Chapter 231: Killing the Monk
"Vajra Invincible!"
Half-Crazy Monk's Buddhist radiance blazed brightly, his sinewy body expanding to about three zhang and six chi in height. The nine-ring staff in his hand also grew larger and longer, as if a great Buddha had a massive sun disc behind his head.
This was the Buddhist Vajra Invincible Art, a technique specializing in physical divine abilities.
Buddhist techniques were divided into many types. Some focused on mental state, cultivating spells and divine powers; others emphasized wisdom and sudden enlightenment, training in saber and sword techniques; while others belonged to the combat style, specializing in physical divine abilities.
The Vajra Invincible Art followed the combat style, but unlike other combat techniques, it incorporated some spells. However, it differed from Overlord Mountain's Sacrificial Wine's fusion of combat and magic. The spells of the Vajra Invincible Art were hidden within the staff or prayer beads. During daily cultivation, the monk carried the staff and beads, constantly chanting sutras, refining his evil thoughts into the beads and the divine powers from the sutras into the staff.
When battle came, he could release the evil thoughts from the beads, transforming into a ferocious combat form, while the spells within the staff became his means of catching opponents off guard and winning!
Half-Crazy Monk charged forward. Though his Buddhist radiance was intense, this Buddha resembled the Vajra Yaksha of temples—fierce and ferocious in expression. His staff slammed down heavily toward Qin Mu!
Qin Mu had already experienced the power of the Vajra Invincible Art. When this technique manifested the Vajra Yaksha form, it became incredibly tough, even capable of withstanding the attacks of the Shaobao Sword.
Moreover, its strength was astonishing, once pressing Qin Mu's treasure ship down into the clouds.
Qin Mu activated the Overlord Body Three-Dan Art, shaking his body. Suddenly, a beam of golden light shot down from the sky, surging into him, causing his physique to transform into a golden deity—tiger claws, white fur, a tiger head with a white forehead and hanging eyes, standing on twin dragons. Golden qi condensed in his hand into a bronze battle-axe, shaped like a great halberd.
A golden snake hung from his left ear, hissing and spitting golden qi.
He was executing the Supreme White Star Lord Golden Hou True Art, deifying into the form of the Supreme White Star Lord, controlling all the world's golden qi.
The Five Radiance Realm held many secrets. Qin Mu's own mastery of the Five Radiance Realm was already extremely high, and with the guidance of the Yan Kingdom National Teacher, he had cultivated the deified forms of the five star lords, far surpassing other Five Radiance Realm experts.
"Indeed, demonic arts!"
Seeing his transformation, Half-Crazy Monk sneered. His nine-ring staff whirled, buzzing as it expanded, like a massive hammer with nine golden rings, crashing down with a thunderous roar!
A violent tremor erupted as Qin Mu's bronze battle-axe clashed with the nine-ring staff. The two forces exploded with terrifying power. Qin Mu was knocked back repeatedly, the twin dragons beneath his feet flying out to coil around Half-Crazy Monk's legs, binding them. Meanwhile, the nine golden rings on the staff flew off one after another, striking Qin Mu's forehead in succession, sending sparks flying and tumbling him over a dozen somersaults.
Half-Crazy Monk was, after all, at the Spirit Void Realm, already a divine ability user with many tricks. He stomped hard, shattering the two golden dragons, grabbed his staff, and leaped into the air. Mid-flight, the nine golden rings whistled back, settling onto the staff.
Boom!
Half-Crazy Monk swung his staff down, smashing it onto Qin Mu. Qin Mu stood firm on the ground but was forced backward, plowing a deep trench through the earth. The bronze battle-axe in his hand had already shattered.
Half-Crazy Monk strode forward, moving swiftly, closing the distance in a few bounds. He thrust his staff forward, and with another thunderous crash, sent Qin Mu flying backward, unable to keep his footing.
The staff buzzed as the nine golden rings clanged against Qin Mu's chest, blasting him over a hundred zhang away, flattening swaths of trees.
"Sumeru Seal, Dhu!"
Half-Crazy Monk leaped into the air, shouting a true mantra, and slammed his palm down toward where Qin Mu had landed. The earth shook, trees toppled, and a half-acre-sized handprint appeared, deeply imprinted into the ground. Above this palm print, the phantom of Mount Sumeru hovered, surrounded by countless Buddhist scripture runes spinning around it.
"Amitabha. The demonic heretic has finally been subdued and executed, completing a merit for this humble monk."
Half-Crazy Monk landed, leaning on his staff with one hand while placing the other before his chest in a salute. Standing outside the handprint, he bowed and said, "This humble monk is not fond of killing, but today I used thunderous means only to rid the world of a scourge, forced by necessity. I shall recite a Rebirth Sutra for the sect leader, sending his vengeful soul to the Western Paradise, never to do evil again..."
Just as he was about to begin chanting, a chill ran down his spine. He quickly leaped up as the ground split open, and countless golden qi spikes burst forth, shooting madly upward!
Half-Crazy Monk thrust his staff downward, the nine rings swinging outward to shatter the golden qi spikes. Then the Sumeru Mountain phantom collapsed as countless golden qi converged into innumerable sword lights. These sword lights coalesced into a single beam over ten zhang long, striking Half-Crazy Monk's chest with a sharp *ding* sound.
Half-Crazy Monk winced in pain as the sword light pierced his chest. He suddenly roared, and the prayer beads around his neck emitted Buddhist chants. As they vibrated, scripture runes surged out, forming rings that locked around the sword light, spinning continuously until they finally blocked the strike.
At that moment, a flash of water light appeared before Half-Crazy Monk. A massive wave surged forward, and at its front, Qin Mu had transformed into the Water Marquis Chen Star Lord form—human-headed, red-haired, with a serpentine body, wielding a trident.
