The commotion caused by their fight was considerable. If they were to actually fight here, the Xuan Tian Holy Sect would likely be razed to the ground, and countless disciples would be affected.
Fahai, being a monk, had some reservations, but agreed without hesitation. The two of them instantly transformed into streaks of light and disappeared from the main hall.
When they reappeared, they had arrived deep within Qibao Mountain.
Wang Xuan struck first, slowly drawing his Azure Nether Sword and slashing it down at Fahai.
"Bang!"
Fahai offered up a string of Buddhist prayer beads to defend himself, but he underestimated the sharpness of the Azure Nether Sword. The prayer beads were shattered into pieces by Wang Xuan's sword, and dozens of beads scattered on the ground, exploding like thunder.
"Fahai, you bald monk, is that all you've got?" Wang Xuan teased. "If that's all you've got, you might as well go back to your Jinshan Temple."
Fahai, enraged, laughed and quickly recited a Buddhist scripture, his body radiating brilliant golden light.
The golden light shone in all directions, and a huge phantom of a Buddha appeared behind Fahai, striking out with a palm towards Wang Xuan.
"Could this be the legendary Tathagata Palm?" Wang Xuan raised an eyebrow, not daring to be careless, and also used the Burial Sword Technique.
When he unleashed his sword strike, it was as if a piece of the sky had fallen, burying all the enemies in the world.
"boom!"
This collision was far more intense than the previous one, causing energy fluctuations that raged for a radius of a thousand meters, making the Taoist and Buddhist masters watching from afar pale in fear.
When the aftershocks of the energy dissipated, the phantom of Buddha behind Fahai had vanished, and Fahai himself was somewhat disheveled.
Wang Xuan, on the contrary, remained calm and composed, reciting: "Ten years to hone a sword, today I test its edge; another ten years to hone it, and Mount Tai will not stand against it!"
The result was obvious: Wang Xuan once again gained the upper hand in this clash.
"I never expected that you would have reached such a level of cultivation, comparable to a Loose Immortal or a Vajra Perfection Realm. Your swordsmanship is also extraordinary and saintly, which truly amazes this humble monk."
Fahai's expression turned somewhat grim. Suddenly remembering something, he said with a mixture of surprise and doubt, "Legend has it that there is a Purple Dragon King Ginseng in this Qibao Mountain, which has ten thousand years of medicinal power and is about to transform into an Earth Immortal and ascend to the Heavenly Court. But now that Purple Dragon King Ginseng has disappeared without a trace, while Benefactor Wang's cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. It seems that you have most likely eaten that Purple Dragon King Ginseng!"
His guess is reasonable; anyone would inevitably make that connection.
Wang Xuan did not refute. Although he gradually revealed his strength, the speed at which he broke through his cultivation level was still too fast. Since Fahai had given him an excuse, he naturally had to use it.
Anyway, since Wang Xuan has already secretly taken the Purple Dragon King Ginseng to the Xuan Tian World, it will never come out to expose him.
"Enough with the nonsense, take a few more of my sword strikes!" Wang Xuan, wielding the Azure Nether Sword, exchanged dozens of blows with Fahai amidst a sky full of sword light.
He cultivates both the True Martial and Divine Martial Paths, which gives him the ability to kill enemies of higher levels. In addition, his true cultivation has reached the Perfection of Heaven and Man, and his grasp of timing and control of power are far superior to Fahai's. How could Fahai be his match?
This battle was a one-sided thrashing. Even though Fahai tried his best to dodge, he was still stabbed several times by Wang Xuan, leaving his cassock tattered and a long wound on his abdomen.
Chapter 200 Ascension to heaven?
"The azure sky collapses!"
"Bury the mortal world!"
"The mist and rain never cease!"
Wang Xuan repeatedly used the Three Burial Sword Techniques, grabbing Fahai and giving him a sound beating, causing Fahai to vomit several mouthfuls of blood and accumulate more than a dozen wounds on his body.
It was only because he didn't kill him that Fahai was left here!
Just as Wang Xuan was getting into the swing of things, his martial arts intuition suddenly warned him that a crisis that could threaten his life was about to strike.
Wang Xuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he retreated without hesitation.
Almost at the same instant, a dazzling Buddhist light shot out from Fahai's arms and struck the spot where Wang Xuan had just been.
The Buddha's light missed its target and instead struck the ground, leaving a large hole hundreds of meters in diameter!
"Good heavens, this is a mythical world where the rules are severely suppressed. Even the destructive power of cultivators is suppressed by the world, yet they still have such destructive power!" Wang Xuan knew that Fahai's attack just now was enough to kill a martial artist in the early stage of the Celestial Realm.
