The sky turned a deep, bloody red; meteors fell like rain.
The [Sea of Bitterness] tore open, and the waters of boundless concept poured down, transforming into billions of radiant colors. Yet, they all coalesced into a single streak of energy, culminating in a thunderclap that shook the Immortal Nexus.
Boom!
The very moment the Golden Core Perfected Lords heard the thunder, the lightning had already sliced across the sky. Its speed was so terrifyingly fast that it was completely beyond the tracking capabilities of divine sense.
Aside from Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao, and an extremely select few others, the rest of the early-stage and even mid-stage Perfected Lords couldn't clearly see the true form of the lightning arrow. Even when pushing their divine sense to the absolute limit or relying on the profound wonder of their Dao Fruits, they could only barely catch the residual trail it left in its wake.
"It can't be stopped."
In Jiangdong, within the Dao Court's Tianwu Hall, Emperor Jiayou's expression was incredibly ugly. He could vaguely make out the arrowhead, but he was entirely powerless to defend against it.
What if this arrow had been aimed at me?
With the enhancement of the Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws, I might be able to block it... but this arrow is simply too fast! I wouldn't even have the time to activate the Dao Laws!
This was the most terrifying aspect of the arrow.
Ultimate divine speed!
In reality, Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer's strength was by no means negligible. Even if she couldn't block the arrow, she absolutely had the ability to put up a struggle.
However, she was given zero opportunity to employ any of her methods. The arrow light annihilated her before she could even react. That was the only reason for such a terrifying battle record: two Bodhisattvas instantly killed. The fleeing Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory similarly wouldn't have time to put up any resistance. He was doomed to follow in their footsteps!
Rumble!
In an instant, boundless radiant light exploded directly above the Great Thunderclap Temple, the highest peak of the Pure Land. It expanded in all directions like a surging tide.
Wherever the light passed...
Spiritual Qi was extinguished, Buddhist light dissolved, and all myriad phenomena and entities were melted away. The entire landmass of Jiangxi actually showed a minuscule sign of sinking at this moment!
And this was merely the phenomenon in Jiangxi.
At this moment, the shattered fragments of the Golden Bodies belonging to Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer and Bodhisattva Precious Vase Water Moon were scattered across the firmament, raining down upon every corner of the world.
Instantly, sects all across the Immortal Nexus entered a state of maximum emergency. The brilliance of formations shot into the sky; without exception, every sect activated their grand protective arrays. And this was solely to defend against the shockwaves spreading outward from Jiangxi! Yet even so, a considerable number of sects were completely submerged by the radiant light.
The grand protective arrays they took such pride in were as flimsy as paper.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions resembling fireworks erupted all around the borders of Jiangxi. These were the formations of the sects located too close, shattered by the sheer force of the shockwaves.
"Precious Vajra is dead for sure!"
Witnessing this scene, Emperor Jiayou immediately drew a conclusion. "Precious Lotus and Precious Moon might still be able to resurrect through the Netherworld and return, but Precious Vajra has nowhere to run..."
But right at that moment.
Dong!
A melodious, archaic bell toll suddenly rang out, instantly spreading across the entirety of Jiangxi. It smoothed out the earth veins, uplifted the landmass, and pacified the turbulent Spiritual Qi.
Such an anomaly immediately caused Emperor Jiayou, who had just pronounced a verdict, to shrink his pupils. In other regions, Golden Core Perfected Lords also manifested the light and shadows of their Dharma Bodies in astonishment.
Jiangnan, atop the Extreme Heaven Cliff of the Sword Pavilion.
Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao, whose aura had been entirely restrained, abruptly opened his eyes and looked toward the Pure Land, a look of shock surfacing in their depths. "What a terrifying arrow of thunder..."
It was almost on par with his own Great Perfected Lord-level sword strike!
However, its essence doesn't seem to reach the Great Perfected Lord level. It's more like it relied on an external object. But even so, the attacker must stand at the absolute pinnacle of the mid-stage Golden Core.
Where did such an expert come from?
At this thought, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's mind raced, ultimately turning into a light chuckle. "Interesting... What a pity. This person picked the wrong opponent."
