Techniques and Dao

Chapter 211 City Trap
The sky above Nanjing was ablaze with the glow of dawn.

The orbs of light falling like rain from the night sky crashed against the defensive layer with a continuous booming sound. The city's roads trembled slightly from the sound waves, and cracks appeared in the asphalt, sending gravel flying across the ground.

Looking at the Righteous Dharma Bright Tathagata Dharma Gate Formation set up by Master Ruokong above his head, Xuanwen breathed a slight sigh of relief. But he immediately curled his lips and said, "This formation looks quite impressive, but I'm sure that bald man is still no match for Dao Ling Xingjun's magic power."

After parting ways with Master Ruokong, Xuanwen followed the suggestion of Immortal Jueguang and went to various corners of the city, moving anyone he saw out of Jinling City.

He flew southwest along the north bank of the Qinhuai River, and whenever he saw a crowd, he would recite the "Transformation Spell." This spell would emit a bright blue light, moving people or objects hundreds of miles away.

Xuanwen moved southwest along the Qinhuai River from Wuding Gate, passing through the Southern Tang city wall, Fugui Tower, and Yuhua Gate. He didn't count the number of people along the way, but he felt that he must have moved more than 30,000 to 40,000 people. However, this number was far from enough for the huge city of Jinling.

"Ordinary people are also subject to life and death, so let's do what we can!"

Xuan Wen, who had initially intended to offer some explanations to the citizens, decided to remain silent, as relocating more people should be his priority now.

As he flew, he noticed that the number of people on the road was gradually decreasing, but he had not ended up in the suburbs.

"Could it be that everyone is hiding inside the building because they see there's a disaster outside?"

He ran for more than a mile without seeing a single person before he gradually realized what was happening. Thinking of this, Xuanwen immediately turned around and flew into a building. Inside, he saw that the lobby was indeed packed with people.

He was instantly filled with rage and roared, "What's the use of you mortals hiding in buildings at a time like this! Even if you hide on the eighteenth floor underground, you still can't escape!"

The crowd looked up and saw a person flying into the air, shouting menacingly at them. They immediately lost control and scattered, each trying to hide in a corner of the building.

Seeing that a large group of people was about to trample each other and cause an accident, Xuanwen immediately recited a teleportation spell and teleported all one hundred people in front of him out of Jinling City.

The remaining people, seeing the blue light fade and the more than one hundred people disappear, froze for half a second, their terror growing even stronger. Coupled with Xuanwen's repeated cries of "We can't escape, we can't escape!", they thought the King of Hell had come knocking, and scattered into small groups, running towards the fire escape.

Xuanwen covered his eyes, sighed, and started chasing after them into the stairwell again. He caught everyone he saw along the way, and it took him a lot of effort to finally evacuate nearly a thousand people from the building.

Xuanwen then flew down to the roof of the business center and looked around, but he couldn't find a single person in sight.

"Why do ordinary people prefer to hide in buildings? Am I, Xuanwen, really going to sweep through buildings today?"

He looked closely but still couldn't see anyone, only two stray cats lying in the next alley.

"Well, well, these stray cats are living beings too." Xuan Wen bent down and flew into the alley. Just as he moved the two stray cats away, a blue light illuminated the alley. Only then did he realize that there was a human figure in the alley.

Huh? I caught another one!
Xuanwen chuckled and hurriedly flew away. He chanted a teleportation spell, and the blue light flew towards the figure.

At the same time, Xuanwen's smile froze on his face.

Because the figure in the blue light didn't disappear. Not only did it not disappear, the teleportation spell he had cast was actually grasped by the figure's outstretched hand!

The other party actually caught his magic spell!

A chill immediately ran down Xuanwen's spine.

He stared intently at the figure, confirming that it was neither the Immortal Master Jueguang nor the Immortal Master Yuran whom he had just parted ways with, nor the young monk Buxu.

How come there are people in this city who know magic spells?

Seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking, Xuan Wen stepped forward and shouted, "Who are you, lurking in the shadows like a ghost?!"

The figure didn't care what Xuanwen asked; with a clench of its hand, the teleportation spell was crushed to pieces.

As the spell shattered, the light from the magic illuminated the figure. The light was fleeting; the person wore a deep red robe, their face hidden deep within a hood. From Xuanwen's position, it was impossible to tell whether the person was male or female.

Suddenly, the man unleashed a bright red bolt of lightning, which shot straight toward Xuanwen!

"Oh! You know thunder spells!"

Xuan Wen, in a moment of urgency, sent a lightning talisman flying towards the red lightning bolt! Unexpectedly, the red lightning bolt that was about to strike him dodged to the side, as if it had a mind of its own, and forcefully avoided Xuan Wen's lightning talisman.

Xuanwen was startled again. How could lightning bend?! And even dodge?!
Just as Xuanwen paused for half a second, the lightning talisman he had unleashed struck the stone wall with a loud bang, creating a large crater. At that moment, he saw the red electric current rushing straight towards him!

