577. Chapter 560: Ambush Two
In the mountain forest, over a dozen massive iron birds with wingspans dozens of meters wide spread their wings, circling in the air.
Smoke and dust rose from the mountain forest, and faintly, large batches of Prefecture Army Soldiers marched in neat formations, surrounding the mountain forest from all sides.
"Stop!"
The Xuanjia Army scout responsible for leading the way in front saw the firelight in the mountain forest, raised his arm, and clenched his fist. The large contingent of Black Cavalry behind him simultaneously reined in their divine steeds, and the dense, rain-like neighing instantly fell silent.
From the moment the Xuanjia Army scout made the gesture to the disappearance of the horse hooves' sound, less than two seconds passed, fully demonstrating their precise discipline.
"Your Majesty! There are bandits ahead!"
A Black Cavalry soldier rode against the flow, arriving before the imperial Dragon Carriage, dismounted, and reported on one knee.
The Dragon Carriage, large enough to accommodate over a dozen people, was pulled by eight divine steeds with pure white coats, without a single blemish.
The cavalry surrounding the Dragon Carriage were all exceptionally sturdy, each watching the Black Cavalry soldier with gazes sharp as blades. Their hands rested on the hilts of their Tang Daos. If that cavalry soldier made any unusual move, they would undoubtedly be met with thunderous blade light.
A Military General standing by the carriage, wearing a faceplate adorned with a qilin beast-face mask, cupped his fist towards the carriage interior and saluted, "Your Majesty, this subordinate is willing to lead a team to sweep away these bandits!"
A large hand lifted the carriage curtain. The sky was gradually darkening, and the figure inside the Dragon Carriage seemed hidden within boundless darkness.
"No rush, wait and see."
What they were waiting for, the person inside the carriage did not say. However, for the Xuanjia Army, the Emperor was not only the Emperor but also their Commander.
If the General of Heavenly Strategies said to wait, then they would naturally wait.
The sky gradually darkened, the blood-red sky slowly turned black. The Great Sun set in the west, sliding into the Abyss. The moon gradually climbed into the sky, casting down a patch of serene moonlight.
Ten li away, firelight soared into the sky from that mountain forest. Dozens of futuristic disc-shaped spaceships circled above the mountain forest, casting down light beams that illuminated the mountain forest as if it were daytime.
On the Imperial Highway, Xuanjia Army cavalry stood motionless, their black armor concealed in the darkness, like sculptures in the night.
"Wow, so pretty!"
Inside the Dragon Carriage, a plump Little Princess poked her head out, extending her soft, chubby fingers to point at the disc-shaped spaceships in the sky. Her baby-fat cheeks were filled with astonishment.
"Little Princess, it's dangerous outside, please go back first!"
Several Elderly Maids and Eunuchs guarding the Dragon Carriage were startled to see the peeking Little Princess and quickly reached out to surround her.
The Little Princess darted left and right, trying to evade their encirclement, but was finally scooped up by an experienced Elderly Maid. Inside the Dragon Carriage, an arm reached out, grabbed the Little Princess by the back of her neck, and pulled her inside.
"Slap, slap, slap—Still going to be naughty!"
The sound of palms hitting a rear rang out, mixed with the Little Princess's tearful, sobbing voice: "Wuwuwu, Father Emperor, he's bullying me..."
In the mountain forest, Dao Xin and Di Xin's expressions were increasingly grim. The two could be revered as Saintly Monks in a world rampant with demon monsters, so they were naturally not abbots who ran Real Estate Companies.
They both had some skills. Di Xin unleashed his Demon Subduing Kasaya, instantly covering an area of dozens of li. Such a divine ability, in the eyes of mortals, was no less than that of true deities and demons.
The bullets shot from all directions were all deflected by the Kasaya and fell to the ground. The Bald Head Warrior Monks, using the Demon Subduing Kasaya as cover, turned their flintlock guns and launched an attack on the surrounding Prefecture Army.
"Bang bang bang——"
After a round of shooting, a section of the advancing Prefecture Army Soldiers immediately fell.
However, before these Bald Head Warrior Monks could reload their ammunition, a sudden change occurred. The mountain ground beneath their feet seemed to come alive.
The hard mountain rocks seemed to turn into flowing water. Before the Bald Head Warrior Monks could react, half of their bodies were trapped inside.
"Over there!"
A Bald Head Warrior Monk sensed the Qi signature and quickly locked his gaze onto a figure hidden among the treetops.
Dozens of figures simultaneously stomped their feet and charged towards that figure. The ground trembled with their steps, and plants and trees, gravel, and soil were sent flying in all directions with a whistle, carrying rolling airwaves that caused sonic booms in The Void.
"Earth Escape Technique—Great Earth River!"
Standing on the treetop, Orochimaru calmly performed the Earth Escape Technique ninjutsu, aiming to bury the numerous monks in the mountain forest in one fell swoop, seemingly not taking the charging monks seriously at all.
Just as the fist wind, blade aura, and staff wind unleashed by the dozens of monks were about to land on Orochimaru, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Orochimaru, raising a hand towards the monks.
