“First Form of the Tathagata Palms?” Meng Qi nearly exclaimed in disbelief, his heart surging with waves of shock. Could it really be the Tathagata Palms!
This was the supreme martial art of the Buddhist sect. So far, only this art and the Seven Heavenly Swords could be called supreme. It seemed that only by cultivating these could one truly transcend. Even his own Eight-Nine Mystic Art claimed only to rival it. Judging from the comparison between the Good Virtue and the Holy Buddha, it still fell short by a slight margin.
Moreover, even without the complete manual, merely possessing one form of the divine palm was an incomparable treasure. Bodhidharma had comprehended numerous divine techniques from just the “Third Form of the Tathagata Palms,” founding the Shaolin sect. The Blood Knife Hermit had obtained the fifth form, comprehending two fundamental great techniques and establishing the foundation of the Vajra Temple. Both sects had lasted for over a thousand years, with Dharma-body experts occasionally appearing and overcoming numerous calamities.
Although Shaolin and the Vajra Temple had benefited from the efforts of later high monks and their collection and creation of other Buddhist martial arts, no one could deny that their foundation was the Tathagata Palms, from which more than half of their supreme techniques had evolved.
Thus, one can see how precious and extraordinary the Tathagata Palms are!
Obtaining a single form equates to obtaining numerous divine techniques and the foundation of a great martial sect!
Now, the authentic Tathagata Palms were truly before Meng Qi’s eyes. How could he not be astonished, how could he not be moved, how could he not crave it, and how could he not feel frustrated and disheartened at encountering it too early! His current strength was insufficient to get involved. Even if he miraculously obtained it, it would bring disaster. A common saying goes: “An innocent man may still suffer for possessing a jade.”
Not only Meng Qi, even Jiang Zhiwei, who was usually steadfast and calm, changed expression. Her Sword-Washing Pavilion’s foundation came from one of the Seven Heavenly Swords. Facing the Tathagata Palms, which was equally renowned, how could she regard it as casually as floating clouds in the sky?
Ruan Yushu remained cold and aloof but seemed to have forgotten to breathe. Qi Zhengyan’s usually expressionless face showed rare loss of control, quite dramatically. He had thought it was something on the level of the “Muscle Transformation Sutra,” never expecting it to be the first form of the Tathagata Palms, “Only I Am Supreme”!
Zhao Heng’s breathing became heavy, greed flashing briefly before turning into alertness and frustration, thoughts similar to Meng Qi’s.
“In the past, a Reincarnator entered this world and obtained a manuscript from the outer layer of the Forgotten Mind Hut. It recorded some scattered words left by the monk Jiuzhen before he entered the Demon Realm. He mentioned obtaining the first form of the Tathagata Palms, ‘Only I Am Supreme,’ and comprehending several Chan martial arts, which he passed on to his disciples. However, the ‘Tathagata Palms’ required a Buddhist treasure containing its true essence to completely subdue Yuanmo, so he had to bring it into the Demon Realm. If he perished there, he hoped a capable successor would retrieve it, ensuring the continuation of this supreme Buddhist martial art.”
Bixia Yuanjun explained in detail, fearing that Meng Qi and others might suspect deception. “This Reincarnator must have been full of ambition, concealing the matter, planning to retrieve the treasure from the Demon Realm fragment once his strength was sufficient. Unfortunately, he perished in the Reincarnation World during his next mission, leaving his belongings there until recently, when one of our preparatory teams retrieved them and reported the matter. Unexpectedly, someone in that preparatory team harbored ulterior motives, taking this information to ‘Mythos’ for a more substantial reward and leaving the team.”
“I see,” Meng Qi, who had recently experienced a life-and-death battle, quickly regained his composure, suppressing greed and frustration. “May I ask what Yuanjun requires of us?”
Only today did he learn the first form of the Tathagata Palms was called “Only I Am Supreme,” but obviously, this was not about dominance but Chan meaning. “I” here did not refer to the self, but one’s own Buddha nature, one’s true self. The worldly illusions fade, only the “Self” remains supreme!
