When they saw the swaying barrier stabilize again, the warrior monks on the mountain breathed sighs of relief, only then noticing their backs were drenched in sweat, their hearts filled with lingering fear.

Just moments ago, perhaps in the next instant, this defensive grand formation—which concentrated nearly all of the Buddhist sect’s current power—would have been forcefully shattered by this monster wielding the Vajra dharma form.

This meant that this god-like demonic being possessed the ability to nearly challenge the entire Buddhist sect single-handedly.

Fortunately, Bodhisattva Jia Luo Shu led the formation, and this Bodhisattva, the Buddhist sect’s strongest comprehensive fighter, controlled the indestructible Immovable Wisdom King dharma form.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The golden light barrier still swayed, but when the ripples spread near the Immovable Wisdom King, they were immediately smoothed away.

“Amitabha!”

The warrior monks joined their palms in prayer, feeling both relief and fear.

They feared whether such a being truly existed in the Nine Provinces—a being that could push the Buddhist sect to such extremes.

They were relieved that even such a terrifying monster had been stopped.

The Buddhist sacred mountain was inviolable.

“Bodhisattva Jia Luo Shu’s Immovable Wisdom King has never been defeated. Everyone, calm your spirits, don’t be intimidated by this monster’s dharma form, and protect your fellow disciples.”

“Whew, Amitabha, this poor monk was startled. I almost thought the great formation would be broken.”

“This monster is crude like a warrior, only knowing how to release brute force. What warrior in the world could break our Buddhist formation with mere brute force?”

“Perhaps even that newly ascended First Realm warrior from Great Feng doesn’t possess such power.”

“The monster before us is likely beyond comparison to any First Realm warrior.”

The reason was simple—a First Realm warrior absolutely couldn’t break through a formation composed of three First Realm experts and over 4,000 meditation masters.

The warrior monks conversed in low voices, encouraging each other, becoming excited again, and regaining confidence.

In the distant sky, Li Miao Zhen frowned:

“Such a powerful protective formation. It seems Shen Shu can’t break through…”

She tried to phrase her words diplomatically, not knowing the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox’s temperament, avoiding being too direct lest she upset her ally.

With battle approaching, she didn’t want to create discord with allies over unnecessary matters.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox shook her head and said bluntly:

“Unless Shen Shu reclaims his head, he can’t break this formation.”

A half-step Martial God could overturn the entire Buddhist sect except for the Buddha, but Shen Shu wasn’t at full power now, so it wasn’t surprising he couldn’t break through the Buddhist sect’s all-out defense.

Moreover, there was a Buddha deep within Alantuya. Once the Buddha acted, Shen Shu would be at a disadvantage.

At that point, the two Bodhisattvas Guang Xian and Liu Li, along with nearly ten thousand meditation masters and warrior monks, could become the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Therefore, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox had been waiting—waiting until Great Feng’s Transcendent experts could spare time to neutralize the Buddha’s “helper” advantage, while Xu Qi An, this First Realm warrior, could even provide some auxiliary support in the struggle between Buddha and Shen Shu.

Only then would there be real hope of reclaiming the head from Alantuya?

Li Miao Zhen pondered briefly, various formation-breaking methods flashing through her mind, then shook her head:

“We can only see if Xu Ning Yan’s explosive power is as strong as he claims.”

The Flying Swallow Heroine had never witnessed a First Realm warrior’s violence. Before the tribulation battle ended, she had been taken back to her sect by her master and Elder Xuan Cheng.

Thus, she only knew Xu Ning Yan had become a First Realm warrior, but how strong was he? She had no direct concept in her mind.

This world-shocking formation’s level was too high—it was led by three Bodhisattvas, including Jia Luo Shu who controlled the “Immovable Wisdom King” dharma form.

Under normal circumstances, they would struggle to break the “Immovable Wisdom King,” let alone a meditation formation incorporating so many powerful experts.

Only Shen Shu, this half-step Martial God, possessed such strength.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The golden light barrier shook violently but wouldn’t break, while Shen Shu’s attacks continued endlessly, like a perpetual motion machine that never tired or stopped.

His fists struck the barrier, raising layers of fierce winds and energy waves that should have created terrible hurricanes around Alantuya, but approaching the central Immovable Wisdom King dharma form, these “disturbances” were completely smoothed away.

As a result, though the fierce winds around Alantuya were violent, they could never accumulate momentum or form scale.

After a period of stalemate, that Immovable Wisdom King dharma form which had absorbed Jia Luo Shu showed slight tremors.

The moment has come… In the infinitely high sky, in the azure vault, Xu Qi An narrowed his eyes, clearly seeing the Immovable Wisdom King’s anomaly.

Shen Shu’s continuous violent output had finally leveraged this dharma form that claimed absolute defense.

This was the first time Xu Qi An had seen the Immovable Wisdom King tremble while maintaining its momentum.

Consider that even when he channeled the power of all living beings, he could only bat Jia Luo Shu around like a sandbag from east to west, from west to east—though it was absolute suppression, he still couldn’t truly break through the Immovable Wisdom King’s defense.

Otherwise, Jia Luo Shu would have died in the Central Plains.

