“What nonsense!” the Dauntless monk said furiously.
There were no buddhist disciples that would advocate for a law of nature where the strong preyed on the weak like this, or why would they still need the buddhist canon? A relentless pursuit for power was something that demonic cultivators practised.
“Look, senior brother!” The Unraging monk pointed out. On the image that reflected the ninth floor of the Demon Suppression hall, the One Lamp monk fell backwards on the ground, and his expression fluctuated. The oil lamp beside him flickered before lighting up.
“He’s in mental turmoil. He actually even accepted such nonsense!” The Dauntless monk frowned.
“Even if it’s nonsense, it has its uses. You can call it fighting fire with fire!” The Unraging monk smiled.
The One Lamp monk wavered inside. No one had ever said something like that to him. He had grown up in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. While there was intense competition here, they definitely did not adhere to the brutal principle where the strong preyed on the weak. Even when they entered the Demon Suppression hall for training, it was for the sake of purging demons, which went without saying. Even if they ended up dying in there, they would be dying as a martyr, and their souls would go to paradise.
It was exactly because he set doing good and assisting all life as his life goal that he found it so unacceptable when he discovered that his actions had actually led to such a terrifying consequence. Even the Dauntless monk who tried to convince him to get his act together subconsciously believed he was very responsible for this, so no one could actually convince him otherwise. He could not forgive himself either.
However, Li Qingshan had given him another answer, which made him feel his mistakes were no longer so unforgivable.
He gazed at his withered hands and murmured, “So I’m too weak? So that’s why nothing is up for me to decide. That’s why the Soaring Locust King cannot even bother with killing me. If I were as strong as the Dauntless abbot, I wouldn’t have been used by him. I wouldn’t have ended up like this. I wouldn’t have caused so many people to die!”
Suddenly, he began to yearn for strength very much!
He who had almost collapsed under the weight of his guilt seemed to find a path in the endless darkness. His regret for the past would only continue to torture his mind, and it would not change no matter how much he punished himself, but his desire for strength bestowed him with new energy. This was the power to advance and climb higher.
Abruptly, the lamp began to glow brilliantly, purging the demon qi in the surroundings.
I’ve been saved by him yet again! The One Lamp monk glanced at Li Qingshan’s figure before shutting his eyes, practising the Scripture of Great Radiance. He glowed with light and broke through the seal that the Unraging monk had placed on him.
If he wanted to become stronger, then all he could do was increase his cultivation and undergo the third heavenly tribulation!
Gradually, his withered body became full once more. Colour returned to his skin. However, his appearance was still extremely ugly. His nose was flat, his lips curled upwards, and his ears flared out. He did not seem any better than a skull. However, the righteous aura he gave off was enough for people to neglect his appearance.
Li Qingshan caught a glance of him from the corner of his eye and could not help but smile. He had not said that to the One Lamp monk because he had nothing better to do. He could still remember how the One Lamp monk arduously tried to convince him out of visiting the eighth floor of the Demon Suppression hall when they first met. That was a concern for his safety without any selfish motives. He clearly possessed startling strength, but he did not have any of the arrogance that came with all the “first senior brothers” he had seen so far.
Afterwards, when they killed their way through the eighth floor, the One Lamp monk had provided him with assistance too. He had personally slaughtered five or six Demon Commanders alone, as well as countless more Demon Generals and demonfolk, which left Li Qingshan with quite a fine impression of him. He did not wish to see him die in his regret either.
The pain on the One Lamp monk’s face subsided, replaced by solemnity. His tattered robes burned away in the light and turned to ash, revealing his robust body. A halo rose up behind his head.
He had become the strongest disciple of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga several decades ago, having undergone the second heavenly tribulation in his forties. He possessed supreme talent that placed him on a pedestal higher than all other disciples. Even across the entire Green province, he had made quite a name for himself. People even believed he would become the next abbot of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, at least until Xiao An arrived.
During the decades that Li Qingshan spent in the Mist province, he had never stopped cultivating. He made good progress, and with the full support of a major sect like the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the third heavenly tribulation was definitely within his reach. He had an even greater chance at breaking through than the various head monks. If he had not become ensnared by his inner demons, perhaps he would have entered secluded cultivation to prepare for the tribulation already.
The Soaring Locust King did not refuse to kill him just to torture him, but also because it would be very difficult to kill him unless his main body took action. If he was careless, it would cost him Daemon Commander clones in the process. However, if his main body took action, the four guardian kings of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga were no joke either, so this risk was not worth it at all. That was why he constantly provoked him verbally, making him suffer from cultivation deviation. However, this was also a form of training and strengthening to the One Lamp monk.
