The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 65 - 0 Minor Saint Uses Lightning to Kill
Chapter 65: Chapter 065: Minor Saint Uses Lightning to Kill Hanshan
Chapter 65 -065: Minor Saint Uses Lightning to Kill Hanshan
Tales tell of two more eminent monks arriving from the Buddhist sect, one named Hanshan, the other named Shide.
These two monks were no ordinary figures; they were Arhats from the Buddhist sect of West Cow He State. However, to spread the teachings of the Buddhist Law, they transformed into ascetic monks and taught the Buddhist Law in the Cold Mountain Temple, both undoubtedly possessing immense divine skills. But Yang Jian was no less formidable, being a Celestial Deity from the Heavenly Court with a distinguished reputation since the Ancient Times. When Hanshan requested a Zen meditation contest, Yang Jian readily agreed. Both summoned their mana and propped up a three-zhang meditation cushion to sit cross-legged on top, each employing various techniques to force the other off the cushion.
As Daoist Equal to Heaven Chen Tuan signaled the start with a shout, Yang Jian and Hanshan both closed their eyes without moving their bodies, naturally only able to use their Primordial Spirits and spells for the attack.
For this sitting contest, it was essential to be as immovable as a mountain; the first to move would lose, and the first to fall off would also be deemed the loser. It now depended on their various techniques, on how to make the opponent move, or directly force them off the cushion, or disrupt the mana supporting their opponent’s cushion. There were plenty of techniques; the key was to see how each would make their move.
Monk Hanshan was also quite astute. Yang Jian’s vertical third eye was naturally given and immensely powerful. But in this meditation contest, where no part of the body could move, Yang Jian’s third eye could naturally not be used either.
Even ordinary monks from the Buddhist sect could go without food and water, sitting for more than half a month. Ordinary people might starve to death if they do not eat for seven days, but these monks had a special method to maintain their life force. Those who became demonically possessed while cultivating Zen could even last a year without food and water. Of course, without achieving True Fruition, they would not last a few days before dying.
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Yang Jian made the first move, exerting his divine skills and materializing a fly buzzing several times before landing on Hanshan’s shiny head. Hanshan felt an itch atop his head but didn’t dare move, instead channeling his mana and emitting a streak of golden light from his forehead, grinding the fly instantly into dust.
The golden light from Monk Hanshan’s head struck swiftly, hitting Yang Jian’s forehead but only making a crisp sound without even leaving a mark. Yang Jian remained completely unmoved.
Yang Jian invoked his Primordial Spirit, letting out a piercing scream, and a cry of an eagle resounded through the sky as a Golden Winged Great Eagle descended from above, swooping straight at Hanshan. This was Yang Jian’s Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle, with the bloodline of an Ancient Demonic Beast. But Hanshan quickly displayed a divine skill; golden light rising behind him transformed into a large Buddha holding chains, which immediately bound the Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle, tossing it to the ground.
The Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle, lacking in mana, was naturally no match for Hanshan. However, Hanshan couldn’t move his body at all and could only channel his mana throughout his body, unable to coordinate with hand seals. Although he recited Dharma Spells in his heart, the power of his divine skills was greatly reduced. The Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle struggled on the ground, flapping its wings and shattering the chains in a single movement. Not daring to attack rashly again, it flew and surveyed the area, waiting for an opportunity to swoop Hanshan off the meditation cushion.
It was precisely why Daoist Equal to Heaven and King Bodhisattva retained a portion of their Primordial Spirit and consciousness within their bodies, using physical gestures to form hand seals and Dharma Seals, to unleash the full power of their divine skills.
Daoist Equal to Heaven couldn’t help but clap and smile, saying, “Hanshan miscalculated this time; in a moment, when Yang’s Howling Celestial Dog arrives, he will have trouble coping.”
Indeed, Hanshan had miscalculated. Before the contest, it wasn’t specified that external forces couldn’t be used. Although Yang Jian’s Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle suffered a setback and couldn’t overthrow Hanshan, Yang Jian still had a Howling Celestial Dog at his disposal. With the Howling Celestial Dog attacking from above and below, Hanshan was bound to suffer a great disadvantage.
