Chapter 381: I Will Ignite Fahai!

“Nonsense.”

Fahai held the golden bowl, unmoved by Gu Qing’s words.

He had cultivated scriptures for a thousand years—could he not tell the difference between Buddha and Dao?

Gu Qing smiled at this.

Guanyin Bodhisattva once tried to convert Gu Qing and asked him to show mercy; Gu Qing, in turn, tried to convert Fahai—but the struggle of the Great Dao is not settled by words; both sides must settle it with fists and feet.

“Om mani padme hum!”

Fahai chanted the six-syllable mantra, neither raising his hand nor moving his leg, yet the void trembled violently—the surrounding Buddhist power, like suppressed rage, roared and howled, coalescing into countless beams of brilliant light that crushed down from heaven and earth.

The Six-Syllable Great Mantra was the subtle heart-seal of the Buddha, praised by all Buddhas of the ten directions; yet Gu Qing’s earlier arrogant words had earned the disdain of all Buddhas, so when this Buddhist light appeared, heaven and earth rejected it.

“Gek gek gek gek…”

When the myriad rays enveloped Gu Qing, the void rang like colliding gears—both sides locked in stalemate.

“Gu Qing, you cannot resolve the feud between Bai Suzhen and me!”

Fahai recalled how Gu Qing had used the toilet-bomb tactic in Lingyin Temple to defeat him—this thousand-year grudge, now turned toward emptiness, fueled his rage further. Seeing Gu Qing, a Nascent Soul cultivator, had boldly confronted him, a Cultivation Transcendence master on the verge of immortality, Fahai let out a sharp roar. His spiritual power surged, the Buddhist light intensifying!

Even the clouds above turned golden.

Under this overwhelming aura, Gu Qing smiled.

An ancient bronze mirror hung before Gu Qing, emitting a faint glow—it was the Liuhe Mirror, which had once protected Hu Xin and Cai Yin during his battle with Jin Bo Fa Wang.

Layer upon layer of light pressed against the mirror’s surface, then the mirror flipped—countless Buddhist rays scattered in all directions, exploding outward.

Gu Qing had risen from a low-cultivation world; he had studied hardest the techniques of neutralizing force and using the enemy’s strength against them. After obtaining the Liuhe Mirror, he refined them further, fusing martial principles into it. Now, facing Fahai, he had rehearsed this moment countless times in his mind—the Liuhe Mirror, used precisely when Fahai unleashed his full power, struck him completely off-guard.

The counter-recoil sent Fahai stumbling, shaking the earth and mountains. Had the Earth God and Land Spirit not been protecting the land, their clash alone would have devastated multiple regions of Shenzhou.

Having scored the first hit, Gu Qing gripped his bamboo staff and stepped forward, striking straight at Fahai’s face.

Fahai raised his staff to block, but as a monk who cultivated Buddhist doctrine, he had spent his life chanting sutras and eating vegetarian meals; even after a thousand years, he could not match Gu Qing’s battle-hardened experience. Their sudden clash was like Shakra meeting Wu Wudi—he was brutally beaten!

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

Fahai held his staff, feeling his hands were no longer hands, his feet no longer feet. Gu Qing’s bamboo staff darted east and west, extended and retracted—even with his Buddhist heavenly eye open, Fahai could not discern truth from illusion. His face was struck, his arms whipped, his legs tripped—he felt as if his limbs and even his mind were malfunctioning.

His thoughts and techniques were completely suppressed by Gu Qing.

In terms of martial technique alone, even Bai Suzhen could not match Gu Qing.

“Om!”

Fahai chanted the mantra, golden light gushing from his body, fully enveloping himself. Outmatched in martial arts, he could only resort to spiritual combat.

Here, Fahai was Cultivation Transcendence; Gu Qing, Nascent Soul. The gap in realms favored him.

At this moment, the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, the Western Pure Land, the Southern Putuo—all deities watched Gu Qing and Fahai’s battle. Seeing Fahai repeatedly restrained, chanting the mantra and suddenly summoning the golden bowl, many sighed.

“This fight should have taken place in the toilet.”

“Gu Qing carries the most yang Golden Core—he’s immune to filth, practically a god of war in there.”

“If Fahai wins, Gu Qing faces twenty years in prison.”

“Gu Qing already possesses a Pure Yang Dao Body, impervious to all evils. If he could lower his pride, swallow a drop of Tian Gui blood and spit it at his foe, he’d kill men and gods alike.”

“Laojun?”

After the golden bowl appeared in midair, it naturally radiated light. At this moment, Fahai ignored the Buddha’s warnings—he only wanted to use the bowl to swiftly capture Gu Qing.

“Now!”

At this moment, Gu Qing rubbed his bamboo staff—Jin Bo Fa Wang burst free from within, letting out a deafening roar. He had been nearly killed and sealed by Gu Qing; this sudden release was his final flicker of life.