Outside the Demon Suppression hall, the Dauntless monk was relieved. The entire monastery had placed high hopes on One Lamp. Even with One Will’s appearance, the Dauntless abbot still believed he was more suitable for inheriting the position of abbot. It truly was an occasion worthy of celebration that he could overcome his demons and reinvigorate himself. He immediately found Li Qingshan much more pleasing to the eye.
“Senior brother, it was right to send in my disciple, wasn’t it?” The Unraging monk smiled.
The Dauntless monk nodded. He could not help but admit this as well. He silently calculated. Li Qingshan might be a secular disciple, and he doesn’t have much loyalty towards the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. However, he still respects junior brother Unraging to a certain degree, so they basically get along. One Lamp has a very good chance at the third heavenly tribulation. I just wonder which stage One Will has reached with her cultivation, but she should be close to the third heavenly tribulation by now. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga has successors!
Then he said, “Since he refuses to become a monk, the monastery can’t force him to become one, but since he’s your disciple, just mention it if you need any support. We can’t let others think the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga is stingy.”
“Yes, senior brother.” The Unraging monk smiled. He knew that the Dauntless monk had basically recognised Li Qingshan, and the Dauntless monk’s recognition was the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga’s recognition. They would provide Li Qingshan with sufficient resources to mend their relationship. Even if Li Qingshan did not become loyal to the monastery, there would be good will at the very least.
This recognition did not just arise from the assistance that Li Qingshan gave to the One Lamp monk. It was only a way for the Dauntless monk to express his position on this matter. What truly mattered was still actual strength. Even to major sects, great cultivators were extremely rare. They could increase a sect’s strength qualitatively. Unless they had no other choice, no one would want to push these people away.
This instead proved Li Qingshan’s “nonsense”. There was indeed a great difference between the strong and the weak.
“Let’s see how he cultivates,” the Dauntless monk said with expectations.
“Alright!” The Unraging monk was still bothered by a worry. Qingshan, oh Qingshan, you better not have become an actual Demon King, or even I won’t be able to shield you.
Li Qingshan starred at the ninth Demon Suppression statue and discovered it to be unlike the eight previous statues. Not only was it several times larger, but the material it was made from differed drastically too. It seemed much heavier, sitting there in a lotus position with a calm and tranquil expression like a meditating monk.
He observed it for a while and did not immediately receive the Demon Suppression Statuary’s inheritance, so he pressed his hand against the statue, powering the demon heart as his mind sank into his sea of consciousness.
With a rumble, the Demon Suppression statue seemed to spring alive, standing in his sea of consciousness like a mountain and moving about.
The first form, Initial Remorse of the Demon Heart
The second form, the Immovable Demonic Nature!
……
Each move was extremely coherent, moving up the levels before achieving the enlightenment at the end and stopping all movements. Sitting above the sea of consciousness in the lotus position, his dishevelled hair all fell away, converting to buddhism and undergoing tonsure.
Li Qingshan suddenly realised what was going on. As it turned out, the ninth Demon Suppression statue did not just contain the ninth layer of the Demon Suppression Statuary, but the cultivation method’s general principles too. Only here would it demonstrate many of its wonders.
He was exhilarated. If he could comprehend and master it, his human cultivation would definitely progress drastically. He began to concentrate on the comprehension, but gradually, his eyebrows became furrowed instead.
Qingshan, if you’ve travelled down the wrong fork in the road, you still have a chance to correct it here! the Unraging monk thought to himself.
Originally, there was only a single Demon Suppression statue in the Demon Suppression hall. The eight previous statues were modelled on this one in an attempt to simplify the profound cultivation method so that others could understand it more easily. However, the fundamentals in the very end still boiled down to this final Demon Suppression statue, just like how all rivers lead to the ocean.
However, Li Qingshan had not taken a fork in the road at all. Instead, he had been travelling in the opposite direction right from the beginning. It was basically a miracle that he could cultivate until now.
When he tried to comprehend the ninth layer of the Demon Suppression Statuary, he discovered that this conflict had already become so large that he could not correct it anymore. Let alone mastering the entire cultivation method, he even struggled to grasp the ninth layer. His demon qi would immediately collapse once it circulated to his point.
He tried sitting in the same lotus position as the Demon Suppression statue, but he discovered it to be very awkward. He had never even considered becoming a monk, while this demonfolk who realised his errors and mended his ways ended up as a monk.
His cultivation could be increased forcefully, but the practice of cultivation methods still relied on comprehension at the end of the day.
Do I really have to switch to another cultivation method?
ps: 说有更就有更，说好的月票呢!
