Qin Mu felt a sense of warmth upon seeing an old acquaintance. Since childhood, he had been around the Blind One and the Crippled One, and from the moment he could remember, he had learned various knowledge from the nine elders of the Village of Broken Elders. It could be said that his childhood had been devoid of playmates, quite dull.
Although he had only fought Mingxin once, they were of similar age, so it was natural to feel some warmth.
Mingxin chanted a Buddhist mantra, suppressing the irritation that bubbled up, and smiled: "You defeated me back then, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me now. After my defeat at your hands, I reflected deeply and corrected my flaws. How about another match?"
Qin Mu was surprised: "You changed the flaw at your throat?"
Mingxin said proudly: "Last time you struck me at the throat and I lost. This time I won't let you succeed!"
Qin Mu exclaimed: "Little Monk Mingxin, how old are you, and yet you recklessly modify the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra? With your current insight, you'll only introduce more errors and flaws! Rather than modifying it blindly, you'd be better off asking the Tathagata directly to teach you... Hmm, I myself have also modified techniques recklessly. My own techniques have been altered beyond recognition, so I can't really criticize you."
Qin Mu felt embarrassed. He had modified his own techniques too. The Three Pill Body of the Tyrant had been altered more than once, and the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra had been merged with it to resolve the flaw at the left shoulder. Saying Mingxin modified techniques blindly was like the blind leading the blind—perhaps Mingxin had indeed eliminated the flaw at his throat.
Mingxin was eager to try: "Then may I request your guidance?"
Qin Mu was about to reply when suddenly an old monk said: "Disciple, do not be rude. This is the Heavenly Demon Cult's Master Qin!"
Mingxin jumped in fright, exclaiming: "When did you become an old demon lord of the Heavenly Demon Cult?"
Qin Mu sighed: "It's a long story, and not one I wanted, but I was pushed into this position of cult master. I had no choice but to become the leader."
He looked towards the monk who had spoken—it was Old Monk Jingming. This old monk was Mingxin's master, as sharp as his name suggested. Just now, he had loudly announced that Qin Mu was the Heavenly Demon Cult's demon lord, not to warn Mingxin, but to inform all the monks present.
With his shout, the many monks who had been studying the Hundred Dragons Diagram turned their gaze towards Qin Mu, each chanting Buddhist names, clearly struggling to contain their urge to subdue the demon.
Mingxin hurriedly said: "Then you should withdraw immediately! Don't be the demon lord—it will cost lives! Our monastery has many righteous monks who hate evil and are accustomed to slaying demon lords. Every time they leave, they subdue a few to accumulate merit. You'll be killed! I won't compete with you anymore. Quickly leave the mountain and flee for your life."
Qin Mu shook his head: "I appreciate your concern, but I am currently a guest. The Old Tathagata is my senior brother, and he said I may stay in the monastery. In that case, will they still subdue me?"
Mingxin hesitated: "That I can't say for certain. They'll likely try to debate with you and persuade you to mend your ways. If they can't win the debate, they'll probably still kill you."
Qin Mu was speechless, and indeed saw several monks approaching.
"Namo Amitabha!"
One monk took the lead, pressing his palms together: "Demon lord, do you dare debate the Dharma with me?"
Qin Mu asked: "Have you achieved the four elements are all void?"
The monk was slightly taken aback, then shook his head: "I have not."
"Then what is there to debate?"
Qin Mu laughed: "You yourself haven't attained the path. You know six of the seven openings, but the seventh remains blocked. You're just a false monk who only knows how to argue with your tongue. Withdraw."
The monk was speechless. Another monk beside him quickly said: "Demon lord, let me speak to you of truth, goodness, and beauty..."
Qin Mu asked: "Are you the Tathagata?"
The monk's face flushed: "I am not yet the Tathagata..."
"Then you haven't obtained the word 'truth.'"
Qin Mu smiled: "The Tathagata is true suchness, possessing the word 'truth,' having achieved truthfulness. You yourself are not yet true, and yet you want to speak of truth, goodness, and beauty? Withdraw. Don't make a fool of yourself. Wait until you've achieved it. Don't demand of others what you cannot achieve yourself. Do not be lenient with yourself while strict with others."
The monk was speechless. Another monk extended a finger, and golden springs surged from the earth, blooming with lotus flowers: "The Buddha Dharma speaks of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi—unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, the highest wisdom and awakening..."
Qin Mu asked: "Have you attained that supreme wisdom and awakening?"
"I..."
"Withdraw."
Another monk laughed heartily: "The demon lord is eloquent. You won't listen to Buddhist scriptures, so I'll speak to you of worldly matters."
Qin Mu grew interested: "Great monk, hold on. Let me ask you: if everyone worshipped Buddha and did not engage in production, did not marry, did not reproduce, leaving no offspring—after a hundred years, would the human race become extinct? What grievance or hatred do humans have with you? Why would you seek the extinction of humanity?"
The monk was stunned for a moment: "That's not what I wanted to discuss. Your Heavenly Demon Cult commits countless evils, practices demonic techniques that are wicked, uses living humans to cultivate..."
Qin Mu replied: "How does that compare to the extinction of the human race?"
The monk's eyes widened, suppressing his anger, and shouted: "That's not the same thing!"
