Chapter 255: Too Much Demonic Nature
"Thank you for your trouble, Buddha Son."
Qin Mu expressed his gratitude. With Buddha Heart and Buddha Son accompanying him, it was inconvenient for him to ride the Dragon Qilin directly, so he jumped down and walked—this was a matter of etiquette.
"The sky outside is already dark. I should have hosted the Sect Leader for the night."
The two of them made their unhurried way down the mountain. Although their steps were not fast, their speed was still more than ten times that of an ordinary person. Buddha Heart said, "Although the Sect Leader Qin stayed at my Great Thunderclap Temple for a short time, he stirred up quite a few disturbances. Several monks lost their lives, and some monks went down the mountain to return to secular life. Yet the Tathagata still allowed the Sect Leader to descend the mountain."
Qin Mu smiled. "The Tathagata's broad-mindedness is admirable. He is truly worthy of being the first enlightened one of the Buddhist path. The Tathagata set aside sectarian prejudices and was willing to treat Granny Si. I am deeply grateful in my heart."
Buddha Heart laughed. "Sect Leader, I would like to take another look at the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. Would that be possible?"
Qin Mu took out the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra and unrolled it, revealing countless characters. Buddha Heart and Buddha Son walked along while reading, shaking their heads. "Truly a harmful method. Every divine ability and every technique is about taking human life. The cultivation methods are also extremely evil."
Qin Mu was surprised. "Why do you say that, Buddha Son?"
Buddha Heart said, "Look at this Creation Heavenly Demon Art. It involves flaying skin to make clothing, and the soul, spirit, and blood energy must be sealed before it can be made into garments capable of a thousand transformations. Is this not an evil technique?"
Qin Mu laughed. "The Creation Heavenly Demon Art primarily cultivates the inner self. It is used to seal one's own soul, spirit, and blood energy, preventing invasion by external demons. It is not about flaying skin to make clothes. If one wishes to transform, the Creation Heavenly Divine Art combined with the Creation Spiritual Art is more than sufficient."
Buddha Heart shook his head. "Sect Leader, it is you who have misunderstood. The evil reputation of the Heavenly Demon Art is well known. Who hasn't heard of it? You are young. How many books have you read? It is only natural that your understanding might be somewhat off. Look at this Creation Innate Art. This is clearly a demonic art that can only be cultivated by harvesting the innate qi of newborn infants! By mastering this technique, one's appearance never ages. For the sake of eternal youth, who knows how many newborn infants would have to be killed!"
Qin Mu found it both amusing and frustrating. He corrected him, "What is meant by 'innate' does not refer to infants, but rather to the state of an infant. An infant before birth is in the innate state—the beginning of yin and yang, embracing the primordial and guarding the One. The placenta connects to the innate mother, requiring no breathing, and the soul and spirit are pure and flawless. Buddha Son, you have misunderstood. Cultivating this technique does not require eating the placenta or the infant. It requires treating oneself as an infant."
Buddha Heart shook his head. "Sect Leader, you still won't admit it? This Creation Earth Element Art—is it not a demonic art that gathers the demonic fire from the sun and the earth, refining it to kill living beings? The more people it kills, the more vengeful spirits there are, the stronger its power becomes. In the end, the demonic fire transforms into a hell, which is the Earth Element!"
Qin Mu smiled. "This technique also has the word 'creation' in it. It is used to cultivate the spirit and strengthen the primordial spirit."
"Using the souls of others to strengthen the primordial spirit—is that not a demonic art?" Buddha Heart asked.
Qin Mu shook his head. "When this technique is combined with the Creation Innate Art, it means the mind embraces the primordial and guards the One, transforming into an infant state, connecting to the earth, gathering the mother qi of the earth to strengthen my primordial spirit. It can also be used to create all things. Buddha Son, in these past days, I have been cultivating the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, and my spiritual embryo has become exceptionally strong. These two techniques have played no small part. You could try cultivating them as well."
Buddha Heart laughed. "I won't cultivate them. I only wanted to critique them."
Qin Mu gave him a deep look. Buddha Heart's expression was open and honest, not seeming to be pretending.
Qin Mu smiled. "Then, Buddha Son, please continue."
