The thing Arhat Du’e regretted most in his life was not bringing Xu Qi’an back to the Western Regions that day.
Although Xu Qi’an’s theories on Mahayana Buddhism had enlightened Du’e, as if a divine revelation, and elevated his realm from the pursuit of individual enlightenment to delivering all beings, so that he could attain Buddhahood by saving all sentient beings,
Although Du’e had called Xu Qi’an Buddha Son, in the end, he did not value him highly enough.
Therefore, when the Jianzheng and the Great Feng court obstructed him, and after Xu Qi’an explicitly refused to join the Buddhist sect, Du’e gave up the idea of accepting him as a disciple, and hurriedly returned to the Western Regions to become the pioneer of Mahayana Buddhism.
Later on, after obtaining the consent of both the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and the Vaidurya Bodhisattva, they arranged for the latter to personally go to the Great Feng to recruit him.
However, by then, Xu Qi’an was no longer the same as before.
After the turmoil in the capital, when the Buddhist sect tried to capture him while he was roaming the martial world collecting Dragon Qi, sending their Vajras and Arhat Duqing into the Central Plains, they not only lost their catch but also their bait.
Since then, the Buddhist sect had been quiet about the matter. Even Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Du’e, who advocated Mahayana Buddhism, spoke of it no more.
Arhat Du’e often fantasised that if he had brought Xu Qi’an back to the Buddhist sect that day, Mahayana Buddhism might now be flourishing in the Western Regions.
The Buddhist ideals and doctrines would surely have spread throughout Jiuzhou…
Besides that… Arhat Du’e looked at the Yao, whose morale had soared, and at the young man whose robe was woven from flames.
There would be no Silver Gong Xu in the Central Plains, but there would be a peerlessly gifted Buddha Son in the Western Regions.
Now is the best opportunity to seal al-Asura, but sealing such a powerful being requires some time. Before that, I will be affected by the ‘sleep curse’, and become as sluggish as a salted fish…
Xu Qi’an gazed at the two heads set side by side in the distance, one human and one panda, and sighed regretfully.
Whether their heads were cut off or their bodies torn limb from limb, for beyond-mortal Yao or martial artists, such injuries were only minor.
Al-Asura and Du’e had tried to pick off a weak target, aiming to seal a Yao King first, but had instead fallen for the Yao’s cunning scheme.
Once the Bear King’s domain expanded, all beings within it would fall into slumber.
al-Asura, as a top Buddhist expert, could barely keep his eyes open, yet he still managed to maintain a sliver of consciousness, powerless as he was to place his head back on his neck.
For Xu Qi’an’s faction, using a third-rank Yao King to hold back a second and third-rank opponent was a tremendous gain.
Without needing to exchange glances, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and Xu Qi’an attacked in unison: one plunged down like a comet, charging into the Buddhist formation of one hundred and eight zen monks.
The other soared upwards against the sky, the Sovereign Sword erupting with dazzling radiance like a sun blazing into the sky.
Buzz!
Both were simultaneously blocked by a faint golden barrier.
The one hundred and eight zen monks sat cross-legged in the air like a still oil painting, unmoving, not even the corners of their robes quivered.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The silver-haired, fox-eared enchantress hammered the barrier with her fists, while the nine fox tails behind her extended like tentacles, slapping hard.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Xu Qi’an’s muscles swelled all over, transforming into an eight-foot-tall “giant”. Empowered by the explosive force of Strength Gu, he slashed at the barrier with his sabre.
The attacks of the Yao and martial artists were indeed straightforward and unpretentious, but within those basic blows was violence enough to easily destroy the bodies of other systems’ beyond-mortal practitioners.
At last, under the relentless attacks of these two beyond-mortal powerhouses, the monks’ barrier visibly quivered.
The one hundred and eight monks all frowned, as if they were being injured.
Seeing this, Arhat Du’e pressed his palms together and chanted the Buddhist phrase:
“Lay down your butcher’s blade.”
Under the suppression of a higher rank, Xu Qi’an’s hand loosened and he nearly dropped the Sovereign Sword, feeling an intense revulsion towards the weapon.
Du’e next turned towards the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, whose violence and beauty perfectly fused. His hands swiftly formed seals as he shouted:
“Subdue!”
The rainbow halo behind his head shone suddenly.
The Celestial Fox’s tails were blasted away by a tremendous force, scattering in every direction. Cracks spread across her skin like porcelain, fresh blood staining her fair skin.
