Chapter 419: Great Brahma Golden Body

Chapter 419: Great Brahma Golden Body

Li Mosheng's words carried a mocking tone under the night sky, his piercing stare sending a chill down the spine.

The sword-bearing Longmu Islander stayed silent for a long moment before finally sighing:

"They say outsiders are cunning, deceitful, and downright vicious.

"In the past, I didn’t believe it…

"How could creatures of the same world harbor such malice toward one another?

"But now, it seems those words couldn’t be more true.

"The world outside the island must be full of people like you… absolutely vile!!"

Li Mosheng shook his head with a faint smile, the killing intent in his eyes sharpening.

His eyes swept the area, and he spoke in a low voice:

"Since you’re all here, show yourselves."

"Hahahaha!"

The man opposite him let out a booming laugh:

"Still playing games?

"Old man… I heard you created a technique called the StarFlicking Finger?

"Then those fingers must be something special.

"I’ll be taking them!"

As the words fell, he pushed off with his toes and launched upward.

Fast as a meteor, swift as lightning.

One second distant, the next—in the blink of an eye—he closed the gap.

His left hand shot out, fingers hooked like talons, wreathed in ghostly gusts and flickering shadows.

But the moment his strike met empty air.

Without hesitation, the man snapped his head up—only to see Li Mosheng hanging inverted, one finger aimed like a spear.

This was none other than the "Falling Star" from the Shattered Star Sect’s Twelve Shattered Star Finger Techniques!

Descending from the heavens like a meteor crashing to earth, his qi surged, whipping up cyclones of force. Though it was just a single finger, it carried crushing power.

Before the finger arrived, the wind came first.

The pressure drove him deeper into the branches.

The branches beneath him could barely bear his weight, and the entire tree trembled slightly, the wood groaned, cracks spiderwebbing beneath him.

A dull thud!

The finger force shot forth, striking the tree trunk from above.

But Li Mosheng's expression remained tense as he shook his head slightly:

"Shadowghast Claw... Phantom Shroud."

"Did someone from the Netherbane Order fall into your hands?"

"Netherbane Order member?"

The man from Longmu Island appeared on another tree, cracking his neck:

"Are you talking about a man in his thirties?"

"A real raincloud of a man, with a tongue like a rusty dagger?"

"Oh right, he did mention being from some Netherbane Order..."

"Studying some forbidden art called [Celestial Nethergrim Codex]."

"But mastering this technique seems quite difficult."

"So, I just learned Shadowghast Claw and Phantom Shroud instead."

"Nothing legendary, but with his hands and feet, I can still pack a decent punch."

As he spoke, he ripped his sleeve up, revealing a graft-sewn arm.

From the forearm upward, the skin tones were completely different.

One part corpse-pale, the other night-black.

"Sewing stolen flesh onto yourself!"

"Twisting sin into your own twisted laws—you are truly damned beyond saving!!"

Murder flared in Li Mosheng's eyes.

The man opposite gave a mocking flick of his wrist:

"Now, now, don't say that. Abominations are witless husks—do I look mindless to you?"

"Don't lump me together with those lowly creatures..."

"Brain-dead thugs with uncontrollable strength are nothing but meat marionettes."

"But I..."

As he spoke, he gripped the hilt of the blade behind him:

"I am the Law Marshal!"

Shiiing!!

The blade left its sheath, a gleam of killing light tearing through the darkness, already at Li Mosheng’s throat.

Li Mosheng's expression changed as he snapped a finger-blast, sending a burst of force through the air—only to pierce through a mirage.

Phantom Shroud!

By the time he looked up again, the blade was already a hair’s breadth away.

The blade descended, inescapable!

Without hesitation, Li Mosheng formed flower-petal hand seals with both hands, and with a loud *bang*—

The blade clashed against his fingertips, and a shockwave erupted, sweeping outward from the point of impact.

The relentless blade energy surged endlessly, his fingertip force locked half an inch below the blade.

For a moment, neither could gain an inch of ground.

Though they seemed to collide, that half-inch gap remained—as if it were an uncrossable void!

Yet, at this moment, Li Mosheng’s eyes bulged with rage:

“The Canglan Divine Blade!?”

“So you do recognize this technique,” the so-called Law Marshal sneered, his lips twisting into a feral grin.