"Almighty Push!"
A powerful force instantly caused the dozens of middle-aged Warrior Monks to lose control of their limbs. The monk's blades and staffs in their hands flew out directly, and even their entire bodies were sucked into the sky.
The suction force was so powerful that century-old ancient trees were uprooted, and stones weighing several tons, even dozens of tons, floated lightly like leaves in the wind, also being swept into high altitude.
A Warrior Monk swept into the sky was caught between two boulders. His chest bone visibly collapsed, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
Monk Dao Xin glanced over. Half of the Warrior Monks in the mountain forest were trapped in the mud river, and half were swept into the air, on the verge of being crushed into meatloaf by the boulders.
"Evil spawn! Stop it!"
Dao Xin was so angry that his eyebrows twitched, and a nameless rage surged. Rolling sound waves, solidified like arrows, shot out.
A mass of golden light surged around his entire body, burning like flames dozens of meters high. Boom! Surging, burning hot, rolling airwaves scattered in all directions.
The air was filled with the scorched smell of intense heat.
Amidst the burning golden flames around Dao Xin's figure, he roared, "Die!"
Amidst the roar filled with killing intent, Dao Xin, several li away, launched a palm strike towards Orochimaru and Tendo Pain.
Boom! A terrifyingly powerful force suddenly erupted. Heaven and Earth seemed to darken simultaneously. The pale golden light of the palm shone brightly, seemingly overshadowing the light beams cast by the disc-shaped spaceships. Within an area of a hundred zhang, the airflow suddenly stirred up a sky-filling amount of dust and soil!
Boom! Blue water flow condensed into a giant curtain, pressing down overwhelmingly.
Meeting Monk Dao Xin's full-force palm force from a distance!
Bang! The blue water flow curtain dissipated like a bubble under Monk Dao Xin's massive palm force.
However, the shattered water flow transformed into several sharks, seven or eight meters long, in mid-air, tearing towards Dao Xin.
"Good evil beasts!"
Monk Dao Xin was filled with rage. Looking at the shark water flow tearing towards him, he exerted force under his palm, striking them down one by one from a distance.
Crash! Blue water splashed in all directions in mid-air.
Shattering these water curtain sharks took Monk Dao Xin only a few breaths. But in just these few breaths, at least several hundred monks were buried underground or swept into the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! At this moment, the experts from various temples no longer held back.
The monks who dared to come here to assassinate the king and drive him away were naturally experts among experts. The most outstanding among them, their strength was not to be underestimated.
Over a dozen Old Monks, along with Dao Xin and Di Xin, suddenly erupted with full strength.
Golden Buddhist Light soared into the sky, dyeing the sky a fiery gold. Immediately, the figures of over a dozen people suddenly broke through the air.
Boom! Powerful airflow tore their monk robes. Amidst the scattered sonic booms, these Old Monks surrounded Orochimaru and the other two. Orochimaru, Kisame, and Tendo Pain exchanged glances, simultaneously forming hand seals. Three plumes of white smoke rose, and the three instantly disappeared before the Old Monks.
"Where are they!" An Old Monk landed on a treetop, scanning the surroundings suspiciously.
"Ah!"
He suddenly let out a mournful scream, his entire body trembling. Then he suddenly struck out, fiercely pulling at his chest, and pulled out a small white snake no thicker than chopsticks.
With a forceful squeeze, this small white snake instantly turned into a pool of blood mud in his palm.
However, his reaction was still too late. Only two or three breaths after being bitten by the small white snake, he felt his breathing become rapid, and blue blood vessels bulged all over his body.
An Old Monk quickly took out several bottles of antidote medicinal pills from his robes and poured them into his mouth. But these Spirit Pills, capable of curing a hundred poisons, seemed to have no effect on this snake venom at all.
After a few breaths, this Old Monk completely lost his breath.
Another Old Monk held a bottle of unfinished antidote Spirit Pills, looking at the cold corpse in his arms, "Senior Brother!"
He let out a mournful bellow of rage. He was completely unaware that in the darkness, his shadow suddenly moved. A Blade, its blade body and edge completely blackened, quietly pressed against his back.
"Rip!"
The Old Monk only felt a pain in his chest. Lowering his head, he discovered that a blood-stained Blade had pierced through his chest.
He struck out with a backhand palm behind him, sending out a golden palm print. But that figure had already flown dozens of zhang away like a falling leaf.
"Attack!"
In the air, Dao Xin and the dozen other Old Monks no longer held back, simultaneously unleashing palm force.
Boom! What immense force when over a dozen top experts of the current era strike at the same time!
The vast palm force compressed the air within an area of several hundred zhang, rumbling, shattering the fleeing figure into dust.
However, the shattered pieces that fell into the forest landed on a middle-aged Warrior Monk. He picked one up and looked: "Wood shavings!"
The Old Monk who was pierced through the heart by the black Blade desperately clutched his neck. His thick neck swelled up to the size of a head within a few breaths. Moments later, his entire body went limp and collapsed to the ground.
