616: Initial Show of Strength

Initial Show of Strength

The devil ape was thrown into the sky, and his face was blank and helpless.

Qin Mu saw this and couldn't help feeling suspicious. 'Looks like big fella still has yet to come to a realization. He still doesn't know he had already won and why he had won.'

He turned his head to look at Old Ma and thought to himself, "Old Ma is known for being the honest man in the village. Choosing big fella to compete and beat the Sons of Buddha of the twenty heavens this time is indeed an extremely brilliant idea. Was it really Old Ma's idea or is big fella's Dharma truly profound? Why do I feel that the people of the village are sneakily feeding Old Ma mean methods from the shadows?"

Old Ma had said that the idea of harassing the buddhas of the twenty heavens was from Mute. Only Mute would be so mean.

Aside from that, the style of annoying people to death and not paying with one's life by sending the devil ape out was more like the idea of the frivolous Blind.

Blind's divine mind's eyes were skilled in finding loopholes. His spear skills didn't have many transformations, and it could even be said to have no moves at all, but he was always able to strike the weak points of his opponents. The reason was he could see through the truths and lies of all the moves.

The devil ape was an ape with few words. He always spat out word by word, genuinely achieving the essence of debating by not debating.

If it were a real debate, the monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery probably wouldn't be able to defeat the Sons of Buddha. That was why debating by not debating had become the crux in achieving victory.

'Regardless of his sparse words, big fella also has a deep root of wisdom. He has astounding attainments in the cultivation of Dharma."

Qin Mu's heart was full of admiration as he looked at the devil ape. 'He doesn't know he had won and why he had won. Even though he was fighting, his heart is completely pure. He knows not of victory and defeat. He is then the Son of Buddha Zhan Kong. No wonder all the buddhas of the twenty heavens have changed how they addressed him, calling him little junior brother. Come to think of it, since Grandpa Blind and Grandpa Mute had both helped out Grandpa Ma, where have they gone to now?'

Granny Si and the black tiger god, who had returned from Luofu Heaven, had also vanished without a trace, and this puzzled him considerably.

…

"Eat, strong!"

Qin Mu was eating a vegetarian meal when the devil ape urged him to eat more. He constantly encouraged him, and he would clench his fists from time to time to flex his arm, showing Qin Mu how his body could become strong by eating a lot.

The vegetarian meal of Great Thunderclap Monastery was mostly vegetables, tofu, and buns. In front of the devil ape, there was a huge iron bowl that was four to five times larger than a standard pot, and it contained a massive pile of pine needles and pine cones that he loved to eat.

Qin Mu ate some vegetarian buns until he was full.

Old Ma had worn his cassock again and returned to his identity as Rulai Ma. He said to the monks, "The buddhas have permitted three places to go to the Buddha Realm to seek knowledge. Among the three places, Zhan Kong takes up one place, and Ming Xin takes up the second place. I'm hesitating who to assign on the last place."

Monk Jing Ming said with a smile, "Why is Rulai hesitating?"

Rulai Ma replied, "Senior brother, Zhan Kong has the root of wisdom and Ming Xin is worldly-wise. It's extremely good to send both of them to learn, but learning Dharma doesn't test the root of wisdom. It tests comprehension. We need to comprehend Dharma and transform them into divine arts, turning them into our battle power. Only then can we subdue demons and devils in the future and deal with future calamities. Having the buddha nature doesn't mean their battle power could surpass the peers, and this is what I'm worried about. Zhan Kong and Ming Xin both have buddha nature, but they both lack comprehension slightly."

An elderly monk said, "In that case, why doesn't Rulai go personally?"

Rulai Ma shook his head. "I'm already buddha. I can't cross this world barrier and reach the Buddha Realm, so I can only find a person with extraordinary comprehension from the younger generation to go in my place. He shall comprehend supreme and marvelous techniques and pass them down to us."

The monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery frowned. Even though Rulai Ma said that the devil ape and Ming Xin's comprehension weren't good enough, Rulai Ma's requirement was simply too high. The devil ape and Ming Xin's aptitude and comprehension were already the best among the younger generation in Great Thunderclap Monastery.

Finding a young monk that surpasses them in Great Thunderclap Monastery was absolutely impossible!