Shen Shu had done it. Shen Shu had created an opportunity to break the formation.

In the current situation, this was Shen Shu’s limit. This half-step Martial God alone couldn’t break this formation. Now, they needed another First Realm warrior renowned for violence to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Qi An slowly stretched his muscles. Blocks of muscle expanded and contracted, bones making slight sounds.

Then, his lumbar muscles exploded with power, driving his entire body’s muscles to release energy and expand. His frame forcefully became more “robust,” making his robes bulge slightly.

“Ah~~~”

Xu Qi An released a deep, masculine roar, the sound waves like rolling thunder.

Accompanying the roar, his skin slowly reddened—an abnormality caused by blood rapidly rushing through his vessels. His pores opened, spraying blood mist.

Blood Sacrifice!

A technique of the Transcendent Force Gu.

Burning essence blood to temporarily increase battle power.

How much battle power could a First Realm warrior unleash by burning essence blood?

In an instant, heaven and earth changed color, and all elemental forces fell into chaos. Water and fire elements combined to form a dense vapor, while wind and earth elements merged to create a sandstorm.

The area within dozens of miles around Alantuya transformed into a chaotic, turbulent land of ill omen.

Such dramatic phenomena drew the attention of the mountain’s monks. They looked around in confusion, not knowing what was happening outside.

What thing, or being, had caused such chaos?

So strong… Li Miao Zhen secretly marveled, her beautiful eyes gazing up in fascination. This was her first time witnessing Xu Ning Yan truly display his cultivation.

Even at such a distance, she could still feel that terrifying, world-destroying power.

The joy and confidence from ascending to the Transcendent realm are now completely withdrawn.

Without realizing it, that silver-badge constable who had pretended to be an expert in the Sky Society while being a minor warrior had truly grown into a figure who could support heaven and earth.

This gave Li Miao Zhen a sense of time’s swift passage.

Though not equal to Shen Shu, this power is truly somewhat frightening… The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox snorted internally. She still remembered the grudge from Xu Ning Yan’s wedding day, when he had sealed a strand of her divine consciousness in Fu Xiang’s body, then sat on her and wildly spanked her.

Fox spirits were very grudge-holding.

Daoist Master Jin Lian, Zhao Shou, and Asura had an even clearer, more direct awareness of Xu Qi An’s progress.

When he had just ascended to the First Realm, he didn’t have this level of power.

Perhaps it’s not just the Force Gu’s Blood Sacrifice technique—his cultivation must have improved greatly. And in less than two months… Asura suddenly felt an urge to “pursue vigorously” in his heart.

Meanwhile, Xu Qi An reached into his chest and pulled out a yellow brass sword.

After gripping the sword, he withdrew all his aura, and collapsed all his emotions, turning his dantian into a vortex to absorb this magnificent power.

This wasn’t the Jade Shatter technique, but the original version of the “Heaven and Earth Slash.”

The Heaven and Earth Slash was itself an extreme, unorthodox sword technique that poured all power into a single strike. If it didn’t kill the enemy, it would harm oneself—similar in principle to the Blood Sacrifice technique, yet could stack perfectly with it.

Xu Qi An gripped the sword, inverted his body, and dove downward.

In Li Miao Zhen and the other’s eyes, he was like a yellow meteor, the friction with air creating dazzling yellow light, the atmosphere and yellow radiance merging into a rapidly falling cone-shaped energy shell.

Zhao Shou seized the opportunity, flicked his scholar’s cap with his finger, and extended his right palm toward Xu Qi An in the distance, saying solemnly:

“This sword shall have the momentum of bamboo splitting!”

The power of his words manifested, adding another layer of force to this sword strike.

The yellow light visibly intensified, becoming more fierce.

At this moment, Shen Shu increased his attack frequency. His twenty-four fists became like twenty-four pile drivers, their shadows merging into one. The “whoosh whoosh” sounds, due to the extreme frequency, no longer had rhythm or intermittence, transforming into a continuous “whoosh~~~.”

Just then, Xu Qi An “fell” from the high sky, the Nation-Stabilizing Sword leading the charge, viciously piercing toward the crown of the Immovable Wisdom King dharma form.

This time, there was a world-shaking “BOOM!” Amidst layers of yellow light explosions, the golden light barrier covering all of Alantuya completely collapsed, dissolving into pure energy storms.

Before the various halls, meditation masters fell in waves, dying silently, their internal organs shattered while in meditation, their life force extinguished.

The more accomplished meditation masters were forcefully “awakened” from their meditation, spraying blood, looking around either bewildered or horrified, not knowing what had happened.

Once meditation masters entered meditation, they entered a selfless state, unaware of cold or heat, indifferent to the passage of time.

“This, this…”

Upon seeing the tragic scene before them, they discovered only a small portion of the more accomplished meditation masters had survived—the low and mid-level meditation masters had all perished, dying in meditation.

“What happened, what happened?!”

“They’re all dead, all my disciples are dead?”

“This, this… In a thousand years, our Buddhist sacred mountain has never seen such a tragic sight. Even when the Asura King came up the mountain, he was suppressed by Buddha in the Demon-Suppressing Ravine.”