“I heard this elderly man came to the island searching for someone. Could it be… he was looking for *you*?”

“Too bad—he lost not just a hand, but his whole damn life!”

“And yet, here you are, alive and well?”

“Some friend *you* are.”

Like tidal waves, the relentless and ferocious blade techniques came crashing down.

Standing atop the treetops, Li Mosheng could no longer hold his ground. The overwhelming blade energy slammed him into the ground.

*Boom!*

The ground exploded into a massive crater, rocks and dust blasted outward, and smoke billowed.

The young man who called himself the Law Marshal rested his blade on his shoulder, swaying lightly on a branch as he squinted into the dust cloud below.

“If you were friends with the master of this blade technique…”

“You’d better not croak that easy.”

No sooner had he spoken than a series of sharp *whistling* gusts pierced through the dust.

The dust cloud *ripped* apart as countless invisible finger strikes shot toward him.

With a light step, he activated his Phantom Step once more.

Yet an icy line seared his cheek—his fingers came away stained crimson.

His brow twitched, and he swung his blade to defend, but Li Mosheng was *on him*.

Li Mosheng’s eyes glowed crimson, his hair and beard whipping in the wind as he thrust a finger forward, his qi needled into a lethal strike.

The Law Marshal barely got his blade up to block, but the moment they clashed, he skidded back uncontrollably.

The raw force behind the strike far exceeded his expectations.

His body arced backward like a falling meteor, crashing down violently toward the ground. His feet landed repeatedly, yet he couldn't disperse the force no matter how hard he tried.

At that very moment, Li Mosheng closed in once more.

The Twelve Starshatter Finger Techniques came in an unbroken cascade.

The Law Marshal poised his blade, meeting the assault with the Canglan Divine Blade.

Yet, after just a few exchanges, his expression shifted abruptly.

He was actually losing ground against this elderly man.

Lifting his gaze, he saw Li Mosheng’s eyes completely bloodshot—each of the Twelve Starshatter Finger Techniques grew fiercer and faster than the last!

A blur of finger strikes left afterimages. Even when the blade slashed directly at them, it failed to block even a single strike.

"You… how is this possible?"

The Law Marshal’s heart filled with terror. He immediately activated his Phantom Shifting Step, shifting his position.

Yet, to his shock, no sooner had he materialized than Li Mosheng was already standing right beside him.

"Got you!"

With those four words, Li Mosheng reached out and seized the wrist of the Law Marshal’s sword-wielding right hand. In the same motion, he drove a knee into the Law Marshal's gut while yanking backward with all his might:

"Give his hand… BACK!!!"

"AHHH!!!"

A scream tore through the forest as the would-be Law Marshal was sent flying backward.

An inky fluid seeped from the reattached joint of his right hand. The moment it was torn apart, every sutured tendon and vein tore apart.

This wasn't some crude reattachment—it was as if the hand had originally been whole.

"My hand?!"

The Law Marshal roared in fury, "Thieving cur… that belongs to ME!!"

Li Mosheng acted as if he hadn't spoken.

Clutching the severed hand, his eyes lowered, moonlight danced along the blade's edge.

"We met as youths by the river's bend, four decades sharing wind and rain…

"Old Liu… in the end, my actions sealed your fate.

"I've wronged you."

Li Mosheng’s head dipped slightly, twin streaks of tears streaming down his cheeks.

His free hand trembled with corded veins standing stark, gathering immense force.

Meanwhile, the would-be Law Marshal bellowed in rage and shot forward, wielding the Netherworld Ghost Claw with his remaining left hand.

He aimed straight for Li Mosheng’s fatal heart pressure point.

But with a crisp snap, Li Mosheng flicked a finger, connecting with the Law Marshal’s wrist.

Bones snapped instantly, his arm twisting grotesquely.

His charge faltered unavoidably. When he looked up again, Li Mosheng's finger was hovering half an inch from his forehead.

A voice, icy cold, declared:

"Today, this old man collects but a small installment.

"For my sworn brother's death, the Island Master must pay with his life!"

As these words fell, just as he was about to strike with that finger, blood suddenly misted the air.

With a flick of a sword tip, three severed fingers lay on the ground.

Li Mosheng's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at his hand, now missing three fingers, momentarily stunned.

