This flying staff strike gave Lu Shan Jun a better understanding of the monastery’s restrictions; indeed, anything imbued with Buddhist teachings could pass through those restrictions.
In fact, the monastery’s restrictions were extraordinary. The first time he had gone inside, he had genuinely intended to do nothing more than drink tea and wait, but he had been unexpectedly thrown back.
Afterwards, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the senior monks returned to the restricted area to chant sutras, believing in the power of the monastery’s barriers.
Even when Lu Shan Jun symbolically tried to rush into the monastery, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to succeed; of course, he hadn’t intended on revealing his true form.
As a result, Lu Shan Jun underestimated the old monks’ obsession with subduing demons and monsters. Just because he was testing them didn’t mean they would do him the same courtesy. They immediately used all their techniques, using Buddhist chants to bind him and suppress his monstrous energy and spiritual power. It was a highly targeted and effective approach against monsters.
Such a decisive action, besides possibly indicating a lack of goodwill towards monsters, also made Lu Shan Jun realize that these monks would absolutely not allow him to see Zhao Long.
In that case, better to just reveal his true form and shatter the circle of Buddhist light. It was simpler and more efficient.
At this moment, Lu Shan Jun used the staff to probe the loopholes in the monastery’s restrictions. He knew that the restrictions were indeed strong, but their variations were also relatively simple. They relied heavily on force rather than technique, ending up strong but not flexible. They were definitely the wondrous barriers found in immortal abodes that incorporated aspects like the power of the mountains, the water, the sky, or the earth.
Lu Shan Jun looked at the old monk coughing out blood in front of the monastery gate, and then at the other two monks who had been blasted even further away.
Although all three appeared to be seriously injured, they were actually not in any serious danger, due to the protection provided by the power of the Mingwang Buddha.
Of course, the three old monks’ resistance had also decreased considerably. If Lu Shan Jun wanted to press his advantage, they would no longer be able to fight him off, which meant that he had three fewer troublesome opponents.
Lu Shan Jun sneered inwardly, but did not intend to kill them. He instead used the wind to lift his enormous monster body, rising into the sky above Daming Monastery, overlooking the grounds.
The monstrous energy in the sky blazed like flames, spreading across half the sky alongside the sweeping ominous winds, bringing a tremendous sense of oppression to the monks in the monastery.
“Zhao Long~! Aren’t you coming out? The monks of Daming Monastery are protecting you so much, it seems you have some extraordinary qualities. Do you want to watch them all die because of you?”
Lu Shan Jun’s voice echoed throughout the entire Daming Monastery. The booming of his voice sounded like thunder, and the huge monstrous body slowly descended upon Daming Monastery.
A layer of bright yellow light appeared above the monastery, like a flowing light shield. It was this barrier restriction that had previously sent Lu Shan Jun flying.
Now, however, as Lu Shan Jun’s demonic body slowly descended, one of his giant hands tipped with sharp claws landed on the barrier. Although the contact made the barrier glow brightly, it had no effect on the monstrous body.
A supernatural light emanated from the sharp claws, The restriction, which should have originally been impermeable, was slowly sliced open as the claws embedded themselves into it little by little, as if cutting through butter. Then, monstrous energy emanated from the claws.
“Crack-crack… Cra-cra-crack crack…”
As Lu ShanjJun’s palms closed, a sound like the shattering of porcelain gradually rang out, and points of instability began to appear within the barrier.
All the monks in the monastery stared nervously at the barrier above the grounds, looking at the black and gold eyes of a heretofore unknown monster. Those eyes seemed to possess a strange power that could captivate people’s souls, plunging them into fear and causing them to lose all other capabilities.
“Bang…”
As the sound rang out, all the monks trembled. The monastery’s protective barriers, as fragile as thin glass cups, shattered instantly.
Many monks wore expressions of disbelief, unable to believe that the monastery’s protective barriers were so fragile. Logically speaking, even if the monster was indeed very powerful, it shouldn’t have been able to break the barriers so easily.
Regardless, the fact remained that the restriction lasted less than ten breaths under Lu Shan Jun’s claws. At this moment, an ominous wind carrying intense monstrous energy swept into the monastery, and a giant demonic paw stomped into the monastery grounds, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth.
“Demon– You monster… How dare you trespass into the tranquil meditation grounds of the Mingwang Buddha… Monks of Daming Monastery, let us vanquish this demon together!”
The old monk at the monastery gate was furious, feeling that the sacred sanctuary where he had cultivated for most of his life had been defiled by a demon. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and roared angrily.
