Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2252: 152: Six Candles

The aura of Buddhist light shattered into pieces!

Monstrous beasts let out a series of furious roars!

The figures of five hundred arhats were revealed, their faces twisted in sheer terror. Even the Northern Great Bodhisattva felt a wave of horror wash over his heart. He watched as the white-robed elder, encircled by a multitude of savage beasts, walked calmly across the waves. To the Bodhisattva, that white-robed figure appeared simultaneously minuscule and immeasurably vast!

It felt as though his entire field of vision was consumed by the man, leaving him with no strength to resist.

In the depths of this dread, he bit down on the tip of his tongue, the sharp pain forcing him back to his senses. In that fleeting moment, he reached a vital conclusion!

“Withdraw!”

With a single command of his will.

Several beads on the shattered Buddha string against his chest flared with a golden radiance, manifesting the ‘卍’ symbol. The five hundred arhats surrounding him turned into streaks of light, instantly retreating into the prayer beads.

Almost as soon as the light merged, a fierce glint crossed the eyes of the Northern Great Bodhisattva.

His massive frame blurred, reappearing instantly beside Wang Ba. He thrust out a hand, intending to trap Wang Ba within his grasp!

Wang Ba felt the world turn black as the sky seemed to collapse upon him, plunging him into total darkness. His heart hammered against his ribs in fear!

However, having pushed himself to the brink to block two previous strikes from the Northern Great Bodhisattva with the Land-Parting Staff, his Primordial Spirit was already drained and fragile. Caught in the grasp, he could only summon the Land-Parting Staff once more while frantically gulping down various elixirs and spirit food meant to restore the Primordial Spirit, hoping for a quick refinement.

But the process of refinement cannot be rushed.

Without a moment's pause, the Northern Great Bodhisattva seized Wang Ba and activated the Divine Footwork—a supreme Buddhist technique—to make his escape.

Even though Heavenly Monarch Chao had eluded him, if he could at least bring back two of the six targets, he might mitigate his failure.

Suddenly, a deep voice, laced with a sense of relaxed mockery, echoed in his ears:

“Little monk, did this old man give you permission to depart?”

The sound of that voice made the Northern Great Bodhisattva’s scalp crawl with fear! Following the words came the bloodcurdling howls of countless beasts. An overwhelming sense of doom and urgency filled his mind.

He didn't dare to look back, feeling only a crimson wind wrapping around him from behind. This was followed by the sensation of his flesh being shredded and a sharp, agonizing pain, accompanied by heavy breathing right at his neck!

Faced with this life-or-death crisis, he had no time for finesse. With a look of grim determination, he formed a hand seal!

Riiiip!

Half of his golden body was violently torn away!

Demonic Qi surged from the wound, and blood as black as ink rained down like a storm. Despite the carnage, he finally found a gap to escape.

Shhhh—

The remaining half of the Northern Great Bodhisattva’s body vanished into thin air!

Left behind in the void was a creature with a lion’s body and tens of thousands of heads. It clamped its many jaws onto the discarded half of the Bodhisattva’s flesh, its myriad heads fighting to devour the golden meat.

At that moment, a figure managed to struggle free from the hand of the severed corpse and flew into the distance.

Wang Ba’s face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with lingering anxiety. He scanned his surroundings, seeing the multi-headed beast feasting on the golden remains. Not far away in the void stood the white-robed elder. He held a green jade staff and watched the scene with a tranquil, gentle smile.

Though he looked old, his eyes possessed a warm, jade-like quality, radiating an indescribable sense of peace. He looked like nothing more than a benevolent grandfather.

Stunned, Wang Ba looked back at the half-corpse, confirming it belonged to the Northern Great Bodhisattva. Even though he knew the power of Mahayana Cultivators was beyond comprehension, the sight still shook him to his core.

His mind worked quickly as he realized what had happened. He bowed toward the white-robed elder in a gesture of deep respect:

“Junior Wang Ba thanks Senior Chao for the timely intervention!”

“Wang Ba…”

The elder repeated the name, his smile fading slightly. He shook his head and said with gravity:

“It was not I who saved you, but rather you who saved… cough!”

His face suddenly lost all color.

The vitality drained from his features, leaving him looking withered, and his powerful aura began to plummet. Faint stains of golden blood began to soak through the front of his robes.

Below them, the beast with ten thousand heads let out a low, reluctant growl as it finished devouring the flesh. Suddenly, each head detached and transformed back into thousands of individual, bizarre beasts. In an instant, the massive entity fractured into a swarm of smaller creatures, their collective aura weakening significantly.

Sensing their master’s failing strength, the beasts abandoned the hunt and rushed back to the elder’s side, forming a dense protective circle around his feet.

Wang Ba watched this with a mix of surprise and alarm, quickly asking with concern:

“Senior, are you alright?”

The white-robed elder slumped weakly onto the back of one of his beasts. Despite his sickly complexion, his spirit remained unbroken as he laughed heartily:

“Haha! Do not fret. I was simply trapped in the Hundred Herbs Realm for a bit too long, and my legs have gone numb.”

“Legs went numb…”

Wang Ba was momentarily speechless at the excuse, but he understood the truth. Heavenly Monarch Chao had escaped the Northern Great Bodhisattva, but the cost had been immense. His earlier display of power had clearly exhausted his final reserves. Knowing that some debts of gratitude cannot be repaid with words alone, he still bowed low:

“I am truly grateful, Senior.”

“There is no need to dwell on such small things. If you hadn't been here, that little monk might have actually hauled this old man away. It would have been terribly shameful if Xia Hou or Elder Gai ever found out,” the elder remarked.

The ferocious beasts surrounding them began to channel their own spiritual power into the elder, working together to stabilize his condition and aid his recovery.