“No problem!”
After verifying, Zen Master Jingxin spoke.
Dongfang Wanrong breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Head Monk Hengyin. He was holding up a Vajra Sceptre, fiercely stabbing at the chest of the man in azure.
Although Dongfang Wanrong disliked killing, she held no mercy for an enemy who had almost killed her younger sister.
“Clang!”
Amidst the piercing, sharp sound, the membrane between Hengyin’s thumb and index finger split, and the Vajra Sceptre in his hand slipped and fell.
At this, the Dongfang sisters, Brothers Jingxin and Jingyuan, and the others crowded over in astonishment.
“A martial artist?”
Dongfang Wanqing asked in surprise.
She had not expected that the mysterious man in azure, the one who could devour soul power, turned out to be a martial artist.
Since when did martial artists possess such bizarre means?
“This man is actually a martial artist!”
Head Monk Hengyin frowned slightly. If that was the case, it would be very difficult to kill him.
For a Zen Master not known for combat strength, a Rank Four martial artist was already a tough enough opponent. Even if he did nothing, killing him would be extremely difficult.
“Search him, let’s see who he is…”
Warrior monk Jingyuan suggested.
Head Monk Hengyin was just about to do this, stretching his hand towards Xu Qi’an’s chest, when suddenly, a warrior monk’s expression contorted. Before anyone could react, he crashed headlong into Nalan Tianlu.
Buzz!
That warrior monk crashed into an invisible qi barrier and was thrown back.
The semi-transparent qi barrier rippled like water. Sensing someone attacking the seal, Nalan Tianlu’s brow furrowed, his eyelashes trembled, and he was about to wake.
“What are you doing?”
Dongfang Wanrong’s face paled with fear.
The warrior monk spat blood, veins bulging on his forehead, yet he ignored Dongfang Wanrong and instead pointed at Head Monk Hengyin, shouting harshly:
“You cannot hurt him! You cannot hurt him! As long as I am alive, I won’t allow you to hurt him!”
Head Monk Hengyin withdrew his hand, his face darkening: “What’s going on? Yinming, have you lost your mind?”
The warrior monk cursed for a while, then looked at Xu Qi’an with deep affection, muttering: “I will not let you be harmed. Absolutely not.”
“He’s being controlled! Useless baldhead, what kind of job are you doing?” Dongfang Wanrong glared fiercely at Jingxin, who was utterly perplexed and said,
“His mind is clear, he’s not being enchanted… Rain Master Nalan is about to wake up. Is there any way to put him back to sleep?”
Dongfang Wanrong sneered, “Do you think anyone can put a Rank Two Master of Rain to sleep? Given the situation, go at once to the third floor and communicate with the tower spirit. I’ll hold off these Leizhou people.”
“Amitabha, it seems that’s all we can do.”
Jingxin retreated swiftly, running towards the end of the passage.
“Splurt!”
Head Monk Hengyin stabbed another Leizhou jianghu member to death and shouted, “Before they wake, finish this quickly!”
He stopped entangling with the man in azure, choosing instead to kill the jianghu martial artists first.
Disciples of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and Buddhist warrior monks all began to act, reaping the lives of the Leizhou people.
Within seconds, over a dozen people perished.
Nalan Tianlu slowly opened his eyes.
The dream was torn apart completely; all the Leizhou people trapped within it instantly awoke, only to see Buddhist monks and Dragon Palace disciples killing their own side.
“Motherfucker, the Buddhist bald donkeys have no martial virtue!”
“Luckily I woke up quickly, or I’d have died an ignorant fool.”
“Brothers, let’s fight them!”
A melee broke out immediately. The monks of Sanhua Temple and the disciples of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace were overall superior to the Leizhou jianghu members, but among the latter, there were quite a few Rank Five Transforming Force martial artists.
And even more were at the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones stage. The battle went back and forth.
Splurt!
A jianghu martial artist swung his sabre, severing a monk’s arm. Just as he was about to strike again, Head Monk Hengyin said in a deep voice:
“Lay down your butcher’s blade!”
Under Buddhist precept, the martial artist’s sabre clanged to the ground.
Two warrior monks rushed over, one to rescue, the other to swing his precept sabre, slicing the jianghu martial artist’s throat.
