Killing Monks

The eight great Buddhist soldiers correspond to the Eightfold Path in Buddhism: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

Among them, "mindfulness" corresponds to "the mirror of karma", while "right speech" corresponds to a knife of precepts.

Righteous Words - The Evil-Suppressing Blade!

Legend has it that this knife has the power to "suppress evil and dispel falsehoods," specifically targeting inner demons and illusions. Furthermore, it can imbue the wielder's words with a strange power of "truth" or "awe," influencing the minds of others.

Under the intimidating aura of this invisible blade, wicked people often find it difficult to utter lies, and may even be forced to reveal their secrets!

No wonder Xu Jinying blurted out his true intentions just now!

"Shouldn't this knife... be enshrined in the Southern Tang royal family or some royal temple?" Xu Jinying looked at the gray cloth wrapping behind Bajie with suspicion and asked again.

When he was young and serving in the Northern Zhou army, the first piece of information he heard about Buddhist weapons was this terrifying "evil-suppressing blade".

Its most feared aspect lies precisely in its role during palace interrogations and confidential questioning.

That eerie ability to force people to "tell the truth" has exposed countless secrets and caused countless deaths.

Upon hearing this, Pigsy raised one palm to his chest and said:

"Emperor Li of Tang used Buddhist weapons as his private tools, abusing them for palace infighting and torture to extract confessions, thus deviating from the original purpose of Buddhist weapons: 'to suppress evil and guide people to righteousness.'"

"I am merely taking it away so that it may return to the Buddhist order and help people, not making it a plaything for one family or clan."

Upon hearing this, not only did Xu Jinying and his brother feel a chill run down their spines, but even the martial arts practitioners who were spying in the distant mountains and forests, and even Guangyuan and Lu Fei in the treetops, felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads!

Judging from what the monk said, he actually broke into the Southern Tang imperial palace and forcibly "took away" this national treasure and sacred Buddhist weapon!

Now he even swaggered into the territory of Northern Zhou with it on his back, and went to Shuangying Fort to demand another Buddhist weapon!

This is either a madman with a heart of stone, or a truly skilled and daring villain!

Xu Yinying secretly tugged at his brother's sleeve and whispered, "Big brother... how about..."

He was genuinely scared.

Faced with such a ruthless character who dared to break into the palace to steal treasures and parade through the streets carrying Buddhist weapons, Shuangying Fort's meager resources are probably no match for him.

It would be better to hand over the mirror, lose money to avoid disaster, and preserve your life and foundation.

But Xu Jinying had more in mind.

If, under the watchful eyes of the public, he were to be intimidated by a few words and obediently hand over the treasure he had obtained, then the infamous reputation of Twin Eagle Fortress, built up over many years, would be completely ruined in a single day!

Who will be afraid of them in the future?

This is more serious than losing a mirror.

This is the way of the world; sometimes, you have to do things that seem stupid.

It's just to save face.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his fear and forcing himself to calm down, before saying, "What a boastful monk, and what ruthless methods!"

"However, this is ultimately my Twin Eagle Fortress territory."

"Want a mirror? Sure!"

"But we have to let Xu see if a monk is truly qualified to command Buddhist soldiers!"

He held up three fingers, his eyes fixed intently on Pigsy: "Three moves!"

"Let's exchange three blows! If the monk can truly convince me, then we can discuss the mirror matter later! What do you say?"

He tried to save face under the guise of "experience" while also probing the other party's true strength.

The agreement of three moves ensures that there is a basis for both advancing and retreating.

Bajie nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm and composed: "Amitabha. It's alright to have any knowledge of this."

"But I must make it clear beforehand that swords have no eyes, and while Buddhism is compassionate, it also has methods to subdue demons."

"This humble monk... cannot guarantee that he can spare the layperson's life."

"Ridiculous!" Xu Jinying laughed angrily and said no more.

The more indifferent and disregardful the other party's tone was, the less he could show any weakness!

If we back down today, the infamous reputation of Twin Eagle Fortress will become a joke!

He took a deep breath, and his Earth Realm cultivation surged within him, resonating subtly with the power of the surrounding world.

With a light push off the wall, he soared into the air like a roc, tracing an arc as he flew over the fortress wall. With the momentum of his descent, he delivered a punch straight to Pigsy on the ground!

The force of the punches was terrifying, with a whistling wind!

While suspended in mid-air, he had already unleashed the divine skill of "Copper Head and Iron Arms".

His head instantly took on a dark brass luster, his arms bulged with muscles, and his skin turned a deep iron black, as hard as refined iron!

This is what he relied on to run rampant for so many years!

The terrain is divided into three levels: Peeping Path, Ascending Hall, and Reflecting the Moon.

Although Xu Jinying was only at the "Seeking the Path" level of the initial stage of the Earth Realm, his internal energy had begun to merge with the power of heaven and earth.

But with his outstanding physical strength, he can fight against ordinary "Entering Hall" level martial artists, and even gain the upper hand due to his strong defense!

Unfortunately, the Pigsy he was facing today was clearly not someone who could be compared to an ordinary person.

Faced with this powerful, downward punch, Pigsy didn't even remove the monk's knife from his back.

He simply raised his eyes and looked at Xu Jinying, who was rushing towards him from the air.

Then, without warning, a flash of light appeared again.

Just like when the minor leaders were killed before, it was unknown where they came from or where they would go.

It was as if it were just a faint, fleeting trace of light in the air, flashing and then disappearing.

It was so fast that it exceeded the limits of visual perception.

Xu Jinying's pupils suddenly contracted while he was in mid-air!

He didn't even see where the blade came from. Relying solely on the instinct honed through years of life-and-death battles, he crossed his iron-black arms, which were infused with the hardest part of his body, to protect his vital points in front of his chest. At the same time, he channeled his inner energy to strengthen the defense of his skin and flesh!

A flash of light.

Xu Jinying felt a strange force, icy cold yet incredibly sharp, coming from where his arms were crossed. His "iron arms," ​​strong enough to withstand sword and axe blows, were unable to completely block it!

The blade light seemed to possess some kind of special property; it pierced through the iron arm's defenses, and with its remaining force, it struck his chest directly.

"Pfft—!"

Blood splattered!

A deep, bone-revealing wound, about a foot long, was clearly visible on Xu Jinying's chest!

Blood instantly stained his brocade robe.

Although "Copper Head and Iron Arms" focuses on head and arm training, the practitioner's skin, flesh, tendons, and bones are tempered by the technique over many years, making their defense far superior to that of ordinary people, and they are difficult to harm by ordinary swords and knives.

However, faced with this mysterious and unpredictable blade light, his proudly trained body was easily sliced ​​open as if it were made of paper!

Xu Jinying groaned, lost his balance in mid-air, and fell heavily to the ground, staggering several steps before barely managing to stand up.

He looked down at the bleeding wound on his chest, his face drained of color, filled only with boundless horror and disbelief.

"What...what kind of swordsmanship is this?!"

Bajie remained standing in the same spot, his hands clasped together, his body motionless, as if the fleeting glimpse of the sword light had nothing to do with him.

He looked calmly at Xu Jinying and replied indifferently, "Heart Knife."

"A knife that rises from the layperson's own heart."