Chapter 1124: Starry River Spans Golden Mountain

Chapter 1124: Xinghe Man Jinshan

Boom!

The quiet night was shattered by a thunderous roar.

Ye Chen had swept aside the various Buddhas, toppled the Leifeng Tower, and rescued the snake demon Bai Suzhen from within.

"Fellow Daoist, you!"

Bai Suzhen stared at Ye Chen in astonishment, unable to comprehend how a Heavenly Realm cultivator had caused such chaos at Jinshan Si just to save her.

Ye Chen smiled without explaining, grabbing Bai Suzhen with one hand and gripping the Baolong Dao with the other, dashing straight toward the mountains outside.

"Benefactor, the sea of bitterness has no bounds; turn back and you will reach the shore!"

Ahead, the Buddhas of Jinshan Si blocked their path, each clad in kasaya robes, wearing prayer beads around their necks, and holding Zen staffs. They filled the sky like radiant stars, their Fo Guang shining brightly.

"Go to hell with your 'turn back and reach the shore'!"

Ye Chen charged forward with overwhelming force, soaring into the heavens and sweeping the Baolong Dao, sending swaths of Buddhas plummeting from the void.

"The sea of Buddhas is boundless!"

The Buddhas sighed in unison, unleashing waves of Fo Guang that merged into an ocean of light, surging toward Ye Chen.

"The myriad realms of the heavens, all returning to the void!"

Ye Chen swung the Baolong Dao, unleashing a supreme secret technique, and cleaved into the ocean of Fo Guang.

To his surprise, the Buddha sea was extraordinarily powerful, containing a mysterious force within.

Nianli!

Ye Chen instantly saw through it. Buddhas received worship from the world, nurturing faith nianli in the unseen realm. This was an intangible yet domineering power, growing stronger with more believers.

"Open for me!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and advanced again, infusing this strike with the power of reincarnation, forcibly splitting the Buddha sea apart.

Ah!

Fa Hai sighed and stepped into the sky, offering up his alms bowl. It brimmed with surging faith nianli, radiating Fo Guang that purified all things, vast and overwhelming.

"Outer path dharma form, activate!"

Ye Chen focused his mind, summoning the vision of the Hunlun World to block the torrent of nianli.

Seeing this, Fa Hai immediately pressed his palms together.

"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum!"

Fa Hai recited the ancient Buddhist scriptures, and the Buddhas in the sky followed suit, surrounded by Buddhist texts. Their voices echoed like massive bells, carrying the serene intent of Buddhism, majestic and prolonged.

"Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra!"

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing the secret technique they were using. It was not the complete mantra; it had gaps.

Uh!

Unable to endure the powerful Buddhist chants, Bai Suzhen behind Ye Chen showed signs of pain, on the verge of revealing her true form. Even the small eagle on Ye Chen's shoulder screeched in agony.

Seeing this, Ye Chen waved his hand, drawing them both into the Hunlun God Cauldron.

Fa Hai and the Buddhas of Jinshan Si had combined their forces to unleash the Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra, its power far too immense. Even Ye Chen felt immense pressure; fortunately, Di Jue and the Dan Ancestor Dragon Soul guarded his primordial spirit, or he would have been injured.

"Benefactor, awaken!"

Fa Hai raised his hand and pressed a golden hand seal toward Ye Chen, with a swastika etched in its palm.

"You should be the one to awaken!"

Ye Chen laughed coldly, surging upward against the heavens. He unleashed the Eightfold Heavenly Dragon with one strike of the Baolong Dao and followed with the Nine Palaces Heavenly Seal in his other hand.

Fa Hai's two Buddha seals were shattered, and the surrounding Buddhas were caught in the backlash, falling in droves.

Buzz!

The void trembled as Fa Hai's alms bowl flew out—a sacred Buddhist artifact, terrifyingly powerful, cracking Ye Chen's sacred body.

"Ding stands firm as heaven and earth!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and summoned the Hunlun God Cauldron, which expanded to mountainous proportions. Its surface was ancient and unadorned, encircled by Escaping Armor Heavenly Characters and resounding with the sounds of the Great Dao, blocking the sacred artifact's alms bowl.

"Come!"

Ye Chen's sacred blood boiled like fire, his combat power surging once more as he faced the horde of Buddhas alone.

"This...!"

Inside the Hunlun God Cauldron, Bai Suzhen watched Ye Chen in shock. A Heavenly Realm cultivator possessed such heaven-defying strength. She had cultivated for a thousand years, yet she was still far from matching even a fraction of his power.

In contrast, the small eagle was more composed, constantly flapping its wings, its eagle eyes gleaming with determination, eager to burst out and aid Ye Chen.

Bai Suzhen glanced at the small eagle, her beautiful eyes revealing a hint of unease, as if she had sensed its bloodline. Both were not human—they were both yao, and even natural enemies.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Outside, the rumbling shook the earth, causing many temples at Jinshan Si to collapse in the massive battlefield.

