164: Chapter 164 Distant Zen Chanting

At the end of the Star-Fall Sea, the violent temporal turbulence was smoothed out by an invisible, immense power, revealing the silent and empty dark Universe.

The zhou tian star boat sailed out from the fragmented light and shadows.

This murderous war fortress was, at this moment, as quiet as a giant beast that had retracted all its claws and fangs.

On board, there was silence.

This was because ahead, two completely different sounds were clashing silently.

One was an ancient ballad from the ruins of an era, mournful and poignant, like the final laments of countless Fairy.

Every note carried a bone-chilling coldness, as if it wanted to burrow into a Li Yao's Divine Soul, evoking the most painful memories in their heart.

"The blue of your collar, weighs heavy on my heart... Even if I do not go, why do you not send word..."

The other sound was grand and solemn, filled with masculinity and pressure; it was Buddhist chanting.

"Om Mani Padme Hum..."

The six-syllable mantra transformed into tangible golden ripples, spreading through the dark Universe.

The chanting carried an indisputable force, aiming to suppress, purify, and then erase that mournful singing.

The two sounds collided; there was no actual sound, yet ripples appeared layer upon layer in this space.

Where the singing reached, the Void Realm froze, and the Killing Intent condensed into black ice crystals; where the chanting passed, the Law burned, and golden flames incinerated all heresy.

"Daddy, are they... arguing?"

Little Li Yao blinked her eyes in Ao Qingxue's arms, her voice milky.

She seemed not to understand why that sad song would attract such a "domineering" fellow.

Li Xuan did not answer; his gaze seemed to pierce through layers of the Void Realm, looking towards the source of the sounds.

The zhou tian star boat advanced another million miles.

A grand and desolate scene came into view.

A shattered Immortal Realm.

Landmasses of immeasurable size, like shattered glass, floated in the Void Realm, broken into pieces.

Countless collapsed jade towers and broken white jade railings, along with withered and fallen Divine Plant, all testified to the former glory of this place and the catastrophe it had suffered.

And connecting and enveloping all of this was an ocean-like black Killing Intent.

The Killing Intent was as thick as ink, and within it, one could see twisted, shrill female faces struggling and roaring.

A terrifying resentment, strong enough to cause a Golden Immortal's Dao Heart to collapse, transformed into tangible mental shockwaves, sweeping over in waves.

This was the Yaochi Ruins!

The residence of the female Immortals of the Ancient Heavenly Court, the dojo of the Queen Mother of the West!

On the outskirts of the Yaochi Ruins, a massive golden lotus platform floated in the Void Realm.

The lotus platform was ten thousand miles in radius, with pavilions, towers, and forests of precious trees upon it; it was actually an independent Small World.

In the center of the lotus platform, tens of thousands of monks dressed in ochre robes sat cross-legged, their expressions solemn, chanting grand scriptures in unison.

That domineering chanting originated from here.

With the lotus platform as the center, beams of golden Buddha light, like the sharpest swords, continuously slashed and struck the sea of Killing Intent of the Yaochi Ruins, which had almost become tangible.

With every strike, large swathes of black Killing Intent were "purified," emitting silent, shrill screams before dissipating into blue smoke.

However, the Killing Intent of Yaochi had accumulated over long ages and had long since become a formidable force.

As the golden light purified one area, more Killing Intent surged from the depths of the ruins, and the two sides fell into an eerie stalemate.

"What a grand display! This lotus platform is likely a true treasure of an Immortal King!"

Ao Qingxue said solemnly.

As a Dragon Clan princess, she had always studied treasures of the Immortal family and immediately saw that the grade of the lotus platform was extraordinary.

What made her even more anxious was the old monk sitting at the very top of the lotus platform.

The old monk was withered in appearance, his eyes closed, yet a wisp of aura emanating from him was like an eternal, unmoving sacred mountain, pressing down so heavily that even Ao Qingxue, a Taiyi Golden Immortal, felt a palpitation.

This must be a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

A top-tier powerhouse on the same level as His Majesty!

"The Western Immortal Realm, Ten Thousand Buddhas Holy Land."

Li Xuan pointed out the other party's origin.

His heavy pupils had long since seen through the truth behind the ten thousand feet of Buddha light.

These monks were using the banner of transcending the souls of the dead to perform the act of grinding down Divine Soul and forcefully refining them.

Their purpose was not at all to comfort these pitiful immortal spirits, but to obliterate them and seize something suppressed beneath the Yaochi Ruins.

In the deepest part of the ocean of Killing Intent, Li Xuan saw a glimmer of unusual light.

Li Qingyue had stood at the bow of the ship at some point, her gaze passing through the Buddha light and the Killing Intent, her cold brows slightly furrowed.

The sad singing made her sympathetic, while the domineering Buddha light made her feel disgust from the bottom of her heart.

It was a type of pure, barbaric possession and destruction, diametrically opposed to the Dao of Lunar Purity she cultivated.

The moment the zhou tian star boat appeared, the chanting of the thousands of monks on the golden lotus platform faltered slightly.

The withered old monk at the very top opened his eyes.

There was no trace of compassion, only endless majesty and indifference, like a god looking down upon ants.

His gaze landed precisely on the zhou tian star boat; he seemed somewhat surprised by this war machine that had suddenly intruded.

Immediately, a grand and majestic Divine Thought, filled with Buddhist Zen principles, crossed the Void Realm and entered directly into the Sea of Consciousness of everyone on the ship.

"Amitabha."

The voice was like a great bell, shaking Ao Qingxue so that her blood surged and her Sea of Consciousness nearly collapsed.

She hurriedly protected Li Yao tightly, using the power of her own Taiyi Dao Fruit to block this Divine Thought impact.

Cool moonlight shadows appeared around Li Qingyue, keeping this domineering Divine Thought out.

Only Li Xuan's expression remained unchanged, as if it were merely a breeze brushing against his face.

The owner of the Divine Thought perhaps sensed that there were tough characters on the ship, so his tone became a bit more polite, but that superior attitude remained undiminished.

"This humble monk, Fatian, comes from the Western Ten Thousand Buddhas Holy Land. Ahead lies the forbidden zone of the ancient Yaochi; it is extremely dangerous within, with endless malicious spirits, and even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal faces the risk of falling. We are acting under the decree of the Buddha Lord to set up the 'Great Sun Tathagata Rebirth Array' here, intending to spend ten thousand years of time to transcend the souls of the dead and return this place to purity."

"I ask that you several benefactors stop here; do not break into the forbidden zone and disrupt our affairs, lest you ruin your own lives."

The words were polite, but between the lines, they meant only one thing: We have taken over this place; idlers are not allowed to enter; consequences are your own responsibility.

After hearing these words, Ao Qingxue frowned and looked at Li Xuan, waiting for His Majesty's decision.

The opponent's strength was terrifying, and their background was even greater; the Western Immortal Realm was a behemoth on par with the Central Immortal Realm, and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Holy Land was the leader among them.

Li Qingyue remained silent, the disgust in her eyes deepening slightly.

Li Xuan let out a soft sneer.

He said nothing, only extending his finger and tapping lightly on the Void Realm in front of him, sending a command directly into the artifact spirit core of the zhou tian star boat.

"Hum—!"

The massive zhou tian star boat's ram, shaped like the skull of a ferocious star-sky beast, lit up with a ghostly light.

The flying ship, which had already stopped, actually accelerated again, its direction unswerving, pointing straight at the entrance of the Yaochi Ruins shrouded in Buddha light and Killing Intent!

Ignoring them was the most direct answer.

Your territory?

You call the shots?

Wherever this Emperor goes is the Heavenly Court!