The elderly meditation masters were shocked and angry, collapsing to the ground, grief-stricken, unable to accept the scene before them.

“What force dares to attack our sacred mountain?”

An elder whose white beard hung to his chest, now stained with sticky blood, tightly gripped his withered hands, forehead veins bulging in anger as he asked this hate-filled question.

The nearby warrior monks, while tending to the wounded, responded gravely:

“It’s a monster—pitch-black, controlling the Vajra dharma form.”

Pitch-black, controlling the “Vajra dharma form”? The senior meditation masters looked at each other, seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.

The white-bearded elderly monk’s expression changed slightly as if realizing something, but without explaining, he asked:

“Unless it’s him, who else could it be?”

The surrounding warrior monks, hearing this, all looked toward the main hall at the mountain peak.

“Great Feng’s Constable Xu.”

“Great Feng’s newly ascended First Realm warrior.”

The warrior monks spoke up.

Xu Qi An, First Realm warrior… The monks looked at each other, briefly silent.

After a while, the elderly meditation master said painfully:

“He’s come back for revenge, he’s come back for revenge. This old monk knew—either we should have killed him at all costs back then or brought him into the Buddhist sect at all costs. Now look what’s happened—after ascending to the First Realm, his first act of revenge is against our Buddhist sect.”

The warrior monks and meditation masters fell silent.

As core disciples of Alantuya, they naturally knew the grievances between their sect and the “Buddha’s Son.”

The Buddhist sect had repeatedly tried to forcefully convert the Buddha’s Son, but due to disputes between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, the leadership’s attitude had remained ambiguous, never fully committing.

This resulted in several attempts to send Arhats and Vajras to forcefully convert him but without the determination to see it through to the end.

At the time, many monks in Alantuya had pointed out that if they were determined to convert the Buddha’s Son, the Bodhisattvas should have gone to the Central Plains with the resolve to face off against the Supervisor, forcing the conversion.

Now, the consequences had come.

That Central Plains Buddha’s Son who pioneered the idea that all beings could achieve Buddhahood had now ascended to First Realm warrior and come to settle accounts with the Buddhist sect.

…

“Such terrifying battle power.”

Daoist Master Jin Lian sincerely praised.

Setting aside Shen Shu, the power Xu Ning Yan had just unleashed—no First Realm expert from any system could forcefully withstand it.

It is no exaggeration to say that, excluding half-step Martial Gods and the various Beyond-Realm experts, Xu Ning Yan should be the strongest fighter in the current world.

Well, except for that “Wasteland” who had fled far away with the Supervisor.

While Asura, Li Miao Zhen, and others marveled at the warrior’s violence, at the main hall’s front, Xu Qi An stood proudly holding the Nation-Stabilizing Sword, facing three First Realm Bodhisattvas alone. His heart wasn’t as cold and calm as his exterior suggested.

Hurry up, Shen Shu, I probably can’t handle three Bodhisattvas alone, and I feel completely drained right now… While maintaining a stern expression, Xu Qi An silently prayed.

After breaking through the defensive formation, he had immediately stopped the Blood Sacrifice, which could effectively preserve strength and reduce after-effects, but mild fatigue still followed, reminding him of the long-forgotten weakness after spending all his wealth.

“All warrior monks, hear my command—quickly escort the meditation masters to the depths of Alantuya for refuge.”

Guang Xian’s gender-neutral voice echoed above Alantuya.

Before the collapsed main hall, Bodhisattva Jia Luo Shu stood tall and straight, his gaze toward Xu Ning Yan full of gravity.

The jade-faced Bodhisattva Liu Li, with flowing black hair, slightly furrowed her delicate willow eyebrows, standing to Jia Luo Shu’s right. On the left was the rouge-lipped, white-teethed young monk Guang Xian.

The three Bodhisattvas didn’t immediately attack, intimidated by Constable Xu, who appeared outwardly calm as an old dog but was inwardly panicking.

“You’ve finally taken this step.”

Bodhisattva Guang Xian said flatly.

“Do you regret it?”

Xu Qi An tugged at the corner of his mouth, giving a mocking smile.

Bodhisattva Guang Xian’s tone remained calm:

“Since you’ve come to Alantuya, don’t think about leaving.”

His gaze turned toward Li Miao Zhen and the others in the distance, saying flatly:

“The same goes for them.”

As his words faded, a shadow that blocked out heaven and earth rose from behind the three Bodhisattvas.

The immense Shen Shu had appeared behind them at some unknown time, his twelve pairs of arms spread wide like a Venus flytrap opening its fangs, ready to devour the Bodhisattvas.

This scene reminded Xu Qi An of what he had seen in the Pagoda of Buddha—high in the mist, Shen Shu grimly looking down on the Buddhist sect’s Bodhisattvas, poised to devour them.

Without hesitation, he immediately expanded his muscles, turning his blood into spring floods that rushed through his vessels, employing the Blood Sacrifice technique.

With Shen Shu in front and back, they would sandwich Jia Luo Shu.

Combining the power of two peerless warriors to kill Jia Luo Shu first—was the plan decided before the battle.