Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2335: 179: Striving with All One's Might

A powerful sweep crashed into the treasure tower, producing a thunderous bang!

Bang!

The treasure tower got hurled backward, yet the palm stayed firm, while the nearby void continued to fracture!

He had no interest in dragging it out, so he spun around swiftly to target the purple-robed youth.

The cultivator from Cloud Sky Sect pulled back the treasure tower, his face turning more grave, but without a moment's pause. His body blurred once more, lifting the treasure tower and flinging it at the Southern Great Bodhisattva!

The Southern Great Bodhisattva found himself obstructed, a spark of fury flashing in his gaze, and he bellowed toward the nearby area:

“Hurry up and block Bai Lechan!”

With those words, he wheeled about and rushed at the Cloud Sky Sect cultivator!

Upon hearing the Southern Great Bodhisattva's furious shout, a handful of bodhisattvas from the encircling monks broke free right away and soared toward the purple-robed youth!

“Just a handful—do they think this will help their cause?”

In the midst of his fierce clash with the Southern Great Bodhisattva, spotting only a few bodhisattvas heading over, he exploded with rage, and in a brief opening after pushing back the Cloud Sky Sect cultivator, he yelled out over a dozen names:

“Wisdom Scripture, Wisdom Longevity, Wisdom Injured…”

In the blink of an eye, even though more than a dozen bodhisattvas grumbled inwardly, they all abandoned their foes ahead and dashed quickly to the purple-robed youth's position!

Right then, the purple-robed youth, who was channeling the full might of the Cloud Sky Realm's formation, displayed faint traces of exhaustion on his striking features.

Even if it was merely a formation spanning one realm, it demanded activating the Cloud Sky Realm to greedily draw in Chaos Origin Substance, replenishing the spots shattered by the monks without delay, so that the Realm Membrane and formation could unite to deliver peak defensive strength and fully ensnare the invading monks.

It also had to guide the divine light from the grand array to support the cultivators as much as feasible in battling the monks, all while using the formation to shield the fallen cultivators in time.

Without that, considering how vastly outnumbered they were by the enemy, they simply wouldn't last much longer.

Therefore, despite not diving into direct spell battles, the mental energy he expended and the results he achieved surpassed those of a solo fight by leaps and bounds.

Just then, he spotted over twenty Bodhisattvas charging from every side, and his face shifted dramatically!

More than twenty Bodhisattvas, each armed with top-grade Dao Treasures; should they strike as one, even he wouldn't risk facing them straight on.

Sure, if he weren't managing the grand array and could just dodge in time, biding for a chance to spot a weak point, then the moment the foes revealed an opening, the fight could end decisively.

However, right now…

He couldn't stop himself from murmuring lowly:

“Taoist Friend Taiyi!”

Wang Ba's eyes bored through the Realm Membrane, fixed on the world beyond, but nothing met his view except a blinding glow, leaving him blind to the chaos outside.

At that instant, catching the purple-robed youth's voice laced with strain, he snapped back to focus.

“Can you manage?”

The purple-robed youth replied in haste, carrying a sliver of hope he himself scarcely trusted.

Wang Ba glanced around swiftly, and a shadow of solemnity crossed his features as well.

“That many Bodhisattvas…”

The idea of facing three or five bodhisattvas differed vastly from confronting over twenty.

The challenge level between them was like night and day.

Particularly since every one clutched top-grade Dao Treasures; if they pooled their power on him, even shielded by the Land-Parting Staff, a collective hit from those Dao Treasures could drain his Primordial Spirit in a flash.

After all, while his progress had been swift, bolstered by deep rule insights and Dao Treasure aid, making him unbeatable in spell fights against those below late-stage Crossing Tribulation, he remained merely an early-stage Crossing Tribulation cultivator at heart.

It was solely his prior dominant display in spell combat that led folks to forget he, like the bulk of the aiding cultivators, stood only at early-stage Crossing Tribulation.

But as his eyes roamed wider, across the whole Cloud Sky Realm at that juncture, cultivators and monks were locked in total melee, with not even Unification or Void Refining spared from the fray, let alone Crossing Tribulation experts.

Right now, nobody remained to back him up—not a soul.

He drew in a steadying breath and sent his final query via transmission:

“Taoist Brother Bai, tell me, where are True Man Gai and Xiahou Demon? Why is Master Chao the only one battling up front?”

The purple-robed youth's face tightened a bit, then after a pause, he whispered:

“They ought to have started by now.”

“Started? Ought to have?”