Hanshan didn’t dare to delay, murmuring Dharma Spells continuously in his mind, motivating his divine skills to envelope him in a golden light.
Yang Jian suddenly saw many illusions, but with his resolute mind, how could he be influenced by foreign magic? Even though the illusions varied greatly, they could do nothing to him; only the manifestation of his mother momentarily stirred his heart. But it was just for an instant, as he quickly recognized it as an illusion and remained unwavering. The apparitions flickered away and were ultimately helpless against him.
Monk Shide also frowned slightly and thought to himself that they had miscalculated, as Hanshan had forgotten to state the rule against using external forces in the contest with Yang Jian! When the Howling Celestial Dog arrived, Hanshan would most definitely be at a disadvantage.
Yang Jian activated his Eighty-Nine Mystical Techniques, and as the golden light struck him, it only made a ping-pong sound, failing to budge him in the slightest; he was as steadfast as Mount Tai.
Ancestor Chen Tuan watched with great excitement and a hearty laugh, stroking his beard and saying, “Soon Hanshan will not be able to hold out.”
As his words fell, a fierce howl was heard—it was the Howling Celestial Dog rushing in, opening its gaping maw to bite at Hanshan! Even with Hanshan’s sturdy body, he was absolutely no match for such a ferocious beast with the bloodline of an Ancient Demonic Beast. A bite would surely tear off a large chunk of flesh.
Shemoteng thought to himself, “Why hasn’t Bodhidharma arrived yet? If we lose this round, it won’t bode well.”
Behind Hanshan, the large Buddha quickly employed techniques, driving away the Howling Celestial Dog and the Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle. The Sword of Wisdom, the Demon-Subduing Pestle, the Vajra Staff, and various other Magic Artifacts were wielded successively, with golden light sparkling fiercely, forcing both the Howling Celestial Dog and the eagle to continuously retreat.
The Howling Celestial Dog suddenly switched to beneath Hanshan and bit towards the mana-formed pillar; if it managed to snap this pillar, Hanshan would naturally crash down from above.
Hanshan felt a great urgency, and the Buddha figure made of golden light swiftly hit the Howling Celestial Dog on the head with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, making it stumble back two steps. Sparks flew from the dog’s head, but it didn’t flinch, revealing that even its physical body was formidable, perhaps on par with Yang Jian’s.
The Howling Celestial Dog, irked by the monk’s attack, shook its head and swelled to the size of a lion, howling loudly and astonishing the dignitaries of the Han Dynasty.
“Is this Truly Lord Erlang’s Howling Celestial Dog? The legend says it can swallow the moon in one bite. I wonder if that’s true or not,” Liu Zhuang said.
“An eclipse is a natural occurrence and not the result of Immortal trickery. This is just a rumor among common folk. Your Majesty, such talk is not credible,” the Imperial Astronomical Bureau explained to the Emperor.
Liu Zhuang nodded slightly and watched the magic combat unfolding before him. He saw— the Howling Celestial Dog once again bit fiercely, and as the Demon-Subduing Pestle was swung towards it, the dog did not dodge. Incredibly, it caught the pestle in its mouth and within moments, chewed it into dust, then spat it out with a “puh” sound, scattering golden powder all over the ground.
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau couldn’t help but think to itself, “Perhaps it really could eat the moon…”
Yang Jian sensed the stirrings of wind and thunder above and urgently sent his Primordial Spirit out of his body, instructing the Howling Celestial Dog and the Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle to entangle Monk Hanshan and not give him a chance to escape.
Once he ascended into the clouds, he spotted a figure of Leizhenzi passing by and was overjoyed. He quickly intercepted him and said, “Junior brother, help me!”
This Leizhenzi had wings on his back, capable of stirring up wind and thunder. He laughed upon seeing Yang Jian, “Senior brother, it’s been a long time! What are you doing here?”
Leizhenzi was on a mission to deploy thunder, but fortuitously Yang Jian happened upon him.