He looked around and saw that Fahai had somehow acquired an ancient-looking alms bowl in his hand. This was the alms bowl that Fahai used to suppress Bai Suzhen in the Legend of the White Snake, a legendary treasure bestowed by the Buddha!
"It turns out to be a top-grade magic weapon, even higher in level than my Azure Nether Sword. No wonder it has destructive power!" Wang Xuan felt relieved after scanning it with his divine sense.
Although Fahai's alms bowl was bestowed by the Buddha, it was only a top-grade magic treasure. Even the Buddha himself would not be so extravagant as to bestow a spiritual treasure upon a disciple who had only registered his name!
"Sect Leader Wang, your strength has exceeded my expectations. When I received this alms bowl from the Buddha, I made a vow in my heart to use it only to subdue demons and monsters. I never expected that I would have to break my vow today."
The two sides had completely broken off relations, and Fahai went all out, pushing the alms bowl directly towards Wang Xuan.
Don't underestimate that alms bowl just because it's only a top-grade magic weapon, far less powerful than a spiritual treasure. Ordinary early-stage Celestial Realm martial artists only use low-grade magic weapons. If we consider the world of the Legend of the White Snake, weaker Earth Immortals and Arhats also use low-grade magic weapons. A single top-grade magic weapon would be enough for Fahai to defeat enemies far stronger than himself!
Wang Xuan sneered. Although he hadn't brought out any particularly powerful treasures, the Azure Nether Sword in his hand was still a high-grade magic weapon, only one level lower than Fahai's alms bowl, so the difference wasn't too great.
"Sword Shadow Splits!" Wang Xuan made a sword incantation with his hands, and the Azure Nether Sword floated above his head. It multiplied from one to two, from two to four, from four to eight, and in an instant, it transformed into hundreds of swords.
"go!"
Under Wang Xuan's control, hundreds of sword shadows slashed down towards Fahai. These sword shadows were not chaotic, but were subtly arranged into a killing formation, which increased their power by more than half!
Even with the power of the alms bowl bestowed by the Buddha, Fahai could only hold his own against these sword shadows.
Just then, Wang Xuan's figure vanished from his spot, and he stepped into the air using the Lingxu Step, throwing a punch at Fahai.
Fahai hurriedly tried to defend himself, but as their fists and palms collided, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, and his muscles were twisted and deformed.
Martial artists who cultivate the Divine Martial Path possess formidable physical strength, and Wang Xuan is among the most outstanding of them. Even though he only reveals his cultivation at the Perfected Transcendent Realm, he can still easily defeat Fahai with his physical body!
Fahai sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. Now that Wang Xuan had gotten close, why would Wang Xuan let the opportunity slip by?
Wang Xuan's entire body radiated a crystal-clear light, and every inch of his muscles emitted divine radiance, making him far more powerful than Fahai could have imagined.
He only used five or six moves to land a punch on Fahai's abdomen. His domineering fist intent filled Fahai's three chakras and seven meridians, making it impossible for Fahai to mobilize his Buddhist power and completely losing his ability to resist.
"Great Zen Master Fahai, do you still want to continue fighting?" After landing a blow and giving Fahai another round of punches, Wang Xuan did not attack again.
With the Buddha of the Western Paradise present, Wang Xuan would not kill Fahai; he could only give him a good beating to vent his anger.
Now that he had vented his anger, Wang Xuan once again showed his gentle and kind smile, and no longer called Fahai "bald monk," but instead politely and courteously addressed him as "Great Zen Master Fahai."
Fahai gritted his teeth, his anger burning so fiercely that even the waters of the three rivers and four seas could not wash it away. But reality was cruel; he was no match for that bastard Wang Xuan, so he had no choice but to endure it for the time being.
"I'll allow you to be happy for a while longer. When this humble monk attains the Arhatship, I will surely imprison you under Leifeng Pagoda for five hundred years!" Fahai consoled himself for a moment before forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.
He closed his eyes and said blankly, "Since I lost to you, I naturally won't bother you anymore. Xu Xian is still your disciple, and as long as that green snake doesn't do anything wrong, I won't take action against her."
Wang Xuan's innocent smile deepened: "Does a monk not lie?"
Fahai could no longer suppress his anger and cursed, "Do you take me for a treacherous person who goes back on his word? What I have promised, I will naturally not go back on!"
"If you still refuse to give up, this humble monk will fight you to the very end, even at the cost of my life!"
Wang Xuan rubbed his nose, deciding not to say anything more. Fahai was like a highly flammable and explosive substance, ready to explode at any moment; it was best not to provoke him further.
Otherwise, if Fahai were to fight to the death and be killed by Wang Xuan here, even if the Buddha himself didn't personally cause trouble for Wang Xuan, a few Buddhist masters could easily make him suffer!
