Irregular pieces of clay figurines, not just one, but several, actually began to float in mid-air. They then bizarrely reassembled, piecing themselves together.
In just over ten breaths, eight Guardian Arhats, each several feet tall, appeared before everyone. Their bodies were covered in cracks, but these swiftly vanished as dark golden light flowed over them.
A magnificent and solemn aura permeated the entire hall. Chants echoed, as if numerous monks were softly reciting scriptures once more.
"Putting on a show, you're asking for death!" Zhao Yuansong snorted coldly, his long sword unsheathing itself from behind him.
With a crisp sword hum, the sword transformed into a stream of light, emitting wisps of sword energy. In an instant, it embedded itself into the brow of one of the Guardian Arhats.
Immediately, cracks spread from the brow of the clay statue, covering more than half of its body within a few breaths.
As Zhao Yuansong changed his hand seals, the sword became incredibly heavy. A phantom image of a small mountain even appeared on its blade.
*Bang!!!*
One clay statue suddenly collapsed, more than half of its body shattering on the ground.
The sword circled back, hovering beside Zhao Yuansong, its edge spitting sharp sword energy.
However, as a stream of dark golden light flowed, the shattered fragments on the ground flew into the air, then bizarrely swirled back together, rejoining as if they had never been broken.
Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank, and a bad premonition surfaced.
"Disrespect the gods and Buddhas, descend to hell!"
All eight Guardian Arhats spoke in unison, their voices grand and solemn, resounding in everyone's ears.
It was like the lion's roar of Buddhism, shaking the minds of the onlookers, causing ripples to surge within their hearts.
A few constables instinctively retreated. Lacking even the Flesh Realm cultivation, they nearly fell to their knees on the spot, their minds collapsing as they repented their sins.
Fortunately, Shen Lang let out a cold snort, and his righteous qi permeated outwards, helping them stabilize their minds.
"Lay down your butcher's knife, and become a Buddha on the spot."
A murmur arose, as if within everyone's hearts, booming like heavenly thunder.
Amidst the angry gaze of the Guardian Arhats, a compassionate Bodhisattva statue appeared. Its ethereal form gradually solidified, and a low Buddhist chant emanated from its mouth.
"With my sword, I shall carve ten thousand paths!"
Zhao Yuansong roared, pointing his sword finger towards the Bodhisattva statue.
The long sword hovering in the air beside him instantly transformed into a stream of light, carrying heavy sword energy as it whistled forward.
Seeing this, the Guardian Arhats' eyes flashed with ferocity. They stepped forward one after another, raising their palms to strike at the streaking light.
However, their palms, larger than human bodies, collapsed the instant they touched the sword light, as if unable to withstand its immense weight. They shattered into countless fragments, falling to the ground.
The Bodhisattva statue looked up, its benevolent eyes suddenly changing, emitting a fierce killing intent.
"If you refuse to embrace my Buddha, then descend to the Avici Hell!"
It let out a furious roar, dark golden light flowing over its body. Then, it gently extended a palm, covered in numerous Sanskrit characters.
Suddenly, it slapped forward with its palm. The Sanskrit characters in its palm churned. Even before making contact, they had already dispersed the streaking light. Then, with a sweep of its palm, it sent the revealed long sword flying.
The sword energy, as heavy as ten thousand pounds, collapsed under this palm strike. The only cost was that half of the Sanskrit characters in its palm dissipated.
But as its gaze flickered, the dissipated Sanskrit characters in its palm reformed. As dark golden radiance flowed, Buddhist chants echoed.
"It's the opening of a Buddhist scripture!" Ji Yuan said with a solemn expression. "But the opening of this scripture has been altered!"
His close friend was a Buddhist disciple, so he was naturally familiar with Buddhist scriptures. After several observations, he recognized the Sanskrit characters on the Bodhisattva statue's palm.
However, the scripture, which should have guided people towards goodness, had its core ideology changed. It no longer advised kindness but instead instructed the reader to employ the most vicious means when encountering things they disliked.
This was completely heretical, a deliberate alteration of the original scripture's meaning, leading the readers to fall deeper into demonic ways!
Zhao Yuansong snorted coldly. He waved his hand, and the long sword that had been knocked away flew back. He gripped it directly in his hand.
"Whether it's altered or not, let's destroy these tricksters first!"
He suddenly lunged forward, his figure darting between the Guardian Arhats, heading straight for the Bodhisattva statue.
As his voice fell, Xu Qiqi and her two senior brothers and sisters also attacked the eight Guardian Arhats. Their swords flashed, sending streaks of cold light.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan frowned, inwardly lamenting that these individuals were too impulsive. He then intended to step forward to assist.
However, as he leaned forward, he suddenly leaned back and turned to look at Jiang He, who had a bewildered expression.
The latter seemed confused by what his senior brothers and sisters were doing. If Xu Qiqi was impulsive, it would be understandable, but the other three were usually calm and collected. They would never act rashly without understanding the opponent's strength.
The expression on Jiang He's face, however, appeared in a different light to Ji Yuan.
