bookbashuk Chapter 343 Divine Might of the Side Hall
Chapter 343 Divine Might of the Side Hall
The melee instantly intensified!
Each swing of the illusory Arhat's vajra brought with it the sound of wind and thunder, shattering the incoming spells and sword energy. The white ghostly curtain tenaciously withstood the rain of attacks.
But even the strongest fists can't fight off a multitude of opponents. The enemy consisted of nearly a hundred cultivators, including many Foundation Establishment experts, and even combined attacks from sects like Longhu Mountain, Qingcheng Mountain, and Wutai Mountain. Their attacks were like endless waves, layer upon layer, relentless and unending.
The Feng family's "Hundred Herbs Everlasting Formation" shimmered with verdant light, providing Chen Anran and his allies with a continuous stream of life force and protection. However, the Feng family members who were in charge of the formation were pale-faced, clearly exhausted. The Jiang family members unleashed a barrage of mechanical artifacts, creating a cacophony of explosions and clattering mechanisms, effectively disrupting some of the enemy's formation. But faced with overwhelming numerical superiority, they could only barely hold on.
Qi Lan moved with ghostly grace, weaving through the crowd. Wherever she passed, someone would fall with a scream. She specifically targeted those with weaker cultivation and less coordinated attacks, reducing the pressure on those directly in front. Huiming was bathed in Buddhist light, his palm strikes and fists fierce and unparalleled, repelling several cultivators who attempted to flank him. The phantom of Buddha behind him even withstood a vicious "Five Thunderbolts Talisman" from Wu Mingzi, causing the phantom to flicker and its color to dim slightly.
Chen Anran felt a series of needle-like stings in his meridians. The power of the wrathful Arhat statue was immense, but it also placed a tremendous strain on his body. Cracks were slowly but surely spreading across the white, ghostly curtain. He knew he couldn't continue like this.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, catching a glimpse of the eaves of a distant side hall. A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
While manipulating the illusory Arhat to block Lin Xiaofeng's rapid, barrage of sword strikes, he suddenly bit his tongue, mixing his blood essence with immense spiritual power. Using his mind as a guide, he drew a complex and ancient talisman, bowed towards the side hall, and shouted:
"Chen Anran, a disciple of the Cloud Hidden Sect, respectfully requests the guardian deity of the side hall to manifest his divine power, subdue the demon, and protect my sect!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a strange rhythm, piercing through the deafening shouts and explosions, and clearly reaching the side hall halfway up the mountain.
Everyone fighting on the battlefield, whether from Longhu Mountain, the Feng and Jiang families, or even neutral observers on the periphery, heard this clear shout. Many people subconsciously looked towards the side hall.
He Qingyun felt a sudden tightness in his chest and shouted sharply, "Bluster! Attack with all your might, cripple him first!"
However, before he could finish speaking—
hum!
The side hall halfway up the mountain seemed to awaken from a slumbering beast, suddenly bursting forth with dazzling light! It was not a single color, but a mixture of red, gold, blue, and white, exuding a grand aura of holiness, majesty, compassion, and fierceness... all different yet harmoniously unified, soaring into the sky like a volcanic eruption!
"What is that?!"
"What a terrifying aura!"
"The Hidden Cloud Sect still has a trump card?!"
Amid exclamations of surprise, several dazzling beams of light shot out from the side hall, instantly traversing space and descending upon the chaotic square!
The pillar of light receded, transforming into four tall, majestic, and solemn phantom images of deities!
A figure, wearing a crown and imperial robes, with a face as red as a jujube, a long beard flowing, holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his phoenix eyes slightly open, exuding an imposing aura without anger, his chilling killing intent soaring to the heavens! It was none other than Guan Yu, the Holy Emperor!
A figure, dressed as a refined scholar, holding a scroll and a writing brush, exudes wisdom and literary talent. His clear eyes seem to see through all the illusions of the world. This is the Wenchang Emperor!
A figure, clad in armor, with the "Loyal to the Country" flag on his back, holding the Liquan Spear, with a resolute face and piercing eyes, exudes an aura of iron-blooded conquest and a powerful will to defend the country—it is none other than Yue Fei!
The last figure, with a kind and benevolent expression, holds a pestle and abacus. Illusory images of a hundred herbs seem to sway around him, emanating a rich life force and medicinal fragrance. His compassionate gaze falls upon the wounded on the battlefield. This is the Medicine King!
The moment the four phantom statues appeared, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the entire plaza—no, the entire area of the Yunyin Mountain Resort—boiled and resonated! A vast divine power, originating from ancient times and accumulated through the incense offerings of countless people, swept across all directions!
Everyone who was attacking, defending, or observing involuntarily slowed their movements by a beat, a profound and indescribable shock and... a touch of instinctive awe rising within them. The images and auras of these deities were completely unfamiliar to them, but their supreme, righteous, and immense majesty was undeniable!
