177: Chapter 176 The Proposal of Venerable Myo-di

"I say, weren't you acting all arrogant just now? Why don't you dare to speak anymore!?" Jian Wuhen stood behind Venerable Miaodi, a smile finally gracing his face. He looked at the solemn-faced Tian Hong opposite him and began to mock him directly.

However, Tian Hong merely gave Jian Wuhen a faint glance before focusing his entire attention on Venerable Miaodi.

"This bald donkey actually comes from the Eastern Profound Continent? How can such a Spirit Qi-depleted continent produce a Creation Realm existence?" This was a question Tian Hong couldn't figure out, but what truly made him wary of the person before him was the incredibly heavy aura emanating from Venerable Miaodi.

Thick mist surged around them, yet it remained unable to approach within a hundred meters of the two. One side held sharp Battle Intent, while the other held vast Buddhist light, isolating this patch of heaven and earth.

Finally, Tian Hong's expression shifted, and he was the first to break the silence.

"Bald donkey, do you dare to fight a match with me?"

As he spoke, the Battle Intent on his body erupted like a volcano, piercing straight into the clouds. The pitch-black iron staff in his hand seemed to sense its master's Battle Intent as well, letting out a low hum.

At the same time, Tian Hong's body began to undergo a violent transformation.

His already tall frame grew even taller, his muscles bulging and tensing like solid rock. More bizarrely, golden hair began to grow frantically across his skin, becoming dense and covering his entire body in an instant.

The originally lean human had now transformed into a living golden ape!

"No way!! How did this guy turn into this? Could he possess a Yao Beast Bloodline!?" Jian Wuhen swallowed hard as he watched Tian Hong's transformed appearance.

"Perhaps it is due to his Cultivation Technique!" As a Creation Realm expert, Venerable Miaodi had broader experience. For instance, Xia Jin, whom he had fought before, emitted a Yao aura during their last match, though that aura seemed more noble than this man's.

However, he was certain that Xia Jin was human and did not possess any Yao Beast Bloodline.

Venerable Miaodi gazed at the transformed Tian Hong, his eyes becoming extremely serious.

Holding the iron staff, Tian Hong radiated a monstrous, savage might. His eyes glowed with a red light as he stared fixedly at Venerable Miaodi.

At this moment, he didn't look human at all; he was like a Yao God stepping out of ancient times.

"Roar! Come and fight!!"

Tian Hong's chest heaved continuously as he suddenly let out a long roar toward the sky.

The surrounding thick mist was driven back frantically by this roar. Even the lightning within dozens of miles seemed frightened, avoiding this area entirely.

Venerable Miaodi fell silent. He turned his head and said to Jian Wuhen, "Move further away. Otherwise, once the great battle begins, this poor monk will not be able to ensure your safety."

"Don't worry, Venerable! I don't need you to remind me! I already intended to watch from the sidelines!" Jian Wuhen gave a sheepish laugh and, without further ado, retreated backward. In the blink of an eye, he had moved dozens of miles away to watch from a distance.

Venerable Miaodi withdrew his gaze, his concentration reaching its peak.

"Amitabha! Since the benefactor wishes to compete with this poor monk, then please excuse my lack of courtesy!"

As Venerable Miaodi breathed rhythmically, a golden mark suddenly appeared on his forehead.

It was a 'Swastika' symbol, rotating slowly while emitting a vast Buddhist light.

Immediately following that, a massive golden wheel of light appeared behind him. The wheel was like a blazing sun in the sky, purifying all the surrounding thick mist.

The Buddhist light shone everywhere, and no evil could encroach.

Venerable Miaodi looked up at the golden ape. His gaze was naturally as calm as water, without a single ripple.

This was his most serious state.

"Benefactor, please."

A ferocious light flashed in the golden ape's eyes as his figure suddenly vanished from the spot. Venerable Miaodi's gaze shifted toward the sky above him, only to see a staff smashing down toward him.

This strike was more than ten times stronger than the one aimed at Jian Wuhen earlier!

The staff's shadow was like a mountain, threatening to rend the heavens and earth.

Venerable Miaodi raised his hand and struck out with a palm, instantly forming a golden handprint.

The golden handprint collided with Tian Hong's staff.

A massive boom echoed, and the wind swept the clouds away.

