Lanke Chess Edge-Chapter 358: Revealing the True Form

As Lu Shanjun roared, monstrous energy behind him faintly gathered into a blurry phantom—a terrifying monster that somehow bore a resemblance to a human figure, making it extremely eerie and frightening.
“Roar—”
Rumble rumble rumble…
The howling wind and roar lasted for a while. The tiles of the former Luming Monastery, now Daming Monastery, were shaking, and the trees in the surrounding mountains swayed.
The monks standing at the temple gate felt unsteady from the sound and had to cover their ears. The gatekeeper even squatted down and clutched at the sides of his head.
After a while, the roar gradually subsided. Some of the monks were left dazed and confused.
The old monks looked at Lu Shan Jun with extreme fear. This was definitely no ordinary monster. Not only had he already taken human form, but the extremely oppressive monstrous aura and the phantom image they had seen before were what truly caught their attention.
But in fact, Lu Shan Jun was not targeting the monks outside. On the monastery’s bell tower, the monk responsible for ringing the bell had just recovered from the shock. He took his hands away from his ears, shook his head to clear it, and looked at the large bell hanging in front of him.
The bell appeared unchanged, but this monk, having rung it for so many years, knew it like the back of his hand. He walked around to the other side of the bell and, sure enough, he saw two fine cracks. If he struck it directly with the bell hammer, the bell would probably shatter.
On the steps below the temple entrance, Lu Shan Jun tidied his disheveled hair, which had grown messy from his roar, before speaking again.
“My words should now carry a bit more weight. Let Zhao Long come out and see me. I don’t want to have any conflict with you esteemed monks.”
Lu Shan Jun spoke calmly, but the old monk opposite him could no longer remain completely composed.
“Benefactor Lu, Jueming is devoted to Buddhist practice and is currently in meditation. He has already severed all worldly ties and is not a heinous criminal. Although you are a monster, you are reasonable. This monastery is a quiet place and it is not convenient for monster cultivators to enter. Please leave.”
“Benefactor? I have not given you anything, nor do I intend to. How can I be called a benefactor? Perhaps you should just call me a wretched creature.”
Lu Shanjun mocked the old monk for his earlier imposing manner, his earlier aggressive designation of “demon,” and his stance which immediately softened upon realizing he was no match for him.
“We are all cultivators. Human cultivators are more focused on cultivating their minds than us monsters. If Zhao Long is truly upright and has nothing to fear, he will naturally be safe coming out. Even if he hides and doesn’t come out, it’s useless. If he doesn’t come out, I’ll go in.”
As they spoke, Lu Shan Jun had already started climbing the stairs again, approaching Daming Monastery step by step.
With each step closer, a wisp of black smoke emanated from his figure, distorting some of the monks’ vision and making the steps beneath his feet appear to have sunk, creating a dreamlike scene.
It was clearly a humanoid figure approaching, but it felt as though a giant beast were slowly drawing near.
The old monk leader shouted loudly, spread his arms wide, before closing them again.
“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha…!”
The Buddhist chant, accompanied by a bright yellow light, roused the monks from their dazed state.
“Guard your mind! This is a mind-controlling demonic technique. Go into the temple and fight back with Buddhist techniques. Recite the mantra of the Mingwang Buddha!”
“Let’s go, hurry, into the temple!”
“Quickly, quickly!”
Apart from the three old monks still outside, the group of monks who had previously been so aggressive all retreated back into the temple and sat cross-legged on either side of the gate.
“Recite the Mantra of the Mingwang Buddha, let us respectfully invite the Great Mingwang Buddha to incarnate the Dharma of the Buddha for protection!”
The group of monks sat cross-legged with their hands clasped together, their eyes closed, chanting Buddhist mantras in unison.
“Om… Mani… Padme… Hum…”
1
The moment the Buddhist chant began, all the monks in the entire Daming Monastery heard the Great Mantra. Whether they were true Buddhist practitioners or ordinary monks, they all sat down cross-legged on the spot and followed along in reciting the Great Mantra.
The sound of the Dharma was deafening for a short time, and bright yellow Buddhist light shone continuously throughout the entire Daming Monastery.