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! The art of controlling wood!"

Seeing that he had no time to dodge, Xuanwen crossed his hands in front of his face, creating a thick wooden shield.

Electric current cannot pass through dead wood; this is a very simple principle! It will at least greatly reduce the destructive power of this red lightning!

But then something chilling happened to Xuanwen! He definitely heard a piercing shriek from the lightning bolt, a sound that seemed to puncture his eardrums!

Xuanwen had to cover his ears with his hands, and then he saw a terrifying scene in front of him!

The red lightning bolt that lunged at him opened its mouth wide!
At the same moment, ten miles north of Xuanwen's location in Jinling City.

That was beside Xuanwu Lake, inside Jiming Temple.

A seven-story pagoda stands in the temple, known as the Medicine Buddha Pagoda. This pagoda is octagonal with seven levels, featuring dougong brackets, double eaves, an inner staircase, and an outer corridor. The entire wooden structure of the pagoda is decorated with red paint, while the walls are painted yellow. The eaves of the secondary steps are covered with gray tiles, and yellow copper bells hang from the corners.

At this moment, the nearly 50-meter-tall tower was radiating golden light that shone in all directions.

A young monk dressed in a brocade robe sat atop the stupa, chanting the Lotus Sutra.

This young monk was Ruokong.

The Dharma Gate Formation of the True Dharma Bright Tathagata had already been fully deployed. The power of that Dharma Gate was continuously transmitted from Jiming Temple to the Medicine Buddha Pagoda, and then, based on the Medicine Buddha Pagoda, it was transmitted into the sky and transformed into seven-colored rays of light, which Ruokong used to protect the entire city of Jinling.

The rosy light blocked the sphere of light that was about to fall into Jinling City, keeping it a thousand meters above the ground.

After the continuous booming sound of falling orbs of light, the frequency of their descent suddenly slowed down. Their number decreased from countless to hundreds, then to dozens, and finally to just a handful.

Master Ruokong's chanting did not slow down as a result.

Beyond the glow of the sunset, a massive black shadow appeared in mid-air, obscuring the bright moonlight and stars. The shadow flapped its enormous wings, and with the aid of the seven-colored glow of the magic array, the approaching shadow revealed its true form.

It turned out to be a giant, ferocious dragon with a hideous face and its entire body covered in goosebumps!

The dragon's body was a hundred meters long, jet black and shiny, covered with hard scales.

White steam billowed from the dragon's nose, and flames occasionally shot out of its gaping maw.

The black dragon approached the rosy light, probing the protective layer of light covering the sky with its sharp claws. The claws, sharp enough to cut through iron like mud, scraped against the protective layer with a sharp, scathing sound. Each touch was like hitting an electric fence, and the dragon was repelled.

The black dragon, having suffered a loss, was clearly unwilling to accept it. It took a deep breath, its brownish-yellow belly bulging beneath its chest. With a deafening roar, the black dragon unleashed a torrent of flames at the radiant light!

The orange flames spread out from the center, instantly covering a large area of ​​the sky. The fire spread in all directions like waves, and from the city, it looked as if the sky had been burned blood red.

Even under the Dharma Gate of the Righteous Dharma of Master Ruokong, the interior of the radiant light could still feel a continuous flow of heat.

The fire raged for a while, but it did not spread into the sky below the rosy dawn.

At this moment, an old man with a long beard rode a cloud into the sky, looked at the evil dragon outside the rosy clouds for a while, and shouted: "I am Yu Ran, would you like to show your true face?"

Immortal Master Yu Ran shook out his jacket, seemingly unaccustomed to his mortal attire. He continued, "Your large pet shouldn't wander around aimlessly; it might injure someone."

A figure emerged from the dragon's back—a man dressed in a deep red robe, his hat pulled low over his shoulders. His features were obscured, and he remained silent.

Master Yu Ran chuckled and asked, "Bonjour... or Hello?"

The man on the black dragon spoke up: "The Academy of Arts and Sciences..."

Master Yu Ran nodded and said, "You actually pronounced the four characters 'Shudao Xiyuan' (Art of the Dao) perfectly? It's a rather difficult name to pronounce. To be able to say it so fluently, you must have practiced it many times."

The man riding the black dragon also had an older voice.

"Just as we expected. As long as the dragon vein is threatened, the Academy of Arts and Sciences will come down from Shengpingning to the human world."

"This..." Master Yu Ran replied with a wry smile, "Actually, your predictions weren't very accurate; we almost couldn't make it."

The man chuckled and said with a hint of contempt, "Since you know this isn't a joke, you should hand over the Jupiter Silk."

Master Yu Ran replied, "Since you've come to ask us for something, shouldn't you first state your name?"

“Christine,” the man said, “Professor Christine.”

"Ke Ling Shui Ling? Why does a foreign man's name sound like a girl's name..."

