Chapter 214: The Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra
"Could it be that this Bampo Tso has improved the Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra?"
The Duke of Wei was somewhat puzzled, muttering to himself, "I have crossed blows with experts from the Loulan Golden Palace. Their techniques cultivate the soul, and although they refine their bodies to a gleaming gold, their methods mostly use the soul as a means of attack. But this young barbarian is walking the path of the physical body, and his techniques are somewhat different from the Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra—too fierce..."
After all, he was a first-rank official, a figure at the level of a sect leader, and he immediately recognized A Mu's extraordinary nature. However, even with his exceptional insight, he could only tell that A Mu's Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra was similar yet not quite the same, and he could not discern that A Mu was actually using the Creation Divine Art.
The seven chapters of creation in the Great Cultivation Demon Sutra each had their unique merits. The Creation Divine Art excelled at imitating others' techniques. Granny Si had once used this art to mimic the appearance of Xianglong City Lord Fu Yundi, fooling everyone completely.
A Mu struck down Monk Yuanjing with a single palm strike, and instantly the monks of the Nantuo Detached Temple were filled with righteous indignation. Another monk stepped forward, shouting loudly, "You take our Nantuo Temple's supreme treasure to kill our people—do you think Nantuo Temple has no one left? I, Yuanshan, will test your skills..."
A Mu reached out and grabbed. With a crack, a thunderous sound erupted. Before Monk Yuanshan could even finish his sentence, he fell straight to the ground. His corpse looked lifelike, without a single wound, and his heart was still beating.
Several monks hurried forward and felt Yuanshan's breath. He was still breathing, but his eyes had already closed.
"Don't bother checking. His soul has scattered."
A Mu said, "I grabbed his soul and directly extinguished it."
"Wasn't this supposed to be a contest?"
The group of monks laughed in anger, shouting, "Why do you keep killing without mercy?"
A Mu said calmly, "This is the rule of the frontier. Once you make a move, life and death are on the line. I thought the people of the Yan Kang Upper Kingdom still had some backbone, but it seems you've grown so accustomed to comfort that you fear death. It appears I came here in vain. This Thousand-Pagoda Treasure should remain in my Loulan Golden Palace. You are not its destined owners."
"How dare you!"
A monk roared, suddenly charging forward with a staff. The staff had nine rings, each hanging a treasure, and he shook it violently, causing a clanging sound that disturbed the soul.
A Mu did not move, letting the staff strike his head. Only then did he reach out and grab it, pulling hard. The monk's hands were bloodied, his palms torn open.
Pfft.
A Mu threw the staff, piercing the monk's heart and pinning him to the ground. He had no breath left.
The Duke of Wei shook his head. "The monks of Nantuo Temple are all meat-and-wine monks. After years of comfort, the gap between them and him is too great. At the same cultivation level, they simply cannot be his opponent. The witchcraft of the Loulan Golden Palace is sinister and strange—extinguishing an opponent's soul is possible, but something feels off. I haven't seen his moves before. Could the Witch Sovereign have created some new divine abilities?"
Wei Yong still hadn't found A Mu, thinking to himself, "He told me to come watch the excitement, but where has he hidden himself?"
Several middle-aged monks from the Nantuo Detached Temple walked out, their expressions grave. One of them said in a deep voice, "Someone, go to the Court of Judicial Review and report this to the authorities! Let the government arrest him! And another person, go to the Crown Prince's residence and invite the abbot!"
The other monks' eyes lit up, and they hurried off.
The Court of Judicial Review was responsible for investigating cases. The Nantuo Detached Temple didn't need to fight A Mu to the death; they could simply have the authorities arrest him and throw him in prison. The Thousand-Pagoda Treasure would naturally return to Nantuo Temple.
A Mu had killed people in the capital, so it was only natural for the Court of Judicial Review to investigate. Moreover, Nantuo Temple had people within the court, making things even easier.
At the Crown Prince's residence, a monk rushed in frantically, shouting, "Abbot, something terrible has happened! Someone is causing trouble at our Nantuo Detached Temple!"
