1052 The Magnificen (2/2)

Nowadays with the entire Chang'an city as the power supply, the iron arrows were much more powerful than they used to be. But the Chief Monk of Scripture could not be intimidated, as he had the unbreakable vajra body.

When facing the same sets of the Thirteen Primordial Arrows, the Chief Monk looked much calmer than the Butcher. It was because they had different perceptions of death and that he had confronted it previously.

Staring at the blood stained and pale Jun Mo, the Chief Monk raised his eyebrows in the wind. He was indifferent rather than arrogant because he was peerless in this world.

”There is never an all-mighty weapon in the world, not even the Buddha's chessboard, or the bell. How could the iron arrows made by some ordinary people in the Academy stand out?” the Chief Monk smiled and asked. ”I do not understand why you choose to shoot me when you have a greater chance to kill many others with those iron arrows.”

”For you, the Abbey Dean, the Drunkard and the Butcher, the iron arrows are not fatal. As for others, even if they could be killed by the iron arrows, why should we waste it on them?” Jun Mo was telling the truth. It sounded helpless but actually conveyed his absolute faith and confidence in himself and the Academy.

”But you still cannot kill me with the arrows,” the Chief Monk repeated. ”You've paid great prices to come up to the peak only to stab me with your iron sword so that Ning Que could make the shot. Now that you know it can never kill me, don't you think you were wasting your time fighting constantly for three days and nights? Moreover, isn't it meaningless that you've been fighting for years non-stop to get here?” The Chief Monk stared at him with sympathy.

Jun Mo held his iron sword tighter.

The roaring flames throughout the underground world and the Buddha land seemed overwhelming and might eventually burn down the entire Xuankong Temple. But he was the only one who knew that if they could not take down this senior monk there would never be an end to the war.

It was probably indeed meaningless. But it did have some significance.

”You asked why we wanted to shoot you. The reason is very simple. It is because you are slow. You've been sitting here on the plateau forever. It would be a pity if we do not try targeting at you.” Jun Mo took one step forward to the white stupa. Rain water from last night dripped and flowed by his feet through the cracks on the plateau.

Blood was dripping from his body. It fell into the puddle and splashed some water drops. With the dim light coming from outside the Giant Sinkhole, it could be seen clearly that some lines of blood were swirling in the water drops and tangled the lights into various forms.

All of a sudden, the lights reflected in the water drops were dispelled. No matter refracted or softened, they were crushed into sprinkles and brightened up the puddle. The reason was that the iron sword had smashed everything on the plateau together with the puddle and the water drops, so was the lights.

Upon a piercing sound the iron sword was raised and broke through the air. It came instantly onto the Chief Monk of Scripture barely in a blink.

The iron sword stabbed on the chest of the Chief Monk. A low bang was heard as if some heavy object had hit on a rock drum. Or a stone hit on a bronze bell, creating some resounding chime.

Anyway, it could not be the sound of an iron weapon hitting on a human body because the Chief Monk of Scripture had obtained the unbreakable vajra body long ago. The living Buddha's body was nothing worldly!

Jun Mo's iron sword used to break many cliffs, storms and even the Great River in the south. But it could not be pushed into the Chief Monk's body for even one inch.

Looking at the awe-inspiring and calm Chief Monk of Scripture, Jun Mo seemed indifferent. He was not shocked but his sword-like eyebrows were dashing.

A clear whistle was heard in the center of the plateau and spread around. It frightened the birds in the woods, splashed the waterfall and swirled the falling leaves.

Jun Mo whistled while he charged all his energy into the iron sword… and lifted it up!

He raised his eyebrows and as well as the sword! The iron sword bended slightly on the Chief Monk's chest and was lifted up!

For decades the iron sword shared Jun Mo's character that it would rather break than bend. But right now it was slightly bent because of the huge weight it carried.

Jun Mo was trying to lift the Chief Monk with the iron sword. More precisely, he wanted to break the Chief Monk's bond with the Earth, where all his power came from.

To be enduring and unmovable like the earth, it was the horrifying state of the Chief Monk of Scripture from the Xuankong Temple. It also told the source of his power.

What Jun Mo wanted was to separate him from the Earth. Even if he could not break his vajra body, he could at least minimize his divine dharma skills.

The Chief Monk of Scripture was the most powerful in Buddhism as a living Buddha. His profound level was unimaginable. Therefore he would never let anyone break his bond to the earth and cut off his power supply.

The connection between an object and the Earth was gravitation, and namely the weight. The heavier the object was, the tighter the connection should be. Therefore the mightier the gravitation would be.

The connection between the Chief Monk of Scripture and the earth was peerless. Therefore he should be the heaviest person in the world.

The Eldest Brother used to say that the Chief Monk of Scripture and the Butcher walked slowest in the world. One of the reasons was that they were both very heavy. To cut his bond with the earth, one had to carry the weight as heavy as the earth itself. Who could ever succeed?

