Chapter 648 - 66: The Crude Ruffian, Fellow Daoist Lu, Surpassing the Nagging Tang Monk

Chapter 648: Chapter 66: The Crude Ruffian, Fellow Daoist Lu, Surpassing the Nagging Tang Monk

Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, the faint smile fading from his face. Idly stirring the rice porridge in his bowl with a spoon, he spoke calmly:

"Fellow Daoist Bodhi, for what reason have you come? By interfering with the Tribulation Taker’s path, you have already broken the rules."

In the countless reenactments of the Journey to the West, the various Dao Fruits established a rule among themselves: they were not to use Divine Techniques to influence the monkey’s allegiance.

After all, whichever side the monkey ultimately joined would be considered the decisive victor, their fortune soaring. For any of them to arbitrarily interfere with Divine Techniques, let alone directly control his mind, was a violation of the rules.

They could only guide him through the other "supporting characters," letting the monkey decide for himself which path to take—the path of Dao or the path of Buddha.

Bodhi’s expression was cold. He sat down without being invited and spoke bluntly:

"I believe you were the one who interfered first, weren’t you? Using the Victorious Fighting Buddha to influence his past incarnation—a clever move!"

"First of all, the Victorious Fighting Buddha was only following his own heart. Secondly..."

The Heaven-Opening Banner appeared in Lu Xuan’s left hand, the Four Immortal Slaying Swords in his right, and the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda materialized above his head. He attacked without warning!

His aura turned violent as the Innate Infinite Blood Sea churned around him, accompanied by the wails of gods and immortals. He spoke with utter dominance:

"Who gave you the gall to speak to me this way within the Great Heaven and Earth?"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s expression changed drastically. He never imagined this Lu Xuan would drop all pretenses so readily and attack so decisively.

’This was completely illogical! Normally, during a great tribulation of this magnitude, discussion should be the priority!’

He scrambled to defend himself, but the full might of the Great Will of Heaven and Earth crashed down upon him. Accompanied by the sharpness of the Heaven-Opening Banner and the lethality of the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, his Buddha Body began to crack!

Although the Ancient Bodhi Buddha was an Enlightened One, the Great Heaven and Earth had not yet begun its decline. The Great Will of Heaven and Earth itself could rival a top-tier Enlightened One.

With the added power of the Heaven-Opening Banner and the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, and with Bodhi not wielding his Miaoshu, he was caught completely off guard and inevitably injured!

He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his expression furious. He too attacked brazenly. The two supreme Existences clashed within that tiny space, yet there were no great ripples, no world-ending shockwaves. All the power was contained to the absolute limit!

"That’s enough!"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha roared in a low voice, but Lu Xuan ignored him, focusing all his power to channel his Celestial Intent Dao Rhyme.

He used his fifty-one portions of the Great Will of Heaven and Earth to command the remaining forty-nine, bringing it all to bear against Bodhi!

Furthermore, Lu Xuan secretly activated his Transcendent Physique, revealing a peerless edge. Though his every punch and kick seemed ordinary, having been restrained to the point of simplicity, each contained an immeasurable might.

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha began to fall back, his body showing signs of cracking as he coughed up blood unceasingly!

He backed down, having no desire to continue fighting this madman. He quickly spoke:

"Let’s reconsider! I didn’t come here to condemn you, merely to pay a visit!"

"Pay a visit?"

Lu Xuan sneered, relentless. Visions of Chaos Unjudged and Yin Yang Incomplete materialized around him. The profound sound of myriad Daos thundering accompanied his every move.

One punch split the Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s forehead, revealing the brilliant Buddha Bone within. Then, with a kick like a brutish mountain rustic, he pierced straight through Bodhi’s chest, sending Buddha Blood gushing!

In this age approaching the final tribulation, the Left Leg of Shangqing had grown ever stronger.

Lu Xuan spoke coldly:

"If you’ve come to pay a visit, where is your gift? A visitor with no gift is an unwelcome guest, and unwelcome guests deserve a beating!"

Bodhi coughed up more blood—whether from injury or rage, it was hard to say. His expression was utterly grim, tinged with a flicker of fear.

’I never imagined Lu Xuan would be this powerful! To think he would possess such might after fully mastering the Great Heaven and Earth and ascending to the station of its Lord!’

The situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations. The corner of the Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s eye twitched. He endured three more of Lu Xuan’s punches, and his skull began to fracture. His Buddha Body was becoming unstable.

He hastily threw out a leaf:

"This is my visitor’s gift!"

A leaf from the Bodhi Miaoshu appeared, shimmering with a treasured light. It was suffused with the essence of great wisdom and great purity, tinged with the Innate aura from The Beginning of Ancient Times!

Lu Xuan’s eyes widened, and he bellowed like a brute:

"You come to pay a visit and offer a leaf as a gift? Are you trying to humiliate me? Unwelcome guest!"

As he spoke, his attacks grew even more vicious. He channeled the full power of the Heaven-Opening Banner and the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, a crushing pressure accompanying them.

The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda began to hum, sending down streams of Profound Yellow Qi that threatened to suppress the Ancient Bodhi Buddha completely!

Bodhi’s face was ashen. Everything had happened too suddenly. This Lu Xuan didn’t play by the rules at all, and he had come completely unprepared.

’If this goes on, I might actually meet an ignominious end here! I could really be suppressed!’

’If that happens, I’ll be in serious trouble.’

Immediately, the Ancient Bodhi Buddha snapped several tendrils of Profound Yellow Qi binding him. With a livid face, he held out his hand.

"This is the gift! This!"

With a look of extreme reluctance, he broke a branch from his Bodhi Miaoshu and said through gritted teeth:

"This, as a visitor’s gift, should be more than enough!"

Only then did Lu Xuan stop, his face breaking into a wide smile. He took the branch and put away his Heaven-Opening Banner, Four Immortal Slaying Swords, and Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

He then used the Bodhi Leaf to brew a pot of tea. With the gentle and refined air of a scholar, he poured a cup for Bodhi and said with a beaming smile:

"Oh, you came all this way, you didn’t have to bring a thing! Fellow Daoist Bodhi, you’re treating me like a stranger..."

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s face twitched. His heart seethed with frustration. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and another trickle of Buddha Blood spilled from his lips.

From sheer rage.

He took several deep breaths, forcing himself back to a state of tranquility. He sat down, his face grim, and then, instead of showing anger, he laughed.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you are truly extraordinary. Your progress is simply astonishing. How long has it been? And yet, with a mere Daluo body, you can contend with an Enlightened One. Wonderful... just wonderful..."