The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 460: Overcoming all the enemies, talking about Buddhism

"The martial arts of the world come from Murong family. Today I will let you know that the martial arts of Murong family are broad, profound and all-encompassing!" The gray-clothed man slapped out with his palm, and the roar of dragons and tigers sounded. It was a move called "Kang Long You Hui" that knocked Xiao Feng back repeatedly, dragging Xiao Yuanshan back more than ten meters.

"The Dragon Subduing Palm, the arrogant dragon will regret it!" The leaders of the Beggar Gang exclaimed in shock.

The gray-robed man chuckled strangely, took up his stance, and slashed through the air with his palm straight at Abbot Xuan Ci. Abbot Xuan Ci's eyes widened and he slapped out his palm in the same swift manner. There was a "bang bang" sound in the air, dust flew up, and energy burst out in all directions. The gray-robed man was as steady as a rock, and he didn't move. Abbot Xuan Ci took three steps back before he stood firm, and slowly uttered four words: "Great Vajra Palm!"

All the heroes in the martial arts world were in an uproar. The man in gray called himself Murong Bo, the former patriarch of the Murong family. He used the Dragon Subduing Palm to repel the former leader of the Beggar Gang, Xiao Feng. Then he used the Vajra Palm, one of the 72 Shaolin martial arts, which few people have mastered, to repel the Shaolin Abbot Xuanci, who was also proficient in this martial art. His momentum was astonishing and shocking.

The gray-robed man refused to give up. Duan Yanqing, a man with dust on his feet, floated lightly before him and pointed a finger. Duan Yanqing swung his iron staff, but he quickly parried it, hitting acupuncture points with ease. Nearby, Yue Lao San was also knocked unconscious by a slap. Not far away, Duan Zhengchun slowly uttered three words: "One Finger Yang."

Suddenly, all the heroes were shocked. The man in gray attacked three people three times, using the Beggar Gang's Dragon Subduing Palm, the Shaolin Vajra Palm, and the Dali Duan family's One Yang Finger respectively. How could they not be shocked?

"Amitabha!" Suddenly, a Buddhist chant rang out, and Jiumozhi walked up with steady steps. "Mr. Murong, we parted years ago, and later I heard that you had passed away. I was deeply saddened. It turns out that your seclusion had a deeper meaning. I am so happy to meet you again today."

The gray-robed man looked at Jiumozhi and shook his head softly, saying, "For the sake of my family and country, I have been lying low, feigning death. I am truly ashamed to have caused you so much concern. Previously, my training was not refined, and my realm was insufficient. I rashly combined the seventy-two Shaolin secret techniques into one, creating something that seemed to be true, but was actually something else. It is neither better than the best nor worse than the worst, and is useless. Furthermore, because it is so disorganized, forcing it to practice will lead to many conflicts. I hope you will only use it as a reference and not force it."

Jiumozhi narrowed his eyes slightly. This person might not be the old benefactor Murong Bo whom he knew. He had exchanged his flaming sword for many Shaolin martial arts skills in the past. Murong Bo was definitely not the kind of person who would say such a thing. But who was this person? Just seeing how he forced Xiao Feng and Abbot Xuanci to retreat with just a few moves, and easily defeated the wicked Duan Yanqing, the leader of the Four Evils, proved that his martial arts skills were absolutely top-notch, and he was the strongest among the top masters.

Jiumozhi was a martial arts fanatic, and he loved vanity and could not see through fame and fortune, so he could not help but challenge him. He said that it had been a long time since we last met and he wanted to learn something from him, but his hands continuously displayed the Dora Leaf Finger, the Wuxiang Jie Finger, and the Nianhua Finger, and launched the attack first.

The man in gray chuckled, put one hand behind his back and pointed out with the other hand repeatedly, easily deflecting his attack with the same moves. He also gave some reminders from time to time about the precautions of these special moves and the areas where Jiumozhi was not in place, and then raised his palm like a knife and slashed with a flaming knife.

Jiumozhi's face changed drastically, and he returned with the same flaming blade, though his attack was a little hasty. If it weren't for his deep internal strength and true mastery of this skill, he would have suffered a loss if he wasn't careful. The gray-clothed man suddenly said, "I heard that the master had gone to the trouble of offending the Tianlong Temple in order to obtain the Six Meridians Divine Sword for me. I learned this magical skill by chance, so I will show it to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hands, unleashing a stream of invisible sword energy. As he performed his moves and explained, his gaze turned to Duan Yu, who looked at him with a look of surprise and doubt. Besides himself, he only knew of one other person in the world who was proficient in the Six Meridians Divine Sword, and that was his brother-in-law Murong Fu. Could it be that...

The Six Meridians Divine Sword is known as the best sword in the world. It was created by Duan Siping, the founding emperor of Dali. It was also his greatest asset in dominating the martial arts world. Although Jiumozhi's Flame Blade was powerful, it was no match for the Six Meridians Divine Sword. He was quickly defeated. His face darkened slightly, and he sighed and bowed his head to admit defeat, but his doubts deepened.

