Chapter 481: The Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm
Xing Han, as always, carried his box on his back. He still wore the appearance of a white-clad youth, the same youthful and sunny Xing Han that Qin Mu had encountered in the fruit forest of the Heavenly Saint Academy. However, the Xing Han of now and the Xing Han Qin Mu had met back then looked completely different, like two different people.
Qin Mu’s heart clenched. If there was anyone in this world he still feared, besides the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang, it was Xing Han.
The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang was a sage, acting according to his own principles. Anyone who stood in his way would be eliminated by him. As long as you didn’t block his path, he could even become a good friend. But even if a good friend blocked his way, he would turn against them without hesitation.
Xing Han, on the other hand, had a different style.
He only liked to collect.
Collecting the physical bodies of powerful beings who had reached the divine realm in some aspect!
His hobby was to take what he wanted from you, but he wouldn’t kill you. Instead, he would let you go, like raising livestock, hoping for a second harvest.
But this man was also incredibly powerful, to an unbelievable degree. Back then, the Heavenly Saint Academy wasn’t yet the Heavenly Saint Academy, but it still gathered the strongest experts under heaven. It could be said that nearly half of Yankang’s powerhouses were gathered there, along with over a dozen flood dragons at the Divine Bridge realm. And yet, Xing Han had routed them all, ultimately only being defeated thanks to the tonic pills Qin Mu had concocted.
Even so, Li Tianxing, the former leader of the Demon Sect, had died in battle, allowing Granny Si to succeed him.
After that battle, the severely wounded lay in bed for over ten days.
Xing Han’s combat power was something Qin Mu had never seen before.
Moreover, Xing Han was exceptionally talented, reaching an extremely high level of comprehension in various divine techniques and Dao methods. His Creation Art had been taught to him by Bangu Cuo, but even Qin Mu hadn’t reached that level!
Such an existence was too terrifying.
Qin Mu looked back at the Golden Summit. The Buddhist light there shot into the sky, and on the surrounding mountain peaks, many demon monks assumed various postures—some sitting, some standing, some lying down, some standing on one leg, some spreading their wings—a thousand different poses. They were channeling Buddhist techniques, working together with Little Tathagata and the other experts on the Golden Summit to convert Wei Wu Shen.
Above the Golden Summit, the Buddhist light condensed into a solid form, like a golden tide converging into a radiant golden lotus platform. On that lotus platform, twenty heavenly realms appeared, faintly revealing Buddhas of all sizes and the gods surrounding them. It was truly majestic and profound, the Buddhist teachings vast and powerful, the sounds of Buddhist chanting shaking the heavens!
“Such a magnificent and imposing display of Buddhism would be utterly useless before Xing Han,” Qin Mu thought to himself.
Now, the experts of Little Thunderclap Monastery were all occupied with suppressing and converting Wei Wu Shen. They probably had no time to deal with Xing Han. And even if they could free themselves, they would be no match for him.
“Although Little Thunderclap Monastery also has a few sect leader-level great demons, against a terrifying existence like Xing Han, they could at most buy a little time. And given Little Tathagata’s temperament, he might not even help me.”
Qin Mu steadied his mind, thinking, “Now, the only one I can rely on is myself. Poison… the Myriad Spirits Natural Art… can they deal with him?”
He really had no confidence.
Xu Shenhua and the Demon Ape also noticed something was happening and quickly flew over.
“Who is that carrying the box?”
Xu Shenhua’s heart tightened, and he said in a low voice, “So powerful! Is he a god?”
Qin Mu’s expression was grave. “Harder to deal with than a god. Every part of his body is at the divine realm—his blood, his primordial spirit, his vital energy. And I can’t even find where his origin is…”
Xu Shenhua was startled. “A true god?”
“No, but close enough,” Qin Mu said through gritted teeth.
Xing Han walked unhurriedly up the mountain with his box on his back. Bangu Cuo lagged behind, quickly stopping the bleeding from his legs, his hands flying as he ran through the forest to catch up with Xing Han.
As for those two deer legs, he didn’t bother to retrieve them.
