Li Yan's expression couldn't help but change. Chan Master Dajing had actually cultivated so much Willpower.
This was one of the Buddhist Sect's most troublesome divine abilities. This Willpower was a kind of power of faith, not something that could be defended against simply by having profound magical power. Even among the Buddhist Sect, this divine ability was difficult to successfully cultivate. However, as high-ranking Nascent Soul monks of the Buddhist Sect, they would more or less cultivate some amount of it.
Earlier, Arhat Yiye had also used a Willpower attack, which was how he had blocked the combined assault of the Sixth Sir and Hang Lin at a critical moment, throwing the two into a flurry of confusion. The Sixth Sir, worthy of his former status as a Spirit Transformation cultivator, had single-handedly blocked it while Hang Lin's face paled. However, the Sixth Sir had been frozen in place for more than a breath, as if his soul had left his body. If not for Hang Lin's rapid series of attacks at his side, Arhat Yiye might have seized the opportunity to severely injure him.
But it was clear that Arhat Yiye had not cultivated much Willpower, as he had not used it again after that one time.
As for Chan Master Dajing, the Supreme Elder of Mingtuo Temple, although the temple he belonged to was small, he basically had sole access to its incense offerings and had thus also cultivated Willpower. He had not wanted to use this art against Li Yuyin earlier. It was one of his life-saving trump cards, and unless it was a matter of last resort, he was unwilling to use it easily, even if he was fighting for someone else.
Another reason was that Li Yan had killed Qi Jinghong too quickly. The previously advantageous situation had not yet pushed Chan Master Dajing to the point of needing to use his Willpower.
After seeing through Chan Master Dajing's use of a Willpower attack, Li Yan shifted his feet, preparing to use the Phoenix Soars to the Heavens movement skill to escape the range of the golden circlet. He knew that Willpower was even more bizarre than the Righteous Qi of the Confucians. Once it touched you, it would create all sorts of unbelievable karmic connections.
However, as the golden circlet descended, it seemed to anticipate the trajectory of Li Yan's Phoenix Soars to the Heavens. Li Yan had just taken a diagonal step when the golden circlet blurred and instantly reappeared above his head.
A beam of golden light shot directly down onto the crown of Li Yan's head. This caught Li Yan completely off guard. Greatly alarmed, he caused the black spiritual power around him to surge, covering his entire body. He had not expected Willpower to be even more bizarre than the legends claimed.
The next moment, the golden light passed directly through the black spiritual power without a sound, as if his protective spiritual light did not exist. There was no ripple of confrontation between the two; they simply merged. The scene was incredibly strange.
In an instant, Li Yan's expression became somewhat dazed. His flight slowed, and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
At this sight, Wei Zhongran and the others' faces immediately changed color. Arhat Yiye opened his mouth and let out a resounding Buddhist chant.
"Om!"
A golden swastika symbol swiftly appeared before him, flashed in the void, and disappeared. Arhat Yiye, of course, knew how to break the effects of Willpower.
A mocking look appeared on the Sixth Sir's face up ahead.
"You can't even protect yourself, yet you foolishly think you can help others. Hmph!"
At the same time, a faint black light flashed from the storage ring on his hand. Then, in the empty space a hundred zhang away from him and Arhat Yiye, the space rippled slightly. A golden swastika symbol emerged from within, now ensnared in a black fishnet. The golden swastika symbol slammed left and right, even producing 'dong dong dong...' sounds, appearing quite formidable. However, for the moment, it was unable to break free.
Wei Zhongran's Ebony Gold Great Hammer suddenly left his hands, transforming into two pitch-black leopard heads that lunged toward the two demon cultivators, mouths agape. The initial-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator crossed his two Plank-like Great Axes, blocking the bloody maw of one of the leopard heads.
"Crack!"
The leopard head bit down on the intersection of the two great axes.
"Hiss!"
The initial-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator's body slid a long distance through the air. Blood rushed to his face, and the demonic tattoos on his body flashed wildly as he barely managed to withstand the blow. However, streams of blood were already flowing from the corners of his mouth. The power of Wei Zhongran's single strike was majestic and immense, far beyond imagination.
