Volume 1 Chapter 92 The Offer
"Boom! Boom! Boom boom----"
It was too late to speak, and the time was swift. When the Great Qin State Master Pudu Ci Hang let out that exclamation, the several golden beads that Lin Xu had thrown out had already burst open one after another. At this moment, only a few dense yellow gas clusters quickly covered the state master's carriage.
In the areas where those seemingly harmless yellow gas masses reached, whether it was vehicles, horses, or insects and plants, everything around them transformed into semi-transparent stone-like objects that resembled stalactites, a sight comparable to the natural limestone relics formed over millions of years in ancient caves.
The five elements are born to overcome each other, and each has its own wonderful use. The way of operation lies in the unity of the mind. "Wu Tu Shen Lei" is a condensation of the pre-heavenly Wu Tu energy collected from thousands of feet underground, and its terrifying effect can reduce all things in the world to dust. However, the "Wu Tu Shen Lei" used by Lin Xu now is just a rough work he created after learning the technique of condensing thunder from a Yin Yang family not long ago. The technique is still a bit clumsy, and the mind is not pure enough, resulting in poor quality of this batch of thunder, which cannot exert its highest lethal effect in theory, only achieving such a half-baked effect as rapid petrification.
Lin Xu on the opposite side didn't have time to see the attack's effect clearly, and only heard a loud, abrupt shout ringing in his ear, saying:
"The Western Bliss World Tathagata Buddha's Dharma chariot is here! Don't you quickly repent?"
With this loud and clear voice like the sound of a big bronze bell, the faint sound of Buddhist chanting came from the surrounding background. In front of Lin Xu, in a misty fog, a huge golden Buddha sat cross-legged on a lotus platform, emitting dazzling golden light all over his body, as if the real Buddha had descended into the world with grandeur.
At this scene, Lin Xu disdainfully rubbed his nose and said with one hand on his waist:
"Who doesn't know that this land is rarely visited by gods and Buddhas? Let alone the Buddha himself, probably not even a single Arhat. Can't you come up with a more convincing excuse when deceiving people? Do you think I'm an idiot? You actually dare to recite this tooth-aching curse, if I don't give you a show of my power, you won't even know how many eyes the Horse King has."
No trouble, don't stir up trouble; with trouble, don't be afraid of trouble. Always adhering to this principle for getting along with others, a sly smile floated at the corner of Lin Xu's mouth. Immediately, he took a deep breath and his right hand clenched into a fist, heavily striking his own chest.
"When——"
At the moment when Lin Xu's fist, transformed, came into contact with his own chest, a long, drawn-out bell sound rang out, and people tens of miles away clearly heard this clear and melodious bell toll.
Needless to say, such a huge volume easily overwhelmed the "life-taking mantra" secretly played by Guoshi Pudu Zihang.
In the past, when dealing with the White Lotus Sect, Lin Xu saw that the great master sister of Huainan White Lotus Sect, Feng Wushuang, used her sound attack technique to hold back dozens of top masters from the Xiaomo side with a single soft and weak woman playing a solo on the jade qin.
It is worth noting that the group of heroes who went to the White Lotus Sect's camp on that day were incredibly powerful, with at least seven or eight of them having abilities rivaling those of Yan Chixia. The fact that Feng Wushuang was able to achieve such a brilliant victory is truly astonishing. At that time, Lin Xu was deeply inspired by what he witnessed and afterwards began thinking about how to deal with this type of enemy. After considering many countermeasures, Lin Xu realized that the best strategy would be to use their own methods against them, so he stole a move from the same category of sound-based attacks.
Using the special conditions of Shen's golden body, a hollow cavity is set up in advance at the chest position to achieve the best resonance effect. This move, Lin Xu's version of "Heart-Extinction Bell", if only considering the depth and ingenuity of the move, may not be as good as the original version set by others, but its power in actual combat should not be underestimated.
Having completed a move that turned the tables on his enemy, Lin Xu let out a loud laugh and said with a grin:
"Haha, how's this? The taste of my Heart-Extinction Bell isn't bad, is it?"