“Brother Xing Han, now you see I wasn’t lying to you, right?”
Bangu Cuo laughed. “I sensed it all the way here. Those bald donkeys must have captured my master’s primordial spirit. Look at that Buddhist light—those lawless bastards are probably trying to refine him.”
Xing Han shook his head. “They aren’t trying to refine him; they’re trying to convert him. Little Tathagata of Little Thunderclap Monastery is also a cultivator with an unbreakable cultivation base, a being as famous as Daoist Lingjing. I pursued Lingjing, wanting to obtain his divine blood, and he said that Little Tathagata had already cultivated a divine-level vital energy. I thought Little Tathagata was worth collecting too, but at that time, my body had already developed problems, so I didn’t make a move against him.”
Bangu Cuo, supporting himself on his hands, followed behind him. Although Xing Han’s pace wasn’t fast, his speed was considerable, forcing Bangu Cuo to struggle to keep up.
Bangu Cuo smiled ingratiatingly. “This time, you’ve obtained my master’s primordial spirit, and you’ll kill Qin the Great Physician to avenge yourself. So, will you keep your promise?”
Xing Han said calmly, “Don’t worry. What I promised you, I will give you.”
His gaze was strange, and he thought to himself, “Once he reattaches his legs, I’ll cut them off again. That way, I won’t be breaking my promise.”
Suddenly, the Buddhist light on the Golden Summit blazed brilliantly. The lotus formed by the Buddhist light seemed to be pushed up by a tremendous force, and the Buddhist light beneath the lotus platform surged outward like a tide, crashing against the cliffs with a deafening roar!
“Bald donkeys, a powerful being is coming up the mountain! I’m not going to waste time with you!”
From beneath the lotus platform, Wei Wu Shen’s voice shook the heavens and earth. A vast demonic energy rose, pitch black, scattering the Buddhist light. The lotus enveloping the Golden Summit shook unsteadily, and the twenty heavenly realms above it also wobbled. The phantom images of the Buddhas and gods within those heavenly realms flickered, on the verge of dispersing.
“Hold the line!”
Little Tathagata’s voice rang out. Beneath the lotus, the demon monks of Little Thunderclap Monastery chanted Buddhist scriptures even louder than before, their bodies radiating even more intense Buddhist light.
The Buddhist light coalesced behind them into rings, flowing from those rings toward the golden lotus in the sky. These streams of Buddhist light were like the lotus’s roots, drifting in from the Golden Summit and the other peaks.
Wei Wu Shen roared in fury, his mouth emitting obscure and profound demonic sounds. The sounds were harsh and awkward but carried a strange rhythm. Qin Mu was momentarily stunned: “This isn’t the demon language I’ve learned. It sounds somewhat similar to the syllables of the Netherworld language! Could Wei Wu Shen really be from the Netherworld?”
He knew very little of the Netherworld language, having only learned one sentence, taught to him by the Heavenly Capital Demon King. He couldn’t be sure if what Wei Wu Shen was saying was actually Netherworld language.
Wei Wu Shen’s demonic sounds grew louder and more sinister. Suddenly, a gate appeared beside the lotus platform. The pitch-black gate was surrounded by rippling black light, opposing the twenty heavenly realms above the lotus platform.
Creak.
A harsh sound rang out as the gate opened a crack. But then, a wave of Buddhist chanting struck it, forcing the gate shut.
Boom—
Wei Wu Shen’s body suddenly expanded, rising from the golden bowl and lifting the lotus platform. He roared angrily, “If it weren’t for my good disciple betraying me, stripping my physical body from my primordial spirit, how could I be suppressed by you bald donkeys!”
The two sides were deadlocked. Little Tathagata shouted, and a relic flew out from between his brows, hovering above the lotus, and plunged into the phantom images of the twenty heavenly realms.
The twenty heavenly realms on the lotus were merely illusions, but the relic seemed to travel a great distance within them.
In the phantom of the heavenly realms, a Buddha phantom suddenly reached out, grabbed the relic, and then opened its hand. The relic floated in the air. Under its radiance, the lotus platform and the twenty heavenly realms seemed to solidify into reality.
