Clearly, that was impossible, as the very fact that the villagers could move it out of the well back then proved the thing wasn't that heavy.

That left only one possibility: this Six-Armed Bodhisattva possessed an ability that could shield against superpowers!

If that were the case, things were going to be difficult; no wonder Dazhu said these things were exceptionally powerful. Possessing just this single ability meant that many people from Group 9 would lose before even starting a fight—for example...

Thinking of this, I looked over at Number 12 and immediately saw him desperately channeling his psychic energy, trying to switch places with the Six-Armed Bodhisattva to save Dazhu. But after several failed attempts, he was sweating profusely from anxiety.

For a psychic relying entirely on his powers, like Number 12, once his ability was nullified, his body would be far weaker than an ordinary person's, essentially leaving him at the mercy of any attacker.

Just at that moment, the colossal wheel of fire rapidly approached Dazhu while simultaneously launching several fireballs that shot toward Number 12 with the speed of bullets.

With my extraordinary eyesight, I discerned that these projectiles were weapons ejected as the wheel spun violently.

Although the weapons were shattered fragments, they were shrouded in an eerie purple flame, and with such tremendous velocity, even a tiny piece could punch several transparent holes straight through Number 12.

However, just as those purple fireballs were about to strike Number 12, a sudden gust of wind whipped up at that spot, and a figure flashed in front of Number 12 at a speed exceeding that of a bullet. He swung the iron rod in his hand, and with a few rapid strikes, batted all the purple fireballs harmlessly onto the ground.

Seeing Number 2 arrive, I let out a sigh of relief, thinking thank goodness we weren't all purely psychic; we still had someone capable of a physical fight among us—Number 2 was one, and the other was...

I gave Number 2 a thumbs-up and asked, "Got any more sticks?"

Number 2 didn't speak, but instead pulled out an iron rod, about twenty centimeters long, from the side of his briefcase and tossed it to me.

As the rod flew through the air, its hidden internal joints instantly extended. By the time it landed in my hands, it was a solid, two-meter-long iron staff.

Catching the staff, I looked up to see the wheel of fire bearing down on Dazhu. I could hear the sizzle of his hair burning in the flames.

I quickly channeled my psychic energy to leap high into the air, then swung the staff down toward the fiery wheel.

Just before impact, I slightly deflected the head of the staff, slamming it hard against the wheel's side, forcing it off its trajectory and sending it rolling sideways.

Dazhu, who had been forced to sit down by the wheel, immediately scrambled up and retreated far away after seeing the wheel veer off course.

The wheel didn't roll far after deviating from its path before it tumbled to the ground and ceased its rotation.

As I watched it slowly revert to its original shape, I noticed that the tip of my iron staff was still blazing with that purple flame.

The steel-forged rod was slowly melting into drops of iron under the purple fire, sizzling as it dripped onto the ground, emitting wisps of white smoke.

I was genuinely shocked, thinking, Can the temperature of this flame exceed a thousand degrees to melt steel?

It seemed direct physical contact with the Six-Armed Bodhisattva was now impossible; the only way was to fight it with weapons.

Therefore, I couldn't let this staff be completely consumed by the purple flames.

Before the intense heat could travel up the shaft to my hands, I urgently slammed the tip of the staff onto the ground, trying to extinguish the flame with mud.

However, the more I jabbed the staff into the earth, the more the purple flame intensified upon contact with the soil, showing no sign of receding.

Simultaneously, a strange black vapor billowed up from the purple flames, choking me so badly I could barely keep my eyes open.

Moreover, the heat from the flame finally reached me. The entire staff began to heat up and glow red, burning hot enough to make me wince.

With no alternative, I tossed the staff onto the ground and backed far away from it.

At that moment, a strange, grating laugh echoed faintly from a distance, sending shivers down my spine.

I looked up to see that the Six-Armed Bodhisattva, having transformed into human form at some unknown point, was standing there, laughing maniacally at the burning staff in front of me—it seemed to be mocking me.

Just as I was about to curse, Number 2 suddenly spoke up, "That is Zhan Huo (Obstructing Fire), not ordinary flame. It will burn anything it touches until nothing is left, and it won't extinguish itself before then."

"Zhan Huo?" I asked, slightly surprised. "Is that similar to your Ye Huo (Karma Fire)..."

Number 2 nodded. "Karma Fire and Obstructing Fire are two opposing types of flame. Karma Fire only burns sentient beings carrying sin, while Obstructing Fire can destroy anything inanimate."

Number 12 interjected, "So it doesn't burn things that are alive?"

Number 2 paused for a moment. "I think it burns those too."

Number 12 concluded, "Then that settles it; in short, Obstructing Fire is stronger than Karma Fire, right?"