A Zen Master paired with warrior monks, truly an unrivalled combination… Xu Qi’an calmly surveyed the battlefield, noting that the corridor was neither too wide nor too narrow, but still couldn’t accommodate so many fighting at once.
Jingyuan was currently fighting with Li Shaoyun.
Dongfang Wanqing was completely suppressing the Shuangdao Sect Leader, Tang Yuanwu.
Dongfang Wanrong summoned the spirit of a martial hero, using the body of a martial artist combined with the methods of a warlock, overwhelming Commander Yuan Yi.
Leizhou still has the advantage in numbers, but the Buddhist side’s combat strength is overwhelming, plus the Dongfang sisters and the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace… If this drags on, even if Leizhou wins, Jingxin will already have mastered the Stupa tower. What would be the point in winning then?
Li Shaoyun and the others realise this, but there’s nothing they can do…
Xu Qi’an vanished, continuously leaping between the shadows of the crowd.
When he passed by Dongfang Wanqing, she sensed something and stared at her own shadow, screaming,
“Sister, it’s him! He’s the one who took Li Lang!”
Finally, she was certain.
As soon as Dongfang Wanrong heard this, her pretty face frosted over, killing intent surging, and she shouted,
“Master Hengyin, force him back!”
Head Monk Hengyin pressed his hands together, locking on to the rapidly moving shadow, and chanted, “Turn back and see the shore!”
Xu Qi’an felt a strong urge rise from deep within, resisting any further forward movement, and instinctively acted, he retreated!
He did not go against his instincts, decisively falling back, retreating into the thick of the melee, and meanwhile transmitted a message to the two sisters:
“I’ve already killed the Li boy. If you think you’re capable, come kill me.”
The sisters gritted their teeth in frustration, but did not recklessly abandon their opponents to chase after Xu Qi’an, showing enough composure.
Li Lang had left with him willingly. Given Li Lang’s experience, if the other party were untrustworthy, he would never have taken such a risk.
My provocation failed… Xu Qi’an was immediately disappointed.
“When did you take control of the warrior monks?” Dongfang Wanrong asked via a secret voice transmission, still unwilling to let it go.
“Heh, when you weren’t looking,” Xu Qi’an replied.
When he poisoned the middle-aged warrior monk, he also planted the offspring of the Desire Gu. Once the monk returned to the group from Sanhua Temple, that child Gu silently invaded the bodies of nearby monks. The reason for targeting the monks was that Zen Masters were extremely strong-willed, and the current stage of the Desire Gu might not be able to forcefully control them.
Warrior Monks, on the other hand, were not much different from martial artists before reaching the Refining Spirit stage. They simply couldn’t resist the infiltration of the Desire Gu, and thus, inevitably “fell in love” with him.
There were still several monks inside the Stupa Tower who were also under the effect of the Desire Gu.
He had planned to cast the net wide, originally to use this as a trump card in the final contest for Dragon Qi. Unexpectedly, upon entering the second floor, he was immediately swept into a dream; so this secret move was used here instead.
Unlike Heart Gu and Poison Gu, the Desire Gu invaded silently and was hard to detect by conventional means.
Those infected with the Desire Gu would regard the master of the parent Gu as the love of their life, regardless of gender.
Seeing that he couldn’t break through, Xu Qi’an switched to a second strategy. He opened Ji Qian’s brocade pouch, pulled out handfuls of muskets, military crossbows, and bundles of arrows, tossing them to the surrounding jianghu fighters, shouting:
“Don’t get close to the Zen Masters, they’ll affect you with precepts! Use muskets and crossbows, attack from a distance!”
The people of the jianghu were overjoyed.
Bang bang!
Thrum thrum!
The sounds of gunfire and the twang of army crossbows intertwined, as iron pellets and arrows whistled through the air, the hail of bullets and arrows enveloping the Buddhist monks.
There were not many monks, and after one round of suppressive fire, six or seven lay dead on the spot.
The head monk, Hengyin, was furious and rebuked, “Are you from the court? No wonder, no wonder you have repeatedly stood against our Buddhist sect. Today, you shall not leave Sanhua Temple alive.”
As he spoke, he took off his kasaya robe and flicked it out with a wave.
The kasaya expanded, transforming into a huge curtain that blocked the arrows and bullets.
This was a protective magical artefact of Sanhua Temple, capable of withstanding the attacks of a fourth rank martial artist, granting monks who were not skilled in close combat enough ability to protect themselves.