Seeing Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei quickly regaining composure and no longer inquiring about the Tathagata Palms, Bixia Yuanjun was slightly taken aback, gaining a more vivid impression of their temperament and rationality.
“The people from ‘Mythos’ are formidable. Even if only Xi is present, it would likely require either Guangcheng Tianzun and I or Yunzhongzi to team up to avoid defeat. Moreover, Beidou Xingjun and Wuqu Xingjun are stronger than both Yunzhongzi and me, not to mention Xiwangmu. If we openly compete, even with you, it would be of no avail.”
“Therefore, we must resort to risky strategies. If we can’t obtain it, neither should they!”
“How?” Meng Qi couldn’t help but admire inwardly. Bixia Yuanjun was indeed decisive, capable of restraining temptation and greed, cutting decisively when necessary.
Bixia Yuanjun said, “Xi went to the Forgotten Mind Hut, and Guangcheng Tianzun also headed there. Yunzhongzi and Wuqu Xingjun are competing for the ‘Tianguo Seal.’ I went to the Changchun Monastery to find the Zhenyun Cauldron and encountered Beidou Xingjun and Xiwangmu.”
In other words, they initially didn’t station anyone at the Demon Realm passage because the Primordial Demon could block all others, including Yunzhongzi and myself. However, the situation has changed now. The Primordial Demon received a report from the Corpse Demon and, unaware of Xi and Guangcheng Tianzun’s presence, will undoubtedly head to the Forgotten Mind Hut. This leaves only the Three Demons guarding the Primordial Demon Palace.
“We can go there, but Beidou Xingjun and Xiwangmu might also go. Moreover, they are stronger and faster,” Meng Qi thought that Mythos must be seizing this time difference to avoid the Primordial Demon, saving effort by not dividing forces. Now going there, the Three Demons might already be dead, with Beidou Xingjun and Xiwangmu, or even Wuqu Xingjun, guarding the Demon Realm passage.
This contradicted their previous assumptions. Given the presence of the Immortal Trace, “Mythos” would have to station someone at the Demon Realm passage after the Primordial Demon departed, to prevent him from attempting mutual destruction.
Bixia Yuanjun nodded: “Indeed, I am injured and not as fast as Beidou Xingjun. They will surely kill the Three Demons, collect the Demon Crystals, and guard the passage. Therefore, our target is them.”
“As for the other two, Wuqu Xingjun is farther away. With my assistance, I can certainly reach before him. The Forgotten Mind Hut contains a Dharma-body expert’s legacy of a Buddhist formation, which will temporarily hinder Xi.”
“But even with our cooperation, we might not be a match for Beidou Xingjun and Xiwangmu,” Zhao Heng frowned.
Once transcending the mundane, every action resonates with the power of heaven and earth. Meng Qi harnessed the Purple Thunder Force to unleash “Thunder Shocking the Nine Heavens” and activated the Heaven’s Scar, achieving comparable might. However, Beidou Xingjun was no ordinary opponent like Bateleur. If Bixia Yuanjun failed to stop him, they might stand no chance of resistance.
Although Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu possessed techniques at the Dharma-body level—Jiang’s selfless sword technique and Ruan’s two of the Twelve Langhuan Melodies, with the former wielding a treasure weapon and the latter having a zither heart—their ultimate moves also carried the destructive power of a novice Outer Scenery cultivator. With five people working together, defeating Bateleur was not difficult, but it was a far cry from facing a typical Outer Scenery cultivator. Bateleur lacked treasure weapons, Outer Scenery techniques, and various supreme arts and secret methods, relying solely on his physical prowess.
Facing Beidou Xingjun, if he had some resistance to sound-based techniques or recovered very quickly, Ruan Langhuan’s Twelve Sound Techniques might prove ineffective. They might not even land a hit. Even if he didn’t take flight, his speed at the Outer Scenery level would allow him to evade the targeting of their major attacks.
Bixia Yuanjun looked at Meng Qi and said, “You practice the Eight-Nine Mystic Art, right?”
