Chapter 625 — The Crown Prince of Moonlight
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
It is nothing but a sword elixir! " The white-robed monk looked at the vast "sarira" and laughed.
"Little tricks of a petty way — good only for a laugh! Watch me take in that sword elixir of yours!
" From the auspicious cloud above his head another lotus flew out and sped toward Shen Mu's great sword elixir; layer upon layer of lotus flowers descended and wrapped the elixir about. Suddenly the mountain shook violently.
The white-robed monk felt the quake beneath his feet; before he heard any sound he saw Shen Mu come howling up the mountain path to the summit — so swift that clouds steamed along his flanks; and though he came uphill, he came like a tiger charging down, one fist splitting the air, thunder crashing! All of Mituo Temple seemed to plunge into a sea of thunder; at that one punch of Shen Mu's, bursting lightning was everywhere, flash upon flash! The monk in white raised a hand to block it, and at once his every limb and bone felt about to burst, his brains seemed about to fly out of his skull, and all in his head went white.
He heard a tremendous boom — he had smashed hard into the holy hall. That wall of the great hall caved inward a foot or more.
The white-robed monk was embedded in it spread-eagled, a dense web of cracks all around him, and crackling lightning racing wildly through his body. Shen Mu raised his hand; the sword elixir flew back, spinning gaily.
As for the white-robed monk's great hand, his lotus, and such divine abilities — the sword elixir had long since broken them. The white-robed monk forced his eyes open, bloodshot and muddled, and could not see Shen Mu clearly before him. "Brother, your attainment in the Buddha-dharma is not up to much. " Shen Mu's voice pierced into his ear.
"Divine power is not the aim of practicing the Buddha-dharma. The aim of practicing the Buddha-dharma is to cast off affliction, open wisdom, and be done with birth and death.
Divine power is an outside way. And since it is an outside way, what difference whether I use a sarira or a sword elixir? " The white-robed monk tried to speak, but coughed up a mouthful of blood and slumped, unable to rise.
In midair a plump, big-eared Buddha spoke in a heavy voice: "Heretical nonsense. You are no disciple of the Buddhist gate — how dare you flaunt your divine powers before my Buddha? " Shen Mu stirred the Tingming Mahayana Sutra; his countenance grew splendid and grave, and he saluted the Buddhas.
"The Buddhist gate? This disciple is ignorant — does the Buddha need a gate to shut out the living beings outside it?
" That Buddha laughed despite himself.
"A glib tongue.
" Yet he did not answer Shen Mu's question straight. In the air the great Buddhas sat motionless. Shen Mu looked around but could not tell which was Dharma King Molun. Another Buddha laughed.
"The Buddha indeed needs no gate; it is living beings who need one.
But you stripped the monks of their clothes the moment you came up the mountain, and made my young disciple kneel, and now you have wounded my disciple. Have you come to seek the Dharma, or to stir up trouble?
Even a Buddha has his nameless wrath — are you not afraid? " "This must be Dharma King Molun!
" Shen Mu's gaze settled on Dharma King Molun: a tall, lean Buddha with a most kindly face, whose look was like a warm spring breeze.
"May I ask the Dharma King: does the Buddha require his disciples to kneel?
" Shen Mu asked. Dharma King Molun shook his head. "He does not. " "Then why," Shen Mu asked, "did you make us kneel our way up the mountain just now?
" Dharma King Molun smiled faintly, flowers raining from heaven and golden springs welling from the earth, and was about to reason it out, when the monk Chenghuai came at last to the summit with Zhankong, the demon ape Xuanliao.