Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 122

“Father, with such a thing happening at the Hanging Temple, do we still need to uphold its status? I fear that soon, the entire meditation community will come together to boycott it. I think the Pure Land Kingdom should prepare early,” the Second Prince said solemnly to the Middle-aged Man in the loft.

“Exactly, Father! That holy name of the Buddhist sect has really been tarnished by those bald donkeys. I saw that Senior Ye and the others have already left; it seems that this battle was a defeat for the Hanging Temple. If you ask me, we should take advantage of their weakness and directly send troops to throw those bald donkeys into prison, then decide their fate later!” The Crown Prince said, his emotions running high, his fists clenched tightly, and his voice resonating with conviction.

Once, the Hanging Temple was sacred in their minds, holding a position of lofty reverence, nothing could dare to offend it.

But now, that perception had been shattered. Having narrowly escaped, they saw the Hanging Temple seemingly being suppressed and wanted to seize the opportunity to retaliate, to take revenge.

Looking at his two precious sons acting so aggressively, the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom shook his head, “You’re thinking too simply.”

Although he was quite shocked by the true nature of the Hanging Temple and furious at its Abbot’s actions, it didn’t mean he could directly tear up the face and contend against such an immortal legacy that has existed for eons.

As the ruler of the Pure Land Kingdom, deep down, he felt quite uneasy!

Even if the Hanging Temple came through this tumultuous storm, severely wounded, he still understood the principle that a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

Sending troops to conquer Vantage Mountain and eliminate the Hanging Temple, the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom felt was inadvisable.

What if they come to a negotiated ceasefire?

Ultimately, he did not believe that Ye Junlin had the ability to suppress the Hanging Temple.

After all, it was their home turf, how could there be any chance of them suffering a crushing defeat?

The reason they had to leave in a hurry on the Kunpeng was probably that terms had been settled, and they decided to stop right there!

So, seeing his two sons so recklessly wanting to turn against the Hanging Temple, the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom sighed inwardly—clearly, they had not cultivated enough!

At that moment.

Princess Mingyue stood on the corridor, peering through the viewing orb in her hand, remotely observing the movements at Vantage Mountain. She noticed that the peak of Vantage Mountain was shrouded in a gray veil, seemingly isolating it from the world outside.

This anomaly gave her an unsettling premonition.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.

Princess Mingyue looked up, only to be stunned by the sight before her; a chill ran down her spine, as if someone were trying to lift her skull off.

Above the imperial palace, out of nowhere, a swarm of Black-robed Men appeared, darting swiftly like locusts, and their accumulated murderous intent spread with a deafening roar.

“Enemies are invading the palace! Quickly stop them!” The guards from all over were alarmed, picking up their weapons and leaping to intercept the Black-robed squad.

“Kill them, not a single one left alive!”

The cold voice was as frigid as the Nine Nether, resonating in all directions.

This group of Black-robed Men exuded immense auras, wielding formidable magical treasures that completely outclassed the palace guards.

A bloody massacre commenced.

“Ah…” Cries of agony and wailing echoed everywhere.

Along the way, bodies were piled up, and blood flowed like rivers within the palace.

“Father, what’s happening outside?!” the Crown Prince and Second Prince asked in disbelief.

The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom was both shocked and furious, a myriad of possibilities racing through his mind.

Were they treasonous ministers? Or did foreign enemies invade?

Swish!

As beams of colorful light shot up into the sky, the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom, wearing a glass crown and his robes billowing, appeared above the imperial palace.

His furious voice thundered like a mighty storm, imbued with the authority of an emperor, “Who dares to intrude into the palace and unleash slaughter?!”

Simultaneously, the Sovereign’s eyes blazed with golden light, seemingly endowing his presence with the vast fortune of the kingdom, raising his realm from Great Ascension Perfection to the mid Tribulation Stage.

An overwhelming aura instantly engulfed the palace, many of the still-acting Black-robed Men were shaken by this presence, unable to move.

Just as the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom lifted his hand to eradicate them on the spot, a series of equally powerful auras erupted nearby.

Several monumental killing intents firmly locked onto him!

“How is this possible?!” The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom’s eyes widened in shock, cold sweat forming on his forehead—there were actually numerous Tribulation Stage cultivators among them?!

To deploy such a scale of power at once could not possibly be a local force from the Buddhist region; they must be a colossal entity within the Eastern Domain!

But the question arose.

How had the Pure Land Kingdom offended them so deeply to warrant this level of retaliation?

Boom!

The sky suddenly darkened, heavy with ominous clouds.

The four Black-robed figures at the Tribulation Stage encircled the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom from every direction.

Beneath their hat brims were faces filled with malevolence!

The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom suppressed his inner fear and gritted his teeth, “I advise you all to retreat immediately; the Buddhist Sanctuary is right in the capital!”

This was a move to invoke the Hanging Temple’s influence, attempting to intimidate these individuals into backing off.

To be fair, the Hanging Temple still carried a lot of weight, which was also why the Pure Land Kingdom was willing to stay in a subordinate position, as it served as a means of protection.

However, upon hearing this, instead of showing any fear, a wave of mocking laughter erupted from them, “The Hanging Temple? No longer exists from today onward!”

“This!”

The Sovereign’s head buzzed; for him at this moment, that was dreadful news!

“Why waste words with him? Kill him, and we’ll flood the palace with blood; our mission will be complete.” A coldly laughing companion stated.

“Exactly, let’s move!”

Instantly, the four Tribulation Stage Black-robed Men shouted and joined forces to attack the Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom.

