Binding to Geniuses To Become Stronger - Chapter 159 - The Battle of Pagodas; The Devil King and the Buddha

Monk Fa He’s explanation made Fa Jiao’s heart stop. He began to feel a prickling sensation in his nose.

Fa Jiao could see the fatigue in Fang Lang’s figure after battling the sacred maiden Bai Ling and the archdevil Chi Yun.

Fa Jiao felt that Fang Lang had done enough. His efforts in battling both the sacred maiden and archdevil single-handedly.

As Master Ci Yue’s disciple, Fa Jiao was very clear about how powerful Bai Ling and Chi Yun were. For them to have been acknowledged as the geniuses of the younger generation of the demon world, they would definitely be pretty powerful.

However, Fang Lang did not elect to step out of the match even after battling those two powerful characters. Instead, he remained on the battlefield waiting for the last match to start.

Fang Lang was still going to help Fa Jiao pave the way for the All-Seeing Buddha Sect to win comfortably in this year’s Battle of Pagodas. He would rather continue to fight in his injured state in order to weaken the opponent instead of retreating.

Fa Jiao could sense Fang Lang’s high moral principles and admirable conduct. Fang Lang was truly deserving of his title as the Tang Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Champion!

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…

Strong winds gusted across the ocean.

After the intense battle, white foam remnants of the waves and ripples continued to drift over the ocean surface.

Fang Lang stood on top of the ocean in his spotless white robes. Even though his strength had dipped slightly, he maintained his powerful stance.

His surroundings were deadly silent. This was true for the All-Seeing Buddha Sect side as well as the demon world side.

No one expected that Fang Lang would be able to achieve this. To battle two great geniuses and win!

However, at that moment, the eyes of the demon world warriors were incomparably sharp. They focused their gaze on Fang Lang, who remained standing on the ocean surface, feeling an angry fire rage within their hearts.

“Isn’t he going to step down!?”

“Is he planning to continue fighting?”

“After fighting with Chi Yun and Bai Ling, his condition must have certainly deteriorated drastically. Even though he isn’t hurt, isn’t he worried that he’d be crushed if he continues fighting in the third match?”

The demon world warriors raged in an exceedingly cold and grim manner.

This Battle of Pagodas has been an absolute humiliation for the two tribes of the demon realm. After all, the sacred maiden and the archdevil both suffered losses. They had originally thought that with these two geniuses taking part, victory over the All-Seeing Buddha Sect was guaranteed.

Yet, the result had turned out like this.

The leader of the demon world warriors was utterly depressed. The main reason for this was that Bai Ling and Chi Yun were not upset or distressed after losing. On the contrary, they both seemed appreciative and fond of Fang Lang!

‘He belongs to the enemy camp!’

However, since one of them was a demon tribe’s sacred maiden and the other, an archdevil of the devil tribe, there was nothing he could say, nor could he berate them.

“This Fang Lang… is extremely savage. Is he really planning to fight in three consecutive battles and challenge the geniuses of the two tribes of the demon world single-handedly? Is he hoping to get a triple win single-handedly?”

“Make sure you teach Fang Lang a good lesson in the third match!”

The demon world warrior looked at the third demon world genius that would be taking part in the battle.

The innate talents and abilities of the genius were pretty powerful. Even though he was not up to Bai Ling’s level, he still possessed the fighting power of a peak fourth-class cultivator!

Fang Lang was not in peak condition after fighting two tough battles. Hence, the third genius of the demon world might even deal a death blow to Fang Lang!

All of a sudden, the demon tribe warrior realized that Fang Lang might not be planning to make a clean sweep of one versus three.

He merely wanted to tire out and weaken the third participant of the demon world to pave the way for the third candidate of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect!

What a considerate Tang Dynasty champion!

This demon warrior shot a look at the third genius to step into the arena.

A moment later, the demon tribe genius leaped into the ocean.

Splash!

A massive wave rose in the ocean.

Fang Lang stood with his hands hanging beside him. He withdrew his aura back into his body. His energy essence was brewing continuously.

“Bai Lai of the demon tribe. Nice to meet you.”

The third genius representative of the demon world was called Bai Lai. His aura indicated that he was in the peak fourth-class realm.

“You’re planning to fight hard in order to reduce my strength, right? So that the representative of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect will have an advantage. It’s a shame that I won’t fulfill your wish.”