Rulai Ma looked at Qin Mu who was currently eating. The devil ape beside him grabbed a bunch of pine needles and pushed them to Qin Mu's face, urging him to eat.

The other monks also looked over and saw Qin Mu taking the pine needles. He kneaded them into a biscuit before eating it with the bun.

"How?" Rulai Ma asked the monks.

All of them said in unison, "Excellent choice. Rulai's judgment is unrivaled."

…

"You want me to go to the Buddha Realm?"

After Qin Mu had finished eating, he was summoned over by Rulai Ma. When he heard his words, his eyes couldn't help widening, and he cried out, "I'm the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, and I even had a grudge with Great Thunderclap Monastery. Won't I be beaten to death by the buddhas if I were to go to the Buddha Realm to seek knowledge?"

Rulai Ma smiled. "The Buddha Realm and the buddhas have no grudge with you or with Heavenly Saint Cult. The buddhas had cultivated to buddhas before Founding Emperor Era was defeated, and they had constructed Buddha Realm. Meanwhile, the grudge between Great Thunderclap Monastery and Heavenly Saint Cult had happened after Founding Emperor Era was vanquished. The buddhas are understanding people, so they won't create trouble for you."

Qin Mu was still hesitant. "This is a chance that was fought for by the monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery. If an outsider like me were to go there to seek knowledge, won't it be breaking the hopes of the monks?"

Rulai Ma shook his head. "There's hope if we let you go. Going to Buddha Realm to seek knowledge is to learn the supreme Dharma of Great Thunderclap Monastery, a buddhist technique that reaches straight to Emperor's Throne. I'm afraid that Zhan Kong and Ming Xin can't comprehend the essence, so it's more suitable for you to go."

Qin Mu no longer gave excuses. He asked, "When I go to Buddha Realm, what should I take note of?"

"The local conditions and customs. Do as the natives do. You don't need me to elaborate. You know all these very clearly. "

Rulai Ma added meaningfully, "The Buddha Realm didn't help Great Thunderclap Monastery not because they weren't willing to help, it's because they couldn't help. For this reason, you have to be careful of an open attack or a stab in the back."

Qin Mu was stunned. He understood at once what he was trying to say!

Other than fearing that so-called celestial heavens, the reason why the Buddha Realm was so careful must be because the celestial heavens had planted countless eyes and powers in the Buddha Realm!

When going to the Buddha Realm to seek knowledge, these eyes and powers would definitely lay their hands on these monks that had come from the lower bound!

One could well imagine the reign of terror within. This was probably the reason why Rulai Ma needed him to go no matter what!

Even though Devil Ape Zhan Kong had a deep root of wisdom, his experience still wasn't enough. Little Monk Ming Xin had enough experience, but when he entered the world of mortals, he had only joined the military and trained inside. In terms of sinister tricks and situational reactions, he was much inferior to Qin Mu.

Qin Mu had experienced more dangers and even faced off with devil gods like Fu Riluo. He could be said to be outstanding among the younger generation for his ability to adapt to any situation.

Other than to comprehend the supreme Dharma, the other motive of Rulai Ma was to ensure the safety of the devil ape and Ming Xin.

"Do I need to shave my head?" Qin Mu asked.

Rulai Ma said with a smile, "Have you seen me shave my head?"

Qin Mu looked at his head and saw that his hair had all turned into mounds of flesh. These were the beads of wisdom refined from his three thousand strands of worry.

Rulai Ma said, "Some people treat their worries as their own obstructions to restrict their cultivation, that's why they have to shave their head. However, a buddha refines his worry into wisdom. The more worries a buddha has before enlightenment, the more wisdom they have after becoming buddha. If Rulai doesn't need to shave, why do you?"

Qin Mu revealed a smile. "I've learned."

…

The heavens shone brightly high above Li City.

These heavens looked illusory, but if one looked carefully at them, they seemed extremely deep, having a wide space that was beyond measure. In the twenty heavens, huge buddhas appeared, and buddha voices surrounded them. One of the buddhas shone down from the twenty heavens as a ray of buddha light shone on him. The other buddhas also pointed towards this monastery in Li City and the buddha rays gathered to flow into a pillar of light.

Old Rulai led the monks to the front of the pillar of light. He nodded his head to Qin Mu and the rest. "Be careful of your journey."

