Chapter 45: Huang Mu: I Most Enjoy Dealing with Those Who Think Too Highly of Themselves

You brat, you actually hid a Complete Release up your sleeve?!

You Ha Ba He floated in midair, the spirit particles around him moving with his will, transforming into one after another of azure-blue flames that burned toward Huang Mu.

Boom!

However, those azure flames never got within half a point of Huang Mu before being swept away by the glazed-colored light shining from the sky.

Tsk…

You Ha Ba He frowned slightly at the sight before him.

Thud~

You Ha Ba He! Since you've seen me, why won't you submit?

Come cultivate with me in this world and share in bliss!

Just as You Ha Ba He frowned, a long, distant bell rang in his ears, his expression momentarily dazed, and in an instant his surroundings changed—he felt as if he had left the Soul Society and arrived in an unfamiliar realm!

This realm was unfamiliar to You Ha Ba He; the sky and ground were all made of glazed material! Even the sun that illuminates the world and the moon that guides the night were each huge glazed objects, as if this place were a Pure Land made of glazed material! And at the center of this Pure Land was a supreme being whose skin was made of blue glaze, wearing the three robes, right hand holding the wish-granting seal and a myrobalan, left hand holding an alms bowl, possessing the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics, seated in the vajra posture on a lotus moon-wheel throne—this being who spoke to urge You Ha Ba He to submit was the sage among sages.

Thud~

Thud~

Thud……

With the sage's words, bell after bell echoed from the depths of You Ha Ba He's heart, and his guard and desire likewise gradually faded with each chime.

Oh no! Is this an illusion? Such a strange illusion—I almost got lost in it!

Just as You Ha Ba He's desire was about to reach zero, about to become a practitioner of this world, chanting scriptures together with the myriad heavenly Buddhas and sharing in bliss, he suddenly came to his senses. Faced with this bizarre scene, You Ha Ba He's brows knit tightly, and in an instant he made a judgment.

Is this an illusion attack using sound waves? If so, as long as I prevent the sound from reaching my ears, your sound waves will have no effect on me whatsoever!

You Ha Ba He, hearing the endless bell sounds in his ears with a look of disdain, instantly used spirit particles to plug his own ears.

Silence!

The moment You Ha Ba He plugged his ears, all sound around him vanished at once! Immediately, the world made of glazed material collapsed……

Even the immortal Buddha seated at the world's center gradually dissipated into nothing after the bell faded, though as the sage disappeared, he seemed to still murmur: "Foolish child! Foolish child……"

You Ha Ba He couldn't make out what that being, which seemed utterly bizarre to him, was saying, but seeing it fade away, he finally let out a sigh of relief……

I don't know if it's an illusion, but the moment You Ha Ba He saw that being, an alarm bell rang in his heart—since his birth, he had never encountered anything that made him feel so threatened.

Hah…

You Ha Ba He exhaled deeply; no matter how bizarre that being had just been, it's now over.

You Ha Ba He steadied his mind, using the Swift Wind Step to dart swiftly across this collapsing, unfamiliar world, seemingly intending to quickly leave this bizarre Pure Land.

However, after You Ha Ba He had moved for a full half hour using the Swift Wind Step, he still couldn't escape this collapsing world! Although the surrounding glazed material had vanished with the world's collapse, the black border seemed endless—no matter how far he pressed forward, he could not leave this pitch‑black world where he couldn't see his own hand……

Could it be that I still haven't broken free of this illusion?!

You Ha Ba He instantly reacted, his face suddenly changing.

Foolish child! Still not awakened?

It was the moment You Ha Ba He noticed something that the world around him, gradually falling into darkness, suddenly lit up!

The Buddha who had originally sat infinitely far away at the world's center had, without realizing it, already come to stand before You Ha Ba He, and the path beneath his feet naturally lit up with the light of the pure glaze.

No, that wasn't a path—it was the King Buddha's palm, and You Ha Ba He had actually been running on the sage's palm for a full half hour, yet still couldn't escape……

Damn it!

