Chapter 101: 96 Cannot Obtain

96 Bu De

This earth-shattering slash struck a Buddhist bead!

The Buddhist bead was sliced in two and rolled into the water with a clatter.

At the same time, Xing Ji was struck by a flying blow and fell from the sky.

Everyone's eyes followed the Buddhist bead, their minds blank.

What is this?

Where did it come from?

No one even thought to ask this question.

This sword strike missed, the opportunity was lost; what was to be done?

The Heavenly Demon had broken free; how was it to be dealt with?

No one was thinking about such questions either.

As for the Town Guardian who presided over the situation being struck down from high altitude, his life or death uncertain, no one paid him any attention at all.

The surrounding Sword Guest martial officials of the Inspection Division were fully focused, their eyes following the Buddhist bead as if it were the only treasure in the world, a drop of sweet dew in a great drought; their eyes could hold nothing else, their minds could hold no other thoughts, only watching that Buddhist bead split in two.

Something is wrong, something is wrong!

Tang Zhao only felt uncomfortable all over, sweat dripping from his forehead, but his eyes could not leave the Buddhist bead either; he felt that if he did not stare at it, there would be nothing else in the world worth looking at.

Ah, ah, ah—

This isn't right!

His mind should have been blank as well, even unable to think. But deep in his heart, there was a lingering feeling, extremely uncomfortable; that discomfort ground at his subconscious so painfully, just like someone stabbing his leg while he was in a deep sleep, allowing him to retain a sliver of clarity.

What was that discomfort? A feeling of misery rising from his very bones, a loathing that made him want to go mad...

It is—sin!

Such terrifying sin, suppress it for me!

With a fierce swing, a Xiezhi jumped out, immediately turning into a stone statue and pressing down toward a certain spot.

In the air, it seemed to be disturbed by something and wanted to turn around to follow the direction of the Buddhist bead, but in that instant, it had already turned to stone and could not turn back, pressing straight down—

Boom!

In an instant, the feeling returned to normal!

Tang Zhao's attention shifted away from the Buddhist bead, and he immediately saw Xing Ji, who was about to fall into the water, only inches away from the dragon's head.

Without caring for anything else, Tang Zhao shouted: "Sword Art—Transform into Rainbow!"

Tang Zhao and the Xiezhi Sword transformed into a black-and-white rainbow, sweeping across the air; in the nick of time, he scooped up Xing Ji.

Xing Ji had been attacked from behind, but it was only a knock-back, and he was not seriously injured because Tang Zhao had used his last bit of consciousness to throw an Art Tool to help him block the attack, and because these true Sword Guests all had Qi for Body Protection; after two buffers, his body was fine.

The moment before being caught by Tang Zhao, Xing Ji had already regained consciousness and forcibly swung his sword; a Bi'an jumped out, dragging him and Tang Zhao into the high sky.

However, once they reached the high sky and looked at the overall situation, they were instantly filled with rage.

The Iron Chain Array on the great river had completely slackened, the iron chains floating loosely on the river surface, the river flowing with a splash as if breaking ice, and the iron chains tethered to the dragon hung limply. The dragon did not return to the water, but instead, with its whiskers and hair fully flared, it glared at Xing Ji like a volcanic eruption.

The thin layer of suppressing flames on its body had completely extinguished.

A terrifying Momentum radiated from the dragon's entire body, casting an irresistible Shadow over people's hearts.

The opportunity had passed!

All previous efforts were wasted!

Xing Ji's heart bled, and the Bi'an roared incessantly behind him. Yet, compared to the dragon, which was gradually being entangled in clouds and mist, it could not even be considered a big cat.

Shifting his gaze, he found the culprit.

In the air, a monk in white sat cross-legged in mid-air, the moonlight shining obliquely on his side, a Jade Plate refracting a soul-stirring light.

Xing Ji was furious, but his expression was very calm as he said: "Sacred Moon Sect?"

The white-clad monk said: "Amitabha, greetings, Town Guardian. This poor monk is the Yunxi Incense Master of the Sacred Moon Sect."

Xing Ji felt the chill brought by the dragon's mist behind him and used his Sword Light to direct the formation to disperse, saying: "So—it was you bunch of scum who caused this."

The white-clad monk said: "It is not that this poor monk is playing tricks, but that you donors are mentally obstructed."

Xing Ji's eyebrows stood up, and he almost could not help but curse, but Tang Zhao continued: "Cognitive obstruction?"

The white-clad monk put his palms together and said: "Amitabha, the young donor actually knows Zen principles. The cognitive obstruction is: to not be stained by ignorance regarding the objects of knowledge. It obstructs all-encompassing wisdom, but does not obstruct Nirvana. Although this obstruction exists, seeing the Hearers and others, one attains Nirvana. All that you know, see, and listen to are your own mental obstructions; only by letting go of the attachments in your heart can you attain purity and great enlightenment."

Although Tang Zhao had heard some Buddhist principles and scanned a few scriptures, how could he have truly studied Buddhism? Hearing this chanting-like voice, he was originally impatient, but for some reason, he could not help but listen to what the monk was saying; gradually, his ears could hold no other sounds, and his whole heart and soul were devoted to the white-clad monk's plain preaching.

No, no!

This time he reacted faster; the disgusting and irritable feeling in his heart had not disappeared, blocking his Mental Power from concentrating just like a toothache.

"Ah—"

"Hah—"

Tang Zhao and Xing Ji shouted in unison and swung their swords at the same time; amidst the sword swings, the Bi'an and Xiezhi stood side by side, roaring fiercely, breaking the strange atmosphere.