Clang, clang, clang… The bullets and arrows were all blocked.
Monk Hengyin said coldly, “Once Jingxin takes control of the Stupa tower, none of you will leave. Sanhua Temple has stood in Leizhou for hundreds of years, and has never been lenient in demon-slaying…”
Suddenly, Monk Hengyin heard a heavy, metallic clattering sound, followed by the shocked exclamation of one of the martial artists, “A Cannon?”
A Cannon? Monk Hengyin was momentarily stunned. Before he could react, there was a loud “boom”, and something crashed into the kasaya. The centre of the kasaya suddenly bulged backward.
Blazing fire burst forth, spreading along the kasaya.
“Boom!”
The second shot rang out, and the kasaya could no longer hold, tearing in two.
Caught off guard, Master Hengyin failed to dodge, was struck in the chest by the blast wave, spat blood wildly, and half his face became a bloody mess.
With the kasaya gone, the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace and the monks of Sanhua Temple could now see what was in the distance: a large cannon, its barrel thick and heavy, forged of fine iron, slender and long, wisps of azure smoke curling from its muzzle.
A man in azure stood behind the cannon, calmly reloading the shells.
“Boom!”
The third shot.
The warrior monk Jingyuan leapt into the air, rushing at the shell, and was instantly swallowed in fire.
But the next moment, he broke through the flames, landed at Hengyin’s side, picked him up, and shouted, “Retreat!”
The disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace and the monks of Sanhua Temple retreated towards the end of the corridor.
The martial artists did not pursue but all turned to look at Xu Qi’an. Having just witnessed this unconventional method, and holding the muskets and crossbows he had given them, this group of brutes faintly took him as their leader.
“Chase them!”
At Xu Qi’an’s command, they charged in pursuit.
…
The third floor of the Stupa tower.
Jingyuan and the Dongfang Sisters reached the top floor first. They calmly surveyed the scene. This floor was laid out most conventionally: a perfect square hundred feet long and wide.
The stairs were in the centre of the room. At the north stood a golden statue robed in a kasaya, its features blurred, with a halo of wisdom behind its head. Anyone who saw this statue felt their mind clear and their wisdom increased.
To the south stood another golden statue, holding a jade vial and slightly plump. Looking at this statue gave the illusion of being as light as a swallow, and of stubborn ailments nearly cured.
To the east were two meditation cushions, upon which sat two monks.
One monk’s body seemed both real and illusory, faintly glowing with golden light, withered and old.
The other was deeply handsome and young, it was Jingxin.
The west was the most strange and special: a severed arm, bound by chains of gold stretching from the walls and floor.
All along the west wall, pillars, ceiling, and floor, countless array patterns were engraved.
The arrival of the Dongfang Sisters and others interrupted Jingxin’s communion with the tower spirit. The former swept his gaze among the newcomers and, seeing that most of the monks had died or were wounded and that Hengyin was drenched in blood and carried by Jingyuan, frowned at once.
Jingyuan said in a deep voice, “They’re coming up.”
As his words ceased, footsteps could be heard at the stairwell.
Then, led by Li Shaoyun and other fourth rank martial artists, the crowd of fighters surged up.
They looked around excitedly for the blood or soul pills, but to their disappointment, apart from the golden statues, enemies, and a strange severed arm, there was nothing.
“Senior, please heal our fellow disciples.”
Master Jingxin put his palms together and pleaded.
The withered old monk nodded with a smile. “Very well!”
With a gentle wave of his hand, the golden statue in the south holding the jade vial sprinkled fine golden light, shrouding those present, including the martial artists, and instantly healing everyone’s wounds.
Hengyin, in a daze, felt his cheek and found there was no scar left, instantly breathing a sigh of relief.
“Senior, please punish these evildoers.”
Hengyin pointed at the people of Leizhou and said sternly, “These villains attacked Sanhua Temple and killed Buddhist disciples, their crimes are unpardonable. We ask Senior to convert these evildoers.”
The old monk, the tower spirit’s image, smiled and said,
“The Great Wisdom Aspect enlightens, the Medicine Buddha Aspect saves lives. As for killing, this poor monk cannot do it.”
Jingxin sighed. Although he had gained the goodwill of the tower spirit, after all, it was not Dharmapara Bodhisattva himself and could not use its power to suppress the Leizhou fighters.
