Above Galaruksha Bodhisattva’s head appeared the Immovable Wisdom King manifestation, head bowed and sitting cross-legged with hands joined in prayer.
The Vajra manifestation couldn’t coalesce—grievously wounded by Sage’s engraving knife, he was injured not just in body but in his very essence, currently able to manifest only one form.
Black Lotus Daoist’s Immortal Spirit split again into four, revealing the Dao School’s “Earth, Wind, Water, Fire” four great manifestations.
Beneath Xu Pingfeng’s feet appeared a circular formation—this was the formation disk that only those above Rank Three could control, a circular formation refined after fully mastering both the “Heavenly Array” and “Earthly Array” formation classics.
In the domain of formation masters, this was known as the “Mother Formation.”
With the “Mother Formation” as a foundation, one could evolve all formations: Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Thunder, as well as the three hundred and sixty minor formations derived from these eleven major ones—all could be deployed at will through the Mother Formation.
White Emperor had lost its horn, and though it could still summon lightning and water spirits, their power was greatly diminished. Fortunately, as a divine demon descendant, its physical body remained an unstoppable combat weapon.
“Go!”
Black Lotus Daoist’s true body stood motionless, controlling the four great manifestations to sweep toward the Supervisor from four directions—front, back, left, and right.
The “Wind” manifestation, formed like a mass of air currents, moved fastest, howling as it reached the Supervisor’s side, launching blade after blade of wind.
The Fire manifestation transformed into a stream of flame, rushing straight for the Supervisor’s face, determined to perish together with him.
The manifestation flowing with pure black water spirits collapsed into a surging river, releasing “whoosh” sounds of waves as it struck the Supervisor’s right.
The “Earth” manifestation, though massive, was clumsy and slowest, charging like a wild bull toward the Supervisor—had this been on the ground, the rumbling would have been endless.
The Supervisor first extended his palm to the left, raising shields formed of hexagons. Bang bang bang… The wind blades struck the shields with muffled sounds before dispersing into wild winds.
Next, he actively stepped to the right, reaching into the surging black river to draw out a pitch-black long sword.
After the sword was drawn, the “Water” manifestation couldn’t maintain itself and collapsed. Simultaneously, the Supervisor strode forward, destroying the Fire manifestation with one sword strike.
Amid hissing sounds, steam rose as the water spirits extinguished the flames.
The Supervisor caught a spark in his palm and gently blew.
“Whoosh!”
He blew out a tongue of flame tens of zhang long, engulfing the charging “Earth” manifestation.
As the flames died, the “Earth” manifestation turned to ash, slowly dispersing.
Finally, the Supervisor gathered the black ash, gripped it forcefully, and “refined” it into a black earthen wall tens of zhang high, forcibly smashing apart the “Wind” manifestation.
The entire sequence took less than two seconds, skillfully using water to counter fire, fire to counter earth, and earth to counter wind, dismantling the Dao School’s four great manifestations.
For a Rank One artificer, these were merely conventional tactics—only martial artists would foolishly meet force with force.
Black Lotus Daoist groaned, seemingly grievously wounded.
The Supervisor frowned, looking down at his right arm, which had somehow become coated in black—corrupt power had invaded his body.
“Heh!”
Black Lotus Daoist laughed triumphantly. He had witnessed how the Supervisor initially countered White Emperor’s water spirit techniques, knowing his habit of casually refining enemy techniques.
Thus, he had mixed equally black corrupt power into the pitch-black “Water” manifestation.
Sure enough, when the Supervisor again refined a “weapon” from the water spirit power, the corrupt power took the opportunity to invade.
The Earth School cultivated merit, but after falling to demonhood, merit power transformed into “corrupt power”—his strongest technique, far surpassing the “Earth, Wind, Water, Fire” four great manifestations.
Even the Supervisor, once infected by corrupt power, couldn’t completely ignore it.