Prior to this, he had always maintained a human form. Guoshi Pudu Cihang was a guy who, despite his movements and actions making people feel eerie, didn't seem like a righteous person, but there was no aura of evil emanating from him. However, when the golden body of the Tathagata appeared, Lin Xu began to sense the fluctuations in the demonic energy. He had been mentally prepared for this, and after accepting reality, he struck with even more ruthlessness.
The two sides clashed to this point, Guoshi Pudu Ci Hang did not get any advantage from Lin Xu's hands, and he couldn't help but burst into a rage. It must be known that whether it was his true identity or his disguised identity, Pudu Ci Hang was always a superior being high above others. Today, he was actually treated like a monkey, how could he possibly remain calm and composed?
At this time, the Great Buddha and Jinguang Chan sang a retreat, after which a vast fog enveloped everything within a radius of several miles, thick fog obscured the line of sight for outsiders to see the battlefield, and Pudu Ci Hang didn't have to worry about his demon identity being exposed.
"Whoosh! Puff!"
A sword light, resembling a thin red line, flashed in front of Lin Xu's face at an incredible speed, too fast for his eyes to blink. With his vision partially blocked by the fog, Lin Xu made a judgment that was slightly delayed, and before he could react, he had to exert all his strength to dodge backwards. This sword light was several times faster than Lin Xu's physical movements, and after closing in, it spun around like a circular saw, opening up a large semicircle. In the place where the light passed, Lin Xu's chest was cut open with a huge gash about six or seven inches long. The skin and flesh at the wound burst open to both sides, curling up like an open mouth of a child, followed by a spurt of golden blood that sprayed out in all directions.
Such a severe injury would be fatal to an ordinary person, or at least they would have to rest in bed for several months, but such things are rare among mortals, and even more so among gods.
As Lin Xu mobilized a small amount of divine power stored in his avatar to accelerate the transformation, that shocking open wound healed rapidly, and the speed of recovery was not slower than the appearance of the wound. After a moment, through the broken opening of his clothes, it could be clearly seen that the skin on Lin Xu's chest was smooth as before, without any scars or wounds. If it weren't for the large bloodstains on the ground and the soaked clothes, one would almost suspect that the scene of him being injured earlier was just a momentary illusion.
Lin Xu said with a hint of resentment:
"Alas, being a deity is useless after all. I'll settle this score with you next time."
Before his words had fallen, Lin Xu knew that using his avatar to fight against a strong enemy would be futile. He adhered to the principle of not taking unnecessary risks and didn't want to make a declaration of war by saying something like "I'll be back". Following Lin Xu's departure, the dry yellow earth was stirred up, and he had already escaped using his Earth Escape technique.
At this time, the little demons under Pudu Ci Hang who were attacked by Lin Xu's fake version of "Wu Tu Shen Lei" and then petrified also broke free from their restraints with their demonic powers. They all came to Pudu Ci Hang and said in unison:
"Master Fa, we're doomed..."
He gently waved his hand to stop the words of loyalty from his subordinates, and Pudu Ci Hang, who usually had a gloomy expression on his face that made it impossible for people to see any changes in his emotions, spoke in a somber tone:
"It's not your fault, this person is indeed extraordinary and must have a great background. At present, when the court is in chaos, it's best not to stir up trouble unnecessarily, don't bother with him. Hehehe, besides, since we've met by chance, there will be another meeting next time. Let's go, little ones!"
Pu Du Ci Hang weighed the pros and cons, unwilling to give up his carefully crafted disguise for this mysterious spy. He wouldn't back down after one failed attempt. Lin Xu's incarnation didn't have it so easy; he had many tasks to fulfill, who knew what kind of trouble he'd stir up with Pu Du Ci Hang on the way. Although the opponent didn't pursue him, Lin Xu didn't want to lose his incarnation again, and immediately changed direction, swiftly heading east. His incarnation couldn't continue to linger in the Guanzhong area; even if Pu Du Ci Hang wasn't willing to risk revealing his true self to kill him, as long as he made a move on the surface, the swarming officials would be enough to annoy Lin Xu to death.
