chsdbacks Chapter 437 Bodhi, Enemy of Buddha, The Truth
Chapter 437 Bodhi, Enemy of Buddha, The Truth
Chapter 437 Bodhi, Enemy of Buddha, The Truth
The desolate void beyond the heavens was utterly torn apart by the raging torrent of laws.
Li Xijun shattered the "Buddha Kingdom in the Palm" with a single punch. The original dark domain devoured the boundless Buddhist light, not only breaking through the supernatural powers of the Shaolin Dharma Body Liaokong, but also deeply shaking the foundation of the Liaokong Arhat upon which he relied for existence.
The "Golden Sun" radiance dimmed, and the muffled groans emanating from within, along with the dark gold blood spilling from the corner of its mouth, all indicated that this veteran Dharma Body, who had cultivated for hundreds of years, had suffered a significant loss in the clash of laws just now.
"Impossible! Both are Dharma bodies, so why are his laws so domineering?"
"How could it possibly erode and destroy my Buddhist Pure Land at its very core?!"
The Shaolin Dharma Body, the Arhat Liaokong, was filled with turbulent waves of emotion.
He felt the golden light of his condensed Dharma body being constantly stripped away and weakened by that strange "silence" power, like ice and snow under the scorching sun.
What made him even more uneasy was the ultimate meaning contained in the opponent's attack, which seemed to reduce everything to nothingness and even deny "existence" itself, causing his years of arduous practice of the Buddhist Heart Sutra to waver.
"We can't be so passive!" A fierce glint flashed in Liaokong Luohan's eyes as he suppressed his surging blood and shock.
He knew that he had lost the battle of "substance" in terms of legal principles, and that he had to rely on more exquisite Buddhist supernatural powers and profound cultivation to regain his footing in terms of "technique" and "strength".
"Om Mani Padme Hum!"
The six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara resounded like a great bell, echoing throughout the void!
Liaokong Arhat formed a mudra with his hands, and the dim golden light around him blazed brightly again. However, this time, countless intricate and profound Sanskrit characters emerged from the light. These Sanskrit characters were not decorations, but the substantial manifestation of the supreme Buddhist principles.
Each Sanskrit character is as heavy as a mountain, containing the highest Buddhist teachings such as "precepts, concentration, and wisdom," "compassion, joy, and equanimity," "indestructibility," and "karma and reincarnation."
"The Great Brahma Palm!"
"Prajna Zen Finger!"
"The Vajra Subduing Demon Circle!"
"The Eight Sounds of Heavenly Dragon!"
In an instant, Arhat Liaokong unleashed all his skills!
Some palm prints are as large as mountains, carrying the holy fire of Buddha that purifies everything; others point like wind swords, piercing through the void and pointing directly at the acupoints and law nodes around Li Xijun's body; still others form golden circles, layer upon layer, trying to bind and suppress the "original dark hole"; and still others transform into invisible chanting into tangible sound waves, specifically attacking the soul and disturbing the spiritual platform.
Each of these supernatural powers is a Buddhist masterpiece. Driven by the power of a Dharmakaya-level Buddha, their might is enough to easily flatten mountains and evaporate rivers. In the human world, they would be supernatural powers capable of destroying a country.
Countless golden palm prints, finger winds, halos, and sound waves crashed down on Li Xijun like a storm, creating a destructive golden storm in the void above!
However, Li Xijun remained calm in the face of this suffocating offensive, and even a faint hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
"Fancy and overly complicated."
He commented that it didn't even involve any complicated martial arts moves.
Simply clench your fist and swing it.
It is still the same all-consuming Primal Dark Fist, only faster, more concentrated, and with a purer intent!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ————"
Wherever the fist strikes, the "Great Brahma Holy Palm" Buddhist fire, which is capable of purifying all things, is extinguished and dissipated instantly, like a candle flame encountering a strong wind.
The "Prajna Zen Finger" that pierced through the void touched the original dark domain, but it was swallowed up like a mud ox entering the sea without even causing a ripple.
The layers upon layers of the "Vajra Subduing Demon Circle" shattered like fragile glass the moment they touched the edge of the fist, turning into countless golden fragments that were then swallowed by darkness.
As for the "Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds" that specializes in attacking the soul, it was as if it had been plunged into an abyss of absolute silence, without even a trace of echo. It had no effect on Li Xijun's will, which had been baptized by the lightning tribulation and merged with the original dark laws.
Every punch from Li Xijun was simple and unadorned, yet as heavy as an ancient star, capable of shattering the void in all directions!
Where the force of the punch passed, the void was not torn apart, but rather presented a strange scene of being "erased," leaving behind a dark trail that could not be healed for a long time.
Occasionally, the aftershocks of the punches would sweep across the distant meteorites, which were as large as an entire continent. Instead of exploding, the meteorites would silently transform into the most basic cosmic dust, as if weathered over millions of years, and disappear without a trace!
The combination of the body of a martial saint and the original dark laws brings about an absolute violence and silence that is almost a "negation of rules"!
"Bang!"
Another punch landed squarely on the golden body that Liaokong Luohan had hastily conjured.
