Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

The sword energy and palm force swiftly converged, without a deafening collision, but rather yin transformed into yang, and yang into yin, vanishing silently.

Boom!

Shi Feixuan was no less surprised than Wanwan. She thought that she could kill Wanwan after breaking through, but she did not expect that the other party would catch up. At that moment, she used her most exquisite sword move and entered a life-or-death situation.

Shi Feixuan's figure was graceful and ethereal, like a fairy in the clouds. With her sword in hand, she seemed to merge with the sword in her hand, radiating a breathtaking light.

Swish!

The sword energy suddenly intensified, and the sharp and terrifying sword light shot into the sky, causing even the sunlight to lose its color.

With a single strike, the sword pierces the void, the spirit and the sword unite, and the energy encompasses all directions!

boom!

Wanwan's sleeves fluttered, swallowing the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy). Suddenly, she grabbed with her right hand, and her extremely refined罡气 (罡气 is a type of internal energy) spread out densely.

The air suddenly froze, fluctuating wildly, and wisps of extremely fine internal energy, like threads, were generated from the acupoints on her hands, crisscrossing in the air.

A burst of energy intersected, perfectly blocking the unprecedentedly dazzling sword.

hum!

The two had been fighting for years and knew this was a protracted war. In an instant, they had exchanged dozens of blows, and bursts of powerful sounds erupted in the air.

At this moment, the masters of both the righteous and demonic paths had all chosen their opponents. Zhu Yuyan and her old friend Fen Qinghui were seen fighting each other with great enthusiasm.

In addition, the masters of the Demonic Sect also fought with those martial monks. The most powerful monk in the Tang Dynasty was naturally Zen Master Liaokong. He practiced the silent meditation method, which was broken by Li Xiuyuan, but no one could match him.

At this moment, Zen Master Liaokong, holding the enormous bronze bell, saw that the four holy monks were at a disadvantage. He thought to himself that the demon was highly skilled in martial arts and, being the leader of the demonic sect, he had to be dealt with. Therefore, Liaokong did not go to help the others; he planned for the five of them to fight Li Xiuyuan.

Under Li Xiuyuan's mental perception, the changes around him came into view. He knew that the people had started fighting, and there was an aura locking onto him from the side, ready to attack at any moment.

Chapter 44 Vajra Subduing Demons

Li Xiuyuan thought to himself, "This is the combined attack of the Four Holy Monks. No wonder they were able to defeat Shi Zhixuan so badly that he had to flee. They are indeed extraordinary. With Kong Hu watching him closely, this can be said to be the most difficult battle he has faced since he transmigrated here."

Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and with a focused glance, he suddenly activated the Illusionary Demon Body Technique, causing four figures to fly out simultaneously. At such a speed, it was impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake with the naked eye.

The next moment, four Li Xiuyuan suddenly appeared, and the Divine Demon Sword in his hand was displayed. Four sword energies, each tens of meters long, slashed towards the four people almost at the same time.

hum!

Upon seeing this, the four holy monks shouted, "Vajra Subdues Demons!"

In an instant, the four people stood on the earth like a Vajra, their entire bodies as one, radiating an incomparably powerful aura.

Vajra is the protector of the Buddha, symbolizing that his body is indestructible and indestructible like a diamond. He possesses supreme majesty and subdues demons and monsters.

"Boom!"

A muffled thunderous sound came, and the four holy monks almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the opponent's sword energy would break the formation.

Li Xiuyuan thought to himself how formidable the four of them were. They practiced the same techniques and, having spent decades together, were of one mind. Whenever his sword energy struck any of them, the other three would intervene.

Even though his martial arts skills were superior to the four of them, he would have had difficulty breaking the formation without using his true abilities. Shi Zhixuan's defeat was not unjust.

Li Xiuyuan let out a long sigh and said coldly, "The Thirteen Deadly Swords!"

The longsword in his hand shifted and suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, as dazzling as the sun, as swift as lightning, and as aggressive as fire and water.

The boundless killing intent erupted in an instant, merging into the seemingly endless, continuous sword light. The earth and sky appeared to be stained with blood in an instant, filled with boundless killing intent.

The will of the sword and the will of the sword merged almost flawlessly at this moment. This was both the surging killing intent driven by the human heart and the unique killing aura of the Thirteen Deadly Swords.

This sword technique was created as if it were specifically designed to bring endless killing intent, death, and suffering to the world. Looking across the Tang Dynasty, apart from the Thirteen Deadly Swords, there was no other sword technique that possessed such terrifying and pure killing intent.

hum!

The chilling sword energy penetrated to the bone marrow, and the icy killing intent froze the soul!

The four holy monks were startled, as if a chill ran through their very souls. In an instant, they felt that the sword was difficult to withstand, but they still fought against it with perfect harmony.

boom!

With a series of violent impacts, a huge gap was opened in the bronze bell that enveloped the four people. And this was not the end of it.

If the Thirteen Deadly Swords are like a flower!

When this plant was first planted, there was nothing there, but as it slowly grew, it developed branches and leaves, and then flowers.

The first thirteen swords were merely the roots and stems of the flower, and the fourteenth sword was merely the branches and leaves. But when it underwent the fifteenth transformation, the flower bloomed. This fifteenth sword was the true flower.

hum!

A sharp sword aura surged forth, and boundless killing intent emerged.

With a swift strike, the world seemed to be divided into yin and yang by this single sword strike, undergoing a terrifying transformation!

The fourteenth variation of the Thirteen Deadly Swords was used by Li Xiuyuan once again.

A chilling aura of death filled the sword, and within a radius of ten feet centered on Li Xiuyuan Mountain, vegetation withered and life was extinguished.

boom!