The mid-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator, on the other hand, pointed a finger. A great, blood-red lance whistled as it flew back, letting out a piercing shriek as it smashed horizontally toward the pouncing leopard head.
"Boom!"
In an instant, a massive wave of air erupted between the leopard head and the blood-red lance. Where the shockwave passed, tiny, dense cracks appeared in space. From within these cracks, faint astral winds appeared, churning the surrounding clouds into scattered wisps. Several deep teeth marks were left on the blood-red lance, and it was sent flying backward, trembling and buzzing.
After summoning his magical treasure, the mid-stage Nascent Soul Demonic General himself flashed several thousand zhang away, blocking Wei Zhongran, who was lunging toward Li Yan's position.
"Where do you think you're going? Stay right here!" he shouted, but his heart was filled with awe. He hadn't expected that after dozens of breaths, when it seemed they had pushed their opponent to the brink, he would still have strength to spare. To think this little fatty still had so many trump cards while fighting one against two. If he had been fighting him alone, he might have been severely injured within a few exchanges.
Such powerful combat strength was truly astonishing. Indeed, the foundation of the Four Great Sects that dominated this continent was profound.
With a flicker, Wei Zhongran was already less than two thousand zhang from Li Yan, but he was still blocked by the opponent. His face was grim. Without a word, he formed a hand seal, and a thick, green wall appeared between him and the mid-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator. The side of the wall facing the demon cultivator was covered in dense, green spikes.
"Whoosh!" It shot toward the demon cultivator with incredible speed. He could only grow more anxious. Even if he could force the opponent back again, it would be too late to rescue Li Yan.
Not only Arhat Yiye and Wei Zhongran, but Mo Qing and Li Yuyin also moved to help Li Yan. However, the two of them were already evenly matched with their opponents. After a forceful attempt to break through, they couldn't get very far. Especially Li Yuyin; when she saw the illusory kowtowing figures, her beautiful face also turned pale. She, of course, knew how difficult Willpower was to deal with. If Chan Master Dajing had used Willpower on her just now, given her current state, she would have most likely fallen for it instantly, just like Li Yan.
Hang Lin blocked Li Yuyin's path tenaciously!
All of this happened in just half a breath. The human figures in the golden light swooped down toward Li Yan's head. With a flash, they all entered the crown of his head. Li Yan felt numerous threads suddenly appear inside his body.
These threads were of various colors, the very threads of karma that made one's blood run cold. The moment they entered Li Yan's body, they began to wrap around every part of him. The instant the multi-colored threads made contact with Li Yan's flesh, he felt a cacophony of voices erupt in his Sea of Consciousness. These voices flooded his mind, causing his head to feel as if it would split apart.
"Greatly merciful Buddha, please grant me a son. My heart is devoted to Buddha, I pray with all my sincerity…"
"...As long as you bless me to pass the imperial examinations, this humble student will definitely offer a thousand taels of silver for incense!"
"If my father recovers from this grave illness, I will have a new golden statue made for you in a month's time!"
"Buddha, if I can steal the affections of the neighboring Miss Fan tonight, I am willing to shorten my life by several years…"
"Spring comes in its time, may my shop's business flourish across the four seas, and my trade reach the three rivers…"
"..."
Countless voices rose from all over Li Yan's body like a swarm of mosquitoes!
Li Yan's Sea of Consciousness descended into chaos. His body finally stopped moving completely, standing frozen in place.
Seeing this, Chan Master Dajing was overjoyed. He stood upon a cloud, like a venerable lord looking down on all living beings, gazing at the dazed Li Yan below the golden circlet.
'Hmph, who knows how Qi Jinghong let his guard down to be ambushed and killed by you. Given his strength, it shouldn't have ended like that!' he thought to himself.
His hand seals changed rapidly once more. The eighteen prayer beads floating in the air, like a large ring encasing a smaller one, swooped past the outside of the golden circlet and closed in on Li Yan's body from below.
