CHAPTER 98: CLAD IN GOLDEN ARMOR, DIVINE MIGHT REVEALED! THE CREATURE IN GREEN ROBES!

Li Yanchu’s eyes flashed like cold lightning, and a powerful divine aura erupted from his body.

“Wielding the golden mace, I scour the world. clad in golden armor, I reveal divine might! Kill!”

He then activated the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman. Instantly, all the sinister aura around him vanished without a trace. His primordial spirit surged forth, growing to three zhang in height! Clad in golden armor, his primordial spirit exuded a heroic and awe-inspiring presence that was impossible to look at directly.

Immediately, the illusion of the Martial Manor farmhouse vanished completely. Li Yanchu stood exactly where he had been, but above him, his summoned celestial primordial spirit now floated. It was armored and wielding a golden mace, and its battle spirit was raging.

With a thunderous strike, the mace smashed down upon the vicious, twisted mandrill! The creature let out a wretched scream, and thick green smoke billowed from its body as it writhed in pain on the ground.

This mountain-dwelling evil spirit was no match for Li Yanchu’s overwhelming Divine Dao primordial spirit; it was completely overpowered. The mandrill shrieked wildly and tried to flee, but Li Yanchu’s armored spirit moved like a gust of divine wind, striking it again with the golden mace and sending it crashing back to the ground.

Then it planted a chi squarely on the mandrill’s chest. Its powerful divine aura crushed the creature, rendering it completely immobile!

The pure yang Divine Dao energy scorched the mandrill, causing thick, foul-smelling green smoke to rise as the creature sizzled and burned. The dense yin qi around the mandrill formed clawed, shadowy limbs that lashed out wildly at the golden-armored spirit.

However, the Divine Dao was fierce and mighty; any and all evil spirits and demonic forces were suppressed beneath it. The moment those yin-formed limbs touched the golden aura, they were instantly shredded into smoke and nothingness.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each strike, the ground trembled. The mandrill remained pinned underfoot, and it emitted eerie, baby-like wails in pain and fear.

BOOM!

With a final stomp from the towering, golden-armored primordial spirit, the mandrill was crushed to pieces and utterly obliterated.

***

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as Li Yanchu stomped the mandrill to death, a sudden explosion rang out beside him. Instantly, he turned toward the sound with a sharp gaze.

Master Huizhen was locked in combat directly ahead, dueling with a strange figure cloaked in black. The opponent's fingernails were razor-sharp, nearly a chi long!

Their clash was thunderous, and the sound of metal against metal boomed through the night. The creature’s movements were swift and vicious, each strike carrying tremendous power.

Master Huizhen, though battered, radiated heroic might. His entire body was glowing with brilliant golden light that coated him from head to toe.

But his condition was far from ideal, and blood had begun to stain his chest. Whether it was due to the golden glow or the nature of his blood itself, it appeared as if he were bleeding gold.

As he chanted scriptures, rows of glowing golden sutras enveloped him like a divine shield. Every swing of his monk’s staff carried the vast and righteous power of Buddhism, a force capable of slaying demons and subduing spirits.

Clang!

With a resounding blow, Master Huizhen sent the creature in the green robes flying, and the creature’s chest visibly caved in from the impact.

He raised his staff again, and suddenly, it burst with blazing golden light. This was his Buddhist ritual weapon, imbued with sacred power. Infused with divine energy, the staff instantly doubled in size. And then, he lunged forward to strike again!

Boom!

The staff crashed into the ground with terrifying weight, creating a deep crater where it struck. That now-giant, glowing staff hammered the green-robed creature with such force that he had no chance to fight back.

Rumble!

The air shook with the impact, dust rising like a storm.

The creature in the green robe seized the moment, and in the instant the monk’s staff struck him, he lunged at Master Huizhen with everything he had. He was going in for the kill!

In that instant, Master Huizhen ripped the prayer beads from his neck, and flicked one bead forward with practiced ease.

BOOM!