Qin Mu said: "Then let's discuss the same thing. I encountered a hall master of the Holy Heavenly Cult who used infants to cultivate, and I killed him. Just now at the foot of Mount Sumeru, I saw a temple that kept strange beasts, using anesthetics mixed with flesh to deceive the people. Where does that flesh come from? Is it not killing? I have dealt with the scum in my cult. Now it's your turn. Go destroy that temple and kill those monks."
The monk grew angry: "That's not what I'm discussing! I'm talking about doctrine! Our Great Thunderclap Monastery has countless Buddhist scriptures, each one worthy of being passed down, teaching people to do good!"
Qin Mu was surprised: "When your own Buddhist sect is still corrupt and unclean, when the monks in your own monastery haven't yet learned to do good, how can you teach others to do good? Fools love to teach others while they themselves cannot practice what they preach. Fine, you want to discuss doctrine? I'll discuss doctrine with you. The way of the sages is no different from the daily use of common people. Can your Buddhist Dharma be used in everyday life? If not, and it can only be recorded in books, what use is it? If it has no use, it might as well be burned."
"You demon!"
The monk was furious, about to pounce, and shouted: "Heretical views! You casually speak of burning scriptures and destroying Buddhism—truly, your demonic nature runs deep! I'll fight you!"
"Wait."
Qin Mu raised his hand, smiling: "You want to kill me? Let me ask you—do Buddhist scriptures permit killing?"
The monk stopped, suppressing his anger: "Buddhist scriptures urge people to do good and not to kill. However, when facing demon lords, even the Buddha has moments of wrath and days of subduing demons!"
Qin Mu asked: "Is a blade of grass a life?"
The monk puffed his cheeks: "Of course."
"Grass produces seeds, and many seeds are grain—grain is also life. Why do you consume life? Every day you eat vegetarian, chant Buddhist names, think of goodness, beauty, and truth, yet you don't realize how many lives you consume with a single bite?"
Qin Mu continued: "The older you grow, the more lives you consume. What face do you have to speak of Buddhist hearts and compassionate hearts?"
He took a flower seed from his gluttony pouch and held it in his palm, channeling the Creation Earth Origin Art. The seed sprouted, the shoot grew, roots broke through the shell, and in moments, a spiritual herb stood in his hand. The herb was fresh, sprouting a flower bud that trembled slightly before blooming, vibrant and dripping with color.
"Is it beautiful?" Qin Mu asked.
The monk was somewhat mesmerized, nodding: "It is."
Qin Mu placed the flower in his hand: "A flower seed is like grain—it is also a beautiful life. How many have you consumed? When will you repay them? If they possessed spirits and became demons, would they not cry out that you ate billions of their kin? Have you considered the countless spirits of flowers and grasses circling around you, waiting day and night for you to pay with your life?"
The monk held the flower with both hands, his face growing increasingly ashen. The flower's vibrant beauty now seemed terrifying, demanding his life. Suddenly, he sat in meditation posture and wept: "I have consumed countless of your kin, my sins are too great to dissolve! I wish to become ash to nourish you!"
With that, karmic fire erupted around his body, burning his physical form to nothing in an instant. The karmic fire consumed him entirely but did not harm the flower in the slightest. The flower fell into the ashes, still vibrant and dripping with color.
"Dust returns to dust. Cultivating Buddhism ultimately proves useless—it can only be used to fertilize flowers."
Qin Mu bent down, gathering the ashes together, and planted the flower: "Monk, you were useless in life, but in death you have become useful. This flower should grow well—it will produce many seeds and grow into more flowers. If you have awareness in the afterlife, you should be comforted. Your ashes serve as fertilizer. Though flowers are not common people, they fulfill the saying 'no different from the daily use of common people.' Well done. You and I are now fellow travelers."
He stood and looked around. Though young, he possessed the bearing of a cult master, speaking leisurely: "Which other great monk wishes to debate the Dharma with me?"
Silence fell all around.
Qin Mu's gaze met the solemn faces of the monks, each averting their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.
Old Ma and the Blind One stood at a distance, chatting with those old monks. The Blind One laughed: "If Mu'er stays at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, and these monks don't immediately kill him, then before long, half the monastery's monks will have returned to secular life. Another small portion will suffer qi deviation. Those who don't suffer qi deviation are false monks. Truly, he's more formidable than Grandma Si."
Suddenly, a monk shouted: "He is a demon! A Heavenly Demon! He bewitches people with demonic words!"
Another monk cried: "He used demonic words to kill Senior Brother Xinkong! We cannot let this demon lord live! Kill him and subdue the demon!"
Immediately, the crowd grew agitated, all crying out to kill Qin Mu and subdue the demon.
Qin Mu laughed heartily, his laughter growing louder and louder. Gradually, the cries for death faded, leaving only Qin Mu's laughter.
The laughter gradually softened, and Qin Mu spoke with melancholy: "You wanted to debate the Dharma, and I debated the Dharma with you. While I debated the Dharma, you brought up doctrine. Fine, let's discuss doctrine. When you couldn't win on doctrine, you brought up killing. Fine, let's discuss killing. You couldn't win on killing either, and now you want to kill me. What kind of Buddhists are you still cultivating? Withdraw. Go return to secular life."
Some monks looked bewildered, their hearts empty. After a moment, some sighed and indeed turned to leave, packing their belongings to descend the mountain.
The remaining monks did not withdraw, their expressions dark.
Qin Mu shook his head and laughed: "In the end, it still comes to fighting? If you had known this earlier, why bother with empty words!"
His spirit surged, looking around with eyes like lightning: "Who comes to seek death?"