Chapter 39: Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky
The old monk’s white brows twitched, and he immediately knew what flaw he was referring to. In his early years of training, he had once overslept and missed Tathagata’s lecture, and that very lesson had covered the Thousand-Hand Buddha technique.
Buddhism emphasizes fate and connection. The old monk had missed this opportunity and could not ask Tathagata for the essence of the Thousand-Hand Buddha. He could only learn it from his fellow disciples, but it was not the true transmission from Tathagata.
His Thousand-Hand Buddha indeed contained a flaw that was imperceptible to others. The old monk himself had discovered this flaw and tried to mend it, but the more he patched it, the more it leaked, and the more holes appeared.
To solve a problem, one must first identify its root. The Thousand-Hand Buddha technique was extremely complex, requiring coordination among the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The variations were countless, and any tiny flaw could not be caused by a single reason. It was likely caused by several or even a dozen seemingly unrelated factors.
The old monk had been searching for the cause of the flaw since his youth, but even now, he had not found it. Since his Thousand-Hand Buddha had a flaw, as his disciple, Mingxin’s Thousand-Hand Buddha naturally had the same flaw.
This flaw was so subtle that it could only be exposed when the attack speed was incredibly fast. The flaw was that when the arm was raised past a point one inch below the throat, the primal energy became slightly weaker.
When struck by a fast attack, the arm would lift a fraction slower due to the weakened energy, and this fraction would create a fleeting opening at the throat. The old monk’s cultivation was too high, and few could force this flaw out of him, but Mingxin was different.
In terms of cultivation depth, Qin Mu was still above Mingxin. And Qin Mu used his hand as a blade, incredibly fast. In just a short moment, he had already struck Mingxin’s throat a hundred times in succession!
By the sixty-eighth strike, the golden bell of light around Mingxin’s body had already shattered once. Although Mingxin gathered his primal energy again and the golden bell reappeared, Qin Mu’s blade had already cut into Mingxin’s throat!
Blood flowed continuously from Mingxin’s throat, quickly staining his pure white robe crimson.
The old monk sighed and said, “Foolish child, your Thousand-Hand Buddha can’t block his blade. Why don’t you change your technique?”
Mingxin came to his senses. He had been so focused on receiving Qin Mu’s blade that he forgot that only defending would leave him in a beaten position. His golden bell of light could help him block Qin Mu’s blade for a short time, giving him a chance to defeat his opponent.
It was Qin Mu’s madness that had frightened him, making him forget his own strengths!
He suddenly changed his technique, forming his hand into a fist and shaking it in the air. His fist shone like the great sun’s golden light, dazzlingly bright!
Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky!
At that moment, the sound of Buddhist chanting came from his hand seal. The chant was melodious and distant, accompanied by a thunderclap from his palm. With a loud boom, it was enough to refine and kill souls!
His Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky was different from Qin Mu’s version in power, surpassing it several times over!
Qin Mu was struck by this technique, and his mind became dazed. His three souls stirred, and his seven spirits were alarmed.
Tap, tap, tap!
Qin Mu raised his fingers and, with a dizzying series of gestures, tapped his own brow, tailbone, navel, crown, Adam’s apple, heart, perineum, and lung chamber, sealing his three souls and seven spirits!
Heavenly Demon Creation Art!
The Heavenly Demon Creation Art that Granny Si had taught him was originally a demonic technique used to fix souls, lock blood essence, and peel skin to make clothes. Now, he used it to seal his own soul and spirit, preventing Mingxin’s technique from refining them!
“Samaya!”
A hurried demonic sound came forth. Qin Mu smiled, holding a flower in his hand, and shook his palm. The Heavenly Demon Freedom Seal blasted out. Mingxin’s soul was unsettled, nearly pulled out of his body. At that moment, Qin Mu’s technique changed, switching from demonic to Buddhist—Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky!
Mingxin’s Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky used his fist as the great sun, with thunder scattering souls and golden light refining them. But Qin Mu’s version used his fist as the great sun, with blazing Vermilion Bird primal energy setting his fist on fire. The flames were primordial fire, intense enough to melt steel.
Qin Mu spread his five fingers, and the air in his palm exploded. A massive shockwave surged forward, scattering the opponent’s soul and spirit.
The old monk’s Sunlight Yang Soul Refined in the Sky was different from Uncle Horse’s. Clearly, the old monk’s version was orthodox, while Uncle Horse had modified it, focusing on power.
