350: Birth, aging, sickness and death

Xian Yunsheng was slightly taken aback: This guy... is he really that arrogant?

Although he thought so, he would not be the slightest bit polite. Come to think of it, although the crane belonged to a relatively peaceful race among the Yao Race, he was, after all, a powerful figure in his own right. At a time like this, even if only for the sake of Face, he would not take a single step back.

With a slight movement of his right hand, he tapped his finger gently on the Spring and Autumn Annals. A cyan stream of light suddenly appeared, and subsequently, a single bamboo slip from the Spring and Autumn Annals simply detached itself and floated before him.

Shi Jingmo shook his head and said: "It looks pretty, but this move of yours... the wind-up is too long!"

Xian Yunsheng couldn't help but be full of questions: "What is a... 'wind-up'?"

"Hmm, this is what Master said... I can't explain it to you, just hurry up and make your move!"

Shi Jingmo pursed his lips, sounding rather impatient.

"You monk are so arrogant, I really don't know how you've survived until today!" Xian Yunsheng was truly angry this time, feeling enraged by the other party's contempt and disdain.

The bamboo slip was enveloped in cyan light and suddenly split in mid-air, turning into thousands of bamboo slips. After splitting, these bamboo slips instantly transformed into countless Flying Swords the size of a palm. Their texture was like jade, shining brilliantly. In the blink of an eye, it was as if a massive wall of light, hundreds of meters wide and high, had risen before him, and these Flying Swords... there were at least several thousand of them!

With a wave of his hand, all the Flying Swords instantly pointed their tips toward Shi Jingmo. The sharp Qi felt like countless steel needles, and in an instant, they shot toward Shi Jingmo.

The scene was spectacular, like magnificent cyan fireworks, tracing beautiful arcs as they completely enveloped Shi Jingmo's body.

Whoosh!

Shi Jingmo's figure flashed, and he suddenly escaped from the thousands of sword lights like a ghost. However, these tiny short swords were like maggots on bones, or like small cruise tracking missiles; wherever he flew, these sword lights followed closely.

Of course, some of the sword lights missed and struck the ground and the city walls. Those that landed on the ground instantly blasted a large crater, then the short sword would immediately raise its head and continue to pursue Shi Jingmo. Those that struck the city wall caused ripples to spread across the defensive array, then turned around to continue the pursuit of Shi Jingmo.

"What is the background of this scholar? He has such great momentum with just one move?"

Cheng Yaojin watched the thousands of cyan sword lights in the sky and couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Hard to say. A scholar with such ruthless methods; if a non-cultivator were to hit his sword light, they would likely be turned into a pulp of flesh!" Qin Shubao stroked his beard and pondered.

"Then can the Holy Monk's Disciple withstand it?"

Yuchi Gong asked with a strange expression.

"Heh, let alone the Holy Monk's Disciple, even if my Disciple came, he would be able to withstand it!"

Li Jing laughed triumphantly, "Don't forget, my Disciple is also the Reincarnation of a celestial star lord. He could handle an attack of this magnitude, let alone the Holy Monk's direct Disciple!"

"Are you bragging about your Disciple General Xue Rengui, or are you praising the Holy Monk's Disciple?"

Qin Qiong rolled his eyes and said.

"Heh, heroes of the Mortal world, all the same, all the same!" Li Jing said triumphantly.

Sure enough, as soon as his voice fell, Shi Jingmo stopped in mid-air, then put his hands together, and suddenly a string of prayer beads appeared in his hands as if by magic.

These prayer beads, totaling one hundred and eight, instantly elongated and expanded the moment they appeared. Shi Jingmo lifted his hand slightly, and the string of prayer beads became like ribbons of light, swirling in a figure-eight pattern, protecting Shi Jingmo in the center.

Hum!

Countless Flying Swords suddenly converged around Shi Jingmo, fiercely striking the band of light formed by the prayer beads, instantly producing the sound of violent explosions.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

These Flying Swords did not disappear after one impact; they would circle around and continue to attack, as if they were endless, bombarding Shi Jingmo wildly.

"This thing... is it just like the cruise missiles Master mentioned? Hmm, and it explodes, so it should be about right..."

Shi Jingmo looked at the exploding light around him and couldn't help but smile, "However... an attack of this level... is truly weak... It might suffice against a Mortal, but if he were to deal with a Golden Immortal or higher, I'm afraid it would take some effort!"

With his hands together, a divine light flashed in Shi Jingmo's eyes, and he calmly spat out a few words.

"Birth, old age, sickness, and death, cycling back and forth... Boundless Guangdu Xin Buddha!"

Golden light shone upon the prayer beads, and a force that was not particularly powerful, yet filled with the aura of life, spread into the surrounding air.

Xian Yunsheng couldn't help but frown slightly. He controlled the Flying Swords with his right hand and pointed at Shi Jingmo. The Flying Swords suddenly stopped their movements, then aimed at Shi Jingmo from all directions and stabbed forward in unison.

However, at this very moment, four pitch-black halos, resembling black holes, suddenly appeared around Shi Jingmo.

All the Flying Swords, upon reaching the vicinity of the black holes, were suddenly sucked in.

"?"

Xian Yunsheng was full of shock. Before he could speak, he saw those Flying Swords caught in some kind of spatial loop. They would enter from the front black hole and come out from the back, then be sucked away by the side black hole and come out from the left. The Flying Swords that entered from the back would come out from the front, then be sucked in by the left side, and finally appear from the right... In short, these Flying Swords were like flies that had lost their target, cycling back and forth around Shi Jingmo, constantly passing through, yet constantly appearing, looking like huge Mobius strips, moving back and forth. The scene was extremely bizarre.

"Humans will experience birth, old age, sickness, and death; this is the Heavenly Dao, the way of nature!"

Shi Jingmo floated slowly out from the gap in the middle and looked at Xian Yunsheng, saying, "But it is not unique to humans! All living beings in the world, and even all things, cannot escape these. Life goes from birth to aging, to functional decline, and then to death. Things go from appearance to aging, to the emergence of various problems, and then to complete extinction; it is the same... This is the Four Gates of the Buddha, representing the Heavenly Dao of the rise and fall of things. Although your Flying Swords are quite strong, they can never defeat the Heavenly Dao... If you don't believe me, look, they... are entering death!"

Whoosh!

The four black holes suddenly turned into eight, then into sixteen, then into thirty-two. While those Flying Swords were constantly passing through the black holes, they gradually lost their light and became dim one by one. Eventually, they turned into ordinary cyan jade Flying Swords, then gradually became shorter, turned back into bamboo slips, finally became withered and lusterless, and ultimately... turned into countless dust, disappearing into the air.