The golden light shattered instantly, and the Arhat Liaokong was sent flying backward like a meteor once again. The golden light around him dimmed even more, and his Dharma body even showed subtle light gray patterns, like cracks in porcelain.
That was a sign that the original dark laws were eroding the essence of his Dharma body!
"This—this is impossible!" The shock in Liaokong Luohan's heart finally turned into a trace of panic.
He sensed that each of the opponent's attacks was not only incredibly powerful, but even more terrifying was the "ending" intent within them, which was constantly eroding and disintegrating the very foundation of his Dharma body.
If this continues, his Arhat Liaokong might actually be shattered and annihilated by the opponent!
"His power is not right!" While desperately circulating Buddhist teachings to repair the cracks in his Dharma body, Liaokong Arhat stared intently at Li Xijun.
The more they fought, the more terrified he became.
The other party's "Dharmakaya" seems to be completely different from the Dharmakaya he knows.
The strength of that physical body was simply unbelievable; it withstood numerous of my supernatural powers without sustaining a scratch.
The level of that power was ridiculously high. Every collision made him feel as if he were using a mortal body to fight against an entire universe that was heading towards heat death!
"Limited by the limitations of this world, I cannot unleash my full power; I can only exert six or seven tenths of my full strength."
And him!
Arhat Liaokong was startled to realize, "He is completely unbound by the laws of this world! Or rather, the system he cultivates is entirely different from the path of the Dharma Body in this world! His status—his essence—is probably not a Dharma Body!"
This conclusion chilled him to the bone.
An enemy who is not bound by the laws of heaven and earth and whose inherent power may be even greater is almost unsolvable for him at this time and place.
"This cannot continue. If it drags on any longer, I will surely be defeated, and I may even perish!" The instinct for survival and the Buddhist resolve to subdue demons instantly overwhelmed all other thoughts.
In Liaokong Luohan's eyes, the last trace of hesitation and hope completely disappeared, replaced by an almost insane determination and a ruthless willingness to perish together with the enemy!
"Since that's the case, this old monk will sacrifice himself to destroy the demon today!"
With a loud shout, the Arhat Liaokong ceased maintaining the illusory image of Buddha, and all the golden light rapidly receded, returning to its original form.
His hands trembled as he struggled, as if enduring immense pain and backlash, to force out a faint but pure golden light from his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows—a light that seemed to contain all the wisdom and origin of Buddhism!
The moment that point of light appeared, the entire cold and desolate outer space seemed to tremble slightly.
A grand, ancient, compassionate, yet supremely majestic aura of the Buddha quietly spread out!
This is precisely the supreme sacred object passed down from ancient times in Buddhism—
Among the nine Bodhi seeds, the most core and special one has a trace of its original core remaining!
It is also the true foundation upon which the Shaolin Dharma Body comprehends the supreme mystery of the Tathagata Palm.
It should be nurtured deep within the soul in ordinary times, and should never be used lightly unless absolutely necessary or when the sect is facing a life-or-death situation, because every time it is used, its essence will be depleted, and it may even completely destroy this Buddhist treasure!
But at this moment, Arhat Liaokong could no longer care about anything else!
"With my century-long cultivation of Buddhist teachings, I ignite the very essence of my Arhat golden body, and borrow the supreme Bodhi Buddha-nature—I respectfully invite—"
Liaokong Luohan's face instantly turned withered, and the golden light around his body boiled like burning flames. At this moment, his aura rose infinitely, as if he wanted to communicate with some supreme being in the dark.
He slowly clasped his hands together, and then, with immense difficulty yet carrying an unwavering will that seemed to transcend the past, present, and future, he unleashed a palm strike towards Li Xijun!
"World Honored One—Tathagata—"
A divine palm strike!!!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The power of that palm strike is indescribable!
That wasn't a palm print, but a vast and boundless golden Buddhist light universe, seemingly blessed by countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras chanting sutras, crushing towards Li Xijun!
Among them are the sedimentation of the past solemn kalpa, the compassionate salvation of the present virtuous kalpa, and the unpredictable heavenly secrets of the future star kalpa!
The palm strike contained the fundamental Buddhist principles of "formation, existence, decay, and emptiness," seemingly aiming to drag Li Xijun, along with the "original darkness" he represented, into the cycle of reincarnation within this Buddhist universe, to completely convert and suppress him.
Returning to "emptiness".
This is the ultimate and most desperate strike that the Tathagata Palm can unleash in the hands of the Dharmakaya in this world!
By burning the essence of the Dharma body and sacrificing the Bodhi Buddha nature, a trace of true power belonging to the level of "Buddha" was awakened!
Wherever the palm strike passed, all the free energy, dust, and even tiny celestial bodies within millions of miles of void were purified and assimilated by this vast Buddhist light, becoming part of this "Buddha Light Universe".
In more distant worlds, all living beings, whether martial artists or mortals, were horrified to see that the "golden little sun" in the sky, which had been eroded by darkness, suddenly expanded and its brightness increased more than tenfold, dyeing most of the sky pure gold.
