"Vajra Invincible!"
The Half-Wit Monk's Buddhist radiance blazed intensely, his sinewy body swelling to thirty-six feet tall, the Nine-Ring Khakkhara Staff in his hands expanding and lengthening with him, like a great Buddha with a Great Sun rising behind his head.
This was the Vajra Invincible Art, a technique specializing in physical divine abilities.
Buddhist cultivation methods were varied. Some focused on mental states, cultivating spells and divine powers. Others emphasized wisdom and epiphany, mastering saber and sword techniques. Still others belonged to the combat style, specializing in physical divine abilities.
The Vajra Invincible Art belonged to the combat style, but unlike other combat techniques, it incorporated certain spells. However, it differed from the Bashan Sacrificial Priest's fusion of combat and magic—the Vajra Invincible Art's spells were hidden within the khakkhara staff or prayer beads. In daily practice, monks carried the staff and beads, continuously reciting Buddhist sutras, refining their evil thoughts into the prayer beads and the sutras' divine powers into the staff.
When battle came, they could release the evil thoughts from the prayer beads, transforming into a ferociously brutal combat form, while the spells within the staff served as their surprise attack to achieve victory!
The Half-Wit Monk charged forward. Though his Buddhist radiance blazed bright, this Buddha resembled a Vajra Yaksha from a temple—his features fierce and grotesque—as he smashed his khakkhara staff down at Qin Mu!
Qin Mu had already experienced the formidable power of the Vajra Invincible Art. Once this technique manifested the Vajra Yaksha form, it became incredibly hard, capable of withstanding even strikes from the Shao Bao Sword.
Moreover, its strength was beyond imagination—it had even forced Qin Mu's treasure ship down into the clouds.
Qin Mu activated the Tyrant Body Three Cinnabar Field Art, his body swaying as suddenly a golden light shot down from the sky, pouring into his body. His physical form transformed into a golden deity with tiger claws and white fur, standing upon twin dragons, bearing a tiger's head with white forehead and hanging eyes. Metal energy in his hand took the shape of a bronze battle-axe resembling a great hatchet.
A golden serpent hung from Qin Mu's left ear, hissing as it exhaled metal energy.
He was employing the Great White Star Lord's Metal Marquis True Art, assuming the divine form of the Great White Star Lord to command all the metal energy in the world.
The Five Luminaries realm held many secrets. Qin Mu's mastery of the Five Luminaries realm was already exceptional, and combined with the guidance of the Yan Kingdom's Preceptor, he had cultivated the divine transformation forms of the five great star lords, long surpassing other Five Luminaries realm cultivators by immeasurable bounds.
"Truly a demon's sorcery!"
Seeing Qin Mu's transformation, the Half-Wit Monk sneered. His khakkhara staff's nine rings spun and hummed, swelling into nine golden rings like great hammers, crashing down with thunderous force!
A violent tremor erupted as Qin Mu's bronze battle-axe collided with the Nine-Ring Khakkhara Staff, both unleashing terrifying power. Qin Mu was forced back repeatedly, the twin dragons beneath his feet flying forth to coil around the Half-Wit Monk's legs, binding them tight. Meanwhile, the nine golden rings from the khakkhara staff whistled free, striking Qin Mu's forehead one after another, sending sparks flying as they sent him tumbling over a dozen times.
The Half-Wit Monk was, after all, at the Divine Ability realm—he possessed many techniques. He planted his feet and shattered the two golden dragons, then swept up his staff and leaped into the air. The nine rings howled back to their places on the staff as he soared.
BOOM!
The Half-Wit Monk swung his staff downward, smashing into Qin Mu. Qin Mu's feet planted on the ground, sliding backward involuntarily, plowing a deep trench into the earth, his bronze battle-axe already shattered from the blow.
The Half-Wit Monk lunged forward with incredible speed, crossing the distance in a few leaps. His khakkhara staff thrust out with another tremendous impact, knocking Qin Mu off his feet and sending him flying backward.
