Techniques and Dao

Chapter 102 Arhat Martial Formation

At first glance, several monks were passing by the corridor, carrying scriptures in their hands.

Amidst the birdsong in the mountains, the faint sound of monks chanting sutras could be heard.

The sound was full of a peculiar rhythm and cadence, different from the chanting that Hanamori had heard in the human temples before. In addition to the sounds of wooden fish and metal instruments, there was also a mixed sound as clear as harp strings.

The beautiful rhythm and melody are like heavenly music, making one forget the passage of time.

The monks seemed to be chanting the Heart Sutra:

"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, after walking in the deep Prajnaparamita for a long time, he saw that all the five aggregates are empty, and he survived all the hardships.

Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this.

Shariputra, all dharmas are empty in nature, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, perception, volition, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; no eye-consciousness, and so forth, up to no mind-consciousness; no ignorance, and no cessation of ignorance, and so forth, up to no old age and death, and no cessation of old age and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no cessation, no path; no wisdom, and no attainment. Because there is nothing to be attained.

Bodhisattvas, relying on Prajnaparamita, have no hindrance in their minds. Because they have no hindrance, they have no fear, and are far removed from distorted views and dreams, ultimately attaining Nirvana. All Buddhas of the three times, relying on Prajnaparamita, attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Therefore, it is known that the Prajnaparamita is the great divine mantra, the great bright mantra, the supreme mantra, the unequaled mantra, capable of removing all suffering, truly and without falsehood. Therefore, the Prajnaparamita mantra is recited, namely: Gate Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.

Hua Sheng clasped his hands together and bowed three times toward the direction of the voice, saying softly, "Thank you for taking me in at Daqian Temple! I have important matters to attend to and must take my leave!"

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a voice behind me.

"Young benefactor, wait a moment!"

Hua Sheng heard someone call his name from behind and turned around. It was the same old monk who had greeted him earlier. He clasped his hands together and said:

"Master, so you're still here..."

The old monk who was in charge of receiving guests replied, "This humble monk has already instructed Buxu to prepare a meal for you, young benefactor. If you are not resting in your room, where are you going?"

Hua Sheng was caught red-handed trying to sneak away, and felt a little embarrassed. He could only bow deeply and say, "Master, I really have important matters to attend to. So I must take my leave now, and I will definitely return in person another day to thank the temple for its rescue."

The monk in charge of receiving guests said, "Benefactor, it's not that I'm preventing you from leaving, but the temple gates are currently closed, and it's really difficult for you to leave."

Hua Sheng couldn't help but feel uneasy and said, "Master, your temple is too hospitable. You won't even open the door when guests want to leave?"

The monk in charge of receiving guests said, "Young benefactor, this temple is protected by a Buddhist barrier. No one can leave when the barrier is closed."

“I understand. I’ve seen Buddhist protective barriers more than once. There’s always a way to break them.”

"Young benefactor, you may have misunderstood. This Buddhist protective barrier is not a barrier based on scriptures, but rather the barrier created by Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva..."

"Venerable monk, please don't try to fool me. I'll go take care of my urgent business and come back to thank you all!" Hua Sheng was too lazy to waste any more time with this old monk. Out of courtesy to his junior, he put his palms together and bowed once more before waving goodbye.

With the temple gate just a short distance away, Hua Sheng uttered a cloud-riding incantation: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

In less than half a second, we arrived at the temple gate.

These two mountain gates are deep red and are three times the height of Hua Sheng.

“Thanks for the treat!”

Hua Sheng waved to the monk in the distance, then pushed hard against the gate. But the gate didn't budge.

Hua Sheng looked up and saw that the crossbeam above the door hadn't been removed; the wooden beam was about two hand widths wide. But its weight was as light as a feather to him now.

"rise!"

Hanamori lifted the crossbeam with just one index finger, then turned around and placed it on the ground behind him.

Although the monk was far away, his voice was as loud as a bell, as if it were transmitted over a thousand miles, shouting: "Benefactor, stop! Don't ignore this old monk's advice!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng already placed one hand on the mountain gate and pushed hard. The mountain gate remained unmoved.

"They must have used some magic." Hua Sheng made a hand seal and pushed hard against the mountain gate, shouting, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Open!"

A halo of light emanated from his palm and spread outwards. Hua Sheng was thrown back by a gentle force and took two steps backward.

"This lock is really hard to open! Could it be that my skills have deteriorated due to not using magic for so long?"

Hua Sheng stubbornly refused to believe it and stepped forward again. But then she suddenly realized, wait a minute, wasn't it a pull, not a push? Could she have made such a basic mistake?

He grabbed the handle above and pulled it again. The mountain gate remained firmly in place.

"I knew it couldn't be," Hua Sheng said with a self-deprecating laugh, then thought, "Could it be one of those sliding doors?"

He then grabbed the left side of the door and moved it to the left, but it still didn't work. He then grabbed the right side of the door and moved it to the right, using all his strength, but he still couldn't open it.

Hua Sheng's injuries hadn't fully healed, and this ordeal left him drenched in sweat again. But he wasn't giving up.

"Could it be a sliding door that rises and falls?" Hua Sheng said, peering into the door threshold again, trying to pry the gap open with his fingers. "If it's not a sliding door, then it's a roller shutter door? Or maybe it's the reclining door that we encountered in the treasure box challenge during the Tianmu Trial, the one that can fall face down?"