The green-robed creature was instantly blown away, and a column of flames erupted skyward. Li Yanchu’s eyebrows shot up, and he couldn’t help but think of the prayer bead embedded in the mandrill’s brow just moments ago. That explosive effect, like gunpowder igniting, also reminded him of the tremendous shockwave he’d witnessed the night Master Huizhen clashed with the black-robed elder at the Feng residence.

The green-robed figure tried to flee. With a crack, he cleaved a pillar in half with a single blow and hurled it toward Master Huizhen!

Boom!

Master Huizhen swung his monk’s staff and shattered the pillar on impact. At the same time, the green-robed creature’s figure blurred, transforming into a streaking afterimage as he darted straight toward the temple entrance.

Whoosh!

Li Yanchu, who had been observing from the side, struck without hesitation. His saber flashed in a searing arc as he attacked. A wave of blazing, razor-sharp saber qi formed instantly and shot toward the fleeing figure’s back.

But in midair, the green-robed creature twisted his body in an unnatural, almost grotesque motion, suddenly sliding three chi sideways.

It defied the limits of human anatomy. And without using any leverage at all, he forcefully shifted sideways, dodging Li Yanchu’s saber qi.

Squelch!

In the blink of an eye, Li Yanchu appeared at the figure’s rear flank. A single, devastatingly powerful cleaving strike swept through the air, trailing flames in its wake.

In an instant, the green-robed creature was cut clean in half at the waist. Fire burst across his body, engulfing him. After being enhanced once, the Jiaoslayer had become even sharper and more lethal, effortlessly finishing off the unnatural green-robed figure.

At that moment, the familiar sensation of the Great Dao descending washed over Li Yanchu. It was a sign that the evil had been vanquished, and balance was restored.

Li Yanchu had weathered countless battles. He had long since mastered dozens of ways to secure the killing blow, so how could he possibly let the green-robed creature slip away right under his nose?

“Amitābha... Thank heavens you made a move, Daoist Master Li. If that foul thing had escaped, it would have caused no end of trouble.”

Master Huizhen walked over, his voice solemn.

Hearing this, Li Yanchu smiled and returned the courtesy.

The green-robed figure’s clothes had been burned away, revealing its true body beneath, and it clearly wasn’t human. If anything, it looked more like a monkey.

“Another mandrill?” Li Yanchu murmured in surprise.

“It’s a beast in a scholar's robes,” Master Huizhen said gravely. “This creature had already formed a monstrous intelligence and was growing in power.”

Something occurred to Li Yanchu. He reached into his robes and took out a prayer bead, handing it to Master Huizhen with a quiet tone. “Master Huizhen, I found this on the forehead of the other mandrill just now.”

He then described how the bead had been embedded in the creature’s brow.

Seeing this, Master Huizhen froze at first. He accepted the bead and examined it closely, and gradually, a deep sorrow came over his expression.

“Amitābha...” He softly chanted the Buddha’s name, then closed his eyes.

“Are you all right, Master Huizhen?” Li Yanchu asked.

Master Huizhen opened his eyes and sighed heavily. “This prayer bead... belonged to my junior brother, Huaixin.”

Crack.

Just then, a faint sound echoed from within the Mountain God temple. Li Yanchu’s gaze sharpened, as the sound seemed to be coming from inside the Mountain God statue itself.

“Who's there!?” Without hesitation, Li Yanchu struck his palm out.

Boom!

A surge of powerful force smashed the Mountain God statue apart. From within, a dark shadow suddenly burst forth.

Master Huizhen hurled his monk’s staff, which struck the black shadow squarely. The shadow staggered, momentarily halted by the impact. But then, it surged forward again, rushing toward the temple exit.

Immediately, Li Yanchu slashed out with his saber. A wave of blazing, razor-sharp saber qi tore through the air. But that shadowy figure seemed to possess some strange protective force, and it actually withstood Li Yanchu’s saber qi head-on and forced its way out!

By the time Li Yanchu and Master Huizhen chased after it, the shadow had already vanished into the dense night, disappearing without a trace.

“What... was that thing just now?”

A deep look of wariness flashed in Li Yanchu’s eyes.