As his words fell, Jingyuan moved like a ghost, leaving an afterimage behind him. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Hengyin.
“Turn back and see the shore!”
With his palms together and head bowed, Hengyin spoke leisurely.
The power of the precepts instantly spread, affecting everyone in the inner hall.
Moving in defiance of the laws of physics and ignoring inertia, Jingyuan abruptly turned and returned to his original spot.
For a Transforming Force martial artist, making a mockery of Newton was an everyday affair.
“You are not him, you are Senior Brother Hengyin.”
Jingyuan’s eyebrows rose as he recognised his identity.
At the same time, this fourth-rank Warrior Monk was a little angry. Whether it was Chai Xian or Xu Qi’an, both liked to use puppets to disguise themselves and deceive others.
Hengyin curled his lips, correcting him, “No, I am Hengyin by the Daming Lake.”
Jingyuan paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting such a reply. Before he could react, one of the Warrior Monks guarding the ring of Zen Masters suddenly collapsed weakly, his limbs going numb and limp.
When he circulated his qi slightly, he immediately felt searing, burning pain.
The others instantly held their breath.
“Poison!”
Jingyuan thrust his palms forward and unleashed his qi. With several loud bangs, all the windows of the inner hall swung open.
“Senior Xu has come to save us.”
Li Lingsu said cheerfully. He, too, had been poisoned, and his limbs had gone limp with weakness. The only reason he was able to stand was that he and Chai Xing’er were tied together with the same rope.
Chai Xing’er had held her breath in time and avoided the poison.
“Can he handle it?”
Chai Xing’er’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She did not have much faith in Xu Qian’s strength.
“I told you already, he is a senior in the beyond-mortal domain,” Li Lingsu replied.
Chai Xing’er retorted unkindly, “Then why hide? Didn’t the two stinking monks say their elder wasn’t in Xiangzhou?”
Li Lingsu was momentarily lost for words and could not answer.
That Xu Qian is an old monster, that much I can confirm, but all the way I can guess something happened to him… Thinking this, Li Lingsu felt rather pessimistic.
No, someone as cunning as Xu Qian would never act unless he was confident. He must be hiding a trump card I know nothing of!
Li Lingsu immediately perked up, thinking that perhaps this confrontation could help further unravel Xu Qian’s mysteries.
He wants to use poison to force us out of the hall, seize the chance to snatch Chai Xian, and rescue Li Lingsu… Monk Jingxin looked at the three people in the circle, turned his head, let his gaze flick across Hengyin’s shoulder, and stared into the inky night outside the door. In a loud voice, he said,
“Benefactor Xu, since you are here, why not show yourself? Zen cultivation fears no poison.”
Dhyanacarya, or ‘Zen Master’, was the title for sixth-rank in the Buddhist system. This rank offered no boost to combat power, instead focusing purely on meditation.
Sitting in meditation for three days and nights was entry level.
At the highest level, their meditation could even resonate with heaven and earth, imparting a deep understanding of its mysterious laws.
In the Western Regions, it was not uncommon for eminent monks to sit in meditation for years, even over a decade.
Once monks of the Western Regions entered meditation, they could go without food or drink, fear no external evils, and even had a measure of defence.
At present, the dozen or so Zen Masters had formed a formation. Ostensibly, they were chanting scriptures for the benefit of all, but in reality, they were also protecting the three within.
Xu Qi’an’s use of poison was meant to force them to disperse their formation.
As soon as Jingxin finished speaking, everyone in the hall kept their eyes moving, searching for the spot where Xu Qian might suddenly appear.
Jingyuan was the first to notice and turned his gaze to the shadow at Hengyin’s feet.
That shadow darkened and writhed, and a plainly dressed man, identical in appearance, emerged from it, holding a sabre in his hand, with a black sheath.
Strictly speaking, it was a sabre. However, the curve of the sheath was slight, so at first glance, it could be mistaken for a sword.
A sabre? This was the first time Li Lingsu had seen Xu Qian wield a weapon, which was rather different from his previous image, so it caught his attention straight away.
Jingxin’s eyes flickered, and he pressed his palms together, “Lay down your butcher’s blade.”