The Supervisor’s right hand suddenly clenched into a fist, forcing most of the thick black liquid out of his body, suppressing the small remaining portion with the power of all living beings.
The liquid fell from high above—any land unfortunate enough to contact it became a barren wasteland where no grass would grow, plants withered, and animals went mad.
A flash of clear light appeared beneath the Supervisor’s feet as he teleported before Black Lotus, chopping down with his palm toward the crown of his head.
What Black Lotus felt wasn’t palm force, what he saw wasn’t the Supervisor’s descending palm—Black Lotus saw Zhende, saw many Earth School fellow disciples who had died by his hand, saw the women he had kidnapped and violated, saw the ordinary citizens who had died at his hands.
The anger of these people gathered like a river, engulfing him.
The power of all living beings—public fury!
He instantly lost the will to resist, feeling that someone as corrupt and evil as himself should rather transcend.
At this moment, Galaruksha Bodhisattva’s hands formed seals, and behind him, the head-bowed, cross-legged Immovable Wisdom King manifestation followed suit.
The space between the Supervisor and Black Lotus seemed to solidify into an impenetrable wall, that palm strike toward the crown greatly impeded.
Simultaneously, Xu Pingfeng raised his foot and stomped, the Mother Formation transforming into a transfer formation that suddenly expanded, bringing Black Lotus within its range.
Black Lotus’s form appeared beside Xu Pingfeng, escaping certain death.
Galaruksha Bodhisattva quickly formed seals, “freezing” the space around the Supervisor, denying him the chance to teleport and pursue.
Crack crack—White Emperor opened its bloody maw, brewing a white-hot lightning ball in its mouth.
The Supervisor pressed one hand to his waist and suddenly drew out Saren’agu’s shepherd’s whip.
Black Lotus’s corruption had worn off, and the god-striking whip could be used again.
“Crack!”
The whip struck the air, “reviving” this solidified space.
He didn’t try to whip Galaruksha Bodhisattva to break the Immovable Wisdom King’s seal, as that would certainly fail.
Thus, settling for second best, he broke the space’s containment.
The next moment, the Supervisor appeared before the White Emperor—having briefly obscured fate’s workings, he successfully bypassed the White Emperor’s perception to close in.
The Supervisor gripped White Emperor’s upper lip and jaw, forcefully closing them.
“Boom!”
The lightning ball exploded in White Emperor’s mouth, causing black smoke to pour from its seven orifices, its walnut-textured brain matter splattered, its azure fierce eyes suddenly bulging.
The light in White Emperor’s pupils dimmed, its body slowly going limp. Electric arcs jumped across its surface as its limbs twitched, floating in the clouds, combat ability lost.
At this moment, Xu Pingfeng’s figure appeared above the Supervisor’s head.
His hands formed a circle, “encompassing” the Supervisor below. Hum—circular formations arranged in a cylinder, these formations contain Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Wind, and Thunder, all specialized in attack and destruction.
The Immovable Wisdom King’s seal again locked down the space around the Supervisor, preventing him from teleporting to escape.
“Lay down your blade!”
Galaruksha Bodhisattva didn’t forget to use “Precepts” to influence the Supervisor, preventing him from wielding the whip to “split” the air.
All being Rank One, even the Supervisor couldn’t completely block the “Precepts” effect, though the duration was too short to matter.
But it was better than nothing.
Under this double influence, the Supervisor neither dodged nor drew the god-striking whip in his hand.
He merely raised his hand and delivered a slap.
Xu Pingfeng’s vision blurred as he saw countless starving citizens, their eyes bloodshot, cursing him, raging at him, gnashing their teeth, wanting to flay him alive.
The slap seemed to strike Xu Pingfeng’s body, shattering his consciousness into complete fragments, blood staining his white clothes.
The power of all living beings—public resentment!
He suffered backlash—destiny’s backlash.
The common people represented Central Plains’ destiny, and Great Feng’s current situation largely stemmed from Xu Pingfeng.
