Booming sounds erupted in the sky almost instantly. The sky above Celestial Pillar Peak, initially clear and bright, suddenly darkened with oppressive black clouds, as if the heavens were enraged!
The floor-sweeping monk's expression changed drastically as he looked towards the sky.
Even with the Golden Bell shielding him, he felt a chill down his spine; amongst those layers of dark clouds, something terrifying was brewing.
Distracted for a moment, he immediately felt the Pure Yang True Fire intensify, as if wanting to engulf him.
The Buddha light on his body dimmed slightly.
His expression shifted repeatedly, heart filled with dread.
Hastily, he urged the Golden Bell to fend off the True Fire, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.
With nothing but a single Pure Yang True Fire already keeping him bound, unable to move, one can only imagine how to withstand if the heavenly thunder descends?
Or more harshly put, not even a shred of confidence!
The floor-sweeping monk looked at the distant, indifferent Ning Changge, and involuntarily felt a slight tremor of fear in his heart. Yes, fear – he, the dignified Shaolin Buddha of two centuries, was actually fearful of a young Daoist cultivator.
In an instant, a tiny crack appeared in his Buddha heart.
The floor-sweeping monk's expression turned solemn; this concerned not only Kongwen's obsession but also his karma!
This fear within the Buddha heart, if not eradicated in the future, might halt his path from this moment onward.
He softly chanted the Buddha's name, and mysterious forces of true Buddha power seemed to rise from nowhere, infusing into Kongwen's body, stabilizing his aura even more.
Ning Changge showed slight astonishment.
His gaze grew distant, looking toward the sky as if seeing that old monk sweeping in faraway Song.
He lifted his gaze to the oppressive clouds.
Everyone around dared not even look up; that majestic heavenly might was daunting, even Heaven-Man seemed extremely insignificant before such overwhelming power.
Yao Yue's eyes flickered with longing, a yearning for power.
She was determined to pursue Dao enlightenment peak.
Originally coming to Wudang to witness the legendary young Daoist, see whether Pure Yang True Fire was as terrifying as rumored, even harboring a notion to compete.
At such a young age, climbing to Heaven-Man, Yao Yue's talent was also supreme, seeing herself above others!
Now she had seen it, but the shock wasn't ordinary.
One might say that Ning Changge brought her a far greater impact than she imagined.
Ning Changge showed her what surpassed the Heaven-Man's power truly looked like, the floor-sweeping monk's Overshadowing Buddha's Palm and Golden Bell already left her breathless, yet Ning Changge went a step further!
Unknowingly, she clenched her fists.
Yao Yue too yearned for such immense power.
Many martial experts under this heavenly might seemed to have lost the ability to think, merely glancing at the sky with trembling bodies.
"Such mighty power, can it truly be human? I fear even a land-dwelling immortal is only so much?"
Everyone gained a deeper understanding of Ning Changge.
Ning Changge glanced distantly, then looked away; the floor-sweeping monk's subtle techniques were admirable but ultimately futile, merely buying a few extra breaths.
With a gesture from his right hand forming an incantation.
The already pitch-black clouds churned ceaselessly.
Like the sound of Pangu splitting the sky, it echoed across Celestial Pillar Peak. Everyone instantly went deaf, with only a dazzling white light before their eyes!
A massive purple-black python pierced through the white light, descending fiercely from the nine heavens, striking hard upon the Buddha's Golden Bell.
Jade Pivot Heavenly Thunder, breaking laws and extinguishing evil!
Pure Yang True Fire, burning power and destroying the Dao!
Nearly at the moment the purple-black heavenly thunder struck the Golden Bell, Pure Yang True Fire similarly flared up, entwining with the heavenly thunder, transforming into terrifying thunderous flame chains.
Thunder Fire Refining Buddha!
Soon after, everyone was horrified to see.
The floor-sweeping monk coughing blood!
A puff echoed, his face turned ashen-pale, pale gold, blood faintly gold spewed out, dyeing the surrounding Buddha light with an eerie tint.
A faint crackling sound ensued.
Originally incredibly strong under Pure Yang True Fire, the supreme Golden Bell exhibited visible cracks, spreading rapidly as though it would shatter entirely the next moment!
Such tyrannical thunderous force!
Just as everyone thought the Golden Bell was about to break.
"Buddha's True Power!"
An ethereal voice resonated in everyone's ears, as if from vast distances, as vigorous true power enhanced Kongwen's body, the blood-stained Buddha light shining brightly.
The once nearly shattered Golden Bell was reinforced by the Buddha light, rejuvenating as though time reversed, the cracks dissipating, returning to a state of cohesive perfection, though faintly blood-tinted.
Shaolin monks collectively sighed in relief, their anxious looks discernible to all.
Just a moment ago, they almost believed Kongwen would be annihilated entirely under the heavenly thunder!
Ning Changge gazed at the floor-sweeping monk, finally snorting coldly:
How can a rootless source compare to his true self?
His gaze aloof, like a revered Taoist ancestor above the nine heavens, adjusting his hand incantations once more.
Terrifying heavenly thunder roared again, engulfed in blinding white light, while two more purple-black pythons dived and twisted with Pure Yang True Fire into a thunderous flame chain!
The floor-sweeping monk's expression drastically changed, his pupils mirrored the descending pythons, the Buddha light in his eyes pierced.
Everyone's mind went blank.
Then awoken by intermittent sharp cracking sounds, the square's center, where golden light once pervaded, now completely vanished without a trace, dispirited.
Figures of Arhats and Bodhisattvas disappeared as well.
As for the Buddha's Golden Bell.
Numerous intense patterns marked it; the floor-sweeping monk's body coursed with true Buddha power, blood continuously spewing, yet futile against the bell's disintegration.
A crisp sound permeated the sky.
Golden bell shattered.
Dazed, they saw the dilapidated, skeletal figure of the floor-sweeping monk collapsed, devoid of flesh and blood, merely a framework with skin.
Clearly, the monk's methods were not without cost.
His lips moved, murmuring something, yet unheard by the crowd.
Ning Changge's expression remained unchanged.
The final Jade Pivot Heavenly Thunder descended from the heavens, enveloping the floor-sweeping monk.
The dark clouds retreated instantly; the shining sun reemerged, lifting the oppressive sensation. Everyone took lavish breaths, like drowning people breaking the water's surface, feeling a sense of survival after catastrophe.
Looking towards where the floor-sweeping monk once sat cross-legged.
Though any Buddha semblance remained.
Only a faint golden relic fell, while Kongwen's body turned to ash without true Buddha power's support.
Ning Changge flicked a stream of spirit energy, causing the relic to recoil into his hand.
A cry of lament erupted.
It came from Shaolin monks.
Monks lay prostrate on the ground, tears flowing.
Even though they knew once the relic was activated, Kongwen was doomed, yet seeing his body turn to ash without a trace, sorrow inevitably overwhelmed them.
To them, Kongwen was as revered as Ning Changge to Wudang disciples.
Ning Changge's expression remained unfazed.