https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-113-A-Three-Star-Opportunity-and-a-Single-Page-Book/12586458/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-115-114-Mercy-Without-Inaction-Inaction-Without-Mercy/12586460/
Chapter 114: 113 Monks for Now, Cough Cough
Chapter 114: 113 Monks for Now, Cough Cough
Lei Jun brought his club down.
The young scion of the Gao family rolled his eyes.
Without a sound, he softly collapsed.
He had already nocked an arrow to his bowstring, ready to fly.
With his other hand, Lei Jun quickly pasted a Binding Charm on his opponent.
The young man's body went limp, temporarily frozen in place.
Even his arms remained taut, still holding the bowstring and arrow.
From a distance, nothing seemed amiss.
But no one knew that the back of the young Gao scion's head had caved in.
Empowered by the Night Wind of the Wind and Thunder Charm, Lei Jun's club could strike without a sound, should he wish it.
While it might seem to lack impact, Lei Jun was satisfied with the result.
These young scions of the Gao family, despite their lower Three Heavens cultivation, were part of the Confucian lineage of divine archers. Their senses and perceptions were keen, and their physical reflexes sharp.
Yet, with Lei Jun's combination of the Heaven's Will Charm and the Wind and Thunder Charm, he had silently and sequentially reached each of the Gao archers stationed at vantage points in the mountains.
Then, like whacking moles, it was a simple matter of one strike per person.
Only after clearing the perimeter did Lei Jun descend the mountain once more, stepping into the valley.
In the valley, other members of the Gao family were scattered around the deep fissures, pretending to lay an ambush. They were waiting for their target to emerge from the crack in the earth, at which point they would swarm and attack.
However, after waiting for some time, there was still no sign of Lei Jun, and doubt began to creep into the hearts of the Gao family members.
If their target hadn't gone into the valley fissure but had instead left Qilu Valley, then they were wasting their time here.
Wasting time was not a problem, but they might miss a golden opportunity.
Today's unique circumstances, where communication between the inside and outside world was cut off, and the true disciples of the Celestial Masters' Mansion were unable to send messages, meant that this lone young Daoist was a rare target.
If they succeeded, they could quietly eliminate a promising young genius of the Daoist sect without anyone knowing.
Missing this opportunity would make finding the next one difficult, and that would be a shame.
One of the young men quietly asked the middle-aged Confucian scholar in the lead, "Uncle San, what do you think?"
"Let's wait a little longer," the middle-aged Confucian instructed. "If he still doesn't appear soon, we'll decide what to do next."
The order was passed on, and the Gao family members hiding in the surroundings obeyed.
A young man hid carefully behind a rock outside the ground fissure, his full attention on the deep, dark crack before him.
He didn't bother looking in other directions.
If there were any other enemies or threats approaching from outside the valley, their kin stationed at the vantage points on the mountains would spot them first, raise the alarm, and cover them with their arrows.
For now, those in the valley only needed to focus on the fissure.
And when someone emerged from the crack, they would strike!
The young man held the sheath of his longsword in one hand and the hilt in the other, slowly drawing his blade from its resting place.
He took a deep breath, calming his slightly anxious heart.
And then...
He breathed his last.
A short club, thicker on one end and thinner on the other.
Lei Jun held the thinner end in his hand.
The thicker end had just struck the young man on the back of his head.
With another Binding Charm, the lifeless body remained standing, unmoving.
Like the night wind, Lei Jun silently departed, circling the fissure in search of his next target.
The middle-aged Confucian scholar, leading the group, had been waiting for a long time, but their target still hadn't appeared from the crack. He, too, began to suspect that they had waited in vain.
Frowning, he instructed the few clan members closest to him, "Gather everyone together, but don't make a fuss."
Two of them nodded and went off to call the others, one on each side of the fissure.
Everyone still held out hope, but they were also worried that the enemy might suddenly emerge from the crack at this very moment, so they remained cautious and vigilant, ready to strike at any time.
The middle-aged Confucian scholar stared at the fissure a while longer.
Suddenly, he felt that something was amiss.
Those who had gone to gather the others hadn't returned...
Could something have happened?!
But the archers stationed on the mountains hadn't raised any alarms or fired any arrows.
The middle-aged Confucian scholar's heart turned cold, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
The sun was setting in the west, but there was still plenty of daylight.
Yet, in the bright daylight, he felt as if he were seeing ghosts in broad daylight.
"Show yourself, fiend!" the middle-aged Confucian scholar shouted, his sword drawn across his chest and his eyes wide.
His clothes fluttered in the wind, and his scholarly aura soared to the heavens, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring presence.
Sword qi rained in all directions.
As the sword qi was released, the middle-aged Confucian scholar's eyes widened, and he suddenly sensed something amiss.
He leaped into the air, his gaze sweeping the area. At first glance, he couldn't spot any enemies.
Then he noticed one of the young men he had sent to gather the others running back with a bewildered and frightened expression on his face.
It was his son.