Arhat Du’e had still “shown favouritism”: on Xu Qi’an he had used precepts to wear down his fighting spirit, while against the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, he unleashed Executioner Phala’s might, instantly breaking the seemingly indestructible body of this Princess of the Yao Kingdom.
Yet in the blink of an eye, those crack-like wounds healed completely.
The next moment, web-like cracks reopened across her skin. This cycle repeated, and only after five rounds did Executioner Phala’s power finally exhaust itself.
Among the three major Buddhist Phalas, the Executioner Phala was famed for its destructive force: once it locked onto its target, it would fight unerringly until the target was dead or its power was spent.
It could shatter the bodies of martial artists of the same rank, and ceaselessly deplete their Qi and vitality.
Xu Qi’an and the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox immediately launched a second assault, trying once more to forcefully break the monk formation, only to be neutralised by Arhat Du’e.
The Fox’s wounds would heal and split open again, and so on.
“Buddhist Zen techniques are a simplified version of the ‘Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect’, all about immobility, once entering meditation, there is no self, no other, united with heaven and earth. They need not eat, drink, or sleep, nor fear demonic intrusion or outside attacks.”
The Celestial Fox sent him a message:
“Du’e is a second rank Arhat, and has a hundred and eight zen monks making this formation. Even if they don’t resist us, breaking this formation will take quite some effort.”
So the advanced version of Zen arts is the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect, a defensive precepts akin to but differing from the Vajra Dharma Aspect… Xu Qi’an furrowed his brow, thinking unreasonably of the Agaruka Bodhisattva in Yunzhou.
That figure cultivated both Immovable Lord and Vajra Invincible Dharma Aspects, stacking their defences to a despairing degree. He wondered if the Jianzheng could injure him.
“It truly is tricky. Your Highness, do you have any idea?” Xu Qi’an replied telepathically.
It was said the one who knew you best was your enemy; in the Buddhists’ case, the ones who knew the bald donkeys best were the southern Yao.
He believed the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox must have a countermeasure.
She smiled and said,
“We already said just now, Zen relies on ‘immobility’. When Arhat Du’e moves to attack us, he leaves the Zen state. That is when the formation is at its weakest.
“With our strength, we cannot break a Zen formation led by a second-rank Arhat but can certainly smash one held by just the one hundred and eight zen monks.”
With our strength, we could break the formation, but while Du’e is acting, one of us would be pinned by precepts, the other attacked by Executioner Phala, leaving neither with a hand free to break it… unless we can block the influence of precepts.
However, that’s impossible, neither Daoist Golden Core nor Righteous Qi could withstand a second-rank Arhat’s precepts, unless Zhao Shou or a true Yang Spirit of Daoism were present…
As he thought this, inspiration struck Xu Qi’an, and he came up with an idea.
A small, intricately detailed pagoda of dark gold floated out from his chest and hovered above his head.
At the top of the pagoda, a Dharma Aspect appeared, smiling serenely with a flower in hand, a halo behind its head symbolising wisdom.
The Stupa Tower!
Arhat Du’e sensed this Buddhist artefact, looked over and frowned slightly.
Xu Qi’an shouted:
“Arhat Du’e, this Yao woman led her troops to slaughter Buddhist disciples and attack Buddhist cities, always seeking to restore her nation.
“If she does not die, the Southern Marches will never know peace. If she does not die, the Yao will never be satisfied. Quickly, kill her at once!”
At the pinnacle of the Stupa Tower, the Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect’s halo began to spin in reverse.
Hearing those words, Arhat Du’e felt suddenly enlightened. His hatred for the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox surged instantly to its peak, he regarded her as the gravest threat of the Yao, an enemy that must be killed at all costs.
He immediately pressed his palms together and cast a precept:
“Keep compassion in your heart!”
With those simple four words, he dispelled the deadly intent and cold ferocity of the peerless Yao concubine. An instant of confusion appeared on her exquisite face.
Seizing the opportunity, the halo of wisdom behind Arhat Du’e’s head shone brighter than ever. He raised his palm and struck down hard.
In the night sky, a colossal Buddha palm, dozens of metres long, took shape. Its dazzling golden light illuminated the city wall below.
The Nine-tailed Fox, caught in her confusion, felt no urge to resist. Instead she was filled with compassion, even willing to face death.
Boom!
She was slapped from the sky by the Buddha’s palm, smashed against the hard rock below, shaking Wanyao Mountain as if it were struck by an earthquake.
