Chapter 367 The Battle Against Buddha
The benevolent corpse that Julusun Buddha beheaded took the name Kumarajiva and possessed extremely terrifying combat power.
Jiang Liu should feel fortunate that Ju Liusun only entrusted his benevolent corpse to his own cultivated Dharma body. Although it was still incredibly powerful, it was still somewhat inferior to entrusting it to an innate spiritual treasure.
Innate spiritual treasures possess supreme power, and when imbued with the Three Corpses, they are at least at the level of Golden Immortals.
Kumarajiva clasped his hands together, and a lotus flower bloomed from his mouth; with a single thought, heaven and earth trembled.
Jiang Liu immediately felt a great threat. Although it was just a benevolent corpse, it was indeed a Buddha.
The Buddha possesses supreme Dharma; with a single thought, he can create an ocean, transform a mulberry field, slay a thousand demons, and vanquish ten thousand immortals.
The water buffalo Xie Chou was terrified and uneasy. The "Heart of the Demon Emperor" in his body was pounding violently, as if it was about to burst out of his chest and fly away. In the end, he could no longer maintain his human form, let out a wild roar, and transformed into his true form as a demon buffalo!
"Take Luo Binwang away..."
In an instant, golden light seemed to shimmer within the monk's body, and his bones cracked and popped, like the resounding toll of an ancient bell, growing ever more distant. A gust of wind arose from the monk's tattered cotton robe, carrying a vast and ancient aura as it burst forth.
This is a Buddhist body-refining supernatural power, an indestructible golden body, similar to the martial arts of the immortals in the "Yang Shen" world. Its aura is far-reaching, its power is strong, and its defense is solid, no less than the substance of fist intent.
This is still a physical body. As for the Dao, the Law, and the Technique, Jiang Liu believes that Ju Liusun's benevolent corpse will be even more terrifying.
It is said that one must kill the Buddha if he gets in one's way, but can the Buddha really be defeated?
Though there be millions, I will go!
As they clashed, all the orifices of the river flowed simultaneously, and the sound of a dragon's roar emanated from within, drowning out the sound of the ancient bell.
"bundle!"
Although he possessed an indestructible golden body, Kumarajiva did not resort to crude fists and kicks. Instead, he pointed at the river, and in the blink of an eye, the acquired treasure, the Immortal Binding Rope, coiled around him like a dragon. There was not a trace of worldly concern; it was all ordinary things and ordinary methods, just like the Buddha holding up a flower, natural and without a trace of hostility.
Faced with the monk pointing at him word by word, Jiang Liu naturally returned the favor with word of his own.
"town!"
The bronze cauldron pressed down on Jiang Liu's head, gathering the dragon energy of the land veins of the Nine Provinces. This world was on the verge of collapse, and an invisible pressure swept out, seemingly suppressing the sun, moon, and stars. Everything trembled under the bronze cauldron.
Kumarajiva looked at the small cauldron that was releasing the pressure of the five elements, silently praised it, and then his meditation began again.
With a thought, the Immortal Binding Rope transformed into a five-clawed golden dragon, piercing through the suppression of the bronze cauldron. It continued until it was within three feet of the river, binding the river's consciousness, mental power, blood energy, and fist intent within those three feet.
However, the bronze cauldron continued to vibrate, fixing the Immortal Binding Rope in place, preventing it from advancing even an inch.
With a cauldron and a rope, neither can defeat the other!
"What a magnificent bronze cauldron!"
In an instant, Kumarajiva used the Immortal Binding Rope to suppress Jiang Liu, while within his body, it was as if an ancient temple bell was tolling. The distant sound of the bell was as solemn as thunder and carried supreme Buddhist power, coming in an endless stream, like waves crashing one after another, filling all the space between him and Jiang Liu in an instant.
Then, he lifted his heel, his tattered cotton robe fluttering in the wind, and with one step, he possessed the power to swallow mountains and rivers, reaching Jiang Liu in an instant.
The Buddha's light shone brightly, creating a sacred and peaceful atmosphere. Although the fist strikes were terrifying and had an intimidating aura, they were imbued with compassion and contained no murderous intent.
But he was indeed awe-inspiring, with a captivating gaze and an air of supreme dominance over the world! With a single punch, even the Great Dao trembled; he reigned supreme over all under heaven!
Jiang Liu raised his hand and threw a punch as well. The punch that killed the transmigrator stirred up the power of heaven and earth, as if he was using the power of the entire land of Kyushu to strike the Buddha in front of him!
The fists collided, but no unusual phenomena were observed. However, Jiang Liu and Kumarajiva both retreated simultaneously.
Jiang Liu's sleeves ripped apart inch by inch, eventually disappearing.