I didn't know when Number 12 had developed a penchant for sarcasm. Seeing Number 2’s expression darken, I gave an awkward laugh.

Just as I was about to say something, Number 2 scoffed, "What does a little brat like you know? Karma Fire is the fire of Buddhist compassion, which is why it harbors benevolent intent. Obstructing Fire is the flame of demons and devils; naturally, its destructive power is immense, but in the face of Karma Fire, Obstructing Fire isn't even worth mentioning!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his palm and muttered an incantation. Soon, the drifting sparks we had seen before appeared in his hand.

Then, seemingly unconcerned about the heat of the iron rod on the ground, he hooked it up with the top of his foot, grasped it in his hand.

He then smeared his hand, imbued with Karma Fire, across the rod. Instantly, the Obstructing Fire was annihilated, disappearing without a trace save for a few wisps of white smoke.

Having done this, he threw the staff back to me and said, "Catch!"

Fearing the heat, I didn't dare take it directly. I bounced it between my palms and found that the previous burning temperature was completely gone, replaced instead by a faint coolness—truly miraculous.

Witnessing Number 2's incredible feat boosted our morale significantly. But the Six-Armed Bodhisattva across from us was not pleased. Six balls of flame reignited in its six hands, and it rushed toward us with incredible speed.

Seeing its ferocity, Number 2 remarked, "Dazhu said you were stronger than most in Group 9. Did you forget your own name or something?"

With that, he concentrated a ball of Karma Fire entirely onto his fist and smashed it fiercely toward the Six-Armed Bodhisattva.

The Six-Armed Bodhisattva was charging with such momentum that it couldn't stop in time. It slammed directly into Number 2's fist. Combined with the sheer force of the punch, there was a deafening BOOM and an intensely dazzling red light. The purple flames on all six hands of the Six-Armed Bodhisattva were extinguished simultaneously. Its entire body was flung more than ten meters high like a broken kite, then tumbled into the distance, trailing thick plumes of black smoke.

Witnessing that earth-shattering blow, we were stunned into silence.

After a few seconds, Number 2 murmured, "Amitabha. It seems this thing isn't so tough after all."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of purple light erupted in the distance. The Six-Armed Bodhisattva reformed into the shape of a wheel and rolled back rapidly from afar.

This time, its momentum was even more ferocious, as if intending to tear apart everything in its path.

Number 2 recited another "Amitabha" and commented, "I didn't expect this piece of junk to be so durable!"

As he spoke, the wheel burning with purple flame rolled close.

We could clearly sense that the heat of the flames this time was even higher than before; it felt scorching even from a distance.

Just when we expected it to charge us again in the same manner, the wheel stopped not far in front of us and gradually resumed its humanoid form.

Then it stood there, its body twisting continuously, its bones emitting a crisp kaka sound, and the bones that Number 2 had broken slowly began to reconnect again.

We had already witnessed this unbelievable speed of regeneration on the black-furred monster, but it seemed this Six-Armed Bodhisattva was even more terrifying because its physique was practically skin and bone, and its skeleton resembled a bundle of rotten cotton, appearing tougher and more resilient.

True to form, after recovering before us, the Six-Armed Bodhisattva emitted a triumphant, high-pitched chirp, then threw its head far back and took a deep breath.

None of us knew what the creature intended to do, and we exchanged glances.

It was then that Dazhu said, "Not good, this thing is about to spit snakes."

"Spit snakes?" I was utterly confused, not understanding what he meant.

However, at that moment, the Six-Armed Bodhisattva's belly had swelled to at least three times its original size. The distended skin had become translucent, and some black, thread-like objects could be seen wriggling inside.

Just as I tried to get a clear look at the contents of its stomach, the Six-Armed Bodhisattva suddenly made a retching sound from its mouth, then let out a loud WAAH and vomited.

What it ejected was a pool of black, viscous fluid that stank unbearably.

We all quickly stepped back to avoid being splattered by the black excrement.

At that moment, we also noticed that within the viscous black mass, numerous black entities were writhing.

Just as the sight made us nauseous enough to vomit ourselves, one of the black entities suddenly shot toward us like an arrow.

The black thing was aimed directly at Number 2's eye, but Number 2 was certainly not going to let it succeed. He reached out a hand and snatched the thing mid-flight.

But the moment he grabbed it, Number 2 instantly regretted it and hastily flung it away.

Even so, his hand immediately turned red and swelled up.

Number 2 cursed, "What potent poison! I can't believe this monk fell for this beast's trick. Amitabha."

Even as he spoke, the toxin began to spread from his hand up his forearm. Wherever it reached, clusters of red pustules erupted, looking utterly horrifying.