The young man was equally astonished to see his father hovering in the air.
At that moment, the middle-aged Confucian scholar's eyes widened further, and his pupils dilated.
For above the young man's head, a short club was clearly raised high.
Before the scholar could stop it, the club descended with a loud thud.
"Dong!"
"Peng!"
Seeing that the middle-aged Confucian scholar had become aware of his presence, Lei Jun didn't hold back the sound of this strike.
Accompanied by the loud thud, the young man from the Gao family fell to the ground without even a whimper.
"How dare you, you evil creature!" The middle-aged Confucian scholar roared, his body sliding forward in the air as he stabbed his sword at Lei Jun in anger.
In that instant, the overflowing sword qi converged, transforming into a majestic river that filled the air, rushing towards Lei Jun along with the scholar's sword.
Lei Jun remained calm and collected.
In addition to the Heaven's Will Charm, he also had the Five Ding Mountain-Opening Charm, a high-level spirit charm passed down by the Celestial Masters' Mansion.
With the power of the charms interacting, his body glowed, and his already tall stature seemed to grow even taller, resembling an invincible guardian deity of the Daoist faith.
The short club in his hand also seemed to elongate in the radiant light, transforming into a long staff.
Facing the overwhelming river of sword qi, Lei Jun swung his staff.
And then...
The middle-aged Confucian scholar, who had leaped into the air, flew backward even faster than he had come.
As Lei Jun's staff swung, the central portion of the majestic river of sword qi emptied, and the waves of energy tore apart, splitting to both sides.
The longsword in the scholar's hand shattered inch by inch, and the hilt flew out of his grip.
He spat out mouthfuls of blood, his body cutting through the air and crashing heavily into the forest, sending leaves and branches flying.
Lei Jun, still standing in his original spot, gazed into the forest, his eyebrows slightly raised.
Soon, a figure emerged from the trees.
It was a middle-aged monk.
The monk was dressed simply, his face wore a look of constant suffering, and his expression was solemn.
In his hands, he held another person who was severely injured and on the verge of death—the middle-aged Confucian scholar that Lei Jun had struck earlier.
The once gentle and elegant scholar was now soaked in blood, barely clinging to life.
He owed his survival to this monk, who had caught him in time.
"May the Buddha bestow mercy," the austere monk said softly as he gently lowered the middle-aged Confucian scholar to the ground. Then, facing Lei Jun, he pressed his palms together and said, "Young Daoist, your actions are too ruthless. Although we follow different paths, we are both outsiders and should embody compassion."
Lei Jun's gaze shifted away from the half-dead Confucian scholar, and he calmly asked the monk, "What is your name, monk?"
His tone was somewhat impolite, but the monk did not get angry, maintaining his solemn expression as he replied, "I am Monk Dexiang, a disciple of Xuantian Temple. Are you a senior disciple of the Celestial Masters' Mansion of Longhu Mountain?"
Xuantian Temple—one of the four sacred sites of Buddhism, located in the northern state of Jin.
While it usually maintained a low profile, in the hearts of the local people, the monks of the temple were like living Buddhas.
However, Lei Jun merely looked at him calmly and said, "Monk, since you already know who I am, why bother asking?"
"I happened to pass by and couldn't bear to see the slaughter and loss of life, so I tried to mediate between the two sides..." Monk Dexiang explained.
"Before you became a monk, was your surname Ye or Gao?" Lei Jun asked abruptly.
"As a monk, I am detached from the four earthly bonds. Whatever my surname was before I took my vows is now irrelevant," Monk Dexiang replied, his expression unchanged.
Lei Jun smiled at his smooth answer and said, "To take up is to put down, and to put down is to take up. Monk, you seem to have a good understanding of this principle. However, instead of letting go of your past connections, you are holding onto them even tighter."
As he spoke, Lei Jun raised the long staff in his hand and took a step forward, appearing in front of Monk Dexiang in the blink of an eye. He brought the staff down on the monk's head!
Monk Dexiang, who looked like an austere ascetic, kept his hands pressed together and did not move.
A faint, lustrous light in an azure-blue color appeared on the surface of his dark skin.
Enveloped by this azure-colored light, it seemed like a bowl was formed, protecting Monk Dexiang within.
Lei Jun's vicious strike landed on the bowl.
Cracks appeared on the surface of the lapis lazuli-colored bowl, but it did not shatter.
Surprise flashed in the eyes of both Lei Jun and Monk Dexiang.
Monk Dexiang stopped speaking and began to chant sutras.
The azure-colored light converged once more, this time transforming into a lotus that enveloped Monk Dexiang.
As the lotus bloomed, it protected the monk within its petals.
However, Lei Jun did not continue his attack.
He returned to his previous position, as if he had never moved from that spot.
And indeed, around the giant lotus protecting Monk Dexiang, several smaller lotuses appeared, all formed from the lapis lazuli-colored light.
The lotus exuded an aura that seemed unremarkable, yet it held an air of divinity within its petals.
