Chapter 402 Slay Gods and Buddhas alike
The atmosphere in the courtyard behind the main hall was rather quiet.
Apart from the ascetic practice of chanting sutras with eyes closed without pausing, there are others.
After Ouyang Rong swaggered in, Li Li, Daoist Xi, and the Murong brothers all focused intently on observing their surroundings.
Especially the Murong brothers on the rooftop, after confirming that he was indeed the only one who had come empty-handed and alone, nodded silently to Li Li and Daoist Xi.
"Heh—hahahaha."
The frivolous Taoist priest suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had encountered something extremely amusing. Pointing at the young man in front of him, dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a bronze beast mask, he asked with great delight:
"Hahaha, wait, wait, let me ask you first, did you kill Zhao Ru?"
"right."
"Are you the Swordholder?"
"uh-huh."
"What rank was it?"
Ouyang Rong replied truthfully, "Eight. Just arrived."
"Coming alone? Where's Dingjian?"
"I didn't bring it... Actually, it's quite intelligent and has a strong personality. It's a bit hard to control, so it went off to play by itself."
"Haha, the sword wielder can't control the sword, hahaha, I'm dying of laughter... The sword wielder is disobedient, haha, let me catch my breath, hahaha..."
From the moment Ouyang Rong entered until his questioning of Master Xi, Li Li had been staring intently at his face, which was covered by a bronze mask, for almost the entire time.
Hearing Master Xi's laughter, Li Li also chuckled.
The Murong Xianbei brothers, who were on guard on the roof, looked at each other and grinned, but their smiles, revealing white teeth, were somewhat sinister.
Beside the coffin, the ascetic monk Miyin paused briefly in his chanting, opened his eyes to look at the masked young man in a sapphire blue scholar's robe, shook his head slightly, and continued chanting to guide people.
"Hey kid, are you out of your mind? Coming here to ask stupid questions and even asking this Daoist master to die? Hahaha, this Daoist master is dying of laughter..."
Led by Master Xi's laughter, a joyful atmosphere filled the courtyard.
The young man in the sapphire blue scholar's robe did not answer. He raised his hand and touched the chin of the bronze mask, making it impossible to see his expression behind the mask.
Surrounded by ridicule and mockery, his figure appeared somewhat lonely for a moment.
However, upon seeing him make that very familiar chin-resting gesture, the Persian merchant's large, green eyes widened fiercely, and he demanded sharply:
"What did you do to the Sixth Young Master? And are you Ouyang Lianghan?!"
The question was so stupid that Ouyang Rong didn't answer, shaking his head with a hint of helplessness.
"Have you finished asking? Then it's my turn."
Without waiting for Li Li and the others to interrupt with their laughter, he asked everyone with utmost seriousness:
“I have a friend who once met a girl in the underground palace of this temple. He thought she was just a kind passerby, but later he realized that there was a deep connection between them, and she might even have done him a great favor without expecting anything in return. In fact, if he hadn’t discovered it, he would have been kept in the dark forever.”
“He has been thinking about this matter a lot lately. He said that apart from the misunderstanding with his family when he was a child, he didn’t really feel that much indebted or guilty. After all, the two of them didn’t know each other before. This kind of unfamiliar kindness puts more pressure on people. Maybe that’s why the girl saved him without telling him. She tried her best to consider his feelings.”
"He understands everything and knows that it's best to pretend not to see. He has important things to do, and the young girl seems to have important things to do too. They are two parallel lines, so why bother interfering? But although he is open-minded, he feels a little empty inside. He often talks to me about this strange encounter. Do you think I don't know him?"
"I asked him if he was lustful at first sight, and he immediately shook his head, saying that he had no unrealistic desires or expectations for the girl. Actually, I quite believe that. My friend is indeed a gentleman."
"I advised him that since they had met at the ancient temple, it meant they were destined to meet the Buddha, so they should heed the Buddha's advice."
"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed. All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions."