“Junior brother, I am contending with a monk from the Western Religion in a display of divine skills below. Hearing the sound of the wind and thunder, I knew it was you who had arrived, and I could use your assistance,” Yang Jian pointed down as Leizhenzi peered through the clouds, only to see Yang Jian and Hanshan sitting in meditation below. The Howling Celestial Dog and the Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle were fiercely circling around Monk Hanshan. Nevertheless, Monk Hanshan was formidable. A Great Buddha behind him unfolded nine arms, long and large, repeatedly forcing the Celestial Dog and the Golden Eagle back.
Leizhenzi said cheerfully, “No problem at all! I’m not in a rush to deploy the thunder, so I’ll help you subdue this monk.”
As Leizhenzi spoke, he already lifted the hammer in his hands, and with one strike downwards, a bolt of thunder suddenly roared down!
“BOOM!”
Amidst clear skies, thunder struck, illuminating everything in golden light and startling all the courtiers of the Han Dynasty, causing their hearts to pound.
The thunderbolt struck right on the Great Buddha behind Monk Hanshan. The Buddha’s golden light dispersed, and plumes of blue smoke rose from its back. The pillars formed by Hanshan’s mana beneath shook momentarily, yet they didn’t cause him to fall. However, this attack made Hanshan inwardly startle.
Leizhenzi chuckled, “Isn’t this the ‘Amiable Twin Arhats’ from the Buddhist sect? Unexpectedly, they are so resilient to thunder!”
Yang Jian replied, “Just keep striking him with thunder until he falls down. My Howling Celestial Dog and the Golden Eagle will keep him busy so he won’t be able to free his hands.”
Regret began to surface in Monk Hanshan’s heart. Why had he forgotten about Yang Jian’s two formidable pets? Perhaps it was because he saw King Bodhisattva defeated and was eager to turn the tide, leading him to rush into action without heeding the key details.
“This thunder must be from Leizhenzi! This is bad, very bad!” Monk Hanshan thought anxiously and quickly used his divine skills, intending to kill the Howling Celestial Dog and the Silver-eyed Golden-winged Eagle.
But when the two beasts saw Monk Hanshan struck by the thunder, they became less anxious. They would sometimes dodge far away, only to pounce once more into battle whenever Hanshan tried to turn his attention to Yang Jian’s physical body, frustrating Hanshan to the point where he wished he could boil the two beasts alive and devour them.
“This is not good, not good! I must ascend to the sky to stop Leizhenzi,” Monk She De thought to himself, swiftly employing his divine skills to send his Primordial Spirit out of his body and towards the heavens.
Ancestor Chen Tuan also let his Primordial Spirit leave his body. While King Bodhisattva and Daoist Equal to Heaven deliberately revealed their Primordial Spirits for all to see during their spellcasting, if these great sages didn’t want to be seen, it was difficult for others to detect them. Nevertheless, Ancestor Chen Tuan was an ancient sage who had attained the Dao, and although he did not often emerge into the world, the extent of his mana was difficult for others to fathom. This was precisely why Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian sought his assistance. As soon as Monk She De’s Primordial Spirit left, the ancestor immediately sensed it.
With a jovial tone, Ancestor Chen Tuan said, “Elder She De, where are you off to? Can you bring this poor Daoist along?”
Monk She De cursed inwardly at Chen Tuan’s pretense of seniority by feigning ignorance and replied, “Your Yang Jian has enlisted Leizhenzi to join the fray; I am going up there to dissuade him.”
Chen Tuan chuckled and said, “Your Buddhist sect delineated the rules, but you never said it was forbidden to enlist outside help! We haven’t interfered, but does that mean others can’t help either?”
Monk She De, seething with anger, responded, “Alright, fine! Let’s see if you can stop me, Chen Tuan!”
Chen Tuan replied, “This poor Daoist has slept for too long, and even the younger generations have forgotten about me. Do they really think I only sleep and cannot fight?”
As Ancestor Chen Tuan and Monk She De prepared to start another “stove” of their own, with one trying to ascend to the heavens to prevent Leizhenzi from striking down thunder, and the other set on stopping She De from ascending,
How the battle would end, please listen to the next installment to find out.
