indianbanksassociation Chapter 233 The Venerable Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang!
Chapter 233 The Venerable Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang!
Surrounded by crimson light, Su Fan and Yuan Qingsheng transformed into two streaks of light, tearing through the sky and flying straight towards the East China Sea.
During the flight, Yuan Qingsheng couldn't help but glance at the ten-zhang-long dragon shadow coiled around Su Fan.
Its crimson color was like crystal, its left eye a black sun, and its right eye a white moon. Even a mere wisp of its aura caused the divine power within his body to stagnate.
"Su Fan, just how powerful is this Candle Dragon Strike?"
Yuan Qingsheng finally couldn't help but ask.
Su Fan stared straight ahead, his voice calm:
"Mr. Yuan, what level of power do you think would be needed to annihilate an entire fleet in a single strike?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qingsheng's breath hitched.
As a ninth-tier Divine Master, he naturally knew just how terrifying a complete fleet could be.
A complete fleet consists of dozens of warships, and within the fleet are a large number of fifth-tier or higher Divine Masters. These Divine Masters also have their own exclusive formations. This is an iron torrent capable of destroying a nation.
"Perhaps only a ninth-tier Divine Master like myself, after paying a heavy price, could possibly annihilate the entire fleet."
Yuan Qingsheng said in a deep voice.
"So," Su Fan's lips curled into a cold smile, "let the Venerable Candle Dragon show them what a miracle is."
As soon as he finished speaking, the East China Sea came into view.
On the azure sea, a massive fleet is cruising in battle formation.
Fleet flagship command center.
Five-star general Rodney stood in front of the panoramic porthole, holding a cup of coffee, looking arrogant.
"The Chinese are still patrolling with those old warships, like primitive people carrying wooden sticks."
Rodney scoffed:
"Pass down the order: the exercise will proceed tomorrow. As soon as the protection of this Mythical Arena ends, the battle will begin immediately!"
The adjutant hesitated:
"General, recently many Chinese deities have been awakened in China, especially in the northern border regions..."
"Gods?"
Rodney interrupted him, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"So what if it's a divine being who has made a contract with a god? Do you really think the gods of China would come after us? There are no true gods on Earth!"
Rodney turned and walked toward the tactical sand table:
"The second phase of the Ragnarok Project will begin in one month. At that time, we will launch a divine challenge from three directions: the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and South Tibet, forcing China to simultaneously engage in three national destiny battles on the mythological stage."
"I'd like to see how many gods they can afford to consume..."
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing alarm blared throughout the entire ship!
"Report! Two extremely high energy sources are approaching at ten times the speed of sound! Identification features... are those of Yuan Qingsheng, a ninth-tier Divine Master from China, and... an unknown target!"
Rodney's face darkened: "Activate defenses! All Divine Guardians, enter combat readiness! Fighter jets, take off and intercept!"
As soon as the order was given, the light in the command room suddenly distorted.
It was noon, but the view outside the window suddenly turned as dark as dusk, and then as bright as day.
The digital clock on the porthole jumped wildly, sometimes accelerating to future dates, and sometimes regressing to yesterday's time.
"Time...time is in turbulence!"
A technical officer shouted in terror.
Rodney looked up sharply and saw two figures already above the fleet on the far horizon.
The leader was a young man, with a crimson, blood-red dragon-shaped light coiled around him.
The mere existence of that dragon's shadow caused chaos in the light, temperature, and even the direction of the ocean currents throughout the entire sea area.
Rodney even saw that the bow of a warship was rusting and decaying at a visible rate, while the stern was brand new as if it had just been launched.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Rodney lost his voice.
Above the sea, Su Fan stood in mid-air, looking down at the steel fleet below.
Yuan Qingsheng stood beside him, his body surging with the divine power of the water god Gonggong, ready to respond and counterattack at any moment.
"Su Fan, there are three eighth-tier auras and six seventh-tier auras in the fleet. It should be that nearly half of the main force of the American God-Controlling Warriors have arrived."
Yuan Qingsheng said in a low voice, "Should I take care of the smaller fry first?"
"No need," Su Fan shook his head. "The attack by Venerable Zhulong deserves applause..."
"audience!!!"
After saying that, Su Fan raised his right hand and gently pressed it on the crimson dragon shadow beside him.
"Your Excellency Zhulong, please."
Upon hearing Su Fan's words, the black sun in Long Ying's left eye suddenly shifted.
There was no earth-shattering momentum, no world-destroying light.
Only an invisible ripple spread outwards from Su Fan.
Where the ripples passed, time... was folded.
The first warship to touch the ripples underwent a process of rusting from bow to stern, eventually turning into rusted dust within a fraction of a second.
