CHAPTER 2174  THE FINAL THREE ACT

Lin Mu didn't know how long it would take before the death aura would penetrate the portal and as such knew they would have to hurry. His eyes were locked onto the portal as well as the space behind it, watching every single movement.

'The portal is stable and the ring doesn't seem to be considering the death aura a threat to it. We just need to get past it then.' Lin Mu assessed before turning to Monk Hushu and Crown Prince Feng Shun.

"Time for us, Monk Hushu." Crown Prince Feng Shun finally made his move.

"On it!" Monk Hushu said before slamming his palms together. ~HONG~

A yellow light illuminated his body while his eyes closed. He chanted softly under his breath while a pleasing yet firm aura spread from him.

Everyone in the cage could hear the chants and soon found them getting louder. Lin Mu paid attention to them and found them to be a lot more different from the Calming Heart Sutra.

'This is not exactly calm… Its more of a reassuring feeling… And yet there is something else to it.' Lin Mu pondered on it, comparing it to the Buddhist aura he had experienced before.

The entire aura of Monk Hushu had changed and it was no longer as peaceful as before. Instead the firmness turned into an immovable feeling while a hint of fierceness arose within it.

After a minute of chanting, Monk Hushu suddenly opened his eyes that glowed in a golden light! is the owner.

~RUMBLE~

As if thunder had struck, the entire area shook before an illusory image formed above the cage. The group saw a large figure.

Just one look at the figure gave rise to countless thoughts in one's mind. It was as if the figure embodied the serene power of enlightenment and the unstoppable force of the thunderbolt.

It was none other than the Golden Vajra Idol!

Clad in robes of shimmering gold that seemed to dance with every movement, the Vajra stood tall, his demeanor radiated an aura of tranquility and inner strength. His eyes, deep pools of wisdom, surveyed the world with a knowing gaze, as if he held the secrets of the universe within their depths.

In his hand, he wielded the sacred Vajra, a weapon forged from the purest of metals and imbued with divine energy. Even while being held it crackled with lightning, leaving trails of brilliance in its wake, a testament to the Vajra's mastery over both the physical and spiritual realms.

Yet, despite his formidable presence, the Vajra remained humble, ever mindful of the teachings of compassion and non-attachment. His every movement was filled with grace and purpose, his every action a reflection of the boundless compassion that defined his being.

"Golden Vajra Illumination!" The monk uttered loudly.

Watching the figure, everyone felt awed and even Lin Mu felt his heart quicken.

'Is this the true power of the Buddhist Path?' Lin Mu wondered.

He had touched upon the path, but had not delved far in it. If he compared it with the Sword path, Lin Mu was far lacking compared to Monk Hushu.

Despite being the very first Sutra that Lin Mu had obtained, the Calming Heart Sutra was yet to fully unlock its true potential. As such, Lin Mu was getting a clue to what it could hold.

Of course, while there were many roads that split from the Buddhist Path, Lin Mu had only seen one himself. The one presented by Monk Hushu was something new.

'I've felt Calmness, but this is Stability with profound power.' Lin Mu assessed. But that was not all he felt, he could also sense a deeper connection between the Golden Vajra Idol and Monk Hushu.

"Is this… A Dao Skill?" Lin Mu finally asked.

"It is the manifestation of Monk Hushu's Dao Embryo the Golden Vajra Dao Embryo." Crown Prince Feng Shun said in a low voice not within to disturb the man that was busy in setting up the skill.

This made Lin Mu take a deeper look at the Golden Vajra Idol. Deep within the figure he saw a smaller idol inside that looked quite similar to the full sized figure. And in all that, Lin Mu finally managed to observe the Dao Traces too.

They were unlike any other Dao Traces he had seen and actually felt a bit familiar to him at the same time. Perhaps if it were not for the fact that Monk Hushu was using the Dao Skill at full power, the Dao Traces might have even approached Lin Mu.

But this did prove the monk's potential.

"It is indeed quite strong… I hadn't expected Monk Hushu's powers and accomplishment in the Buddhist Path to be this deep." Lin Mu admitted.

