Chapter 313: Big Shot

This monk was utterly ordinary, looking completely non‑threatening, and indeed could not raise any alarm in Bai Lang—but that was the greatest abnormality. The monk walked up to Bai Lang, who still felt no caution; the middle‑aged monk put his palms together in salute, saying, "Sir, your courtesy. I don't know why you stand here—do you have any trouble? This lowly monk might be able to help." Bai Lang sized him up from head to toe and asked, "What kind of person are you, Master?" Only then did he notice the anomaly.

It seemed as if an invisible force was silently seeping into Bai Lang's body and spirit, draining his will to fight—only toward this monk. Bai Lang gathered his qi, and the true qi of the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist burst forth, yet in the end he merely swayed like a tiger in its daily routine and began to doze off......

The middle‑aged, emaciated monk gave a faint smile and said, "This lowly monk is Da Dian." He then looked at Bai Lang and casually sat cross‑legged on the ground. This old monk gave Bai Lang an exceedingly eerie feeling—there was no pressure, yet he simply could not muster any strength. "Please follow me, sir," Da Dian beckoned, and Bai Lang found himself compelled to trail behind him. The old monk led Bai Lang, thus entering the Tranquil Reflection Chan Courtyard in broad daylight.

Bai Lang followed behind this monk Da Dian, his heart in turmoil: "Who is this old guy? How did he do that? I swear I don't remember any monk like this in the Tale of the Twin Dragons of the Great Tang—with such skill he could easily rule the world, right?" He racked his brain but could not recall any such figure as Da Dian in the Great Tang; perhaps he was just another sweeping monk? Da Dian led Bai Lang toward the brightly lit Buddha hall, and along the way the monks they passed neither saw nor heard them, allowing them to pass unimpeded.

Bai Lang clearly knew the monks had no issue at all, yet he simply could not see or hear himself and Da Dian. He also tried to grab those monks, but his hand would slip the moment he was about to touch them—even if he made contact, the monks would continue their ordinary business as if being "struck" never happened, and the surrounding monks remained as usual.

"Don't bother trying—you have no time to reach them." Da Dian did not stop Bai Lang's attempt; he merely said lightly, "Such ability is absolutely beyond anyone in this world!" Just as Bai Lang thought that, Da Dian added, "Seeing you, sir, reminds me of an old friend from the past— that fellow once roamed the world, and I sense a trace of his aura in you."

Da Dian turned his body to face Bai Lang, a smile playing on his lips, and asked, "How much did Zhou Shubi teach you?"

At first Bai Lang truly had no idea who Zhou Shubi was, but it only took a moment to recall—that baboon demon's name was Zhou Shubi. He immediately remembered what that demon's master had said the last time he came: "This Da Dian must be the old enemy and old acquaintance that the traitor quartermaster mentioned before fleeing, and he told me to remember to ask him for benefits! Damn, that's a big shot on the same level as that quartermaster! Ask for benefits? Are they sending me to reincarnation for benefits?"

Bai Lang really dared not ask for benefits; the figure before him was exactly the big shot the baboon had said could grant them, yet given the baboon's tone, who knew what benefits speaking up would bring. Da Dian continued forward, and Bai Lang's body moved on its own to follow. As he walked, Da Dian occasionally bowed before the Buddha images—though deeply respectful, Bai Lang sensed an immense, profound malice and mockery beneath it.

"Zhou Shubi surely told you to ask for benefits after seeing me," Da Dian said after leading Bai Lang past three Buddha halls. "Good, good—since it's an old friend's word, there really are benefits for you." He added, "Today I behold this monastery's grove of monks, observe the various forms of the bhikkhus here, and I am truly pleased." He laughed, "The Buddha's teaching of Shakyamuni has ultimately gone astray on its own."

"All beings suffer and cannot be liberated," Da Dian said. "This world also does not allow me to display my profound wondrous arts, so be it." By the time he finished speaking, he had already brought Bai Lang to the gate of the Bronze Hall. Along the way Bai Lang saw the Four Great Holy Monks and also the monk holding the bronze bell, but they likewise ignored him. Bai Lang was no longer surprised—how could the power of a big shot be known to ordinary mortals?

Although he still did not know exactly what the big shot was, he was certain it was no longer human; perhaps the monk's skin was merely a disguise, for the big shot might be—"the Heavenly Demon's chant, demon and Buddha as two sides of one coin. This figure before you is likely a heavenly demon." Bai Lang's guess, though off the mark, was not far off. Da Dian was indeed the Heavenly Demon of Self‑Transformation, and his deep connection with that baboon demon had earned him his own fruition.

On the offering table inside the Bronze Hall lay an Imperial Jade Seal inlaid with a corner of gold. Da Dian did not move, but Bai Lang stepped forward to examine it closely, then reached out to take the He's Jade Disc in his hand and play with it. Indeed it was strange: Bai Lang could sense that the He's Jade Disc seemed to breathe the world's vital energy—expanding and contracting—yet the energy it drew was blocked by the Bronze Hall.

Bai Lang's own true qi also showed a slight stirring. "This is innate true qi, and it differs from that of this world," Da Dian said calmly. "If it were anyone else, their internal force would likely run wild—though they wouldn't die, it would still be a trouble." He continued, "The benefit I grant you lies in this He's Jade Disc." Saying that, he made no gesture, yet Bai Lang's upper‑garment flew off on its own, revealing his strong physique.

Bai Lang could not move; he could only remain fixed in a seated posture. He watched as Da Dian slowly approached, holding the Imperial Jade Seal. The He's Jade Disc hovered above the monk's palm, emitting a strange light from within outward, but Bai Lang felt nothing—the world's vital energy seemed to have stilled within a three‑foot‑diameter sphere around Da Dian's hand.

The He's Jade Disc's brilliance became blinding, and a ball of light seemed to be spreading from Da Dian's palm—as if the disc had "shattered." Da Dian stepped behind Bai Lang, whose neck could not turn, so he could not see what the big shot was about to do. "No use resisting or fleeing; let the big shot do what he will," Bai Lang consoled himself. The next instant his back felt as if it were being burned by fire.

Bai Lang had painstakingly cultivated the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield and the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist; his flesh had been honed by external divine arts to be as hard as steel, famed as impervious to blades and spears. Yet at this moment he sensed his skin and flesh being torn apart—as if the big shot's palm or fingers were tracing lines across his back.