Qin Mu nodded as well before stepping into the pillar of light with the devil ape and Ming Xin. The massive pillar of buddha rays gradually rose and soon entered the twenty heavens. Qin Mu and the rest stepped on the base of the light pillar, and they were then brought up into the twenty heavens of the Buddha Realm.

Once Qin Mu, Ming Xin, and the devil ape stepped on solid ground, Qin Mu raised his head and looked around. He saw a large cluster of monasteries as well as pagodas, buddhas, and countless monks.

There was a gorgeous mountain under their feet, and when they looked down, there saw buddhist countries everywhere. These buddhist countries were all covered with gold and jade in glorious splendor.

Just a single heaven had such a wide territory that was comparable to Eternal Peace. The buddhist countries stood great in numbers, and they were all living together in harmony.

Several monks walked forward to welcome them, and one of them bowed, "Three senior brothers from the lower bound, Amitabha Monastery is right in front, please follow me!"

Qin Mu and the rest returned the greeting, and he said, "May I trouble senior brothers to lead the way."

The monk led the way in front of them, and he said with a smile, "Senior Brother Zhan Kong's attainments in Dharma are truly profound. I had also listened, and I truly admire you. These two little senior brothers are?"

Ming Xin gave his name, then he said, referring to Qin Mu, "This is Layperson Qin of Great Thunderclap Monastery."

The gaze of that monk fell on Qin Mu's body. "Layperson Qin? No wonder you cultivate without shaving your head."2

Qin Mu gave a smile and asked, "May I ask which great buddha constructed this Amitabha Monastery?"

That monk said with a smile, "Layperson Qin might not know, but Dharma King Mo Lun built Amitabha Monastery. He's a buddha of the celestial heavens who had attained the path. He has countless disciples, and his Dharma is profound. After numerous senior brothers had a taste of Senior Brother Zhan Kong's attainments in Dharma, they want to experience Senior Brother Zhan Kong's attainments in divine arts."

Qin Mu's heart sank. This Amitabha Monastery was probably part of the celestial heaven's power. They were the power that was planted in the Buddha Realm by the celestial heavens!

'Old Ma has given me quite a good errand.'

He couldn't help but feel his pounding headache. The moment they arrived at Buddha Realm, the celestial heavens immediately wanted to show them their power, and their intention was definitely not kind!

Monk Ming Xin said, "Senior brother, we are here to seek knowledge, not to compete with our divine arts. After we learn the supreme Dharma, we will return to the lower bound. We don't want to offend the senior brothers."

They finally arrived at the mountain gate of Amitabha Monastery, and that monk said with a smile, "Only by competing our cultivation can we know our good and bad, so what's there to be offended about? Just go in!" After saying this, he pushed them inside before closing the gate.

Qin Mu, Ming Xin, and the devil ape looked ahead, and they saw a mountain path in front of them. On both sides of the mountain path, there were pairs of monks every ten steps. They stood across each other and held a monk staff with solemn faces.

At the peak of Amitabha Monastery, a young monk wearing a yellow robe shouted, "Pay your respects to Buddha. Kneel your way up the mountain!"

The devil ape and Ming Xin frowned slightly. Ming Xin whispered, "Cult Master Qin, what do we do? Are we really going to kneel and kowtow our way up? Our path of retreat is being blocked."

At the mountain gate behind them, numerous monks were trying to create trouble in broad daylight as they blocked the way there.

"No worries."

Qin Mu smiled confidently. "You guys don't need to make a move. Just walk up the mountain."

The devil ape and Ming Xin followed Qin Mu's advice and walked up to the mountain. The young monk narrowed his eyes as he shouted, "Fight!"

On both sides of the mountain, the monks swung their staffs to smash down at them.

Qin Mu's sword pellet suddenly flew out and transformed into a huge ball that was ten yards in radius. It shone bright, and the sword light swirled around the robe of a monk wielding a monk staff. After a moment, that monk stood there naked and seemed clueless on what to do next.

"Senior brothers of Amitabha Monastery!"

Qin Mu flicked his fingers, and the sword ball whooshed up the mountain. It passed by the monks, and they were stripped in an instant. They immediately threw their monk staff aside to cover their crotch.

Qin Mu asked loudly, "Have you seen such a big sarira before?"

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