Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2318: 173: Breaking the Barrier
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Wang Ba inspected his Primordial Spirit closely and noticed a shimmering layer of liquid light coating its exterior. Innumerable enigmatic golden runes, appearing almost alive, were gradually infiltrating his Primordial Spirit. Inside it, faint outlines of these intricate golden runes could be discerned.
“Could this be the Six Paths pool water?”
A faint guess stirred within Wang Ba's mind.
It might just be this Six Paths pool water wrapping around the Primordial Spirit, thereby reshaping the cultivator's temperament from within. The massive black boar appeared to have undergone the same transformation.
“What on earth are these golden patterns?”
Wang Ba refrained from touching them, cautiously observing for some time before knitting his brows a bit.
These golden patterns bore a resemblance to divine patterns, but they seemed part of an entirely separate framework, leaving him unable to infer the purpose of each kind from their structure.
“Do they represent yet another branch of the Supreme True Buddha system?”
A slight heaviness weighed on Wang Ba's heart.
To this day, his grasp of the Supreme True Buddha remained shallow, much like his knowledge of the mechanisms it wielded.
Yet after a brief contemplation, he exited the hidden chamber, requested a meeting with the Cloud Sky Sect's leader, and summoned a cultivator from the Sea of Chaos Realm who had been influenced by the Six Paths pool water, detailing the findings.
“You've uncovered this here as well, Fellow Daoist.”
The youth clad in purple robes showed mild astonishment, though far less thrilled than Wang Ba anticipated. He stayed composed and simply directed the Cloud Sky Sect members to escort the individual away, then grinned and added:
“I was on the verge of seeking you out; the feast is ready to begin, and as the guest of honor, you need to join in.”
Noting the other's typical poise, Wang Ba couldn't resist inquiring:
“Fellow Daoist, aren't you concerned the Supreme True Buddha could use this chance to assault the Cloud Sky Realm?”
The purple-robed youth paused briefly, then offered a relaxed chuckle and replied:
“They wouldn't risk it.”
“Wouldn't risk it?”
How could they not? Sure, the Supreme True Buddha dreaded the trio of Mahayana experts, but after encircling the Cloud Sky Realm for ages, would they truly remain passive forever?
Such doubts swirled in Wang Ba's thoughts, yet he chose not to speak them aloud.
Though the Cloud Sky Sect's strategy still eluded him, the purple-robed youth's response solidified his belief that they possessed defenses against the Supreme True Buddha's onslaught.
However, this approach likely involved grave dangers, so despite viewing him as a Heavenly Monarch's direct heir, they merely alluded to it without revealing the full scheme.
That was to be expected.
Success in such matters hinges on discretion, while carelessness spells ruin.
It would be odd indeed if the Sect Master shared strategies vital to the lives of so many with an outsider like him.
In that scenario, he wouldn't linger.
After a short pause, he leaned in quietly and questioned:
“Those Bodhisattvas… when do you expect their arrival?”
The purple-robed youth caught the words, shot Wang Ba an appreciative glance, clearly pleased by his insight, then shook his head and stated:
“I'm uncertain, but their siege on the Cloud Sky Realm has dragged on for quite a while now…”
Though he trailed off, Wang Ba grasped the implication right away.
“The Cloud Sky Realm is gearing up, and the Supreme True Buddha's forces aren't slacking off. Probably, they've laid out all sorts of traps beyond, lying in wait for True Man Gai, Master Chao, and Xiahou Demon to emerge…”
The purple-robed youth abruptly beamed, his tone ringing out boldly:
“Come on, the folks waiting outside must be getting restless. Let's head over.”
Wang Ba inclined his head, and this time he offered no further refusal.
Striding together, trailed by Cloud Sky Sect cultivators, they reached the banquet hall where the vibe exploded into fervor.
The nine mid-stage Crossing Tribulation experts, including True Man Ba who had battled beside Wang Ba to form the ten-strong array, were presently encircled by fellow cultivators, animatedly recounting their triumphant clash with the Supreme True Buddha, their expressions radiant and eager to continue. But spotting Wang Ba entering with Bai Lechan, they rushed over to offer salutes.
Wang Ba promptly flashed a warm smile and reciprocated the honors, his gaze sweeping the area unwittingly, realizing the crowd at this gathering far exceeded the previous one.
Evidently, the prior feast's enriching exchanges had drawn in more attendees this round, with most accompanied by their top disciples.
