Chapter 104: Chapter 78: Watching the Tide Rise and Fall, the "Buddha" Mother Peacock
West of Cyan Wood Province, by the sea.
The blood rain hasn’t ceased, mixed with the incense of devout prayers, hazy and expansive as the sea.
In this ocean, the captured nun’s eyes were wide open, breathing heavily, gazing at the heavens...
She felt fear, astonishment, joy, solemnity; a complex mix difficult to articulate.
The incense she inhaled filled her lungs, which should have been choking, yet the nun felt no discomfort, instead a murky membrane surged around her body.
This membrane gradually thickened, becoming darker and darker, presenting an ominous color...
...
Liang Shigu only brought a thousand troops on this expedition.
But this thousand troops were the most elite, equipped with shields that could withstand high temperatures, as well as Ice Crystal Arrows.
Most demonic blood contains fire poison.
The Ice Crystal Arrow shafts carried natural coldness, capable of killing demons.
As for the ice crystals, these were obtained from a precious ore mine, one of the Ministry of War’s greatest secrets.
At this moment, these thousand elite troops looked up at the terrifying scene.
In the rain, not only did the incense not extinguish, it burned even more fiercely, clouds and fog roiled, bringing this sea-bound Xiaolin like bathing in the Celestial Palace.
Above the "Celestial Palace," the headless Buddha’s body obscured the sky, its body leaning forward, while Liang Shigu’s head was fixed onto its neck, although, compared to the Buddha, Liang Shigu’s head was incredibly small, making it seem extremely bizarre.
A small human head, a large Buddha body.
"Demonic entity..."
"Demonic entity..."
Some cavalry murmured, their expressions gradually showing fear.
Fear is contagious, once it spreads, it can easily destroy a military’s morale, causing combat power to plummet. Morale, after all, is the mystery that allows fewer to defeat many in great battles.
However, among these elite cavalrymen, a stern voice quickly arose.
"If the General dies, the thousand-household commander leads!
If the thousand-household commander dies, the hundred-household commander leads!
If the hundred-household commander dies, the general banner leads!
If the general banner dies, the small banner leads!
Listen to my command...
Raise crossbows!
Encircle and fire!
Destroy the Demon Buddha!!"
A valiant, strong armored soldier raised his shield high with his left hand, gripping the Ice Crystal Crossbow with his right, charging forward first.
Liang Shigu was very strict in his military governance; he devised the strategy of "what to do if the general dies in a great battle" long before his death.
This armored soldier who stepped forward was naturally a thousand-household who followed Liang Shigu.
The thousand-household urged the swift horse beneath him, and the cavalrymen beside him who were initially in a daze reacted as well.
The entire cavalry regained its momentum, moving like a flexible black python, winding its way towards the Buddha carrying Liang Shigu’s head.
Swift steeds galloped, hooves wrapped in incense fog, splashing blood rain, the military python coiled around the Buddha.
Cold, white arrows shot towards the Buddha from all directions.
However, these precious arrows meant to counteract demonic power simply passed through the Buddha without even making contact, as if they were completely shot into air.
Up high, the Buddha with Liang Shigu’s head paid no heed to these arrows.
Instead, he had some other troubles.
Suddenly, his big hands removed Liang Shigu’s head, hunched his body, and swooped his hands, causing dozens of cavalry to be paralyzed on his left side.
The Buddha gently waved his left hand, then raised it, revealing rows of heads neatly arranged on his fingers.
These heads were the very cavalrymen’s.
The Buddha slightly raised his left hand, flipping it upward, while pinching orchid fingers with his right hand, picking up one head after another, pressing them against his severed neck.
The Buddha head underwent constant changes, yet each head seemed highly discordant.
The Buddha was very troubled.
So, he continued searching for a suitable head.
After several attempts, over two hundred of the thousand elite had been killed.
The remaining seven hundred soldiers, no matter how resolute, were nearly collapsing in the face of this unprecedented demonic entity.
This was completely a scenario of "The Demon Buddha can kill you, while you exert all your effort, yet cannot even touch the skin of the Demon Buddha, it’s as if fighting air," how can this fight continue? This confrontation is entirely unfair, what is its meaning?
At this moment, the thousand-household commander had died, the second hundred-household commander also perished, and the third hundred-household finally issued a different command.
"Retreat! Report the collusion between Xinci Temple and bandits, the worship of the Demon Buddha!"
"Retreat!"
"Retreat!"
"Retreat!"
The cavalrymen shouted, relaying the message, while also shouting to muster their own courage.
The cavalry turned back one after another.
Suddenly, the previously captured nun made her move.
The nun now looked strange, her cloudy membrane had turned completely black, enveloping her entire being in a layer of black membrane.
This black membrane even extended to the blade in her sleeve.
Whoosh!
The black membrane nun’s figure flickered, directly intercepting the nearest cavalryman.
This cavalryman was evidently not weak; facing the attack, he kept his eyes sharp and calmly brandished his shield and drew his sword.
Clang!
The shield blocked the nun’s dagger.
Slash!
The sharp long saber sliced through the air and unexpectedly tore the nun in half.
Yet the halves contained no blood at all.
As soon as the halves separated, they "snap" closed again under the black membrane’s guidance.
The nun pressed her left hand on the horse to leap up, and with a movement of her right hand, she inserted the dagger into the gap between the cavalryman’s helmet and armor, twisting at the neck, then flipped onto the horse, kicking the bleeding cavalryman off.
Nearby cavalry, upon seeing the nun’s antics, raised their crossbows to shoot.
Though they had limited Ice Crystal Arrows, Liang Shigu was determined for this expedition, emptying his coffers, so naturally, they wouldn’t run out after a few shots.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Arrows quickly fell onto the black membrane nun.
The nun had been turned into a porcupine.