Is he really the old donor Murong Bo?

The gray-robed man gazed around and sneered, "Only the fittest survive in this world. Sorrow eliminates the weak, and the strong prevail. Today, the Murong clan of Gusu is challenging the martial arts masters of the Central Plains in Shaolin Temple. We are the master of all martial arts, and we have conquered Korea, held the Liao Kingdom, and invaded the Song Dynasty. If I continue to gain power, I will sweep across the land and unify the world. By then, the Song Dynasty, Dali, Xixia, and Tubo will no longer exist, leaving only the Great Yan for eternity!"

"Today is your last chance. If you fail to eliminate me while the army is away, don't blame me for not warning you." The gray-robed man said, turning his gaze to Abbot Xuanci. "Dayan has occupied Liao, executed the Protector of the Nation Dharma Master at Fengguo Temple, and purged a group of arrogant and extravagant pseudo-monks. Now, we intend to establish Buddhism in Dayan."

"What is Buddhism? It's the culmination of Buddhist knowledge." The gray-robed man spoke eloquently to the Shaolin monks, as well as to eminent monks like Jiumozhi, Master Shenshan, Master Shenyin, Master Guanxin, Master Daoqing, Master Juexian, and Master Rongzhi. "The Great Yan Kingdom intends to allocate ten thousand acres of land to establish a Buddhist academy, providing an annual supply of one million taels of silver and grain. They will also collect Buddhist scriptures from all over the world, compile them into volumes, and compile Buddhist textbooks. All monks seeking ordination must undergo an examination, and only those who pass the examination can become monks and receive ordination certificates."

"The academy has Buddhist students who serve as reserve monks. Those who pass the examination become ordinary monks, with the same honors as scholars. They can then continue their studies and become masters, with the same honors as juren. They can take up ordinary positions and even handle rituals. Above masters are divine monks, with the same honors as jinshi. They can represent the Great Yan Kingdom on diplomatic missions to the far reaches of the world, spreading the authentic Buddhist teachings throughout the world."

All the eminent monks were shocked when they heard this and looked at each other in bewilderment. If this person really had this ability and was willing to put these things into practice, there would be no monk who would not be tempted. However, such an action would give rise to the suspicion that the court was controlling Buddhism. However, they really could not refuse such a good thing that represented the spread of authentic Buddhism to the world. The temptation was too great.

"A divine monk can accumulate merits. He can spread the Dharma wherever he wants, win or lose debates, and bring morally barren lands into the Buddhist realm, spreading the light of civilization and dispelling hostility. When his merits are great, he can be canonized as a holy monk, write books and have statues erected in Buddhist academies for posterity." The gray-robed man said calmly, "A divine monk is like a Jinshi, a high-ranking official of the state. He has great freedom. He is not prohibited from marrying or eating meat, but he is no different from a meritorious nobleman except that he cannot pass on his throne to his descendants."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. The gray-robed man looked around, his gaze landing on Abbot Xuanci. He said calmly, "Buddhism emphasizes precepts, concentration, and wisdom, and requires continuous practice. However, when one reaches a certain level of practice, the realm reaches the level of a divine monk, one possesses sufficient Buddha nature. At this point, the so-called rules and regulations are just a formality, and even become shackles that restrict the growth of a divine monk. They need to enter the world and realize the truth that all things are Buddhas, breaking through and then rebuilding to return to their original nature."

Nonsense! All the Buddhist monks looked at each other, quite disapproving of his words. The gray-robed man immediately pointed out that India, the birthplace of Buddhism, did not have this problem. Not eating non-vegetarian food did not mean not eating meat, but not eating dishes with unpleasant smells.

In other words, as long as it is a top-notch delicacy with good color, aroma and taste, no matter what the ingredients are, Buddhist disciples can eat it in theory. The gray-robed man talked nonsense, leaving the monks speechless, especially when he quoted scriptures and analyzed the problem from various angles of Central Plains and Indian Buddhism, in order to prove one thing: precepts are a means, not an end.

Besides meat and fish, the Gray-robed Man focused on the issue of marriage and children. Neither the Five Precepts nor the Bodhisattva Precepts prohibit marriage and children. The most common precepts are abstaining from killing and sexual misconduct. Therefore, as long as the love is deep and genuine, having children is permitted. This is not sexual misconduct, but true love.

Abbot Xuanci: Buddy, can you shut up?

Gray-robed Man: I would like to invite you to come out of seclusion and serve as the first president of the Great Yan State Buddhist Academy. I would like to establish you as a role model. This golden opportunity to spread our ideas cannot be missed. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to deal with so many powerful people next time. Not only you, but also your son is a pawn in my hand. Rest assured, I will give you and your family a bright future.