Sun Nantuo sat like a great Buddha in meditation. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, a middle-aged man who seemed about the same age as Emperor Yan Feng, stroked his beard and smiled, "Could it be some demon spawn from the Heavenly Demon Sect seeking revenge?"
The monk shook his head. "No, it's not the Heavenly Demon Sect. It's a disciple from the Loulan Golden Palace in the frontier, named Bampo Tso. He brought our Nantuo Temple's lost supreme treasure, the Thousand-Pagoda Treasure, saying he would give it to a destined owner. If anyone could defeat him at the same cultivation level, he would give them the treasure. Several of our senior brothers stepped up to challenge him, but he killed them without hesitation! He's killed many of our brothers!"
Sun Nantuo's expression darkened slightly. "You indulge in wine, women, and neglect Buddhist practice—you deserve this defeat. However, the Thousand-Pagoda Treasure is our Nantuo Temple's supreme treasure, lost in the frontier centuries ago. It must be reclaimed."
The Crown Prince frowned slightly. "Grand Tutor, the Heavenly Demon Sect has lost two of its Heavenly Kings in a row. Given the nature of this foremost demonic sect, they won't let this go. Could this sudden appearance of a Loulan Golden Palace disciple be a trap? I've heard that after forty years, the Heavenly Demon Sect finally has a new leader, but his origins are unknown..."
Sun Nantuo stood up and said calmly, "Your Highness, your information is a bit outdated. The origins of the new Heavenly Demon Sect leader have already been revealed. I received word from the Great Thunderclap Temple that this new leader is a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, named Qin Mu, a castaway from the Great Ruins. Not long ago, His Majesty promoted him to the fifth-rank position of Central Sanctioned Grand Master."
"It's him!"
The Crown Prince stood up in surprise. "The new leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect may be young, but the sect still has strong and wise members. We must be cautious. Grand Tutor, I didn't know you had connections with the Great Thunderclap Temple. Could you perhaps arrange a meeting for me?"
"That's easy to arrange."
Sun Nantuo walked out, saying, "The Old Tathagata is also eager to meet with Your Highness."
The Crown Prince followed him, smiling, "I'll go with you to see this Bampo Tso from the Loulan Golden Palace and find out whether he's truly from the Loulan Golden Palace or the Heavenly Demon Sect."
Before long, several officials from the Court of Judicial Review arrived and, upon seeing the Duke of Wei, quickly paid their respects.
The Duke of Wei noticed Sun Nantuo and the Crown Prince approaching and said loudly, "The Emperor once decreed that the court handles court affairs, and the martial world handles its own. This is a martial world grudge. There's no need for the Court of Judicial Review to interfere. Otherwise, with all the fighting and killing in the martial world every day, would you have enough time to handle it? Wait until a court official is killed. Lord Sun, Your Highness, come over here and watch the excitement!"
Sun Nantuo's expression darkened. The Crown Prince laughed, "Grand Tutor, we'd better go over. If we don't, Old Loudmouth Wei will make sure the whole capital hears about it. Speaking of which, my father's old rule really should be changed."
The Duke of Wei was referring to the rule established by the Emperor and the various sects years ago: the court handles court affairs, and the martial world handles its own, with no interference between them. Although the Nantuo Temple monks were disciples of the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Sun Nantuo, most of them held no official positions and were considered part of the martial world.
As Sun Nantuo and the Crown Prince approached the Duke of Wei and the others, A Mu killed a few more monks, provoking outrage among the crowd of monks, who clamored to gang up on him.
The middle-aged monks noticed the growing crowd and, fearing damage to Nantuo Temple's reputation, quickly ordered the monks to stop.
"Duke of Wei, Your Highness, Lord Sun!"
The Duke of Wei looked over and saw an elderly official approaching, smiling. "So it's Lord Yan Zhigui. Lord Yan is now a favorite of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
Lord Yan quickly smiled and said, "The Duke is joking. Lord Sun, what's going on here?"