Wang Ba jolted in surprise; in that moment, a hazy insight dawned on him.

Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao?

Or… straight for the yellow dragon's lair?

A torrent of images raced through his thoughts in a heartbeat.

Knowing of the Sea of Chaos Realm's presence, letting hordes of Supreme True Buddha monks pour in, three Mahayana figures lurking unseen, bolstering the Cloud Sky Realm Membrane and formation, the foe's endless stress on perfect timing…

All these scattered hints wove together into a clear picture in his mind at last.

A bolt of understanding struck!

“No, the bait isn't solely Master Chao!”

“Cloud Sky Sect is dangling the whole Cloud Sky Realm as bait!”

“To draw every bit of focus from the Supreme True Buddha monks!”

“Their true target is smashing the vortex in the Realm Sea that links to the Sea of Chaos Realm and the Buddha Kingdom!”

Should that Realm Sea vortex get wrecked, the Supreme True Buddha would forfeit a crucial font of top-grade Dao Treasures and a massive surge of elite new recruits.

The damage from such a loss would eclipse by far the death of a handful of Great Bodhisattvas.

The Supreme True Buddha couldn't possibly overlook it!

“I suspect Cloud Sky Sect's intent from the start went beyond mere defense!”

Wang Ba grasped it dimly.

This truly was the ideal path for the Cloud Sky Realm.

Rather than suffer endless erosion from the Supreme True Buddha, dooming them to inevitable downfall with no doubt, why not gamble boldly and counterattack? By safeguarding the Cloud Sky Realm's core setup, triumph would strike at the Supreme True Buddha's very foundation. Victory or not, it could mimic besieging Wei to rescue Zhao or hitting a spot to smash incoming aid.

This plan appeared straightforward, echoing the East Saint Sect's fake elite raid to bait the Tianmen Cult into an ambush, or Taoist Master Chang Ying's ploy in the Sea of Chaos Realm to draw out the snake, crushing the Double Body Realm in the end.

Yet one flopped while the other won, hinging on a vital factor.

The core setup had to endure unbroken and upheld.

The East Saint Sect bit off more than they could chew, crumbling as the Tianmen Cult stormed their sect base, forcing them to ditch it and run. Conversely, Taoist Master Chang Ying's deep reserves in Jade Pot Realm let them, amid bold plays, overpower the Double Body Realm with raw built-up might.

The Cloud Sky Realm's approach mirrored this now.

Provided the Cloud Sky Realm withstood the Supreme True Buddha's onslaught here, by the time True Man Gai and Xiahou Demon hit the Supreme True Buddha's vital hub, even Tianshang Buddha's divine arts couldn't save them from being overrun. Then, the Supreme True Buddha would have to pull back, powerless to keep menacing the Cloud Sky Realm.

“So… that's the heart of the matter?”

As this sank in, a uncommon spark of thrill and elation stirred in Wang Ba's chest.

Should True Man Gai and Xiahou Demon manage to obliterate the vortex inside the Reclining Buddha, free from the Supreme True Buddha's watch over the Realm Sea vortex, he could slip into the Sea of Chaos Realm, remake the Realm Sea vortex, and ferry out the Little Cang World cultivators bit by bit.

Though he'd likely never breach the Immortal Pass, he'd still fulfill his personal aim.

But the key condition was defending this spot, keeping the Supreme True Buddha monks fixated, buying True Man Gai and his allies enough time!

With that in mind, all doubt vanished from Wang Ba's heart.

His eyes flicked across the swarm of Dao Treasure-wielding Bodhisattvas closing in, and he murmured:

“I'll test it out first.”

The purple-robed youth blinked in mild surprise. Wang Ba's response echoed his earlier one.

Still, in this instant, it oddly filled him with an unusual burst of reassurance!

Once Wang Ba spoke, a colossal Dao Treasure emerged from his Primordial Spirit.

It traced nine ‘Guard’ symbols mid-air, hovering over the purple-robed youth.

Next, he flung out a Buddha Bowl to enclose it.

As the Bodhisattvas recoiled in alarm and halted at a safe range, then lifted their Dao Treasures to launch from afar, Wang Ba called forth the Four Spirits. Through the Secret Technique of Unbridled Beasts, the Four Spirits merged swiftly, and the human-faced, snake-bodied Candle Dragon shut its eyes!

Darkness cloaked the heavens, a hush descended everywhere!

Simultaneously, Wang Ba turned his palm to reveal a verdant staff etched with two archaic symbols:

“Silkworm Dragon!”