The monks were about to step forward when Monk Mingxin hastily said, "Senior brothers, please wait. Let me subdue this demon and strike down this sinful creature!"
Before the monks could respond, Monk Mingxin had already rushed forward, winking at Qin Mu and whispering, "When we fight, exchange a few moves, then you surrender. Once you surrender, they'll feel too ashamed to kill you. Also, don't use any demonic techniques, or they'll get angry again."
"The young monk's heart isn't bad. Much better than that old Monk Jingming."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered as he smiled, "Let's have a friendly exchange."
Monk Mingxin immediately attacked, starting with the Eight Thunderclap Forms. His figure moved like "carrying spring thunder through the Eastern Sea." As his body shifted, thunder rumbled, like a mighty river rushing into the sea with a sudden spring thunderclap!
When this move was executed, it already manifested supernatural phenomena. The qi around Monk Mingxin transformed into surging river water, faintly revealing towering mountains. The river flowed down from the mountains, as if descending from the heavens, crashing into the sea.
When the Eight Thunderclap Forms reached this stage, they were almost indistinguishable from divine powers. The Tathagata Mahayana Scripture of the Great Thunderclap Monastery truly lived up to its reputation!
Qin Mu also unleashed the Eight Thunderclap Forms, equally magnificent. Mountains and rivers, seas and spring thunder. A thunderous explosion shook heaven and earth. Their muscles trembled, with sinews writhing like slender dragons beneath their skin, pushing their power to the limit. The watching monks cheered.
"Strike down this demon, Mingxin!"
A thin, aged monk shouted, "This demon actually cultivates our Great Thunderclap Monastery's techniques. This is blasphemy against the Buddha! Kill him!"
Qin Mu's technique changed, transforming into the Thousand-Armed Buddha. In an instant, countless attacks emerged. His palms became afterimages, as if he possessed a thousand arms. Each palm move triggered a thunderclap, like a great Buddha wielding a thousand arms to subdue demons. The watching monks all paled.
In terms of comprehension of the Eight Thunderclap Forms, this demon from the Heavenly Demon Cult had already grasped all their intricacies. With just this one move of the Thousand-Armed Buddha, Qin Mu's proficiency had already surpassed eighty or ninety percent of the monks in the monastery!
The monks' shouts diminished as they muttered among themselves, "It seems Mingxin's proficiency in this move isn't as good as his. I'm afraid he might not win..."
Monk Mingxin also executed the Thousand-Armed Buddha. The moment they collided, he immediately knew his proficiency was insufficient. He quickly shook his body, activating the Battle-Victorious Art. His body swelled, and countless Buddhist scriptures emerged around him, circling like a great bell. Clanging sounds rang out continuously.
The two thousand-armed Buddhas collided, and in an instant the outcome was clear. Qin Mu's palms struck the bell formed by scriptures, and Buddhist light burst from the bell walls in concentric circles.
At this moment, where did Qin Mu look like a demon? He appeared as an enlightened monk, a young Buddha, with green dragons coiling around him, his expression solemn and majestic.
The next moment, Monk Mingxin saw Qin Mu's palm break through the bell. The palm turned into a fist, and the fist seal struck his chest. He was startled.
This punch precisely targeted the weakness in his Tathagata Mahayana Scripture. The fist formed a seal, slipping through the gap to strike directly at the vital point. This attack almost hit his death acupoint!
However, Qin Mu's punch had little power, and he withdrew immediately after light contact.
The monks felt relieved. "This demon's cultivation isn't high, just his techniques are exquisite."
Monk Mingxin steadied himself and quickly counterattacked. He saw Qin Mu moving like a swimming dragon, his thousand arms dancing. In an instant, countless flaws appeared in the scripture bell. Qin Mu marked his forehead, ears, eyes, back, qi sea, and jade pillow acupoints—all vital points. In the blink of an eye, he had received hundreds of fatal attacks!
These attacks targeted every weakness in his Tathagata Mahayana Scripture. Monk Mingxin was stunned, feeling like a leaking vessel with fatal flaws everywhere. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
Over these years, to eliminate his flaws, he had taken it upon himself to modify the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture. He had originally thought the weakness at his throat had been eliminated, but as the saying goes, "moving one thing affects everything." Instead, his flaws multiplied.
"This demon's cultivation really isn't high!"
The monks relaxed. "He can't even break through Mingxin's Golden Bell Protection. Even if his techniques are exquisite, without strong cultivation, they lack lethality."
Qin Mu withdrew his hand. Monk Mingxin came to his senses and quickly bowed in thanks, "Thank you for your guidance, senior brother! I now know that the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture cannot be modified lightly."
Qin Mu shook his head, "It's not that it can't be modified, but that you lack an opponent who can push you to your limits. If someone with brilliant wisdom and profound insight could force you to constantly improve and eliminate flaws in the technique, then you could become flawless."
Monk Mingxin looked at him eagerly. Qin Mu shook his head again, "I can't do that. I don't have that ability. Go find the Tathagata and have him directly teach you the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture. My being your opponent would only improve you so much."
Monk Mingxin agreed, saying, "The Tathagata emphasizes fate. I don't know if I have such fate... Oh no!"
His face changed drastically as he stamped his foot, "This is terrible! If you had lost to me, they would have been too embarrassed to continue trying to kill you. But now that you've won, they'll still want to kill you! What should we do?"
"Mingxin, step back."
A middle-aged monk stepped forward, his expression somewhat grim. He scolded, "Junior Brother Mingxin, you're being too merciful! This is about subduing demons, yet you held back and didn't use your full power. Not taking his life leaves this demon to wreak havoc in the world. That's a great sin!"
