Infinity, The Arcade Age

Kasamoto Eri's sudden sneak attack caught Tang Monk completely off guard.

Although, as a mere mortal, he indeed couldn't react in time—this didn't mean the guardian spirits inside his body were just as slow.

Liuding Liujia! Daoist Protectors!

Wufang Jiedi! Buddhist Arhats!

Four Duty Generals! Celestial Warriors of Heaven!

A total of twenty-one bosses sprang out almost instantly to block the attack on Tang Monk!

With her ambush failing, Kasamoto Eri blinked away to create distance, then swung the Banana Leaf Fan in her hand.

A storm of blazing fire roared forth—only to be blocked by the combined effort of the Four Duty Generals.

Even though Qin Ming had mentally prepared himself for this, the sight of the countless gods and Buddhas suddenly appearing still made his face darken.

Because all twenty-one of these guys were strong! Every one of them had stats well over 50 points!

A normal human carrying around twenty-one boss-level guardians?! So this was the true value of the legendary Golden Cicada?!

It made Qin Ming want to bite him even more!

With a furious roar, Qin Ming and his companions immediately clashed with the swarm of divine beings. Qin Ming didn't hesitate to pull out his Holy Trident to summon reinforcements, launching a full-on human wave assault.

Masses of knights poured out from a gate of light, catching the gods completely by surprise.

Working together with Kasamoto Eri and Mai Shiranui, and using the treasures they had just looted, the twenty-one bosses were thrown into chaos.

After all, they weren't top-tier immortals—just low-ranking guardians.

They could easily bully small-time demons or local mountain spirits...

But going head-to-head against treasures from Taishang Laojun? They were simply outclassed!

While the cave erupted into all-out warfare, Qin Ming had already transformed into a stream of blood and burrowed underground.

Taking advantage of the distraction, he suddenly burst out with a loud boom, emerging right in front of Tang Monk.

Seeing the terrified monk staring at him, Qin Ming didn't hesitate. He opened his blood-drenched maw and bit deep into Tang Monk's neck!

No matter what—first, let's taste it and see how it is!

Tang Monk let out a pained scream, and the surrounding guardian spirits' faces changed instantly. They tried to rush to his aid, but were completely bogged down by the swarm of enemies and unable to break free.

Helpless to resist, Tang Monk had a massive amount of blood drained in mere seconds. His face went utterly pale.

Meanwhile, as Qin Ming greedily drank the monk's blood, the Dreamscape System notifications began ringing in his ears.

Ding-dong! You have absorbed the blood of Tang Monk! Bloodline Mutation +1!

Ding-dong! You have absorbed the blood of Tang Monk! Bloodline Mutation +1!

Ding-dong! You have absorbed the blood of Tang Monk...

The repeating alerts made Qin Ming more and more excited. He didn't yet know exactly what bloodline mutation would do, but one thing was certain—Tang Monk's blood worked.

And if it worked—then there was no reason not to take more!

Just as he intensified the blood-draining, about to suck Tang Monk dry, a sudden Buddhist chant echoed in his ears.

In the very next moment, a blinding white light flooded the sky.

Alarmed, Qin Ming looked up—only to find that the mountaintop above had been completely blown away!

A massive opening revealed the sky above, and there, enveloped in boundless golden light, appeared a colossal figure.

A meat-bun topknot! Robes of divine treasure!

The figure standing at the front of the mountain range—larger than the mountain itself—was a being from legend!

The very one who once suppressed Sun Wukong under Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years—

The Buddha, Tathāgata himself!

Having received word that his disciple was in danger, the great Buddha had arrived!

Seeing this enormous golden figure suddenly appear and casually rip the entire mountaintop off, Qin Ming's pupils contracted violently.

Qin Ming tried to activate his glasses to scan the figure's attributes—but the moment the sunglasses powered on, the lenses shattered instantly.

Attributes exceed limit! Unable to detect!

Messing with Tang Monk really did bring that guy down!

As Qin Ming stood frozen, face pale and staring upward, the golden Buddha in the sky also lowered his eyes with solemn majesty, looking down at Qin Ming—his gaze utterly devoid of emotion.

"You mortals—"

Crack!

Before the Tathāgata Buddha could finish his words—or more precisely, before he could even get through the first sentence—Qin Ming, still staring up in shock, suddenly made a move.

Without any warning, his left hand morphed into a blade and with a swift slash, swoosh, he chopped straight into Tang Monk's neck!

As a regular human, and with all his guardian spirits occupied or blocked, Tang Monk couldn't withstand such a strike. His head flew off almost immediately.

Blood sprayed through the air as the headless body collapsed stiffly to the ground.

This abrupt twist plunged the battlefield into total silence.

Even the mighty Tathāgata, in the middle of speaking, stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

Qin Ming casually reached down to pick up the fallen key from Tang Monk's body. Then he raised his head with a dazzling smile and looked at the stunned Buddha.

"You were just about to say something?"

Hearing that smug question, the Buddha's solemn expression finally cracked for the first time.

His brows furrowed, a flicker of fury crossing his face. His voice turned glacial.

"Outsider... you court death!"

BOOM!

As the words fell, the sky darkened, and firelight blazed forth. From the clouds above, an enormous golden hand descended like a falling mountain—vast enough to blot out the sun.

Hand That Covers the Heavens! Buddha's Palm Realm!

Staring at the hand crashing down from the sky, Qin Ming didn't panic. Instead, he grinned.

A figure suddenly emerged at his back—Kasamoto Eri.

And in both of their hands was an oddly shaped scroll.

Forced Return Tool! Return-to-Town Scroll!

"Peace out, Your Holiness!"

With a low buzz, the scrolls activated. A second later, blinding white light flashed and sucked both Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri away.

The minions Qin Ming had summoned, along with Mai Shiranui, vanished as well—since his departure caused them to leave this world too.

That's right—Qin Ming ran!

He'd said it himself earlier—"one last job, then I'm out!" And he meant it.

Qin Ming made the decision swiftly. The return scrolls he had bought specifically for this moment finally earned their price.

But before Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri could fully enter the return tunnel and head back to the Nightmare Space, a violent gust of wind suddenly roared behind them.

In the next moment—the tunnel behind them began collapsing! Blinding golden light tore through the cracks, forcefully ripping the space open!

A gigantic golden face appeared at the far end of the tunnel!

The Tathāgata Buddha—

had forcibly torn through the barrier of the Nightmare Space!

He had even ripped through the dimensional tunnel, chasing them into the return passage!

Seeing this, Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri, who had just begun to relax, instantly froze.

Qin Ming stared at the massive face in front of him, his expression one of total disbelief.

Before he could recover from the shock, the Buddha reached out his massive hand—racing through the tunnel to grab him!

(End of Chapter)