Chapter 38: The Tathagata Mahayana Sutra
The young monk Mingxin was enraged upon hearing this, and scolded, "Blasphemy! How dare you insult the Buddha!"
Qin Mu smiled, his heart completely at ease, and an unparalleled confidence shone in his eyes. Regardless of this young monk's strength or his cultivation technique, he had already lost in terms of mental state!
The old monk opposite Ma Ye hesitated. Qin Mu's words seemed lawless and reckless, insulting not only the Buddha but also gods and demons. However, to the old monk's ears, they were not blasphemy but profound truth!
Only when the heart has no Buddha can one become a Buddha.
If the heart already has a Buddha, one can never become a Buddha.
Only when the heart has no demon can one become a demon.
If the heart already has a demon, one can never become a demon.
Mingxin's level of attainment was insufficient to grasp this saying, but the old monk had already deeply understood it. He had only realized the true meaning of these words after stepping into the Heavenly Man realm. Now, having cultivated to the Life and Death realm, he still could not break the Buddha within his heart. The deeper his cultivation, the more he understood the terror of gods and demons, and the greater the Tathagata seemed.
Knowing is easy, doing is hard.
It was extremely strange to hear the same principle spoken from the mouth of a child like Qin Mu. Even stranger was that this child claimed to have broken the gods and Buddhas within his own heart!
Qin Mu was far too young to possibly grasp the true meaning of these words. Since he couldn't grasp it, how could he have broken the gods and Buddhas in his heart?
Breaking the gods and Buddhas in one's heart required arduous cultivation and sudden enlightenment. Otherwise, the Buddha in the heart remained a Buddha, and the demon remained a demon.
"Regardless, he hasn't obtained the true techniques of my Great Thunderclap Temple. No matter how high his mental state, he won't be Mingxin's match."
The old monk's eyes watched his nose, and his nose watched his heart, as if entering a meditative trance, unconcerned with the outcome on the stage.
On the arena, Mingxin's tall, thin body faintly emitted a golden light. This young monk gave people the feeling that he was a Buddha—sacred, solemn, vast, bringing an incomparable mental pressure!
Below the arena, men and women of all ages from various villages had gathered, originally buzzing with noise. But as Mingxin's body emitted golden light, all sounds suddenly ceased, leaving dead silence.
They all shut their mouths almost simultaneously, as if struck by a sudden blow!
This was the heart technique of the Buddhist school, the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra.
The cultivation path of this heart technique differed from other schools. It progressed from the surface inward. The surface was the body—the body as Tathagata. The inner was the heart—the heart as Tathagata. The Buddhist school called this "Body as Tathagata" and "Heart as Tathagata."
Although Mingxin had only cultivated to the surface level of "Body as Tathagata," once his Buddha form appeared, it could deliver a sudden blow to others!
Granny Si and the others grew tense again. Mingxin hadn't even made a move yet, but this aura alone could give Qin Mu a warning shot, dampening his fighting spirit.
Who would dare to strike at the Buddha?
But Qin Mu dared!
Qin Mu merged body with heart, heart with intent, intent with fist, fist with qi, qi with body. At the same time, his spiritual fetus moved in unison with his body, body and spirit united, executing the Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder!
His footwork was Cripple's Heaven-Stealing Divine Leg technique, incredibly fast. Before Mingxin could even blink, Qin Mu was already before him. Before Mingxin could raise his hand, Qin Mu's majestic fist slammed into his chest.
The Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder technique concealed nine layers of power within a single punch. The first layer, like a fire dragon, surged from Qin Mu's fist into Mingxin's heart, producing a loud *clang*.
The golden light on Mingxin's body suddenly brightened, faintly revealing a golden bell.
Qin Mu's second layer of power followed immediately. This was the Double Dragon Twist—two dragon forces intertwined, drilling toward Mingxin's heart!
*Clang!*
Another bell sound. The two forces came too fast, the two bell sounds almost simultaneous, deafening!
Then came the third layer of Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder—Three Dragons Crushing Stone Force. Then the fourth layer—Four Dragons Pouncing Kill. The fifth—Five Dragons Refining Demon Force. The sixth—Six Dragons Reincarnation Force. The seventh—Seven Dragons Overturning the Sea!
Seven layers of power exploded in succession, seven bell sounds merging into one. The golden bell on Mingxin's body finally dimmed, forcing the tall, thin young monk back a step.
The eighth layer—Eight Tribes Heavenly Dragon Force—erupted. Mingxin stepped back again, the golden bell on his body regaining its luster. Qin Mu's ninth layer—Nine Dragons Wind and Thunder Force—burst forth, and the golden bell on Mingxin's body shattered with a crash.
Qin Mu was surprised. Even the demon ape couldn't withstand the complete nine layers of Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder. Every time Qin Mu fought it, he only used six or seven layers to avoid killing or injuring it. Yet this Mingxin, without dodging or evading, had withstood the full nine layers!