The iron sword created sounds that put one's teeth on edge. The slightly bent sword was shivering as if it would break in the next moment.

Jun Mo was no less indifferent. His eyes below the dashing eyebrows seemed like chilling stars. There was no sentiment but only resoluteness and perseverance.

The clear whistle was heard again on the plateau and resounded among the cliffs. The monks of Xuankong Temple were shocked and scared on their way up.

With the clear whistle, Jun Mo took another step forward. His iron sword was pressed against the Chief Monk's chest and pushed him one meter backwards! But the Chief Monk was still sitting on the ground. The bond was not cut off. Yet he had moved. It was at least proof!

Indeed, the Chief Monk's body was almost rooted in the earth and seemed unmovable. But actually he had been forced to leave the ground a few years ago. At that time the Chief Monk was placing his palm on the Buddha's chessboard. It was Jun Mo who lifted the chessboard with his iron sword. The moment the chessboard left the ground, the body of the Chief Monk was lifted from the plateau as well.

Right then, Li Manman came and took the Chief Monk away from the plateau for a tour around the Heaven and Earth, and crushed him. Today Li Manman was not here, but the iron sword was present.

Along with some rustling, the skinny body of the Chief Monk of Scripture was pushed onto the broken white stupa and an outline of a human figure was created.

Another clear whistle was heard, for the third time. There should be no more than three times.

Jun Mo's iron sword straightened up suddenly like the Monkey King who eventually broke out of the boulders after tens of thousands of years.

The iron sword was freed. From bent to straight, the iron sword had released all the tension onto the Chief Monk of Scripture. And the skinny figure was finally raised from the ground! Ever since then, the Chief Monk could no longer be unmovable like the Earth. He still had the unbreakable vajra body and was steady as a mountain. But how could a single mountain be compared with the earth? And did Jun Mo's iron sword ever surrender to a mountain?

The iron sword was further lifted up. The Chief Monk was now a meter above the ground.

The surface of the white stupa continued to crack and debris were scattered. His two grey eyebrows swung in the wind and smashed the leaves that fell onto them.

He stared at Jun Mo silently, suddenly closed his eyes and started chanting. He finally sensed the danger because of the iron sword in his chest as well as the iron arrows from far away.

In the sky above the Prajna Peak, a shrill whistle was heard. It was much louder than Jun Mo's clear whistle previously and much more horrifying. It was emotionless and ruthless probably because the object that created the whistle was simply steel. It carried no human emotions and was created only for killing.

The pear tree from the plateau was replanted in the Academy. But there were still many vines and Bodhi trees by the cliff. Upon that shrill whistle, the thin and broad leaves started falling on to the ground. Countless leaves rustled chillingly.

It was winter time. The chillness did not come from some autumn wind, but rather from the arrow intent.

The half ruined temple at the rear of the plateau further collapsed. It turned into scattering rocks and randomly piled beams, and unveiled a cave on the cliff behind.

An iron arrow appeared on the left chest of the Chief Monk of Scripture. The iron arrow was jet black. It was perfectly straight and flawless. No one knew what it was made of but it seemed devouring. The complicated talismans all over the shaft enhanced it horrifying character.

The iron arrow showed up unreasonably and unpredictably. No one could tell why or how. One second ago it was still thousands of miles away. In the next it appeared in the Prajna Peak, as if it had nothing to do with the shrill whistle.

It seemed like the iron arrow had never traveled thousands of miles through mountains and rivers. It was not like Distanceless that could pass through the interlining in the Qi of Heaven and Earth. It looked like it had been on the left chest of the Chief Monk of Scripture for years and was only revealed because someone thought about it just now.

The Chief Monk lowered his head and looked at the iron arrow on his chest. It did not pierce through his skin and flesh, and seemed to have stopped. But he knew that it would be launched the next moment. Then the iron arrow started to press forward ruthlessly.

It shivered for tens of thousands of times in a blink. The sharp tip kept pressing into the skinny body of the Chief Monk of Scripture. If someone could take a closer look, he would see the bits of iron falling down from the tip of the arrow!

The Chief Monk's unbreakable vajra body was indeed unimaginably firm. Even the Thirteen Primordial Arrows that were made of secret alloys was worn out like this!

Right then the shrill whistle was heard again! A second iron arrow appear out of nowhere on the right chest of the Chief Monk of Scripture! It carried the massive power from thousands of miles away and bombarded here!

One iron arrow stood for an entire City of Chang'an. Two iron arrows stood for twice the power!

The bond between the Chief Monk of Scripture and the earth was finally cut off. No matter how unbreakable you are, how could you withstand my shots with twice the power of the entire City of Chang'an!

His face turned extremely pale while his body trembled in the air while being lifted by Jun Mo's iron sword. His skinny fingers were pressing together like picking up a flower in the wind.

The wind on the plateau was chilling. There was also the wind brought by the arrows from Chang'an. The fingers of the Chief Monk were about to be pressed together, but pushed aside by the wind on the arrow. The intent of picking up a flower was gone.

