Ch. 22 - Escape

Everyone's spirit was utterly exhausted. Just moments ago, it felt as if their souls were about to leave their bodies. The roar of the invincible Crocodile Ancestor carried an unimaginable power, as if it could seize a person’s soul.

If not for the eerie metallic resonance from the ancient bronze coffin, the fate of those present would have been uncertain.

A tragic and intense aura swept in from the distance like a raging tsunami. Although the great demonic being that had broken free from beneath the Grand Thunderclap Temple was no longer advancing and had stopped in place, the natural release of its aura was still unbearable. Souls trembled in its presence.

The overwhelming murderous aura shook the skies. The sandstorm stilled instantly due to its pressure. Demonic energy surged, and in the darkness, two blood-red eyes, as large as lanterns, stared unwaveringly in this direction.

Its true form could not be seen. Black clouds churned around it, obscuring the stars and moon, covering the entire sky.

Even though it had not approached directly, the sheer aura of this almighty demon progenitor was beyond what any mortal could withstand. On the five-colored altar, many people nearly collapsed to the ground. Even though they held relics of the gods, they still couldn’t resist.

Was this the mighty demon personally suppressed by the Buddha? Once thought to exist only in myth and legend, it now appeared before their eyes, so real, as if in a dream.

As modern city dwellers, who among them had ever witnessed such a terrifying scene? Everything they saw and heard felt so unreal, so shockingly unbelievable!

The Crocodile Ancestor had finally escaped. After endless ages had passed, seas turning to mulberry fields, the heavenly palace in ruins, and the Grand Thunderclap Temple long since abandoned, everything had changed. The gods were gone. Who could now suppress it?

“ROAR!”

Suddenly, the Crocodile Ancestor let out a thunderous roar, like ten thousand bolts of lightning exploding by their ears. A portion of the people immediately collapsed. It wasn’t even a direct attack, just the sound waves alone were unbearable. Some were bleeding from their ears and noses.

A “sha-sha” sound arose. Outside the five-colored altar, countless divine crocodiles surged forward in a dense, black wave, breaking through the protective light screen and charging onto the altar. The Crocodile Ancestor was clearly commanding its offspring to test the waters, seemingly wary of the bronze coffin.

“Get up, get up!”

Some students who had collapsed, bleeding from their ears and noses, were too weak to move. They could barely hold onto their divine relics, showing just how fearsome that roar had been.

At the urging of the others, a few finally stood back up, but two of them were too slow. The tide of divine crocodiles overwhelmed them.

No miracle occurred. With two muffled grunts, the divine relics slipped from their hands, and in an instant, two vibrant lives were extinguished. Blood spurted, and the divine crocodiles scrambled to burrow into their bodies and skulls. The sight of red blood and white brain matter was shockingly gruesome.

The others had no time to help. Surrounded by thousands of divine crocodiles, everyone was struggling to survive.

So far, thirteen had died. The remaining seventeen were on the brink. Life was unpredictable. Death could strike at any moment.

Lights blazed as everyone waved their divine relics, trying to fight their way out. Even the usually timid female students had stopped crying, they had no choice now but to fight with everything they had.

But then the worst happened. Anyone using a Buddhist artifact was now in danger. Their movements were restricted, unable to act freely.

“ROAR!”

In the distance, the Crocodile Ancestor roared again. Seeing no reaction from the bronze coffin, its arrogance grew. Spewing clouds and mist, it slowly moved closer. Its blood-colored eyes, as large as basins, gleamed in the darkness like two bloody suns hanging in the sky.

As it drew near, no one could stand. The brutal aura it exuded felt like the condensed slaughter of ten thousand beings. Souls trembled, as if ready to flee from their flesh.

Though it was only ten meters away, its true form still couldn't be seen, only those two glaring blood-red eyes. Despair swept through the crowd.

A ghostly wind suddenly surged across the heavens, louder and more violent than the earlier sandstorm, as if thousands of thunderbolts were tearing through the skies.

From the overwhelming black mist, a giant black hand reached down toward the five-colored altar. It resembled a human hand in shape, but was massive, its fingers alone were seven to eight meters long, pitch-black and chilling, terrifying everyone.

This was the almighty demon personally suppressed by the Buddha!

Even after being imprisoned for countless ages, its reappearance shook the heavens. Its might was beyond compare.

Just then, the Diagram in the sky finally took full shape, energized by the divine power in the blood of the divine crocodiles. All eight trigrams glowed simultaneously, illuminating the void. The star portal reappeared.

BOOM!

A deep rumble sounded. The Diagram opened like a door, revealing a vast, mysterious tunnel, pitch-black inside, leading who knew where.

The giant hand reaching down was pushed aside by a mysterious force. At the same time, the nine enormous dragon corpses, once unmoving, began to tremble.

Even in death, dragons that had once stood beside gods could not be defiled. A mighty dragon aura emanated from them. All the divine crocodiles on the altar trembled in fear, then retreated like a receding tide.

The altar was suddenly cleared, leaving behind piles of crocodile corpses and several human bodies.

“Quick, into the coffin!” Ye Fan was the first to stand and help Pang Bo up.

It wasn’t that they were weak, it was that the demon’s aura alone was enough to kill ordinary people. The demonic energy was too overwhelming.

