The pillar broke and fell to the ground slowly. The ceiling collapsed, and the glazed roof tiles poured down like rain.
Sunlight flowed in, producing a rainbow glow from reflecting off the tiles.
Expressions of surprise were frozen on all of their faces. That was strength beyond imagination!
“Senior brother!” “Abbot!” the Unraging monk and the two other old monks cried out.
“Don’t worry, master. Our abbot’s head is plenty tough.”
Li Qingshan smiled. The Dauntless monk had always annoyed him in all sorts of ways, but he had still been quite nice to Xiao An, so he did not strike to kill. Otherwise, even if a tough-bodied Demon King took a punch from him, the only fate awaiting them was a ruptured head.
“You damned disciple! I’m not sparing you today!” the Unraging monk said furiously.
Demon qi surged from the Unraging monk’s body, possessing the paramount power of demon suppression. It merged with his plump figure, and his fat immediately turned into rippling muscle. His body became scarlet-red like fire as if he had used the Possession of the Demon King, except the war banners on his back depicted the words “Demon Suppression”.
Li Qingshan, however, smiled when he heard that. Seeing how he still called him “damned disciple”, he really had not held back in vain.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pillars struck the ground, and the grand hall shook violently. The sounds of the shattering roof tiles filled the surroundings. Dust filled the air.
The countless arhats, heavenly maidens, and guardians from the murals swarmed over together. Right when they were about to swallow Li Qingshan, a river of blood whistled over. The river water was dark red and sticky. It contained countless skeletons that moaned and wailed, extending their pale-white arms, and it also had some stronger evil spirits, brandishing their claws like they could swallow people whole.
“Xuanyue?” The Dark Queen looked over in surprise, only to see Xiao An holding a blood banner of white bone, swinging it around gently. It actually seemed even stronger than the treasure of the Umbral Yin sect, the Myriad Ghost Banner.
It was a supreme treasure of white bone, the Blood Sea Banner.
The blood sea surged, filled with great foulness. Wherever it reached, even the golden glow of the buddha dimmed. Whether it was the arhats, heavenly maidens, or guardians, they would be immediately devoured once they fell into it. It flooded this land of buddhism.
Only eight strangely-shaped murals remained, able to leap out of the sea of blood.
At first sight, they seemed somewhat human, but at a closer glance, none of them were human. They were either extremely handsome, snake-headed with a human body, ugly and vicious-looking, or four-limbed. They all possessed strength at the third heavenly tribulation.
Li Qingshan immediately recognised the ugly and vicious-looking mural to be an asura.
He was unable to tell normally, but as it turned out, the arhats and heavenly maidens only served as a contrast in the colorful, beautiful murals. Only the eight of them were the true leads.
This was the legendary eight legions of deva-nāga , which were the deva, the nāga, the yak?a, the gandharva, the asura, the garu?a, the ki?nara, and the mahoraga. They were eight kinds of gods and spirits that resembled humans and had a close connection to the buddhist dharma. When the buddha expounded the dharma, they regularly participated and listened in.
The deva and the nāga were the most important, which was why it was known as the eight legions of deva-nāga. They possessed an extremely important status in buddhism, and they were also the origins of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga’s name. The ultimate technique of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Chant of Deva-Nāga, sounded like the cries of dragons, of nāga, but it actually possessed the chants of deva.
Li Qingshan grinned widely. “You call me a wretched daemon, but the eight of them clearly aren’t human either, yet aren’t they still enshrined in this grand hall? Isn’t the Chant of Deva-Nāga just a replication of a wretched daemon’s sound? Do you have to be so biased?”
“How dare you!” “How bold of you!” the two old monks called out.
“Damned disciple, the eight legions admire buddhism, which is why they had a destiny with the buddha and can be enshrined by us. They’re not existences you can comment on,” said the Unraging monk.
“Master, I also have a destiny with the buddha! The Dauntless abbot even said I’m deep with a buddha nature. After listening to the Dharma Ceremony of Meditative Chan, I even developed a bit of a heart of chan!”
“Unraging, ignore his nonsense. Slay the daemon immediately and protect the sect!”
“Intelligence and Dharma Are Equivalent; All Life and the Buddha Are Equal—Fist Seal of Intelligence!”
A Monk King struck out with both fists. Both hands were curled into fists, while the ten fingers interlocked together into a seal, hurling towards Li Qingshan’s back.
This was the hand seal of Mahāvairocana of the Vajra realm. It used great wisdom and intellect to tear down the mists and obstacles to enlightenment such that it was unavoidable. Then it used the strength of a guardian king to obliterate the enemy. It was one of the greatest techniques of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga
“Bodhidharma Sword of Wisdom!”
The other Monk King lifted up a long sword over a meter and a half in length. He was small, skinny, and hunched over, like a child wielding an adult’s weapon, which seemed extremely conflicting. However, his expression was plain and innocent, filled with absolute sincerity as he bowed forwards. The sword swung down over Li Qingshan’s head.
Right off the bat, he had unleashed the final form of the Bodhidharma Sword, the Boy Bows to the Budda!
If they were not a true buddha, only death awaited them!
At the same time, the eight legions struck at the same time.
The deva was gentle in expression, pure and lofty. It was just like a god, chanting the scriptures softly.
The nāga flew through the air, brandishing its claws and fangs as it emitted a sonorous dragon’s cry that reached the clouds.
The two sounds seemed to enter Li Qingshan’s head independently from his left and right ear before rumbling and merging together. It was the ultimate technique of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Chant of Deva-Nāga, but unlike the monks’ Chant of Deva-Nāga, it was much more savage and primitive, having replaced some of the profound dharma with wondrous destructive power. It stirred up his soul.
The gandharva was graceful in figure and lithe in appearance. It was only wrapped in a piece of white cloth, but it was enveloped by layers upon layers of churning, colourful mist. It gave off a heavy fragrance, making people’s heads spin, yet they were also unable to resist sniffing it. They felt like they were wallowing in a dream.
The asura was the most vigorous and vicious. It let out a war cry and rushed over with a weapon in hand while having a raging battle spirit. It was basically no different from a true Asura King, and it was even a little more pure than one.
The yak?a was no less vicious compared to the asura in terms of appearance. It had a green face, ferocious fangs, and a pair of horns protruding from its forehead, except its movements were nimble and silent. It unfurled its wings as it lunged over swiftly.
The ki?nara had a single horn on its head, singing and dancing about gently as if it was not in a battle but attending a grand banquet. Its footsteps constantly varied such that it was unpredictable. It seemed to move slowly, but it had arrived before Li Qingshan in the blink of an eye. It went for his throat with movements that resembled a dance.
The garu?a let out a long, anguishing cry and spread its wings, blotting out the sun and exhibiting a solemn appearance. It went for the back of Li Qingshan’s head with its sharp, shining beak, moving so fast that it was difficult to react to.
The mahoraga had the head of a snake and the body of a human. It suddenly turned into a huge, black python, opening its mouth that seemed to be hiding endless darkness as it lunged towards Li Qingshan.
The eight legions only came from the mural, but the painter had clearly captured the essence of the eight legions already. They possessed might of their own, working together flawlessly. They were enough to hold off ten great cultivators working together, and on Great Buddha mountain, within the World Purifying Formation of Buddha Hymn, their strength only multiplied.
If some ignorant person wanted to break into the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, there was no need for the monks in the temple to do anything; this huge mural alone was enough to make them suffer. Just how capable had the person who painted this mural been?
What a Five Absolutes Immortal!
Apart from when Qiongqi descended, the current situation was even more dangerous than within the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous in the south.