The staff hummed and vibrated, the nine golden rings clanging against Qin Mu's chest, blasting him a hundred yards away, crashing through a swath of trees.
"Sumeru Seal, strike!"
The Half-Wit Monk leaped into the air, shouting the true mantra as he brought his palm down upon where Qin Mu had fallen. The earth shook, trees toppled, and a palm print half an acre in size appeared, pressed deep into the ground. Above the print hovered a phantom of Mount Sumeru, countless Buddhist sutra characters spinning around the mountain's illusory form.
"Amitabha, the demonic evil has finally been slain. This humble monk's merit is fulfilled."
The Half-Wit Monk landed, one hand resting on his khakkhara staff, the other forming a prayer gesture at his chest. He stood outside the palm print and bowed: "This humble monk is no lover of slaughter. Today I employed thunderous methods only to rid the world of evil—it was unavoidable. I shall recite a passage of the Rebirth Sutra for the Sect Master, guiding his wronged soul to paradise, so he may commit no more evil..."
As he was about to begin his recitation, a sudden chill of horror seized him. He sprang into the air as the ground cracked open, golden energy spikes erupting from below, stabbing upward with frenzied intent!
The Half-Wit Monk drove his staff downward, the nine rings scattering outward, shattering the golden energy spikes one by one. Then he saw the phantom of Mount Sumeru collapse as countless streams of metal energy converged, forming innumerable sword lights that gathered into a single beam over ten zhang long, piercing his chest with a sharp ding!
The Half-Wit Monk cried out in pain as the sword light pierced his chest. He roared, and from the prayer beads around his neck came Buddhist chants. The beads vibrated as Buddhist sutra characters poured forth, the scriptures forming rings that layered around the sword light, spinning continuously, barely managing to halt that strike.
At that very moment, a flash of water appeared before the Half-Wit Monk. A towering wave surged forth, and riding before the wave, Qin Mu had transformed into the Water Marquis Mercury Lord form—human-headed with crimson hair and a serpent's body—wielding a trident.
The trident thrust toward the Half-Wit Monk as the colossal wave transformed into an enormous palm print, crushing toward him.
The Half-Wit Monk roared, his Buddhist radiance blazing as he raised his hands to block. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming force bearing down on him, and the massive wave struck him with savage power, sending him hurtling backward.
The trident pierced his chest, transforming into three dragon heads that drove him backward with tremendous force.
A thunderous crash shook the earth as the three dragons and the towering wave smashed the monk into the ground, pressing a massive crater into the earth.
As the waves receded, the Half-Wit Monk scrambled to his feet, only to see a monster charging toward him—bull-headed with a human body, treading upon two fire dragons. The creature's bull eye between its brows blazed open, a beam of fire striking like lightning. The Half-Wit Monk raised his hand to shield his neck, feeling pain as two of his fingers were sliced off.
Panic began to set in. He gripped his Nine-Ring Khakkhara Staff tightly—it swelled like a hammer, growing larger and larger like a mountainside hurtling forward. His other hand formed a seal, thrusting the mudra forward.
Qin Mu had transformed into the Fire Marquis Yinghuo Star Lord form, roaring in fury with boundless strength. Behind him appeared a fire gourd, which he embraced as true fire erupted from its mouth. The raging flames turned the Nine-Ring Khakkhara Staff red-hot, with streams of molten metal flowing from it.
The Half-Wit Monk was alarmed. His khakkhara staff was a spirit weapon painstakingly refined and blessed by Buddhist dharma. That even it could not withstand the true fire from the gourd was shocking—if it melted, he would lose a great weapon.
But there was no time to deliberate. Even at the cost of his spirit weapon, he had to smash Qin Mu to death!
BOOM—
The fire gourd exploded, and the two fire dragons beneath Qin Mu were shattered by the impact. The Half-Wit Monk's Sumeru Seal followed immediately, but suddenly Qin Mu's body swayed, and a bolt of blue-green light shot down from the sky. Qin Mu's form transformed into the Wood Marquis Jupiter Lord—human-headed with bird's body and talons, wings sprouting from his back, two azure dragons beneath his feet. He beat his wings and rose, evading the Sumeru Seal, positioning himself above the Half-Wit Monk, his willow whip lashing down.