Nor could he order the tower spirit to kill.
Jingxin put his palms together and said, “You can all see for yourselves: there is no so-called blood or soul pill within the tower. You have all been deceived.”
Li Shaoyun and the others’ expressions changed.
Xu Qi’an said coolly, “If there are no treasures, why has your Buddhist sect behaved so out of character? Even if they’re not blood or soul pills, they must be other treasures. Hand them over!”
“That’s right, there must be treasure.”
“Don’t think you can talk your way out of this, you thieving monks, hand over the treasure!”
“Hiding it… so is it some treasure too dirty to see the light of day?”
The crowd shouted in anger.
Him again! Hengyin glared at Xu Qi’an, murderous intent in his eyes.
Though the Leizhou martial artists were raging, they still feared the old monk and dared not act rashly.
Yuan Yi suddenly asked, “That hand on the west, who does it belong to?”
The old monk smiled and replied, “In the eyes of the Buddhist sect, this was a man of great evil.”
A man of great evil?
For the tower spirit to describe him so, everyone felt a chill.
Xu Qi’an took the chance to ask, “Why is there only a hand? Where are the rest of the parts?”
He feigned curiosity, trying to learn the whereabouts of the rest of Shenshu’s body from the old monk.
However, the old monk shook his head. “I do not know.”
Do you not know, or can you not say? Xu Qi’an felt somewhat disappointed.
Zen Master Jingxin ignored everyone else, gazing intently at the old monk, pressing his palms together as he said, “Senior, can you control the Dragon Qi so that it only enters my body and does not fall into others’ hands?”
Dragon Qi? What Dragon Qi?
Everyone was puzzled, unable to understand, and could not help but edge forward a few steps, instinctively feeling that the “Dragon Qi” Master Jingxin spoke of must be the greatest treasure within the Stupa tower.
The old monk slowly looked towards the crowd and said, “Do not approach!”
The Buddhist precept restrained everyone present.
He then replied to Master Jingxin, “This humble monk can only guide the Dragon Qi.”
Head Monk Hengyin, watching this scene, finally let go of the huge burden in his heart and said coolly,
“The Stupa tower is the supreme treasure of my Buddhist sect. The treasures within the tower are naturally Buddhist treasures as well. You lot think you can storm the tower and seize its treasures, simply wishful thinking. Even if Sanhua Temple agreed, the spirit of the tower would not.”
The Buddhist warrior monks and the Dongfang sisters visibly relaxed.
Earlier, they had only worried that Master Jingxin might fail to gain the spirit of the tower’s recognition and had thus been on tenterhooks. Now, with the situation settled, as long as the spirit of the tower was unwilling, these martial artists from Leizhou would absolutely be unable to steal the Dragon Qi.
Now, the Leizhou martial artists were caught between a rock and a hard place.
To withdraw, they were unwilling.
To advance, they were suppressed.
If the Sanhua Temple treated this “Dragon Qi” with such importance, it was clear that it was a treasure of unimaginable value.
The old monk raised his hand and grasped at the empty air.
A huge, illusory dragon’s head drilled out from the wall. Following the old monk’s motion, it slowly emerged, its immense body beyond imagination.
“This, this is…”
Everyone who saw the Dragon Qi was filled with a powerful desire, longing to possess it for themselves.
Jingxin stood staring blankly at the dragon’s head. In that moment, he felt a revelation deep in his heart, if he obtained it, he would soar high, have smooth success in all things, and attaining the status of an Arhat would only be a matter of time.
At this thought, ripples stirred on the calm lake of his heart, and he felt an intense greed for the Dragon Qi.
The old monk lightly tapped Jingxin’s brow with his fingertip.
The Dragon Qi, guided by his touch, twisted its huge body and was about to enter Jingxin’s body.
On the other side, Xu Qi’an, who had kept a low profile among the crowd, had long been waiting for this very moment. He gently tapped the reverse of the little jade mirror and silently recited the spell passed on by the Jianzheng.
With the Earth Book, the faint Dragon Qi inside it, and the double attraction of national fortune upon him, the huge, illusory golden dragon suddenly halted, twisted its head, and looked towards Xu Qi’an.
Then, ignoring the old monk’s guidance, it coiled its body and lunged towards Xu Qi’an, plunging into his chest.
That was precisely where his Earth Book fragment was.
Successful Interception!
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