Seeing that the great battle had ended, the Taoist and Buddhist experts who had been watching from afar dared to come forward and showered Wang Xuan with compliments: "Sect Master Wang is very powerful. He has probably passed through the Ninefold Tribulation of a Loose Immortal and is about to step into the Earth Immortal realm and ascend to the Heavenly Court, right?"
Although Buddhism and Taoism are rivals in the world of White Snake, Buddhism is originally Taoism, and Buddhism originated from Taoism. Therefore, the cultivation realm classification of Taoism is the mainstream.
At this moment, the strength that Wang Xuan displayed was, in everyone's eyes, that of a Ninth Tribulation Loose Immortal, with ascension in sight.
Once Wang Xuan is able to ascend to the Heavenly Court with the cultivation of a terrestrial immortal, he will be able to obtain a celestial official position, which is incomparable to those minor immortals who are just passing through.
Therefore, all the cultivators present flattered Wang Xuan, hoping to establish some connection with him.
Wang Xuan just smiled; he didn't take these compliments seriously.
Ascending to the Heavenly Court is nowhere near as good as staying in the mortal realm. The Heavenly Court is full of powerful figures, with the Six Emperors being at the level of gods, demons, and golden immortals, and there are probably hundreds of experts at the level of supernatural powers. If Wang Xuan went there, he could only be a little brother.
Chapter 201 First Encounter on the Broken Bridge
Wang Xuan could easily spread his teachings in the mortal realm, reaping as much fortune as possible and using the great fortune of martial arts to cultivate.
Conversely, if he were to ascend to the Heavenly Court, under the watchful eyes of a group of powerful figures, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble and would have to lie low obediently.
Therefore, Wang Xuan would never go to the Heavenly Court.
Fahai watched the crowd flatter Wang Xuan with a blank expression. After taking back his alms bowl, he turned and left, not wanting to stay there for even a second longer.
With Fahai's departure, this matter has finally come to an end.
After the news of Wang Xuan, the sect leader of Xuantian Shengzong, defeating Zen Master Fahai of Jinshan Temple spread, Wang Xuan's reputation grew even further, reaching from the Jiangnan region to the north.
Besides Wang Xuan's formidable martial prowess, which is well-known to the world, another person has also attracted the attention of some people: Xu Xian.
Xu Xian must have extraordinary abilities to be sought after as a disciple by two of the world's two most powerful figures!
Xu Xian truly lived up to his reputation as the Son of Heaven, the reincarnation of the Ziwei Emperor. Under Wang Xuan's meticulous tutelage, his cultivation speed was nothing short of phenomenal. In just one year, his cultivation had already reached the Perfected Innate Realm, much faster than Wang Xuan had achieved it initially.
As his cultivation level increased, Xu Xian was no longer the young man who wanted to study medicine. He devoted far more energy to martial arts than to medicine.
Now, Xu Xian, like his master, wears a white robe, exuding a heroic spirit, and always carries his sword, making him an idol for countless martial arts heroes.
However, Xu Xian also had some troubles. These days, his sister Xu Jiaorong kept urging him to get married, which made him very unhappy.
Frustrated, Xu Xian made an excuse to escape his sister's clutches and went to West Lake to clear his head.
After wandering around for a while, the weather turned bad, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Although Xu Xian was protected by innate protective energy, this energy was not inexhaustible and could only last for a short while before he would be soaked to the bone.
Xu Xian looked around and realized that he had unknowingly arrived at the Broken Bridge of West Lake. In the distance, he saw a small boat with a black awning moored on the shore, which was a good place to take shelter from the rain.
Without hesitation, Xu Xian quickly waved to the small awning boat and shouted, "Boatman, please be kind and let me borrow this precious spot to take shelter from the rain!"
A soft, melodious female voice could be faintly heard from inside the boat. Then, the small awning boat rowed towards the broken bridge and stopped directly in front of Xu Xian.
Xu Xian hurriedly rushed into the boat, thanked the boatman, and then discovered that there was another woman in the boat.
The woman was about twenty years old, dressed in white, with an exquisitely beautiful face, as gentle as autumn water, and with a hint of ethereal beauty!
"What a beautiful woman!" Xu Xian was instantly captivated, feeling a sense of love at first sight.
His sister, Xu Jiaorong, had previously urged him to get married, which he had resisted immensely. But if he were to marry this woman in white before him, it would truly be a blessing from his past life!
While Xu Xian was sizing up the woman in white, she was also observing him.
She bowed slightly, smiled, and said, "My name is Bai Suzhen. May I ask your honorable surname, sir?"
That's right, the white-clad woman in front of us is another protagonist in the Legend of the White Snake world, the thousand-year-old snake demon Bai Suzhen!