Perhaps the commotion was too great, for the mortals on this ancient star were all awakened, gazing toward Jinshan Si from afar, unsure of what had happened, but they prostrated themselves on the ground, praying for divine protection.

In the deep mountains, Li Xiao, who had been waiting for Ye Chen, wore a face full of anxiety. He somewhat regretted sharing his tragic past, which had led Ye Chen to stir up trouble at Jinshan Si. If Ye Chen met with mishap, he would be utterly remorseful.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

At Jinshan Si, Ye Chen sustained injury after injury; even his powerful sacred body struggled against the fearsome faith nianli.

However, Fa Hai and the others fared no better, being forced back wave after wave by Ye Chen. Though they were Buddhas who sought emptiness in all things, they still showed signs of shock. Was this the power of a mere Heavenly Realm cultivator?

"Ten Thousand Buddhas Pay Homage!"

Fa Hai appeared dignified and solemn, invoking a great Buddhist technique. Behind him materialized a massive golden Buddha, radiating ten thousand beams of light, enormous as a mountain, with every wisp of Fo Guang as heavy as a colossal peak.

Ye Chen was immediately struck and sent flying with a palm.

Excellent!

Ye Chen halted his momentum, instantly activating his demonic path, boosting his combat power further. He charged bare-handed, unleashing the Eight Wastelands Fist enhanced with various secret techniques, landing punch after punch on the great Buddha.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The great Buddha was incredibly sturdy, enveloped in Fo Guang. Ye Chen's fists struck it like hammering solid iron.

"I don't believe it!"

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his fists bloodied and sacred bones flying. The slaughter qi from his emperor-slaying days surged like a sea, bolstering his strength, and he hammered cracks into the golden Buddha.

This scene was utterly shocking.

Ye Chen stood atop a sea of blood, demonic and murderous qi billowing, his blood-red hair flying wildly, like a supreme great demon clashing with the golden Buddha—a stark contrast of demon versus Buddha.

Break!

With the final punch, Ye Chen shattered the golden Buddha in an explosion.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Blood sprayed everywhere in the sky; even Fa Hai was not spared, suffering backlash that dimmed his Fo Guang significantly.

"Supreme heavens, vast Xinghe!"

Ye Chen raised one hand to the sky, his five fingers pointing toward the stars. Countless starlights converged, forming a roaring Xinghe that poured down from the nine heavens, dazzling and radiant like a spilling galaxy.

Heavens! What is that?

This magnificent spectacle left the mortals on the ancient star dumbfounded, oblivious to the fierce battle raging at Jinshan Si.

Boom!

The ruined Jinshan Si was engulfed by the vast Xinghe, its Buddhas unable to even stand steady.

Ye Chen shifted in a single step, treading the nine heavens as he fled Jinshan Si.

Fa Hai, seeing this, pursued on beams of Fo Guang, his dignified demeanor cracking for the first first time into anger. His Fo Guang began to flicker and distort, laced with black and gray qi—that was killing intent.

"Even Buddhists who seek emptiness in all things harbor killing thoughts? And malice?"

Ye Chen sneered.

"This humble monk must redeem you, this demon."

Fa Hai's voice boomed like a great bell, echoing through the world.

"Then come."

Ye Chen turned and charged back, his demonic sea raging and swallowing the eight directions.

Boom! Bang!

The battle reignited, a direct confrontation between Ye Chen and Fa Hai, shattering the heavens and earth.

Ye Chen had to admit, though he disliked Fa Hai, he was still shocked by his power. As a peak Huang Realm cultivator, his Buddhist strength far exceeded expectations, not like any ordinary peak Huang Realm.

Especially that faith nianli, vast as an ocean and seemingly endless—it was the source of Fa Hai's power.

However, Ye Chen was no pushover. As an Huanggu Sacred Body with surging vital energy, plus his Xianlun of innate reincarnation, he had more than enough to clash head-on with Fa Hai.

"The sea of bitterness is endless, the sea of Buddhas boundless!"

"Yin and Yang without limits, the Great Dao unfolds the heavens!"

"All things are created, Buddhism redeems life!"

"Against the world's reincarnation, the Dao laws are myriad!"

The two dueled high in the void, each with their own advantages, shaking the heavens and moving the ghosts.

"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum!"

In the midst of battle, from the direction of Jinshan Si, the horde of Buddhas arrived, once again invoking the Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra, amplified with faith nianli to form a Buddha sea that submerged Ye Chen.

Dammit! Have the guts to fight one-on-one!

Ye Chen cursed inwardly, leaping like a dragon through the nine heavens and bursting out of the Buddha sea. Without another word, he fled.

Fa Hai immediately gave chase, with the Buddhas following suit.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

This ancient star grew lively, with nonstop rumbles. Mountains collapsed one after another, the scene extraordinarily grand.

Ye Chen's escape speed was as impressive as ever, and he was considerate enough to avoid mortal towns, sparing innocent lives.