The power of the precepts enveloped the inner hall, binding Xu Qi’an.
Hengyin pressed his palms together, “Useless!”
The power of the precepts immediately dissipated without effect.
As expected, only precepts could counter precepts… Xu Qian’s gaze was calm. He had already confirmed that Vajra Du’nan was not lying in ambush nearby, in fact, he was not in Xiangzhou at all.
There was nothing to worry about.
Seeing the precepts fail, Jingxin remained unconcerned and smiled, “Benefactor Xu, you have fallen into our trap!”
His face suddenly turned solemn. With a light shake of his right hand, he gripped the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist and intoned,
“Seal!”
A dozen or so Zen Masters performed the same movement, shaking their wrists and grabbing their prayer beads, and shouted in unison,
“Seal!”
A ripple of golden light swept across the hall, and a ‘卍’ sauwastika character suddenly lit up on the floor.
Chai Xing’er’s ears twitched as she realised she could no longer hear anything from outside. Her expression changed slightly.
“This place has been sealed.”
Li Lingsu nodded with a grave expression.
“Jingxin and Jingyuan knew I was here from the start, and they knew Senior Xu would come to seize the Dragon Qi. All that talk earlier, including Chai Xian, was just bait…”
The Holy Son’s heart sank, and anxiety welled up. So far, he had seen all of Xu Qian’s acts depend on Gu techniques, coming and going without a trace.
Now, without that key reliance, and with the hall sealed and the space limited, even if he could still leap through shadows, in such close quarters a martial artist was unbeatable.
Jingxin pressed his palms together and said calmly,
“As long as we control the Dragon Qi host, you must take the bait.
“We knew you were hiding beneath the windowsill, and said all that just to draw you out. Compared to Chai Xian, we care more about you. This seal is the ‘Lesser Colourless Realm’. Among those of fourth rank, very few are capable of breaking it.
“To capture you, we have prepared many magical artefacts. The ‘Lesser Colourless Realm’ is a formation designed especially for you, perfectly countering your Gu techniques.
“Amitabha. Benefactor Xu, come with us to the Buddhist Sect. It is where you truly belong.”
He did not have the overbearing aura of Jingyuan, but this gentle calmness made him seem even more arrogant than the Warrior Monk.
Everything was under control, that was why he was so at ease.
Xu Qi’an ignored Jingyuan, who was approaching slowly, and turned his gaze to Jingxin, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance. He asked, “Vajra Du’nan was also something you mentioned deliberately, to lure me out?”
Jingxin replied gently, “Just a minor trick.”
Xu Qi’an nodded. “Then how did you capture Chai Xian? Why were you so sure he would attack you?”
Jingxin answered,
“The Corpse Gu tribe of the Southern Marches has a secret art, using Gu techniques to nurture corpses. No matter who the murderer is, since someone has repeatedly committed murder and refined corpses, it cannot have been a simple act of framing.
“So I had my junior brother probe a little, and sure enough, it lured Benefactor Chai Xian out.”
Chai Xian gave a cold snort.
“There is nothing real in this world, except power. When you control power, you control everything. I understood this from a very young age. Pity my flying corpse fell just shy of completion, or I would have possessed fourth-rank strength and become a power ruling an entire prefecture.”
In Zhangzhou, a fourth rank had no rival.
So the Corpse Gu tribe has this method of raising corpses, such information disparity… Xu Qi’an nodded slowly to himself.
Hearing this, Jingyuan interjected, “Senior brother, there is no need to waste words with him. Restrain him quickly.”
Jingxin nodded slowly, spun his wrist and gripped his prayer beads. “Seal!”
Beneath Xu Qi’an’s feet, the ‘卍’ character span rapidly, radiating a faint vortex of golden light that pinned him in place.
Then Jingxin took out a yellowish copper mirror and ran his palm over the surface. Instantly, the mirror shone with brilliance.
“I must trouble Benefactor Xu’s primordial spirit to remain inside the mirror for a while.”
This mirror could seize a person’s soul and imprison it within.
Beneath third rank, none could resist.
The Buddhist sect was most adept in the field of “sealing”, their magical artefacts, spells, and formations.
