Chapter 346: Chapter 173: Saint Lotus Sect Leader

The lands of Dongqi were slightly different from Sichuan Province.

Sichuan Province is mountainous, with towering ranges often sprawling across the land for hundreds, even thousands of miles, leaving vast areas desolate and uninhabited.

But Dongqi Province was different. Aside from the Tai Mountain Range and the Yimeng Mountain Range, it had no other major ranges or peaks.

Moreover, even in places like these, a few villagers lived scattered about, and some areas had even been developed into scenic tourist spots.

It never lacked for tourists year-round.

The area where Cangwu Zi and the others were was just such a place. Though vast and open, quite a few residents were still scattered nearby.

What’s more, there was a tourist attraction not far away.

Such a massive commotion, coupled with the destruction of the surrounding villages, quickly sparked widespread panic throughout the region.

This was no longer a simple fight between Martial Artists; it was on par with a natural disaster.

Master Qingyang saw Cang Zhenzi leap forward and use his True Dharma Body to block Cangwu Zi.

He then turned slightly to the side, toward the unfamiliar young man and woman who had just steadied themselves, their gazes cold and detached.

"May I ask which of the Holy Lotus Sect’s Saint Envoys I am addressing? My sect and the Holy Lotus Sect have always kept to ourselves. I ask that you grant me some small courtesy and refrain from making a move in the Dongqi Land."

Master Qingyang spoke in a resonant voice, his aura as deep as an abyss and vast as the sea, a sharp light glinting in his eyes—a clear display of his own power.

That he was the one sent to handle matters at a time like this spoke volumes about Master Qingyang’s strength.

"Well said. I am Zhang Kui, the Qingfeng Envoy of the Holy Lotus Sect. Greetings, Master. Since you’ve made the request, we’ll naturally grant you this courtesy. However, it seems you should be more worried about Cangwu Zi."

The Qingfeng Envoy glanced at the two colossal giants battling in the distance, and a faint smile touched his lips.

Apparently, Cang Zhenzi’s so-called demon-subduing techniques had failed against Cangwu Zi.

Master Qingyang’s expression stiffened. He clearly hadn’t expected events to take the worst possible turn.

"Master Qingyang, I think you’d better make a move. Otherwise, all life in the Dongqi Land will be devastated," the Qingfeng Envoy said, his expression suddenly turning serious.

He conveniently forgot that if it weren’t for them, Cangwu Zi would never have succumbed to his Demon Intent again.

Master Qingyang hesitated for a moment before suddenly leaping into the air. "Brother," he called out to Cang Zhenzi, "hold on! I’m coming!"

As he spoke, a surge of Misty Purple Qi erupted from his body. The purple qi rose steadily and, in just a moment, coalesced into a colossal Panshi.

The stone was about twenty zhang high and utterly immense.

Supporting the Panshi with his palm, Master Qingyang hovered in mid-air. He suddenly hurled the Panshi toward Cangwu Zi, and it shrieked through the air like a falling meteor, creating a deafening sonic boom.

Although Cangwu Zi’s Demon Intent had reawakened, this intent was merely a chaotic consciousness, devoid of any true intelligence.

He acted purely on instinct.

Seeing the stone approach, he raised his arm and brought it down like a hammer.

With a sharp CRACK, Cangwu Zi’s arm instantly fractured and bent, shattering into motes of Spiritual Qi and Floating Dust.

"ROAR!"

Enraged, Cangwu Zi’s Demonic Qi flared. He instantly regenerated his Dharma Aspect arm and began smashing it furiously against the stone.

His ferocious posture was that of a mad demon.

No, at this moment, he truly was one.

The Dharma Aspect that Master Qingyang had manifested was the Taishan Sect’s famous Shi Gandang, renowned throughout the world for its indestructibility.

If Cangwu Zi had been in his right mind, he naturally would not have been so reckless as to vent his anger on a stone.

But in his current state, how could one expect him to act rationally?

When Cang Zhenzi saw Master Qingyang make his move, he breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stabilizing his Dharma Body to recover briefly.

"I am ashamed," Cang Zhenzi transmitted to Master Qingyang. "I misspoke. I never imagined my martial brother, Cangwu Zi, would now possess a flawless body. It’s truly inconceivable."

"Brother, my Panshi won’t hold for long. Even if we join forces, I fear we can’t delay him for much longer. If he escapes, the Dongqi Land is in grave peril!"

"This..."

Cang Zhenzi felt a headache coming on. If what he said was true, the Qingcheng Sect would have no way to answer to the Taishan Sect.

Before the two could exchange more than a few words, a deafening crack tore through the air.

Qingyangzi’s body swayed, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Not good!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, the giant Panshi pressing down on Cangwu Zi shattered and dissipated into the air.

Having lost its opponent, Cangwu Zi’s gaze landed on the equally colossal form of Cang Zhenzi, and it charged him again.

"Damn it all!"

Cang Zhenzi could only brace himself and meet the attack head-on.

Seeing this, Qingyangzi took a moment to regulate his breathing, then hurriedly re-formed the Tai Mountain Stone Guardian and sent it flying toward Cangwu Zi.

The battle between the three behemoths engulfed an area for dozens of miles around.

As their forms crisscrossed the battlefield, it was as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting asunder. Wherever they passed, mountains crumbled and houses were pulverized into dust.

Hundreds of Patrols and Taishan Sect Daoists scrambled to save people, evacuating the inhabitants of the surrounding villages from the perilous area one by one.

For the stubborn ones who wouldn’t listen, the Daoists simply hit their pressure points, slapped them, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck, and hauled them away.

At a time like this, who had the patience to argue or talk about human rights?

In less than half an hour, the entire area around the battle was a scene of utter devastation.

The crowd of onlookers in the distance—be they Daoists, Patrols, or the soldiers who arrived later—could only stare helplessly at such a man-made catastrophe, powerless to do anything but secure the perimeter.

Their job was to stop curious civilians from getting closer to watch.

Ordinary civilians were easy to stop, but Martial Artists were harder to control. The area was too vast, and there were always some overconfident individuals who would leap in to observe the True Dharma Masters’ battle up close.

The Daoists of the Taishan Sect couldn’t be bothered with them. If people wanted to overestimate their own abilities and court death, it had nothing to do with the Taishan Sect.