This martial saint's health bar is too thick

Chapter 698 No self, no person, no sentient being
Under the cover of night, the pond is covered with golden lotuses.

Golden lotuses bloom without roots, their enchanting beauty reflecting a radiant glow on the dark water.

The faint chanting of Buddhist hymns lingered, seemingly descending from the heavens or seeping from the earth, piercing the desolate night wind with a strange rhythm that stirred the soul.

Hua Donghan looked at the white-browed old monk who appeared behind her as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Jingheng?"

Although she had never seen this Buddha in person, she had already guessed his identity.

Jingheng clasped his hands together, his face full of compassion:

"Amitabha, it is this poor monk."

Hua Donghan turned his head and glanced into the distance, then sneered:
"No wonder the Yuwen family suddenly became unruly; it turns out they've found you as their backer. They want to take advantage of the Duke of Jing'an and Grand Marshal Wenren's western expedition to establish a Buddhist kingdom again? Just because of the Yuwen family?"

If it were the Yuwen family eight years ago, they would still have strong control over the Red Desert. At that time, if they raised the banner of rebellion and had Jing Heng as their backer, they would have had a certain chance to establish a Buddhist kingdom in the desert.

But now, the Yuwen family's power has waned.

Jingheng could kill all the people that the Great Blue Dynasty had stationed in the desert, but he could not establish a Buddhist kingdom by himself.

"You remain so calm in the presence of this humble monk, it seems you must have a backup plan. There's no need to hide it any longer, is there?"

Jingheng still smiled and said.

Hua Donghan frowned. She didn't know if the person behind her had exposed their whereabouts, or if Jing Heng had already guessed it.

However, she did have a backup plan—

Above the two, the void rippled, and a figure emerged from the void.

The newcomer was dressed in white armor and wore a mask, revealing only his eyes; his aura was chilling and sinister.

It was none other than Zuo Jun, the former commander of the White Flame Army and now the commander of the Azure Iron Cavalry!
This Martial Saint, who should have been stationed in Lanling City, appeared in the desert thousands of miles away.

Jing Heng looked up at Zuo Jun and exclaimed in admiration:
"Such exquisite concealment techniques! Even this humble monk failed to detect them beforehand. They must be the work of Li Fei, right?"

Zuo Jun remained silent, merely gazing at Jing Heng below. The aura of Dao principles emanating from the other confirmed his identity.

The stealth techniques he used were indeed devised by Li Fei.

Li Fei and Ji Yiheng, two masters of the True One Realm, joined forces and, using a secret manual from the Shangqing Sect's library, crafted a talisman for concealing themselves in the void.

When refining this talisman, Li Fei also used his luck to consume a portion of the Great Blue Dynasty's national fortune and incorporated it into it!
Ultimately, once activated, this concealment artifact allowed a person to hide in the void and move with a fixed target, so much so that even a powerful figure like Jing Heng was unaware of it beforehand.

The reason why Li Fei was willing to sacrifice the nation's fortune to refine such a concealment artifact was to target Jing Heng, who had not yet shown himself.

Before Hua Donghan arrived in the desert to investigate a case, the Secret Investigation Division had already discovered something unusual through some clues.

Initial suspicions suggest that Jing Heng may be behind this!
To explore this possibility, the imperial court secretly dispatched Zuo Jun, who was stationed in Lanling City, to quietly follow Hua Donghan using a talisman that allowed him to conceal himself in the void.

If Jingheng is indeed hiding in Chicheng, then we should take action and capture him.

If not, then we should directly remove the Yuwen family, a thorn in the side that has already been tampered with, to eliminate the hidden danger for the Great Lan Dynasty.

Zuo Jun landed from the air and stood opposite Jing Heng, gesturing for Hua Donghan to step back.

In the upcoming battle, a Grandmaster could certainly be of some help, but Zuo Jun doesn't need one.

In the latest ranking of the top players, Jing Heng is ranked seventh in the world, and Zuo Jun is ranked eighth, just one place behind the other.

Zuo Jun's chances of winning against Jing Heng alone are slim.

But in this round, Zuo Jun doesn't need to win by fighting alone.

The White Flame Army, which he once commanded, was stationed on the edge of the desert and would arrive soon.

Moreover, this place is now within the territory of the Great Blue Dynasty, and Qin Ziheng can activate the Xuanqiong Yuji True Dragon Formation to bless Zuo Jun's national fortune from thousands of miles away!
Zuo Jun, the fate of the nation, plus the White Flame Army.

To defeat a net constant that has been weakened over the years.

