Golden Cicada’s expression remained neutral. He closed his eyes with an image of a Buddha still heaving above him.
His temperament was a stark contrast to his age. He seemed rather enlightened compared to many peers.
“I still have one more move that I wish to use against you. Let’s try again if you don’t mind.” He placed his palms together.
The crowd didn’t expect him to make this request.
“Another move?” The scion’s eyes flashed brightly, instantly realizing something. Stars seemed to be floating deep within.
“Very well, I have been a fan of World Crossing for a long time, it is an honor to see it today.” He laughed and said.
“World Crossing?!” The crowd clamored.
“We’ll really get to see World Crossing?” An expert asked.
“I think so.” An older cultivator said: “Golden Cicada has cultivated it before, this move has to be it.”
“Right, there’s nothing else stronger than World Crossing.” Others speculated.
One big shot became excited and added: “This is a must-watch battle, Evil Devourer Seven Chapters versus World Crossing.”
Just a moment ago, people were okay with the monk conceding. Now, they wanted to see his World Crossing.
World Crossing and Buddha’s Six Paths were both top techniques. The former was created by Dhyana Dao Lord while the other Buddha Dao Lord.
The main difference was that World Crossing was derived from the Buddhamization chapter of the Four Truths – a supreme heavenly scripture.
Thus, in history, the majority believed that World Crossing was superior to Buddha’s Six Paths. After all, it came from one of the nine scriptures and should be immensely profound.
Some had the opposite opinion. Because Buddha Dao Lord was the founder of the holy ground, they thought that albeit brilliant, Dhyana Dao Lord’s cultivation should still be weaker.
Nonetheless, it was widely accepted that his Buddhist attainment surpassed his predecessor.
Therefore, some thought that the six paths focused on attacking while World Crossing focused on Buddhism.
Later on, another school of thought believed that it was silly to determine the stronger one between the two. A merit law’s effectiveness relied on the user. A mighty master could make any merit law look good.
Thus, the crowd wasn’t excited because they thought that World Crossing was superior to Buddha’s Six Paths. More importantly, this land belonged to Heavenly Dragon Temple. No other place in the world was more fitting to use a Buddhist art such as World Crossing.
“We’ll see the competition again in this generation.” One ancestor became impatient.
Both of the opposing merit laws were derivatives of a heavenly scripture. In a sense, this was akin to a competition between the two chapters.
Righteous Sect and Buddha Holy Ground always had conflicts in history. Alas, it was rare to see these two merit laws in battle due to the difficulty in learning them.
Those from Righteous thought that the seven chapters were superior. Those from the holy ground naturally cheered for World Crossing. Today was another great opportunity to test the two merit laws.
Not to mention those from the holy ground, disciples from Righteous or other sects became excited as well.
“World Crossing will win, it’s absolutely stronger.” One member of the holy ground said.
“No, our seven chapters are definitely stronger. Golden Cicada Buddhist Child has the home-court advantage right now, World Crossing can be used to its limit.” Someone from Righteous was unhappy.
“Hmph, are you forgetting that the scion’s cultivation is higher than Golden Cicada Buddhist Child’s? That’s why even if the scion wins, it doesn’t mean that the seven chapters are stronger.” Another from the holy ground chimed in.
In just a short time, verbal battles with saliva flying everywhere started while the two actual combatants had yet to begin.
They weren’t affected by the conversations while standing face to face in the air.
“Due to my shallow cultivation, I can’t even exert ten percent of World Crossing. Please don’t laugh.” Golden Cicada solemnly said.
“I haven’t finished training the seven chapters either, I’m sure I’m not any better than you so I won’t be laughing.” The scion responded.
The crowd thought that these two were lucky to fight each other in battle. Finding the right opponent could be difficult at times.
“Let’s begin.” Golden Cicada placed his palms together, looking like a wise monk.
“Buzz.” His Buddhist radiance intensified once more but this time, it was different from the previous.
The light seemed rather gentle with flickering flames. They were as pleasant as a gentle spring breeze.
“Clank! Clank! Clank!” Buddhist bells suddenly sounded, sounding ancient yet natural.
They came from the various temples in the region and had a soothing element.
The spectators stared at the temples near the border. There were millions of them yet they all emitted the bells in unison.
The sounds harmonized into strong currents, eventually culminating in an ocean of bells engulfing the entire holy ground. The listeners’ mental state found an unprecedented peace.
The bells were ringing on their own accord without needing monks to strike them.
In this split second, Golden Cicada has used World Crossing. The bells seemed to be sentient and answered his call.
All existences stopped to listen to the peaceful bells. In fact, those in battle suddenly sheathed their swords. Their bloodthirst subsided, replaced by tranquility.
They thought that there was no reason to fight. Some wanted to go back home; others wanted to join Buddhism.
The powerful ancestors became shaken and reacted. They knew that World Crossing was starting to convert them. They hurriedly protected their mind in order to not be affected by the bells.
The scion narrowed his eyes then nodded approvingly. He then focused on stopping the bells from attacking his mind.
The top experts knew that World Crossing was formless. The monk didn’t need to directly attack with techniques to defeat his foes. The weaker-minded enemies would actually surrender.
Winning without fighting – this was the best strategy. World Crossing meant wanting to convert all living beings.