Black smoke enveloped him, mist churned—he revealed his true form.

The golden bowl possessed demon-subduing power; its light naturally drew him in. Meanwhile, Gu Qing was now free.

Gu Qing tossed aside the staff, drew a sword in hand—its blade blazed with solar radiance, slashing toward Fahai!

“Slayer of Ghosts and Gods!”

This sword technique, refined by Lu Dongbin’s alchemical scripture, had transformed greatly. Now, flames swirled, a pillar of light pierced heaven, radiating an invincible aura as it pressed relentlessly toward Fahai.

The golden bowl was still subduing Jin Bo Fa Wang. Seeing Gu Qing’s ferocious momentum and the unstoppable swordlight, and recalling how he had been utterly humiliated in close combat, Fahai spun his prayer beads. His kasaya stretched out in the wind, layer upon layer, shielding him.

Instantly, swordlight blazed like fire, kasaya rose like mountains—the clash was heavy and dull. Fahai watched the golden light there, turning his beads, chanting the mantra. When the swordlight passed, a fire dragon emerged—he knew it was Gu Qing’s technique for subduing Jin Bo Fa Wang, and he hurled his kasaya to engulf it.

Yet as he chanted, Fahai felt a dread stir in his heart.

“Got you!”

Gu Qing emerged from the earth, standing before Fahai.

Fahai looked toward the kasaya—beneath its folds lay a red jade tablet, inscribed with a talisman array. Clearly, it had just unleashed the fire dragon, forcing Fahai to focus all his power there.

Now, Fahai had no golden bowl, no kasaya, and was in close quarters with Gu Qing—he had triggered Gu Qing’s execution technique.

“Shhh!”

Gu Qing drew a circle with his hand, swirling wildly. Within the golden light, the black-and-white Taiji diagram emerged. Fahai, though unwilling, had no choice but to use his fists and feet—but the moment he moved, he felt as if caught in a net, sinking in mud. All his power was useless; within a few exchanges, he was entangled, constrained everywhere.

“Boom!”

A kick struck his waist. Fahai remained still, but Gu Qing seized his arms from behind. Seeing this, Fahai twisted his hands, attempting to grab Gu Qing’s arms—his face lit up with triumph.

“Too bad.”

In the Heavenly Court, the gods watching the battle sighed again as they saw Gu Qing and Fahai locked in mutual grips.

Fahai was Cultivation Transcendence; Gu Qing, Nascent Soul. In their battle, skill must triumph over power. Gu Qing had performed excellently—but at the final moment, Fahai had still caught him.

The realm gap was too vast. Fahai could afford countless mistakes; Gu Qing could afford only one.

“Boom!”

Flames suddenly erupted on Gu Qing’s body. The gods who had been sighing fell silent, watching as Gu Qing and Fahai gripped each other—the Sun Golden Core burned fiercely, and the sun in the heavens grew brighter.

Fahai was bathed in golden light. Seeing the flames consuming Gu Qing, he murmured: “Amitabha. Daoist, you cling to desire for a serpent spirit, kindling heat and affliction—you cannot attain true enlightenment… Namo Amitabha…”

“Your heart has never been cool.”

Gu Qing looked at Fahai and spoke calmly. The flames on his body burned even hotter.

The transition from Nascent Soul to Cultivation Transcendence takes many years. Even if Gu Qing cultivated another twenty years, he would not reach Cultivation Transcendence. Meanwhile, Fahai had repeatedly spied, scheming constantly. If he wasn’t eliminated soon, the next two or three decades would hold little peace.

Thus, after careful consideration, Gu Qing decided to strike.

Against Fahai, Gu Qing had ten advantages; Fahai had ten weaknesses. The most crucial advantage: Gu Qing possessed the Sun Golden Core, which, after entering Nascent Soul, granted him divine characteristics. Every aspect of this situation had been meticulously crafted by Gu Qing from the very start of the battle.

“Since your heart is not cool, then savor this.”

Gu Qing said: “This is called, Igniting Fahai!”

He had originally wanted to name this technique “Ultraman Bomb”—after all, with the Sun Golden Core and divine traits, he was practically the Prince of Light Kingdom…

Seeing Gu Qing’s stubbornness, Fahai silently chanted sutras.

The flames on Gu Qing burned fiercely. The intensity of the Sun Golden Core made Fahai feel discomfort—but as a Cultivation Transcendence monk, Fahai radiated Buddhist light, convinced that if they endured, Gu Qing would break first.

The sun shone directly from the sky. Beneath layers of light, hundreds of times more radiance converged upon Gu Qing and Fahai. Within this light, Gu Qing’s flames blazed brighter; Fahai’s fingers, once tightly gripping Gu Qing, loosened unconsciously.

