Daqin Zhentiansi

"A grand vow?!" Everyone was shocked.

Zhang Yuan's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap from the heavens, carrying a domineering and resolute tone that seemed to tear the sky apart.

"People say that gods and Buddhas are lofty and that Buddhist teachings are profound and mysterious, and that the mortal world cannot touch them!"

"Liangzhou prides itself on being a sacred Buddhist site, with its monks high above, in charge of the principles of reincarnation, and regarding mortals as mere weeds and dust! I, Zhang, am not convinced!"

The wrathful deity behind him, with its three eyes wide open, bursts out with a light more dazzling than the sun. The vajra and flaming sword in his hands hum and tremble, as if they are about to tear the sky apart in the next instant!
The vast and powerful Buddhist energy mixed with the condensed and substantial martial arts aura formed a powerful storm that swept across the heavens and earth!

"Today, I, Zhang, will use my mortal martial arts to cultivate the Buddhist Vidyaraja techniques!"

"Using this golden body of slaughter transformed from the 'Vimalakirti World-Suppressing Technique,' I will act as the wrathful Vajra!"

"I want to ask questions, fight, and prove myself in this sacred land of Liangzhou, before the ten thousand Buddhas!"

"Let's see if my mortal body, Zhang Yuan, can cultivate into a 'mortal Buddha' and shake the 'gods and Buddhas' you speak of, who are high above and untouched by the dust of the world!"

"Liangzhou Buddhist sect, who will—take up the challenge?!"

The last four words, like the simultaneous ringing of millions of golden bells, mixed with the roar of dragons and elephants and the howling of thunder, transformed into a tangible torrent of sound waves that crashed violently onto the top floor of the entire Buddhist altar!
"boom--!"

The entire Buddha-discussion platform trembled violently!
Countless ancient Buddhist characters lit up in the golden lotus area where the Supreme Being resided, desperately resisting the blasphemous and warlike question.

Those elders and monks with lower cultivation levels were shocked by the sound waves that were a mixture of Buddhist and demonic wills. Their faces turned pale, and some even coughed up blood.

Madness!

Such outrageous arrogance!
A Buddha in the mortal realm?

Challenging all the gods and Buddhas?!
This is no longer a discussion about Buddhism; it's a complete overturning of the table. It's an attempt to use absolute power to trample on the signboard erected by the Buddhist sect of Liangzhou!
Didn't we agree to discuss Buddhism?

When Liangzhou backed down, wasn't it just a military dispute, or was it an enemy of Qin?
"Zha!"

A similarly ancient and grand chant pierced Zhang Yuan's storm of questions like a stabilizing force.

Grandmaster Miaozhi could no longer restrain himself. He stepped off the lotus platform, and golden light surged around him.

A golden Buddha wheel, almost solidified, condensed behind his head, unleashing an immense Grandmaster-level pressure without reservation!
He is a representative of the Dharma Protector Vajra lineage, and he cultivates the fierce and unparalleled Buddhist supernatural powers.

"Zhang Yuan! This sacred Buddhist land will not tolerate your insolence! You, a mere martial artist and pseudo-Buddhist, dare to challenge the true Buddha of Liangzhou?!"

Miaozhi's eyebrows and beard stood out, his monk's robes billowed, and his hands formed a mudra. A hundred-foot-tall wrathful Vajra protector phantom appeared behind him, exuding a powerful and unyielding aura.

"False Buddha? True Buddha? We'll find out after we fight!" Zhang Yuan's eyes burned with fighting spirit. He took a step into the air and his figure appeared in mid-air as if by teleportation, facing Miao Zhi from afar.

He didn't even unleash the massive golden body of the King of Light behind him to attack. Instead, he clenched his right fist, and the pure power of his physical body surged through the space, causing fine cracks to spread in front of his fist.

"Zhang Yuan of the Zhen Tian Division, please inquire about the Dao through martial arts!"

Before he finished speaking, a punch was already thrown out!

There is no flashy light, only the purest power, power condensed to the extreme!
The moment this punch was thrown, it was as if the void itself was compressed and emptied, carrying an unparalleled will to destroy all laws and suppress heaven and earth!