"Nothing is permanent, and so is his relationship with that girl. This extraordinary encounter is inherently empty. If one's nature is not empty, then there can be no such thing... Since one's nature is inherently empty, yet we still passed each other by, it means we are not destined to meet in this moment. There is no need to be attached to appearances. If we are destined to meet, we will meet again. If we are not destined to meet, why should we be entangled?"
"He nodded and said it was logically acceptable, but in reality he wouldn't listen to any advice. He seems to cherish this relationship even more and is going against the grain. I can't understand it at all. Do you know why? Should I still try to persuade my friend?"
Ouyang Rong spoke sincerely:
"Now that we've finished, who would like to go first?"
"What kind of rubbish is this, coming here to make fun of us, fuck your mother!"
On the rooftop, under the cold moonlight, Murong Qi, the elder brother among the Xianbei men, finally couldn't hold back any longer and walked out cursing.
Ouyang Rong glanced at him.
"You're about to die, and you're still asking about your mother?" Murong Qi said with a violent expression, looking at a certain Taoist priest with dissatisfaction: "You surnamed Xi, you said you wanted a head, if you don't make a move, I'll take his head off, and don't say I didn't give you face."
Master Xi nodded with a nonchalant expression and gave a frivolous smile, but out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the calm and collected figure of Ouyang Rong, and frowned slightly, as if wondering where this person's confidence came from.
Just as he was about to speak, in the next instant, in everyone's view, the head of the Xianbei man standing on the roof slid off his neck, smashed through the broken tiles at his feet, and rolled down.
Murong Qi's headless corpse fell, his previously violent and dissatisfied expression frozen on the rolling head, his eyes still filled with disbelief. The head fell into the courtyard and, propelled by inertia, rolled to the feet of Li Li and Xi Daoshi in front of the coffin.
Ouyang Rong remained calm: "What a waste of time. Please die first, then you're next."
His gaze fell upon it.
The entire room fell silent.
No one could see the sword's shadow clearly.
But clearly, this is the legendary sword and cauldron supernatural power of a poor scholar... Return home.
The question is, when did the young man in the sapphire blue scholar's robe finish setting up his sword, and where did the cauldron sword come from?
In the next instant, the quiet courtyard suddenly descended into chaos. Everyone was alarmed, and Li Li was the first to hide behind the Secret Seal Monk and Master Xi.
"Damn it, what are you waiting for!" From the rooftop, Murong An, who had lost his brother, suddenly erupted with a bloodshot look in his eyes. The roof tiles beneath his feet exploded into dust, and he rushed towards Ouyang Rong like a meteor.
The closest two, Daoist Xi and the Secret Seal Monk, reacted even faster than Murong An. Without hesitation, they attacked almost simultaneously, each with their full strength.
Because once the swordsman has finished drawing his sword, there are almost only two possible outcomes on the field.
Either everyone would offer their necks for slaughter, and their heads would be ripped off one by one.
They could either take a gamble, get close to the swordsman, and try to tear this fragile swordsman to pieces before everyone else dies, leaving the incomparably powerful sword without a master.
Otherwise, how could a mortal body possibly clash head-on with a mythical flying sword? It would be suicidal.
At this moment, everyone acted with remarkable coordination, seizing every second to strike.
Suddenly, a golden, phantom image of a Buddha holding a flower appeared around the Secret Mantra Monk, and the Buddha's hand, holding a flower, struck Ouyang Rong's head.
The Daoist Xi, who had been frivolous and dissolute just a moment ago, suddenly changed his aura. His eyes turned blood red, his expression became calm and dignified, faintly carrying a divine quality. At the same time, his aura surged: peak of the seventh rank, early stage of the sixth rank, middle stage of the sixth rank, perfect stage of the sixth rank, fifth rank...
All of these scenes took place under the exceptionally cold moonlight tonight.
Ouyang Rong remained calm, allowing Master Xi, who had summoned an unknown being to descend, to experience a surge in aura towards the fifth rank. He raised his hand and pointed towards the Secret Seal Monk.
A flying sword descended from the sky.
The resounding sound of bells echoed throughout the venue. The golden Buddha statue was shattered by a single sword strike. The monk with secret seals spat out blood and slammed his back against the coffin. His previously desolate expression was now one of utter shock.