"Haha," Crown Prince Feng Shun chuckled upon hearing that. "Among my companions and me, Monk Hushu ranks second, right below me if we compare the full extent of our cultivation." He revealed.

"What?" Lin Mu certainly hadn't expected that. 'I'd been thinking it was the Crown Princess and then Daoist Chu after that.' He had ranked the monk at the very last since he had not been able to judge his true potential.

"Monk Hushu might not be as good in offense as me or Crown Princess Shang, but he is certainly better than us in defense and support. His skills are also excellent in dealing with negative aspects of the cultivation world." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied. "As such, his skills shine the best in situations like this." He added.

Lin Mu couldn't help but nod in approval while the other continued to watch in marvel.

The Golden Vajra Figure exuded a power that coated the entire cage without affecting the other skills and formations that had been cast on it. This was all done under the fine control of Monk Hushu and took great focus.

~huu~

Monk Hushu let out a breath as the Golden Vajra figure disappeared and so did the Dao Embryo. But the cage was now glowing with a golden light.

"That will hold…" Monk Hushu said in a low voice.

It was clear that he still needed to focus on keeping the skill active and the Crown Prince understood that too.

"I'll handle the rest." The prince said before his body radiated with power as well.

~CRACKLE~

Fine sparks appeared in Crown Prince Feng Shun's body as if glitter was being sprinkled onto him. But a moment later, the sparks became bigger until they turned into arcs of lightning!

~HUM~

The low hum of lightning could be heard as it crawled over Crown Prince Feng Shun's body. The lightning was a mix of white and purple, showing that it was stronger than normal lightning.

'So this is Crown Prince Feng Shun's lightning element.' Lin Mu was getting to witness it for the first time.

He had seen the man's wind element before, but also knew that the Crown Prince had affinity with Lightning Element too. This was the reason why Crown Prince Feng Shun practiced the Storm King Immortal Arts, instead of the signature cultivation technique of the Imperial Feng Clan.

He had inherited the wind affinity from his clan, but also managed to be born with lightning affinity. With two of the four Heavenly Elements, it would be a shame for him to practice just the signature technique of his clan even if it wasn't a weak technique.

If one compared the potential and ranks, the Storm King Immortal Arts and the Feng Imperial Technique were on the same level. But with dual affinities, Crown Prince Feng Shun could achieve a lot more with the Storm King Immortal Arts.

This allowed his power to be far greater than his peers of the same level.

Perhaps only those with a Primordial element affinity could outmatch him.

"Storm King Immortal Arts: Great Fulgarian Ward!" Crown Prince Feng Shun uttered while extending his hands sideways.

~BZZT~

Two trails of lighting shot from his hands and entered the cage. The bars sparkled as the arcs of lighting snaked all over them.

The lightning soon wrapped around the eternity of the cage, electrifying it. 'The sheer amount of lighting elemental immortal Qi in this is massive.' Lin Mu observed. 'If someone casually touched it, they might just turn to charcoal in an instant.' He thought.

Perhaps even a Fourth Tribulation Stage Immortal might not last more than a few seconds against the skill. If it were not for the fact that Crown Prince Feng Shun had enchanted it onto the cage only and directed it to be ineffective against its inhabitant, they all would have been suffering right now.

With the cage electrified, the cage now had an offensive defense on it. Lightning was considered to be of Extreme Yang, even more so than fire. Because of this it was considered as the bane of ghosts, evil spirits, baleful energies and all things yin.

Thus it would certainly be effective against the Aura of Death.

With all the defensive skills cast, there was only one thing remaining now.

"Lady Kang, the stage is yours." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated.

"Leave it to me." Lady Kang said before making a few hand seals. She then tapped out in the air, as three stars made out of stellar energy manifested. The stars rose in the air and glowed brightly before an illusory figure started to form.

"88 Constellation Series: Sixty Fifth form- Mariner's Compass!" Lady Kang chanted.

~HUALA~

The illusory figure was completed and took a disc like shape. It was none other than a compass!

It exuded a mysterious aura as the needle on it spun nonstop.