Ye Qiu whirled around abruptly, employing One Step A Hundred Li. He shot towards Wu Hua’s hiding spot like a streak of lightning while a razor-sharp sword qi burst from his fingertip.
“Shoo—”
The sword cry streaked through the air like a long rainbow, arriving before Wu Hua in an instant and aiming straight for his skull.
Sudden and lightning-fast.
Wu Hua had been inwardly sneering when he saw Ye Qiu walking towards the Azure Cloud disciples, thinking Ye Qiu had failed to detect him. Little did he know it was merely a feint.
“This bastard was lulling me into complacency.”
Wu Hua was furious, but Ye Qiu’s sword qi was too sharp to dodge. With no other choice, he revealed his true form.
“Amitabha!”
Wu Hua pressed his palms together. Intense Buddhist light enveloped him, his entire body radiating brilliance as though the Buddha himself had descended.
“Ding!”
The sword qi struck the centre of Wu Hua’s forehead, yet it was as though it had hit an impregnable iron wall. It could not advance a single millimetre further.
“Almsgiver Ye, this humble monk possesses the Indestructible Vajra Body. Your sword qi cannot harm me,” Wu Hua said with a faint smile.
“Is that so?” Ye Qiu’s expression was ice-cold. Without another word, he threw a punch.
Instantly, his fist became a bolt of golden lightning that tore through the void with terrifying might, striking Wu Hua’s abdomen in the blink of an eye.
“Clang!”
A resounding clash rang out, loud enough to pierce metal and stone, like two supreme divine weapons colliding.
The next moment, Wu Hua shot backwards like a cannonball, snapping several ancient trees in succession before crashing to the ground.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, face alternating between green and white, a mouthful of blood caught in his throat.
Wu Hua swallowed the blood, then stared at Ye Qiu in shock. “I never imagined Almsgiver Ye’s strength would be even greater than I thought.”
Unbeknownst to him, Ye Qiu was equally astonished.
That punch had carried eighty percent of his power. With his ability to fight above his realm, it would have been enough to flatten any peak Cave Heaven genius.
Yet Wu Hua showed not the slightest external injury. In fact, after landing the blow, Ye Qiu’s own knuckles ached fiercely.
“The Indestructible Vajra Body truly lives up to its reputation,” Ye Qiu thought to himself.
“Almsgiver Ye, how about a deal?” Wu Hua proposed. “Let me take the golden coffin, and I will dispose of Wei Wuji and Yao Meng for you.”
Ye Qiu laughed coldly, as though he had heard the world’s funniest joke. “No need for your help. I’ve already taken care of them.”
Wu Hua smiled gently. “Do you truly believe they are dead?”
Ye Qiu pointed at the corpses of Wei Wuji and Yao Meng. “Their bodies are right there.”
“They are not dead yet,” Wu Hua said warmly, then suddenly barked, “Get up!”
At his command, a bizarre scene unfolded. Wei Wuji and Yao Meng stiffly rose to their feet at the same time.
Their limbs jerked awkwardly, bones cracking and popping, making them look exactly like walking corpses. It was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
The crowd erupted in shock.
“How are they alive again?”
“What on earth is going on?”
“How can dead men walk?”
“Ghosts…”
The Azure Cloud disciples panicked. Some of the more timid ones began backing away, wanting to flee.
The sight was genuinely horrifying.
Even Ye Qiu was startled. He had personally killed Yao Meng and Wei Wuji, and he had clearly sensed no trace of life in them. They were undoubtedly dead, yet now they stood up once more.
“Come here.” Wu Hua crooked a finger at the pair.
Wei Wuji and Yao Meng shuffled stiffly to his side.
“Kneel!”
At Wu Hua’s sharp command, both immediately dropped to their knees before him and lowered their heads.
“Daddy~”
“Godfather!”
Wei Wuji and Yao Meng spoke in unison.
Wu Hua smiled broadly. “Almsgiver Ye, I told you they weren’t dead. Do you believe me now?”
“I killed them with my own hands. I’m certain they are dead. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve used some method to control their corpses,” Ye Qiu spat. “You call yourself a Buddhist yet commit such heaven-defying atrocities instead of practising compassion. You’ll go to the deepest hell for this.”
Wu Hua remained unfazed and smiled. “Almsgiver Ye, give me the golden coffin and I’ll finish these two for you.”
At that moment, the little white fox sent Ye Qiu a mental message. “Ye Changsheng, the Great Thunderclap Temple has an evil technique called Walking Corpses and Moving Flesh.”
“Once someone falls under it, they are completely controlled. Even after death, their corpse can still be manipulated at will.”
“If this queen… if I’m not mistaken, those two wretches are under the Walking Corpses and Moving Flesh technique.”
Thump!
Ye Qiu rapped the little fox on the head with a finger.
“Ye Changsheng, why did you hit me?” The little white fox glared at him.
“You’re a little fox, yet you keep calling yourself ‘this lord’. Are you even human?” Ye Qiu chuckled.
“I’m not a little fox. I’m a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox,” she retorted.
“Whatever breed you are, you’re still a fox.” Ye Qiu continued, “Since you know so much, tell me how to break the Walking Corpses and Moving Flesh technique.”
“I’m not telling you.” The little white fox was still sulking.
“I bet you don’t actually know,” Ye Qiu taunted. “I thought you really were omniscient. Turns out you’re just pretending.”
“I’m not pretending! The way to break it is simple: overcome evil with righteousness…” The little white fox suddenly noticed the smirk on Ye Qiu’s lips, realised she had been tricked, and fumed, “You sneaky Ye Changsheng! You deliberately baited me!”
Ye Qiu laughed. “Only just noticed? Stupid fox.”
“You’re the stupid one.” She huffed, then added, “Although I told you the method, getting rid of those two won’t be easy.”
“Ye Changsheng, we demons happen to have a divine ability that can completely counter Walking Corpses and Moving Flesh. Want to learn it?”
“If you do, beg me!”
Ye Qiu refused outright.
“Not interested.”
The little white fox bared her teeth, itching to bite him. She inwardly cursed, “This stinking man is infuriating!”
Ye Qiu looked straight at Wu Hua and declared loudly, “I have no interest in any deal with you. Forget about the coffin. And you can stay here as well.”
“Almsgiver Ye, do you intend to kill this humble monk?” Wu Hua pressed his palms together, wearing an expression of sorrowful compassion. “Amitabha. This monk is kind-hearted and reluctant to create more killing, yet Almsgiver Ye insists on taking my life. Under the circumstances, I have no choice but to resist. Even if I kill you, I’m sure the Buddha will not blame me.”
“Attack!”
At Wu Hua’s command, Wei Wuji and Yao Meng charged at Ye Qiu together.