“Not good!” The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom braced himself, golden Sanskrit covering his body, the Buddhist sound lingering, golden light shining throughout the sky.

The royal family of the Pure Land had been heavily influenced by the Buddhist school, so their primary techniques came from them.

With the state’s fortune backing him, he managed to barely fend off these four, but the advantage was rapidly diminishing and became exceedingly strenuous.

“Hmph, this guy has the support of a kingdom’s fortune, he’s quite a handful,” a tall Black-robed Man remarked coldly.

“Everyone, put in more effort; his nation’s luck is draining, there’s no way he can sustain our assault for long!” a companion sneered.

“Uh ah…”

The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom winced in pain as his body was pressed mercilessly; blood trickled from his mouth.

“Father!!”

Witnessing this scene, the Crown Prince and Second Prince’s eyes were about to burst with rage.

“Why, why did it suddenly come to this?” Princess Mingyue cried urgently, tears streaming down her flawlessly delicate cheeks like pearls.

“Quick, hurry and leave the Pure Land Kingdom; get as far away as possible, go now!” The Sovereign of the Pure Land Kingdom shouted with every ounce of strength left, desperately urging.

“You four, go and kill those few over there! Leave not a single one alive! That’s the mission ordered by our Master!” the tall Black-robed Man stated firmly.

“Hey now, don’t bring up the Master out here; if he finds out, we’ll be in serious trouble,” one companion quickly reminded.

The tall Black-robed Man realized his mistake, then coldly smiled, “Don’t worry, those people are doomed without a doubt!”

Swish, swish, swish~

Receiving the orders, a large contingent rushed in, charging towards the two princes and the princess in the loft.

“Quick, listen to Father, we need to leave!” the Second Prince urged, his eyes turning red with tears, pulling on his brother and sister.

The Crown Prince, heartbroken, clenched his teeth nearly crunching them, but for now, he could only retreat with his family.

In an instant, countless terrifying spells surged in, and the majestic loft was turned to dust, swept away by the wind.

The subordinates were left dumbfounded.

At that moment, a companion cried out, “They’re over there!”

In the sky, a purple blur rushed by; upon closer inspection, it was a flying purple carpet, and on it stood the two princes and the princess.

Princess Mingyue gritted her teeth, hands forming seals, continuously draining her magical power to activate the flying magical treasure, surrounded by flowing purple starlight, it looked incredibly beautiful.

“Chase! Don’t let them escape!” This group of Black-robed Men, furious and embarrassed, madly chased after their targets.

The Second Prince suppressed his sorrow, summoning his magical power, the surrounding Buddhist light radiating, his mouth uttering strange syllables.

“Om! Ma! Ni! Pad! Me! Hum!”

Each character formed out of thin air, shining in golden light, containing tremendous power, they pressed forward.

These were the six-character mantras of the Buddhist School!

Sizzle~!

Sword lights crisscrossed and intertwined, obliterating the six-character mantra entirely.

“Hehe, with just this little skill, you think you can put up a fight?” a fully transformed Black-robed Man merged his fingers, a flying sword orbiting above his head.

The Second Prince’s face darkened, his heart filled with humiliation.

Next, the group of Black-robed Men relentlessly pursued them, unleashing powerful attacks. The carpet was quite agile, evading every blow, managing to keep them safe for the moment.

Just then, a long halberd shot like lightning, directly targeting Princess Mingyue.

“Little sister, watch out!” The Crown Prince used his Buddhist golden body to intercept it, a brilliant golden light shining, he barely managed to block the long halberd, causing blood to drip from his mouth, his face showing pain.

“Huh? This clumsy defense-type divine ability looks like it’s been trained well,” a Black-robed Man remarked, casually picking up the long halberd.

“Brother, you’re injured!” Princess Mingyue exclaimed anxiously.

“Don’t worry, little sister, I’ll protect you!” the Crown Prince gritted his teeth defiantly.

Meanwhile, the purple light on the flying carpet sped towards a certain location in the imperial palace.

“That’s where the teleportation array is! I have the token to activate it and send us out of the Pure Land Kingdom at the fastest speed!” the Second Prince pulled out the token.

“How infuriating! Who the hell are these people? Once we escape, I’ll make sure the truth is known to the world!” the Crown Prince seethed.

Suddenly.

Just as the flying carpet was about to enter the teleportation array, blasts of spells erupted from behind, unleashing a surging violent energy flow that overturned them off the carpet.

“Not good!”

The three were in shock.

Among them, the Second Prince, who was on the verge of falling into enemy hands, hurriedly infused his magical power into the token and tossed it into the teleportation array.

In an instant, the array burst forth with dazzling light as it began to activate.

“Even at death’s door, you dare to make a move!” A group of Black-robed Men laughed sinisterly, unleashing their magical treasures, obliterating the Second Prince into a mist of blood.

“Second Brother!!” Princess Mingyue cried out in agonizing sorrow.

“Little sister, you must flee!” The Crown Prince grabbed Princess Mingyue, his arm exploding with immense strength, roaring as he flung her toward the teleportation array. She shot away like an arrow.

“Second Brother, I’ll join you soon!”

Then, the Crown Prince, like a mad beast, his eyes red, with blood surging and burning inside him, countless cracks spreading across his body, golden light spilling out, he charged into the group of Black-robed Men.

“Damn it, this big guy wants to self-destruct!” someone shouted in both shock and anger.

Boom!

An intense burst of light exploded, shaking the heavens.