The Great Task of Slaying Immortals Is Entrusted to You

The smoke of battle dissipated.

Du Cheng, now transformed into the malevolent Cultivator Buddha, covered the weak point mark on the back of his neck with one hand, glaring fiercely at the crowd gathered above the river valley.

"Insects… nothing more than a futile struggle!"

Du Cheng let out a sinister laugh.

Down in the valley, Jiang Lingfeng linked his spirit umbrella to Du Cheng, instantly restoring the Buddha's health to full.

"Junior Brother Mu, Elder Li… you two should retreat to the higher ground. Leave the rest to us!"

Zhong Yi took a bold step forward, shielding Mu Yawen and Li Jiujian behind him.

Four colossal black Buddha figures surrounded the malevolent Cultivator Buddha from all sides.

This was the first step of Zhong Yi's battle plan.

The four Buddhas would protect the other players from being snatched away.

Meanwhile, those wielding long-range weapons would rain down attacks on the weak point from above the valley, suppressing the enemy with concentrated firepower.

This way, the most troublesome aspect of the Cultivator Buddha would no longer be insurmountable.

"Pathetic tricks!"

Du Cheng roared in fury.

How could he not see the names hidden behind the four Buddhas in his line of sight?

This meant the Buddhas in front were mere shields—meat shields meant to endure his dual grabs.

The real killing blow would come from the cultivators behind them.

Zhong Yi and the other three were merely tasked with escorting them close to the Buddha.

Once they were in position, sheer numbers would bury him alive!

Du Cheng sneered at the crowd.

The grand formation's ability to alter the illusion's parameters was limited.

For instance, after modifying the Buddha's grab speed and range, he could no longer replicate Jiang Lingfeng's Hutao form—with its blinding movement speed, attack speed, and infinite blocking.

However, through repeated testing, Du Cheng had discovered a critical threshold—the maximum adjustments he could make while transformed into the Buddha within a short timeframe.

"Heh… seems I’ll have to use that move."

Du Cheng grinned viciously.

As he spoke, golden talisman seals lit up one after another around his body.

He shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity.

With a sudden flash of the talismans,

golden runic palms shot toward Zhong Yi and the others at terrifying speed!

"!!"

Zhong Yi’s eyes widened in shock.

A relentless barrage of golden fists, brimming with murderous intent, surged toward him like a tidal wave.

A sense of impending doom gripped his heart.

Yet Zhong Yi—along with the other three Buddha players—did not retreat a single step!

"Hold the line!!"

Zhong Yi crossed his arms to shield his head, gritted his teeth, and charged forward.

While the Buddha’s attacks couldn’t grab other Buddhas, they still inflicted minor damage.

Under such an overwhelming assault, the four players' health bars were obliterated in an instant.

"Ugh…"

"Ahh!!"

The other three Buddhas screamed in agony before collapsing mid-charge, their bodies turning into soul cairns.

Zhong Yi’s health was now a flickering ember, one hit away from death.

At the same time, Du Cheng’s onslaught ceased.

Not out of mercy—this attack had reached its limit.

Pushing further risked the grand formation’s collapse.

The golden talisman seals around him dimmed abruptly.

Zhong Yi noticed this immediately and shouted to the others, "He can’t use that move again so soon! Now’s our chance—take him down!!"

"Kill!!!"

A thunderous battle cry erupted behind him.

Dozens of players, eyes burning with fury, charged toward the Buddha.

In this moment, every cultivator stood united, their wills aligned as one.

Blades and sword glares filled the air.

The entire Heavenly River Valley trembled under the assault.

Hidden among the crowd, Li Moran took a deep breath and unleashed a grappling hook, soaring straight toward Du Cheng.

Her target—the weak point on the back of the Cultivator Buddha’s neck.

Just then, the previously motionless Buddha curled his lips into a smirk.

The golden talismans around him flared to life once more.

"You actually thought… I’d lose?!"

A golden runic palm shot toward Li Moran, who was leading the charge!

……

……

Above the valley, the long-range attackers had repaired their weapons and took aim once more at the malevolent Buddha below.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure materialized in their midst.

"Did you all… forget about me?"