The Vajra Subduing Demon Formation of the Four Holy Monks could no longer suppress Li Xiuyuan and was broken by the sword in an instant. Their bodies fell down almost at the same time.

At the same time, Zen Master Liaokong held up a huge bronze bell and struck out with his palm, seemingly locking down all the space in all directions, forcing Li Xiuyuan to confront his unparalleled Buddhist power head-on. His martial arts were stronger than those of the four holy monks.

The fifteenth variation is the last sword technique that Li Xiuyuan has comprehended from the Deadly Sword Technique.

The sword was finally unleashed.

The scene was desolate and shrouded in deathly silence. All five people present were enveloped by the sword intent. However, as soon as their eyes met the changes in the sword technique, they felt as if they were unable to move and their lives were frozen.

He had a mouth but could not speak.

Having ears but unable to hear.

He has eyes but cannot see.

He could not think, he could not ponder, he could not contemplate; all his thoughts ceased, and only an indescribable fear arose instinctively.

Only that ethereal sword light remained between heaven and earth, slashing towards Zen Master Kong in a way that mortals could neither conceive nor comprehend.

The sword flashed and vanished in an instant, the smoke dissipating and the sword light disappearing into the distance.

hum!

Liao Kong felt a subtle, penetrating sword energy, like threads of love, seeping through the bronze bell in his hand. Immediately afterward, a surging, violent gust of wind crashed into the bronze bell, causing the massive bell to dent in a strange arc.

These two completely opposite and different types of true energy mixed together and then exploded, causing his Buddhist true energy, which he had painstakingly cultivated for decades, to crumble.

boom!

The enormous bronze bell shattered into pieces, and the four holy monks on the field were all killed. Their bodies were completely devoid of flesh and blood, leaving only a layer of dry skin covering their withered skeletons.

call!

The Fifteen Deadly Swords could not be called a demonic sword. No wonder Yan Shisan could not control this sword and committed suicide. If it were not for Li Xiuyuan, even other grandmaster-level experts would have difficulty wielding this sword.

Li Xiuyuan's expression hardened. The battle between the crowd had no time to pay attention to him. At this moment, they were unaware that five people had died.

Li Xiuyuan arrived with his sword drawn. His figure was like a phantom, moving and appearing instantly. Ning Daoqi, who was fiercely fighting with Shi Zhixuan, suddenly sensed a murderous aura enveloping him, and he was startled.

Chapter 45 The Collapse of Buddhism

A sharp sword suddenly struck out, its rapid movements resembling a soaring, dancing silver serpent or lightning dragon, enveloping Ning Daoqi like a net, leaving him nowhere to escape. Moreover, while defending against Shi Zhixuan, he was subjected to such a fierce attack, and the outcome was predictable.

The old Taoist priest flew away at lightning speed, but Li Xiuyuan's sword energy was not easy to dodge, and he was suddenly struck and sent flying.

boom!

A tremendous sound rang out, and Ning Daoqi was killed by this sudden sword strike!

Shi Zhixuan was still in a state of shock, but considering Li Xiuyuan's martial arts skills and with him keeping him in check, how could the old Taoist possibly escape unscathed?

Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "Evil King, I'll leave the rest to you. I will be leaving for now."

With that, he took a leap and flew away from the battlefield.

Li Xiuyuan has achieved the result he wanted. The deaths of the Four Great Monks, Zen Master Liaokong, and Ning Daoqi have completely suppressed the power of Buddhism. I'm afraid the members of the Righteous Alliance did not expect to suffer such heavy losses!

After all, their strength had greatly increased, and if they joined forces in the Tang Dynasty, they would be invincible. It was just a pity that they encountered Li Xiuyuan.

Upon hearing this, Shi Zhixuan's face lit up with joy, and he replied, "Yes."

In recent years, the righteous and demonic paths have clashed, with the demonic sect almost always at a disadvantage. After all, the Buddhist sect has many experts, and the demonic sect is no match for them. Now that the Buddhist sect's experts have been almost wiped out, it is time for the demonic sect to gain the upper hand.

The deaths of the four great monks and Zen Master Liaokong had already terrified the remaining Buddhist masters. Now, even if Li Xiuyuan didn't make a move, the addition of a Grandmaster-level expert to the battlefield only exacerbated the situation.

The remaining Buddhist followers lost all will to fight and could only retreat, as there was no chance of winning if they continued to fight.

…………

After leaving the battlefield, Li Xiuyuan immediately returned to Yuhe Temple. He went back to his secluded meditation room and reasoned that the Buddhist masters had suffered heavy losses and would surely ask him for help. It was time to take action.

In Li Xiuyuan's mind, whether it was Buddhism or the demonic sect, they were all just pawns in his game.

At this time, the four great monks of Buddhism and Zen Master Liaokong died, so Jingnian Temple was almost ownerless. With Bodhidharma's abilities, it would be an easy task to take it under his control.

After all, Bodhidharma is portrayed as having superhuman skills in the novel, so he naturally possesses this ability. With his absolute strength and mastery of Buddhism, Jingnian Temple will soon become like Shaolin Temple!

Li Xiuyuan knew that Bodhidharma was a descendant of his lineage. In the future, if Bodhidharma helped the world, he could gain merit. He could also kill a Buddhist master from the Tang Dynasty and gain sin points. Why not?

Li Xiuyuan sat down cross-legged and took out the copper jar containing the Evil Emperor's Relic. It was a fist-sized yellow crystal that had just left the mercury liquid inside the jar.

The crystal appears both hard and soft, with its translucent interior revealing slowly flowing, cloud-like, blood-red patterns that emit a faint yellow light. The Demonic Sect's supreme treasure, the Evil Emperor's Relic, has finally reappeared in the world.