"Bang-click!"

The Vajra Mudra protective seal formed by Miaozhi was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks!
"What?!" Miaozhi was shocked and activated his Vajra Dharma Form with all his might to block.

But the force of that punch seemed to pierce through the boundaries of time and space, and it was firmly imprinted on the chest of that tall Vajra statue.

"boom--!"

A blinding golden light flashed, and a huge hole was pierced through the chest of the hundred-foot-tall Vajra Dharma Image, which then crumbled into pieces like shattered glass!

"puff!"

Miao Zhi was struck as if by lightning, and golden blood gushed from his mouth.

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily back onto the edge of the altar, his breath weak and his face ashen!
One punch!
Just one punch!
The Grandmaster-level Dharma Protector Vajra couldn't even force Zhang Yuan to reveal his true form before his pure physical strength shattered the Dharma Protector Vajra's golden body!
The entire venue was deathly silent!

You can hear the needle drop!

The monks of Liangzhou almost popped their eyes out of their sockets!
That's one of the strongest Dharma Protectors of the Vajra Institute!
"Who else?!" Zhang Yuan stood proudly in the void, his gaze shooting like lightning towards the top of the Buddhist altar. Behind him, the golden statue of the Ming King surveyed all directions with disdain.

"Amitabha!" A clear, cold voice rang out. An old monk who had been sitting with his eyes closed in Prajna Zen Forest opened his eyes. Wisdom flowed in his eyes. There was no anger in them, but countless mysteries arose and disappeared.

"Lord Qingyang, using force to oppress others is not the true path of Buddhism. Behold the humble monk 'Emptiness Without a Trace'!"

He did not get up, but slowly raised one finger.

A tiny swastika symbol rotates with a fingertip, exuding an aura of cutting through space and erasing all things.

There was no massive energy storm, yet it made one's mind tremble, as if one's soul was about to be swallowed by that "emptiness".

This is the method of using wisdom to confront the enemy in the Prajna Zen Forest, directly pointing to the flaws in one's thoughts.

A hint of admiration flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes, but he said, "Empty yet not empty, clinging to the appearance of emptiness leaves a trace! Watch me break through your defenses!"

Behind him, the golden body of the Ming King remained indestructible, but Zhang Yuan himself took a step forward and actually focused his mind on that sense of "emptiness"!

However, at the very moment of contact, a light even more intense than the wrathful flames of the King of Light suddenly burst forth in his eyes.

An overwhelming and unyielding will to remain "immovable" instantly replaced everything else!
"My heart is as firm as a rock, my will as strong as iron! Hold on!"

"Om-!"

The spinning swastika seemed to have crashed into an invisible sacred mountain, letting out a mournful cry before instantly collapsing!

The old monk's body trembled, he let out a muffled groan, the light of wisdom in his eyes dimmed, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He was defeated, defeated by the opponent's martial will that was almost like the Dao!

Immediately afterwards, a high-ranking monk from the Chiba sect, renowned for his Buddhist escape techniques, transformed into a thousand streaks of light, attempting to confuse and launch a surprise attack.

An old monk of the Nirvana School experienced the ebb and flow of life and death.

The elder of Miaoyin Pavilion played enchanting Buddhist chants.

The Venerable Master of the Suffering and Solitude School releases an infinitely desolate will...

Eight grandmasters or senior monks from different sects, who had mastered the top Buddhist secrets of Liangzhou, stepped out of the Buddhist platform one by one with complex feelings of grief, indignation, determination, or verification of the Dao.

However, the result remained unchanged!

Whether it's using skill to overcome force, mystery to overcome rigidity, illusion to confuse reality, or artistic conception to erode...

Before Zhang Yuan's absolute barrier of physical sainthood, the vast Buddhist might of the Mingwang Zhenshi Jue, and an invincible Dao heart tempered a thousand times and impervious to all laws, they all crumbled!
Zhang Yuan's fighting style is simple and unpretentious.

One might shatter all laws with a single punch, directly destroying the opponent's proud Dharma form and supernatural powers. Or one might allow the opponent's intent to overwhelm them, crushing all illusions with unwavering will.

