly. Once used, there would be no retreat: either she would die, or the opponent would suffer complete defeat.

“Is this the level of an old monster from the ancient world?” Sweat trickled down Ye Tinglan’s forehead, yet she chuckled lightly, “So unable to hold out, how long have we been fighting before you revealed your trump card?”

Zhao’en’s face was as calm as water. He couldn’t launch any other attacks, only slowly replied, “The Heavenly Yao Holy Lord’s strength indeed far exceeds my expectations. Number one in Great Gan, well deserved. Perhaps truly the number one in this world, not just Great Gan.”

Ye Tinglan slowly said, “You flatter me. There are countless powerful individuals in this world. It’s simply that you’ve resided outside this realm for too long and are unaware of the heroes among mortals.”

“Perhaps, but it doesn’t matter,” Zhao’en said, softly chanting a Buddhist invocation. “If the Heavenly Yao Holy Lord perishes here, then this world is nothing more than this.”

Ye Tinglan abruptly looked up. Above, another gigantic palm slowly pressed down.

Although the downward pressure was slow, it brought even greater mental oppression.

Ye Tinglan’s spiritual sea was already throbbing with pain, but the unyielding battle intent in her eyes grew stronger. “Then let’s see if you have the ability.”

“Whoosh!” A compass flew out of her ring.

The compass spun rapidly, altering the flow of fate.

The downward-pressing Buddha palm was resisted by the compass, unable to advance an inch.

The compass emitted a soft light, spreading across the world, making sinister entities unable to hide.

It seemed to illuminate the shadows beneath the surrounding finger-like pillars of Buddhist light, revealing an incongruous connection between them and the golden Buddhist light above.

“Clang!” Her divine sword reappeared, striking towards the intersection of shadow and Buddhist light.

That was to sever Zhao’en’s connection with the Tianshuang qi-channels.

“Clang!” The sword light struck the base of the finger-like pillar. Not far away, Zhao’en’s mouth bled, and his body swayed slightly.

Ye Tinglan’s lips also bled. Distracted, the compass above began to be pressed down by the Buddha palm, stopping just a zhang above her head.

Would she first sever the root of the finger-like pillar, or would the Buddha palm first press down on her head? It was a race against time.

But she ultimately had to divide her attention to counter different forces, clearly putting her at a disadvantage.

If only someone could help... even just to distract him a little.

Just then, it seemed another illusion appeared before her eyes.

An image of Lu Xingzhou inexplicably appeared in the scene, like a towering giant, holding up the Buddha palm with one hand.

No... this wasn’t an illusion.

This was Lu Xingzhou, whose actual location was unknown, currently employing a qi-channel suppression technique, competing with Zhao’en for the Tianshuang qi-channels, and manifesting here.

This realization flashed through her mind. Ye Tinglan hesitated no longer. Her divine sword erupted with dazzling brilliance, and she struck directly towards the surrounding finger roots.

In her ears, it was as if she heard Zhao’en’s horrified cry, “How is this possible!”

Only one conversation from the past flashed through Ye Tinglan’s mind.

“Perhaps one day, it will be for you, Master.”