You Ha Ba He looked at the great Buddha's forehead, drenched in cold sweat, and in his anger he created countless bows and arrows, endless Divine Holy Extermination Arrows pouring forth like a stream to strike the great Buddha's body.

Unfortunately, no matter how You Ha Ba He attacked this great Buddha, it remained unstained and unmoving! It seemed his efforts were utterly ineffective against the great Buddha!

I once made the Twelve Great Vows!!

The Buddha paid no heed to You Ha Ba He's attack, gazing at him with eyes that could see through all of existence, his heart filled with compassion for all beings—not just You Ha Ba He, but for all suffering beings in the Three Realms.

Shut up! Shut up! I'm telling you to shut up!

You Ha heard the great Buddha's words and his face suddenly changed; he seemed unwilling to let the great Buddha speak its vows, so he began attacking it madly, arrow after arrow of Divine Holy Extermination Arrows flying straight at the great Buddha's head—but to no avail!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud……

With each chime of the bell, the Buddha finally spoke.

I wish my light to illuminate the boundless realms……

The moment the Buddha's words fell, the entire pitch‑black world was illuminated by Buddha's light, and the glazed world that You Ha had destroyed reappeared before him, whole and unharmed.

Why does this bell keep ringing? Why?

You Ha showed some irritability, roaring at the Buddha.

This bell doesn't ring outside—it rings inside your heart! You can plug your ears, but how do you plug your heart?

The Buddha, hearing this, spoke softly.

What?

You Ha stared, stunned by the Buddha's answer—so does hearing this bell just once mean the brain memorizes its pattern, making it impossible to escape the bell for life?!

I wish my body to be like glazed material, pure inside and out!

Before You Ha could think further, the Buddha began his second vow.

As the Buddha's words fell, both the Buddha and You Ha's bodies turned into pure glaze—flawless and transparent, pure inside and out!

May all beings be fulfilled!

May all practitioners of beings journey to the Great Vehicle Dharma Sect!

May all beings practice the pure celibate life in accordance with the Dharma!

Before You Ha could notice the change in his body, vow after vow already echoed in his ears.

For a time, You Ha's consciousness gradually sank, gradually forgetting where he was……

May all beings eradicate heretical views and practice the bodhisattva path!

Another great vow arose; under this vow, Youha had completely forgotten his identity as the founder of the Quincy, he clasped his hands together and softly chanted the Buddhist sutras.

May all sentient beings be liberated from all suffering!

May all sentient beings be freely satisfied and dwell in bliss!

May all sentient beings obtain all kinds of superb clothing, free from affliction!

As the final great vow rang out, Youha suddenly smiled: "Why bother with those trivial matters! This world has too much suffering; just let it go!"

Youha resembled a devout practitioner, taking refuge in the Buddhist gate, taking refuge in the Medicine Buddha Lapis Light King, seated in the Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli World, continuously chanting scriptures, continuously cultivating himself!

Until……

A bell tone utterly unlike the ancient bell of this Buddhist world rang out, and Youha suddenly realized what.

Destroy it for me!!

Accompanied by Youha Bahe's angry roar, his pair of gloomy eyes seemed to split into three!

Boom!!

In the next second, the Buddhist sutras, Buddha Land, Pure Land, and Holy King all turned into flying smoke and vanished!

The entire heaven and earth collapsed completely at this moment; facing the dark world, Youha waved his hand, and a door flashing with white light appeared before him.

Ridiculous, how could I just sink like this?!

Youha snorted coldly, stepped with one foot over that huge gate; in an instant everything around him changed, and when his vision recovered, his figure once again stood upon the sky of the Soul Society.

Huh? Youha Bahe, you actually broke my Medicine Master Twelve Vows this quickly?!

In Seireitei, the moment Youha broke the Pure Land, Huangmu sensed it; he looked up at Youha in the sky and raised his eyebrows.

Huangmu, I've let you down!

Your Bankai is indeed powerful; I almost sank and became a member of your Pure Land!