The scene that followed left the distant Jian Wuhen dumbstruck.

In the combat zone, as Tian Hong and Venerable Miaodi clashed, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and violent winds howled.

Golden Buddhist light and violent staff shadows continuously intermingled, with every collision triggering a massive explosion.

The ground shook incessantly, the thick mist was completely dispersed, and even the thunderclouds in the sky were torn to shreds by this power.

Even with Jian Wuhen's cultivation at the ninth level of the Tongshen Realm, he could only see two figures appearing everywhere—one gold, and the other also gold. Eventually, it was impossible to distinguish who was who with the naked eye.

However, though both were gold, they were starkly different.

One was a violent gold of monstrous savagery, while the other was a peaceful gold of vast compassion.

The battle between the two sides lasted for a full hour.

The ear-piercing sounds of collision finally began to subside.

Jian Wuhen stared tensely at the area, his palms drenched in sweat.

After all, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. If Venerable Miaodi won, he would escape this disaster today. But if Tian Hong emerged victorious, his fate would be sealed.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him.

It was Venerable Miaodi.

But at this moment, Venerable Miaodi looked significantly more disheveled than before.

His grey monk's robes were torn in several places, and his aura was fluctuating, clearly showing that he had exhausted a great deal of energy.

"Venerable! Are you alright!?" Jian Wuhen hurried forward to ask, a flash of anxiety in his eyes.

Venerable Miaodi shook his head, his expression remaining calm. "It is no matter. That person's strength is remarkable; this old monk only managed to force him back with difficulty."

He paused, looking into the distance with a hint of solemnity in his voice. "However, I expect he will certainly not let this go. Among the Temple Disciples entering the Lightning Pool Trial this time, there are many Earth-rank Disciples from the Tianqi Continent. If several more Creation Realm experts join forces, even this old monk will not be able to stop them."

Hearing this, Jian Wuhen's expression also turned grim.

"The Venerable is right. What should we do now?"

"Find Benefactor Xia as quickly as possible. As long as Benefactor Xia is here, there is no need to worry about these people, even if they join forces!!" Venerable Miaodi fell silent for a moment before speaking. He raised his hand and cast a Buddhist light onto Jian Wuhen.

The Buddhist light circulated around Jian Wuhen, completely concealing his aura.

"Let us go."

The two did not linger. With a move, they vanished into the thick mist, heading toward the depths of the Lightning Pool.

...

On the other side.

Tian Hong, who had been forced back, had now returned to human form, but his expression was terrifyingly dark.

Carrying his iron staff, his figure flickered as he returned to the place where Master Cao was.

"Third Brother!"

Seeing Tian Hong return, Master Cao hurried to meet him. But when he saw Tian Hong's dark expression, his heart sank, and his intended question turned into a cautious, "Third Brother, what happened?"

Tian Hong did not speak, simply standing there with a grim face.

Master Cao felt increasingly uneasy and asked in a low voice, "Third Brother, could something have gone wrong?"

Tian Hong glanced at him before finally speaking. "I was hunting down that kid who injured you, but I ran into his helper."

A hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. "That bald donkey's strength is remarkable; he actually fought me to a draw."

Master Cao's expression changed. "A draw? Third Brother, you are in the Creation Realm. That bald donkey... could he also be in the Creation Realm?"

"Nonsense." Tian Hong gave him a cold look. "If he wasn't in the Creation Realm, could he have fought me for an hour?"

Master Cao's face became very unsightly. "Then... Third Brother, what do we do? Are we just going to let them off?"

"Let them off?" Tian Hong sneered, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Impossible."

He turned and looked toward the depths of the Lightning Pool. "Notify Eldest Brother and Second Brother. If the three of us join forces, even if that bald donkey has three heads and six arms, he will be no match for us."

Hearing this, Master Cao's spirits were instantly lifted. "Third Brother is wise! I'll go right now!"

"No need for you to go." Tian Hong waved his hand. "In your current state, you would only be a burden. I will go myself."

After saying that, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot, speeding toward the center of the Lightning Pool.

Master Cao stood there, watching the direction where Tian Hong had vanished, a smug smile appearing on his face.

"Hmph! With Third Brother and the others taking action, you lot can just wait to die!"