The unparalleled pressure and sense of holiness caused countless people's souls to tremble, and they involuntarily knelt down, as if facing a true Buddha descending to earth!
"Finally—this is getting interesting."
Faced with this ultimate Buddha's palm that burns and transforms everything, a genuine fighting spirit finally ignited in Li Xijun's usually calm eyes.
He took a deep breath, and the "original dark hole" around him stopped spinning, and then—it collapsed rapidly inward!
All the light, the aura, and even his own "presence" were compressed to the extreme at this moment, as if forming a real, all-consuming cosmic singularity within his body!
At the same time, Li Xijun did not continue to use the Yuan An Fist to fight head-on. Instead, he flipped his hand and the Nine Heavens Punishment Blade, which was purple-black and wrapped with ominous lightning and the aura of the end, was already firmly in his hand!
The blade hummed, as if sensing the pure and vast Buddhist power opposite it. The darkness and demonic nature within it spontaneously stirred, emitting a trembling sound of hunger.
"To deal with you, you bald monk who talks a lot about compassion, this knife seems more appropriate," Li Xijun muttered to himself, a meaningful smile curving his lips.
He did not immediately draw his sword, but instead focused his mind on the depths of the blade, activating the inherited mark that originated from the ancient thunder god, but had long since been altered.
At the same time, he poured his original dark law power into the thunder blade without reservation, like ink dripping into clear water!
"Boom boom!!!"
The Thunder Blade trembled violently! An unprecedented burst of purplish-black lightning erupted, no longer pure destructive lightning, but mixed with an intense, impenetrable darkness and a deathly silence!
Li Xijun recited the incantation for the first move of the "Divine Firmament Nine Heavens Calamity Extinction Blade," but his state of mind was completely different from when he used it before.
It is no longer about invoking the might of Heaven and carrying out punishment on behalf of Heaven, but about using its own original darkness as a foundation to actively awaken and distort the already corrupt essence within the blade!
"Purple Extreme Heaven - Destroy the Divine Firmament!"
The sword technique was activated, and strange phenomena suddenly appeared!
However, the scene that appeared was completely different from what had happened before!
No longer a vast sea of thunder, no longer a majestic thunder god.
Behind Li Xijun, the void was filled with pure black demonic energy that seemed to gather all the negative emotions and ultimate terror in the world!
Amidst the churning demonic energy, a colossal phantom, towering to the heavens yet exuding an eerie and malevolent aura, slowly materialized!
The phantom could still vaguely make out the outline of a "giant," but it was definitely not the holy Thor!
Its body is composed of pitch-black bones, twisted muscles, and hideous runes flowing with filthy Buddha blood!
The face is blurred, yet it seems to simultaneously present the compassionate image of a Buddha and the savage image of a demon. The two extreme expressions are twisted and intertwined, exuding a blasphemous and insane aura that freezes the soul!
What he held in his sleeve was no longer the majestic Thunder Blade, but a demonic blade formed from the purest and most destructive intent!
This is precisely the true core imprint hidden within the Thunder Blade inheritance, revealed after Li Xijun completely activated it with the original Dark Law, stripping away all pretense...
—The Shadow of the Demon Buddha!
"How could this be?!" In the distance, the Shaolin Dharma Body Arhat Liaokong, who was burning his source energy and pushing the Tathagata Palm with all his might, saw this scene and his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.
He felt an extreme aversion, fear, and trembling that originated from the roots of Buddhism!
Although he had never personally witnessed the aura emanating from that demonic figure, he had seen snippets of description in the oldest and most forbidden Buddhist scriptures!
That is the eternal nightmare of Buddhism, the great enemy of the Dharma!
"You—you actually dare to actively provoke the power of this enemy of Buddha?! Aren't you afraid of being corrupted by its demonic thoughts, having your soul destroyed, and becoming its puppet?!" The Arhat was filled with shock and anger, and his voice changed.
He couldn't understand why Li Xijun was so crazy, willing to expose this ancient taboo and bring trouble upon herself!
Upon hearing this, Li Xijun merely responded with an even deeper sneer, her eyes remaining completely unmoved.
Fear? Why should he be afraid?
After gaining an initial understanding of the leap in life level of the original dark law, he already had a clear guess about the "hidden danger" concealed in the Thunder Blade.
That was by no means a simple test of ancient thunder god's malice or inheritance; it was very likely an even more ancient and terrifying being.
The remnants or regrets of an entity that once had a very deep connection with Buddhism!
If such an existence could easily seize the body of a Martial Saint who has a preliminary grasp of the laws, whose soul and body have been baptized by lightning tribulation and the original darkness, and whose sea of consciousness is also dormant with a mysterious Great Luo mark that can even contain the "original darkness of the universe" source matter, then that would be a huge joke!
He even felt a little regretful. If he had known earlier that the so-called "crisis" was this, perhaps he wouldn't have needed to wait until he became a Martial Saint. He could have taken the initiative to trigger it long ago to see if he could "fish" out something to "add something" to the Great Luo Imprint in his sea of consciousness.