But in the next instant, he swiftly retreated backward.

With each step he took, blade points sprang from the earth beneath him.

It was as though they were chasing his footsteps, aiming to pierce his soles.

The so-called Law Marshal, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but bellow furiously:

"Cut his throat! Pierce his heart!

"Why are you cutting off his fingers?

"What good are ruined fingers?"

As he spoke, a grappling claw came whipping out from the forest, clattering as it clamped onto Li Mosheng's wrist.

With a sudden forceful tug, the hand he held—the one wielding the Canglan Divine Blade—dropped with a thud.

From the shadows of the forest, an azure-garbed man emerged leisurely. He picked up the severed hand and tossed it to the so-called Law Marshal:

"Enough chatter...

"Quick, apply the Heaven-Mending Art to reconnect the meridians. Otherwise, with your skill level, if the break lasts too long, this hand will be useless."

Having said this, he gave him no further heed and instead turned his gaze to Li Mosheng:

"Still forcing your qi?

"Jian Yi's sword is steeped in lethal venom.

"Claw Thirteen's claws are also poisoned.

"If you recklessly channel your energy now, you're just speeding your death."

"...So, you've been lying in ambush here for this old fool all along?"

Li Mosheng, seeing this, grasped the situation immediately.

Yet his eyes remained preternaturally calm.

The azure-garbed man standing opposite him gave a thin smile and said:

"Facing the Starburst Finger technique, caution is the only wise course."

"After all, it's said that twenty years ago, your martial arts had already surpassed even the Shattered Star Sect Master's."

"You were that rare genius, able to inherit the Twelve Shattering Star Finger Techniques without being Sect Master."

"You broke the unbreakable rule that had been upheld since the founding of the Shattered Star Sect."

"Your jianghu experience runs deep, your methods extraordinary, and your schemes unfathomable..."

"Moreover... Shattered Star Sect knows too damn much about our Dragonwood Island."

"As neighbors, even if there are some barriers between us, plenty still slips through."

"Since we can't deceive you, we had to cook up another plan."

"...And this so-called strategy was to provoke me?"

"Indeed."

The blue-robed man nodded. "Provoke you, make you overlook your surroundings. Then guide you into stepping into the trap yourself."

"Finally... when you sought to avenge your dear friend, we would strike and capture you in one move."

"The people on our island are rather simple-minded."

"These petty tricks, to be honest, are hardly sophisticated."

"Pardon the crude approach."

Li Mosheng wasn't laughing. His frown deepened.

"That Celestial Stele..."

"The location of the Celestial Stele is known only to the Island Master in this world."

"Why would it be delivered when the Island Master is critically ill?"

"Besides... though the Island Master's health is poor, he's got some fight left in him."

"Plenty to oversee this selection."

"However, this island's crawling with rats. Before undertaking any major task, unless we exterminate them, they might come biting at a crucial moment."

"Just a pest problem, but still a pain in the ass."

He paused briefly here, then smiled.

"Alright, that about covers it."

"You are a prized material that Old Ghost has been waiting for a long time."

"Can't have you dying here."

As he spoke, his hand shot out to seize Li Mosheng, but a hair's breadth from contact—

He suddenly stopped.

Looking around, his face darkened.

"Why... the sudden silence?"

As he turned his head, Li Mosheng suddenly yanked his arm, snapping open the hook that had been tightly locked around his wrist.

Even with several fingers missing from one hand, he was, after all, a master of the Shattered Star Sect.

In an instant, he had already reached the back of the man’s head.

With a sharp *thud*, the StarFlicking Finger struck squarely against the man’s skull.

Yet the man’s expression didn’t even flicker.

Instead, Li Mosheng’s face twisted in shock.

For the moment his finger made contact, a faint golden light shimmered into being, accompanied by the distant hum of sacred chants.

The next instant, a searing pain lanced from his fingertip to his heart. He staggered back two steps:

"You…

"Great Brahma Golden Body!?"

"Truly deserving of the name ‘StarFlicking Finger.’"

The man in blue robes scratched the spot where Li Mosheng had struck him and gave a faint smile:

"Indeed, the Great Brahma Golden Body!"

"...This is the ultimate technique of the Diamond Temple, and you manifest golden light with sacred chants.