Lu Shan Jun stopped two zhang away from the temple gate, staring at the three old monks. The Buddhist chants around him were extremely jarring as they were directed at him, which made his mood increasingly worse.
Waves of bright Buddhist light spread around and blessed the three old monks, coating them with a golden hue, making them appear even more imposing and solemn.
“Benefactor Lu, it’s not too late to retreat now. If you remain obstinate, the Buddha has the means to subdue demons! Om… Mani… Padme… Hum…”
As soon as the old monk uttered the Great Mantra, it transformed into six golden characters that landed on his hands. His palms were filled with golden light, as if ready to strike down at any moment.
“Shut up, get out of my way!”
Lu Shanjun cursed, taking a step forward and charging towards the temple. HIs right hand formed a claw, and swung upwards, but the solidified monstrous energy and spiritual power did not sharpen the attack; it was a tiger’s strike, prioritizing knockback over injury.
“Roar…”
At the same moment, the old monk also struck out with his palm.
“Stubborn to the end. Take this!”
Golden light and monstrous energy collided in front of the temple gate, creating a burst of light.
“Boom…”
A sudden gust of wind blew, and tiles were blown off many parts of the temple. This clash between the two sides was just the beginning. The moment they made contact, the three old monks attacked together, surrounding Lu Shan Jun.
A thick, viscous net of golden light enveloped Lu Shan Jun as he looked around.
“Great Mingwang Buddha!”
“Subdue the demon!”
“You fiend, prepare to die!”
The three old monks, their once-withered bodies now bulging with muscles, attacked Lu Shanjun from three different directions with their palm strikes, kicks, and staffs.
“Boom!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Bang!”…
Bursts of golden light flashed and rippled through the air. The three old monks’ attacks, imbued with Buddhist mantras, were extremely fierce and swift. Lu Shan Jun, alone amidst the onslaught, swung his arms around to defend himself, seemingly being suppressed at each turn. He looked to be at a disadvantage, and even grimaced in pain with each impact.
The surrounding golden light intensified, suppressing the monstrous aura.
“This sacred Buddhist land will not tolerate your insolence!”
“Demon, quickly reveal your true form!”
“Om… Mani… Padme… Hum…”
The old monk’s shouts and the Buddhist chants echoing throughout the temple seemed to penetrate every corner, ringing out every moment, affecting Lu Shan Jun’s movements and causing his headaches to constantly increase in intensity.
Whoosh…
A dazzling golden light gathered on the old monk’s staff and struck down from mid-air. The other two old monks clasped their hands together, loudly chanting mantras. The surrounding golden net suddenly tightened, actually binding and restraining Lu Shan Jun from head to toe.
“Clang—“
The staff struck Lu Shan Jun heavily on the forehead, unleashing a blinding golden light that forced Lu Shan to one knee.
“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha! You demon, it is your own fault for not retreating, so don’t blame the Dharma of the Buddha for being merciless!”
The old monk held his staff with one hand and chanted Buddhist mantras with the other.
“Om… Mani… Padme… Hum…”
The surrounding Buddhist chants grew even louder, and countless golden rays flowed from the statue of the Great Mingwang Buddha in the central main hall of the temple, even bathing the area around the temple in a faint golden hue.
“Sizzle… sizzle sizzle…”
The golden light of the Buddhist temple shone intensely on the monk’s staff, making it extremely hot. It burned several scorch marks onto Lu Shan Jun’s forehead, even leaving imprints on his forehead bone.
“Demon, reveal your true form!”
Lu Shan Jun grinned. He looked up at the old monk who was pressing down on him with the staff, preventing him from getting up. His eyes had changed from black to a dark yellow, golden threads appearing in his irises, and his pupils had shrunk to a small dot, also appearing golden.
A low growl, like a wild beast baring its teeth, echoed in the air, and an even more oppressive atmosphere began to spread.
“I have respected this place as a Buddhist monastery, and I also remembered the teachings of my honorable master from years ago, so I have been extremely tolerant of you. Now that it has come to this, I might be a little harsher. Even if my master were here, he wouldn’t blame me! Hahahaha…”
Lu Shan Jun slowly straightened the leg that had been kneeling, little by little, and his body slowly rose higher.