His eyes drifted, soon picking out Wanxiang Sect Master Lan He in the throng, though the Qitian Patriarch was absent, likely aiding Chongyuan Patriarch's healing.
Wanxiang Sect disciples could be there, but he didn't recognize any.
He had little chance for further scrutiny; moments later, a swarm of Crossing Tribulation cultivators keen on forging ties enveloped him, and the revelry kicked off.
Much like before, once the wine had loosened tongues, a voice suggested delving into Dao discussions to heighten the merriment.
The assembled cultivators had eagerly awaited this pivotal part, so all consented, igniting a blaze of zeal.
The banquet's energy surged to unprecedented heights.
In the midst of it, as he watched the pair of Unification stage masters debating Dao on the elevated dais, took in the cheerful visages nearby and afar, and sensed the laid-back aura so at odds with the true peril, an odd disquiet gnawed at Wang Ba's core.
He refused to dismiss this disquiet; it intensified without reason, born from endless perils and hair's-breadth escapes that had honed his Spiritual Sense to razor sharpness, prompting him to scan about warily and crease his forehead:
“Why hasn't the grandmaster returned yet?”
He had dispatched Hui Yunzi specifically to Wanxiang Sect, and by his reckoning, they ought to have arrived back already.
The purple-robed youth detected his unease and queried worriedly:
“Fellow Daoist Taiyi, is something wrong?”
Wang Ba quelled the anxiety inside but muttered softly all the same:
“Fellow Daoist Bai, we're keeping a constant watch on the Supreme True Buddha's movements, aren't we?”
The purple-robed youth, upon hearing, offered a comforting smile and assured:
“Rest easy, my friend, we…”
His words hung unfinished.
A piercing whistle sliced through the air without warning!
In the same instant, the whole Taoist Field of Cloud Sky Sect rumbled and quaked!
Every face drained of color!
“Enemy assault!”
“It's the Supreme True Buddha!”
“They're striking once more!”
The purple-robed youth's features hardened a touch, his eyes lifting skyward, where a long-suppressed serenity at last filled his stare.
“Has it truly begun?”
At once, he rose commandingly, his countenance stern, as if utterly caught off guard by the Supreme True Buddha's timing, swiftly soaring aloft while declaring resolutely:
“Stay calm, all of you!”
Yet right then, transmission talismans streaked in from every side like falling flakes:
“Sect Master, Bodhisattvas are assaulting the Eastern A District of the Realm Membrane!”
“Sect Master, the Northern C District of the Realm Membrane…”
“Sect Master…”
The Taoist Field shuddered fiercely, accompanied by subdued blasts filtering through, dampened by the field's barriers…
Within the Taoist Field, the realm's sect cultivators displayed clear alarm!
“This is dire! Our guarded sector…”
“I must rush to my sect!”
“The threat's unknown; none shall exit the Taoist Field, or face execution!”
The purple-robed youth bellowed fiercely, his gaze icy and piercing, his striking features now etched with frost, radiating the full might of the Cloud Sky Sect's leader!
His command struck the panicking cultivators dumb with fear!
Meanwhile, the Crossing Tribulation experts in the Taoist Field moved without delay, positioning themselves before the water screens.
Several screens had turned murky and dim, signaling the outer surveillance spells' destruction.
And on the surviving screens, over half now glowed with golden Buddhist radiance, where clusters of Bodhisattvas and Arhats, in groups of three or five, were raising colossal bronze idols to hammer the Realm Membrane's vulnerabilities, unleashing brilliant flares!
Certain screens even revealed the enormous Seated Buddha, once remote in the void, now perilously close to Cloud Sky Realm, with hordes of silhouettes swarming forth.
“They're breaching the Realm Membrane!”
“They've advanced this swiftly!”
The Crossing Tribulation cultivators felt shock and confusion alike; logically, Cloud Sky Sect monitored external stirrings, spotting any Supreme True Buddha shift early for countermeasures, but here they were, facing an invasion undetected until it hit.
No room for deeper reflection, merely guessing at some covert Supreme True Buddha art.
In this tense hour, all eyes turned to the purple-robed youth.
His expression grave, lights from the screens flickering across his face now and then, he promptly announced:
“Remain steady, everyone, the Cloud Sky Realm's Realm Membrane has endured repeated fortifications, they can't shatter it without effort, follow our directives…”
Mid-sentence, a colossal boom rocked the entire Taoist Field!
Boom!
The instant after, cries from distant cultivators echoed:
“The Realm has fallen!”
“The Realm has fallen!”
Silence gripped the assembly at once.