However, the old monk’s angry shout received no response. All the monks stared into Lu Shan Jun’s eyes as if possessed, unable to speak or move. Many of them were merely ordinary monks. Those whose knowledge of Buddhism was extremely shallow were trembling, and some had even fainted.
Lu Shan Jun looked at the old monk outside the monastery.
“Hey, old monk, if you want to fight, fine, but why make these young monks try to stop me?”
As he spoke, Lu Shan Jun scanned the entire monastery, but even with the barrier restrictions lifted, he still couldn’t find anything.
“Zhao Long~! Stop hiding. We’ll meet sooner or later. It would be better to meet sooner rather than later, and best to meet today rather than some other time. Since you say I am a demon and a wicked creature, who’s to say whether I will devour these monks, or destroy everything around me? Why don’t you come out?”
Lu Shan Jun roared again, his voice already showing some impatience. If he really couldn’t find him, then he would have no choice but to demolish the Daming Monastery and dig three feet into the ground to find Zhao Long.
High above the clouds, Ji Yuan stood amidst the swirling mist, squinting at the crumbling Daming Monastery and the enormous figure of the monstrous Lu Shan Jun below, pondering whether he should intervene.
Ji Yuan knew that Lu Shan Jun had indeed been very restrained, but whether human or demon, patience always had its limits. He definitely would not devour the monks, but it wouldn’t be long before Lu Shan Jun couldn’t help but destroy the entire Daming Monastery.
Although Daming Monsatery was far inferior to other sacred sites and immortal abodes for cultivation, it was by no means an ordinary secular temple. It housed a statue of the Mingwang Buddha, and while the incarnation of the Mingwang Buddha had yet to appear, that did not mean that it never would.
The Mingwang Buddhas possessed considerable strength. The absence of Buddhist teachings in the governmental functions of Dazhen did not mean that Buddhism was powerless. If the Daming Monastery were truly faced with a life-or-death crisis, the incarnation of the Minwang Buddha was highly likely to appear.
At that point, it would no longer be something Lu Shan Jun could stop with a mere gesture.
Neither the destruction of the monastery nor a full-blown fight were things Ji Yuan wanted to see, and neither did the monks. Not even Lu Shan Jun wished for those outcomes.
Only two people could stop all of this: Ji Yuan, from where he stood in the clouds, Zhao Long. However, judging from the current situation, regardless of whether he knew what was happening outside, Zhao Long probably wouldn’t come out.
Lu Shan Jun’s roar went unanswered once again. A cold smile appeared on the monster’s face as he surveyed all the stunned monks surrounding him, as well as the three elderly monks, who had regrouped at the front entrance of the monastery, sporting varying degrees of injury.
“Master Jueming, your Dharma name is utterly laughable!”
1
Although Lu Shanjun’s words still echoed throughout the monastery, his voice was very low, carrying a dangerous undertone.
Ji Yuan’s eyes snapped open; he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. His cheap disciple was truly angry now, and even his monstrous aura was undergoing a subtle change. Murderous intent now emanated from him.
Just as he was about to send a telepathic message to Lu Shan Jun, a quieter Buddhist chant came from the direction of the main hall of the monastery’s temple.
“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha! Benefactor Lu, Zhao Long is here!”
The doors to the main hall of the monastery opened from the inside, revealing a seated statue of a ten-zhang-tall Mingwang Buddha, as well as a bald, middle-aged monk standing solemnly in front of the entrance. It was none other than Zhao Long, now known as Jueming.
Jueming’s hands were clasped together, his eyes slightly closed. His trembling eyelids showed that his heart was not at peace. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes and looking at the huge monstrous body in the monastery’s courtyard.
Jueming leapt into the air and used his qinggong skill to reach the courtyard in a few bounds, only twenty feet away from one of Lu Shan Jun’s claws. He was close enough for Lu Shan Jun to kill the monk Jueming with a single blow.
“Jueming, why did you come out? Why did you come out at all? Don’t you believe in Master Huitong?”
The old monk in the lead appeared extremely agitated. He and the two other old monks rushed to Monk Jueming’s side, blocking his way forward, nervously watching the enormous monster that was almost within reach.
On the other side, Lu Shan Jun’s human face embedded in his demonic form had a subtle expression as he stared intently at Monk Jueming. From his current perspective, the monk’s body was brimming with vital energy; and his heartbeat and the changes in his aura showed that he was very nervous. His Buddhist aura was weak, but at first glance, he seemed to harbor neither hostility nor resentment.
However, this was Daming Monastery, a place of true Buddhist practice, and Buddhism was best at eliminating resentment and evil. He couldn’t conclusively state that Zhao Long was truly without flaws.