Jingxin knew full well Xu Qi’an’s true rank, and he also knew that he was sealed by the Demon-sealing Nails. Though his primordial spirit had the resilience of the third rank, it did not possess its strength.
This bronze mirror was more than enough to seal Xu Qi’an’s primordial spirit.
Jingxin turned the bronze mirror towards Xu Qi’an, and the surface of the mirror immediately reflected his image.
Then… nothing happened.
What? Does the Heart Gu enhance the primordial spirit to such a terrifying level? Jingxin frowned and once again activated the bronze mirror to capture his soul, but still, there was no reaction.
Jingxin’s expression grew grave. He could not understand the situation before him, suspecting that Xu Qi’an had other means at his disposal, or that the Desire Gu’s enhancement was more potent than anticipated.
“Ignorant!”
Xu Qi’an said lightly, “The resilience of my primordial spirit far exceeds your imagination.”
Right now, his primordial spirit genuinely was third rank, with no trace of any seal remaining.
Though I don’t know what happened, Senior Xu is still Senior Xu, he never lets me down… Li Lingsu’s tense heart finally relaxed, and he let out a breath.
A glimmer of hope appeared in Chai Xing’er’s eyes as well.
“Senior brother, allow me!”
Jingyuan raised his finger and tapped his brow. A spot of golden lacquer shone from his forehead and quickly spread across his body.
In an instant, he transformed into a brilliant golden body.
If Xu Qi’an’s primordial spirit could not be captured, then he would be subdued by force.
Jingxin nodded slowly. “Thank you for your effort, junior brother.”
He maintained the formation, restraining Xu Qi’an to prevent anything unexpected. Although he was utterly confident in Jingyuan, as, beneath third rank, there were hardly any who could defeat him.
Jingyuan sent a voice transmission, “Xu Qi’an, you have roamed freely across the Great Feng by relying on our Buddhist Vajra Divine Art. When you used your indestructible skill against your foes, did you ever consider how you would break it if one day you faced a master who also possessed this technique?”
“I shall strike only once!”
Xu Qi’an replied, not telepathically, but aloud.
One strike? What strike?
The inner hall was sealed. Li Lingsu was feeling the situation to be very troublesome, when he heard Xu Qi’an’s words, not realising immediately what he meant.
The corners of Xu Qi’an’s lips curled up, and he said, “With one sabre blow, I shall break your golden body.”
His calm voice resounded in the hall, carrying incomparable confidence.
One strike to break a golden body?! Li Lingsu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Even the proud and unruly Chai Xian found his attention caught, frowning slightly.
Is he trying to bluff? Jingxin frowned. He believed this claim was merely a cover for Xu Qi’an’s true intentions, there must be something deeper.
Jingyuan’s Vajra Divine Art was stronger than even a peak fourth-rank martial artist. Unless one were of the same rank, a Daoist or Warlock of Dreams targeting the primordial spirit directly, it was nearly impossible to break the Vajra Divine Art through brute force…
Xu Qi’an’s Heart Gu technique still fell short of being able to shake the primordial spirits of fourth-rank masters, and besides, with me standing by, I could protect Jingyuan’s primordial spirit from harm…
The Stupa Tower was Patriarch Dharmapara Bodhisattva’s treasure; it could not possibly help Xu Qi’an against fellow Buddhist disciples…
All sorts of thoughts flashed through Jingxin’s mind, and his final judgement was, blustering!
“One strike?”
Since mastering the Vajra Divine Art, Jingyuan had never encountered an opponent who could break his golden body.
Among the disciples, there was no shortage of fourth-rank Warrior Monks, but not everyone managed to master the Vajra Divine Art. Those monks of the same rank were helpless before Jingyuan’s technique.
Xu Qi’an’s right hand gripped the hilt of the Taiping Sabre, concealing his aura and calming his mind, preparing the long-unseen One Blade from Heaven and Earth.
At the same moment, Jingyuan lifted his monk’s robe and drew his monk blade, slashing furiously towards Xu Qi’an.
Clang!
Under the bright candlelight of the hall, everyone clearly saw the flash of a dark-golden sabre light in an instant.
