Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Past
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Past
Chapter Five: The Tiger Leaps and the Dragon Soars in Contest—The Mysterious Blade and Spirit Sword Battle for Supremacy (Part Four)
Monk Zhiguang paused, pondered for a moment, and continued, “Later on, several more groups of the Sea Demons appeared, but all were defeated and routed. Among them, a few had attained the Daoist realm and managed to escape. Naturally, we were unwilling to let the matter rest and gave chase. Those Sea Demons were indeed formidable—their speed in flight was unlike anything we had ever witnessed. We pursued them all the way to Mount Jiulong. There, for reasons unknown, dozens of their number suddenly appeared. The lowest among them were at the Daoist realm, while the strongest had already reached the Immortal realm. Only then did my brothers and I realize that, in our reckless pursuit, we had stumbled right into their gathering. The situation looked grim, and it was too late for regret.”
“We had no choice but to grit our teeth and fight our way forward. Sure enough, a fierce battle broke out between us and the enemy, lasting no less than half an hour. All my brothers and I were wounded, our strength greatly diminished, and it seemed certain we would be captured alive. Fortunately, our eldest brother summoned extraordinary might in the moment of crisis, striking down several of the Sea Demons in succession. Only then did we seize the chance to escape. One of the Sea Demons, in particular, flew into a rage, as if we had wounded his own kin. In his fury, he rallied his companions and chased us relentlessly, vowing never to let us go. We had not expected the situation to reverse so sharply in an instant; just moments before, we had been hunting the Sea Demons, and now it was they who refused to give up the chase. They pursued us all the way to Mount Huaxin, and what followed, you already know.” Having finished, Monk Zhiguang softly recited a Buddhist prayer.
Master Xukong, having listened to Zhiguang’s account, picked up the tale, “Indeed, after you fled to Mount Huaxin, you arrived just as we, under the leadership of Master Junyang, were preparing to intercept another group of Sea Demons. None of us expected you to draw a large party of them to our location. At the time, I was partnered with Qingyunzi of Xingguo Mountain and Wang Sengru, the Daoist scholar from Penglai Island in the East Sea. Seeing the Sea Demons’ ferocious momentum, it was only right for us to meet them head-on. At first contact, I unleashed my Ashen Yuan Bowl, channeling my Minor Boundless Divine Power to its limit. Though my Daoist energy was shallow, I was confident that a full-force strike would either kill or cripple the enemy. Yet, to our astonishment, the adversary turned out to be a Sea Demon of great magical power, who summoned forth a set of weapons resembling both swords and blades—dozens, perhaps a hundred in number—which easily blocked my most powerful attack. Not only that, but Qingyunzi’s Howling Sky Sword and Wang Sengru’s Purple Brahma Fan were also completely parried.”
“The Sea Demon cast a sidelong glance and, seeing several lesser Sea Demons slain by our allies, made a slight gesture with his hand. Suddenly, a beam of dazzling light shot forth. Closest to the Sea Demon at that moment was Zhang Yuanzhang, whose external title was True Lord Zhongde of Zhongshan—his own cultivation was astonishing. Seeing the beam approach, he sneered, spat out a silver shuttle from his mouth, and sent it forth to meet the light. Whatever that beam was, it was blocked by the silvery glow.”
“The Sea Demon seemed surprised—clearly he had not expected the silver shuttle to possess such power, capable of withstanding his Vajra Mother-and-Child Needles. He formed another incantation, and amidst the shimmering light, a fine beam shot out, piercing through the silver radiance. Before Zhang Yuanzhang could react, it struck him squarely, and he immediately fell unconscious.”
“At this, everyone was shocked and dismayed—we had not anticipated the Sea Demon to be so formidable. Each of us exerted our Daoist energy and power to the utmost, engaging the enemy in desperate combat.”
“It seemed that the Sea Demon was most intent on killing you and your brothers. His blade-and-sword formation swept toward you all, and several of your companions, unable to withstand the assault, were wounded at once. I saw a swarm of flying knives hurtling toward you, slicing through the Shield of Heaven and Earth you had woven within your sleeve. Fearing you would not be able to withstand it, I rushed forward to your aid…”