The Half-Wit Monk raised his hand to block, but the moment the willow whip touched him, he sensed something wrong. The whip was impossibly flexible, coiling around his arm like a green snake, then suddenly surging and wrapping around his entire body.
In the blink of an eye, the willow whip thickened to the size of a barrel, transforming into a willow tree that bound him tight.
At the same time, the two azure dragons beneath Qin Mu shrank, transforming into two wisps of green energy that drilled into his nostrils.
"Come empty-handed, depart empty-handed! Six senses, six consciousnesses—seal!"
The Half-Wit Monk sealed his own senses. The two streams of green energy could not enter his body and were dissolved by his Buddhist radiance. The prayer beads around his neck burst open one after another, more evil thoughts pouring forth from the beads, returning to his body.
The Half-Wit Monk's evil thoughts surged wildly. He roared, his body swelling once more, shattering the willow tree. He thundered: "When the Buddha rages, even the heavens must yield! Demonic wretch, die!"
No sooner had he finished his shout than Qin Mu's form shifted again, becoming human-headed with a serpentine body. Behind him rose the Gate of Heaven's Mandate. In his hands he wielded two pig-slaughtering blades, charging headlong.
Clang clang clang—the explosions of blade meeting staff rang without cease as Buddhist radiance and fire erupted from the Half-Wit Monk's body wherever the pig-slaughtering blades struck, yet no wound appeared upon his flesh.
"This Buddha possesses a Vajra Body—nothing can break it!"
The Half-Wit Monk's features twisted grotesquely, his khakkhara staff swinging in wide arcs, smashing down wildly. Qin Mu's twin blades collided with his staff, the tremendous impacts sending birds and beasts fleeing in panic from the surrounding forests.
Suddenly, the twin blades in Qin Mu's hands cracked and shattered, unable to withstand the tremendous force between them. The khakkhara staff in the Half-Wit Monk's hands also exploded.
"Die!"
The Half-Wit Monk roared repeatedly, his fists heavy as mountains, pounding toward Qin Mu one after another. Qin Mu shouted back, his sinewy body surging, electricity crackling around him as he unleashed the Eight Thunder Sound Strikes. Azure dragons coiled around his body as he met force with force!
The two colossi battled through the forest when suddenly the Shao Bao Sword flew forth like lightning, piercing into the Great Sun behind the Half-Wit Monk's head.
The Half-Wit Monk was startled, raising his hands to block. At that very moment, Qin Mu's fist struck like the Great Sun shining down to refine the soul. The Half-Wit Monk's spirit wavered, and he failed to stop the sword light. The Shao Bao Sword shattered the Great Sun behind his head.
The Vajra Invincible Art was broken instantly, and his body began to shrink. Qin Mu's fist struck again—the Half-Wit Monk's bones trembled violently within. He grunted and staggered backward.
Qin Mu's fists rained like a tempest, hammering down relentlessly. The Half-Wit Monk, wracked with pain and growing more alarmed, turned and fled, bounding away in a few leaps before soaring into the sky.
Qin Mu paused and looked up. The monk's escape speed was extraordinary—in just a few breaths he had covered six or seven li before finally stopping. Lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet, supporting his body. He thought: "This demon is formidable, with far too many tricks—but his speed is lacking. He cannot catch me. I can regroup..."
Just as this thought formed, a thunderous boom shook the air. The Half-Wit Monk looked down in horror to see Qin Mu's feet blazing across the sky, approaching at a speed almost impossible to track!
BOOM!
Qin Mu's fist smashed into the Half-Wit Monk's face, caving it in entirely. The power of Nine Dragons Commanding Wind and Thunder pierced through, surging into his brain and detonating.
In midair, forty-five azure dragons dripping with blood roared and bellowed, their fangs and claws bared. Among the dragons, a headless corpse plummeted earthward.
"Foolish monk, I'll even let you run ten li first."