The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 540 Mutilated Corpses
Bodhidharma.

Or, to put it another way, Venerable Bodhidharma.

The founder of Shaolin Temple, the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism, and a martial arts master. He is the most brilliant and talented person since martial arts were introduced into the martial arts world, and is also recognized as one of only two peerless geniuses who could have mastered the six paths into one and transcended the realm of gods and men.

Throughout the millennia, countless heroes have emerged, but apart from Zhang Sanfeng, none have been able to rival him.

Now, this legendary figure has appeared before Li Miao—albeit in such a blasphemous way.

With just one glance, Li Miao confirmed his identity.

It's not just because of appearance.

Even from a distance of ten zhang, Li Miao could sense the immense power of this corpse, surpassing even An Qisheng in his prime. Even after a thousand years of death and being embedded in a divine statue, its bones and vital energy still far exceeded Li Miao's.

This is an opponent you have to fight tooth and nail to win against.

Bang!
Li Miao instantly rushed to the remains of Bodhidharma, his once black hair suddenly turning snow-white. He pulled his right fist back sharply, his whole body like a fully drawn bow, with a series of crisp sounds coming from his body—and then slowly struck out.

This punch was extremely slow.

It resembles a child practicing boxing, or an old man hoeing the ground.

But as the punch was thrown, the air gradually distorted. The surging energy emanating from Li Miao's body actually made the air hazy. The fist moved little by little until it reached the chest of the remains of Bodhidharma.

hum-

It reverberated like the sound of a great bell being struck.

The clothes on the chest of the mutilated corpse of Bodhidharma were torn and scattered, revealing the golden skin beneath. He had been struck head-on by Li Miao's full-force punch, leaving only a slight dent in his skin, without any other marks.

"Ha! Indestructible!"

"To see Bodhidharma personally demonstrate the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts, who else in the world but me could have such an honor—again!"

Li Miao laughed loudly, changed his fist into a finger, and pointed at the wound on the chest of the remains of Bodhidharma.

Although he held Bodhidharma in high esteem, he was not pedantic. Martial arts competition is inherently about using any means necessary, and even the techniques passed down by Bodhidharma himself included underhanded moves like groin kicks—in fact, defeating him by any means necessary was the only way Li Miao could express his respect for this martial arts patriarch!

Legend has it that Bodhidharma has attained an unblemished golden body, a fact Li Miao just witnessed, as he emerged unscathed even after taking a punch from him without warning. Therefore, this wound is his chance for victory!
He dug his fingers into the wound.

Li Miao stared intently at the movements of the mutilated remains of Bodhidharma.

"Aren't you going to move?"

Since leaving the temple, the remains of Bodhidharma have not made a single move. Even now, it shows no intention of stopping Li Miao from touching the wound on his chest.

It was as if... it had turned back into a corpse.

Seeing that Li Miao's fingers had already touched the edge of the wound, if he just went in and twisted and squeezed, along with stirring up the protective true energy inside his body, even Bodhidharma himself would be in trouble.

"Could it be that the method used by the person who killed Bodhidharma has become ineffective after being sealed for a thousand years?"

Li Miao's mind raced, and he inserted his fingers into the wound.

But the next instant—bang.

A very short, sharp bang.

Li Miao felt a chill on his chest as the protective aura he had erected in front of him shattered instantly. Then, for the first time, he understood the feelings of Zheng Anqi, whom he had once sent flying through the air.

boom!
Li Miao crashed onto the torii gate, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The enormous torii gate, several meters high, collapsed behind him with a deafening roar.

Li Miao suddenly stood up, and as soon as he stood still, he coughed again. He reached out to touch his chest and found a fist mark about an inch deep that almost touched his internal organs.

"Damn, that's Arhat Fist."

Li Miao spat the stagnant blood onto the ground.

"The foundational Shaolin boxing style, is it really this powerful?"

The protective true energy, solidified into a tangible form, flowed into the wound, mending the broken bones, filling the voids, and permeating the limbs and bones along the muscle fibers. [Underlying Strength], [All Things].

The two unprecedented paths of profound exploration, working together, spurred development.

After testing the waters once, Li Miao began to use the methods that would drive An Qisheng into a corner.

It's unavoidable.

Li Miao saw the punch clearly just now and tried to block it, but he couldn't. His fist was shattered and it almost pierced his heart—this was an enemy far stronger than him.

There can be no carelessness.

Li Miao's lips gradually parted into a grin. After defeating An Qisheng, he finally felt the rush of blood coursing through his body once again.

"Come!"

Swish!
Before he finished speaking, the remains of Bodhidharma reappeared in front of Li Miao, his left hand slapping Li Miao's shoulder.

"The Great Compassionate Thousand-Leaf Hand!"

Li Miao quickly dodged.

After officially cooperating with Shaolin, Yongjie had already handed over all 72 Shaolin arts to Li Miao. Although he was not very interested in Buddhist martial arts, out of respect for Bodhidharma himself, he still devoted some of his salary to learning each one.

This "Great Compassion Thousand-Leaf Hand" is a palm technique that is on par with the Ming Cult's "Great Nine Heavens Palm." It emphasizes striking first after the opponent has moved, and injuring people with one's inner energy.

Sure enough, Li Miao just turned to the side.

Boom!

A loud crash came from the woods dozens of feet behind him, and a string of ancient trees, as thick as a man's waist, snapped in two. The crown of the foremost tree flew off and crashed into a dense forest.

Before the remains of Bodhidharma could finish their attack, Li Miao suddenly raised both hands upwards, climbing up its arms to grab its elbows.

"I'd like to see if I can actually train the Indestructible Vajra into my flesh!"

Li Miao suddenly grabbed the mutilated corpse's elbow, about to break it.

Suddenly, the palm of the Bodhidharma corpse drew a circle, slightly deflecting Li Miao's fingers and claws, and then the five fingers bent, like dragon claws, and hooked back at Li Miao's elbow.

"Damn, Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand!"

Li Miao's expression changed drastically, and he began to fight the remains of Bodhidharma.

"I didn't realize before how comprehensive Shaolin's martial arts are! Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, forks, fists, palms, fingers, claws, and grappling techniques. If there were weapons here, would you be going to demonstrate Ananda's Breaking the Precepts Sword Technique for me?"

"The Founder of Martial Arts is indeed extraordinary!"

Within arm's reach, fists and palms clashed.

Unlike the battles Li Miao had experienced before, this battle was not very exciting. There was no dust or loud noise. Any battle between a celestial being and a human would have been much more intense.

However, Li Miao, who was on the battlefield, understood that this was not because the remains of Bodhidharma were weak. On the contrary, it was a sign that Bodhidharma had elevated Jiezi to a level beyond the mortal realm.

Every ounce of strength and inner energy was firmly contained within the body's surface. If it didn't strike the opponent, there wouldn't be the slightest leakage; but once it did—

A fist grazed Li Miao's cheek.

A burst of blood appeared on Li Miao's cheek.

boom! ! !
Behind him, the main hall of Izumo Taisha Shrine collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Once hit, there will be no chance to activate [All Things] to replenish flesh and blood. The flesh and blood near the point of contact will be blasted into blood mist and then evaporate."

Li Miao crouched down and crawled into the arms of the mutilated corpse of Bodhidharma, then raised his knee and slammed it into the groin.

"Just now I said I would send the person who desecrated your body to hell, but now it seems I have to go even further than him."

"Venerable Bodhidharma... I apologize for this!"

(End of this chapter)