"I thank the Buddhist Prince."
Qin Mu expressed his gratitude. Since the Buddhist Prince Foxyin was accompanying him, he could not directly ride the Dragon Qilin, so he dismounted and walked on foot as a matter of courtesy.
"The sky outside has grown dark. I should have let the Sect Master stay overnight," Foxyin said.
The two made their way down the mountain at a leisurely pace. Although their steps were not hurried, they moved more than ten times faster than ordinary people. Foxyin continued, "Although Sect Master Qin did not stay long at our Great Thunderclap Monastery, he caused quite a commotion. Several monks lost their lives, and some left the monastery to return to secular life. Yet the Tathagata still allowed the Sect Master to leave the mountain."
Qin Mu smiled. "The Tathagata is magnanimous, and I truly admire him. He is indeed the foremost enlightened one of Buddhism. I am deeply grateful that the Tathagata set aside sectarian prejudices and agreed to treat Grandma Si."
Foxyin chuckled. "Sect Master, I wish to take another look at the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. Would that be permissible?"
Qin Mu took out the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra and unfurled it, revealing countless characters. Foxyin walked along, reading as he went. He shook his head and said, "Truly, these are harmful techniques. Every move, every cultivation method is designed to take lives, and the practice itself is deeply sinister."
Qin Mu was taken aback. "Why do you say that, Buddhist Prince?"
Foxyin replied, "Look at this Creation Heavenly Demon Art. It involves flaying skin to make garments, and one must seal the soul and vital essence before crafting clothing that can transform in a thousand ways. Is that not a wicked technique?"
Qin Mu laughed. "The Creation Heavenly Demon Art primarily cultivates the inner self, used to seal one's own soul and vital essence to prevent invasion by external demons. It is not about flaying skin to make garments. If one wishes to transform, the Creation Heavenly God Art combined with the Creation Spirit Art is sufficient."
Foxyin shook his head. "Sect Master, you are the one who has misunderstood. The Heavenly Demon Art has a notorious reputation—who hasn't heard of it? You are young; how many books could you have read? Some misunderstanding is only natural. Now look at this Creation Prenatal Art. It clearly requires harvesting the prenatal qi of newborn infants to cultivate this demonic technique! Once mastered, one's appearance never ages. To maintain eternal youth, who knows how many newborns must be killed!"
Qin Mu was caught between laughter and tears. He corrected, "What is meant by 'prenatal' is not the infant itself, but the state of being an infant. An infant is prenatal before birth—the origin of yin and yang, embracing the origin and guarding unity, with the Purple River Chariot connecting to the prenatal mother. There is no need for breath, and the soul is pure and flawless. Buddhist Prince, you have misunderstood. Cultivating this technique does not require consuming the Purple River Chariot or eating infants; rather, one must regard oneself as an infant."
Foxyin shook his head. "Sect Master, will you not admit it? This Creation Earth Origin Art—is it not a demonic technique that harvests the demon fire from the sun and the earth, killing all living beings? The more people killed, the more vengeful spirits, and the greater its power. Finally, the demon fire transforms into hell, which is the Earth Origin!"
Qin Mu smiled. "This technique also includes the word 'creation.' It is used to cultivate the divine and strengthen the primordial spirit."
"Using the souls of others to strengthen one's primordial spirit—is that not a demonic technique?" Foxyin asked.
Qin Mu shook his head. "When this technique is combined with the Creation Prenatal Art, it becomes embracing the origin and guarding unity, transforming into an infant state, connecting to the earth, harvesting the earth's maternal qi to strengthen my primordial spirit. It can also be used to nurture all things. Buddhist Prince, I have been cultivating the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra these past days, and my Spirit Embryo has become exceptionally strong. These two techniques have played a significant role. You could try them as well."
Foxyin laughed. "I won't practice them. I just wanted to criticize them."
Qin Mu looked at him deeply. Foxyin appeared open and honest, not like he was pretending.
Qin Mu smiled. "Then, Buddhist Prince, please continue."