Taking advantage of the heaven-sent opportunity that Pu Duan Ci Hang gave up the chase, Lin Xu drove the earth escape and didn't dare to stay for a moment. He fled east all the way out of Hangu Pass and finally stopped outside Luoyang City.
Recently, Lin Xu has been traveling around in disguise and has a good understanding of the situation in Hebei and Guanzhong. Now, if asked where to go next, he hesitates at the crossroads, standing still with four paths stretching out in all directions.
Looking around at the scenery in all directions, Lin Xu thought for a moment before setting off towards the east, his destination being Mount Tai.
As Lin Xu became more familiar with the customs and practices of this world, he realized that it was very similar to ancient China on Earth, especially in areas near the Central Plains. The natural landscape, such as mountains, rivers, and streams, had a similarity rate of almost 70-80%. However, once you ventured further outwards, this similarity would reverse, with differences increasing exponentially. For example, those barbaric lands that were once occupied by the Great Qin Empire but later abandoned were all treacherous regions infested with countless ferocious beasts and poisonous insects.
Jungle, swamp, desert, all jumbled together in a chaotic mess, with many strange landforms that defy connection to the earth.
The emergence of these strange landscapes is undoubtedly due to the collision and fusion of plate boundaries, and the closer you get to the edge of the plate boundary, the more likely you are to be invaded by this unusual natural force. Although from a macro perspective, geographical changes are relatively gentle and gradual processes, for some marginal areas of the plate boundary, it's probably not the case.
Lin Xuzhi's inexplicable nostalgia was purely due to the river in front of him, known as the "River Water" of the northern great river. Looking at the thick and muddy yellow water flow, which presented a pure mud color, roaring down from the Loess Plateau, carrying a large amount of sediment, the entire surface was turbid like a big pot of boiling gruel. Such a magnificent and turbulent current was obviously not comparable to the Yellow River that Lin Xuzhi had seen on Earth, which dried up for several months every year in the news.
After the surging river water flows through Luoyang, the river surface suddenly becomes wider and calmer due to the terrain, but this is not good news but a disaster.
The river water, carrying mud and sand from the middle reaches, deposits it continuously, raising the riverbed. A land-based hanging river has already revealed its embryonic form. Although this dangerous river has bared its fangs, its power is still not enough to be a threat for now. In past years, the importance of the Hebei region in terms of taxes for the Great Qin Empire was evident, and the imperial court did not spare any expense in consolidating the river defenses. This river has maintained a record of not bursting its banks for hundreds of years. However, the Hebei region, which has been ravaged by war, has become a paradise for crows and wild dogs. I suppose the motivation for the empire to work hard on river management is also dwindling.
Lin Xu continued along the official road parallel to the river's flow, rushing overnight to Dongjun.
Guessing that even if there were pursuers behind, they wouldn't be able to catch up, Lin Xu gradually put his mind at ease and no longer deliberately concealed his tracks. A little later, he hired a boat in Dongjun and took a detour via the Ji River, going downstream directly to Licheng.
The reason why he didn't use the convenient Five Elements Escape Technique was not because Lin Xu had a special hobby like M, but because he cherished his family's accumulated divine power and would rather spend more time and money to save it.
It is often said that small wealth comes from thrift, and great wealth comes from heaven. Growing up in a well-off family environment, Lin Xu's financial concept also tends to be more conservative.
Imagine if, in everyday life, you don't pay attention to saving a little, and when it really comes down to the wire, at the critical moment of life and death, you have to exhaust all your energy but still can't save yourself, wouldn't that be living extravagantly and dying miserably? So, it's still better to save if possible!
P.S. I just found out that I've been banned from Weibo, so I'm adding an extra chapter here, please collect and share with fellow book friends, I'll work hard to write a great book.
