Chapter 436: Five-Dragon Vajra Pestle

The Fengyun Yuechen Four Envoys and the four great bandits surrounded Huogong Toutuo.

That Huiyue Shi said to Huogong Toutuo, "Are you the one who has been killing the forty-seven great bandits under my Sacred Sect's command these past few days?"

She looked Huogong Toutuo up and down: "Although your appearance is a bit ugly, your Fire-element True Qi is quite good. My Sacred Sect has established a Five Elements Flag system, which is a technique of Daoist soldiers. If you surrender, this envoy can overlook your previous actions and absorb you into the Sacred Sect to serve as the Flag-Wielding Envoy of the Fire Flag."

"For mediocrities like these, you can refine as many as you want, refine as many as you can. Once you gather a count of one thousand five hundred and coordinate with the other four flags to train into a formation, you can follow the Sacred Sect to enter the Central Plains and clear away all obstacles."

Huogong Toutuo was somewhat interested; after all, what man has never thought, "Are kings and nobles born with high status?" The rebellion to claim kingship held a natural, fatal attraction.

It is just a pity that he had already been branded by the Lingbao Sect Leader and could no longer be a dog for the Sacred Fire Sect.

He sneered: "You forty-seven great bandits are nothing but a group of demons and ghosts in the Great Desert Gobi, a mob of rabble. You also want to enter the Central Earth Divine Continent? It is wishful thinking, dreaming all the way to the heavens. Since you were not born in the Central Plains in this life, it will be difficult for you in the next. It would be better to be killed early and have done with it. This poor monk will perform a rite for you to reduce your sins, so you won't have to suffer the torments of Abi Hell first. Take the express path and see if you can snatch a ticket to be reborn as an ox or horse in the Central Earth Divine Continent."

Xu Jia was watching from the shadows. Hearing him speak such a long, difficult, and insulting sentence without using a single dirty word, yet having the ability to make it sound so harsh and unpleasant—as if he had activated "Taunt"—he nodded immediately: "Regardless of strength, one must not lose in momentum."

Huiyue Shi was a foreigner and did not quite understand, but the several great bandits beside her did. Their eyes widened in fury, and they said indignantly, "You bald donkey with burning pubic hair, the Sacred Envoy kindly promoted you, yet you use such foul language and do not know what is good for you. Let me see what real skills you have!"

They were the first to rush ahead of the four envoys, intending to strike.

It was a lama from the Western Regions. This lama was covered in demonic Qi, and suddenly, whether it was his bones or flesh, everything began to claw and brandish, and a ghost hand grew from under his armpit.

This ghost hand was icy cold, carrying a natural atmosphere of terror, seeming to strike from all directions, like the sticky, cold breath of an octopus, pressing deep into the soul.

Huogong Toutuo, however, was amused. This Dharma Realm aura—wasn't it familiar? He had previously been arranged by Xu Jia in the Dharma Realm to clean up dirty things. Although he had never fought against a true Demon God, he was not panicked, at least not to the point of feeling fear that would create a gap in his state of mind.

In Buddhism, this is the most important thing; it is "Great Fearlessness." Only Great Fearlessness is the prerequisite for successfully binding ghosts and gods. Of course, the sacrificial offerings to entertain ghosts and gods, the Magic Tools to bind them, and the secret arts are also very important.

He silently circulated the Buddhist Riguang Pusa Method. The Light Appearance of the Riguang Pusa illuminated the shadows of the ghosts and gods. Suddenly, the large string of prayer beads on his neck jumped out, transforming into golden-yellow mummified Diamond Protectors.

These mummies all had solemn expressions; their Dharma Power could not be called profound, but they were blended into one.

The lama sensed the Buddhist Dharma measures within and could not help but be astonished: "How does this Outer Path also have the Heavenly Dragon and the protection of the heavens?"

The Diamond Protectors formed the Light Formation.