Jiang Lingfeng smirked coldly as his sword flashed—two razor-sharp sword qi slashes instantly cleaved through the unprepared cultivators.

While Du Cheng had pushed the Buddha’s attributes to their limits,

Jiang Lingfeng had maximized the combat potential of his human form.

In martial arts, speed reigned supreme.

His Hutao style embodied this—blinding movement speed, attack speed, parry speed, draw speed…

So fast it defied reason.

In the blink of an eye, multiple sword qi strikes erupted.

The long-range squad above the valley was decimated.

Just as he prepared to continue the slaughter, a furious roar echoed in his ears:

"Raging Flame Body!"

From the corner of his eye, Jiang Lingfeng caught a glimpse of a crimson streak—

followed by a lethal slash from a blind spot.

"Clang!"

Thanks to the grand formation, Jiang Lingfeng’s blade automatically parried the strike without conscious effort.

"Again!!"

Zhou Yue’s saber moved even faster this time.

"You’re dead!"

Jiang Lingfeng’s eyes burned with rage as his sword unleashed two more sword qi waves.

Zhou Yue reacted with lightning reflexes, timing a perfect parry to enter golden super armor.

"Oh? Another true disciple?"

Jiang Lingfeng sneered, sidestepping gracefully.

"Nothing brings me more joy… than crushing self-righteous true disciples like you!"

With that, he pushed the grand formation’s efficiency to its absolute limit.

Discarding his nearly broken sword, Jiang Lingfeng drew a Tang blade identical to Zhou Yue’s.

But his strikes—

were far, far faster.

……

……

Back in the valley below.

When the Buddha’s golden arm shot toward her, Li Moran’s heart sank.

Zhong Yi had already briefed everyone on the malevolent Buddha’s abilities—

unavoidable, undodgeable, 100% guaranteed grabs!

Yet Li Moran was never one to surrender.

She twisted mid-air, landing deftly before darting aside.

In half a breath, she had already shifted beyond the palm’s trajectory.

Such reflexes would impress anyone.

But Du Cheng merely smirked—the golden hand curved unnaturally mid-air, chasing her once more.

At the critical moment, Li Moran didn’t hesitate.

A surge of icy energy erupted from her dantian.

Activating the Frostheart Mantra, her body transformed into an ice sculpture, evading the grab entirely.

The moment the hand vanished, she shattered free, her gaze colder than the deepest winter as she stared down the Buddha.

"Oh? Such reflexes? Impressive…"

Du Cheng chuckled in mock admiration.

"But what about the next one? My grabs are infinite… while you—heh."

He shook his head, eyes filled with pity and amusement.

"Had you brought your true cultivation into this illusion, you might’ve stood a chance… what a shame."

Li Moran remained unmoved.

She flicked her newly drawn sword, her aura as frigid as if the legendary Gu Qinghan herself possessed her.

An aura of glacial energy swirled around her.

Then—she lunged straight at Du Cheng.

"Stubborn fool… perish!"

With a cold snort, another golden runic palm materialized behind Du Cheng.

His arsenal of runic hands… was endless.

However, Gu Qinghan's "Ice Heart Mantra" had a cooldown limitation!

This time, Du Cheng was certain of his victory.

Yet, to his bewilderment, the usually calm and composed genius true disciple of the Lingxiao Sect before him had chosen what seemed like a suicidal assault. It made no sense to him.

At this moment, Li Moran's mind was free of distractions, his eyes locked onto Du Cheng's every move.

'If he strikes with his palm… I’m dead for sure, right?'

'What would he do if he were in my place?'

In a daze, Li Moran recalled the details of his duel with Lu Ze.

Du Cheng made his move.

A golden rune-engraved palm shot straight toward Li Moran.

Taking a deep breath, Li Moran showed no intention of retreating. Instead, he accelerated forward.

'Just as Senior Brother Zhong Yi predicted.'

'Then…'

'I’ll have to trust the others.'

The instant the golden palm was about to seize Li Moran—

A figure swung in on a grappling hook, intercepting the attack and getting crushed in the golden rune-engraved grip.

"True Disciple Li… the great cause of slaying immortals rests with you now!!"