“You’ve shown yourself to be extraordinary by defeating the sacred maiden and the archdevil. However… how much fighting power do you have left after engaging in such a tough battle with the two of them?”

Bai Lai smiled coolly.

In the next moment, the vital energy on his body surged! His physical body began to expand as a terrifying force rushed into the sky, causing huge waves to break out all across the ocean and the winds to howl.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ocean surface exploded beneath his feet, sending wild waves in all directions.

Bai Lai rushed towards Fang Lang. However, Fang Lang merely raised his head slowly.

‘It’s now the third match… I’ve not bound this guy, so there’s no point in interacting with him,’ thought Fang Lang as his black hair rippled in the wind, brushing across his forehead.

He then raised his hand and chose to retrieve the Blooming Lotus Sword from his scabbard slowly.

He did not plan to create a sense of mutual appreciation with Bai Lai. This was because Bai Lai would not be able to help him obtain anything. Since there was nothing to be gained, there was no value in interacting with him.

A quick match and a fast result were what he would aim for. After that, he will head to the All-Seeing Buddha Sect to retrieve the third sword left behind by his master.

As soon as he made up his mind, Fang Lang’s aura began to alter. He instantly activated the shared cultivation state. Even though he would only be able to obtain 80% of the cultivation strength, there was no limit to the number of partners that Fang Lang could bind to. With the stacking of Bai Ling and Chi Yun’s cultivation, Fang Lang’s aura increased drastically.

Fang Lang gripped the Blooming Lotus Sword as his aura continued to climb steadily.

The air before him seemed to burn. Massive waves began to roar and the hurricanes howled like dragons.

Bang!

A tremendously loud noise rang out. The gigantic figure before Fang Lang approached him at high speed. He raised a fist as his vital energy condensed to form a demon beast phantom behind him that roared into the skies!

Bai Lai’s sheer strength was frighteningly powerful!

With one blow, he seemed to change the color of the skies.

The massive waves rolled towards Fang Lang with a huge sense of pressure. An enormous vital energy fist formed above Fang Lang’s head. As the fist pressed down, it seemed like it was about to send Fang Lang into the depths of the ocean.

On the All-Seeing Buddha side, monk Fa Jiao looked extremely shocked! Even the third representative of the demon tribe was this strong! Even though he was not on the same level as the sacred maiden, he was still pretty formidable.

If he was in perfect condition, Fa Jiao felt as though there was less than a 50% chance that he would win!

Instantly, all Fa Jiao felt was a massive sense of pressure.

How could Fang Lang, in his current state, manage to withstand his might? How would Fang Lang be able to tire out Bai Lai!?

Slam!

Out of the blue, Bai Lai’s fist displaced a huge amount of air. A deep crater formed in the ocean. It was as if the explosion created a huge, swirling vortex.

After a long time, a geyser of water spurted into the sky, like a giant whale spraying water out of its blowhole.

Sharp blade energy appeared in the pillar of water. Countless blade rays shot out across the sky as immeasurable blade energy swirled in the water.

The water pillar exploded but a bright, radiant figure remained standing where the water used to be, slowly extending a sword.

As he raised his sword, a mysterious phantom appeared behind him instantly!

Both the All-Seeing Buddha Sect and the two demon tribes erupted in goosebumps. They felt a chill spread through their hearts as they stared at the phantom.

“That’s… Xuanyuan Taihua!”

Below the mysterious phantom, Fang Lang looked calm and unbothered. His white robes billowed around him. He slowly raised the Blooming Lotus Sword in his hand.

As soon as his sword was raised, a lotus flower bloomed in the sky.

A single sword attack resulted in a blooming lotus.

Instantly, countless blade rays transformed into lotus flower petals and spun out. It was like ten thousand swords spinning out, like ten thousand swords bowing as they flew through the skies!

Time sword intent combined with ten thousand blade intent became a move that Fang Lang mastered from Xuanyuan Taihua’s Blooming Lotus Sword.

Blooming Lotus Strike!

The sword attack was going to change his luck now that Fang Lang was weak. The entire world was trapped in an impenetrable, giant net that was made out of blade energy.

This single sword attack was absolutely astounding! As the single sword attack crushed down, the air seemed to shatter and wail under the unbearable load.

Bai Lai’s eyes narrowed. He roared angrily as he lashed out, sending punch after punch against the blade energy lotus flower. However, he was beginning to tire.

Cough cough!