Unfortunately, I bear the mandate of heaven; I will absolutely not fall here!

Youha stood in the sky, silently gazing at Huangmu, his face showing utter calm, as if everything in this world were predestined; he, Youha, would surely step onto the Spirit King Palace, replace the lofty Spirit King, and before that he was invincible, absolutely never to be defeated.

Mandate of heaven?!

Huangmu, hearing this, seemed to think of something, and shook his head helplessly.

But it's fine; Huangmu had long anticipated that his Medicine Master Twelve Vows could not restrain Youha Bahe...

To be precise, Huangmu never expected the Medicine Master Twelve Vows to succeed; yet it not only succeeded, but also made Youha Bahe expend tremendous power, which for Huangmu counts as an overachievement.

Since the Medicine Master Twelve Vows cannot hold you! Then let me confront and shatter you...

As Huangmu's words fell, the Turning Wheel Holy King behind him suddenly moved; one after another, palms emerged from behind the Turning Wheel Holy King like blossoming flowers, and in the next second, those palms, amid howling winds, attacked Youha Bahe.

Boom!!

Having just escaped the great vow, Youha Bahe had expended too much power; facing Huangmu's long-prepared succession of palms, he could not dodge at all...

For a moment, Youha Bahe was like a target, being hammered by countless palms in the sky!

Pfft...

Youha Bahe never expected Huangmu to strike so decisively, not even letting him finish his words before the next wave of attack arrived before his eyes.

Damn it!!

In his anger, Youha Bahe instantly summoned the massive Still Blood Armor; this Still Blood Armor not only appeared on his body surface but also transformed into a huge shell, blocking all the heavenly Buddhist palms.

Huangmu! How's this move?

After Youha Bahe blocked the palms, he roared at Huangmu.

Boom!

Huangmu paid no heed to Youha Bahe; he pointed his Soul-Cutter Sword at the sun in the sky.

In the next second, a figure seemed to flicker within the sun; a radiance flashed, and a Bodhisattva wielding a longsword blazing with endless solar fire descended from heaven, landing to the left and right of Youha's Still Blood Armor shell and then slashing with the sword.

Huh?!

Seeing this, Youha's expression changed; he did not feel scorching heat from the strange Bodhisattva's flaming sword, but he sensed another kind of power in that sword—the very power Huangmu had used earlier to break through his defense, which can directly bypass an enemy's attack and act inside the enemy's body.

Damn!

Youha stared at the ever-approaching 'flaming' sword, cold sweat pouring from his forehead; if he lowered his guard he'd be struck by the Buddhist palms, but if he kept his guard he'd be hit by the sword that ignores defenses— isn't this messing with his mentality?!

Of course, Youha was not without counterattacks; from the moment he appeared in the sky, the light of the Quincy Cross never ceased to shine, and one after another Holy Annihilation Arrows continually bombarded Huangmu, yet they were all blocked by a giant Bodhisattva emanating soft moonlight.

Such an offense-defense-in-one Bankai certainly isn't without weaknesses! With your feeble spiritual pressure inside, I wonder how long you can hold out!

Youha shouted, the Sunlight Bodhisattva's sword had already shattered his Still Blood Armor shell; the heavenly Buddhist palms from above ruthlessly smacked him down.

Noisy!!

Huangmu gazed at the Youha Bahe he had blasted away, his forehead covered in sweat.

As Youha said, he was already at the end of his rope! He acknowledged that his Bankai's power was sufficiently strong, even integrating all his inner power, the ultimate manifestation of the path he had learned! But precisely because of his Bankai's strength, its consumption of spiritual pressure is unimaginable for ordinary people...

Final strike!

Huangmu said, sitting cross-legged upon the lotus pedestal.

Under his control, the Holy King summoned by Huangmu and the two Attendants had already arrived before Youha.

Huh?!

Youha gazed at the three presences before him emitting the Buddha Light he disliked, his heart shuddering slightly.

Boom!!