Ouyang Rong turned around and nodded to Daoist Xi, whose aura had just reached the fifth rank: "He is worthy of a sword strike."
"How dare you?"
Before the dignified Master Xi could finish speaking, the next second, in the faint blue moonlight, an arc swept across his abdomen.
Master Xi grabbed the arc with one large hand.
The arc twists.
The crimson true energy, bound to the purple threads, surged wildly toward his bloodied and mangled palm.
The fifth-grade true energy was being consumed at an alarming rate, while the cauldron sword in his hand, which was currently bound, was surging with boundless sword energy.
Master Xi frowned slightly on his dignified face, and in an instant, his original spiritual energy was completely exhausted.
The craftsman's work shattered his palm.
Master Xi's body flew backward.
His right palm and wrist shattered together, his abdomen was covered in blood, and his dantian was pierced.
Despite being so severely injured, "Master Xi" maintained a dignified and calm expression. He only glanced at Ouyang Rong with a surprised look in his dark red eyes before the blood red in his eyes quickly faded, his dignified expression disappeared, and he returned to his original form.
The frivolous Taoist, true to his previous arrogance, rolled on the ground, howling and groaning in pain.
Not far away, Murong An saw this scene, stopped halfway, turned around and was about to run away, but his legs were cut off by an arc, and he fell to the ground, hugging his knees and howling in pain.
Li Li was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and wet her pants.
Ouyang Rong addressed the crowd, his tone both helpless and sincere: "I'm not lying to you, it really doesn't listen to me much, it's just hovering above your heads."
Everyone was horrified, looking up at their heads.
A cauldron-shaped sword appeared and disappeared without a trace.
Above Dagushan Mountain, vortexes are forming.
The incense smoke accumulated over nearly a century is now gathering wildly, and the things that Qiu Shenji and Wei Shaoxuan once coveted are now being devoured by the craftsmen.
A monk, a Taoist priest, and a martial artist all collapsed to the ground, severely injured.
Only one young Confucian scholar remained on the field, calmly standing with his sleeves folded.
A slightly muffled voice came from within the bronze mask on his face: "Whose turn is it now?"
Everyone fell silent, terrified.
Ouyang Rong pointed at Murong An: "Then you can go first."
"I...I..." The latter stammered, not understanding anything about dependent origination and emptiness, and kowtowed, saying a lot of things to beg for mercy.
The next second, his head fell to the ground.
"Irrelevant answer. Next."
Ouyang Rong turned to look at Master Xi, whose face was covered in blood and tears, and he answered in a low voice, "Because...because from emptiness arises wondrous existence, and wondrous existence returns to emptiness, it is right to advise, it is right to advise..."
Ouyang Rong calmly said, "You answered incorrectly."
Master Xi's expression changed, and he angrily shouted, "You...you dare to kill me? Do you know who I am! My father..."
The next second, the Taoist priest, who didn't know who his father was, also lost his head, dying with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Damn, it's rotated out of the meta. Wrong answer, next one."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked at the Persian merchant.
Li Li first pleaded, even forgetting the question from before, and asked Ouyang Rong. Ouyang Rong considerately repeated it. Li Li kept wiping his sweat, his eyes darting around, and he tried to speak slowly and haltingly.
Ouyang Rong only heard two sentences before suddenly asking:
"Are you stalling for time? Who are you waiting for?"
A vertical line of blood appeared on the wide-eyed Persian merchant's body, which was split in two.
"Next."
Ouyang Rong turned his gaze to the last of the secret seal monks.
The latter lowered his head and quickly recited Buddhist scriptures, but he seemed to be in such a hurry that Ouyang Rong heard him mispronounce a few words.
He didn't urge him, but waited quietly for an answer.
The ascetic in secret mantra suddenly looked up:
"The principle of dependent origination and emptiness is indeed correct. Impermanent things are unchanging. All phenomena are impermanent, subject to birth and death, and are inherently empty."