Foxyin continued reading the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. "Your Heavenly Demon Sect truly lives up to the word 'demon.' Its demonic nature is too heavy. The more I read these techniques, the more alarmed I become. This technique is called the Funeral Rite Art. To cultivate it, must one exterminate an entire family?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "This technique actually belongs to the Funeral Hall of our Celestial Holy Sect. It involves practicing with paper figures and paper horses, conducting funerals for the deceased, warding off ghosts and spirits, and bringing blessings to descendants. Buddhist Prince, if you view it with prejudice, perhaps you should stop reading. I fear it may damage your Buddhist heart."
Foxyin laughed heartily. "Sect Master Qin, our Great Thunderclap Monastery allowed you to read the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Are you not willing to let me read the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra?"
Qin Mu smiled gently. "Very well, then. As you wish."
The two continued down the mountain. The more Foxyin read, the more he shook his head. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was deep into the night, and he had read more than half of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra.
Qin Mu looked around. This was the territory of the State of Yankang. Further ahead lay Yankang, while descending from the other side of the mountain would lead to the Great Ruins. However, the Great Ruins was now shrouded in darkness and could not be entered.
The New Year had passed, and it was now the second month. The moon in the sky was a thin crescent, yet it emitted a serene, faint light, brighter than usual.
This was near the Great Thunderclap Monastery. The dark clouds that had covered the sky had long been cleared away by the monastery's eminent monks, so the sky appeared particularly clear.
There were some villages nearby that followed the Buddhist faith and worshipped the Buddha. However, the land here belonged to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, and the people living in these villages were tenant farmers. They grew crops and paid tribute only to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, not to the imperial court.
Qin Mu had originally intended to return to Yankang—to continue his cultivation and manage the Celestial Holy Sect. This time, Li Tianxing had escaped from the Thousand Buddha Pagoda and was also heading toward the State of Yankang.
Foxyin was still reading the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. The two arrived at the mountain gate, where a gatekeeper monk sat holding a lantern. Beside him slept a Sibuxiang.
There were also several attendants nearby. When they saw the two, they quickly stood up. Foxyin approached to inquire, and they replied, "We are attendants of the Crown Prince. We are commoners and cannot enter the monastery, so we wait outside."
"I must escort the Demon Sect Master down the mountain and cannot entertain you. Please forgive me," Foxyin said.
Foxyin summoned the Sibuxiang and led the beast over. "Sect Master Qin, I still need half an hour to finish reading. If you do not mind, I will accompany you further. Our Great Thunderclap Monastery's Sibuxiang has listened to Buddhist teachings for years and has profound cultivation. It can keep up with your Dragon Qilin."
Qin Mu smiled. "That would be excellent."
The Sibuxiang walked alongside the Dragon Qilin. Foxyin manifested Buddha light behind his head to illuminate the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra and continued studying.
"Demon Sect Master?"
The Crown Prince's attendants' eyes lit up. "Which Demon Sect Master?"
The gatekeeper monk said, "Who else? The Heavenly Demon Sect's Sect Master Qin. He arrived aggressively, persuading many monks in the monastery to return to secular life. In recent days, more and more monks have left to become laypeople. Even several of my martial uncles and grand-uncles have done the same."
The attendants exchanged glances and laughed. "Here is our chance to earn merit! The Heavenly Demon Sect killed Sun Nantuo and destroyed the Nantuo Temple—all due to the Demon Sect Master's machinations. To think we'd run into him here! Let's go claim this merit!"
The monk hastily warned, "Good sirs, do not commit murder! Do not harm the Buddhist Prince!"
The Crown Prince's attendants laughed. "Rest assured!"
Qin Mu sat atop the Dragon Qilin, gazing up at the moon in the sky, his body gently rising and falling with the beast's steps. It was the eighth of the second month, and the crescent moon was very slender.
Foxyin exhaled and returned the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra to Qin Mu. "This humble monk has finally finished reading. It is indeed a classic of the demonic path. Sect Master Qin, why have you been looking at the moon in the sky?"
"There is no moon in the Great Ruins," Qin Mu said, withdrawing his gaze. He lightly touched the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, and the scripture transformed back into a ball of yarn. "So whenever I see the moon, I always find it beautifully alluring. Moreover, I also wish to see where the boundary of the Great Thunderclap Monastery lies."
Foxyin was slightly taken aback. "The boundary of the Great Thunderclap Monastery?"
