The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 238 - 225: The Best Strategy is to Attack the Mind

Chapter 238: Chapter 225: The Best Strategy is to Attack the Mind

The battle of spells between Great Emperor Zhenwu and Buddha of Immeasurable Life appeared quite elegant, limited to a table, where ten teacups served as the battlefield. Thunder spells summoned through the water in the teacups were used for mutual attacks, and whoever first shattered all of the opponent’s teacups would be the victor.

Suddenly, Great Emperor Zhenwu merged the Yin and Yang Qi into the thunder, imbuing the thunder with the power of Yin and Yang. A single strike of this Yin Yang Wild Thunder caught Buddha of Immeasurable Life off guard, instantly shattering one of his teacups.

Buddha of Immeasurable Life gathered the water from the shattered cup and distributed it among the remaining four teacups. Seeing one of his teacups broken, he slightly frowned and quickly pinched a Dharma Seal. The thunder coming from the four teacups grew significantly stronger than before and bombarded the five teacups of Great Emperor Zhenwu.

Great Emperor Zhenwu thundered a shout, his beard flying in the air, as the Yin Yang Wild Thunder in front of him formed a wall, blocking all the thunder spells launched by Buddha of Immeasurable Life from reaching him.

Great Emperor Zhenwu thought to himself, "The skills of Buddha of Immeasurable Life are indeed not bad, yet after being humiliated by Confucius and thrown out of Luoyang City, I cannot underestimate him."

It was evident from their exchange of spells that Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s mana was strong and his methods sophisticated, but after being disgraced by Confucius in Luoyang City, he became the butt of many jokes.

Both masters employed their techniques as the nine teacups spun ceaselessly on the table, emitting streaks of thunder. Above the teacup of Great Emperor Zhenwu hung a patch of dark clouds, from which thunderclaps could also be heard. The battle between the two sides’ thunder spells continued, but this time, Buddha of Immeasurable Life was extra careful, making it much more difficult for Great Emperor Zhenwu to shatter another cup.

"Mysterious Heavenly Divine Thunder!" Great Emperor Zhenwu pinched his fingers into a Sword technique and uttered a soft chant, as a Divine Thunder struck down, carrying endless might and striking terror.

Great Emperor Zhenwu is also known as the "Mysterious Heavenly Supreme Deity." Many authentic Taoist Sects practice their Sword techniques by invoking the "Mysterious Heavenly Supreme Deity with Sword Finger." His Mysterious Heavenly Divine Thunder, which he developed himself, was in no way inferior to the Divine Sky Taoist Magic that summons thunder from the Nine Heavens Above!

"Immeasurable Divine Thunder!" Buddha of Immeasurable Life also hurried to enhance his thunder with mana.

When Mysterious Heavenly Divine Thunder collided with Immeasurable Divine Thunder, a sharp crackle resounded. One of Great Emperor Zhenwu’s teacups was affected and shattered, and likewise, one of Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s cups also broke. Both rushed to transfer the water from their broken cups to other teacups using mana.

The battle with thunder was dazzling to the eyes, truly a flash of lightning, not allowing even the time to blink for fear of missing the thrilling battle.

"This round, Buddha of Immeasurable Life has shattered another cup, and so has Great Emperor Zhenwu. The score is three to four, with the Emperor still in the lead."

"This match will surely be won by Great Emperor Zhenwu! Buddha of Immeasurable Life was humiliated by Old Master Kong, rolling and scrambling away; how could he be a match for Great Emperor Zhenwu?"

Fully focused, Buddha of Immeasurable Life drew upon his spells and exhaled his True Qi continuously. A thunder bolt shot into the patch of clouds created by Great Emperor Zhenwu, followed by roaring thunder inside the cloud. The two types of thunder intertwined ceaselessly, crackling furiously.

"Scram!" Great Emperor Zhenwu shouted dismissively, and the thunder from Buddha of Immeasurable Life was immediately repelled. A Yin Yang Wild Thunder bolt targeted the third teacup of Buddha of Immeasurable Life.

"Rise!" Buddha of Immeasurable Life bellowed. The three teacups formed the Three Talents, arranged like horns, and suddenly lifted into the air, evading the strike of the Yin Yang Wild Thunder.

Buddha of Immeasurable Life felt deeply displeased; when he was in Luoyang, he was driven out merely by the word "Scram!" uttered by Confucius. Until now, that incident remained an embarrassing joke.

Buddha of Immeasurable Life flipped and pressed his palms, forming another spell; from the teacups emerged more bolts of wild thunder that transformed into a gigantic palm and hurriedly moved to smack down on Great Emperor Zhenwu’s teacups.

Great Emperor Zhenwu rubbed his palms together and lifted the teacups with the Silk-Reeling Power of Tai Chi, Grasping Sparrow’s Tail. As they spun in mid-air, he pinched a Hand Seal – the Mysterious Heavenly Supreme Deity with Sword Finger. The thunder coalesced into a Divine Sword and pierced towards the Palm Seal launched by Buddha of Immeasurable Life!

When sword met palm, it was expected that the palm would be pierced, but since both were composed of thunder with explosive power, the collision was not a piercing but a loud explosion. The table trembled fiercely and nearly collapsed.

Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Great Emperor Zhenwu each summoned up a breath of True Qi to stabilize the table, then displayed their Divine Skills and clashed once more.

Great Emperor Zhenwu chuckled and said, "Buddha of Immeasurable Life, after being disgracefully kicked out of Luoyang by Confucius, you still dare to compete with me? You truly don’t know what’s good for you!"

These words were conveyed through Divine Sense and not spoken aloud, so nobody present could hear them, only Buddha of Immeasurable Life could.

Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s face instantly turned as he seethed with anger. He detested Confucius profoundly and despised Great Emperor Zhenwu for poking at his wound.

In the art of war, the most crucial aspect is to attack the mind. In a high-level magic combat, it is not only a comparison of Mana and Magical Treasures but also a contest of mental state. The Great Emperor Zhenwu’s deception was perfectly timed.

Provoked by these words, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life flew into a rage. Having originally controlled the thunder with exquisite finesse, in his fury, how could he maintain his composure? A teacup unexpectedly shattered by itself, snap, crushed to powder by his own thunder, and tea spilled all over the table.

A glint of cold light flashed in the Great Emperor Zhenwu’s eyes as he commanded four terrifying bolts of lightning to strike down with a thunderous crash! Caught off guard, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life hastily marshaled the thunder to defend, but the four bolts of wild thunder struck him squarely. The thunder he summoned crumbled on contact, and another teacup also snapped to smithereens. However, having learned his lesson, he protected the tea within the cup, directing it all into the last remaining teacup.

"Ha!"

The Great Emperor Zhenwu was determined to crush the Buddha of Immeasurable Life in one fell swoop. He changed the Hand Seal he was forming, and four Divine Thunders struck again, each thunderbolt seemingly harboring a Dharma Body within. He had actually infused his own spiritual will into the Divine Thunder! How terrifying was that? Having spiritual will within thunder was extremely painful, and with the slightest mistake, one could be pulverized by the thunder. The Great Emperor Zhenwu had infused four spiritual wills into the thunder, controlling it to strike down with a force many times greater than before.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!"

The table began to tremble, almost collapsing, but it held steady. The Great Emperor Zhenwu’s lightning struck while the Buddha of Immeasurable Life desperately resisted.

Beads of sweat as large as beans formed on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s bald head, each one trickling down to his kasaya from his chin. This was the moment to determine the victor!

"Immeasurable Life!" With a thunderous shout, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life also merged his spiritual will into the thunder, transforming it into a figure of Buddha, hovering in front of the teacup.

This Buddha was majestic and dignified, forming a Dharma Seal with his hands, and unleashing Divine Skills to block the four bolts of thunder from the Great Emperor Zhenwu. With a light cry from the Emperor, the four bolts of thunder instantly merged into one, manifesting as a Taoist figure that began to fight with the Buddha on the table.

Each of them unleashed powerful moves, one with successive Great Hand Seals and the other with Sword techniques of Nine Linked Rings, fighting fiercely. Their every clash released terrifying forces capable of leveling mountains, but they controlled their power meticulously, preventing it from spreading and damaging the table. Whoever damaged the table would be considered the loser.

"How impressive, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life managed to use such a tactic at the last moment, holding off the Great Emperor Zhenwu’s killer move!"

"Hmph! The Buddha of Immeasurable Life is just drawing on his last reserves. Haven’t you seen that the Great Emperor Zhenwu hasn’t broken a sweat?"

Sweating indicated that one’s control over their Vital Essence was faltering, causing it to seep out through the skin in the form of sweat. This is exactly why one feels a sense of exhaustion after soaking in a hot spring for too long—the skin’s pores open up, and a large amount of Vital Essence is lost. The Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s profuse sweating was because he was exerting too much effort and struggling to maintain control of his Vital Essence, which then transformed into sweat, ceaselessly pouring from key acupoints such as the Crown of the Head, Baihui, Taiyang, and Behind the Ear.

The Great Emperor Zhenwu said coldly, "Scram!"

This shout, akin to Confucius chastising the Buddha of Immeasurable Life all those years ago, struck the Buddha like lightning. He almost burst with fury, spewed a mouthful of blood, and nearly lost control of the last teacup, allowing the thunder to crack a corner of it. Fortunately, he managed to steady it, spinning the teacup deftly to one side to narrowly dodge the second bolt of the Emperor’s thunder.

"Hmm?" The Great Emperor Zhenwu let out a cold laugh as the lightning transformed into a Divine Dragon that swiftly advanced, seemingly about to coil around the teacup. Drenched in sweat, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life hurriedly recited a Dharma Spell to dodge with the teacup.

The Great Emperor Zhenwu arranged the four teacups into the formation of the Four Symbols, trapping the Buddha of Immeasurable Life’s final teacup in the center. As the four teacups simultaneously emitted thunder, the roaring crackles morphed into the Four Symbols’ Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Xuanwu, and Vermilion Bird—each roaring as they bore down upon the teacup.

The Buddha of Immeasurable Life clenched his teeth, pressing his tongue against his teeth and biting down hard to draw blood. With a spurt, he sprayed Vital Blood which immediately invigorated him as though he had swallowed a Power Pill. His previously languid state vanished, and he vigorously controlled the teacup, withstanding the fierce onslaught from the Great Emperor Zhenwu.

"The Buddha of Immeasurable Life has been forced to spew Vital Blood, indicating he’s at his limit. As long as the Great Emperor Zhenwu keeps up this level of assault for a moment longer, the Buddhist sect is bound to lose without a doubt."

"Indeed, it is not until one is truly desperate that one should resort to spewing Vital Blood from the tip of the tongue. Although the use of Vital Blood can briefly increase one’s power as if they had taken a Madness Demon Pill, it will drastically reduce one’s magical power afterward, leaving one weakened. The Buddha of Immeasurable Life is indeed at the end of his tether."

The Great Emperor Zhenwu shouted, "Buddha of Immeasurable Life, surrender now, or when will you?"

A tremendous shout like a muffled thunder, and with a twist of the hand seals by the Great Emperor Zhenwu, the four teacups began to quiver, and four bolts of wild thunder spewed forth!

The outcome remains unknown, please wait for the next episode to find out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for it using the recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)