Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 645

Chapter 645

Chapter 645: Buddha’s Revelation

The two combatants stopped again . A flickering aura appeared and disappeared around Lan Qing, and a thoughtful expression was on his face . Was it really as simple as it seemed? After all, Lan Qing was called the God of Wisdom! Evolution was an integral part of Lan Qing’s chosen path . Through training and battle he constantly evolved toward the most perfect version of himself .

Of course his protogenia couldn’t change . But Adepts were more multifaceted, like layers of an onion . At the heart of Lan Qing’s abilities was the Prajna curses and Varochana . Wrapped around that was Wind . In effect, the general had been fighting with one hand behind his back .

Jue Di had told Lan Qing that the universe shrunk after you became a Paragon . There were so few like you . A situation like that, new Paragons needed a whetstone to hone their abilities . Friends and training partners were no use . Paragons were exceedingly precise and sensitive, and only real danger catalyzed their potential .

The Astral Phantom was a perfect whetstone . Lan Qing wasn’t going to put him down so quickly . He used this opportunity to understand the deeper truths of his protogenia .

The Phantom’s body vanished in a flash of purple light . He didn’t wait around for Lan Qing to attack . The Astral Phantom was a killer, a master assassin as they were called in the old days . No assassin worth their salt attacked a target head-on . Attack from the shadows, that was his specialty .

Just as the Phantom vanished, a light arose in Lan Qing’s eyes . He pressed his palms together at the center of his chest . Though his body didn’t disappear, his aura ceased to be felt . The Phantom, however, was completely gone .

Ting! The Astral Phantom appeared from the shadows behind Lan Qing’s right shoulder . Lan Qing didn’t have time to turn and face the assassin, the Phantom was too quick . All he could do was twist his ribs away and block the stab with his back .

Sounds of shock rippled through the onlookers . The Astral Phantom’s name and reputation were widely known . His strength was not in question, nor was the lethality of his Soulblight daggers . Meeting him was like being served a death warrant .

Every ear perked to the sound of ringing metal, and wide eyes stared in disbelief . The Phantom’s dagger didn’t pierce the skin . A blinding halo of golden light appeared behind Lan Qing’s head, and his heroic form swelled to several times his original size . He dropped to his knees and knelt among the glittering stars . A golden lotus appeared below to lift and support him . An impassioned hymn arose, rumbling all around them .

When the Astral Phantom reappeared, it was far away from his target . He gaped at Lan Qing . “Reflection of Heaven and Earth . But how… . You… “

Lan Qing’s face remained even and placid . He spread his hands away from his chest, palms facing heaven . All of a sudden the chants grew louder . Lan Qing’s golden halo became brighter . It expanded and shot out rays of light like a miniature sun . Wherever the beams of light swept past, nothing was hidden . The light illuminated everything within its scope . The Phantom was revealed and he was left nowhere to hide . He darted into the distance like a terrified ghost .

This was his Domain! Buddha’s Revelation!

Indeed this was the true realm of Lan Qing’s power, far more potent than what he’d felt at the beginning of their fight . The brilliant light of the Buddha revealed everything to the young Paragon . The Astral Phantom’s Domain was what he’d just revealed, blinking . Within the scope of his power he could instantly move from any one point to another .

Unfortunately for him, Varochana’s power abolished all things duplicitous and negative . Their pocket universe was reset to its purest and simplest state .

“Great Prajna Curse!” Lan Qing retracted his arms, then pressed forward with his hands . The pure light of the Buddha intensified still further, until the spectators outside could sense nothing from within their pocket dimension .

The Astral Phantom juked and dodged as best he could . No matter how fervently he disbelieved, Lan Qing was showing the abilities of a second-degree Paragon! That’s the only way he could have blocked the Soulblight daggers with nothing but his own skin . No wonder he was so eager to fight! Did he really jump an entire degree? The Astral Phantom didn’t know what to believe . He couldn’t understand why he’d been stuck for dozens of years, but for this young man it seemed effortless . It seemed too impossible an idea to entertain .

He raced as fast as he could, searching for a way to escape Lan Qing’s Domaine . No matter how fast he flew or how far he went, he couldn’t get free enough to summon his own powers . Even if he could, the difference between first and second degree Paragons was outstanding . This was pure protogenic force . He had to get free if he wanted a chance .