Then, a deafening lion’s roar reverberated, causing everyone present to feel their qi and blood surging.
In the hall, Xu Qi’an and Jingyuan stood face to face, Jingyuan raising his monk blade, Xu Qi’an still holding the hilt of his own sabre, maintaining his earlier stance.
It seemed as if the sabre light just now had been nothing more than everyone’s illusion, and that neither of them had even drawn their blade.
Jingxin suddenly opened his eyes wide, his usual gentleness and calm vanished, replaced by utter shock… The golden light on Jingyuan’s body, like porcelain, was covered in cracks.
Moments later, it collapsed into fragments of golden light.
The Vajra Divine Art was broken.
And that was not all. A wound appeared on Jingyuan’s chest, stretching from his sternum to his abdomen, with blood gushing forth like a fountain.
“You, you…”
Jingyuan stared hard at Xu Qi’an, his lips moving as he struggled to utter words.
“Don’t speak, stay aside.”
Xu Qi’an grabbed his throat and casually threw him aside.
Bang! Jingyuan was thrown out, rolling over and over, leaving bloody trails on the ground. He struggled a few times, but still failed to get up.
The dreadful sabre intent was destroying his vitality and wearing down his spirit.
The inner hall instantly fell silent as death; everyone stared blankly at Xu Qi’an.
Li Lingsu was worried that Xu Qian might stumble in some unexpected way, but at the same time, kept his faith in this beyond-mortal old monster.
He had considered that Xu Qian might have a way to deal with Jingyuan, but he never thought it would be so easy. Yet the truth was, it really was this simple.
The so-called number one body-protection technique in all Jiuzhou, the Vajra Body, was split open by his sabre, easy as that.
“He… he really is a beyond-mortal expert?” Chai Xing’er muttered.
She subconsciously turned to see Jingxin, and found that this usually calm and composed young monk was sweating at the brow.
Suddenly, Chai Xing’er was filled with delight.
“This is what real strength looks like. This is the kind of strong person I want to become…” Chai Xian’s face was filled with longing, his eyes burning.
Jingxin’s throat moved, “You have recovered your cultivation?”
His peaceful mind was now roiling with storms, the scene before him told him that Xu Qi’an had recovered his powers.
That Xu Qi’an who killed the second-rank emperor, who once shook the world, had broken his seal!
Recovered his cultivation?! Li Lingsu was instantly roused, like a shark smelling blood, and immediately looked at Jingxin.
However, he could not hear anything more: after Jingxin spoke, he did not say anything else.
Xu Qi’an said coolly, “No one in this world can hold me down, not even the Buddha.”
Because the Buddha cannot be bothered to hold me down… he added silently in his heart.
How arrogant! How could he dare say such a thing, just who is he, really?… Li Lingsu’s thoughts ran wild after hearing this, and he muttered:
“Perhaps Senior Xu’s identity is even more frightening than we imagined.”
Isn’t this just a casual boast? Chai Xing’er thought to herself.
Xu Qi’an leaned on his sabre, looking down disdainfully at the monks: “You now have two choices. First, dismantle your formation and hand over the Dragon Qi host. Second, I’ll break the formation myself, regardless of the casualties.”
Jingxin struggled inwardly, then sighed: “Things have come to this. This humble monk and his fellows can only let you proceed as you wish.”
Immediately, he had the Zen masters withdraw the formation, and released Li Lingsu and Chai Xing’er from their bonds.
The Zen masters hurried to Jingxin’s side, while the warrior monks went to check on Jingyuan’s injuries. After examining him, they heaved a sigh of relief, turned back, and whispered:
“He’s not dead yet.”
“Senior!”
Li Lingsu took his beauty by the hand and ran excitedly toward Xu Qi’an, enjoying the feeling of having someone powerful to rely on.
Xu Qi’an gave him a cool “mm,” and then turned to Jingxin:
“Little monk, I have questions for you. Whether these bald donkeys live or die depends on your answers.”
Jingxin replied in a deep voice, “Benefactor Xu, ask away.”
Xu Qi’an controlled Hengyin to step forward and invoked a precept: “One does not lie.”
The power of precepts filled the hall.