Again... they had almost fallen for it.

The two looked at each other, both feeling lingering fear. This person must be a Sword Guest, and the kind that interferes with the Spirit, able to lead others by the nose without a sound.

A very annoying direction!

The white-clad monk said: "Amitabha, having finally had the opportunity for sudden enlightenment, why tread into the maze of obstruction yourself?"

Tang Zhao did not wait for him to continue his flowery speech and said: "Sir, you go and subdue the Heavenly Demon first, I have this..."

The white-clad monk said: "Cannot go, cannot go. Why suffer by repeating mistakes? The Moon God is a descent from heaven; how can it be sought by a mortal body? Naturally, it is all in vain. Bu De (Cannot Obtain), obtaining what is not sought, seeking what is not obtained, is the great suffering of the Human World. Foolish child, have you not yet realized?"

Xing Ji suddenly said: "Bu De."

Tang Zhao was startled and said: "What Bu De? Ah, is his name Bu De?"

Xing Ji said coldly: "Bu De Sword, Ku Yi. So it was you."

Ku Yi pressed his palms together and said, "A mere insignificant name, not worth the ears of a noble person."

Xing Ji said, "A prestigious name? You could say that. Although you are only a Sword Guest, you are the most troublesome kind. It is said that your Sword Intent is 'Bu De'—in your Sword Art, the more you want to obtain something, the easier it is to lose it. The more you want to attack something, the less likely you are to hit it. I see it as a deception to the eyes and ears. You can attract people to look, attract them to listen, pulling all their attention to where you want it, and then you fish in troubled waters. You are a bewitching monk who confuses people's hearts."

His explanation matched Tang Zhao's own guesses; once laid bare, it was not that magical, but being caught in the situation and unable to react was terrifying.

This reminded Tang Zhao of that Dharma Artifact of Wei Zhangle's; it was just like that when described as powerful, but sometimes it was nearly unsolvable.

However, for Xing Ji to explain in such detail...

Xing Ji paused and said, "Tang Zhao, do you understand?"

Tang Zhao immediately understood his meaning and said, "I have no problem. You go first, leave this place to me."

Xing Ji smiled rarely and said, "Don't push yourself. If I leave, you'll have no one to help you; don't cry if you get beaten."

Tang Zhao laughed and said, "Are you kidding? I was cultivated by you through all your hard work; I can't just be here to coast on the sidelines, right? At least leave this battlefield to me... Hey, hey, hey, are you leaving that fast?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xing Ji had already hurried away.

He stood with his back to Xing Ji and did not see Xing Ji's expression.

It was a firm, calm expression, and also an expression of one who disregards life and death, moving forward without looking back.

Tang Zhao did not see it, but he could understand it.

Ku Yi said, "Wait, this poor monk did not tell you to leave..."

"Sword Art—Suppress the Invasion!"

Tang Zhao did not wait for him to make another move; he suddenly formed a seal, and his long sword struck out!

The Sword Light drew an arc in the air, splitting the firmament in two.

The arc was clear and long, as if it were a frontier boundary.

"From now on, no one can pass."

Tang Zhao stood before the arc, pointing his sword forward, and said, "This line is my Great Wall; one step back is my homeland. Today, whether man or object, whoever wants to pass from here must be smashed to pieces."

This was also the Judge's Sword Art, the Sword Art of the Xiezhi Sword.

The Judge also firmly believed that those who hold the sword have the duty to defend the land.

So, Lord Judge, how exactly does your sword distinguish right from wrong?

Ku Yi said thoughtfully, "This... seems familiar!"

He reached out, plucked off a Buddhist bead, and rolled it forward.

Tang Zhao closed his eyes, letting the Buddhist bead roll to the front of the arc.

Sss—

A streak of Sword Light flashed through the Void; the Buddhist bead was sliced open by the Sword Light, then shattered into Fragments, dissipating in the air.

Tang Zhao opened his eyes, his gaze firm, and said, "I don't know what you used to deceive Chief Xing's Yumen Guan. But I know his sword distinguishes friend from foe. Mine does not; my sword only distinguishes right from wrong. You can confuse friend and foe, but you cannot invert right and wrong. That line is the final line of defense and cannot be trampled. Even if I were to retreat out of cowardice, I would die just the same."

"Stop having crooked ideas, bewitching monk, let's have a head-on fight!"

"The Moon God descends, this poor monk understands." Ku Yi finally sighed, "Then let's kill you first."

As he spoke, he stood up from the air and walked through the sky.

Yet he had already walked forward, and at the original spot, there was still an identical monk.

That monk rose and walked over, and there was still one at the original spot.

That patch of Void seemed like a treasure basin; the monks were endless. Every time one walked out, one was bound to be waiting at the original spot. Finally, eighteen monks walked out in succession, surrounding Tang Zhao. The eighteen people each held weapons: there were Zen Staffs, Demon Subduing Shovels, and Vajra Pestles... they were of different lengths, but all were covered in a layer of golden light, looking solemn and dignified.

The auras of the eighteen people were exactly the same, forming an Array without any flaws, airtight.

"So that's it, the same old tricks." Tang Zhao stopped looking closely; he knew that perhaps if he looked carefully at one person, his attention would be drawn, forever fixed on that one person, and he might not even react if he were smashed into meat paste by the other monks.

Fighting this bewitching monk cannot rely on eyes, cannot rely on ears, cannot rely on any senses.

"I can only believe in you, Lord Judge."

Tang Zhao raised his hand, took out a black-and-white Mask, and fastened it to his face, covering all his senses.

To judge good and evil, to distinguish right from wrong, is to be—the Judge!