It wasn't destroyed, it was directly dissolved!
Then came the second, the third...
The fighter jets had barely taken off when they were reduced to metal scraps in the ripples. The pilots didn't even have time to eject before they were reduced to ashes along with their seats in the cockpit.
"No--!!!"
Rodney, his eyes blazing with fury in the command room, saw the beautiful goddess from the contract appear behind him and tried to escape.
However, Long Ying didn't even glance at him.
The ripples continued to spread.
Rodney couldn't even escape; he was completely annihilated.
The entire American fleet was wiped out in just three breaths...
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes!
The sea was completely empty.
Yuan Qingsheng froze in mid-air. Although he was mentally prepared, witnessing such erasure still sent shivers down his spine.
This is not a crushing defeat in terms of strength, this is... a difference in dimensions.
Su Fan slowly withdrew his hand, and the light of the dragon shadow beside him dimmed, then transformed into a stream of light and entered Su Fan's body.
Then, a voice that only he could hear rang in Su Fan's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully contracting a creation-level Chinese deity!]
[Candle Dragon, Candle Nine Yin!]
[Host has received a mysterious reward. Open it now?]
Su Fan immediately replied in his mind, "No."
He's not available right now, so it's fine to postpone the reward announcement.
"Mr. Yuan, let's go."
"Where...where to?"
"Go back to Kyoto."
Su Fan looked westward, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
"After this blow, some people will start to get restless. We need to prepare early!"
The two transformed into streaks of light and disappeared westward.
The sea returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
But at the same time, the monitoring systems of all the world's major powers fell into a deathly silence.
……
Beautiful Country, Black House.
The American president rested his hands on the tactical platform, his eyes fixed on the last images transmitted back by the satellite, showing the entire process of the fleet turning into dust in invisible ripples.
The entire Black Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long silence, the American president slowly straightened up, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed together:
"How much... have we lost?"
The US Maritime Secretary's lips trembled:
"The entire fleet was wiped out, including three eighth-tier and six seventh-tier Divine Masters. Almost half of America's top Divine Masters are gone."
"In other words," the American president said, emphasizing each word, "that half of our top-tier Divine Masters were annihilated within half an hour?"
No one dared to answer.
The American president whirled around, his eyes bloodshot: "Project Ragnarok is moved up to next week!"
"Mr. President!" an advisor jumped to his feet in alarm. "The plan isn't fully ready yet..."
"Ready?"
The American president interrupted him, pointing to the screen.
"If that kind of power were directed at the United States, do you think we'd need a few minutes to become dust in history? The plan is being moved up to next week, understand?!"
"Yes...yes!"
……
Europa League, the Secret Chamber of the Temple.
Twelve cardinals sat around an ancient round table, in the center of which a suspended crystal ball was replaying the scene from the East China Sea.
"The authority over time...and the highest level of annihilation of time."
The elderly bishop at the head of the group spoke slowly.
"The Chinese pantheon is far more powerful than we imagine."
Another bishop sighed, "We need to reconsider our stance. Perhaps... it's time to engage with China."
"Contact?" The third bishop sneered. "Have you forgotten how we treated them three hundred years ago? The Chinese... hold grudges the most."
The round table fell silent.
Finally, the old bishop slowly said:
"Let's wait and see how the US responds. If their Ragnarok plan succeeds... then we can place our bets."
The Forbidden City, the capital of China.
Old Mo stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, holding a top-secret report he had just received in his hand.
Yuan Qingsheng and Su Fan landed.
"Elder Mo," Su Fan bowed.
Old Mo turned around, looking at Su Fan with a complex expression. After a long while, he sighed deeply.
"Child... this blow was satisfying, but it also completely tore away the last shred of pretense."
Su Fan said calmly:
"I know, but rather than waiting a year for them to be fully prepared for our encirclement and annihilation, it's better to break one of their legs first. Right now, the United States has lost at least a third of its fighting force."
Old Mo shook his head and sighed, "The American dogs are desperate; they're already making big moves."
Su Fan's eyes narrowed: "So fast?"
"They were scared."
Yuan Qingsheng sneered, "The attack from the God of Candle Dragon shattered all their arrogance. Now, they only want to destroy you as quickly as possible, before you grow uncontrollably..."
Su Fan sensed the urgency of time. With a slight thought, the system interface appeared.
[Random Deity Clue x1]
[Unlock countdown: 00:02:17]
The reel will unlock in two minutes.
Su Fan waited patiently.
Finally, two minutes later, the ancient scroll in Su Fan's system space spoke:
"Old Mo, I might have a way."
When Old Mo saw Su Fan take out a scroll, he asked curiously:
"Oh? You'd better not lie to me, kid."