However, Qin Mu did not have the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra, so he could not fully unleash its power.
Mingxin had just been shaken, his soul nearly leaving his body, when he heard a low shout: “Samaya!”
Qin Mu changed his technique again, switching from palm to seal, smiling with a flower in his hand, and blasted out the Heavenly Demon Freedom Seal once more. He switched back and forth between Buddhist and demonic hand seals without any obstruction or sluggishness. Granny Si and the old monk were all shocked, their hearts trembling with awe.
The conflict between Buddhism and demonic arts was inevitable. Activating a demonic technique and then a Buddhist technique would be extremely difficult, and it should never be as smooth as Qin Mu’s seamless switching.
“It’s the Overlord Body’s primal energy.” Deaf Sun smiled and said softly.
Granny Si heard this and was slightly shaken in her heart. “Deaf Sun is right. Only the attribute-less primal energy of the Overlord Body can switch between Buddhist and demonic techniques without any hindrance! Mu’er is indeed the Overlord Body. Village Chief was not wrong!”
The old monk suddenly stood up and chanted a Buddhist name. Qin Mu’s Heavenly Demon Freedom Seal immediately lost its power, and an invisible force separated him from Mingxin. Mingxin was about to gather his spirit and fight Qin Mu again when his vision went black, and his body swayed.
His throat had nearly been severed by Qin Mu, and he had lost too much blood.
“I lost.”
The old monk glanced at Uncle Horse and beckoned Mingxin over. “Junior brother, I lost this time, but next time may not be the same. Mingxin, we, master and disciple, wander the world and have no place to settle. Let’s find a good opportunity nearby, find a village to stay in.”
Mingxin’s throat was still bleeding as he stepped forward. The old monk bandaged his wound and applied medicine, saying meaningfully, “Junior brother, a staff can be reforged, but a head only comes once. If you lose once, you lose everything. And you, young benefactor, you practice demonic arts, treacherous and vicious. You have already entered the demonic path. Beware of sinking into hell, never to be reborn!” With that, he took Mingxin and drifted away, his feet not touching the dust.
Qin Mu jumped off the arena and watched the old monk and his disciple leave. He saw Uncle Horse’s face was grave, clearly worried about the old monk’s words. He quickly said, “Uncle Horse, Granny, if he gets the chance, will he kill us?”
Granny Si sneered coldly, “Subduing demons and eliminating evil is the old bald donkey’s bread and butter. If he gets the chance, our fate won’t be any better than Lady Wu’s! As for Uncle Horse…” She shook her head.
Uncle Horse had passed on the techniques of the Great Thunderclap Temple, which was already a major taboo of the temple!
Qin Mu asked in confusion, “Then why didn’t we just kill him to eliminate the trouble? Why wait for him to come looking for trouble?”
Granny Si’s eyes lit up, and she praised, “Mu’er is increasingly showing the style of the Overlord Body! Medicine Master, Mute, Blind Man, how about we just take care of the old bald donkey and the little bald donkey?”
The old monk, though already far away, heard this and quickened his pace. With a whoosh, he leaped into the air, taking Mingxin and fleeing, no longer having any thought of settling near the village of the disabled elders.
Granny Si and the others did not chase after him but continued with their own work. Deaf Sun suddenly sighed with emotion, “The Great Ruins are becoming more and more useless. All kinds of demons and monsters dare to enter and cause trouble.”
Blind Man nodded, deeply agreeing, “They won’t let us honest folks have any peace. Old Uncle Horse, hiding like this is no solution. Whenever you say you want to go to the Great Thunderclap Temple, we old bones can accompany you for a walk.”
Uncle Horse was moved but did not show it. Instead, he picked up the staff and said, “Back then, I fought my way out of the Great Thunderclap Temple, and naturally, I can fight my way back. I don’t need your help. Mu’er, this is what you won. It’s yours.”
Qin Mu took the staff but did not find it as heavy as he had imagined. The staff had pressed the table leg deep into the ground, but in his hands, it was very light. He asked curiously, “Is this staff very valuable? Why did Uncle Horse risk his head to bet on it?”
“Valuable? Not exactly.”
Granny Si examined the staff and said with a smile, “You know about Inlaid Dragon City, right? This staff is worth at most one Inlaid Dragon City.”