"Few can master the Great Brahma Golden Body to this degree…

"Seven years ago, Zen Master Kongming of the Diamond Temple traveled near Shattered Star Bay and disappeared without a trace. So, he ended up on this Dragonwood Island.

"But this divine defense can’t be mastered without deep Buddhist insight… You—how?"

"Buddhist wisdom?"

The man shook his head lightly. "What is ‘Buddhist wisdom’?"

"All martial arts in this world, in the end, they’re just ways to kill, using the body as a weapon.

"Demonic cults or orthodox sects, none defy this truth.

"Thus, martial arts are simply martial arts—what does it have to do with Buddhist wisdom?

"It’s just about forging the body into something stronger.

"Beyond what most could ever imagine.

"Since that’s the case… if his flesh is like diamond, then take them and make them mine.

"Wouldn’t his life’s work become mine?"

"...Demonic heresy!!"

Even though Li Mosheng understood Dragonwood Island better than most, hearing this sent a chill down his spine.

"Heresy?"

The man shook his head lightly:

"You people, despite occupying the vastness of the South Sea and the immensity of the world,

"yet you limit your gaze to a mere three inches.

"Utterly ridiculous..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the man who had earlier wielded the Canglan Divine Blade, only to see him pressing the severed right hand against the stump.

As his power flowed, the veins actually rejoined.

Yet the wound remained, still needing help to staunch the bleeding.

"Do you know the wondrous power of the Heaven-Mending Art?"

The man's lips curled in a faint smile: "Taking the strengths of heaven to mend one's own weaknesses.

"This is a hundred times more marvelous than taking from excess to supplement deficiency.

"Without this art, even if you obtained the Celestial Stele, what good would it do you?"

"Heaven-Mending Art..."

A voice suddenly spoke from behind the man:

"What kind of technique is that?"

The voice came abruptly, yet the green-robed man's lips curled into a vicious grin:

"What does a dead man need to know?"

Earlier, when the surroundings fell silent, he'd known something was wrong.

That was why he had turned his back to Li Mosheng.

Li Mosheng's sudden sneak attack meant that Claw Thirteen had likely come to harm.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let this man go so easily.

The reason he had spoken so much to Li Mosheng was just to draw out whoever was hiding in the shadows.

This person hid their presence perfectly, making them hard to find.

Thus, he chose not to search—as long as they showed themselves, he was confident he could handle them easily.

Therefore, though the voice came from behind, the green-robed man had been waiting for this moment.

His fist energy gathered, golden light burst forth, and he channeled all his power into one blow.

This was the Vajra Formless Fist!

The same technique Xia Qiuliang and Shi Cheng had used in their battle.

Yet, in this man's hands, this fist technique became far more fearsome.

Not only was it devastatingly powerful, but its speed was unmatched.

The moment his eyes caught the golden light, the fist had already reached his chest.

BOOM!!!!!

A muffled boom, accompanied by a deafening temple-bell resonance, rocked the surroundings.

In an instant, hundreds of birds exploded from the trees in panic, and countless snakes and insects fled in all directions.

By the time Li Mosheng's frantic warning of "Be careful!" left his lips, it was already too late.

The blow was already upon him!

Yet the sneer on the face of the one who threw the punch froze in that very instant.

The place where the fist landed did not connect with flesh.

Instead, a primordial golden bell blocked the strike.

Shockwaves of rebounding force shook even his stolen Great Brahma Golden Body, sending violent tremors through it.

His bones creaked, emitting a bone-chilling vibration, like the roar of thunder or the growl of a beast.

Shocked, his gaze snapped upward to see a young man standing calmly with his hands at his sides. When their eyes met, the young man gave a knowing smile:

"That punch... had some weight behind it."

"But now, it's my turn."

In the next instant, the young man lashed out with a fist.

"Ridiculous!"

The green-robed man roared with rage, "Great Brahma Golden Body!!!"

A corona of golden light erupted from his body, and the sound of his muscles and bones moving echoed with Buddhist mantras.

"Let's see how you—"

He roared, but before he could finish, the fist had already struck the side of his face.

His entire body was crushed by the overwhelming force, slammed sideways into the dirt.

The young man stood over him. With an earth-shaking impact, the earth trembled violently, carving out a crater in the earth!