Chapter 906: Rescue
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The light screen enshrouding the Nine Netherworld Peak not only prevented communication with the outside world, but also sealed off the opponent's escape routes.
Even though Lin Feng's Thunder Dragon Avatar already scanned the surroundings with his supernatural awareness and confirmed that a secret spell ceremony was underway inside the Nine Netherworld Peak, all his efforts would go to waste if he were to be cut off now without assuring that his opponent would not seize the chance to slip away.
But as he gazed at the Fengxi that set itself ablaze, Lin Feng did not halt its advance, suddenly realizing that the secret spell his opponent summoned was very intriguing.
The Thunder Dragon Avatar hid amidst the void, its eyes seemingly flickering with endless cycles of raging thunderbolts as its irises reflected a particular image. A formless road seemed to have opened inside the burning body of the Fengxi Grand Sage, stretching all the way beyond the light screen.
Traversing through layers upon layers of the great void, far in the distance, a holy light suddenly kindled inside a small valley as if to receive the formless path. As Lin Feng shifted his vision there, he noticed a fat monk in a kasaya sitting below the valley, glowing with a splendid ring of treasure light. He exposed his chest and nipples, flaunting his massive belly like an obese brute.
Above the fat monk's head floated the shadow of a Buddha with two diamonds in his right hand and a bell in his left hand, sitting on a treasure throne lifted up by a Sangsang Bird with a humanoid body and long antlers. He brimmed with the purity of the Full Circle of Life, and was indeed the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body.
The fat monk himself seemed like a respectable monastic, dignified and holy. Putting his status as a monk aside, he still looked like a refined and proper gentleman. However, his eyes occasionally flickered with faint hints of cunningness and indolence.
Lin Feng looked at the fat monk and made up his mind. He did not prevent the monk's holy light from receiving the formless path, and allowed the entire path to be completed.
He then watched as the Fengxi Grand Sage himself was engulfed by the raging Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire. The fat monk in the distant valley was also set ablaze along with the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body above his head, the violet flames also being the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire.
The ferociously overwhelming magical flames cackled over the silent Buddha Spell Body with devastating intensity. Progressing into the Vipralopa Stage is certainly an agonizing process that requires the Spell Body to undergo severe hardship. However, while the fat monk appeared to be in pain, he seemed to be strangely relieved, as if finally putting his mind at ease.
Very quickly, the fat monk and the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body above his head was swallowed by the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire, burnt to a clean crisp. However, the fire did not cease and instead continued to burn with vigor. Soon after, a wavering shadow appeared amidst the violet inferno, twisting to reveal an incomparably massive body which occupied the entire valley and crushed all the rocks to bits.
A gargantuan boar appeared where the valley once stood. It had a hideous head with two huge tusks extending from its jaws. Its entire body was purple and dotted with blue blotches, with the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire blazing around it.
It was the Fengxi from before. He actually incinerated his own Buddha Spell Body avatar in order to fake his own death and escape. The Fengxi Grand Sage gazed at his surroundings and let out two grunts in satisfaction. Then, he disappeared from sight in a flash.
Lin Feng observed the entire spell-casting process and hence gained a deeper understanding of the Buddhist Spells of the Golden Cicada. As for this pig that slipped away just in time, Lin Feng had no intention of pursuing him, and simply shook his head in amusement then refocused his attention on the Nine Netherworld Peak.
There, Shi Tianhao and the rest were all flabbergasted. The astonished expressions strewn on Wang Lin and Xu Anda's faces disappeared in a flash as their eyes turned solemn. Despite knowing perfectly well, they did not stop the Fengxi Grand Sage from casting his spell. The Nine Netherworld Peak took precedence over all other matters. They could not help it if their opponent escaped suddenly and abandoned the Nine Netherworld Peak.
"My meal!" Shi Tianhao became even more depressed but could only direct his rage at the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
After an initial phase of shock, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage's heart sank. With the Fengxi Grand Sage gone, he was doomed - he now has to face the combined assault of Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin, and Xu Anda by himself.
Under such circumstances, even if he had the backing of the Nine Netherworld Peak as his ancestral ground, he still faced immense pressure. All he could do was to withdraw and defend until the Golden Cicada Master came to his aid. Unfortunately, before the Golden Cicada Master even arrived, Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage had already appeared.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage cracked a huge grin and chuckled, "Min Zhao, do you intend to resist until the very end?"
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage glanced at the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and pursed his lips. He immediately waved his hands in defeat as it was already completely meaningless to continue the battle. He was protecting the Golden Cicada Master only to snag some benefits from him, and would never follow the Golden Cicada Master down a path of darkness. He was blinded by greed and played the wrong move. If the fact of him harbouring the Golden Cicada Master had not been exposed, he would still be rejoicing. But with the cat out of the bag, he has now deeply offended the Heavenly Master Grand Sage, the current leader of the Ape Clan.
If he continued to struggle, the second-in-command of the Ape Clan, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, may not necessarily slaughter him, but he would not be able to avoid a world of pain.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey Clan and the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon Clan are not to be messed with, and judging by the situation at hand, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was prepared to fire an attack. Stubbornly pressing on with the fight would only result in him suffering a greater loss.
And now with Lin Feng right before his eyes, he would not engage in an internal conflict with the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage. If he continued to offend the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, the latter might use the excuse of eradicating the black sheep to attack him in a fit of pique. Furthermore, with Lin Feng himself present, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage still needed the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's help after admitting defeat.
Upon watching the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage surrender, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's spirits were naturally lifted. He turned around and saw Lin Feng calm and composed, gazing back at him in silence.
