Chapter 43: The Old Bald Monk Strikes Back

"This brat... exactly what kind of monster is he?"

The elderly monk was secretly shocked in his heart. He had never witnessed such bizarre cultivation techniques and such a reckless, death-defying combat style.

At that very moment, Han Yang’s true body seized an opening. With a flash of his figure, he instantly appeared directly behind the elderly monk.

"Old bald donkey, take this technique of mine—The Millennium Killing Strike!"

Han Yang’s thousand years of cultivation poured forth entirely at this moment, condensing at his fingertips into a dazzling beam of light that thrust straight toward the elderly monk's back.

"The Millennium Killing Strike!"

Han Yang let out a furious roar, his millennium of energy converging at his fingertips to form a streak of dark light, fiercely jabbing right toward the old monk's rear.

This strike was as fast as lightning and vicious to the extreme.

Even with the elderly monk's profound cultivation, he was caught completely off guard, taking the sudden attack squarely in his most vulnerable spot.

"Aaargh!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the immortal cavern grotto, making the elderly monk jump like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on.

He leaped violently into the air, his aged face turning deeply flushed. His figure staggered, and he nearly tumbled to the ground.

"Hahaha! Old bald donkey, how does it taste?"

Han Yang laughed wildly as his five clones swarmed forward like ravenous wolves, raining blows with fists and feet. Every single strike was lethal and showed no mercy.

The elderly monk was beaten dizzy and disoriented, his kasaya robe torn to shreds and his Buddhist prayer beads scattering across the floor.

There was not a single shred of an enlightened eminent monk left about him; he looked precisely like some pathetic old man being mobbed by a gang of hooligans.

"Amitabha... Benefactor, this poor monk shares neither grudges nor grievances with you. Why must you be so vicious?"

The elderly monk asked in a trembling voice while dodging in utter disarray.

"No grudges or grievances? You damn well blocked me from treasure-hunting, and that's the biggest grudge of all!"

Han Yang retorted unceremoniously, his attacks becoming even more merciless.

Seeing that the elderly monk was about to collapse under the onslaught, the monk suddenly sat cross-legged, chanting incantations as a blazing golden light erupted around his entire body.

A formidable Buddhist power surged outward from within him, forming a golden barrier that blasted Han Yang and all his clones flying backward.

The impact caused Han Yang’s internal Qi to churn violently. His viscera felt as though they had been displaced, stars danced before his eyes, and he nearly vomited a mouthful of old blood.

Before he could catch his breath, the elderly monk had already risen to his feet. Golden light flickered in his eyes, making him look precisely like a wrathful Vajra.

With a wave of his hand, the scattered prayer beads flew back into his grip, each individual bead radiating a dazzling brilliance and carrying immense Buddhist might.

"Vile creature! How dare you desecrate the Buddhist path? Your crimes are unforgivable!"

The elderly monk roared in fury, transforming the prayer beads into a sky-full of golden radiance that peppered Han Yang like a torrential storm of pear blossoms.

Not daring to meet the attack head-on, Han Yang hurriedly unfurled the Wings of the Demonic Lord to evade. Yet the golden light was too swift and numerous, and several prayer beads still struck him.

The mighty Buddhist energy battered his Demonic Lord physique, filling him with agonizing pain.

"Boss!"

"Boss!!"

Seeing this, Zhu Ganglie and the Flood Dragon rushed forward, eager to assist Han Yang.

Wielding his massive spiked mace, Zhu Ganglie intercepted the golden rays hurtling toward Han Yang one by one while roaring fiercely, "Old bald donkey, your opponent is your grandfather Zhu!"

Meanwhile, the Flood Dragon spewed out billowing clouds of mist in an attempt to obscure the elderly monk's vision, simultaneously emitting a resonant dragon roar to shake the monk's focus.

However, the elderly monk's cultivation was simply too lofty; their attacks were entirely negligible to him.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, the elderly monk blew both Zhu Ganglie and the Flood Dragon away.

"Overestimating your own capabilities!"

The elderly monk let out a cold snort, locking his sights back onto Han Yang.

While dodging the golden beams, Han Yang rapidly brainstormed countermeasures.

This old bald donkey possessed unfathomable cultivation; fighting head-on was definitely out of the question. He had to outwit him.

"System, is there any way to deal with this old geezer?"

Han Yang muttered silently in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host is in danger. Triggering emergency quest: Defeat the elderly monk.]
[Quest reward: A random divine-grade cultivation technique.]