"What...what kind of deity is this?!"
This was a source of surprise and disbelief for most of those present.
The kind face on Han Bailian's face had vanished, replaced by a twisted expression of shock and greed: "The Path of Incense Offerings?! This Cloud Hidden Sect actually possesses a secret method for cultivating incense offering deities?! And not just one!"
He Qingyun's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his unease reaching its peak. He had originally thought Chen Anran's trump cards were nothing more than a few powerful magic treasures and that strange spirit body, never expecting that the Yunyin Sect would hide such a terrifying foundation! To be able to manifest a complete divine phantom, what profound incense offerings and special methods would be required?
Chen Anran's face was pale, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Simultaneously invoking the divine intervention of the four deities had nearly drained most of the spiritual power he had gained through the Arhat statues, and had also consumed a significant amount of his own essence and mental energy. Yet, his eyes shone brightly like stars.
The four illusory statues stood still, seemingly possessing their own sentience and sensing the energy and situation of both sides in the arena, without requiring specific command from Chen Anran.
The phantom of Guan Sheng Di Jun was the first to move. The phantom of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade trembled slightly, and a condensed green blade light, seemingly capable of cutting through heaven and earth, silently slashed towards the three elders of Longhu Mountain who were preparing their strongest attack and trying to completely defeat the phantom of the Arhat!
Before the blade even arrived, its unparalleled sharpness and the will to cut through everything had already made the three elders' hair stand on end and their souls tremble. They could no longer care about attacking and frantically activated all their spiritual power to protect themselves and retreat!
The phantom of Yue Fei pointed his spear forward, unleashing a torrent of battle intent, accompanied by a chilling spear aura, that crashed into the sword formation set up by Lin Xiaofeng and his disciples from the Qingcheng Sword Sect! The sword formation clashed with the spear aura, producing a deafening clang like metal striking metal. Lin Xiaofeng groaned, his swordplay faltering, and several disciples behind him dropped their swords, coughing up blood as they staggered backward!
The illusory figure of Emperor Wenchang swept his gaze over Wu Mingzi of Mount Wutai and the cultivators who were casting various bewitching, illusionary, and curse-like spells. With a light tap of his brush, invisible ink seemed to spread in the void, a clear and righteous energy emanating from it. The light of Wu Mingzi's "Breaking Qi Silver Sand" dimmed abruptly, and those insidious spells melted and disintegrated like snow meeting the morning sun!
The illusory figure of the Medicine King was the most gentle, lightly shaking the pestle in his hand, causing droplets of emerald light, brimming with vitality, to fall precisely upon Chen Anran, the Feng family members, the Jiang family members, Qi Lan, Huiming, and the others. Everyone felt a surge of energy.
The wounds on my body were tingling and healing rapidly, and my spiritual energy was recovering considerably, greatly reducing my fatigue!
Four divine statues, all at once!
The battlefield situation reversed in an instant!
The main attacking forces from Longhu Mountain, Qingcheng Mountain, and Wutai Mountain suffered a setback, and their momentum faltered. The rogue cultivators and small sect cultivators who had been spurred on were terrified by this sudden divine power, and many of them considered retreating.
"Insufficient incense energy... I can only act once..." Chen Anran clearly felt the faint and rapidly fading connection between himself and the four statues, and he understood. But what he needed was this moment of shock and a chance to catch his breath!
He mustered his last bit of spiritual power, manipulating the already fading illusory Arhat figures, and took a step forward. His vajra slammed heavily on the ground, producing a deafening roar that, combined with the lingering majesty of the four deities, echoed throughout the entire area.
"Who else wants to try?!"
The square was deathly silent.
Only the whistling of the wind through the cracks in the broken stone slabs and the suppressed groans of the wounded could be heard.
He Qingyun's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling. He looked at the four phantom gods whose light was rapidly dimming and whose forms were beginning to dissipate, but whose residual power remained. He then looked at Chen Anran, whose face was pale but whose eyes were burning, as if he still had strength left. He also looked at the Feng and Jiang families, as well as Qi Lan and Huiming, whose morale was greatly boosted and who were eyeing him menacingly.
He knew that things were unlikely to go as planned today.
Han Bailian's eyes flashed rapidly as he calculated the gains and losses. The appearance of the four unfamiliar deities had completely disrupted his plans; the Yunyin Sect's "foundation" far exceeded his expectations. Continuing to fight to the death, even if he could win, would likely come at an unbearable cost, and besides… he glanced at He Qingyun, inwardly cursing him as a waste.
Many representatives from small and medium-sized sects and independent cultivators have quietly retreated, moving away from the center of the battlefield.
Shen Zui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Daoist Tianbao.