After noticing the illuminated path stretching out behind Lin Feng, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage did not say much either and landed on the Nine Netherworld Peak straightaway. "Min Zhao, hand over the things that the Golden Cicada Master left you. Things can still be turned around, I don't wish to destroy your Nine Netherworld Peak."
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage looked dismal and let out a long roar. The massive Nine Netherworld Peak beneath him gradually split into two halves.
The mountain itself did not actually break apart. Instead, the enormous peak morphed into a black shadow that still retained the shape of a mountain but was teetering on the border of the void. The shadow diverged neatly downwards from the summit and revealed a golden small world within.
Inside the small world, a few human figures were moving about. Among them, four monks looked upwards at Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, and simultaneously belted a Buddhist chant.
Among the four monks, one was senior in age, an old sage with two long white brows; one wore an expressionless face that strangely radiated with a rich glow of holy Buddhist light; one was a cheery young monk; one was skin and bones, calm without a trace of anger and extremely tan.
They were the Golden Cicada Master's four Dharma Avatars: the Amitabha Monk, the Amoghasiddhi Monk, the Ratnasambhava Monk, and the Acalanatha Monk.
Besides the Vairocana Monk in the Golden Form, all the other Dharma Avatars of the Golden Cicada Master were present. They formed a circle with an altar placed in the center. A young man sat cross-legged on the altar, seemingly having lost his consciousness. He was the person whom the Golden Cicada Master abducted previously, Zhou Yuncong!
Above Zhou Yuncong's head flickered a certain shadow almost indiscernible by the naked eye. It brightened and dimmed at random, but one could vaguely make it out to be Zhou Yuncong's soul.
The Ratnasambhava Monk sighed, "We were so close, so close."
The Acalanatha Monk appeared composed as usual and said calmly, "This was a risky move to begin with."
The Amoghasiddhi Monk's face was void of emotion. "In the end, we did reap some rewards, but it's a shame that we couldn't complete the task."
The aged and frail Amitabha Monk lifted his head and gazed at Lin Feng, "The Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders certainly made a good move."
The Golden Cicada Master has never lacked determination. Back when Shi Tianhao first announced his appearance and saved Chu Yang from the Black Freeze Grand Sage, his various Dharma Avatars connected their minds and collectively decided to halt their secret spells and flee with Zhou Yuncong. But they quickly realized that communication with the outside world had been cut off, and even communicating with the Golden Cicada Master himself was extremely difficult. They figured that Lin Feng was indeed already eyeing them and had surrounded the entire region around the Nine Netherworld Peak.
Lin Feng looked at them and shook his head before stretching out a hand and grabbing the golden small world. The small world was already being squeezed by Lin Feng's fingers in the center of his palm. He fiddled gently with his fingers and instantly shattered the small world. With a sweep of his mana, Lin Feng lifted the altar up.
He scanned across the altar with his Supernatural Awareness and sensed a message spinning incessantly within the altar. His gaze wavered slightly, dawning upon what was going on. He inspected the altar and realized that the secret ceremony had not fully ended and the message was not completed, but Lin Feng stopped the ceremony nonetheless and delivered Zhou Yuncong's soul back into his physical body.
Yang Qing appeared beside him and received Zhou Yuncong while Lin Feng averted his vision back down to the four monks.
The monks did not struggle or resist, and merely sat peacefully at their original positions. If the Golden Cicada Master himself was present, they would still have a fighting chance, but the difference between Lin Feng's mastery level and theirs alone was too disparaging that resisting would be futile. Even if they wanted to use Zhou Yuncong as a hostage for bargaining, they would just be humiliating themselves.
The Amitabha Monk's body abruptly lit up with rays upon rays of holy Buddhist light. Above his head floated the Amoghasiddhi Spell Body, with two diamonds in his right hand and a bell in his left hand, sitting on a treasure throne lifted up by a Sangsang Bird with a humanoid body and long antlers. The Amoghasiddhi Spell Body ignited with lightning speed. He did not demonstrate the Rise To Nirvana Spell nor the Nirvana Samsara, instead forsaking this avatar to allow the Golden Cicada Master himself to appear, like what the Fengxi Grand Sage did.
Lin Feng cracked a faint smile and did not stop the monk, most certainly awaiting the Golden Cicada Master's arrival.
He could vaguely make out a ravishing young monk in grey robes amidst the splendid holy glow. It was the Golden Cicada Master himself. He heaved a light sigh which reverberated through the air.
The Amitabha Monk gazed at Lin Feng and similarly let out a gentle sigh. With that, the holy Buddhist glow quickly dissipated and the burning of the Amoghasiddhi Spell Body forcefully stopped.
Upon watching the scene unfold, Lin Feng asked faintly, "Didn't you hope that I would visit the Barren Expanses myself? And didn't you prepare a grand ceremony to welcome me? If that's the case, why are you unwilling to grant me an audience after I've accepted your invitation?"
The Acalanatha Monk, Amoghasiddhi Monk, and the Amitabha Monk remained silent. Only the Ratnasambhava Monk smiled and replied, "You are too kind. It was a little rude of me to even invite such an esteemed guest like you. Now that you've actually arrived, I'm naturally shy to meet you."
Lin Feng laughed. "You're such a schemer. Don't you feel that it's a shame for all your plans and preparations to go to waste like this?"
With that, he reached his hand out, grabbed the golden path advancing continuously behind him and tugged at it with tremendous force.
The entire void tremored. Lin Feng grabbed the golden path like a rope and yanked it towards himself as if an entire portion of the world has been pulled closer to him.