Without letting Youha think further, those three world-illuminating existences instantly exploded! The immense Buddha Light completely engulfed Youha's body! A colossal mushroom cloud that made the entire Seireitei tremble incessantly shot up instantly!!

Had Huangmu not compressed the universal illumination range of those three existences, the whole Seireitei would likely have sunk in that immense power beneath the Buddha Light.

It's over!

Huangmu gazed at the enormous Grinding Wheel Cloud before him, finally losing all strength and collapsing straight to the ground.

Yeah! It's over, Huangmu!

It was exactly at the moment Huangmu lay down that a cross‑sword fell onto his neck—yes, that was the Exterminator's sword, the sword of Youhabahè.

Half his body scorched, his entire right arm covered in wounds, the wretched Youhabahè gripped the Exterminator's sword and stood at Huangmu's side, his expression revealing only icy coldness and indifference.

"I give you one last chance to choose—submit or die!"

Youhabahè looked at Huangmu and spoke coldly.

In fact, the stronger Huangmu became, the stronger Youhabahè's pity grew, for after Huangmu submitted and became an Exterminator, the day he would part from Huangmu, the power he would gain would be all the greater!

"Is that so? If I choose to submit here, will I be able to survive?"

Huangmu, hearing this, showed a bit of a "bitter smile," that bitter smile fully revealing his helplessness.

He, Huangmu, had already given his all, yet still could not defeat Youhabahè.

"Exactly so!"

Youhabahè looked at Huangmu's bitter‑smiling face, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly upward.

"But, sorry! I, Huangmu, in this life, love nothing more than saying 'no' to a man like you who thinks highly of himself!"

Before Youhabahè could consider the matter settled, the bitter smile on Huangmu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a stern and resolute expression.

"Then go die for me……"

Youhabahè said this and was about to swing his blade down.

How could Huangmu wait for Youhabahè to swing his blade? He had already used 'ROOM' to escape.

"Hum!"

Then he stabbed to death an Exterminator who was already half‑dead.

"Your Majesty……"

Even as he lay dying, the Exterminator kept whispering softly to Youhabahè.

"Sāidēlīzī?!"

Youhabahè saw the pupil of the Exterminator he had just slain twitch, and at that moment he finally made up his mind.

"Huangmu! Is this your choice? Then go die!"

Youhabahè roared, turned his body, and gazed toward the direction Huangmu had fled.

"Boom!!!"

In response to Youhabahè's roar, endless flames surged forth.

A man with a cross‑shaped scar on his forehead wielded a 'Grand Fire Sword,' stepping slowly toward Youhabahè; behind that scar‑foreheaded man stood the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, clad in white haori, and the ground was littered with the corpses of Exterminators.

"Well done, Huangmu! You haven't disgraced the Yuanliu!"

As the middle‑aged man wielding the Grand Fire Sword approached Huangmu's side, a flicker of worry crossed his eyes, but it quickly vanished; now he had something more important to attend to.

"So hot, so hot……"

Huangmu, sitting on the ground, sprang to his feet the moment he saw the middle‑aged man passing by his side, instantly feeling as if his buttocks were about to be roasted.

"Looks like Old Man Shan's temperature has risen quite a bit!"

Huangmu murmured to himself, watching the middle‑aged man's back, "Listening to advice, the mountain old‑head who accepts training is reliable!"

Indeed, that middle‑aged man was none other than Huangmu's master, the commander‑in‑chief of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Shanben Yuanliuzhai Chongguo!

"So you are the invader of the Soul Society, then?"

Shanben's blazing‑flame feet continually scorched and ignited the ground he walked on; he gazed at the badly wounded Youhabahè and asked in a cold voice.

"Exactly!"

Upon hearing this, Youhabahè revealed a ferocious grin.

"Bankai……"

In response, Yuanliuzhai's face turned ice‑cold as he brandished his Grand Fire Sword!

"Five‑thousand‑word mega chapter! Please vote for waves!!"

(End of chapter)