Originally, there was no such formation; it was purely because these Diamond Protectors all had large, bald heads that were now reflecting light like lightbulbs, scattering and refracting the light intent of the Riguang Pusa even further.

Who would have known that the four envoys of the Sacred Fire Sect, seeing this appearance, were even more satisfied and nodded secretly: "It truly contains the profound meaning of infinite light. Even if he doesn't command the Five Elements Flag, being a Light Envoy is enough."

Seeing that the first ghost god he released was useless, the lama was suddenly filled with gloomy ghost Qi. He released all three ghost gods, and in their hands, they held various Secret Sect Magic Tools—the Five-Dragon Vajra Pestle, one of the three treasures of the Daimyo Missionary Temple.

The Five-Dragon Vajra Pestle was a supreme tool refined by subduing five Outer Path dragon beasts, known as the Daimyo Missionary Temple's number one tool for subduing the Outer Path.

Holding this Vajra Pestle, one could augment the immense strength of the five dragons and operate the Dragon-Elephant Great Strength Divine Ability, possessing the power to collapse mountains and shatter the earth.

The Dragon-Elephant Great Strength Divine Ability is a great divine ability of Manjushri.

As soon as he operated it, Huogong Toutuo felt very suppressed.

For a moment, a muscular man in a lama robe was directly engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the bald Diamond Protectors.

The three ghost gods were eerie and cold, unleashing various curses and forbidden techniques, including the Five Viscera Rotting Death Curse, the Five Plagues Epidemic Curse, the Gut-Hooking Belly-Swelling Curse...

These secret curses were all extremely dangerous evil curses of the Secret Treasury region, which could not be learned or cultivated without a master. Evil curses could drive ghosts and gods to harvest human lives.

This lama was able to become one of the forty-seven great bandits, so his nature was never compassionate.

Before cultivating the Dharma, he had used means to curse an entire village to death, including the landlord.

Because he borrowed the power of ghosts and gods, he became entangled by them. Even the first ghost god was actively bound without the use of other Magic Tools. When the ghost god was awake, it wanted to control him to kill, taking pleasure in slaughter. When the ghost god was resting, he saw that he had killed so many innocent people, and only then did he feel inner anxiety, finding the Daimyo Missionary Temple to actively cultivate the corresponding Dharma to control the ghost god.

Although these evil curses were blocked by the Riguang Pusa Bright Curse, many still took effect.

They were just transferred away. Among those Diamond Protectors, those whose physical bodies were not very strong immediately began to rot and decay, unable to even maintain their Diamond Dharma Power.

Furthermore, waves of Black Qi came to harass them.

Huogong Toutuo immediately abandoned these Outer Path elements and focused on absorption, gathering the True Qi and Dharma Power of the Protectors into himself.

Those Diamond Protectors instantly lost their power, becoming like ordinary mummies, and immediately exploded one by one, all cursed to death by the evil curses.

Instead, this left the lama, who was fiercely attacking with the Five-Dragon Vajra Pestle, stunned, his strength momentarily spent on empty air.

Meanwhile, Huogong Toutuo, whose cultivation was rising rapidly, had a flushed face. The Dharma Power brought by the Supernatural Talisman Golden Core made him feel unparalleled strength. The lama, who had just been somewhat stressful, now seemed to be nothing special.

More importantly, he felt the Earthly Fiend Minor Arts Talisman Seed within their bodies. These Talisman Seeds had a fatal attraction to the Golden Core within his body.

Now, all he thought was: "Grab it in one go, refine it instantly."

As long as he killed one, such as this lama, his Dharma Power and divine abilities could be directly grafted onto himself. Even if it only had eighty percent effectiveness, it would be enough for him to intimidate these Earth Immortal experts. With the sword marks in hand, it would not be difficult to save his life and escape.

As for struggling to the death, he had not considered it; fighting eight against one, no matter how powerful, would be difficult to resist.

The other seven had not made a move now, merely using the lama's hand to test the waters.