He had followed Granny Si's advice and held nothing back, using all his strength, even mobilizing the power of his Spiritual Fetus Divine Treasury. But he had only forced Mingxin back a few steps.
"You haven't received the true transmission of the Thunderclap Eight Forms."
Mingxin moved his feet, his sole qi exploding, moving at incredible speed. He raised his palm, thunderclap bursting forth, and punched, unleashing a dragon's roar!
*Boom!*
Before the punch even struck Qin Mu, his qi transformed into a cyan dragon. Though faint, it was ferocious, savage, and overbearingly domineering!
The first layer of Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder had been manifested by his qi, showing that his qi was also extremely abundant. More crucially, he had a heart technique that perfectly complemented the Thunderclap Eight Forms—precisely what Qin Mu lacked!
Qin Mu took the blow head-on, feeling that this first layer of power was surprisingly strong. But before he could fully receive it, the second layer—Double Dragon Twist—followed. Two dragon-shaped qi twisted together, bending Qin Mu's arms. Then the third layer—Three Dragons Crushing Stone Force—smashed directly onto his arms!
Blood appeared on Qin Mu's arms. He shifted his steps, retreating repeatedly, his footsteps shattering the arena stones into flying debris.
Four dragon qi pounced to kill. Qin Mu grunted, channeling qi into his eyes, activating his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye. Qi in his hand formed into a long spear. He thrust the spear, threading through the four charging dragons, and with a *ding*, struck Mingxin's palm. Before Mingxin's Five Dragons Refining Demon Force could erupt, the spear thrust scattered his qi.
The two forces collided, and the long spear formed from Qin Mu's qi also collapsed and dissipated.
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, looking at Mingxin's hand. A drop of blood trickled down his fingertip. The spear thrust had just pierced his palm.
Of course, Qin Mu's arms were a bloody mess, his injuries far more severe.
Qin Mu took a long breath, his qi suddenly turning blazing hot. He moved, charging at Mingxin.
Alone by the Eastern Sea, Embracing Spring Thunder!
This time, he didn't use the water force but the fire force, like a rolling river of fire descending from the sky, rushing into the sea, as if trying to ignite the ocean!
Young monk Mingxin remained unmoved, raising his hand to meet the attack, his eyes extremely bright: "Without the heart technique, it's all illusion, just empty form."
He also executed Alone by the Eastern Sea, Embracing Spring Thunder. As his palm moved, thunderclap qi burst forth. With a single thunderclap, shattering the soul, the thunder sounded, and Qin Mu's fierce, fire-like momentum instantly collapsed!
But at that moment, Qin Mu's hands suddenly blazed with fire. Using his hands as blades, he slashed madly at Mingxin!
Butcher's Knife Technique—Sun Rising Over the Eastern Sea, Thousand Layers of Waves!
This was an utterly insane technique. The Butcher's knife art required madness to unleash its supreme power. It needed the momentum of a great sun rising, a thousand waves stacking on the Eastern Sea, a peerless blade force that could cut through everything, shatter everything!
Chop chop chop chop chop!
A thousand waves stacked, a thousand blades stacked—nothing could survive being chopped, nothing could withstand being shattered!
Mingxin's expression changed slightly. But Qin Mu frowned, seeing the technique Mingxin was about to use—the eighth form of the Thunderclap Eight Forms, Thousand-Handed Buddha!
This young monk met his palm strikes with his own palms, like a thousand-handed Buddha, blocking his wild blades!
Qin Mu's heart sank. His hands weren't real blades; he was using his hands as knives. Mingxin's defense was extremely strong; it would be hard to cut off his palms.
"Then be faster! Faster, even faster! Fast enough that you can't catch my blade! Night Battle, Wind and Rain Over the City!"
Qin Mu was like a mad demon, chopping down wildly. He had only one thought: fast, fast, fast—fast blade, beheading the Buddha!
"There's no pig in this world that the Butcher's Knife Technique can't kill!" Qin Mu's qi raged, and he spoke viciously.
*Clang clang clang clang clang!*
Mingxin desperately blocked with his Thousand-Handed Buddha. Suddenly, he failed to stop one strike—Qin Mu's hand blade chopped into his throat. The bell on his body rang out. Then came the second blade, breaking through his Thousand-Armed Buddha defense, striking the same spot on his throat, another bell sound.
Third blade, fourth blade, fifth blade, sixth blade!
Qin Mu's blades grew faster and faster, striking Mingxin's throat one after another—the exact same spot!
"Senior brother, back when we studied together under the same master, we were very familiar with each other. Your Thousand-Handed Buddha has a flaw."
Across from the old monk, Ma Ye said calmly, "It seems you've passed that flaw on to your disciple as well."