Master Tianbao looked with bright eyes at the four illusory images of deities that were about to completely dissipate but were already deeply imprinted in everyone's minds. He realized that asking Chen Anran for two of the statues was indeed the wisest choice he had ever made in his life.
Master Tianbao forcibly suppressed his inner excitement, let out a long sigh, and said to Shen Zui, "Prepare to clean up the mess... We can't continue."
Chen Anran held the slightly dimmed statue of the wrathful Arhat, and the white ghostly figure transformed back into a small spirit and landed on his shoulder. He straightened his back, his gaze like cold lightning, sweeping over He Qingyun, Han Bailian, and all the "slayers" who showed fear and hesitated.
The four illusory statues finally transformed into streaks of light and vanished into the heavens and earth amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd, as if they had never existed. But the shock and awe they had brought lingered for a long time.
The light from the side hall also completely faded away, restoring the tranquility of the past.
But everyone knows that in the side hall of the Cloud Hidden Sect, there are some beings they do not recognize, but who possess unfathomable power.
Chen Anran's voice rang out again.
"Senior Brother He, Elder Han, fellow practitioners."
"Shall we continue?"
The air in the square seemed to freeze.
The oppressive aura left behind after the four illusory statues disappeared still enveloped the space, leaving everyone in a dazed state of shock.
"Shall we continue?"
The air in the square seemed to freeze.
The oppressive aura left behind after the four illusory statues disappeared still enveloped the space, leaving everyone in a dazed state of shock.
The shattered stone slabs, the pitted ground, the lingering glow of the aura and the smell of gunpowder in the air, and the wounded sitting or lying down, groaning in pain, all combined to create a chaotic and desolate scene.
He Qingyun's face was ashen, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the compass. He could feel the surprise and doubt in the eyes of the disciples of Longhu Mountain behind him, and he could also feel the obvious decline in the fighting spirit of the cultivators from various sects who had come to "help".
Those phantom images of deities were terrifying; their immense and majestic aura far surpassed anything he had ever witnessed. He wasn't even sure if they would be able to leave Yunyin Mountain alive today if Chen Anran could truly unleash the power of those deities.
Han Bailian's eyes gleamed; he saw further than He Qingyun. Those four statues were no ordinary offerings, but true entities imbued with the power of incense offerings and vows, capable of manifesting divine protection! This Yunyin Sect actually harbored such a secret… If they could seize it today, they could obtain the methods of worshipping those statues, the numerous magical treasures on Chen Anran's body, and Su Wan with her pure Yin physique…
In the eerie silence, a series of hurried, heavy footsteps and a rough, anxious roar suddenly echoed from the main street on the east side of the square:
"Master—! We're back! Who the hell dares to touch my master?!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Fatty Li's sturdy figure wielding a gleaming, thick-backed cleaver, charging forward at the head of the charge! Behind him were Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu.
The three had clearly come running; Fatty Li was sweating profusely and panting heavily, while Wei Qingyi and Feng Xiaolu were also breathing heavily. When they rushed into the square and saw the scene before them—
Fatty Li abruptly stopped, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape. The cleaver in his hand clattered to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"This, this..." he stammered, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground, over the two opposing sides, and finally landing on Chen Anran's back. "Master... this... is it over?"
Wei Qingyi also stopped, her cold eyes quickly sweeping across the entire scene. She saw the bloodstains on Chen Anran's shoulder, the solemn and exhausted expressions of Feng Wenyuan, Jiang Yan, and others, the disheveled state of Longhu Mountain, and the broken stone slabs on the ground and the lingering, chilling divine aura.
She quickly walked to Chen Anran's side and asked in a low voice, "Are you injured?"
Feng Xiaolu rushed to Feng Yue's side, anxiously asking, "Fourth Uncle! Are you alright? What... what happened? When we came here, we saw spiritual light shooting into the sky and such a terrifying pressure on the mountain path... What are those pillars of light?"
Just as Feng Yue said that he was alright, Feng Xiaolu rushed over to Chen Anran's side and carefully examined him to see if he was injured, leaving the Feng family members looking somewhat embarrassed.
Chen Anran was taken aback when she saw the three of them, then her expression darkened slightly: "Why are you back? Where are Sect Leader Sister and Xiao Ling'er?"
Li Pangzi finally snapped out of his daze, bent down to pick up the cleaver, wiped his sweat, and said urgently, "Master, we just drove to the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain when we felt a surge of spiritual energy up there, and such a terrifying pressure... Senior Sister Wei and Uncle Feng refused to leave no matter what, insisting on coming back to help! Xiao Ling'er, Fellow Daoist Xiao Man, and Senior Sister Mengmeng have already settled in the town. As for the Sect Leader... the Sect Leader told us to come back first, but for some reason, she suddenly said she wanted to go back up the mountain to check things out, and then she hurriedly went up the mountain, and we couldn't stop her!"