It looks like victory is assured!
Grassland, Kuha City.

The biting wind, carrying heavy snowflakes, shrouded the city of Kuha in a white, chaotic expanse.

Sangji stood in the middle of the street, watching the figure appear in the wind and snow:

"I can't believe you actually showed up here."

Before he came, he thought that as long as the peak didn't appear tonight, he would be invincible here.

Then suddenly someone ranked seventh in the world appeared.

"So, all the behind-the-scenes actions that the Manjushri Church has been doing all these years have been orchestrated by you, haven't they?"

Sangji continued to ask.

The Manjushri religion originated from Buddhism and is actually very closely related to Buddhism.

After Jingheng disappeared, Li Fei and the others immediately suspected that he had come to the grasslands to take over the 'remains' of the Manyuan Sect and find an opportunity to make a comeback.

For this reason, Li Fei secretly came to the grassland several times, trying to find Jing Heng through his Qi Luck perception, but he failed each time.

Recently, it was discovered that the Manyuan Sect might be planning something big on the grasslands. The imperial court directly dispatched Sangji to investigate the case, while also preparing for the possibility of encountering Jingheng.

Faced with Sangji's questioning, Jingheng remained silent, but the warm and peaceful Buddhist light around him suddenly became bright and dazzling, pouring towards Sangji like a tide!

Sangji's hair stood on end instantly, a deadly warning flashing through his mind.

Without a second thought, his power erupted, compressing and materializing his martial arts domain to its limit, transforming into a strange suit of armor covering his entire body.

The armor is composed of countless tiny sword energies condensed to the extreme, with scales all shaped like sharp swords. Rather than being a battle armor, it is more like a 'sword armor' that combines offense and defense.

boom--!
A terrifying sword intent that pierced the sky and cleaved the earth soared into the heavens, violently tearing and shredding the surrounding wind and snow.

Sangji seemed to transform into a peerless, deadly sword drawn from its sheath. The sword energy poured down like the Milky Way from the heavens, carrying a resolute intent to kill. It surged and erupted in the middle of the long street, sweeping across all directions!

The violent sword energy plowed deep furrows into the ground, and rubble and snow were swept high into the air.

However, everything was like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun in the face of that seemingly gentle Buddha light. Whether it was the raging river of sword energy or the sword-shaped scales protecting the body, they all melted and disintegrated rapidly under the illumination of the Buddha light.

Even if one is the grandmaster who is closest to the pinnacle in this world, there is still something below the pinnacle.

Not everyone can become Li Fei.

"I wonder how many moves Zhu Fenghua can withstand against this monk?"

Sangji couldn't help but think.

The fact that he can still think about this at this moment shows that he is not flustered at all.

Just as his sword armor was about to completely disintegrate, a crack suddenly appeared in the void behind him.

A fist, a fist wrapped in ancient, heavy golden fist energy, struck out fiercely from the crack!
The fist strikes, and the world falls silent!

The howling wind and snow seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, freezing instantly.

The gentle Buddha light, which shines in all directions and dissolves all things, is like a candle flickering in the wind, swaying violently and almost going out!

Wherever the fist pointed, an overwhelming and all-encompassing powerful will spread out, causing all forces to give way!
"it is good!"

Ahead, Jingheng's ever-present compassionate smile seemed to have deepened, and his voice remained calm and even, "It has been many years since we last met, Sect Leader. Your cultivation has become even more profound. Congratulations!"

Without him making any move, the force of the punch finally stopped in front of him.

Only then did the person who had been hiding in the void reveal himself and stand in front of Sangji.

Compared to the desert, Jingheng is more likely to appear on the grassland.

Therefore, the imperial court appointed an even more important figure here—

Taiyu, the Grand Master of the Great Luo Sect and the Grand Master of the Great Blue Kingdom!
In recent years, the Great Luo Sect has flourished and returned to its peak.

Taiyu also broke through his mental tribulation and made further progress in his cultivation.

He stared at Jing Heng ahead, and his aura began to rise!
The defeat of the Western Kingdom was largely due to the choices made by Yu the Great at crucial moments.

Therefore, over the years, Jingheng has not only been a major threat to the Great Blue Dynasty, but also to Taiyu.

Taiyu had to eliminate Jingheng while he was still alive to prevent him from having the opportunity to retaliate against the Daluo Sect in the future.

"Jingheng".

Taiyu's voice was powerful and resonant, "Let's settle the grudges between you and me, between Taoism and Buddhism, tonight!"

The cool moonlight, like gauze and mist, enveloped a corner of Lin Yuan City.