"Senior Brother Dao Xin, that Blade is poisonous, Senior Brother Fayuan is gone!" An Old Monk stepped forward to examine him and shook his head at Monk Dao Xin.
"Evil spawn! Don't think of running!"
Dao Xin, enraged, backhanded a century-old large tree, shattering it into dust. From within the large tree, a black shadow suddenly shot out. Monk Dao Xin's monk robe fluttered, and he broke through the air, chasing directly after it.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Dao Xin took a step covering a li, and was about to catch up to the black shadow, a sound of a heavy object landing suddenly came from above his head.
A gale howled, and strong wind swept through, blowing away the sky-filling dust. The ground within dozens of zhang trembled unstably, and countless patches of grass and soil soared into the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Amidst this earth-shattering roar, Dao Xin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Clang!
A blade aura emitting a faint white light, almost grazing his face, drew a curved arc in front of him. The Blade moved like a dragon and snake, bursting forth with an unstoppable, arrogant momentum! Endless cold light poured down like mercury, rippling out a vast ocean of chilling sharpness. Everywhere was the rippling cold light like water ripple!
Instantly tearing through the omnipresent air, leaving a dozens-of-zhang-long Blade mark on the ground with a sharp whistle.
"Gurararara, sorry, this road is blocked!"
A voice full of heroic spirit echoed in Dao Xin's ears. When the smoke and dust cleared, a Giant, over six or seven meters tall, appeared before Dao Xin.
He raised his hand and threw a fist. The vast fist wind erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for countless years, stirring up the sky-filling dust. Countless soil and boulders swept out in all directions like a tidal wave.
The red Kasaya covering his head was directly torn into scattered pieces by his fist wind.
"Whitebeard, that's our Akatsuki's prey!"
The figure fleeing ahead stopped, revealing her true body. Konan, wearing a black robe with red clouds, looked at Whitebeard with some dissatisfaction.
Their Akatsuki had set a trap ahead precisely to lure this powerful Old Monk into it, but now he had been intercepted by Whitebeard.
One must know, this concerned Contribution Points and Bounty. Konan ground her teeth, looking at Whitebeard, considering whether to just blow him up too.
Now was a time when the Akatsuki was short on money. Kakuzu, their little expert at managing finances and earning money, was gone. Thinking of the massive amount of Contribution Points needed for his resurrection, Konan felt her wallet shrink a bit more.
"Hohohoho——Little Girl, the Bounty for this prey is yours, I just want to have a good fight with an Expert!"
Whitebeard turned back to look at Konan. Seeing her look like a protective mother leopard, he laughed heartily and waved his hand.
Hearing Whitebeard's promise, Konan said nothing more. She formed hand seals with both hands, and her entire body vanished with a puff of white smoke.
"Hmm? No! Is it a clone?"
Seeing Konan disappear, Dao Xin was startled and then realized.
Whoosh! He shook his monk robe, placed one hand vertically before his chest, and said, "May I ask who Your Excellency is!"
Dao Xin realized that there was clearly a trap ahead. Dao Xin looked at the Giant blocking his path, unsure whether the other party was friend or foe.
At this moment, the Old Monks behind Dao Xin also seized the opportunity to rescue the monks trapped in the mud.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, looking around at the surrounding monks, and said boldly, "You monks are too wishy-washy! I'm here to kill you! No need to give names!"
"We have no grievances or enmity, why does Benefactor speak of opening the killing precept?"
Dao Xin's white eyebrows drooped. Amidst Whitebeard's killing intent, his look remained unchanged.
"You want to kill this King, and we want to protect him. Naturally, we are enemies. I won't hold back against enemies! Gurararara, you're not my sons!"
Whitebeard paused his Long Saber. Several cracks instantly spread out on the mountain rocks.
Under Whitebeard's gaze, Dao Xin's expression was normal, not yielding an inch.
"The emperor has this kalpa because he slighted the Buddhist Dharma and slandered the Dharma. One who slanders the Dharma abandons the Omniscient Wisdom of all Tathagatas of the three times and also abandons all-encompassing wisdom, thus destroying all true Dharma. Due to this karma, they will burn in Hell for ten million kotis of years. Although they may be liberated from that Hell afterwards, they will transfer to the Hell of another World. When that Hell is destroyed, they will again move to the Hell of another World and suffer the pain of burning. Furthermore, they will be reborn in the Animal Realm and Yama's World. After exhausting their karma in those places, if they are reborn as humans, due to the ripening of the sins of slandering and abandoning the Dharma in the past, no matter where they are born, they will become blind, destitute, of low birth, bamboo workers, blind, incomplete in nose, tongue, hands, and feet, lepers, those with skin diseases, hunchbacks, etc., or they will be born in places where the names of the Three Jewels are not heard."
Whitebeard widened his eyes looking at Dao Xin. After a long while, he shook his head. "What are you saying? I don't understand! But your lives, our Whitebeard Pirate Crew will take them!"
Whoosh! The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant.
The monks behind Dao Xin simultaneously stepped forward, True Qi rising, surrounding Whitebeard.
(end of chapter)