Chapter 873: Fire With Fire (1/2)

Chapter 873: Fire With Fire

Such a powerful aura! Such powerful protogenia! Once the six avatars joined it wasn’t so simple as adding up the sum of their parts. This new creature was several orders of magnitude stronger.

This was undoubtedly a stalwart and deadly foe.

Once more they were faced with a stalemate. Lan Jue blanched to think that if the Princess were still alive they would be doomed. He and Qianlin fought back against this new monster, empowered by the Harmonious Swords and the Boundless Starlight Domain that surrounded them.

Pandemonium prevailed. Neither side could find an advantage yet. On the face of it humanity had the numbers, but each alien attacker was more than their match on an individual level. Whether numbers or strength would prevail, was as yet impossible to determine.

Chu Cheng arrived on the scene a short time after Hua Li. He came to the Terminator’s aid and helped equalize their footing.

ξ

Middle Heaven.

A strange sphere had been carved out of part of the bastion’s bridge. It was what was left after the Photographer teleported the enemy into space, a prompt decision that saved the ship from destruction.

The Prince and his monsters were after the swords, but they would not have given up an opportunity to destroy Middle Heaven. This ship, more than any other, was responsible for the deaths of countless alien warriors. Destroying it would make their battle against the humans far easier.

Flows of energy wafted around a room at the edge of the damaged section. Lan Qing knelt therein, surrounded by a turquoise light.

Li Ke had begun the process of transferring control of Ultus the moment they left the others. It was a ceremony of acceptance – first, of Lan Qing as the sword’s master, then for himself as the spirit of the weapon. In this way he would remain, his soul a part of the weapon so long as Lan Qing wielded it.

In a way, he had to be the one to accept Lan Qing. But the process was not going smoothly.

Lan Qing’s qualifications were solid. He was strong, and his inheritance was a vestige of the old world. However, the root of his powers rested in Buddhism. The Banishing Blades were the tools of Daoist masters, and the benevolence inherent in Vairochana’s legacy did not meld well with Ultus’ keen and cutting nature.

Lan Qing sat cross-legged on the floor with hands folded before him. Resting in the center of his core was the figure of a miniature Buddha, none other than Vairochana. Ultus hovered in the air across from the admiral.

Some part of the Buddha was rejecting Ultus, nor was the power of Ultus respectful of the legacy it was faced against. As one of the greatest weapons in the Daoist arsenal, one could imagine the arrogance a Banishing Blade might possess.

Even after years as the weapon’s master, Li Ke never truly earned the weapon’s acceptance. The reason was simple – he was never strong enough. Lan Qing did not face that problem, and instead it became a difference of ideals.

Buddhism also required the protection of its dharma! Lan Qing meditated on this as he looked past Ultus’ bloodthirst, past its cutting aura. But the blade struggled for it would accept the light of Vairochana. Neither side gave ground.

If Lan Qing had not already been a Paragon perhaps the process would have been easier. After all, he had not accepted the lineage of Vairochana until after his breakthrough. Yet it was lucky that he was already so strong, for the dangers of the sword were minimal to a Paragon.

All he needed was time to resolve their differences. After all, he just inherited the Buddha’s legacy, he wasn’t Vairochana himself.

Back in the days when Celestial Master Tongtian was bearer of the swords he was captured by Dipankara Buddha. Ever since the Banishing Blades – and especially Ultus – were suspicious of Buddhist faith.

Lan Qing and the will of the sword continued to clash, working through their differences.