By now, only a single breath of time had passed. The speed of battle between Nascent Soul cultivators could no longer be described with the word "fast." In every breath, they could unleash a thousand changes, the situation turning on a dime from one moment to the next.
As countless threads of karma wrapped around Li Yan's body, the magical power within his Ren, Du, and Chong meridians suddenly began to rotate in a spiral on its own. Almost instantly, this magical power formed into pillars of spiritual energy shaped like cones, with metal-attribute spiritual energy at the tip and earth-attribute spiritual energy at the tail.
These conical pillars of spiritual energy were arranged from front to back in the order of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The moment they formed, they rapidly surged forward.
In an instant, they broke through the entangling threads of karma that had entered his body, advancing unstoppably according to the heavenly cycle circulation of the True Scripture of Gui Water. Starting from the three main meridians—Ren, Du, and Chong—they spread rapidly in all directions throughout his body. The five-colored conical pillars of spiritual energy were like a destructive force, crushing everything in their path. The sluggish, bound magical power was instantly restored wherever they passed, flowing like streams into a sea. This caused the conical pillars of spiritual energy in the three main meridians to grow at an incredible speed, flowing throughout his entire body in a mere instant.
As the severed threads of karma snapped one by one, in Li Yan's Sea of Consciousness, the kneeling figures who were constantly murmuring suddenly raised their heads. They looked as if they had seen the most terrifying thing in the world. Then, with expressions of terror, their figures collapsed one by one, turning into nothingness.
At this moment, the eighteen massive prayer beads had already bypassed the golden circlet and were less than an inch from Li Yan's head. The compassion on Chan Master Dajing's face was gone, replaced by a murderous glint in his eyes.
"Ferrying this benefactor to the Land of Ultimate Bliss, go!"
He held one hand up in a vertical palm before his chest and thrust the index finger of his other hand forward. The eighteen prayer beads simultaneously burst into flames, each one turning a fiery red in an instant. The surrounding temperature abruptly increased by several dozen times, as if this part of the world had instantly turned into a land of surging magma.
All this happened in less than two breaths. Wei Zhongran and the others, no matter what, could not break through in time. Li Yan's body was about to be engulfed by the high temperatures once again. Wei Zhongran's eyes turned crimson. He launched himself at the mid-stage Nascent Soul Demonic General, who was forced back repeatedly. However, the opponent desperately entangled him, while the initial-stage Demonic General charged forward again.
Li Yan was not only Wei Zhongran's disciple; if he were to perish, his stubborn daughter would surely follow him to the grave. This was a consequence Wei Zhongran was most unwilling to see.
But just then, Chan Master Dajing, who had been wearing a murderous expression, suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. The jet of blood shot out more than a hundred feet, and the hand seal he was forming was instantly broken.
In a flash, not only did the flames on the eighteen prayer beads vanish, but the golden light from the circlet above also dimmed. As the eighteen prayer beads continued to fall, the recently risen high temperature dissipated at a visible rate, and Li Yan, who was below, suddenly vanished without a trace.
A wave of heart-pounding palpitation washed over Chan Master Dajing as he spat out the blood. An extreme sense of danger made his heart race. But at this moment, he too experienced a failure of magical power. Just like Li Yan before, his Sea of Consciousness was filled with countless voices, ringing in chaos. His most powerful technique, the Willpower he had painstakingly accumulated over nearly a thousand years, had produced a rare backlash, something that had never happened before when he used it.
At this moment, he clearly sensed a crisis, but he was unable to break free from the backlash in an instant.
Li Yan had now reappeared in the sky in front of Chan Master Dajing. The moment he appeared, his lips were tightly shut, his eyes devoid of emotion. He had almost been killed by his opponent just now.
Chan Master Dajing's face twisted in an extreme struggle, clearly trying to break free from the binding of his Willpower.
Under the horrified gazes of the others nearby, Li Yan's entire body had already leaped high into the air. Swinging his arms, he brought his fists together, knuckles facing, and smashed them inward from both sides toward Chan Master Dajing's ears.