The Four Sacred Sites of Buddhism each had their unique traditions, despite all following the Buddhist path.
For example, the Dragon Singer Monk, who unexpectedly intervened in the battle for the Celestial Master's Seal, was the Great Elder of Vajra Temple in the Western Regions, practicing the Vajra lineage of Buddhism, commonly known as the Hand Seal Art.
As for Xuantian Temple in Jinzhou, it was the sacred ancestral court of the Buddhist lineage of discipline.
The disciples of Xuantian Temple practiced discipline in their cultivation, reinforcing their precepts upon themselves over time, forming a vast and profound power. However, they often restrained themselves, mostly focusing on their personal cultivation.
Thus, it was commonly said that the monks of Xuantian Temple were the most low-key and seldom engaged in conflict.
Indeed, when it came to actual combat, they generally lacked powerful means to defeat their enemies.
However, while they might not excel in offense, they were adept at defense.
As long as they upheld their precepts, the continuous reinforcement of the precepts provided them with a mystical protection, allowing them to remain unshaken amidst the storms of the outside world.
In the cultivation world, it was universally acknowledged that when it came to defensive techniques, the Buddhist lineage of discipline was undeniably the best.
Even the human body refiners from the Pill Cauldron Sect of the Daoist tradition couldn't compare.
In a contest between cultivators of similar overall strength, almost no sect dared claim that they could break through the defense of the Buddhist disciples of discipline.
At this moment, the monk Dexiang before Lei Jun supported a single lotus flower, shielding himself from the outside world.
If one were to say that the Buddhist lineage of discipline lacked any means of actively engaging enemies, that wouldn't be entirely true.
The few small lotuses he placed outside were indeed a method of proactive attack.
However, this method lacked lethal power and was more suited for restricting and trapping enemies.
Precepts were for self-discipline and couldn't be forcibly imposed on others.
But once a Xuantian Temple disciple reached the Middle Three Heavens layer, they could attempt to 'teach' and 'enlighten' others to a certain extent.
If they were at the Lower Three Heavens layer, then they could only endure attacks without retaliating. Fortunately, at that level, most opponents wouldn't be able to harm them anyway.
The disciples of Xuantian Temple mostly kept to themselves and practiced asceticism, so they rarely had troubles with others.
But now, it seemed that things were a little different... Lei Jun looked calmly at Monk Dexiang.
The monk before him had the appearance of a typical Xuantian Temple ascetic.
His cultivation and Buddhist arts were genuine, and he was indeed a Four Heavens layer cultivator of the Buddhist lineage of discipline.
However, there were differences even in the way the precepts were upheld.
People who learned the same techniques could be entirely different individuals.
Lei Jun had previously sensed that there was another expert hiding nearby.
As expected, after Monk Dexiang appeared, he tried to mediate the situation, which was within Lei Jun's expectations.
Xuantian Temple was located in Jinzhou, and due to its low-key nature, its relationship with the Ye Clan of Jinzhou and the Gao Clan of Zezhou, two prominent aristocratic families, was not as tense.
However, in theory, even if their relationship wasn't tense, it shouldn't be overly close either.
Unless...
With the presence of Fang Jian, Chu Andong, and Chu Kun as disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Lei Jun couldn't help but speculate that the Ye Clan of Jinzhou or the Gao Clan of Zezhou might have also infiltrated Xuantian Temple.
Although Fang Jian and Chu Kun hadn't completely cut ties with their families after joining the Celestial Master's Mansion, they generally considered themselves disciples of the Mansion first.
As for Monk Dexiang, it seemed like a different case...
Lei Jun made his move once more.
Monk Dexiang was fully focused, chanting sutras.
With his long staff, Lei Jun smashed all the small lotuses to pieces.
Before Monk Dexiang could react, Lei Jun was already in front of the giant lotus again, delivering a fierce strike!
In an instant, the seemingly eternal giant lotus began to shatter, its azure light and petals dancing in the air as Lei Jun's attack caused them to fly apart.
Monk Dexiang involuntarily retreated, his steps faltering.
The giant lotus around him shrank, transforming into a smaller but more refined lotus that continued to protect him.
Although the Gao Clan of Zezhou was also a renowned aristocratic family, their heritage and depth paled in comparison to the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Ye Clan of Jinzhou.
Everyone present was at the Four Heavens layer, but the middle-aged Confucian scholar couldn't match Lei Jun.
Monk Dexiang, hailing from the Buddhist sacred site of Xuantian Temple, solely focused on defense but was evidently more resilient.
However, as Monk Dexiang retreated and the lotus shrank, the middle-aged Confucian scholar, who had been protected by the lotus, was left exposed outside its protection.
Lei Jun gazed at Monk Dexiang calmly, then lifted one foot and stomped on the middle-aged Confucian scholar's forehead, right before the monk's eyes.
The scholar's eyes widened, but his skull couldn't withstand the force and cracked open, ending his life.
PS: First update of the day.
(End of Chapter)
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