"Nantuo Temple has run into trouble. From the looks of it, this is probably a revenge mission."
Several other high-ranking court officials arrived. One of them said, "Nantuo Temple's reputation hasn't been good lately. They've been sneaking into the private chambers of noble ladies and ministers' backyards. Many officials have complaints, but they don't dare speak up for fear of embarrassment. This time, they're all waiting to see Nantuo Temple make a fool of itself. Look, not a single one is willing to step in. Oh, Lord Sun is here too."
These officials were all first- or second-rank ministers. They deliberately pretended not to see Sun Nantuo, showing him no courtesy.
Sun Nantuo remained expressionless, looking at A Mu. The Yan Kang Crown Prince was also studying A Mu, trying to discern the origins of his techniques.
"Send up a cultivator. First, seal his Six Harmonies Divine Treasury, then unseal it and kill him outright!"
One of the middle-aged monks lowered his voice and said, "Yuan Kong, you go. We've already lost face; losing a bit more won't matter. No matter what, we must win back the Thousand-Pagoda Treasure!"
Monk Yuan Kong acknowledged the order. He immediately sealed his own Six Harmonies Divine Treasury and stepped forward to compete with A Mu. His cultivation was far superior to Monk Yuanjing's. He stood there like a thousand-armed great Buddha, his body motionless while his arms flew about, bearing a striking resemblance to the thousand-armed Buddha of the Thunderclap Eight Forms.
A Mu attacked. A thunderous roar erupted as they clashed palms. A fierce wind howled and surged in all directions, causing the clothes of the onlookers to flap loudly.
A series of cracking sounds came from within Monk Yuan Kong's body. He fell straight to the ground, all his bones shattered. He hadn't even had time to unseal his Six Harmonies Divine Treasury before being beaten to death!
The many monks of Nantuo Temple were furious, their eyes wide with rage. They shouted and charged forward, intending to cut A Mu down with random blades, but the middle-aged monks held them back.
The Duke of Wei clapped in admiration and shouted in his rough voice, "The Loulan Golden Palace's Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra is truly formidable! Another great monk has been killed!"
Sun Nantuo frowned slightly and murmured, "Is this the Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra?"
He had never encountered experts from the Loulan Golden Palace or seen this technique, but the Duke of Wei had been to the western frontier and had fought with the Witch King of the Loulan Golden Palace.
The Yan Kang Crown Prince pondered, "I've heard that the witch priests of the Loulan Golden Palace cultivate their souls, allowing them to transform into half-human, half-beast forms, with many variations..."
As he spoke, another Nantuo Temple monk stepped forward. He immediately unsealed his Six Harmonies Divine Treasury, intending to unleash a divine ability. But A Mu closed in and pressed his palm against the monk's chest.
The monk's Six Harmonies Divine Treasury opened, and his aura surged. His divine ability erupted!
He was stronger than Yuan Kong, having refined over four hundred treasures from the Spirit Treasure Motionless Zen Technique. With over four hundred hand seals, he struck one after another. Buddha light flowed and burst outward, as if a wrathful Buddha had descended to vanquish demons, drawing cheers from the crowd!
"Monk Yuanyue has excellent cultivation!" a woman with a peach-blossom face praised.
As she spoke, A Mu shook his body, transforming into a divine form with a bull's head, human body, and bull hooves. His entire body gleamed with golden light. He stood on twin dragons, and a bull's eye appeared on his forehead, shooting a beam of fire that sliced across Monk Yuanyue's neck.
Monk Yuanyue felt his head flying backward. He saw his own body, still spurting blood from the neck, headless.
His head flew into the arms of the peach-blossom-faced woman, startling her so much that her face turned pale. She screamed and fainted.
Slap, slap.
A Mu flicked his bull tail, striking his own buttocks twice, which immediately turned red and swollen.
The Yan Kang Crown Prince's eyes flickered. "It should be the Loulan Golden Palace's Witch Sovereign's Lou Luo Sutra. But why did he slap his own butt? Is that some strange sorcery of the Loulan Golden Palace?"
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