However, Leo’s reaction was still delayed. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. Then he flew backwards and landed on the ground about five or six meters away.
Despite having Spiritual Power protecting him, Leo lay on the ground for half a day without catching his breath.
What a clever move to attack from the east while aiming at the west!
At this moment, the monk made another move.
He took out a golden bamboo slip from his pocket and quickly recited several Buddhist mantras over it. Then he bit his finger and drew a line on the surface of the bamboo slip with it before throwing it out and saying in a deep voice, “Holy Tiger Suppressing Demon, go!”
The bamboo slip burst into golden light in mid-air before landing on the ground as an enormous golden tiger.
The golden tiger pawed its claws and let out a mighty roar towards the imposing Droughtwalker ahead, instilling fear in those who witnessed it.
The Droughtwalker sneered, “Insignificant tricks!”
As it spoke, the Droughtwalker grabbed its left wrist with its right hand and forcefully tore it off.
Its left hand was ripped off and thrown to the ground by Droughtwalker, followed by a stomp.
To everyone’s surprise, the severed left hand of Droughtwalker transformed into a gigantic black scorpion, similar in size to the golden tiger. The two faced each other in a standoff.
The eyes of the black scorpion were blood-red, and the barbs on its tail emitted a deathly aura.
The golden tiger let out a howl and pounced towards the scorpion.
The scorpion proved to be quite agile, evading the the golden tiger’s attacks while using its tail to strike back.
Amidst the golden tiger’s dodging and maneuvering, it finally found an opportunity. Its two front paws pressed down on the scorpion’s back, and with a wide-open mouth, it bit and tore off the scorpion’s tail.
As the tail was severed, the scorpion emitted a strange and eerie scream. The barb at the tip of its tail detached and pierced the golden tiger’s body.
The golden tiger let out a cry of pain but fought back fiercely, tearing the scorpion beneath its paws into pieces.
The battle did not end there. A horrifying scene unfolded, causing a chilling sensation.
The torn-apart body of the scorpion did not disappear but transformed into countless small black scorpions.
These small scorpions swarmed and instantly enveloped the golden tiger.
As the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant. Amidst the golden tiger’s continuous roars and struggles, it gradually shrank and eventually transformed into a bamboo scroll. The bamboo scroll was also bitten into pieces by the countless small scorpions.
The monk spewed out a mouthful of blood, his face pale, and his body swayed.
He looked at the terrifying Droughtwalker in front of him, then glanced at Leo, who had just recovered and was lying on the ground. A resolute expression appeared in his eyes.
Facing the countless black scorpions in front of him, the monk resolutely sat down, clasped his hands in a strange gesture, and chanted incessantly like reciting scriptures.
Strangely, the black scorpions on the ground did not dare to approach him.
Mysterious fluctuations arose, and Leo, who had risen from the ground, looked at the sitting monk chanting mantras and felt a peculiar sensation in his heart.
The sky suddenly brightened, as red clouds gathered and transformed.
Soon, a gigantic fire phoenix took shape.
The fire phoenix spread its wings, tilted its head, and let out a sharp cry towards the sky.
As the cry echoed, the black scorpions on the ground gathered and condensed into a pile, seemingly afraid of the fire phoenix.
The Droughtwalker’s expression turned peculiar as it looked at the sitting monk and said, “To actually summon a supreme artifact, this stinky monk truly doesn’t want to live.”
The phoenix in the sky swooped down, its beak as hard as steel, and sucked all the black scorpions on the ground into its mouth.
The Droughtwalker snorted, and with a flick of its right hand, its entire right hand detached from its body and fell to the ground, transforming into a gigantic black spider.
The spider’s icy and ugly body occasionally emitted black glimmers. It looked up at the airborne phoenix and let out a piercing and eerie scream.
The horrifying spider opened its large mouth, and a mass of spider silk burst forth, shrouding the phoenix in the sky like a deluge.
The fire phoenix trembled its wings, ready to take flight. However, a dark cloud appeared above its head, and its entire body crashed into the cloud, as if falling into a swamp.
Meanwhile, the spider silk had reached its destination, wrapping the fire phoenix along with the black cloud entirely. The spider silk tightened, and the fire phoenix struggled and cried out ceaselessly. In response, the monk sitting on the ground trembled uncontrollably, and blood began to flow from his seven orifices.
Seeing the monk about to meet a cruel death at the hands of Droughtwalker, Leo retrieved the Blue Phantom Sword, gathered his Spiritual Power once again, and prepared to charge towards the Droughtwalker, who had already lost both hands.
“Don’t attack Droughtwalker anymore, young one. You are no match for him!”
Leo’s ears trembled as he heard the voice of the monk. It was a secret technique of telepathic communication.
“This Droughtwalker must have been created by the remains of an ancient Droughtwalker using the cultivation methods of those three Demon Cultivators. Your current cultivation level is not enough to kill him. I can trap him for a while. You should leave quickly!”
Leo’s forward momentum halted. The monk’s words were clear, but he found it difficult to move his feet. If he left, the monk would undoubtedly die. Of course, if he didn’t escape, both the monk and himself would face certain death.
The fact that a stranger was willing to sacrifice their life to protect him was what Leo couldn’t bear.
Watching the fire phoenix being strangled by the spider silk, the monk changed his hand seals once more. The painful expression on his face disappeared.
As his lips moved, a majestic and solemn voice filled the scene. From this voice, various Buddhist mantras that Leo couldn’t understand resonated. A golden light emanated from the surface of the monk’s body.
The monk seemed to be coated in a layer of gold, appearing as if the Buddha had descended. The aura of Buddhism spread clearly throughout the entire burial ground.
The fire phoenix, entangled by the spider silk in the sky, also emitted a brilliant golden light. The spider silk melted away in the presence of this golden radiance.
Then, a golden beam of light shot out from the fire phoenix’s mouth, illuminating the spider. Puffs of white smoke appeared as the spider was bathed in the golden beam.
After a few breaths, the spider dissolved into a puddle of black water within the golden beam.
The Droughtwalker’s expression changed, and it let out a mighty roar towards the sky. A black beam of light shot from its mouth.
Before the black beam of light could hit the phoenix, the phoenix disappeared altogether.
Centred around Droughtwalker, a faint golden membrane appeared in its surroundings. From a high vantage point, it looked as if a gigantic bowl had been inverted over it, enveloping Droughtwalker within.
“Go quickly!” The monk’s telepathic voice roared, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
Leo hesitated for a moment, took a deep look at the monk sitting on the ground, and then employed an Earth Escape technique, disappearing from the spot.