Kongheng immediately caught on. "I underestimated how much the fall of the Wrathful Subduer of the Four Demon Emperors affected them! And this is a Dharma Body Fuxia cultivated himself! He fell from the position of the Merciful One, with deep experience and cultivation. If not for that, he probably wouldn't even be able to move right now!"
Kongheng wasn’t foolish, just bound by strict principles. He never judged others rashly. But now that the wool was pulled away, realization struck him like lightning, When he rode that piece of deadwood across the lake earlier, was it really just for ascetic practice? I doubt it! The Merciful One’s body is tremendously taxing. He likely feared his mana would run dry if he flew, so he used the wood to conserve as much mana as possible!
Kongheng, after all, had a pure and kind nature. Even now, he refused to believe Fuxia had deceived him from the start, merely thinking the monk had 'not only sought asceticism.'
But even with that charitable assumption, the two of them quickly realized that Fuxia’s drawn-out tactics, such as his use of escape spells and the transformation of his robe into a tiger, was likely mostly bluffing. Their hearts eased.
Boom!
Fuxia arched his back and struggled upward with great effort, letting out a thunderous roar. The radiant pass immediately trembled. But Li Ximing didn’t show any mercy. Seizing this weakness, he channeled the Heaven-Guarding Formation of Five Waters at full power while pulling a small bottle from his robes.
"Profound Patterned Bottle!"
Heavenly light surged from the Profound Patterned Bottle and merged with the Radiant Origin Pass. If the Guiyang disc wasn’t strictly a defensive dharma artifact, Li Ximing would’ve hurled that white disk in as well.
It’s a pity the Chongming Profound Insight Screen is in Zhouwei’s hands, or I’d have a bit more confidence, thought Li Ximing.
The Radiant Origin Pass pressed down like a mountain, gradually stabilizing on top of the monk as the five types of searing fire continued to burn. Li Ximing’s mana dropped rapidly, while Fuxia could no longer move. He realized that his lack of mana and the difficulty of controlling the Dharma Body had been thoroughly exposed.
The old monk sighed and shook his head. "When it comes to schemes, I’m not one ten-thousandth as skilled as you Purple-Gold Devil Dao people. I only wanted to keep it hidden, but I’m not one for deception, and you saw right through me."
Li Ximing ignored the bald old monk completely. He swallowed a pill and went all out, converting his footwork technique and mana entirely into heavenly light and pouring it into the radiant pass.
Fuxia, under the blazing Li Fire, repeated an old trick. Forming a lotus shape with his five fingers, he puffed up his cheeks and exhaled a cloud of powdery vapor.
But Kongheng had been watching him closely and wouldn’t let him escape again. He let out several strands of golden light with a sudden shout. They streamed down beneath the Radiant Origin Pass like shooting stars. His hands clenched as he scattered radiant light across the sky and grasped at the air.
With two crisp clinks, the golden lights struck before Fuxia, sweeping the powdery breath away like wind dispersing clouds.
Fuxia’s hands remained in a spell seal, expression unchanged, but he no longer chanted.
If the Wrathful Subduer of the Four Demon Emperors hadn’t perished, he wouldn’t even need divine abilities. Even a hundred Konghengs wouldn’t be enough to withstand a single one of his spells. But now, Fuxia had no choice but to admit he was powerless.
With the death of the Wrathful Subduer, the Wrathful Dao had suffered greatly. Small sects and temples were never orthodox to begin with and still had spells they relied on, but major temples like his tied all their powerful spell arts to the Maha, and thus, everything had become void.
It wasn’t that Fuxia couldn’t use any spell arts. He could even drive his Dharma Body to punch through the Radiant Origin Pass. But his mana was already difficult to circulate. If he cast spells carelessly, he might not even have enough left to return north with Kongheng.
Besides, the Abbot has already calculated. We must not kill Li Ximing... it’s best not even to injure him! thought Fuxia.