Occasionally, the golden body of the King of Light manifests its power, the flaming sword cleaves through the sonic waves, the vajra smashes the illusion of life and death, and the demon-subduing chains bind countless streams of light...

Every battle was decided in the blink of an eye.

"Oh!"

"Pfft!"

"Boom!"

One by one, the highly respected monks of Liangzhou fell from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, crashing onto the Buddha altar. Their faces were ashen, their breathing disordered, and they were no longer able to fight.

Eight wins out of eight!

They were all utterly crushed!

The atmosphere at Wanfoping had shifted from horror to deathly silence, followed by a pervasive sense of panic and disbelief.

On the Qin delegation's side, Ji Yuntang's gaze was deep, Ding Yuan was trembling with excitement, and Sun Ming was completely stunned.

When the eighth monk, a high-ranking monk of the Bitter and Lonely Zen School, was violently shaken apart by Zhang Yuan's roar of the Ming King, his withered will domain was shattered. After he coughed up blood and fell to the ground weakly, the entire Wanfoping seemed to be left with only the sound of the wind and the figure standing in mid-air, like a god of war.

His body was enveloped in a radiance of interwoven gold and crimson light, a phenomenon signifying the peak fusion of Buddhist essence and blood energy.

The wrathful Vajra statue behind him was no longer a mere phantom; it seemed to have merged with his physical body, radiating a terrifying pressure that surpassed that of a Grandmaster and touched upon a higher level.

In Liangzhou, where the Great Dao Laws of Wuyongtian Continent do not suppress him, the power of his physical body becoming a saint can finally be released without restraint, reaching the heavens and the earth!

Zhang Yuan's gaze swept calmly and coldly across the top of Liangzhou's Buddhist altar, over the nine remaining supreme beings.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it resonated like a million thunderbolts in everyone's heart, carrying an overwhelming and majestic power:

"Nine battles, nine victories. In Liangzhou's Buddhist sect, who else can stand a chance?!"

This question, like a decree from the Heavenly Emperor, resounded throughout every corner of the Buddhist debate platform.

The enormous golden body of the King of Light roared silently according to its will, and its pressure, like a tangible tsunami, slammed down on the golden lotus where the nine supreme beings on the top floor were located!

Under that terrifying pressure, the entire Bodhi wood altar emitted a groaning, teeth-grinding sound, as if it might collapse at any moment!

All eyes were finally drawn to the very center, to the old man, the Venerable Wooden Staff, who sat as still as a rock, holding a wooden staff.
The last pillar supporting the Buddhist community in Liangzhou!

Two golden lights, powerful enough to incinerate the void, suddenly shone from the depths of the Venerable One's originally calm eyes.

His withered body did not stand up, nor did it show any sign of leaking magical power.

But the entire Lunfotai, no, the entire Wanfoping, was suddenly enveloped by a vast, ancient will that seemed to merge with the faith and vows accumulated over millions of years in this sacred Buddhist land beneath our feet.

This will is not as domineering and outward as Zhang Yuan's, but rather as introverted as the unfathomable Guixu, carrying a profound and boundless weight accumulated over countless ages.

His aura rose silently, quickly surpassing that of any previous Venerable One.

It also transcended the comprehension of everyone present, subtly touching upon another unfathomable and profound level.

That is a legendary realm that transcends the Dao Inquiry Realm and resonates with the will of the vast continent!

The air at Wanfoping was so thick it felt almost tangible. The ancient scriptures engraved on the Bodhi wood altar spontaneously lit up, shimmering with light, as if echoing the awakening of this guardian of the sacred site.

Hundreds of thousands of monks and laypeople were almost suffocated by that invisible pressure, and even time seemed to freeze.

The Venerable One with the wooden staff finally raised his head slowly, his gaze seemingly traversing ten thousand years, landing precisely on Zhang Yuan.

He lightly tapped the ground with the wooden nine-ringed staff in his hand.

"Boom-"

The sound, though not loud, seemed to resonate deep within the soul.

"Lord Qingyang." The voice of the Venerable on the wooden staff was no longer gentle and comforting, but carried a resolute and ethereal quality. "Your physical body has reached the profound level, and your Dharma form of the Bright King has attained the true meaning of great freedom. The fusion of martial arts and Buddhism to this extent is something I have never seen before in my life."