Those circular formations slowly dispersed, losing their master’s maintenance.
At this moment, the Precepts’ power passed, and the Supervisor acted decisively, swinging the god-striking whip.
Crack!
It struck Xu Pingfeng, whipping him away like a sandbag.
Crack!
The Supervisor struck a second time, but this whip hit Black Lotus’s “Wind” manifestation—at the crucial moment, the speed-specialized Wind manifestation saved Xu Pingfeng’s life.
The “Wind” manifestation dispersed, and Black Lotus groaned as if struck by lightning.
“Lay down your blade!”
Galaruksha Bodhisattva charged forward, denying the Supervisor a chance to continue whipping. First using Precepts to disrupt his actions, then successfully closing in, his back muscles exploded, stretching his kasaya.
Boom!
He threw a punch, creating ear-splitting sonic booms.
Even without the Vajra manifestation, Galaruksha Bodhisattva still possessed Rank One physique and strength, his body techniques no worse than martial artists of the same rank.
The Supervisor met him palm to palm, both flying backward.
The palm force enhanced by all living beings’ power couldn’t suppress Galaruksha, but it interrupted this Rank One Bodhisattva’s follow-up combinations, preventing him from deploying internal force techniques.
Now, among the five transcendent realm masters above the sea of clouds, all considered peak experts: White Emperor convulsed, backlashed by its brewing thunder; Black Lotus’s manifestations were repeatedly broken, similarly suffering backlash.
Xu Pingfeng, backlashed by destiny and struck once by the god-striking whip, was in the worst condition.
The Supervisor first bore the price of Sage’s descent in his artificer’s body, then was grievously wounded by the Mahavairocana manifestation. Though now containing all living beings’ power and appearing formidable, how long his body could endure remained unknown.
Only Galaruksha Bodhisattva, though headless and grievously wounded under Sage’s engraving knife, was in the best condition thanks to the contrast with his peers.
The title of strongest defense below transcendent wasn’t earned in vain.
“Cough cough…”
Blood-stained Xu Pingfeng raised his hand to cover his mouth, violently coughing as thick blood flowed between his fingers.
His hair disheveled, he looked at the matchless Supervisor, his eyes showing neither fear nor wariness, only calm.
“Master Supervisor, when I withdrew from court years ago and decided to support the Hidden Dragon City lineage, I knew I would have many enemies. Thus for over twenty years, I planned each step carefully, working with cunning.
“I successfully plotted the deaths of the Northern Garrison King, Wei Yuan, and Zhende, but I knew my strongest enemy was you!
“If I couldn’t kill you, all schemes would be mere illusions, empty as water in a bamboo basket.”
Xu Pingfeng swallowed the blood rising in his throat, slowly pulling a smile:
“So, when I decided to take that step, Master, you became the first person I needed to kill. The plans for eliminating you were set from the very beginning.
“It didn’t matter who I supported—why did I choose that lineage from five hundred years ago? Master, have you considered this question?
“Troops, supplies, these are mere embellishments. If I couldn’t eliminate you, Master, how could I achieve great things and advance to Fate Master?
“Master can see the future. Today you prepared the Sage’s engraving knife and Lesser Sage’s scholar’s cap in advance, bringing Saren’agu’s god-striking whip. Your preparations were complete because you knew this battle would be your unworthy disciple’s all-out counterattack.
“I suppose in the future you saw, we die in this battle while you emerge victorious. Meanwhile, you also took the opportunity to grievously wound the Buddha, laying the groundwork for some future move.
“Your preparations were so thorough, accounting for everything.”
Galaruksha Bodhisattva slowly shook his head: “Too clever with all your calculations.”
“And what I wanted was precisely Master Supervisor’s perfect calculations.” At this point, Xu Pingfeng revealed a mysterious smile:
“Master, why don’t you calculate—I, merely an unworthy disciple who knows the authority of Fate Masters, why am I confident enough to stand here opposing you?”