However, once Lan Qing croaked those three words, everything around the Astral Phantom changed . No matter where he turned or how fast he fled, the image of Varochana followed . Eventually the pure light swallowed him up entirely .

There was nowhere to go!

The Phantom took a deep breath then came to a halt . He knew nothing else would come from running . He knew that his own Domain would be suppressed by the overwhelming power of the general . He was completely at his prey’s mercy!

He reacted by throwing his arms back, although this time his shoulders were thrown back as well . The action was so sudden and violent it looked like his arms would be pulled out . Then he began to move . A shadow copy was left behind in his wake . His actions looked almost slow, so much that the spectators could see every movement clearly . The sharper among them, though, noticed how when he moved he seemed like a shadow . He wasn’t really going so slowly .

Thirteen! Including himself there were thirteen shadowy assassin’s racing straight for Lan Qing . As the Phantom picked up speed his copies kept pace . They would occasionally collide with each other, and when they did the new copy was more defined . In front of him, the purple light of his empowered weapons blazed a path . It, too, seemed to become sharper and more real the farther he flew until it was carving apart space-time – and the pure light of the Buddha .

This was the real power of the Astral Phantom . Assassins were known for keeping their deadliest attacks to the last . How much more terrifying was a Paragon assassin once trapped in a corner? The Astral Phantom seemed committed to showing everyone .

He appeared to be little more than a gloomy shadow, somehow able to deny light from reflecting off of him . All of his strength, Discipline, perception, poison, speed, and Domain – all of them were focused on a single point in space . This was it; do or die . If this strike failed to finish his target, he wouldn’t have enough energy to a second try .

It demanded a full twenty percent of his total energy . Twenty percent of concentrate death .

Cosmic Smite . This was the name he’d given the attack he used only in time of absolute necessity . In all his years he had never had to use it . Although, he’d never before tried to kill a Paragon .

It was without pomp, without drama . It was pure, deadly power . Everything hinged on the tip of this strike .

Lan Qing’s hands shot out, for he felt the light of Varochana above him dim . The overwhelming sense of danger told him the precise moment to move .

Supreme Incantation! Lan Qing’s strongest Prajna Curse!

Palms forward, sturdy as a mountain! No I, no they . In the boundlessness of the Buddha, with no up nor down, there is no fear .

Suddenly Lan Qing’s entire body took on the image of the Buddha, like the second coming of Varochana . The heat was so intense that distant stars melted in the face of it .

Dang—-! The crisp sound, like the call of a grandfather clock, hung for a long time in the air . The whole of the universe seemed to vibrate in response .

Lan Qing’s Varochana projection also shook . A large white scar appeared on it, stretching across the forehead . When he saw this Lan Jue rushed forward, but the calloused grip of Jue Di held him fast .

“Prajna-paramitah!” The guttural chant filled the air, rolling like thunder . It was clear as a bell to everyone .

The Astral Phantom was revealed again . His true form was picked out from the shadow doppelgangers . He’d been half-hidden before but was once again fully revealed – though, he was different . The emaciated assassin’s suddenly grew to several times his size . Without warning his frail body filled out .

Golden light enveloped him just as the resounding chants of Buddhist monks deafened the ear . The pale scar on Lan Qing’s forehead disappeared . Meanwhile the Astral Phantom dropped his arms beneath the power of a blazing sun . The incessant blaze burned away the purple light surrounding the assassin .

Lan Qing’s dharmic image came to an end . When he reappeared his face was pale, and he looked drained . He’d sensed the mortal danger from the Astral Phantom’s attack . He’d only just managed to protect himself from annihilation with his curses and defense .

After all, Lan Qing was still very young as Paragons were concerned . He still hadn’t grasped the full breadth of his abilities, especially since he’d jumped a degree . On the other hand, the Astral Phantom’s Cosmic Smite was strong enough to nearly pierce a second-degree Paragon’s defenses . In terms of attack power, the Paragons ahead of him on the list may not necessarily be his superiors . With all of the Phantom’s strength focused on that one strike, Lan Qing had had a very literal brush with death .