The trident thrust toward Half-Crazy Monk as the towering wave condensed into a giant palm print, crushing down upon him.
Half-Crazy Monk roared, his Buddhist radiance blazing as he raised his hand to block. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming force slam into him, sending him flying from the wave's impact.
The trident struck his chest, transforming into a three-headed dragon that pushed him forward with a thunderous crash.
With a loud boom, the three-headed dragon and the surging wave crushed the monk into the ground, leaving a massive crater.
The water dissipated, and Half-Crazy Monk quickly scrambled to his feet, only to face a monster with an ox head and human body, standing on two fiery dragons charging toward him. The monster's third eye on its forehead opened, and a beam of fire, swift as lightning, slashed horizontally. Half-Crazy Monk raised his hand to protect his neck, but his palm was struck, and two fingers were severed.
Panic set in. He gripped his nine-ring staff tightly, swinging it like a hammer. The staff head expanded, growing larger and larger, like a mountain peak crashing forward. With his other hand, he formed a seal and thrust it forward.
Qin Mu had transformed into the Fire Marquis Yinghuo Star Lord form, roaring with immense strength. A fire gourd appeared behind him, which he hugged to his chest. Blazing true fire spewed from the gourd, scorching the nine-ring staff red-hot as molten gold dripped away.
Half-Crazy Monk was startled. The nine-ring staff was a spirit weapon he had painstakingly refined, blessed by Buddhist teachings, yet it couldn't withstand the true fire from the gourd. If it melted, he would lose a major asset.
But there was no time to dwell on it. He had to risk the destruction of his spirit weapon and smash Qin Mu to death!
Boom—
The fire gourd exploded, and the two fiery dragons beneath Qin Mu's feet shattered. Half-Crazy Monk's Sumeru Seal followed closely. Suddenly, Qin Mu shook his body, and a beam of cyan light shot down from the sky. He transformed into the Wood Marquis Sui Star Lord form—human-headed, bird-bodied, with bird feet, wings on his back, and standing on two cyan dragons. He soared upward, dodging the Sumeru Seal, and hovered above Half-Crazy Monk, striking down with a willow whip.
Half-Crazy Monk raised his hand to block, but as soon as he caught the whip, he sensed trouble. The willow whip was incredibly soft, coiling around his arm like a green snake. Then it grew wildly, wrapping around his body.
In the blink of an eye, the whip thickened to the size of a water bucket, turning into a willow tree that bound him tightly.
At the same time, the two cyan dragons beneath Qin Mu shrank, turning into two streams of cyan qi that entered his nostrils.
"Come empty, go empty! Six senses, six perceptions, seal!"
Half-Crazy Monk sealed his senses, preventing the two streams of cyan qi from entering his body. He then refined them with his Buddhist radiance. The prayer beads around his neck burst one by one, releasing more evil thoughts that returned to him.
Half-Crazy Monk's evil thoughts surged. He roared, his body expanding again, shattering the willow tree. "When the Buddha gets angry, even heaven must step aside! Heretic, die!"
As he roared, Qin Mu transformed again, taking on a human-headed, serpent-bodied form. Behind him, the Gate of Bearing Heaven appeared, and he held two butcher knives as he charged forward.
A rapid series of clangs rang out as the knives struck Half-Crazy Monk's body, but his Buddhist radiance and flames flared up, leaving no wounds.
"The Buddha has a vajra body, impervious to all!"
Half-Crazy Monk's face twisted in fury. His staff swung wildly, smashing down with abandon. Qin Mu's twin knives clashed against the staff, the thunderous sounds sending birds and beasts in the surrounding forest fleeing in panic.
Suddenly, the twin knives in Qin Mu's hands burst with a crack, unable to withstand the immense force, while Half-Crazy Monk's staff also exploded.
"Die!"
Half-Crazy Monk roared repeatedly, his fists heavy as mountains, pounding toward Qin Mu. Qin Mu shouted, his sinewy body swelling, lightning crackling around him as he activated the Thunderclap Eight Forms. Cyan dragons coiled around him as he met force with force!
The two small giants fought fiercely in the forest. Suddenly, the Shaobao Sword flew out, striking like lightning into the great sun disc behind Half-Crazy Monk's head.
Half-Crazy Monk was startled and quickly raised his hand to block. At that moment, Qin Mu threw a punch, blazing like a great sun refining the soul. Half-Crazy Monk's soul wavered, and he failed to block the sword light. The Shaobao Sword shattered the sun disc behind his head.
His Vajra Invincible Art was broken, and his body began to shrink. Qin Mu punched again, and Half-Crazy Monk's bones shuddered. He groaned and staggered backward.
Qin Mu's fists rained down like a storm, pounding him relentlessly. Half-Crazy Monk, in pain and growing more alarmed, turned and fled, sprinting with all his might. In a few bounds, he leaped into the air, escaping toward the sky.
Qin Mu paused, looking up. The monk fled swiftly, covering six or seven li in a few breaths before stopping. Lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet to support him. "This demon is formidable, with too many tricks, but he's not fast. He can't catch me. I can regroup..."
Just as he thought this, a thunderous boom sounded. Half-Crazy Monk looked and was horrified to see Qin Mu flying through the air, his feet moving so fast they were almost invisible!
Boom!
Qin Mu's fist slammed into Half-Crazy Monk's face, caving it in. The power of Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder pierced through, surging into his brain and exploding.
In midair, forty-five blood-streaked cyan dragons roared and clawed, their bodies encircling a headless corpse that tumbled down.
"Foolish monk, I'll let you run ten li first."
—Guests arrived at home, update delayed. Apologies.