Chapter 221
The Daoist Realms' morale soared. Their true energy surged, and the collapsing Emperor Treading Peak continued to crumble further.
By the end of this battle, Emperor Treading Peak would be reduced to flat ground.
Seeing the Spirit Swords emerge from the first pouch, Song Yuanqiao felt a surge of confidence. Patting the remaining two pouches in his robes, he smiled brightly at the grimfaced Heavenly Monk and Earthly Nun.
"What do you think? With these Spirit Swords here, it's as if my junior brother is standing among us."
The Heavenly Monk and Earthly Nun were so frustrated they nearly spat blood. Their faces burned with humiliation.
Ever since they had gone to Wudang, nothing had gone their way. Their pride and dignity had been utterly shattered.
Four centuries of cultivation had done nothing to prepare them for this level of disgrace.
"Spirit Swords or not, it only proves that Ning Changge isn't here!" they roared defiantly, charging once more at Wudang's Seven Heroes.
Song Yuanqiao laughed heartily, unfazed by their bravado.
"My junior brother's methods are unparalleled. Whether he's here or not makes no difference."
With a wave of his hand, he shouted:
"Spirit Swords! Aid us in slaying our enemies!"
Buzz!
The Five Elements Spirit Swords began to tremble violently.
To everyone's astonishment, the swords seemed to respond to Song Yuanqiao's command. In an instant, they transformed into beams of light and shot toward the Buddhist Buddhas!
Roar!
Howl!
Cry!
Shriek!
Thunderous roars echoed across the heavens as the Spirit Swords transformed into five divine beasts:
The divine beasts roared as they wielded their respective elements, each targeting a different Buddha. Their attacks were imbued with an aura of supreme dominance and carried traces of divine mysteries.
The crowd was dumbfounded.
This wasn't just swordsmanship—it was as if five peerless Sword Immortals had descended upon the battlefield!
The sheer brilliance of this technique left everyone in awe of Ning Changge's methods. His absence only added to his mystique, as his creations alone could dominate such a battle.
The heavens were illuminated by fivecolored light as the divine beasts unleashed their power.
A Buddha from Loulan Buddhism manifested an eightarmed Arhat form to confront the White Tiger. Though his Buddha light surged mightily, it was no match for the tiger's golden sword qi, which severed four of his arms in an instant.
The White Tiger roared triumphantly and continued its assault, leaving deep gashes in the mountain below as its sword qi carved through stone like butter.
The Loulan Buddha paled as he struggled to evade the relentless attacks. He realized that while the Spirit Swords were powerful, they lacked flexibility without a wielder. Even so, he could barely hold his ground.
"If someone were controlling these swords," he thought with dread, "I'd already be dead!"
The same scenario played out across the battlefield.
Another Buddha from Great Wheel Temple, who had underestimated the Black Tortoise's watery sword qi, lost five fingers in an instant. Though he survived, his arrogance was replaced with fear and caution.
None of the Buddhas dared underestimate the Spirit Swords any longer. Their hearts grew heavy as they realized how close they were to being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, the Daoist Realms were elated.
The Old Celestial Master and Zhang Sanfeng had seen the Spirit Swords in action before and were unsurprised by their power. But for others, like Lü Suzhen of Qingcheng Mountain and various Land Immortals from Lingbao Daoist Temple and Xuanzhen Temple, this was their first time witnessing such might.
"Immortal Dao… truly unfathomable!" they murmured in awe.
The battlefield was now divided into two fronts:
Thanks to the Spirit Swords' intervention, Daoist Realms who had been fighting two opponents now faced only one. This shift allowed them to gain the upper hand and push back their adversaries.
On the other front, the Spirit Swords dominated their respective battles, leaving their opponents battered and bloodied.
The tide had turned decisively in favor of Daoism.
For many spectators, this was a revelation. They had never imagined that mere swords could tip the scales so dramatically.
"How strong must Ning Changge be," someone whispered, "if his swords alone can suppress Buddhas?"
"This is terrifying…"
"Immortal Dao… If I could glimpse its secrets just once in my life, I'd die happy."
But not everyone believed Buddhism would fall so easily.
"They must have prepared for this," said a middleaged swordsman with a solemn expression. "If they accounted for Ning Changge himself, they wouldn't be caught off guard by his swords."
His words proved prophetic.
In one corner of the battlefield, a Buddha from Great Wheel Temple had been holding his own against the Black Tortoise. But suddenly, the sword transformed—splitting into five projections that formed a miniature Five Elements Sword Formation!
Boom!
A radiant burst of fivecolored light obliterated his defenses. His head was severed cleanly, and even his relic was consumed by the Black Tortoise Sword.
Moments later, another Buddha from Loulan Buddhism fell victim to a similar fate as the White Tiger unleashed its own Five Elements Sword Formation.
Two Buddhas had fallen in quick succession!
The heavens wept as dark clouds gathered and rain poured down—a mournful tribute to their passing.
The remaining three Buddhas fighting the Spirit Swords were horrified. Though they managed to survive by retreating and receiving aid from their allies, they were gravely injured—one lost an arm, another a leg, and the third nearly half his body.
The battlefield fell silent as both sides regrouped.
The Buddhist Buddhas stared at their Daoist counterparts with a mix of fear and fury. Never before had they suffered such humiliation—two Buddhas slain and three others maimed!
"You'll pay for this!" one roared angrily. "Such cruelty will not go unpunished!"
Zhang Sanfeng remained unfazed.
"Spare me your empty words," he retorted coldly. "Today will end with one side standing victorious."
A whitebrowed Buddha stepped forward solemnly:
"If that's how it must be… Then witness our ultimate formation!"
The Buddhas began chanting in unison. Their voices filled the air with solemnity as golden light surged around them. Countless Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas appeared in an endless procession—a manifestation of their combined will and power.
"The Myriad Buddha Formation," whispered Dugu Jian, who had been watching silently until now. "So they've finally revealed it…"