In the end, he coughed out a huge mouthful of blood. He flew hundreds of feet backward over the ocean, covered in blood until he crashed into the turtle’s back.

The entire place was silent.

Fang Lang remained in the same spot peacefully. His ten thousand blade energy had dissipated. Fang Lang’s white robes billowed around him as he returned the Blooming Lotus Sword to his scabbard.

He bowed slightly in the direction of the warriors of the demon and the devil tribe standing on the turtle’s back.

“Thank you for letting me win.”

The entire area descended into pin-drop silence.

The demon tribe warrior looked extremely horrified. He reached out to pull the blood-drenched Bai Lai up the turtle’s back.

They had lost! It was such a sudden and devastating loss!

Even Bai Lai was a little dazed. He knew that there was a chance that he might not be able to defeat Fang Lang. After all, Fang Lang was the pride of the human race who managed to defeat Bai Ling and Chi Yun.

However, Fang Lang was not in great condition since he had expended a great amount of energy. Despite that, he was defeated by a single attack from Fang Lang. He was completely and utterly devastated.

This was… absolutely humiliating! Was he really that weak?

On top of the turtle’s back, Bai Ling and Chi Yun’s eyes were also narrowed. They exchanged a look and could see the grave looks in each other’s eyes. It seemed that Fang Lang had held back when he battled the both of them…

If Fang Lang made such a move when he was fighting with them, even if they managed to withstand his attack, they would be in a bad state. Their severe decline in form would culminate in a rapid loss soon after.

However, Fang Lang did no such thing. Instead, he chose to battle them slowly and engage them in cultivation exchange. The sense of mutual appreciation that they felt towards Fang Lang grew.

“That’s Xuanyuan Taihua’s secret sword technique.”

The demon tribe warrior was discerning and recognized Fang Lang’s attack. They looked extremely devastated. This time, they were completely trounced.

Bai Lai was truly excellent. However, he was still far from being a match for the attack. He went into battle in vain.

“Since my team lost, that means that the All-Seeing Buddha Sect has won this year’s Battle of Pagodas,” shouted the demon tribe warrior loudly at Master Ci Yue on the other side.

The demon tribe warrior stared intently at Fang Lang and did not say any more. As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a gold scale and suddenly crushed it.

Instantly, strong winds began to gust over the ocean surface. As the hurricane swept through, dense clouds swirled over the sea.

Fang Lang felt his heart race. He did not dare to continue acting like a pretentious prick and speedily flew back to the All-Seeing Buddha Sect domain.

Master Ci Yue looked extremely stern and solemn. His body radiated with a faint divine light. Behind him, a giant buddha phantom appeared.

Ding ding ding…

The ringing of a buddhist bell could be heard.

Light, from the scale crushed by the demon tribe warrior, rose into the skies and transformed into a phantom towering as tall as a mountain.

The demon king of the demon tribe!

The transcendental realm warrior of the demon realm!

A terrifying aura spread across the vast ocean. It was oppressive, making everyone feel as though they could barely breathe.

Master Ci Yue’s face was bright red. Even though he was close to the transcendental realm, he still felt quite a fair amount of pressure.

Ding ding ding!

The buddhist bell continued to ring. After that, a massive buddha appeared from the All-Seeing Buddha Sect in the Tang Dynasty. It seemed to traverse through the barriers of both worlds to appear over the ocean.

“So the All-Seeing Buddha Sect also has a realm-transcending warrior.”

The demon king phantom glanced at the giant buddha. Soon after, his aura stopped increasing. However, it still enveloped the entire sky.

The demon king phantom opened his mouth to speak. His voice was bright and resounding. He sounded as though he was making an oath.

After he finished speaking, he seemed to become more solid right before everyone’s eyes. All it took was a glance and it was like he traveled through time and space to arrive above Fang Lang.

“Taihua’s disciple…”

The eyes of the demon king’s phantom figure darkened. He continued to speak, “The demon tribe has never been sore losers. Since we’ve lost in the Battle of Pagodas, we will remove the demon tower. We will keep our word. The demon warriors will also never step foot into the All-Seeing Buddha Sect domain.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expression of the demon warrior on the turtle’s back faltered. Bai Ling the sacred maiden, wore a gentle smile. It appeared that she had predicted the demon king’s acceptance of their loss.

Master Ci Yue from the All-Seeing Buddha Sect side was stunned.

Fang Lang glanced at the demon king’s phantom. His words reverberated in his ears.