Qin Mu nodded. Seeing the moon in the sky covered by dark clouds, he leaped down from the Dragon Qilin. Where he landed, one side was bathed in moonlight, while the other was engulfed in the darkness left by the clouds. He smiled. "The boundary of the Great Thunderclap Monastery should be right around here. Buddhist Prince, look—the eminent monks of the Great Thunderclap Monastery have cleared away all the dark clouds within the boundary. The clouds outside belong to the State of Yankang and are no longer under the monastery's jurisdiction."
Foxyin also jumped down from the Sibuxiang, looking up at the sky and then at the ground. He exclaimed in surprise, "I never knew the Great Thunderclap Monastery had a boundary. If that's the case, there should be a boundary stele nearby."
Qin Mu grew interested. "Why don't we look for it?"
Foxyin seemed to have a youthful nature as well. The two young men searched for a while and soon found a cliff—a bare peak protruding from the ground, cut to leave only half standing, over ten zhang high. On it was written "Great Thunderclap Monastery Boundary."
Foxyin clapped his hands and laughed. "There really is such a stele! Although I am a monk of the Great Thunderclap Monastery, I have never heard the elders speak of it. Sect Master Qin, I have heard that the Heavenly Demon Sect does not cultivate the mind and places little requirement on one's mental state. Your sect's techniques are easy to cultivate quickly, but because they do not train the mind, one is prone to qi deviation."
Qin Mu stood beneath the boundary stele, looking up at the inscriptions. "There is such a saying."
Foxyin's eyes flickered. "If Buddhist cultivation trains the mind, and the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra offers rapid progress, would the combination be perfect?"
Qin Mu was still examining the stele's inscriptions and replied nonchalantly, "That, I do not know."
Foxyin looked at Qin Mu's back. Qin Mu gazed at the stele before them. Neither spoke.
Suddenly, Buddha light blazed forth while demon qi surged ominously. Beneath the stele, Buddhist and demonic forces split the world in two—one righteous, one evil—colliding with a thunderous roar!
Qin Mu turned around. Behind his head, Buddha light blazed like a great monk in yellow robes. With every movement came the sound of thunder, as he activated the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Meanwhile, Foxyin was shrouded in sinister demon qi, his body wreathed in raging demon fire as he unleashed the Creation Earth Origin Art!
Without a word, the two fought fiercely beneath the boundary stele. Above Qin Mu's head, primordial qi gathered like clouds, faintly revealing five layers of heavens and myriad Buddhas paying homage. Around Foxyin, demon qi churned and the demon fire grew ever more intense.
The two moved swiftly beneath the Great Thunderclap Monastery's boundary stele. Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out. Foxyin grunted and stumbled back a step. Qin Mu stepped forward, striking palm after palm at him, each blow as heavy as the boundary stele itself!
Foxyin retreated continuously, blood streaming from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
Boom—
Qin Mu struck down with another palm, like a great Buddha unleashing the Fire of Ignorance. Foxyin raised his hands to block head-on. The sound of bones cracking came from within his body as he retreated again. Suddenly, he felt the stone stele against his back, and his heart sank.
Boom!
Qin Mu struck down with yet another palm. Foxyin grunted and collapsed at the base of the stele. He raised a hand. "Stop fighting. I concede..."
Qin Mu raised his fist and hammered down, blow after blow. After a while, he stood up, leaving Foxyin in a bloody, mangled state.
"Your demonic nature is too heavy. I want to keep you alive to see how you will bring ruin to the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the future."
Qin Mu withdrew his hand, blood dripping from his fingertips. He looked down at Foxyin's unrecognizable face beneath the stele and said softly, "You read the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, yet twisted the meaning of every technique, becoming more demonic than demons themselves. If I keep you alive, the Great Thunderclap Monastery will surely be destroyed by your hand."
Foxyin still had a breath left and was about to speak when suddenly a flash of sword light pierced through. With a sharp hiss, it pierced his forehead. The flying sword pierced through his skull and pinned him dead against the boundary stele.
A voice exclaimed with delight, "Finally, the Demon Sect Master is dead! His demonic nature is truly overwhelming!"
" The Buddhist Prince was kind-hearted after all and didn't strike the killing blow."
Another voice laughed. "But in the end, we reap the rewards! Cut off his head and claim our reward from the Crown Prince!"