Su Fan nodded and unrolled the scroll given to him by the system.
There were no words, no maps.
There is only one... ink painting.
The painting depicts a desolate mountain with a dilapidated ancient temple on its slopes and a withered locust tree in front of it.
Under the tree sat a figure dressed in tattered robes, his back to the viewer, so his face was not visible.
Beside the painting, a line of small text appeared:
"Traveling 30,000 li westward across the desert, at the end of the yellow sands, one will find the true Buddha."
"Buddha is in the human world, not in heaven."
Su Fan's pupils suddenly contracted.
This description...
Yuan Qingsheng leaned closer to take a look and frowned:
What does this mean? "Journeying westward across the desert..." refers to the Northwest desert? But the Northwest desert only stretches for a few thousand miles, so where does this "thirty thousand miles" come from?
Old Mo seemed to be deep in thought:
"Perhaps it doesn't refer to actual distance. Buddhism speaks of 36,000 Dharma gates, as well as the concept of the Three Realms and Ten Directions... This 30,000 li might be a metaphor."
Su Fan stared at the figure in the painting, and a name surfaced in his mind.
Tang Sanzang!
Or rather... Tang Sanzang, the Venerable Xuanzang!
That was a real historical figure, a Tang Dynasty monk who endured eighty-one tribulations on his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
If there are still Chinese deities in this world, then this holy monk who traveled to India in a mortal body, brought back countless Buddhist scriptures, and was later revered as the Great Master of Universal Enlightenment, is perhaps the most likely one.
But why was he at the end of the yellow sand?
Why is Buddha in the human realm, and not in the heavens?
Old Mo asked curiously, "What is this?"
Su Fan explained, "This is a scroll that I obtained by chance in the ruins of a deity a long time ago, which records the locations of Chinese deities."
"The scroll was sealed and could not be opened before. Only after I formed a contract with Zhulong will I be able to open it. Perhaps this scroll can help us find the surviving Chinese gods."
Su Fan lied, after all, the existence of the system couldn't be known to anyone.
Upon hearing this, Old Mo was extremely excited.
"Chinese deities? You mean living Chinese deities?"
Su Fan nodded seriously.
Old Mo burst into laughter.
"Good, good! If we can really find the Chinese gods, what is there to fear from this mere country like America?!"
After a moment of excitement, Old Mo calmed down and asked:
"Tell me, Su Fan, what do you want me to do?"
Su Fan put away the scroll and looked at Elder Mo: "I need to go to the Northwest."
"Now?" Yuan Qingsheng asked urgently, "The United States could attack at any moment. If you leave Kyoto now..."
"I have to go precisely because they want to cause trouble."
Su Fan interrupted Elder Mo, his eyes resolute.
"While the Candle Dragon's Strike is powerful, it can only be used once. If America truly awakens some kind of trump card, we might..."
Su Fan didn't finish his sentence.
Mr. Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded emphatically:
"Alright. I'll give you a week. After a week, whether you find it or not, you must return to Kyoto. I have a feeling that a major battle will have already begun by then."
Mo Lao looked at Yuan Qingsheng.
"Old Yuan, you go with Su Fan. All national units along the way must fully cooperate. If necessary, you can activate the Great Wall system's permissions."
Yuan Qingsheng solemnly replied, "Understood!"
Su Fan said no more, and he and Yuan Qingsheng transformed into streaks of light once more, soaring into the sky and heading straight to the northwest.
As he sped along, Su Fan silently recited to himself.
The system analyzes the spool clues and provides specific coordinates.
[Command received... Clue analysis in progress...]
[Analysis complete: Target located deep in the Mohan Desert, geographical coordinates marked. Warning: This area exhibits anomalies in its spatiotemporal structure and a high-intensity belief barrier; system navigation may fail.]
Su Fan's heart sank.
Anomaly in spacetime structure?
A barrier of faith?
It seems that the place where this living Chinese deity resides is no ordinary place.
Su Fan looked at Yuan Qingsheng beside him:
"Elder Yuan, speed things up. We... might be about to meet a true Chinese deity in the desert."
Although Yuan Qingsheng did not understand why, seeing Su Fan's solemn expression, he immediately activated his divine power with all his might.
Two streaks of light tore through the clouds, streaking towards northwest China like falling stars.
There, yellow sand filled the sky.
At the edge of the yellow sand, before a dilapidated ancient temple, a figure dressed in tattered robes seemed to sense something and slowly raised his head.
A pair of eyes, calm as an ancient well, yet seemingly reflecting the entire world, gazing eastward.
He has sat here in solitude for countless years.
Today, it has finally arrived...
The person who is meant to come.