He seemed to realize something, quickly turning to look at Shen Lang and Su Hongzhu. They appeared calm, with expressions as usual.
Conversely, the constables behind them showed signs of annoyance, mirroring his own feelings.
In a moment, Ji Yuan understood. He immediately whispered, "Something here is affecting our minds. It might be the ceaseless chanting, or perhaps something else."
Upon hearing this, Jiang He and Shen Lang showed understanding, finally comprehending why the usually calm Zhao Yuansong and the other two had suddenly become so volatile.
They had initially assumed their anger stemmed from the enemy's theatrics, causing them to lash out.
"Shen Lang, find a way to break the influence. Jiang He, protect the constables. Su Hongzhu, assist me in the fight!"
Ji Yuan surveyed the surroundings, then spoke rapidly.
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly darted forward. A large number of talismans appeared in his hands, which he tossed into the air.
As the core of the talismans ignited, they transformed into fireballs, water blades, ice shards, sword energy, and other forms, all falling onto the eight Guardian Arhats.
Under the overwhelming barrage of attacks, the eight clay statues shattered into pieces, but within a few breaths, they bizarrely reassembled and quickly returned to their original state.
They were like indestructible entities, no matter how many times they were shattered, they would quickly recover and their aura would not diminish at all, as if they paid no price.
But Ji Yuan knew that each restoration surely required some consumption. At most, the cost was less than they imagined, but it was absolutely impossible for there to be none.
The workings of heaven and earth followed a system of balance; there could be no inexhaustible or infinite things.
Just as Ji Yuan once again shattered the eight Guardian Arhats with dozens of talismans, in the dimly lit areas of the hall, over a dozen Vajra figures, each about ten feet tall, appeared.
They strode forward, each step echoing with a thunderous sound.
The bodies of these furious Vajra figures were made of clay, but the weapons they held were divine blades in the eyes of mortals, only slightly inferior to magical artifacts or heavy weapons.
Some wielded pestles for subduing demons, some held swords for slaying demons, some carried glazed parasols, and some wielded disciplinary rods.
In an instant, over ten weapons descended, forcing everyone present to evade their sharp edges.
Only Su Hongzhu, relying on her nearly indestructible physique, went to directly confront the Vajra figures. As various weapons struck her, there were sounds of metal clashing against metal.
Her figure transformed into streaks of afterimages, violently crashing into each Vajra figure. She used her sheer brute force to smash them into pieces.
Where she passed, only shattered clay fragments remained, along with weapons that had sustained several nicks.
But as a layer of dark golden light flowed, these fragments reassembled themselves. The dozen or so Vajra figures, just like the Guardian Arhats, quickly recovered and stood up unharmed.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's brow furrowed. He then put away his talismans and drew the long sword from its sheath behind him.
Since the opponent possessed such a strange ability, continuing to attack with talismans would only be a waste. As long as he didn't use the divine power of 'Yuanbao,' relying solely on its sharpness and durability would not consume him.
"Senior Sister!"
At this moment, Jiang He suddenly exclaimed and then rushed forward desperately.
Ji Yuan turned to look and saw that Zheng Wanrong's body was flying through the air, with large amounts of blood spurting from her.
His gaze shifted and he saw a Guardian Arhat slowly withdrawing its fist. A trace of crimson blood still clung to its fingers.
In an instant, Ji Yuan understood what had happened. He tapped his toes and flew out ten feet.
He arrived beside Jiang He, grabbed his shoulder, and forcefully threw him back, quietly ordering, "Protect them!"
Before his voice faded, he turned and darted forward. In just a few finger snaps, he covered three to four zhang, and then caught Zheng Wanrong as she fell from the air.
At this moment, blood was gushing uncontrollably from various parts of the young woman's body, staining her entire dress red. Her complexion, however, was the opposite of her physical condition, leaving only a bloodless pallor.
Ji Yuan quickly released his sword, and with his other hand, drew out a handful of silver needles. His hands moved like lightning, quickly inserting the needles through her clothes into over twenty acupoints on Zheng Wanrong's body.
As the needles entered, the medicinal liquid they had been soaked in for days released its properties, flowing bit by bit into the acupoints. This stopped the bleeding and prevented further deterioration, instead providing a trace of vitality.
He then took out a porcelain bottle, immediately shattering it in his palm. He gently shook off the fragments and placed a round pill into her mouth.
This pill, refined with a special technique, dissolved the moment it entered her mouth, turning into a cool liquid that flowed down Zheng Wanrong's throat and into her abdomen.
Within a few finger snaps, a strong surge of vitality emerged within her body. Although her injuries were severe, her life was saved.
After completing all this, Ji Yuan finally looked up. At this moment, four Guardian Arhats had gathered around him, but they were all blocked by the long sword 'Yuanbao.'
This ancestral sword was faithfully protecting him. Whenever a Guardian Arhat recovered and attempted to strike, it would pierce their head with its sword, followed by a wisp of sword energy that would tear them into pieces on the spot.