‘The demon king called me Taihua’s disciple… That’s quite an intimate address, isn’t it?’

Besides that, the attitudes of the two demon world tribes were not as Fang Lang had expected. According to Chao Xiaojian, Fang Lang’s master went missing in the demon world because the demon king and the devil king held her captive…

However, that did not seem to be the case.

Fang Lang’s heart was filled with questions. However, the demon king did not seem to have any intention of giving answers to his questions.

The demon king’s phantom raised his head and stared intently into a point in the sky as though he met someone’s gaze. He slowly nodded then disappeared.

The demon tower began to topple and disappear.

The year’s Battle of Pagodas came to an end in this manner.

The sacred maiden Bai Ling and the archdevil Chi Yun nodded at Fang Lang from the top of the turtle’s back.

“Fang Lang, come to the demon world if you have the time. We can have another chance to properly discuss and exchange ideas about cultivation,” said Chi Yun.

Bai Ling merely smiled and nodded.

After that, the demon tribe warrior navigated the giant turtle and tore through the massive waves, disappearing from the ocean surface.

The ocean once again returned to its calm and peaceful state. It seemed as though the Battle of Pagodas was truly over.

Master Ci Yue, who stood beside Fang Lang let out a long sigh. It was finally over. When the demon king’s phantom appeared, Master Ci Yue thought that the two tribes of the demon world were about to break their word and fight them.

However, in the end, that did not happen. He felt a little surprised and caught off-guard.

“Amitabha, thank you so much for your help, Benefactor Fang. Thanks to you, chaos has been averted through the Battle of Pagodas. I would like to thank you on behalf of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect.”

Master Ci Yue looked towards Fang Lang. His face was full of gratitude as he bowed deeply. If it were not for Fang Lang, they had no hope whatsoever in this Battle of Pagodas. Fa Jiao and Fa He combined might not have been able to defeat the sacred maiden of the demon tribe.

Monk Fa He bowed along with Master Ci Yue. The power that Fang Lang demonstrated won his respect and even his admiration. A genius like this was destined to be a matchless transcendental realm warrior in the future if he did not die before then.

Fa Jiao felt a little dazed. He looked at the calm ocean with a dumbstruck expression.

So… it was over? This was it? How could it end before he, the trump card, could have his turn!?

All of a sudden, Fa Jiao felt meaningless deep inside his heart, as though he was empty inside. He did not even have the chance to fight even one person!

No one paid attention to Fa Jiao, who finally understood the concept that ‘everything was meaningless’.

Fang Lang smiled and returned the bow. He then asked, “Master, you promised me before that if I participated to make up the number, you’d let me retrieve the Circling Lotus Sword left behind by my master after the Battle of Pagodas.”

Master Ci Yue’s kind eyes turned to the massive buddha phantom after he recited a buddhist chant. Master Ci Yue’s lips were moving but no sound escaped them. It was as if he was communicating with that giant buddha phantom.

That buddha phantom was a transcendental realm warrior of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect, just like Zhao Taifeng of the Main Path Guild.

Chao Xiaojian was not wrong. All the various sects in the Tang Dynasty had transcendental realm warriors in hiding or in a deep sleep.

Currently, there was a problem with the Tang Code, and all these transcendental realm warriors were beginning to awaken from their deep slumber.

He did not know if this transcendental realm warrior of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect would allow him to take the Circling Lotus sword and leave.

After a long time, Master Ci Yue finished his discussion with the transcendental realm warrior of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect.

He looked at Fang Lang with his kind eyes and said with a smile, “Buddha has said that since you’ve helped us win the Battle of Pagodas, our sect will keep our promise and allow you to retrieve the Circling Lotus Sword.”

When Fang Lang heard the news, he turned to face the buddha phantom and bowed slightly.

“Many thanks, Buddha.”

The buddha phantom behind Master Ci Yue almost seemed to press his palms together and smile. In a flash, it disappeared as a golden light into the sky.

The oppressive threat that hung in the air like a tidal wave retreating.

Fang Lang let out a sigh of relief.

Master Ci Yue reopened the passage to return to the All-Seeing Buddha Sect and gestured.

“First Sword Taihua subdued the All-Seeing Buddha Sect single-handedly. The Circling Lotus Sword is in the heart of the sect.”

“I’ll bring you back to the All-Seeing Buddha Sect to retrieve the Circling Lotus Sword. Benefactor Fang, please go ahead.”