Chapter 252 — Demonic Arts Are Not His Forte
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
The monks were about to step forward when the monk Chenghuai said hastily, "Hold, senior brothers! Let me be the one to subdue this demon and beat this wretch to death!
" Before any of them could speak, Chenghuai had already rushed forward. He winked at Shen Mu and said in a low voice, "When we cross hands, draw it out for a few more exchanges, then concede. Once you have conceded, they will be too ashamed to beat you to death. And one thing more: do not use demonic arts, or their eyes will go red again.
" "This young monk has a good heart, far better than Jingming the white-browed monk.
" Shen Mu's eyes flickered, and he smiled.
"Let us trade a few pointers, you and I. " Chenghuai struck at once, opening with the Tingming Eight Secrets: Alone in the Eastern Sea, Bearing the Spring Thunder.
The instant his body moved, thunder rolled, like a mighty river surging into the sea, like spring thunder bursting forth. At this single move there already arose the strange signs of divine power: the vital essence before and behind him turned to a swelling river, and dimly one made out towering peaks, the waters pouring down from their heights as though they came from heaven itself and crashed into the sea. Carried to such a pitch, the moves of the Tingming Eight Secrets were almost indistinguishable from divine power; the Tingming Mahayana Sutra of the Great Tingming Temple was indeed worthy of its name.
Shen Mu likewise unleashed the Tingming Eight Secrets, no less grand and magnificent: mountains and great rivers, the sea and the spring thunder. With one earth-shaking blast, the muscles of both men quivered, sinew after sinew writhing beneath the skin like slender dragons, driving their strength to its utmost and drawing a great roar of applause from the monks.
"Chenghuai, beat this demon to death! " A gaunt, withered monk with white brows shouted, "This demon dares to cultivate the arts of our Great Tingming Temple! That is blasphemy against the Buddha. Kill him!
" Shen Mu changed his moves and became the Thousand-Armed Vajra.
In an instant came countless attacks; his palms turned to afterimages, as though he had grown a thousand arms, and every motion of every palm burst forth in thunder, like a great Buddha waving his thousand arms to subdue demons, and the monks all changed color at the sight. In sheer comprehension of the Tingming Eight Secrets, Shen Mu, this demon-chieftain of the Dark Demon Cult, had already grasped every subtlety of the art; in this single move, the Thousand-Armed Vajra, his attainment already surpassed that of eight or nine monks in ten within the temple.
The monks' cries grew quieter, and they muttered inwardly, "It seems even Chenghuai's attainment in this move falls short of his. I fear he cannot win. . .
" Chenghuai too executed the Thousand-Armed Vajra, and at the very first clash he knew at once that his attainment was not enough. Hastily he shook his body and roused the Battle-Victory Dharma; his frame swelled, and countless sutra texts emerged around him, encircling his body like a great bell, and dang, dang, dang, the bell tolled without cease. The two thousand-armed Buddhas collided, and in a single instant the superior was decided.
Shen Mu's palm struck the great bell wrought of sutra texts, and at once Buddha-light burst from its walls, ring upon ring. Where was the look of a demon about Shen Mu now?