Seizing the moment, Xu Qi’an collapsed all his qi, restrained every emotion, his dantian becoming a black hole, devouring the energy of his body.
A blade-light, thin as thread and as bright as day, soared up again. With unstoppable might, it cut from below, cleaving apart the formation now only guarded by one hundred and eight Zen masters, after the second-rank Arhat’s withdrawal.
The golden light wrapping the Zen masters dispersed, scattering into countless motes in all directions.
One hundred and eight Zen masters rained to the ground like falling rain.
The formation was broken!
Xu Qi’an, having made his mark, had intended to repeat the dazzling display of turning flames into a robe, but after a second’s thought, decided against it.
Special effects must not be overused, or I would look like a donkey out of tricks… For now, unable to think of a new one, he felt resigned.
Elsewhere on the city wall, Yeji had slaughtered all the surrounding guards and Warrior Monks, her twin claws drenched in blood.
Sensing the broken formation, she turned sharply, and saw Xu Qi’an standing in mid-air with his sabre.
“Hmph!”
A cold snort came from beside her. Qingji, holding a keen blade, looked at Yeji disdainfully and said,
“You’ve broken our promise as sisters, falling in love with a human man on your own.”
Yeji gave a charming smile:
“Promise? Do you have any proof?
“Yes, I fell in love with a human man. So what? Are you jealous? Jealous that my man is a hero that stands on top of the world?”
Qingji looked at her proud and radiant face and spat,
“A lecher who falls for a new face every time, what’s there to be jealous of?”
Both wore veils of fine gauze. They had the same bewitching fox eyes, curvaceous figures, different dispositions, but both were outstanding beauties.
Yeji laughed aloud.
She would never tell this woman who loved cooking that chicken bouillon was actually invented by Xu Qi’an.
Though Mistress had said, as long as all nine sisters fell for him, Xu Qi’an would become the consort of the Wanyao Nation, who cared about him being the consort anyway?
Elsewhere, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox rose into the air, her silver hair stained with thick blood. One fox ear drooped low, making her look extremely bedraggled.
Her nine tails swept, chopped, and coiled, killing those falling Zen masters on the spot.
“Damn man!”
She gritted her teeth, sending a sound transmission.
Your Highness, let me explain… Xu Qi’an replied with a smile,
“Between you and me, who is more capable of breaking the zen formation? Although the halo of the Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect spins in reverse, making the wisdom of those it looks upon reverse as well, Du’e is still an Arhat.
“To force him to ignore you and come at me, should he sense something off and break free from the influence, we’d lose more than we gain.”
The Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect was something left by Dharmapara Bodhisattva, one of the strongest abilities of the Stupa Tower.
Though it was certainly not as powerful as before, it could still briefly influence a second-rank Arhat.
While speaking, Xu Qi’an controlled the Stupa Tower to manifest the “Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect”. Drops of radiant light poured out from the jade flask, helping the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox dispel the Executioner Phala.
Bathed in this radiance, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox regained her glow and her aura did not decline in the slightest, showing her deep reserves and extraordinary resilience.
As a member of the Yao race, she was indeed qualified.
Arhat Du’e sat cross-legged in mid-air, gazing compassionately at the fallen Zen masters, and chanted softly,
“May the Bodhisattva act, and save the lives of Buddhist disciples.”
When he finished, he crushed a prayer bead hanging from his neck.
Golden lights, like fireflies, danced in the air, condensing into the figure of a young monk in a kasaya of red and yellow. He looked barely of age, his face innocent and tender.
His gaze radiated mercy and pity, as if loving all within the world.
“Amitabha!”
The young monk pressed his palms together and bowed his head in chanting.
A gigantic Buddhist artefact formed behind him, a wheel cast in gold, with the wan character “卍” engraved at its centre, and “Deva, Man, Asura, Animal, Hungry Ghost, Hell” inscribed around its edge.
The wheel was as huge as a waterwheel, forged in gold, bearing a weighty metallic sheen.
It slowly began to turn.
A scene defying all common sense unfolded. The one hundred and eight Zen masters slain by the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox moments before, opened their eyes and sat up in confusion.
Corpses on the city walls and streets sat up everywhere, gazing around bewildered.
All the fallen, whether humans or Yao, were revived.
But among the resurrected, none whose souls had been destroyed returned.
“The Great Samsara Dharma Aspect…”
Xu Qi’an heard the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox say gravely.
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