But Lu Shan Jun wasn’t worried about that, in any case. As long as he captured Zhao Long and brought him to the man’s home and other places around here, he would eventually find out the truth.
It was at this moment that Monk Jueming spoke again.
“Master Huitong did indeed say that if I encountered a calamity, no matter what happens, I must never reveal myself. If this humble monk could endure for a while, I could avert this calamity. Hahaha…”
2
Jueming forced a smile and looked at the old monk beside him.
“But Abbot, I am not a skilled monk like you. I cannot see through or understand this situation. I cannot figure out how to resolve it. Even if I am safe hiding under the Mingwang Buddha, who will come to save you? I hesitated and struggled, but in the end I came out.”
Ji Yuan felt a strange sense as he listened to these words. Could the monk be referring to Ji Yuan’s own planned intervention? Was Master Huitong the one he knew?
Jueming looked up at Lu Shan Jun from below. He had thought it was a tiger spirit, but he never expected it to be so different from what he had imagined. It was far more majestic and terrifying than the tiger in his memory.
“Lord Lu, Zhao Long has arrived. I have indeed committed an unforgivable crime. I was manipulated by villains and mistakenly killed a group of righteous men… After learning the truth, I was filled with remorse and bought wine to drown my sorrows, but my drunken words were overheard by others. In my confusion, I did something even more outrageous acts. Fearing that the truth would come out and I would be disgraced, I found those men and, after interrogating them, eliminated them all…”
As Lu Shan Jun listened, his eyes narrowed, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in the sliver of his eyes.
“After that, I was constantly plagued by nightmares. I was in a daze during the day, and unable to fall asleep at night. I could only fall asleep by chanting sutras under the statue of the Mingwang Buddha in the Buddhist monastery!”
Ji Yuan looked at Zhao Long from his position in the clouds. He was probably already burdened by resentment at that time, which was why he could only sleep peacefully under the statue of the Mingwang Buddha. As for ghosts and gods of the temples, they probably couldn’t care less about Zhao Long at that time.
“One night, I was drunk at the statue of the Mingwang Buddya, and I said to myself, ‘If I truly have immeasurable life remaining, I wish to repay my immeasurable karma.’ I intended to end my life, but I was saved by a master…”
Jueming finished recounting all these painful memories in one breath, and seemed to feel a little better. Then, looking at the giant monster that not-quite resembled a tiger, he suddenly couldn’t help but ask a question.
“Lu Shan Jun, how did you get rid of this guilt when you ate people?”
Lu Shan Jun gazed at Zhao Long. His tone was not one of provocation, but rather a genuine inquiry. he suppressed his anger and murderous intent, and thought carefully before answering.
“When I first gained spiritual awareness, people hunted for my fur, and I reciprocated by taking their flesh. Later, after eating people, I gained ghosts that acted as my accomplices. These ghosts told me they were willing to offer up living people for me to eat; if they gave me five or ten people to feast on, I was to free them. I agreed. Later, after meeting my master, I understood the meaning of ‘sentient beings’ and suddenly became enlightened. Now, I can distinguish right from wrong, but if the feeling of guilt is as painful as you described, I have never experienced it.”
Lu Shan Jun spoke the truth, but this was clearly not the answer Zhao Long wanted. He sighed, wiped the sweat from his face, and his heartbeat calmed down.
“Over the years, except when I was practicing martial arts and chanting scriptures, the lingering resentment in my heart has never dissipated. That resentment gathered into an endless sea of bitterness, but now, I am finally free. Kill me, torture me, do whatever you wish. It is your choice, Lord Lu.”
T/n: Happy 2026! Hope you all enjoy accidentally writing the wrong year on your dates for the next 3 months. Also, cue obligatory “man I haven’t posted since last year!” jokes. (To be fair, I did miss a couple days. Sorry! Turns out things get really busy during the new year, who knew?)
Zhao Long: LSH, how did you get rid of your guilt when you murdered people?
LSH: LOL what’s guilt, can you eat it
JY: *side eye*
LSH: I MEAN I have since reformed and stuck to the righteous path!
JY: 🙂
Zhao Long: 😐
My friend Ren made me some awesome art of Ji Yuan! ❤
觉 (jué): to think/to feel, 明 (míng): bright/clear –> “Enlightenment” in the luminous sense. LSJ is saying that such a bright/positive name is unworthy of a coward
Jueming speaks in a very humble fashion, using “this one” (roughly translated) as his pronouns. It’s very awkward in some places so it translated some of them, and left it in others. Let me know if you prefer it to be translated a different way.
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