In all fairness, facing such a divinely fast arrow, if it had been Emperor Jiayou, he would definitely be beyond saving and forced to reincarnate. Even Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue would struggle to escape death. In fact, even he himself might not have the time to elevate his stature before the arrow hit, resulting in at least severe injuries.
The major factions weren't without means to counter a Great Perfected Lord.
For example, his Sword Pavilion had the [Eternal Sword]. The Primordial Saint Sect had the [Thirty-Three Heavens Vertical and Horizontal Go Grand Formation]. The Dao Court had the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws].
But the speed of this arrow was simply too fast.
At least from Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's perspective, almost no one at the mid-stage Golden Core could react to this arrow in time to deploy any defensive measures.
Therefore, whether this arrow was aimed at the Sword Pavilion, the Saint Sect, or the Dao Court, it would inevitably succeed. However, against the Pure Land... this arrow was highly unlikely to yield results.
Because the Pure Land is different.
Compared to the other factions, the Pure Land's confidence when facing a Great Perfected Lord didn't stem from formations or rare treasures. It came from their Dao Lord—he would actually descend personally to fight!
Finally, the boiling radiant light within the Pure Land was pacified by the bell toll echoing from the Great Thunderclap Temple. As it gradually dissipated, the true scene within was revealed. Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory stood there, his expression serene, a smile on his face. With a gesture like plucking a flower, he had gently pinched the thunder-clad arrowhead mere inches from his face.
Crackle, crackle!
The boiling lightning flowed and surged at the Bodhisattva's fingertips, slicing open his flesh and pulverizing his bones. Yet, it remained utterly incapable of piercing the Buddhist light surrounding him.
Broken bones could be reconnected; shredded flesh could be reborn.
The two forces were locked in a stalemate within a hair's breadth of space. This lasted until two streaks of Buddhist light returned from the Pure Land, stepping into the Great Thunderclap Temple one after the other.
"Amitabha!"
It was Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer and Bodhisattva Precious Vase Water Moon!
One was at the mid-stage Golden Core, while the other was anchored to a Grotto-Heaven. Both possessed the trait of immortality. They had already reincarnated and returned to the Pure Land.
However, they didn't attack. Instead, wearing the exact same compassionate smiles, they simply sat down beside Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory and began chanting scriptures. The three Bodhisattvas linked their auras together, their light and shadows illuminating the Pure Land, prompting countless monks, novices, and believers to bow in worship.
Every single Buddhist cultivator wore a serene expression.
They spoke in unison, their voices piercing through layers of the void and merging into one. The voices of men, women, the old, and the young ultimately synthesized into a brand-new, melodious laugh:
"Body and mind dwelling in peace, the wisdom of equality..."
As the words fell, boundless Buddhist light converged at the very center of the three Bodhisattvas, swallowing the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. Like a blooming flower bud, it suddenly erupted with brilliant light.
Following that, within that shimmering radiance, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, and internal organs materialized one by one. They assembled themselves, forming a perfect Dharma Body. The sky-filling Buddhist light draped over it, transforming into a magnificent monk's robe. Just like that, a young monk stepped out from the void.
The next second, pointing one finger to the sky and the other to the earth, he smiled and declared:
"Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one!"
Crack!
As the words faded, Lu Yang, standing upon the Sea of Bitterness, watched as the arrow he had fired with all his might suddenly shattered, crushed in the hand of the newly appeared monk!
"Amitabha!"
"The Dharma-Ending Age approaches, all phenomena fall into nirvana. By the decree of the World Honored One, I descend upon the Jambudvipa chiliocosm today to once again guide the people of the world. I shall be known as... [Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata]!"
With that declaration, Lu Yang felt an intense, piercing pain sweep across the space between his eyebrows. The [Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata] held the broken arrow, spun on his heel, and violently hurled it! Instantly, Buddhist light shot into the sky, tearing open the [Sea of Bitterness], and hurtling directly toward him!
"...Huh?"
Lu Yang's eye twitched violently, his hands trembling with sheer anger. He had vaguely anticipated this, but seeing it happen still made him want to curse out loud.
World Honored One, are you fucking serious?
Not only did you make a move, you didn't even try to hide it!?
You have absolutely no shame!