Buddha Heart continued to study the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. "Your Heavenly Demon Sect truly deserves the word 'demon.' The demonic nature is too strong. The more I look at these techniques and divine abilities, the more my heart pounds with alarm. This technique is called the Funeral Delivery Art. To master it, does one have to wipe out an entire family?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "This technique is actually from the Funeral Hall of my Heavenly Saint Sect. It involves practicing with paper figures and paper horses, handling funeral affairs for others, causing ghosts and gods to keep their distance, and blessing the descendants. Buddha Son, if you are going to look at it with prejudice, it might be better not to look at all. I fear it will damage your Buddha heart."
Buddha Heart laughed heartily. "Sect Leader Qin, my Great Thunderclap Temple showed you the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra. Are you not allowing me to look at the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra?"
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Very well, as you wish."
The two continued walking down the mountain. The more Buddha Heart read, the more he shook his head. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was already late at night, and he had read most of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra.
Qin Mu looked around. This was the territory of the Yan Kingdom. Going forward would lead to Yan, while descending from the other side of the mountain would lead to the Great Wasteland. However, the Great Wasteland was currently shrouded in darkness and could not be entered.
The New Year festival had passed, and it was now the second month. In the sky, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse—a crescent moon that emitted a tranquil, faint light, much brighter than usual.
This was near the Great Thunderclap Temple. The dark clouds that had covered the sky had long been dispelled by the eminent monks of the temple, making the sky appear exceptionally clear.
There were also some villages nearby that believed in the Buddhist teachings and worshipped the Buddha. However, the land here all belonged to the Great Thunderclap Temple. The people living in these villages were tenant farmers who grew crops and paid tribute not to the imperial court, but to the Great Thunderclap Temple.
Qin Mu had originally planned to return to the Yan Kingdom, partly to continue his cultivation and partly to manage the Heavenly Saint Sect. This time, Li Tianxing had escaped from the Thousand Buddha Pagoda and was also heading toward the Yan Kingdom.
Buddha Heart was still reading the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. The two arrived at the mountain gate, where a monk guarding the gate sat with a lantern, and beside him slept a strange beast—a Four-Like.
There were also several attendants nearby. When they saw the two, they quickly stood up. Buddha Heart and Buddha Son approached and inquired. The men said, "We are attendants of the Crown Prince, all laypeople. We cannot enter the temple, so we have been waiting outside."
"I am seeing the Demon Sect Leader down the mountain and have no time to entertain you all. Please forgive me."
Buddha Heart called the Four-Like over and led the strange beast forward. "Sect Leader Qin, I still need half an hour to finish reading. If you don't mind, I will see you a bit further. The Four-Like of my Great Thunderclap Temple has long listened to the Buddhist teachings and has a very deep cultivation. It can keep up with your Dragon Qilin."
Qin Mu revealed a smile. "That would be excellent."
The Four-Like walked side by side with the Dragon Qilin. Buddha Heart manifested a Buddha light behind his head, illuminating the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra as he continued to study it.
"Demon Sect Leader?"
The Crown Prince's attendants' eyes lit up. "Which Demon Sect Leader?"
The monk guarding the gate said, "Which one could it be? The Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Qin Mu. He came with great momentum and has been persuading many monks in the temple to return to secular life. In the past few days, monks have been going down the mountain to return to secular life. Even several of my uncles and senior masters have returned to secular life."
The men exchanged glances and laughed. "Our opportunity for merit has come! The Heavenly Demon Sect killed Sun Nantuo and destroyed the Nantuo Temple. It was the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader who caused the trouble. We didn't expect to meet him here! Let's go claim this merit!"
The monk hurriedly said, "Good men, do not commit murder and create karma. Do not harm the Buddha Son!"
The Crown Prince's attendants laughed. "Rest assured!"
Qin Mu sat on the back of the Dragon Qilin, looking up at the moon in the sky. His body rose and fell gently with the beast's movements. It was the eighth day of the second month, and the crescent moon was very curved.
Buddha Heart let out a breath and returned the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra to Qin Mu. "I have finally finished reading it. It is indeed a demonic classic. Why have you been staring at the moon in the sky, Sect Leader Qin?"
"There is no moon in the Great Wasteland."
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and lightly tapped the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. The scroll transformed back into a ball of thread. He smiled. "So every time I see the moon, I always feel it is very beautiful and alluring. Also, I wanted to see where the boundary of the Great Thunderclap Temple lies."
Buddha Heart was momentarily stunned. "The boundary of the Great Thunderclap Temple?"
