274: I was careless and didn't dodge.

Outside the cell door, a long-haired man in a white robe stood there, with a red mole in the center of his brow.

Nezha, Xingyunzi, Shi Jingmo, and General Xue Rengui all held their weapons, warily surrounding him. The prison guards and the commoners inside had all fainted, without exception.

Who are you?

General Xue Rengui shouted sharply.

The man did not answer, but scanned the room. He suddenly laughed and said, 'There is actually a great Confucian of the Human Realm here; no wonder purple Qi is rising and a righteous aura surrounds this place!'

Seeing that he ignored their question, everyone immediately tensed up, subtly shifting their feet to protect Wei Zheng behind them.

Tang Ku stood up, turned to look at the newcomer, and squinted, saying, 'It hasn't been long, yet I see you again! Everyone, put down your weapons. Even if you all combined your strength, you would be no match for him. This is the world-renowned giant of the Buddhist sect, Guanyin!'

Everyone was stunned, because the Guanyin they had seen—whether in paintings, statues, or having met the Bodhisattva in person—was always a compassionate and dignified female figure. How could they have ever seen such a Guanyin?

Seeing their surprise, Tang Ku chuckled and said, 'You don't understand. This Bodhisattva has thousands of Incarnations; he can be a man, a woman, an old person, or even a child. However, the one before us is a bit different; he is the Original Self...'

The Guanyin opposite them was slightly stunned, then smiled bitterly and said, 'Good old Dragon Subduing Arhat, you even revealed my secrets to them? You two are truly good friends!'

Tang Ku did not respond to his remark but continued, 'Guanyin has three main Incarnations. The merciful and Compassionate Guanyin you have seen can be called Holy Heart Guanyin, while this Guanyin before us is the Compassionate Guanyin... or rather, this is the Original Self of Guanyin, his true image... And besides this, there is another Guanyin you have never seen...'

Guanyin chuckled, 'Then you had better pray you never see it!'

Nezha couldn't help but ask, 'What is that last Guanyin called?'

Tang Ku raised a finger, 'The Buddha also has wrath. The merciful Guanyin naturally has a contradictory side, and that side is called Killing Intent Guanyin!'

Hum!

Just the mention of this name caused everyone in the prison to feel an inexplicable sense of dread.

'I haven't heard that name myself for a long time!' The Guanyin opposite laughed helplessly, 'To be honest, I neither like that name nor that Clone, as its Killing Intent is too heavy, making one... heh, unable to control it! Of course, if possible, summoning him to deal with you would be the best choice...'

An astonishing Killing Intent suddenly descended, and the surrounding air grew cold. Even their exhaled breath turned into a cloud of white mist, as if it had instantly changed from summer to winter.

Hum!

Tang Ku suddenly released his Buddha Power, and the War God Gauntlets appeared on his right fist, carrying a faint yet violent aura, as scorching as the blazing sun, forming a stark contrast with the cold air released by Guanyin.

'You don't intend to fight me here, do you!' Guanyin suddenly asked playfully, 'If you and I fight here, I fear the people of this prefecture and the entire city would all perish...'

'Uh... you are quite direct!'

Bang... Boom!

A hole instantly opened in the roof, making the entire prison much brighter. Guanyin watched the direction Tang Ku had crashed out and smiled helplessly, then flew out through the hole as well.

'Damn, that scared the hell out of me!' Xingyunzi finally breathed a sigh of relief, 'I thought he was really going to fight Guanyin here... By the way, how did he know Guanyin would follow?'

'He came for the Holy Monk, so he will not commit mass slaughter in the Human Realm!' Wei Zheng stroked his beard and pondered, 'If it is to compete for Luck, only by minimizing killing can it be possible... Speaking of which, the fact that this guy instigated that Mahoraga to establish a sect was actually an experiment by Guanyin, but now it seems that such experiments are unlikely to succeed. After all, the fortune of the Tang Dynasty is still at its Peak, and any ordinary rebellion would soon be extinguished, so this path won't work...'

'I have seen the Holy Heart of Guanyin, and I see it often...' Nezha said, still feeling lingering fear, 'But this Compassionate one is the first time I've seen it. It's truly terrifying; the Killing Intent of this Original Self alone is enough to chill me to the bone. How strong must that Killing Intent Guanyin be?'

General Xue Rengui stared blankly at the hole, then said in a deep voice, 'If the great powers of the Buddhist sect and those gods all become our enemies, then our current trump cards are truly too few. Once we go to full-scale war with them, we will inevitably be the ones to lose...'

This sentence instantly silenced the room, leaving everyone in silence.

Shi Jingmo clasped his hands together and smiled slightly, 'With Master here, there is no fear!'

General Xue Rengui smiled bitterly, 'According to the Holy Monk, you really have a strange confidence!'

...

High above in the sky, the two stood solemnly. On the chest of the Compassionate Guanyin, there was a fist-sized black mark on his white robe, or rather, it was a fist print.

'Your strength has improved again...' Guanyin looked down at his chest and said helplessly, 'In the past, you couldn't even get close to me!'

Tang Ku smiled, dispersed the gauntlet on his right hand, and said, 'Didn't you come here to test my strength? If I didn't use my full power, how could you measure my depth?'

'In that case, I should thank you...' Guanyin smiled, 'Then what are you waiting for? Why don't you unleash your strongest move...'

'As you wish...'

His right index finger suddenly extended, and the Myriad Manifestations Tribulation Finger was finally unleashed again, without any hesitation or delay.

The previously composed Guanyin finally changed his expression. He became solemn and hurriedly mobilized all the power in his body, concentrating it on his chest. In the blink of an eye, a golden lotus bud appeared on his chest. His right hand somehow held a willow branch, and with a gentle touch, a drop of water from his pure bottle dripped onto the bud. The lotus suddenly trembled and blossomed, and thick, pure Buddha Power instantly wrapped around the lotus, just in time to block Tang Ku's path.

All of this happened in an instant, and the moment the golden lotus fully blossomed, Tang Ku's index finger had already touched it.

Ding!

A point of light bloomed as the golden lotus and the index finger collided, emitting a crisp sound. This sound was not very loud, but it traveled directly from the sky to the human world, allowing everyone in the prefecture to hear it.

Pop... Boom!

The golden lotus shattered suddenly. Guanyin felt a sweetness in his chest and involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood. His figure retreated rapidly for hundreds of meters, and he set up layers of defense in front of him, using all sorts of techniques, only then managing to barely block Tang Ku's finger. But even so, a large chunk of his chest had collapsed inward.

'Careless...' Guanyin murmured, a trace of a bitter smile floating on his face, 'I should have dodged!'