Then he was about to start chanting again. But with the wind on the arrow poured into his mouth, he was immediately silenced. Even if he could recite some verses, how could those scattered words mean anything?

Twice the power of the City of Chang'an was charged on the two iron arrows. The crushing power fell right onto the skinny body of the Chief Monk. With a bang, the Chief Monk's body was embedded into the white stupa. And the falling stupa collapsed instantly, breaking into two pieces!

Under the massive power of the iron arrows, the Chief Monk's body darted backward. It flew over the ruined temple and entered right into the cave. Jun Mo's iron sword kept him lifted and pushed forward together.

Dust was blowing like thunder. And the cave started quaking. After a long while the thunders and quaking gradually came to an end.

No one knew where the Chief Monk was taken by the two iron arrows. Around the Prajna Peak dust prevailed and the cliffs kept quaking as if they were about to collapse.

Many monks from the Xuankong Temple came up the Prajna Peak toward the plateau. They heard the shrill whistle and saw the dust blowing on the plateau. Although they had no idea what was happening up there, they could not help but feel restless and worried. On top of that, they heard the second whistle but still did not realize it was the iron arrow coming from Chang'an thousands of miles away because they could not see the arrow. The monks could only vaguely see an indistinct tunnel appeared amongst the dust.

The Prajna Peak was a huge hill that grew out of the Buddha's relics after his nirvana. The plateau where the Chief Monk of Scripture sat was the Buddha's left hand. Throughout the years, the Buddha's palm kept open, with two fingers pressed together as if they were picking up a flower, which used to be the pear tree. Many years ago, the pear tree was removed by the Academy hence there was no flower in the Buddha's hand ever since. The intent of picking up a flower was gone. Only the open palm stayed against the chest where it was covered by vines and Bodhi Trees on the cliff.

When the monks finally got to the plateau, they could only see the horrible ruins. The former lush vines were chopped and scattered like dead snakes among the ruins of the white stupa and the ancient temple. And the Bodhi trees were all gone, probably crushed and buried under the rocks.

There was a deep crack on the plateau as if it went down through the mountain to the brooks. And a deep cave on the cliff was emitting some profound horror. No one knew how deep that cave was, and whether it went directly to or thrust through the Buddah's heart. Was the Chief Monk in there?

Deep inside the Prajna Peak, about a dozen miles away from the entrance, there were still thunder and flying stones. They hit onto the walls and created low bangs.

The stones hit on the walls and created low bangs because it was a newly formed tunnel when the Chief Monk's body was pushed into the cliff. The surface of the wall was heated to red, almost melted and turned into magma by the friction.

Deep down the cave, there was no light except for the dim redness on the walls. But the two people inside were no ordinary human beings hence they could see clearly.

The dust was settled and the thunders ceased.

Jun Mo's hand was trembling while holding the iron sword. Blood gushed from his wounds and fell onto the heated ground sizzling.

The Chief Monk was still lifted in the air by the iron sword. His kasaya was torn and his cane was gone. The skinny old monk was stained with dust and looked miserable.

The two iron arrows thrust through the chest of the Chief Monk. The sharp arrowheads must have nailed into the cliff behind the Chief Monk. Only half of the shafts could be seen slightly swaying.

Ever since he had obtained the unbreakable vajra body, it was probably for the first time that he was wounded by human weapons. The monks from the Xuankong Temple would definitely be stupefied if they could see this. But the Chief Monk was not bleeding. Although he was thrust by Ning Que's two iron arrows, he was not bleeding at all. Nor did his pale face flush, or did any blood gush out of his chest.

The wounds on the body pierced by the iron arrows were distinctive. But there was no blood, flesh or even bones inside. The body seemed to be made of gold or jade, rather than human flesh.

The Chief Monk of Scripture stared at Jun Mo and said with difficulty, ”I've told you. You cannot kill me with the arrows.”

Jun Mo said nothing further. He charged every bit of his cultivation into the iron sword, and pounded it onto the two iron arrows emotionlessly.

Pounding bangs were constantly heard from deep down the cave. After a long while, the pounding eventually stopped. Jun Mo supported his exhausted body with the iron sword and rested for a while. Then he stood straight again, looked above toward the cliff and nodded with satisfaction.

He had virtually bent the two solid iron arrows with his iron sword, and turned them into shackles. They were thrust through the body of the Chief Monk and made it impossible for him to escape.

The Chief Monk of Scripture could never step onto the ground. Nor could his back reach the cliff. The only connection between him and the outside world were the two bended iron arrows now.

His bond with the earth was completely cut off.

Jun Mo was of course very satisfied. Then he recalled what the Chief Monk of Scripture said previously: ”We could not kill you with the arrows. But we can nail you until your death.” While saying so, he looked very calm yet bursting with pride. He defeated the living Buddha together with his Youngest Brother, and imprisoned him in the cave. How could this not be magnificent?

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