The system's voice resounded in Han Yang's head, instantly reinvigorating his spirit.

A divine-grade cultivation technique! That was prime goods!

"System, any hints?" Han Yang continued to ask.

"Hint: The Buddhist teachings practiced by the elderly monk are exceptionally rigid and yang-aligned. Their weakness lies in yin-soft elements."

Yin-soft elements?

A thought stirred in Han Yang's mind, and realization suddenly dawned upon him.

He glanced at Zhu Ganglie and the Flood Dragon sprawled on the ground, a wicked grin spreading across the corners of his mouth.

"Old bald donkey, aren't you quite formidable? Come and taste this!"

Han Yang abruptly ceased his evasion, spreading his arms wide and allowing the golden beams to strike him directly.

"Courting death!"

Seeing this, the elderly monk assumed Han Yang had given up the fight. Ecstatic, the monk amplified his output of Buddhist energy.

Yet at that exact moment, a dense, pitch-black demonic Qi suddenly erupted from Han Yang's body, swallowing the golden light entirely.

"What is this?"

The elderly monk’s expression shifted, a sense of unease rising within him.

He watched as Han Yang's Wings of the Demonic Lord flapped frantically, gathering the surrounding demonic Qi into a colossal black vortex.

Within the vortex, the faint, indistinct figures of Zhu Ganglie and the Flood Dragon could be seen.

"Old bald donkey, enjoy yourself!"

Han Yang let out a sinister laugh before thrusting his arm forward, hurling the black vortex directly at the elderly monk.

"No... spare me..."

The elderly monk screamed in terror, attempting to dodge, only to find that he had already been locked in place by the black vortex and was utterly incapable of movement.

The black vortex instantly swallowed the monk whole, from within which chilling, blood-curdling screams and chewing sounds echoed...

"Boss, what... what kind of move is that?"

Having just hurried back to the cavern entrance, Bai Suzhen stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene as she stammered the question.

Han Yang chuckled, flashing a mysterious expression. "Why, this is my unique signature technique—the Yin-Yang Grand Shift!"

"The Yin-Yang Grand Shift?" Bai Suzhen wore a look of utter perplexity.

"That's right, it combines the extremely yang Buddhist energy with the extremely yin..."

Here, Han Yang abruptly trailed off, gazing at Bai Suzhen with a mischievous grin. "Would you like to know what it is?"

"The extremely yin... Hehe, want to know what it is?"

Han Yang waggled his eyebrows, purposely dragging out his tone to whet Bai Suzhen's appetite to the utmost.

Bai Suzhen's curiosity was completely hooked. Her formerly aloof eyes now flickered with a thirst for knowledge, staring fixedly at Han Yang like a little kitten craving fish.

"What is it? Big Brother Han Yang, just tell me!"

Unconsciously, she slipped into a spoiled, pouting tone, her voice soft and sweet as honey.

Watching her behave this way, Han Yang felt immensely pleased inside while maintaining a facade of inscrutable depth on the surface.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be divulged! This is my trump-card ultimate technique. Once your cultivation advances another step, I'll naturally tell you."

"Just how far do I need to advance?"

Bai Suzhen pressed eagerly, her tone laced with impatience.

Han Yang feigned deep thought, looking Bai Suzhen up and down.

His gaze lingered on her exquisite, graceful figure for a brief moment before he slowly spoke.

"At the very least... you'd have to be able to withstand the power of this move of mine."

With that, he offered a meaningful smile.

A pair of rosy flushes instantly bloomed across Bai Suzhen's cheeks. Naturally, she caught the hint hidden in Han Yang's words, and stamping her foot in a mixture of shyness and annoyance, she complained, "Big Brother Han Yang, you're making fun of me again!"

Han Yang burst into hearty laughter and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'll tell you the truth—this extremely yin element is actually..."

He intentionally paused for effect, then lowered his voice, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper: "The farts of Zhu Ganglie and the Flood Dragon!"

Bai Suzhen was stunned for a second before realization hit her, leaving her utterly speechless between laughter and tears.

"You... you actually..."

Han Yang laughed even more unrestrainedly.

"How about it? Pretty unexpected, right? This is my uniquely invented 'Yin-Yang Grand Shift'! Extremely yang Buddhist energy, extremely yin demonic farts, plus their monster Qi—the three combined into one yield infinite power!"

Bai Suzhen was thoroughly rendered speechless. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that Han Yang's so-called "unique signature technique" would turn out to be such a mischievously vulgar trick.