Now that Huogong Toutuo had refined such a method, they were immediately wary, secretly wondering how they would break such a move if they encountered it in battle. Only Xichen Shi among the four envoys frowned: "What kind of evil technique is this, that it can actually deprive others of their cultivation and graft it onto oneself? It contradicts the meaning of light in our sect."

Huiyue Shi said: "Actually, that is not the case. This has the same effect as our sect's supreme divine ability, the Universe Great Shift. The Universe Great Shift divine ability is taken from the Arm-Armed Ape, one of the Four Ancient Apes, and has the meaning of manipulating the universe. In fact, it can not only shift the opponent's offensive, but also absorb the opponent's cultivation and Dharma Power, and even open up a space out of thin air to directly refine others."

"Taking a thousand mountains, shrinking the sun and moon, manipulating the universe—the two characters 'Universe' are the greatest and widest, containing the philosophy of the cosmos... It perfectly matches our sect's philosophy of infinite light, and there is nothing wrong with it."

"Even, if he is willing to hand over this secret method, our Sacred Sect could immediately create a batch of experts."

"Even disciples of the sect who are dying can continue to contribute to the Sacred Sect through this technique, until the Sacred Fire burns their bodies and they follow the embrace of the Bright Venerable."

She had come up with a thorough method for the Sacred Sect to exploit its disciples.

Xu Jia, standing on the side, also had some comments.

Aside from the forty-seven great bandits, Huogong Toutuo could never defeat these Fengyun Yuechen Four Envoys. Even if he could kill one of these forty-seven great bandits, it would count as completing the task Xu Jia gave him. He would not let him be wasted here and would definitely intervene.

As for "the strong bullying the weak," Xu Jia would not think of that at all.

The battle here also alarmed Baiyun Chanshi. His true body did not come, but with a thought, he had a spiritual journey, and through a cloud of Qi, he turned into a novice monk, immediately seeing Xu Jia who was also standing in the void.

He cultivated the Dharma and recognized fate. From Xu Jia's Unfinished Sword Intent, he recognized that Xu Jia was the strong one who had previously possessed Huanglian Daoren. At this moment, it was his true body... but his fate, why was it still the secret technique of Huanglian Daoren? He looked down and did not see Xu Jia's shadow; it was because the shadow had been hidden away.

"Fellow Daoist is not a practitioner from this world?" Baiyun Chanshi inquired.

"That is correct. When this poor Daoist was traveling through Taixu, I discovered this world and found it somewhat interesting, so I descended. You can also understand it as a Heavenly Demon from outside the domain."

Baiyun Chanshi immediately felt a sense of wariness. Heavenly Demons from outside the domain never had a sense of belonging to the world, had no scruples when attacking, and would not care if they shattered the heavens and earth; it would just be perfect for breaking the void and ascending.

Xu Jia did not have this self-awareness and commented: "Chanshi, what do you think of Huogong Toutuo's Outer Path Buddhist cultivation?"

"It is somewhat similar to the Jinguang Fobao Sarira in the sky?"

Xu Jia nodded: "That is exactly so, but there are also many differences."

"Departing from the scriptures and rebelling against the Dao," Baiyun Chanshi said coldly, "You are like a demonic disciple draped in the Buddha's robes."

"We have barely begun; has the Chanshi never heard of the method of using demons to control demons? This 'evil people are ground down by evil people' logic holds true—since one possesses a Bodhisattva's heart, one must also possess Diamond means. Look at these forty-seven great bandits; they have roamed Da Mo for many years, yet have they not now encountered me?"

"Baiyun Chanshi, in all these years, have you never desired to subdue demons? Is performing this Merit not far easier than carving eighty great Buddhas or a million Buddha caves?"