Monk Mingxin opened his mouth to speak, but the monk waved his sleeve, "Step back and reflect on your mistakes!"
Monk Mingxin could only retreat, feeling deeply aggrieved. "How did I hold back? I already used my full strength."
The middle-aged monk looked at Qin Mu and said, "Cult Master Qin, you are the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, while I am just an unnamed monk from the Heavenly Dragon Hall of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. This wouldn't be considered bullying the weak with strength, would it?"
Qin Mu smiled, "Not at all. Consider it me bullying the weak with strength."
The middle-aged monk chanted a Buddhist mantra, "Cult Master Qin, I shall let you know the vastness of Buddhist dharma. See that dragon pillar beside you? The dragon form on it is one of the Hundred Dragons Chart of our Great Thunderclap Monastery. This humble monk will use this dragon form to send the Cult Master to the Western Paradise."
Qin Mu examined the dragon pillar beside him. The dragon diagram depicted a heavenly dragon, ferocious and fearsome, with sharp claws poised in a demon-subduing stance.
The middle-aged monk suddenly moved, his steps heavy and swift as he charged forward, shouting, "May the Cult Master be reborn in a good family in the next life, no longer a demon!"
BOOM!
His palm struck down with a thunderous roar, executing the "Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder" from the Eight Thunderclap Forms. His qi transformed into a azure dragon, its form exactly matching the heavenly dragon pattern on the pillar beside Qin Mu!
The azure dragon galloped forward with rolling thunder, like the Dragon King descending to earth!
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze from the pillar. Suddenly, his qi erupted, also executing the Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder. The two dragon forms collided, and dragon roars filled the air. Ninety azure dragons materialized around them—the dragon power formed by their fists, forty-five from each.
Ninety azure dragons collided and roared, fighting each other. The dragon-shaped qi darted around, battling between the pillars.
"Senior Brother Tanxin has impressive cultivation!" the monks cheered.
As soon as the words left their lips, the middle-aged monk couldn't help but grunt. He felt Qin Mu's mana crashing toward him like a tidal wave. The dragon power in Qin Mu's fists changed unpredictably. Qin Mu was also using the dragon form from that same pillar, yet it manifested countless variations. Despite using only one dragon form, Qin Mu's variations were so numerous that he couldn't defend against them all.
"He has obtained the true teachings of our Heavenly Dragon Hall..."
Despair appeared in the middle-aged monk's eyes. The forty-five dragon power variations formed by his qi collapsed instantly. Qin Mu's forty-five variations merged into one, roaring into his chest cavity!
Qin Mu had only just arrived at the Heavenly Dragon Hall and just seen the Hundred Dragons Chart, yet he had already mastered its true essence. This was almost impossible!
The middle-aged monk realized the danger and immediately executed other dragon forms from the Hundred Dragons Chart, attempting to counter Qin Mu's dragon power variations.
His cultivation was higher than Monk Mingxin's. He had opened the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury and possessed extraordinary abilities, with qi taking form to create divine powers.
The Heavenly Dragon Hall was one of the many halls of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Most monks cultivating there were at the Five Luminaries or Six Harmonies realm, with some at the Seven Stars realm—like Monk Xinkong, who had just self-immolated.
Of course, the head of the Heavenly Dragon Hall was very powerful, but at this moment, Old Monk Jingming and several other senior monks were accompanying Old Ma and the Blind One, unable to break away.
This middle-aged monk could be considered one of the more outstanding experts in the Heavenly Dragon Hall, but his qi cultivation was not superior to Qin Mu's, and he was vastly outmatched in the contest of dragon power variations.
"Oh no, I can't break it..."
Monk Tanxin's face changed dramatically. His chest exploded with a bang as forty-five dragon power variations burst from his body. Forty-nine fierce dragon heads opened their mouths, roaring in all directions with extreme ferocity.
Blood sprayed in all directions, splattering on the faces and robes of many monks.
Qin Mu shook his head, "If you didn't have killing intent, I could have held back and not taken your life. But since you insisted on killing me, I couldn't show mercy."
The monks were stunned.
Suddenly, one monk pointed at him and shouted angrily, "He used demonic arts to kill Senior Brother Tanxin! He used demonic arts!"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on him as he spoke slowly, "The Eight Thunderclap Forms are demonic arts? I am at the Five Luminaries realm, and he was at the Six Harmonies realm. I used the same technique to kill him. Instead of admitting your inferior skill, you claim it's demonic arts? Tathagata, your disciple brings you shame."
"Demon-spouting lies! I'll kill you!"
A roar came as a yellow-robed monk charged forward, his qi surging powerfully. He was at the peak of the Six Harmonies realm, his cultivation technique domineering, his momentum like a thunderbolt.
Without even looking, Qin Mu raised his hand and the Shao Bao Sword flew out. "The Yong River Sunset!" Sword light burst forth, and the yellow-robed monk was instantly riddled with holes. His corpse fell as Qin Mu said coldly, "This is the Sunset Sword Technique from the Kingdom of Yuyuan."
Another monk rushed behind Qin Mu, about to strike fatally when suddenly a gate opened behind him—the Gate of Heaven's Mandate.
The monk happened to rush into the gate. A beam of light shone, and his soul was immediately drawn into the Netherworld, carried away by a boat.
Behind Qin Mu, the Gate of Heaven's Mandate closed. He said coldly, "This is also not a demonic art, but the Gate of Heaven's Mandate from the Netherworld."
"Kill this demon!"
Another monk attacked. Qin Mu punched out, "Maya-sat!"
The monk's soul was blasted from his body and shattered in midair. Qin Mu shouted angrily, "Now THIS is a demonic art! Do you see now? I'm not good at demonic arts at all!"