The cotton robe on Kumarajiva's body also scattered into fine cotton fibers, and the straw sandals on his feet rubbed against the bluestone ground, spreading out and leaving behind three zhang of broken grass on the ground.
"In the Three Realms, the Taoist Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, the Buddhist Indestructible Golden Body, the Demon Body of the Demon Race, and the Witch Body of the Witch Race are all methods for cultivating the physical body. You are neither a demon nor a witch, you have not practiced the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, nor have you cultivated the Indestructible Golden Body, yet your physical body is as strong as my Dharma Body..."
He stood still, slowly opened his mouth, and a stream of blood spilled from the corner of his lips. The golden blood sparkled with starlight and carried a strange fragrance.
"Do you still want to fight? Don't think that just because you're a Buddha, I'll hold back. I won't attack unless attacked; if attacked, I will retaliate. You are no exception, even if you are a Buddha!"
Jiang Liu took a deep breath, his blood boiling, and then wisps of flame ignited from the overflowing blood.
"Third time's the charm, now take another hit from me..."
Kumarajiva stopped attacking and instead focused on the thought, because he knew that he could not subdue Jiang Liu with his physical body alone.
With a single thought, one can subdue demons, vanquish monsters, and suppress countless beings.
In an instant, a Buddha appeared before Jiang Liu's eyes, even in his sea of consciousness, and even on his soul.
Everywhere!
This benevolent corpse of the Buddha Julusun was preparing to use its divine consciousness to guide Jiang Liu to enlightenment, and to mercilessly inscribe its Zen thoughts into Jiang Liu's soul.
Therefore, at this moment, Jiang Liu realized that his fighting spirit was gradually fading.
Before that golden Buddha statue, radiating compassion and peace, not only the desire to fight, but also competitiveness, violence... all negative emotions seemed to vanish.
Looking at the Buddha sitting between heaven and earth in front of him, Jiang Liu felt completely at peace and had no desire to fight.
A voice kept faintly ringing in his ears.
"Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot."
"Screw your path to Buddhahood! If laying down your butcher's knife were all it took to become a Buddha, the whole world would be full of Buddhas... Break this spell!!!"
At the same time, Jiang Liu also had a thought. His fist intent surged forth, pointing to the sky and stomping on the ground. Suddenly, golden light seemed to bloom between his brows, and his eyes became deep and indifferent, as if he were a god looking down at the heavens. Instantly, a figure dressed in a black robe condensed in his sea of consciousness, holding a small bronze cauldron in his hand, and an indescribable majesty surged forth.
This majesty is the divine king who rules over all the heavens, descending with his glorious divine might.
Without pausing, he threw a punch at the Buddha before him. The fist intent, imbued with the will of the Nine Provinces, materialized and swept outwards, shattering the Buddha into dust. Even the indestructible golden body of Kumarajiva began to emit the sound of a bronze bell being struck.
Thousands upon thousands of voices echoed endlessly, eventually culminating in a long sigh.
At the same time, the bronze cauldron took hold of the out-of-control "Immortal Binding Rope" and suppressed it.
"I've lost!"
Kumarajiva wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, turned and left.
"You have the ability to ensure that the Nine Provinces Cauldron will not be seized by others. I hope you can continue to suppress it. The Immortal Binding Rope will be kept in your possession for now. When the time is right, someone will come to take it..."
Watching Kumarajiva walk away from his sight step by step, Jiang Liu knew that this was only the beginning...
Chapter 368 The World Within
Upon returning to Qianlong Mountain, Jiang Liu immediately went into seclusion. Although he had defeated Kumarajiva in the recent battle, Jiang Liu's body was also covered in wounds. In particular, the bones in his right arm, which had been struck by a punch, were now covered with cracks, resembling a spider web when viewed internally.
The benevolent corpse, which is manifested through the Dharma Image Golden Body, has an extremely strong physical body.
After consuming several pills and recuperating for a period of time, he finally made a full recovery.
Once the situation was restored, Jiang Liu began making arrangements.
Having absorbed the Cosmic Cube, the one who escaped finally experienced a significant increase in power, most directly manifested in the dramatic change in the appearance of the storage space within the river.
If it was previously called a storage space, it should now be called a miniature world.
Within its body lies a world unto itself, spanning a radius of a hundred miles, containing heaven and earth, mountains and rivers. Beyond that hundred miles, a hazy expanse stretches out, seemingly still nurturing an even larger world.
Even the hundred-mile stretch of land that could be swept away in an instant by divine sense was magnificent. In the center was a mountain, like a sharp sword piercing straight into the clouds, majestic and towering, surrounded by fertile land.