"The Dharma values purity and essence; furthermore, due to the Cause and Effect of past lives, everyone has a place they are destined to go. Although the forty-seven great bandits have already sown the seeds of karma, the bitter fruit has yet to ripen. This old monk is a person outside the world; in the end, without having attained the status of a Bodhisattva, how can I have the wisdom to ferry all living beings? Even if I were to kill them myself, it would merely be creating one karmic debt after another out of thin air. It is better to cultivate the Buddha caves; if the common people see them, all attachments will be extinguished, they will develop a heart of renunciation, give rise to great wisdom, and realize the truth of Emptiness. This is my way of successfully ferrying one person, which counts as one Merit."

"For a benefactor like you to strike directly is merely looking at the grafting of Cause and Effect. Otherwise, as long as one is in the Desire Realm, no matter which realm one is in, as long as one is trapped in these killings and struggles, these debts of gratitude and enmity, it is nothing more than sinking into the sea of desire. Whether it is through the hard cultivation of life after life or the accumulation of Merit, maintaining it is easy, but breaking the cultivation is difficult."

"Killing demons is easy; breaking through obstacles is difficult," Baiyun Chanshi sighed.

Although Xu Jia teased him for cultivating Buddhism like rotten wood, he nodded in agreement with this statement, though he himself could not do it; after all, he bore the great vows and great desires of all living beings. Others might "preserve themselves in solitude," but Xu Jia could not.

One must not stand high above, thinking that living beings are stubborn and foolish. Although it is always said that people have their inherent flaws, it is nothing more than being "polluted by the five desires." If you make living beings unable to eat their fill, they will naturally bow for five pecks of rice; if you make them unable to wear warm clothes, it is hard to blame them for being calculating over every penny.

Xu Jia had also seen those whose material desires were satisfied, and they all wore world-weary faces.

The grassroots masses have few opportunities for education and are often led by others.

Yet, those who truly possess power are still them.

Xu Jia does not need to make everyone accept his thoughts and his philosophy in terms of culture or wisdom.

These are all just essays and theories, empty talk on paper. What must be done is simply to make the "earth three feet thick"—one foot thick with grain, one foot thick with clothing, and one foot thick with money.

Of course, a great cause also requires fellow travelers, people with shared goals and paths, like the Qian hexagram and the Li hexagram, the clear sky and the great sun.

Xu Jia naturally would not explain too much to Baiyun Chanshi, only feeling that his realm was too low. No wonder he could not attain the status of a Bodhisattva; even Arhats are polished through many lifetimes of cultivation, and even if he were to ascend to the Buddha Realm, he would not have a very high status.

Xu Jia said, "That Esoteric Buddhism teaching is not bad; would the Chanshi like to take it and contemplate it?"

"No need. They value techniques over the Dao. They do not study the Great Dao of Sakyamuni, but instead grasp at Divine Abilities and study them bitterly. Even if they ascend, they would only hold the position of a Diamond Protector..."

You still look down on him? Xu Jia actually felt that Baiyun Chanshi's approach was the one that was detached from reality, not as pragmatic as the Esoteric Buddhism people. No matter what, this group of people had indeed ruled the plateau for over a thousand years.

Below, Huogong Toutuo fought for a while, and his arrogance gradually subsided; after all, he was only a product of a shortcut, so how powerful could he really be?

Daimyo Missionary Temple is also a large temple in the Western Regions with superior inheritance, and it counts as a righteous sect of the Western Regions. He only received a few moves passed down by Xu Jia, and his methods were nothing more than those few basic tricks.

After three basic tricks, he was at his wit's end, and the moves and patterns he used began to repeat.

Even if he occasionally used a Divine Ability or spell from the Supernatural Talisman Golden Core, it was not something he had cultivated himself, and he was not very familiar with it. It was just like drawing cards—he used whichever one he drew, clicking wherever it lit up.

Although his true Qi and Dharma Power were abundant, his experience in fighting against experts was still lacking. He could bully a mob, but at this moment, he revealed his weaknesses.

Baiyun Chanshi was watching and shaking his head.

(End of this chapter)