As Lü Jingsheng burrowed into the giant hand of the Ksitigarbha Buddha statue, the Six Paths Ksitigarbha ritual was complete. Even if Yan Shouyi wished to regret it now, there was no turning back.
Though he did not want Lü Jingsheng to pay the price, Yan Shouyi had no other choice. He could only end it with an "Amitabha Buddha." The six giant hands instantly tightened, then rapidly converged, transforming into a ball of light the size of a basketball.
Seeing this, Yan Chou directly pulled out an ink-green bead and threw it:
"Shouyi, use the Marquis of Sui's Bead to seal Jiang Wuya!"
What could withstand Jiang Wuya's power was precisely the Marquis of Sui's Bead that Yan Shouyi had brought out from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor!
The Marquis of Sui's Bead flew straight towards the ball of light, and Yan Shouyi immediately controlled the ball of light to fly towards the bead as well.
The two met and immediately merged. The Marquis of Sui's Bead erupted with dazzling light, instantly engulfing the ball of light!
Following this, eight golden characters appeared on the Marquis of Sui's Bead, binding it tightly like chains—Six Paths Ksitigarbha · Demon Subduing Divine Seal!
"It's done!"
A hint of joy flickered in Yan Shouyi's eyes. Yan Chou and Jiang Qingxue also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Yan, I'm back!"
Long Feicheng controlled the Zanpakuto and flew back, placing it on Tong Jingcheng's neck without a word.
This guy had launched a sneak attack earlier, causing Long Feicheng to grapple with him for a long time, preventing him from participating in the battle between Yan Shouyi and Jiang Wuya. This had filled Long Feicheng with resentment.
However, Tong Jingcheng had already given up struggling. He had been betrayed by Jiang Wuya and had witnessed Jiang Wuya's sealing. His spirit was broken.
Yan Chou stepped forward and struck the back of Tong Jingcheng's neck with a palm strike, knocking him out. He then took out a specially made rope and bound Tong Jingcheng tightly.
There were many matters to attend to now, making Tong Jingcheng seem insignificant. As long as he didn't cause trouble, they could take him away from Daqing Mountain and interrogate him slowly.
The Marquis of Sui's Bead on the ground was still trembling slightly, as if Jiang Wuya and Lü Jingsheng were fighting fiercely within it.
Yan Shouyi quickly went forward to pick up the bead, examined it carefully, and confirmed that the seal was intact before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Marquis of Sui's Bead has indeed proven very useful," Yan Shouyi said, turning back. "This was truly a close call."
Yan Chou and Jiang Qingxue walked over and joined Yan Shouyi. All three were still somewhat shaken.
This battle had been extremely perilous. Even with all their preparations, they had almost been seized by Jiang Wuya.
Jiang Qingxue let out a breath of relief. "Jiang Wuya has been sealed, giving us more time to prepare."
"I just don't know why Sect Leader Lü would appear here to seal Jiang Wuya in my place," Yan Shouyi frowned, a belly full of unanswerable questions.
However, the outcome was good. Yan Shouyi was now free and could do more.
Yan Chou looked at the large pit surrounding the Zhenguo Shrine with a melancholic expression. Yan Shouyi and Jiang Qingxue immediately realized that Yan Chou was missing his father, Yan Baixiang.
Yan Shouyi's eyes also held a trace of sadness.
When he was young, his mother went into seclusion at Changbai Mountain, and his father was imprisoned. For over a decade, Yan Shouyi had followed his grandfather on his travels. It could be said that Yan Shouyi's affection for his grandfather even surpassed his feelings for his parents.
The last time he went to Longhu Mountain, Zhang Shantong took Yan Shouyi to see Yan Baixiang. Seeing his grandfather again, Yan Shouyi was overwhelmed with emotion.
But the meeting was also a farewell. Yan Baixiang had lived a clear life; his soul had long gone to the underworld. The reason he left this wisp of remnant soul was entirely to atone for his past neglect of Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi's only regret was not having the chance to speak more with his grandfather.
If his grandfather had not intervened just now, Jiang Wuya might have been able to disrupt the Six Paths Ksitigarbha technique.
Yan Chou patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder, regaining his composure.
"Jiang Wuya has been sealed, but the threat of the divine tree still exists. Hurry and retrieve the Zhenguo Sword, and let's leave Daqing Mountain first!"
The death qi was still spreading. According to Jiang Wuya, the divine tree would directly devour the entire Xichuan Province and then continue to expand.
If Yan Shouyi and the others continued to stay in Daqing Mountain, they would also be consumed by the death qi.
Yan Shouyi nodded, put away the Marquis of Sui's Bead, and then went to a ruin.
The Qi-Generating Roots tightly wrapped the Zhenguo Sword. Even though the surrounding buildings had long since turned into ruins, the Zhenguo Sword remained unaffected.
Long Feicheng flew to Yan Shouyi's side and said with disdain, "This Zhenguo Sword doesn't seem that great. Not as good as my Zanpakuto!"
"Yes, yes, you are a peerless divine weapon, and the Zhenguo Sword is merely a national treasure. How can it compare to you?" Yan Shouyi said helplessly.
After Long Feicheng became a blade soul, his self-esteem had indeed grown stronger. He used to compare himself with the Ancestral Dragon Sword, and now he had the Zhenguo Sword as well.
Yan Shouyi wasted no more words, grabbed the Zanpakuto, and slashed at the Qi-Generating Roots.
Although these Qi-Generating Roots were incredibly tough, they could not withstand the attack of the Zanpakuto. They were immediately severed and writhed on the ground like broken earthworms.
"Zhenguo Sword..."
Yan Shouyi seized the opportunity to grasp the Zhenguo Sword and instantly felt the terrifying power from within!
Pain!
Despair!
Anger!
Hatred!
Wails, cries, screams...
All sorts of negative energies surged towards Yan Shouyi, almost devouring him.
Yan Shouyi was startled. Such terrifying negative energy was enough to turn a living Buddha into an Asura.
For so many years, the Zhenguo Sword had not been taken away, not only because it was disobedient but also, more importantly, because of these negative energies.
It was likely that no one could take the Zhenguo Sword without losing their sanity.
But Yan Shouyi was different. He had already sealed his own evil thoughts in the Maha Pagoda, his heart was clear, and with the black relic false eye that could absorb negative energy, the negative energy within the Zhenguo Sword was instantly devoured by the black relic as soon as it entered Yan Shouyi's body!
He felt a slight swelling at the position of his false eye, and his power to control others seemed to have increased, but there were no other negative sensations.
"Thanks to the black relic... I can digest the negative energy absorbed by the black relic slowly, but if I had been caught off guard just now and the Zhenguo Sword had taken advantage of the opportunity, I might still have lost my mind," Yan Shouyi thought with lingering fear.
The Zhenguo Sword was the weapon of General Qing Jiang. The people killed by General Qing Jiang were all those who died by the Zhenguo Sword. It could be said that the malevolent qi within the Zhenguo Sword was even heavier than that of the Zanpakuto.
Furthermore, the Zhenguo Sword had been cursed by Jiang Wuya's wife and daughter, further enhancing its power.
With the Zhenguo Sword, Yan Shouyi was like a tiger with wings, his strength soaring!
"Two of you, I will kill Jiang Wuya for you and avenge you, so that you may rest in peace."
Yan Shouyi said softly, exerted a little force, and pulled the Zhenguo Sword out!
At this moment, the malevolent qi gushing out from the Zhenguo Sword almost formed a tornado, sweeping the surroundings. The surging resentment turned into earth-shattering screams, which lasted for a full half a minute before ending!