“Desires and attachments are the mind’s servants…”

Fahai chanted, waiting for Gu Qing to collapse.

Jin Bo Fa Wang had been captured by the golden bowl; the kasaya lay discarded. Beneath the searing heat, Fahai dared not chant or use any treasure—he feared the treasure might suddenly envelop him, and this radiant heat would not fade, but instead bring calamity upon himself.

“Daoist Gu…”

Fahai opened his eyes, gazing at Gu Qing. Seeing Gu Qing reduced to skin and bones by the flames, he sighed with pity: “All worldly passions are like…” As he tried to counsel Gu Qing, his eyes narrowed—he saw behind Gu Qing a bamboo staff.

This bamboo staff had been forged by Gu Qing on Mount Fenghuang, containing Jin Bo Fa Wang. After Jin Bo Fa Wang was released to trick Fahai into using the golden bowl, Gu Qing had tossed it aside. Now, it stood upright, reaching from heaven to earth, radiating layers of light—it was the Daoist bamboo staff’s substitute body.

Gu Qing had long refined this staff, but had merely discarded it, causing Fahai to overlook it. He never imagined that after releasing Jin Bo Fa Wang, it still held another trick.

“Amitabha…”

Fahai’s voice was dry.

It was said that when a monk died, chanting “Amitabha” could guide him to the Western Pure Land.

Beneath the bamboo staff’s substitute body, Gu Qing’s Sun Golden Core burned a hundredfold hotter. This exceeded Fahai’s endurance. At last, with a thunderous boom, Fahai tumbled to the ground, his spiritual energy severely damaged. The Cultivation Transcendence Fahai had suffered a total defeat at the hands of Gu Qing.

“Once in the Azure Heaven, the Blue Sky Chant, the Great Floating Li Earth… the Primordial Heavenly Lord taught the Boundless Supreme Text…”

Gu Qing looked at Fahai and chanted the Lingbao Scripture of Maoshan Sect. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Fahai, pale and silent, sat aside. Gu Qing had defeated him. Fahai had nothing left to say—he could only watch as Gu Qing, bathed in sunlight, restored his divine essence, his voice clear as he expounded the mysteries of the Lingbao Scripture.

To Fahai, this was like imprisonment.

In the Northern Song era, the Lingbao Scripture was the first text in the Daoist Canon, the very scripture a Daoist would open first. In it, the Primordial Heavenly Lord’s teachings were orthodox; the Buddhist path was merely a branch. Daoists were encouraged to share this scripture with monks, guiding them back to the true path. Now, having defeated Fahai, Gu Qing shared the scripture—perfectly aligning with its essence.

Above, the sun blazed; unnoticed, the moon rose—sun and moon hung side by side.

In the Heavenly Court, among the immortal mountains, the Eight Immortals gathered, laughing together.

The Southern Pole Star Palace, the Northern Pole Star Palace, the Doulu Star Palace—all manifested strange omens.

On Mount Ling Shan, Bodhisattvas bowed their heads, Arhats fell silent, the Buddha remained mute… Fahai’s humiliating defeat had become the greatest topic in the Three Realms—a Cultivation Transcendence master losing to a Nascent Soul cultivator. He had lost all dignity.

“Buddhist scriptures teach one to understand the world, to know that all phenomena are impermanent, all dharmas are without self—to extinguish afflictions, to attain tranquil nirvana. Thus Daoism values life; Buddhism values death.”

Gu Qing explained the difference between Dao and Buddha to Fahai: “To extinguish personal afflictions, to achieve inner purity and freedom—that is the Buddhist goal. As for Mahayana Buddhism’s claim of entering nirvana yet not abiding in it, with its fifty-two stages—ten faiths, ten abidings, ten practices, ten dedications, ten grounds—it is clearly influenced by… Daoism, offering the hope of immortality, much like Daoists who, upon becoming immortals, keep ascending through bureaucratic ranks…”

Gu Qing directly challenged Fahai with the Lingbao Scripture, then added his own interpretations.

Some things in this world can self-justify. If one simply scoffs and ignores them, fine—but Gu Qing, by directly confronting him and dissecting the Lingbao Scripture while dismantling Buddhist texts, made Fahai feel, strangely, that there was some truth to it.

“Sin, sin…”

Fahai’s face flushed red as he repented for this slight wavering.

“In short, if you cultivate Buddhism, learn to let go. If you cultivate Dao, follow us…”

Gu Qing patted Fahai’s shoulder, telling him to take care.

In the sky, celestial flowers rained down, an immortal chariot descended, and immortal attendants came to greet it.

Gu Qing looked at the sun on the immortal chariot, walked forward calmly, merged his true energy with the chariot, and then the vehicle trembled, ascending toward the heavens.

(End of Chapter)