The Buddhist chanting from the twenty heavenly realms suddenly became incredibly loud, forcing Wei Wu Shen to kneel.
Xing Han’s eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened. He praised, “Great Venerable, your master is truly remarkable. This primordial spirit is excellent, of the highest quality. I want it! These monks aren’t bad either. It seems Little Tathagata’s vital energy is indeed as Daoist Lingjing said—it has reached the divine realm. His Buddhist teachings have already become so profound that he’s almost able to open the twenty heavenly realms.”
Bangu Cuo’s heart trembled, and he blurted out, “Brother Xing Han, do you mean Little Tathagata is close to opening the Buddhist realm?”
“I once stormed the Great Thunderclap Monastery, wanting to capture the old Tathagata and seize the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda. Inside that pagoda, many Tathagata physical bodies had already reached the divine realm.”
Xing Han walked onto the Golden Summit, ignoring Qin Mu, Xu Shenhua, and the Demon Ape. He looked up at the lotus platform and Wei Wu Shen, saying leisurely, “However, although the old Tathagata wasn’t my match, he used Buddhist resonance to activate the physical bodies of the successive Tathagatas in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, forcibly opening the twenty heavenly realms of the Buddhist realm. Tsk, tsk, truly formidable. I almost couldn’t escape. The Great Thunderclap Monastery and the Daoist Sect are both extraordinary, with deep foundations, making them hard to storm. Little Tathagata’s cultivation is high, but without the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, relying only on the demon monks scattered across the mountains, he can’t open the twenty heavenly realms of the Buddhist realm. Still, being able to send his relic into the Buddhist realm and draw upon the power of a true Buddha is no small feat.”
Qin Mu bowed to Xing Han, surprised. “The Great Thunderclap Monastery has such means?”
Xing Han raised his hand and gently traced a line in the air, severing the streams of Buddhist light beneath the lotus. The lotus immediately withered, and the twenty heavenly realms of the Buddhist realm gradually faded into nothingness, disappearing.
Little Tathagata and the other monks’ hearts jumped. They turned to look at Xing Han. Little Tathagata stood up, signaling the monks not to act rashly, and walked over.
Xing Han was unconcerned. He turned around and returned the bow to Qin Mu, saying, “Indeed, Qin the Great Physician.”
Although there was deep enmity between him and Qin Mu, he was still courteous and didn’t neglect propriety. Even Qin Mu had to admire that.
Bangu Cuo also arrived at the Golden Summit, supporting himself on his hands, and looked at Qin Mu with a smile. “Brother Qin, still well, I hope?”
“Thanks to you, I’m doing very well.”
Qin Mu returned the bow. “Great Venerable, your master Wei Wu Shen is right here. Many of the soul insects inside him have been refined away. Aren’t you afraid that when enemies meet, their eyes will burn red, and your master will kill you?”
Bangu Cuo stood on his two severed legs, returning the bow with a smile. “Where is there a rule that a master should bow to his disciple? Isn’t that right, Master?”
From Wei Wu Shen’s mouth came the sound of grinding teeth.
Little Tathagata approached. Xing Han bowed to him. “Xing Han pays respects to Yuan Ding Tathagata.”
Little Tathagata’s expression changed slightly. He returned the bow. “Brother Xing Han, have you come to take my life?”
Xing Han said cheerfully, “No. I’ve come to take Qin the Physician’s life, Wei Wu Shen’s primordial spirit, and Yuan Ding Tathagata’s vital energy cultivation. I rarely kill. Except for this young man, who must die, everyone else can live as long as they don’t resist.”
Qin Mu remained silent, feeling disgruntled.
PS: Many people have commented that Granny isn’t the weakest in the Cripples’ Village, haha. You’ve completely missed the details. The characters in the book are growing. Where does Granny rank on the Cripples’ Village combat power chart now? Follow the public account “Zhu Zhu” and check the historical messages, and you might guess! The review of Granny Si will exceed your imagination!