The situation might’ve seemed difficult, but the old monk was unbothered. He sat down cross-legged in the midst of raging Li Fire, forming seals with both hands at his dantian, saying nothing.
But why must I even cast a spell to escape?
He sat silently within the searing Li Fire and the Radiant Origin Pass, letting the five-colored flames scorch him and the heavenly light refine him. All the brilliance of his mana withdrew. He remained seated in the flames like a golden statue.
Li Ximing paused for a moment, then suddenly understood, What a cunning bald old donkey!
The two of them had seen through Fuxia’s act. They knew he struggled to cast spells and lacked the mana to overturn the Radiant Origin Pass. It was all a bluff, so they confidently chose to suppress him.
But Fuxia turned the situation to his favor and simply sat there in peace.
Why? Because Fuxia possessed the Merciful One’s Dharma Body. Be it the searing Li Fire or the heavenly light, no matter how powerful or mystical they were, they amounted to nothing before that sacred form. Fuxia didn’t need to resist; all he had to do was reveal his true body.
Li Ximing’s mana wasn’t limitless. If this continued, it would only waste his energy, and sooner or later, he’d run dry.
The lake fell silent. Li Ximing frowned and gradually reduced the firepower of the Yang Li Red Sparrow Banner. He stopped only when the Radiant Origin Pass began to tremble slightly, then continued silently maintaining the suppression.
Li Ximing asked quietly, "Master Monk... is there any way to resolve this?"
Kongheng had also grasped the situation. He sighed softly and replied, "At the very least, I can now speak to him as an equal. Let me try to persuade him."
He walked across the lake, passing through the rising mist and the intense radiance of the firelight, until he reached the Radiant Origin Pass.
Li Ximing was startled and quickly called out to him, "Be careful, Master Monk! The Li Fire and Radiant Light won’t recognize who’s who! Your flesh is far too precious to be sharing space with that guy!"
The conditions beneath the Radiant Origin Pass were already terrifying. Fuxia, with the Merciful One’s Dharma Body, naturally feared nothing. But any ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who entered wouldn’t last more than a few seconds!
Kongheng looked at him from afar, let out a soft chuckle, and returned the courtesy, "It’s fine, Ximing. This is my tribulation. I journeyed thousands of kilometers southward for the sole purpose of facing it."
Li Ximing stared in stunned silence as Kongheng walked straight into the flames, enduring the blistering heat and dazzling radiance, until he finally reached the space beneath the Radiant Origin Pass.
Fuxia kept his eyes closed, sitting silently in meditation without saying a word.
Kongheng spoke gently, "Elder, there was something you left unsaid earlier."
Fuxia understood that he was referring to the deadwood earlier, which implied some measure of reproach, so he replied in a deep voice, "I’m a Dharma Protector, not an idiot. Why should everything be laid bare?"
"I understand." Kongheng sat cross-legged before him and said in a gentle voice, "All seven Daos carry selfish intent. In the world today, one cannot survive without self-interest. I’ve long understood this. Even the Mahas who once conversed with my master had their own motives."
These words were slander against the Mahas and Fuxia’s eyes snapped open in fury. But Kongheng smiled softly as he said, "When the Mahas visited my master, the skies over the Liao River were filled with five-colored radiance that night. I stood behind my master as they spoke in dazzling words, offered divine teachings, and recited esoteric lotus doctrines. They were speaking of chaotic heavens, weeping stones, and endless heavenly tiers filled with celestial splendor. And yet, they failed to sway me. But five of my senior brothers from that time were all lured away."
Kongheng’s words touched on matters of secrecy and even mentioned the revered Mahas. Multicolored clouds gathered in the sky and golden lotuses bloomed across the lake.
At last, Fuxia’s expression grew solemn as he murmured, "And what of it?"
"Abbot Fuyan... is my third senior brother, Kongyan," replied Kongheng. His tone remained steady and a faint smile lingered on his face.