Qin Mu nodded. Seeing the moon in the sky blocked by dark clouds, he leaped down from the Dragon Qilin's back. Where he landed, one side was bathed in moonlight, and the other was in the shadow left by the clouds. He laughed. "The boundary of the Great Thunderclap Temple should be around here. Look, Buddha Son. The eminent monks of the Great Thunderclap Temple have cleared away all the dark clouds within the temple's territory. The clouds outside are the clouds of the Yan Kingdom, no longer under the temple's jurisdiction."
Buddha Heart also jumped down from the Four-Like, looked up at the sky, and then at the ground. He said in surprise, "I never knew the Great Thunderclap Temple had a boundary. In that case, there should be a boundary marker nearby."
Qin Mu became interested. "Let's look for it."
Buddha Heart seemed to have a youthful spirit as well. The two young men searched for a while until they found a cliff—a bare mountain peak standing on the ground, cut in half, over ten zhang high, with the words "Boundary of the Great Thunderclap Temple" inscribed on it.
Buddha Heart clapped his hands and laughed. "There really is such a stele! Although I am a monk of the Great Thunderclap Temple, I have never heard the elders mention it. Sect Leader Qin, I have heard that the Heavenly Demon Sect does not cultivate the mind and has few requirements for depth of mental state. Your sect's techniques are easy to master quickly, but because you practice the techniques without cultivating the mind, you are prone to going berserk."
Qin Mu stood beneath this boundary stele, looking up at the characters on it. "There is such a saying."
Buddha Heart's eyes flickered. "The Buddhist techniques cultivate the mind. If combined with the quick mastery of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, would it not be perfect?"
Qin Mu was still examining the characters on the stele. "That, I wouldn't know."
Buddha Heart looked at his back. Qin Mu looked at the stele ahead. Neither spoke anymore.
Suddenly, Buddha light burst forth, and demonic energy billowed. Beneath the boundary stele, the world was divided into Buddha and demon, righteous and evil, colliding with a thunderous roar!
Qin Mu turned around, a Buddha light shining behind his head, like a yellow-robed great Buddha. Every move he made was accompanied by the sound of thunder, and he was driving the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra. Meanwhile, Buddha Heart was surrounded by demonic energy, with blazing demonic fire rising around him, driving the Creation Earth Element Art!
Without a word, the two clashed fiercely beneath this boundary stele. Above Qin Mu's head, his primordial energy was like clouds, faintly revealing five layers of heavens, with ten thousand Buddhas paying homage. Buddha Heart's demonic energy roiled around him, and the demonic fire grew even more intense.
The two moved like startled rabbits and swooping falcons beneath the Great Thunderclap Temple's boundary stele. Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out. Buddha Heart let out a muffled groan and stepped back. Qin Mu stepped forward and struck him with palm after palm, each palm strike as heavy as the Great Thunderclap Temple's boundary stele itself!
Buddha Heart retreated continuously, blood flowing from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
With another boom, Qin Mu struck down again, like a great Buddha unleashing the fire of ignorance. Buddha Heart raised his hand to block, and the sound of bones breaking came from within his body. He stepped back again, and suddenly felt the stele pressing against his back. His heart sank.
Boom!
Qin Mu struck down with another palm. Buddha Heart groaned and collapsed at the foot of the stele, raising his hand. "Stop fighting. I admit defeat..."
Qin Mu raised his fist and struck down, blow after blow. After a while, he stood up. Buddha Heart was a bloody mess.
"Your demonic nature is too strong. I wanted to keep you alive and see how you would eventually ruin the Great Thunderclap Temple."
Qin Mu withdrew his hand, blood dripping from his fingertips with a patter. He looked at the disfigured Buddha Heart beneath the stele and said softly, "When you read the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, you twisted every technique, making yourself more demonic than a demon. If I let you live, the Great Thunderclap Temple will surely be destroyed by your hands."
Buddha Heart still had a breath left and was about to speak when suddenly a sword light shot through, piercing his brow with a chi sound. The flying sword passed through his skull, nailing him to the stele.
A voice said joyfully, "We've finally killed the Demon Sect Leader! This fellow's demonic nature is extremely strong!"
"The Buddha Son was still too kind-hearted. He didn't have the heart to strike the killing blow."
Another voice laughed. "But in the end, it worked out in our favor! Cut off his head and go collect the reward from the Crown Prince!"