A small bridge curves gently, a stream murmurs softly, and a few weeping willows sway gently in the night breeze, creating a tranquil and peaceful scene.
The white-browed old monk stood on the river, watching Yu Hong hiding in the shadows:
"Why does the young benefactor possess the aura of Li Fei?"

Yu Hong answered almost instinctively:
"My master infused a sword intent into my token."

He was startled after he finished speaking.

How could I just blurt out my biggest secret like that?

Yu Hong looked at the white-browed old monk with fear in his eyes.

He was not afraid of death. Nor was he afraid of those powerful figures who could kill him with a wave of their hand.

But it was this kind of subtle manipulation of people's hearts that truly frightened Yu Hong.

He feared that through such methods, he would ultimately cease to be himself.
"You're actually Li Fei's apprentice?"

The white-browed old monk's eyes changed, showing a hint of surprise.

Yu Hong pursed his lips and remained silent, reaching into his robes with his right hand to touch the token.

Suddenly, without warning, a dazzling golden Buddhist light burst forth from Jingheng's body, like the sun descending upon the sky!
Whoosh—!
A piercing scream, sharp enough to tear eardrums, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder, shattered the tranquil night sky of Lin Yuan City!

The flowing river seemed to be cleaved open by an invisible giant sword, suddenly splitting to both sides to reveal the dark silt and riverbed below, with water splashing everywhere.

Yu Hong's pupils contracted sharply, stunned by this sudden and dramatic change—

A crystal-clear flying sword, no more than three inches long, was hovering between the white-browed old monk's eyebrows.

The tip of the sword pointed out, and a point of extremely refined cold light flickered uncertainly, exuding a chilling killing intent.

A layer of incredibly solid golden Buddhist light, like the most sturdy glass shield, firmly blocked the sword that was about to pierce the brain.

How did this sword appear? And how did it instantly cross space and pierce in front of the old monk?
Yu Hong didn't see it clearly at all!

This sword strike was so fast that it exceeded the limits of his perception.

"Oh? Ji Yiheng?"

Jingheng stared calmly at the suddenly appearing flying sword.

Under the joint investigation of the Secret Investigation Division and the Blue Patrol Pavilion, three locations have been identified as the most likely places to encounter Jing Heng among the recent unusual occurrences—

The desert, Chicheng, Yuwen Mansion.

Grassland, Kuha City.

Lin Yuan City, Ye Mansion.

In order to eliminate the last major threat to the Great Blue Dynasty, Qin Ziheng has made moves in these three places.

No matter where Jingheng appears in these three places, we must take him down!

Zuo Jun and Bai Yanjun were assigned to the desert.

Taiyu, the most powerful of them all, was sent to the grasslands.

As for Lin Yuan City, there were no initial plans to assign Yu Hong to investigate the case.

However, Yu Hong himself insisted on this, and he was already nearby. If they tried to move him away, it would only alert him.

Secondly, Yu Hong's identity could also be used as bait to lure people in.

So, without Yu Hong's knowledge, there was always a flying sword following him in the void.

After breaking through to the peak, with the help of the national fortune and the Sword Tower, Ji Yiheng can sit in Lanling City and use his flying sword to behead people from thousands of miles away!
Ji Yiheng broke through to the peak later and was weaker than Zuo Jun.

If he were to face Jingheng alone, it would be very difficult for him.

However, since he himself is in Lanling City, it will be easier for him to obtain the blessing of the nation's fortune, and the power of the blessing he receives will be stronger.

In addition, the Qing Shuang Army has already been secretly mobilized and is now only one province away from Lin Yuan City. They will arrive soon!
"Jingheng! For so many years you've been hiding your face, like a stray dog! Now you're like a rat in the gutter, secretly plotting and scheming. Do you think you can succeed?"

Ji Yiheng's voice came from the flying sword.

boom! boom! boom! boom--! ! !
A series of muffled thunderous roars continued.

To the naked eye, the flying sword seemed to remain suspended three inches in front of Jingheng's brow, completely still.

However, in the blink of an eye, the sword tip, carrying a terrifying power that could pierce through the void, launched hundreds of earth-shattering stabs at that seemingly thin barrier of Buddhist light!

Each impact unleashed destructive energy powerful enough to tear metal apart, yet it was all silently neutralized by the seemingly gentle Buddhist light.

Lanling City, Imperial Palace.

The Xuanqiong Yuji True Dragon Formation has been activated!
Qin Ziheng held the Imperial Seal of the State in the Imperial Study, while Hu Tingzhong, the Acting Grand Secretary, sat beside him, helping him to assess the fate of the nation.