"If you insist on using pure power to determine life and death between the Liangzhou Buddhist sect and mere physical strength in this sacred place..."

He took a deep breath, and a powerful aura, transcending the mundane and unstoppable, suddenly rose from the ground and soared into the sky!
"...Then please move to the outer void! This place is the pure land of the hearts of hundreds of millions of Buddhist believers, not a battlefield of life and death."

"Although I know my chances of winning are slim, to protect the dignity of Buddhism and the purity of this sacred place, even if it means burning this withered body to ashes, I will fight to the death to stop you here!"

The moment the words fell, the aura emanating from the wooden staff clashed violently with Zhang Yuan's raging power as a Ming King in the void!

There was no violent explosion, no dazzling light.

Only a silent, yet terrifying ripple that could make the souls of all cultivators tremble spread wildly and vanished above Wanfoping.

Space was torn apart with spiderweb-like cracks, but it was barely held together by the power of the vows flowing through the Buddhist altar and the will of the two powerful figures.

A great battle is imminent, like an arrow on a bowstring!
It felt as if an invisible giant hand was gripping the heart of Wanfoping, and everyone's heartstrings were stretched to the limit!
At this critical moment, when a cataclysmic collision was about to erupt, a clear, gentle voice, possessing a soothing power, pierced through the turbulent vortex of confrontation like a stabilizing force:
"The venerable one with the wooden staff."

It was Grand Secretary Ji Yuntang who spoke!

He calmly rose from the Qin camp, his elegant purple robe remaining perfectly still amidst the surging storm.

His eyes were clear and wise as he gazed directly at the venerable figure with the wooden staff atop the altar.

“Yuntang admires the Venerable Master’s compassion and fearlessness in protecting the Pure Land at the cost of his own life.”

"Such a broad mind and such a sense of responsibility are the embodiment of great perseverance, great determination, and great aspiration! How rare they are, and they resonate with the compassion and ambition in the heart of His Majesty of Great Qin at this moment!"

Ji Yuntang's voice was calm, yet it clearly overshadowed all the silent, oppressive clashes, reaching the ears of everyone whose minds were on edge: "This time, our Great Qin Dynasty delegation has come from afar on His Majesty's holy decree, not to provoke trouble, nor to conquer."

"What Your Majesty desires is to see if the Buddhist community of Liangzhou possesses such great perseverance, determination, and aspiration, and whether it can shoulder the even greater destiny and bear the heavy responsibility of the cycle of reincarnation for the entire continent and even the Three Realms!"

He solemnly held up a scroll wrapped in bright yellow silk with dragon patterns that had appeared in his hands at some unknown time.

The scroll itself did not possess a powerful aura, but the majestic imperial aura and the imprint of the Qin Dynasty's destiny contained within it sent a chill down the spines of all those with cultivation.

"This was written by His Majesty Emperor Yuankang himself." Ji Yuntang's gaze swept over the monks on the Buddhist altar, finally settling on the face of the Venerable One on the wooden staff. "It is His Majesty's grand plan for the future of Great Qin and for all living beings under heaven—'Re-establishing the Three Realms and Six Paths, with Buddhism taking control of reincarnation' strategy."

"The Buddhist sect of Liangzhou is the cornerstone of His Majesty's belief in maintaining the order of reincarnation, not an enemy! This is the beginning of a true immortal achievement! Please, Venerable Master... take a look."

With a flick of his fingertips, the scroll of silk with dragon patterns seemed to be lifted by invisible clouds, floating steadily and firmly toward the wooden staff at the very top of the Buddhist altar.

The gaze of the man with the wooden staff became as sharp as a knife the moment Ji Yuntang spoke.

But when the scroll of silk flew over, when he saw the clear imprint of the nation's destiny on it, and heard the twelve words, "The Three Realms and Six Paths are re-established, and Buddhism takes control of reincarnation," for the first time, an incredibly clear crack appeared on his face, which had been as calm as a still pond and seemed to have seen through the illusions of the mortal world for millennia! (End of this chapter)