"Be bold!"

A shout came from behind: "What are you talking about, rising doors and roller shutters! This sacred Buddhist sanctuary is not a place for children like you to play!"

The sound startled Hua Sheng, who instinctively turned around and saw that more than ten martial monks had appeared in the open space between him and the old monk who was in charge of the reception. Each of them had dark, golden skin and was not only tall and imposing but also full of strong muscles.

Hua Sheng exclaimed in surprise, "You guys are doing bodybuilding... no, you're doing the Eighteen Arhats?"

Upon counting, there were exactly eighteen people, no more and no less!

"You audacious madman! Surrender now!" a martial monk shouted.

Hua Sheng retorted sarcastically, "Are you trying to kidnap me by force?"

"Young man! While you are in the temple, you must abide by the temple rules!"

"Isn't that what I'm doing, leaving here?"

"How dare you, a mere novice, disrespect the Buddha's teachings!"

Hua Sheng covered his forehead and said, "High monk, you've hit the nail on the head. I just want to leave..."

"The Eighteen Arhats Formation, prepare!"

"I haven't finished speaking yet! Don't you monks have any manners?!" Hua Sheng, who was interrupted by the martial monk's loud shout, also began to lose his temper.

Hua Sheng had only taken two steps forward when the monks stretched out their hands, conjuring up staffs that reached their eyebrows. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they were one person, and they immediately surrounded Hua Sheng, encircling him.

Hua Sheng laughed and said, "Esteemed monks, are you going to perform Shaolin staff techniques?"

The eighteen warrior monks coiled like pythons, their heads and tails aligned perfectly, leaving no openings, completely surrounding Hua Sheng.

Hua Sheng raised his hand, assuming a defensive stance. The monks placed one end of their staffs on the ground and chanted Buddhist scriptures as they circled around Hua Sheng.

The chanting of scriptures made the stone bricks on the ground tremble slightly, and the staffs tightened their grip, making the circle of space around Hua Sheng smaller and smaller. Hua Sheng felt the air becoming thicker, her chest felt tight, and each breath became increasingly difficult, requiring all her strength to breathe.

As the eighteen monks drew closer, the air in the formation began to solidify, accompanied by a strong sense of suffocation.

Hana was panting heavily, still somewhat dazed. The injury on her foot began to ache involuntarily; it was an injury from the illusion of "reality," but for some reason, it was now causing pain.

The monk's staff struck the ground, less than a meter away from Hua Sheng.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap! In an instant, the eighteen eyebrow-high sticks intertwined and formed a wooden cage, trapping Hua Sheng in the center.

Hua Sheng raised his hand, only to find that these wooden sticks were as heavy as Mount Tai, and seemed to be grown together, standing firmly without moving. Only then did Hua Sheng realize that these sticks, which reached his eyebrows, were transformed from scriptures, and were covered with Sanskrit characters.

"Gentlemen, when it comes to sticks..."

Hua Sheng pressed his hand against the iron gold band around his neck, raised his head to look at the angry-looking monks, and said:

"You're waving your swords in front of Guan Yu! Don't you even know who wields the strongest staff in history?!"

Hua Sheng felt a burning sensation in his palm, and a flame shot out from the iron chain. The golden needle flew to a spot three feet above his head and transformed into a long golden staff that emitted a seven-colored glow!

That is the legendary treasure that stabilizes the sea, the divine weapon that lasts for all ages, the Ruyi Jingu Bang!

This is the compass that dispelled my confusion and led me back to Saint Pingning, the Ruyi Jingu Bang!

Hua Sheng stretched out his right hand from the gap in the staff and grabbed the golden cudgel that was radiating a glowing light. Instantly, his whole body felt as if a spring was flowing through him, and the scripture of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden on his Taoist robe was transformed into bright red burning fire patterns.

A surge of power emanated from Hua Sheng's body, and the scripture cage on the eyebrow-high staff exploded from the middle like a bomb, the burst of air scattering the martial monks in all directions.

A series of crackling sounds as wooden sticks fell echoed through the once tranquil Zen temple.

Hua Sheng stood in the center, leaning his golden cudgel against his back as he walked to the center of the Zen Temple square, and shouted: "Hua Sheng of the Daoist Academy is here! No one can stop me!"

"Barbaric ways!"

A martial monk got up and shouted at Hua Sheng, "Taoist disciples are all these barbaric brutes!"

The other monks also got up, and with a wave of their hands, their staffs flew into their hands again.

Hua Sheng twirled the golden cudgel in his hand and shouted, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

He swept his staff across the charging monks, sending them flying several feet away with a gust of wind.

The rest followed one after another. Hua Sheng's Ruyi Jingu Bang flew out of his hand, spinning rapidly in the air. A series of crackling sounds, like firecrackers going off, swept away all the monks who still held their staffs.

"receive!"

Hua Sheng shouted, and the golden cudgel returned to his hand. He hoisted the golden cudgel onto his shoulder, glanced sideways at the scattered monks on the ground, and walked straight toward the mountain gate.

The curses of the warrior monks came from behind.

"You're so barbaric!"

"Personal attack, right?" Hua Sheng felt a surge of anger and turned around to retort, "Bald monk!"

Another monk cursed, "If it weren't for the Buddha's mercy, how could you barbarians have such a place in Shengpingning!"

(End of this chapter)