Zuo Jun, far away in the desert, was the first to engage the enemy, so Qin Ziheng immediately activated the great formation, ready to remotely bless the nation's fortune at any time.

But before he could take any action, more news arrived—

Jingheng has appeared in Kuha City on the grassland, and the Grand Preceptor Taiyu has already engaged in battle with him!
"Wait a moment."

Qin Ziheng sensed that something was wrong.

Although the intelligence about the setbacks of the western expeditionary force was strictly blocked, he knew that it would not be kept from some people with ulterior motives.

If anyone still wants to do something, this is the most suitable time, and it's their last chance.

So when the Secret Investigation Division discovered some unusual activity, Qin Ziheng realized that Jingheng was probably getting restless and preparing to take action!

In the three most likely locations, he arranged for powerful figures capable of deciding the outcome.

Once the right place is found, the troubles of the Great Blue Dynasty will be resolved.

Without a top-tier expert leading the charge, the rest are nothing but clowns.

But why would Jingheng appear in two places that are thousands of miles apart at the same time?

Before Qin Ziheng could figure it out, Ji Yiheng, who was also in the palace, sent him a telepathic message:

"Your Majesty, I've found him! Jing Heng has appeared in Lin Yuan City, and I'm currently fighting him!"

His tone was very excited.

Unable to join the army on the western expedition, killing Jingheng was the only opportunity Ji Yiheng could think of to make a great contribution.

Are you sure it's Jingheng himself?

Qin Ziheng asked.

Ji Yiheng: "Your Majesty, there's no mistake. His Dao aura and power are correct. It must be Jing Heng!"

Qin Ziheng: "I encountered Jingheng in both the Great Desert Red City and the Grassland Kuha City."

Ji Yiheng: "?"

Qin Ziheng: "Both sides also sent me messages saying that they encountered the real person."

Ji Yiheng: "How is that possible?"

The Dao cannot be faked; he was certain that the person he was fighting was using the Buddha's words.

Who else could this person be but Jing Heng?

Qin Ziheng: "Besides, don't you think Jingheng showed up too easily?"

Ji Yiheng: "Your Majesty is right, it was indeed too easy."

Jingheng is the pinnacle of the True One Realm, not a Martial Saint.

Normally, one should not easily reveal their true location to avoid being approached by a martial saint.

But whether in Chicheng, Kuhacheng, or Linyuancheng.

Jingheng directly exposed the location of the main body.

If they hadn't been certain that this was his true form, the powerful beings hidden in the void wouldn't have made their move so readily.

Qin Ziheng: "Does Buddhism have a similar method of creating clones?"

Ji Yiheng: "There are many techniques and supernatural abilities for creating clones, but to allow a top-tier expert to create clones like this, and even have the Dao principles involved, is truly remarkable."

He suddenly thought of something:

"Your Majesty, the supreme secret manuals for martial arts practice at Pudu Temple are the Vajra Eight Parts and the Tathagata Ten Seals. The supreme secret manual for magical arts practice is only one, called the Prajna Emptiness and Tranquility Sutra, which has been practiced only by the abbot of Pudu Temple throughout the ages."

“During the reign of Emperor Wencheng, Pudu Temple presented a large number of secret manuals to the court. I once saw a note in the royal library that contained some content about the ‘Prajnaparamita Sutra’. It said that if one could practice this manual to the highest level, one could achieve ‘no self, no person, no sentient being, no life span’.”

Qin Ziheng frowned: "What do you mean?"

Ji Yiheng: "In Buddhist scriptures, this means breaking free from attachment to the four marks, which are illusory attachments to self, others, sentient beings, and time. For each attachment that is broken, there is a corresponding wonderful method. Ultimately, one can become omnipresent, even appearing in the past and the future!"

Many descriptions in Buddhist scriptures are exaggerated; there are many things that even the strongest experts cannot do.

But judging from the 'supernatural powers' that Jingheng is displaying at this moment, it does seem that he has indeed mastered the 'Prajnaparamita Sutra' and is able to be omnipresent!

"Moreover, the notebook says that the Prajnaparamita Sutra was left by the Buddha, and apart from the Buddha, no one in Buddhism has ever truly mastered it."

Ji Yiheng added another sentence, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

Qin Ziheng's face was gloomy:

"You mean to say that Jingheng's cultivation has not only not declined due to the 'suppression of Buddhism' over the years, but has actually increased steadily, and he has even mastered the supreme secret technique of Buddhism that only the Buddha could cultivate?"

"Is this even reasonable?!"

(End of this chapter)