The massive black-purple bowl continued to loom in the sky, its hollow, circular center glowing with a radiance like intertwined branches and leaves that blanketed the heavens. Pale golden, curling clouds spread outward and settled motionless above.
Now that the true form of the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl had been revealed, not a single person across Jiangnan or Jiangbei could rise on wind. All were forced to the riverbanks. Even Li Qinghong, riding Celestial Thunder and bolstered by a feathered robe, could only hover forty meters above the ground.
She looked upward as the rumbling from the sky slowly descended. All the cultivators around her were wounded, but she clutched her spear tightly and turned toward Si Yuanli.
She asked quietly, "Senior, do you have a treasure that can ascend?"
Si Yuanli was intently examining the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl, bitterness filling his heart. Just as Si Boxiu had granted the Huai River Map, the monks above summoning Maha’s bowl technically didn’t count as direct intervention... But the Maha’s control over Master Monks was unlike that of the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. When the stubborn Master Monks claimed they were slaying a demon, who could really argue?
"The Kongsijiang Demon Bowl is nurtured by a Maha... now that it's revealed... who could possibly ascend..." Si Yuanli murmured, "He’s dead set on using these Master Monks to exchange for a competent Merciful One... If they can’t share in the treasures of Anhuai Heaven later, this alone is still a worthwhile reward..."
Although Li Qinghong didn’t fully understand the intricacies of Buddhist cultivation, she had heard that many Mahas were deeply moved and personally intervened when Tang Shedu rebelled. At this moment, Li Xuanfeng's appeal was likely even greater...
Just as Si Yuanli finished speaking, the sky-darkening Kongsijiang Demon Bowl began to shift again. The two black rings on the bowl began to gradually glow golden, and a distant, ethereal decree echoed.
"Compassionate karmic fire. Burn the wicked, and punish the evil!"
The voice drifted down and lasted only a moment before everyone instinctively covered their ears. The black-purple hue in the sky turned deep crimson, and the multicolored clouds transformed into a fiery blaze.
The entire sky now seemed to burn with erratically flickering flames. A thunderous roar followed, "The karmic fire is here, the fiend is doomed!"
As the voice rang out, Si Yuanli’s heart jolted, and he silently began to pray, Please, let nothing go wrong...
***
Inside the Demon Bowl.
Boom!
Li Xuanfeng stood within the blazing deep crimson flames ignited inside the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl. The flames clung to him like a shadow, climbing along his armor, their tongues licking and crackling with metallic clangs.
The eight monks saw the flames, exchanged glances, and burst into laughter, shouting in relief, "The karmic fire has come! The fiend is doomed!"
Li Xuanfeng’s spiritual sense roiled within the fire but was soon forced back into his body. He could feel a searing heat around him, causing the mana in his body to hiss and crackle.
He glanced down and sneered, "Karmic fire? It’s nothing but a fusion of the True Flame, Merging Fire and Molten Fire!"
But the combination of all three fires had weakened the golden qi protecting him. The once indestructible white armor began to groan and crack under the strain, creaking loudly from the burning.
The eight monks thrived in the fire, surging forward like fish in water. Even as he spoke, Li Xuanfeng had already drawn the golden spear from his chest. The white bowstring twanged, releasing five white arrows.
Now, not only was the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl suppressing him, but the blazing triple flames were also burning fiercely. The flash of white light had far less might than before.
Bang!
The Astral Qi on Li Xuanfeng’s white bow weakened in the flames. The five arrows managed to block only five monks. The remaining three rushed forward, forming hand seals, "The ācārya taught me to invoke the Suxikong method, the Shijiali art..."
Ding dang...
Three intricately patterned golden chains flew from their hands, links interlocking as they coiled around Li Xuanfeng’s body. Sparks flew as they climbed up his arms, only for Li Xuanfeng, who had been waiting, to condense golden qi into giant hands, seize the chains, and yank fiercely.
Clang clang clang clang clang...
The sound of the chains striking the white armor thundered like rolling drums. The three monks were stunned as a tremendous force surged along the chains. Sparks exploded as they were pulled straight toward the white-armored figure.
Their spiritual senses flared. They saw the other five monks already closing in behind Li Xuanfeng, five dharma artifacts aimed at his back. Suddenly, realization dawned in their hearts, His spiritual sense must be scorched by the karmic fire, he can’t sense the situation clearly anymore!
Joy overtook fear in their hearts. They lunged forward, deeper into the embrace of that pale, rune-marked face, and shouted, "Die, monster!"
Boom!
Li Xuanfeng’s eyes had turned entirely pale-white. He unleashed a massive blow that shattered their dharma bodies. The three monks below him suddenly erupted with golden radiance.
Unfazed, his fist moved like a blur of light, smashing down upon the three below. Shards of glass-like limbs flew into the air as three anguished screams rang out, "Li Xuanfeng... you’re seeking death!"
But golden qi struck the massive dharma body without restraint. The three monks were already injured with missing heads or limbs, but three cries of regret and fury rang out as Li Xuanfeng yanked them toward him.
"You! How utterly foolish!"
None of the three had expected such ferocity. They were annihilated in an explosion of shattered shards of colored glass and drifting petals. Li Xuanfeng let out a muffled groan.
Crack!
Five dharma artifacts pierced through his body, dragging golden qi in their wake. He swept his white bow around in retaliation, but his movement had grown sluggish and heavy. The five monks leapt back nimbly, each retreating and laughing in unison.
"Excellent!"
Clatter...
Pale-golden qi flowed like blood, trailing down his armor's etched lines. It turned into a white mist in midair and dissolved into the flames. Li Xuanfeng slowly straightened.
Two spears had pierced through his body, with one entering at the left rib and exiting the back, the other transfixing his chest and abdomen. Both bore ornate golden patterns, releasing radiant light that seeped into him.
His left leg bore web-like fractures from a monk's war hammer. Two massive wounds had opened in his abdomen, revealing karmic fire dancing and burning in a hollow inside his white armor.
"Hahahahaha!"
The five monks retreated together, wary of a dying counterattack. Yet they all breathed a sigh of relief. Rather than feeling triumph, it was more like a weight had lifted from their shoulders.
Li Xuanfeng had judged correctly; the karmic fire in the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl was indeed a fusion of three fires. But each fire was of the Purple Mansion Realm. The five had known from the moment they saw it that his death was inevitable!
"No matter how powerful your white armor is, it’s rootless, like floating duckweed! How could it withstand such flames?"
His vision had been obscured and body grievously wounded, but he had still insisted on dragging three down with him. Now, all the five needed to do was guard against a dying blow, and wear him down bit by bit till he died!
Pleased with their advantage, the five monks each began plotting. They slowly and subtly widened the distance between each other. The glow around their bodies was not only watching Li Xuanfeng, but also wary of one another, If I can bring down a few more... wouldn't I earn a greater share of fate?