"But you cannot dismiss emptiness because of emptiness of inherent existence. If you dismiss emptiness, you will be wrong. All things, including the relationship between your friend and the girl, do not exist as entities. You should empty them. However, all things are dependent origination. You should acknowledge that dependent origination is real. You should not deny the reality of dependent origination because of emptiness of inherent existence."
"The Tathagata says that the world is not the world, but is called the world. The world is the origin of some people, and the origin itself must be recognized as real."
“There is no need to persuade him. Cherishing the cause is the right thing to do.”
The atmosphere was quiet between the monk and the scholar.
Ouyang Rong glanced at him, and after a moment, nodded slightly:
"You got it half right."
The ascetic with secret seals breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the first sentence, but was stunned upon hearing the whole sentence.
The next second, his dantian was precisely and easily destroyed by the craftsman.
The old monk coughed up blood, bowed his head, clutched his stomach, and bitterly closed his eyes, awaiting death.
In front of a swordsman who has successfully laid out his sword, what else can one do but obediently wait to die?
Moreover, he didn't even understand when the young man in front of him had finished setting up his sword.
This is the unknown fear that terrifies everyone.
But the old monk waited for a long time, but Ouyang Rong made no further move; only a soft voice came:
"Keep a pair of eyes."
"Amitabha." The secret mantra of the Buddha was chanted. Without hesitation, he gouged out a pair of bloody eyeballs, placed them on the coffin lid, staggered around, and left in complete darkness.
Ouyang Rong kept his word and allowed the secret monk to leave.
After the latter took a few steps.
"etc."
Ouyang Rong suddenly shouted.
The ascetic with the secret seal looked sorrowful, lowered his head and sighed, preparing to die.
Immediately, a small purse landed at his feet.
"Take it," Ouyang Rong said.
The old monk, who was neither skilled in cultivation nor blind, froze, bent down to pick up the purse, and whispered:
"This old monk will return to Miyin Temple and resume his role as a gatekeeper, spending the rest of his life practicing silent meditation."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Before leaving with his travel expenses, the ascetic couldn't help but turn back: "What is the correct answer? Why... why is your friend so determined to go his own way?"
Ouyang Rong fell silent for a moment.
"He is willing."
Under the pale blue moonlight that tinged the night sky, the young man in the scholar's robe and bronze mask nodded.
"He said he was willing. The answer was simple, without much reasoning. Even if Buddha came, it wouldn't help."
The ascetic was stunned. Before long, his eyes were hollow and bloody. He laughed and left, spending the rest of his life in silent meditation, forever keeping his mouth shut.
After the monk left.
Ouyang Rong looked around the courtyard.
Utilizing the innate supernatural power of "dependent origination and emptiness," and with the blessing of incense offerings, the craftsman's work is utterly devastating.
It spread its sword high in the sky, and the clear blue sword energy accompanied by the moonlight fell on the entire Great Lonely Mountain.
Tonight, the entire Dagushan Mountain is its hunting ground.
Unfortunately, it can only be used to show off here; it can't be taken away.
Because the incense smoke consumed by the craftsman could not be directly converted into Ouyang Rong's cultivation level, compared to the capacity of the mythical cauldron sword, Ouyang Rong's small dantian capacity could not be taken away from Dagushan.
As for making his craftsmanship a medium between him and the vast incense smoke of Dagushan Mountain, helping Ouyang Rong break through his realm, that's simply out of the question.
Because incense smoke is ultimately an external thing, containing both spiritual energy and impurities, and Ouyang Rong is not a devouring physique, his eighth-grade cultivation level is also a bottleneck, he cannot refine it quickly. If he absorbs too much, it will be like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, which will easily backfire on his dantian and meridians, resulting in more harm than good.
However, although it cannot be transformed into spiritual energy cultivation, it can allow the cauldron sword to absorb a massive amount of incense smoke, which can then be used as kindling to power the cauldron sword and ignite a world-destroying "blazing flame"!
A night breeze swept in, dispelling the stench of blood that filled the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong turned to leave, but before he left, he seemed to remember something and silently went to search the bodies of Daoist Xi and the others...
(End of this chapter)
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