After entering this reincarnation world, Meng Qi and others had roughly disguised their appearances. Although their temperaments were hard to hide, unless someone was extremely familiar, they probably couldn’t recognize their true identities. Of course, once they fought, revealing their techniques, it would be easy for others to judge.
“Can you tell that I’m cultivating the Eight-Nine Mystic Art?” Meng Qi was quite shocked. The Eight-Nine Mystic Art had no matching techniques during the Qi Opening stage, and even fewer at the Outer Scenery stage. Therefore, its early-stage advantages were not prominent, manifesting similarly to hard body techniques like the Golden Bell Shield. There were other supreme techniques that also produced a pale golden skin tone. How did she determine it was the Eight-Nine Mystic Art?
From the actual flow of true energy? But that would require her to have seen others using the Eight-Nine Mystic Art before!
“Our organization’s ‘Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun’ cultivates the Eight-Nine Mystic Art,” Bixia Yuanjun added calmly.
Oh… I was even thinking about using ‘Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun’ as my future nickname! Meng Qi immediately felt a subtle sense of rivalry, as if someone had stolen his nickname.
“Yes,” he could only admit.
Bixia Yuanjun said, “The Eight-Nine Mystic Art is good at transformation, concealment, and imitation to avoid calamities. It suits this current use perfectly. I will tell you the surface energy circulation route and the method of gathering momentum of Guangcheng Tianzun’s ‘Reversing Heaven Seal.’ When I fight Beidou Xingjun, you suddenly attack, using the mimicked ‘Reversing Heaven Seal’ palm technique against Beidou Xingjun. He will certainly think it’s a trap, believing that Guangcheng Tianzun has removed his mask, disguising as you to attempt an assassination.”
“At that time, I can take this opportunity to severely wound him or directly scare him and Xiwangmu away.”
Both Xianji and Mythos wore masks to conceal their identities, and no one knew what they truly looked like beneath them. It would be easy to imagine Guangcheng Tianzun disguising himself as Meng Qi.
“So the ‘Reversing Heaven Seal’ is not only a treasure but also a palm technique…” Meng Qi thought, a thought Bixia Yuanjun could never guess.
“Indeed, some risk must be taken,” Meng Qi mused.
Bixia Yuanjun said, “If Beidou Xingjun sees through it, even if I can’t do much, I can still ensure your safe escape. In that case, the virtue points deducted for your mission failure will be covered by our Immortal Traces.”
After all, Xiwangmu was only one person, a newcomer. As long as Bixia Yuanjun could hold Beidou Xingjun for one or two breaths, Meng Qi and others could withdraw calmly, and Bixia Yuanjun, being a genuine Outer Scenery cultivator, was not afraid of failing.
“If we succeed, we will immediately enter the Demon Realm. We will split up to kill powerful evil demons, gather the Demon Crystals, and then you will destroy the passage from inside, cutting off the connection between inside and outside, leaving Mythos helpless.” Bixia Yuanjun explained the entire plan.
Meng Qi and others had no objections. After all, the mission was to destroy the passage. Whether they did it from the outside or inside made no difference; they could still choose to leave.
The only issue was whether Bixia Yuanjun would turn against them. Meng Qi said solemnly, “Yuanjun, concerning the Tathagata Palms, how can we ensure you won’t eliminate us afterward?”
For Outer Scenery cultivators, the effect of soul oaths was effective. There were corresponding contracts in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, judged by Him, but the price was high, and they hadn’t exchanged for it.
“If we obtain the Tathagata Palms, Mythos will publicize it. Whether they kill you or not makes no difference. If we fail, the Demon Realm is self-contained. Even with reincarnation talismans, you can only return to the Primordial Demon Palace. With your strength, would you fear you might return afterward to seek treasure?” Bixia Yuanjun said the facts without contempt.
“Of course, I have a Six Paths Contract. We can all sign it.”
Pausing, she added with a hint of mockery, “In the reincarnation world, you need to prepare a set of techniques and various miscellaneous moves. Thus, even if you use signature techniques, the opponent will only think many people have redeemed them from the Six Paths, making it hard to grasp your true identity.”
Meng Qi and others inhaled sharply. Had she roughly identified their identities?
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