Several waterfalls hang from the mountainside, some thousands of feet long, cascading down from the valley walls, creating a vast expanse of white, incredibly magnificent. When the sunlight shines through, colorful mists swirl around them.
The light comes from a tree.
The sapling of the Immortal Fire Tree took root at the very top of the mountain, breathing in and out the chaotic energy of the clouds, constantly showering down light and heat, allowing this world to shine with brightness.
The waterfall converges on the plain below the mountain, forming a great river that meanders and extends into the unseen and unknowable chaos.
For hundreds of miles, countless people toiled in the fields. These were all followers of the Azure Emperor, brought by Jiang Liu from the world of "Yang Shen," numbering in the tens of thousands. A sweep of divine sense revealed that the soil in the fields displayed five colors, emanating a fresh, vibrant fragrance. Beside the fields were small ponds, their water extremely viscous, resembling ancient stalactites or molten jade liquid.
The small world that was nurtured within this body was so rich in spiritual energy that it was comparable to the celestial realm.
The "Dragon Tooth Rice" grains are planted in the fields, resembling "Sword Tomb".
A Taoist priest was performing a spell in the field. With a single strike, dark clouds rolled in, and thunder was brewing directly above the Dragon Tooth Rice. Streams of life force emanated from the thunder, causing the Dragon Tooth Rice to take root and sprout.
Some warriors practiced martial arts not far from the fields, their blood surging with energy, not too far from achieving the physique of an immortal.
Ancient trees reaching for the sky stand tall in the mountains, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.
A peach orchard, where each peach is the size of a large bowl, with seven holes on it, constantly releasing its fragrance.
These are the "Seven-Aperture Peaches" of the Great Vajra Divine Ape clan. Jiang Liu saw some Great Vajra Divine Apes eating the peaches to enhance their physical strength, nourish their bodies, strengthen their muscles and bones, and become incredibly powerful!
Each of them reached the peak of refining essence into qi. Some practiced boxing and martial arts, while others, like divine apes, opened up many caves, meditated in the caves, preserved their spirit, and cultivated Taoist arts.
Further up the mountain, there are rows of medicinal herb fields and palaces.
Qianlong Temple is built on the mountainside, and the statues inside have faces that are almost identical to Jiang Liu's.
Jiang Liu saw the Azure Emperor, who was still a seven or eight-year-old child standing in front of the temple, looking down at the earth. He cultivated incense and became a god, and his supernatural powers were connected with his faith. Without expanding his followers, his strength naturally stagnated.
They saw the demon ape Ba, who now had one foot in the realm of the Creator, sitting cross-legged on a large blue stone, clearly having not moved for a long time.
Having seen Zen Silver Gauze and the monk Jingren, both of them have greatly improved their strength.
Near the waterfall at the mountain peak, a small, lifelike qilin lies, its body covered in dragon scales, as if it is treading on water.
It has a dragon's head, deer antlers, lion's eyes, tiger's back, and bear's waist. In addition, it has patterns on its back, which look like a kind of divine pattern, which is extremely mysterious.
This is the world of "Covering the Sky". The Qilin Divine Medicine Seed, which was cut from the Divine Source, has now taken root in the small world and is already alive.
Perhaps many years from now, it will grow into a true miracle drug.
A small golden light danced in the sky, seemingly stealing a Nine-Aperture Peach, plucking a Dragon Tooth Rice, and absorbing a wisp of chaotic energy from the heavens. It also seemed to be eyeing the Qilin Divine Medicine, but the medicine was born with the power of a Qilin and was difficult to approach.
This little golden sprite is the Nine-Transformation Divine Silkworm.
"What do I need to do to bring forth a true world?" Jiang Liu stood atop the mountain, gazing at the sky, seemingly asking and answering his own question.
"Devouring the world's origin? But how can the world's will be so easily broken? It seems we need to find a suitable world... Establish an underworld, gather faith, devour the world's origin... I've got it, that world will do!"
Jiang Liu did not choose to travel through time immediately, but instead made full preparations to refine the Immortal Binding Rope.
The Immortal Binding Rope is a supreme treasure acquired later in life. As long as one is strong enough, even a Golden Immortal can be bound and have their cultivation sealed.
Naturally, the power of Ju Liusun's Immortal Binding Rope was far beyond what Tu Xingsun could achieve, nor could it be compared to a mere benevolent corpse.
In the battle with Jiang Liu, it wasn't that the power of the Immortal Binding Rope was weaker than that of the Bronze Cauldron, but rather that Kumarajiva's strength was insufficient to unleash its full power.
After Kumarajiva was defeated and left, the Immortal Binding Rope was suppressed by the bronze cauldron, and its terrifying power had been restrained, falling into Jiang Liu's hands.