Li Changâan led his army out of Kyoto.
At first, no one noticed.
It wasnât until the outside world discovered that Li Changâan was marching south, subjugating and crushing dozens of Jianghu Sects along the way, that they began to understand. As he fought his way into the Buddhist Sectâs territory, they realized his unbelievable ambition: to unify the Jianghu!
"Is that guy insane? Trying to unify the Jianghu with just ten thousand men? He must be dreaming!"
"The Demon Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Taoist Sect... Each one is a great Sect with a long heritage and profound foundations. His handful of men wonât even be a mouthful for them."
"But none of that is whatâs most important. The key is Li Changâanâs own Realm. He hasnât created his own Martial Arts Mythology, so he must still be in the Grandmaster Realm, right?"
"To be so audacious at the Grandmaster Realm... he must have a death wish!"
Opinions from the outside world on Li Changâanâs expedition varied, but most were skeptical. Many were even astonished by his madness.
And they were, in fact, correct.
Li Changâan had not created his own mythology in the Jianghu, so by all rights, he should still be at the Grandmaster Realm.
What they didnât know, however, was that strictly speaking, Li Changâanâs cultivation no longer followed the Martial Arts Cultivation System they were familiar with.
Li Changâan cultivated the Martial Scripture, so the conventional measures of a realmâs combat strength no longer applied to him.
...
ăThe Buddhist Sect headquarters, Xihu Province, Li Yang Continent.ă
Li Changâan arrived with his soldiers.
The Buddhist Sect had received word long in advance and had gathered over ten thousand disciples at their entrance.
Gazing at Li Changâan in the distance, the current Buddha of the Buddhist Sect emerged from the crowd, bowed, and asked, "Young Benefactor, you have led your troops south, wiping out so many Sects. What is your intention?"
The Buddha was a Martial Arts Mythology.
He had a benevolent and kindly appearance. With his hands pressed together, he gave off a rather favorable impression.
Li Changâan was not fooled by his appearance. He smiled and said, "I intend to unify the Jianghu and reshape the Martial Dao. Does the Buddhist Sect have any objections?!"
Hearing him speak so arrogantly in front of the Buddha, the nearly ten thousand disciples of the Buddhist Sect burst into an uproar.
The Buddha was not angered. Instead, he bowed and said earnestly, "If you wish to unify the Jianghu, Benefactor, the Buddhist Sect need not stand in your way. However, I must ask you to exchange a few blows with this old monk. After all, if you wish to accomplish an undertaking the world has never before seen, you must first establish an unparalleled might!"
Seeing that the Buddha intended to take action himself, the disciples of the Buddhist Sect were both nervous and excited.
They couldnât wait to see the Buddha teach a lesson to the man who stood behind Empress Liyang, yet they couldnât shake the feeling that there was something extraordinary about himâthat he would not be so easy to deal with.
Seeing the Buddhaâs serious expression, Li Changâan burst out laughing. "Master, you are correct. Since the Buddhist Sect will not stand in my way, I, in turn, cannot go on a killing spree. However, a duel between just the two of us would be far too dull..."
His voice trailed off for a moment. He glanced at the disciples behind the Buddha and said faintly, "But unifying the world is not my goal. My goal is to reshape the Martial Dao..."
"How about this: the Buddhist Sect will send out one hundred elite disciples under the age of thirty. I will do the same, choosing one hundred skilled fighters from my army. We will have them fight it out, so the world can see what the path of reshaping the Martial Dao looks like!"
The Buddha had no objection to this.
One hundred disciples were quickly selected. Most were around twenty-five years old, forming the core strength of the Buddhist Sect.
With a wave of his hand, Li Changâan casually picked one hundred soldiers from his army.
After setting the boundaries, the two sides began to fight.
Li Changâan himself was not idle either. Looking at the distant Buddha, he said with a smile, "Master, since you wish to trade blows with me, then letâs begin. Iâm in a hurry!"
The Buddha bowed.
The aura of a Martial Arts Mythology spread out without reservation, instantly making the battlefield below, where the soldiers and Buddhist disciples fought, seem utterly mundane.
All eyes turned to the two figures high in the sky. No one dared to even breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing their battle.
The Buddha said nothing more. His hands, shaped like an eagleâs talons, shot toward Li Changâan, as fast as a bolt of lightning!
A smile remained on Li Changâanâs lips.
In the blink of an eye, he retreated nearly a hundred meters. He looked at the Buddha with an unreadable smile and said faintly, "Master, I will let you have three moves. I will strike after the third."
The Buddhaâs expression was grave.
Li Changâanâs speed just now had been too great; even he had been unable to accurately track his movements.
Without another word, the Buddha suddenly strode forward two steps and let out a low roar, "Impurity!"
The Brahma Sound that issued from the Buddhaâs mouth shook the entire Buddhist Temple to its foundations.
Li Changâan faltered for a moment.
He felt as if countless gods and Buddhas had suddenly appeared above his head. They pulsed along with the soundwaves, as if coming to life, every one of them glaring down at him with furious, wide-open eyes.
Countless blades, capable of rending the Divine Soul, shot out from their eyes, as if to slice Li Changâan into pieces, one cut at a time.
This was one of the Buddhist Sectâs ultimate, most secret techniques: the Lionâs Roar!
The sound could stun a personâs mind, while the Inner Qi contained within it could destroy their soul.
If the targetâs Divine Soul was unsteady and their Cultivation insufficient, this one sudden roar could even severely injure an expert of the Grandmaster Realm!
Before the effects of the Lionâs Roar had ended, the Buddha lunged forward with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was at Li Changâanâs side, bringing his palm down in a vicious strike.