"Shut up!" Professor Christine from the Demon School clearly did not agree with Master Yu Ran's joke.

Master Yu Ran said, "Since you are also a teacher, wouldn't it be more polite to show your true face?"

The man snorted, pulled his hat back, revealing a head of white hair and a similarly white beard.

Master Yu Ran exclaimed in surprise, "Oh!" and bowed, saying, "My apologies, it seems you are a high-ranking official."

Professor Christine blurted out, "You are too!"

Master Yu Ran stroked his long beard and said, "That's very true, but I'm already three hundred years old. Compared to me, you're probably still a child, a grandson. You wouldn't be wrong to call me Grandpa."

"Get out of here!" Professor Christine roared. "Hand over the Jupiter Silk right now!"

Master Yu Ran spread his hands and said, "To be honest, we have indeed investigated the entire Xi Academy, and there is absolutely no such thing as Sui Xing Silk. To this day, although Xi Academy has indeed had a connection with Sui Xing Silk, based on all the evidence we have obtained so far, this Sui Xing Silk has not..."

Professor Christine interrupted him: "Isn't the loose thread from your martial arts academy uniforms at the scene evidence enough?"

Master Yu Ran said, "I heard that although this thread was found in the Demon Academy, it did not leave any trace of the academy's disciples' qi patterns. You probably know a little about what qi patterns are, right?"

Professor Christine squinted and said, "Since you know about the aura patterns, why don't you use magic to avoid leaving them behind in advance?"

Master Yu Ran said, "I only heard about this today. And I learned about it from your school."

Professor Christine pressed on, "Who!"

"You don't need to ask about that in detail."

"Impressive. Could it be that the Magic Academy has managed to turn people from the Klin Magic School against their own side in such a short time?"

Master Yu Ran chuckled: "The word 'defection' is a bit of an overstatement. It should probably be said that Dean Xi is highly respected and can win people over with his virtue."

"It seems the Academy of Arts and Sciences isn't planning to hand over the Star Veil today?"

"Professor, you are mistaken. I have nothing to give you today."

"The result is the same."

"Although the conditions are similar, they are indeed similar in appearance but different in spirit."

"Then we'll have no choice but to have a fistfight."

Master Yu Ran stroked his beard and said, "Let alone fists, even in terms of appearance, the Academy of Arts and Sciences is not afraid."

Professor Christine sneered: "Then let's see if you can protect the dragon vein!"

Master Yu Ran also laughed and said, "It seems that your school's six-pointed star formation cannot break this True Dharma Bright Tathagata Dharma Gate Formation for the time being. Not only that, once this Dharma Gate Formation is activated, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter Jinling City right now."

Professor Christine frowned.

Master Yu Ran smiled without saying a word.

Professor Christine suddenly burst into laughter.

Master Yu Ran asked, "Is what I said funny?"

Professor Christine's smile faded, and she said, "I'm not laughing at what you said. I'm laughing at your ignorance."

"Appreciate further details."

"You're actually stupid enough to think that those seemingly harmless things were the ultimate six-pointed star magic circle?"

Master Yu Ran remained silent.

Professor Christine glanced down in the direction of Jiming Temple and said, "That was just a signal flare to probe your defenses. Now that you've exposed your hand, we'll attack your main base directly!"

Master Yu Ran inwardly cried out in alarm, but he remained outwardly calm and said, "But the magic array is already in place, so how can you possibly enter Jinling City?"

Professor Christine laughed again and said, "Who said we need to come in? Klin's magic legion has already arrived! This city has long been a trap for our Hunting Arts Academy!"

He stopped smiling and said fiercely, "Do you think I'm in front of you? This black dragon is real, but it's just an illusion."

Professor Christine's figure suddenly flickered like a hologram, then he reached down and grabbed a wounded boy with a bloody face, as if pulling him from outside the frame into the picture.

The injured boy was actually Xuan Wen!
Xuanwen's face was covered in wounds, his clothes were tattered as if burned, and he muttered:

"I...I'm sorry...Immortal Master, I underestimated them just now. These bastards...have already infiltrated the people of Jinling City...They will attack us...Jiming Temple, Ruokong's Dharma Formation is dangerous!"

Immortal Master Yu Ran's expression changed drastically. Without saying a word, he turned around and flew at full speed towards the Medicine Buddha Pagoda of Jiming Temple!

Beyond the glow of the sunset behind him, the sky turned fiery red and seeped into the boundless daylight. All around, there was a bright, empty, apocalyptic white!

Suddenly, the stars and moon disappeared from view.

The intense light shone on Master Yuran, casting a huge black shadow on the ground.

He suddenly realized that this was the opponent's real trump card to destroy the dragon vein!

The pale and cold-blooded flare crashed down on the seven-colored glow with overwhelming force, and the first wave of attack from the ultimate six-pointed star magic circle arrived!
(End of this chapter)