Everyone staggered to their feet, united in their decision: enter the bronze coffin. With the star portal now open, ordinary flesh alone would not survive the journey through the ancient path among the stars. Entering the coffin was a reluctant but necessary choice. Though it was eerie and unsettling, they had no other option.

In the darkness, the Crocodile Ancestor's gaze grew colder, its blood-red eyes like suns in the sky. Suddenly, it shot out two blinding blood-colored beams that crossed and sealed the Yin-Yang Diagram in the sky.

Seeing this, everyone turned pale!

This giant demon was determined to see it through, unleashing a mysterious celestial technique to block their only escape route. Simultaneously, the massive black hand reached down again, easily piercing the now-dim light barrier, grasping for the altar, not for the people, but for the bronze coffin itself!

“CLANG!”

The black hand seized the giant bronze coffin, producing a sharp metallic ring. Everyone's hearts sank. The Crocodile Ancestor's power was immense, only the Buddha could suppress it. If the mysterious bronze coffin didn’t react, they were doomed.

Just as fear peaked, the demon’s hand recoiled as if scalded. Bright demonic blood gushed from its palm like a small river, glowing blood-red as it hit the altar, clearly wounded by the coffin.

But the coffin remained still, lying quietly on the altar. From nearby came a chilling, sinister laugh. The Crocodile Ancestor was gritting its teeth, its voice enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

“What do we do? The star portal is blocked by this giant demon, how do we escape?” Panic spread. Hope had been within reach, only to be snatched away.

“We need energy, mysterious power to open the star road!”

“What’s happening? The divine relics are losing their radiance!” someone cried.

At that moment, all the divine relics, Ye Fan’s bronze lamp, Pang Bo’s copper plaque from the Great Thunderclap Temple, Zhou Yi’s alms bowl, were pouring out divine light, all converging toward a single point.

Suddenly, a cold laugh echoed like an owl's cry. A two-meter-tall shadowy figure appeared outside the bronze coffin, sending everyone into shock. All the divine light from the relics was surging toward this figure.

Shrouded in black mist and exuding monstrous energy, the figure’s appearance was unclear, but everyone could feel it, this was the Crocodile Ancestor! It had manifested at the altar, attempting to enter the bronze coffin, its gaze fixed on the inner coffin within.

This was a being that had once battled the Buddha. Now, standing before them, it was a moment none of them would ever forget, utterly soul-shaking.

BOOM!

In the face of its overwhelming demonic presence, the divine relics blazed brilliantly, gathering together to encase the Crocodile Ancestor.

At the same time, the bronze lamp, the copper plaque, the alms bowl, the vajra pestle, and the wooden fish all shot upward, attempting to suppress the Crocodile Ancestor.

A cold, chilling laugh sounded, freezing their bones. The Crocodile Ancestor trembled slightly. Black light erupted, and demonic flames surged skyward.

All the relics froze mid-air before it. One by one, the relics, starting with the prayer cushion and discipline ruler, began to shatter. With a “puff,” the cushion exploded, followed by the ruler and others, four in total.

Those four relics turned into radiant streaks of light, vanishing across the altar and supplying powerful energy to the starry portal.

The nine colossal dragon corpses quivered and began to rise!

The Crocodile Ancestor was startled, dodging the remaining relics. It soared into the sky, its right hand enlarging to grasp the dragon corpses.

Just then, the surviving relics released blinding beams of divine light, forcing everyone to avert their eyes, targeting the Crocodile Ancestor.

A dazzling, brilliant explosion of light illuminated the heavens. No one could see clearly. The nine dragon corpses were temporarily held back.

“Clang, clang…”

From the altar came the crisp sound of relics falling. The prayer beads, copper plaque, alms bowl, all fell dim and lifeless. Even the bronze lamp extinguished.

“The dragon corpses have been stopped. What now?” people cried out.

The bronze coffin hadn’t lifted. The dragon corpses were stalled mid-air, unable to enter the portal.

Everyone rushed out, retrieving the dimmed relics. Pang Bo quickly gathered the water bottles from the fallen bodies, while Ye Fan stripped off his shirt to wrap up a bundle of crocodile corpses.

Suddenly, a tremendous tremor shook the sky. Everyone scrambled back into the coffin.

The bronze coffin emitted a metallic hum. The nine dragon corpses lashed their massive tails, striking the Crocodile Ancestor’s black hand and sending it reeling.

BOOM!

A thunderous boom sounded in the sky. The nine dragon corpses pulled the bronze coffin upward toward the starry portal. With a loud “clang,” the coffin shook and flipped. Everyone felt the world spinning.

The Crocodile Ancestor's blood-red gaze turned icy. Before the lid closed, it tried to charge inside, still aiming for the inner coffin.

But just then, the ancient engravings of ancestors, deities, prehistoric beasts, and desolate birds on the bronze walls began to glow faintly. The Crocodile Ancestor froze as if recalling something. Its eyes shot out cold beams, and it quickly retreated several steps.

CLANG!

The coffin lid slammed shut. The nine dragon corpses pulled the coffin upward, breaking through the Crocodile Ancestor’s bloody seal and entering the star portal.

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