The old monk’s golden arms, gripping the staff, bulged with muscles. He went from using one hand to two, his arms trembling slightly as he pressed down on the staff, but he couldn’t push Lu Shan Jun’s gradually rising body back down.
The old monk could no longer control his staff and could only watch helplessly as Lu Shan Jun stood up straight. His physique was much more robust than before. His height had reached the point where the old monk had to look up at him, and he was still growing.
Although he was still in human form, his body was beginning to become rougher, his skin color and bone structure also beginning to change.
“Ha… You want me to reveal my true form? Then shall grant your wish!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Shan Jun’s body rapidly expanded.
2
The color of his clothes first turned dark yellow, then clung to his skin, transforming into fur. His tendons and bones grew prominent, growing sharper and larger. His shoulders broadened and enlarged, and his spine bulged out in sections…
The old monk at the lead could no longer hold onto his staff nor could he retract it, as Lu Shan Jun’s transformation it higher and higher. A dense monstrous aura seemed to blur the air like heat waves, making the sky appear somewhat distorted in the eyes of all the monks at Daming Monastery.
The three old monks and the monks in the temple had never stopped their chanting of Buddhist mantras, constantly gathering the power of their chants and striking with their palms, but it all seemed to have lost effect at this moment. Their blows struck the enormous body surrounded by monstrous energy like boulders falling in water, producing sound but no further reaction.
Seeing that the situation was dire, the leading monk shouted loudly.
“Use the Demon-Subduing and Mountain-Suppressing Technique!”
The next moment, several old monks clasped their hands together and chanted sutras loudly. The Buddhist chants grew more and more powerful, and the original golden net formed a golden dome that suppressed Lu Shan Jun within it.
“Om… Mani… Padme… Hum…”
The giant golden dome seemed to weigh an incredible amount, crashing into the ground with a loud “bang!” It even broke through several of the stairs and embedded itself into the mountainside.
However, moments later, the barrier began to grow larger and larger, and the three old monks’ clasped hands trembled more and more violently, as if something between their hands was trying to force it open.
Boundless monstrous energy burst forth from beneath the giant golden dome, manifesting as burning flames. The original golden Buddhist light in the sky had been replaced by black winds and ethereal demonic fire.
“Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk…”
The giant golden dome trembled continuously, and the faint illusion of a golden mountain appeared above it, but it had already begun to crack.
“Roar—”
At this very moment, the tiger’s roar sounded out.
“Boom…”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The golden shield exploded, and the three old monks faced the blast head-on and were thrown in three different directions.
“Bang…”
One of the old monks smashed directly into the temple wall, embedding himself in it and causing cracks to spread.
“Pfft…” The old monk spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with a hint of pale gold. He slid off the wall, barely managing to stay upright by bracing himself with his palms on the ground. He looked shakily toward the front of the temple.
The chanting of Buddhist mantras throughout the temple had quietly subsided, and all the monks looked up in horror at the temple gate.
A monster the size of a building appeared before them, resembling neither a tiger nor a demon. Upon closer inspection, the giant tiger’s body also boasted a human face. When its tail swept back and forth, it created afterimages, as if multiple tails were flashing by.
Endless monstrous energy surged into the sky, causing various visual phenomena. The flow of monstrous energy resembled endless flames spreading in all directions, like a raging inferno surrounded by swirling black winds.
A claw extended from the giant beast, gently grasping the staff embedded in its forehead and removing it. The beast examined it, grinned, then flicked it away with a claw.
“Whoosh…”
The staff pierced through the air and struck one of the meditation rooms in the temple. With a “boom” it smashed through half the room, utterly destroying it before embedding itself two feet into the ground.
T/n: LU SHAN JUN HAS A KAIJU FORM?!
Also Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes and good health to all of you. See you next year! 😀
The most famous mantra for Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Symbolizes the path to enlightenment through compassion and wisdom, with each syllable representing purification of a specific worldly affliction
T/n: I can’t help but imagine Willy Wonka style human balloons