Xu Qi’an asked, “Has any Bodhisattva emerged from the Buddhist sect this time?”
Jingxin shook his head, “No.”
“Only Arhat Duqing and the Vajras Du’nan and Dufan?”
“And two hundred and eight monks.”
“Have they come for me?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
“I do not know, but Senior Uncle Du’nan agreed to meet us in Yongzhou.”
Why meet in Yongzhou and not travel together? Was Vajra Du’nan delayed by something even more important?
Xu Qi’an asked his doubt, but Jingxin replied, “This small monk does not know.”
After a few more questions, Xu Qi’an turned to Chai Xian, and sighed:
“Was it you who killed Er Ya’s family?”
Chai Xian’s face froze for a moment, but then recovered as he sneered:
“I never wanted to kill them. I never even revealed myself in front of their family. But that day, he returned to the village and found your note. Even then, I had not planned to show myself or kill anyone. It was Er Ya who told me that she’d told her kind-hearted uncle that I had six toes.”
Chai Xian’s expression suddenly became ferocious:
“After leaving the village, I took advantage of the night while he slept, returned to Er Ya’s house, and killed them all. She said what she should never have said, so she deserved to die.”
Xu Qi’an leaned on his sabre, veins bulging on the back of his hand, but his face remained calm as he said softly:
“She died without ever putting on a new pair of shoes.”
“Chai Xian didn’t know about your existence?”
“Of course not, because he’s a coward, afraid to face his true self,” this Chai Xian sneered.
This is a textbook case of split-personality disorder… Xu Qi’an mused for a moment, then turned to Li Lingsu: “Is there any way to cure soul-separation?”
Li Lingsu replied awkwardly, “If my cultivation were restored, I could enter his consciousness and dissolve that personality. But as I am now…”
At this moment, Jingxin put his palms together. “Buddhism can help him cleanse his sins. After you have extracted the Dragon Qi, you may hand him over to us.”
Xu Qi’an ignored the monk and looked down at Chai Xian: “I want to see him.”
Chai Xian did not speak; he merely lowered his head. After a few seconds’ silence, he looked up again, glancing around in obvious confusion.
He really didn’t know… Xu Qi’an’s Heart Gu had now reached mastery. With just the slightest sense of the changes in his emotions, Xu Qi’an knew that Chai Xian was utterly baffled at that moment.
Chai Xian looked at the monks, then at Xu Qi’an and the others, and finally at the bloodstains on the floor, guessing that a conflict must have occurred here.
“I was that orange cat you met that night in the village.”
Xu Qi’an said.
Chai Xian, whose hands were tied, froze, and then his face changed dramatically as he rushed at Xu Qi’an, as if trying to bite him.
Li Lingsu was faster and slapped Chai Xian to the ground.
Chai Xian howled, “Why did you kill them! They were innocent! You animal…”
“You’re the animal!” Li Lingsu cursed in reply.
Xu Qi’an said quietly, “Chai Xian, everyone was killed by you. The murderer is you yourself. Do you know you have soul-separation disorder?”
Chai Xian was both angry and confused. “What are you talking about?”
Xu Qi’an explained the whole story in detail to this poor fellow. Though the truth was brutally harsh for Chai Xian, facts were facts.
“Nonsense!”
Chai Xian calmed his anger and hatred, and his handsome face showed only disdain as he said flatly:
“Another is the butcher and I am the fish on the block. Now that I’m in your hands, kill me, beat me, whatever you want. But if you intend to slander me, don’t waste your effort.”
Selective memory loss…no wonder that other Chai Xian called this one a coward, afraid to face himself… Xu Qi’an gestured to Chai Jianyuan’s walking corpse and said:
“Do you remember what you last saw before you lost consciousness?”
Following his gaze, Chai Xian saw Chai Jianyuan still sitting on the chair, his left shoe taken off, revealing six toes in plain sight.
Seeing this, Chai Xian’s expression stiffened, like he had turned to stone, staring dumbly at Chai Jianyuan’s toes.
Just as everyone thought Xu Qi’an was putting the pressure hard on Chai Xian, he suddenly said something that surprised everyone present:
“This case isn’t over yet. Isn’t that right, Chai Xing’er?”
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