24: Dharma

“?”

Divine Lord suddenly frowned for the first time. Before he could say anything, Tang Ku had already transformed into an afterimage and vanished from the hall.

“Revered Master, you can’t let him escape! This guy is a threat!” Linglong Zi exclaimed in alarm.

“He won’t escape!” Divine Lord suddenly disappeared from his original spot, and then a rumbling sound echoed throughout the entire hall. Immediately, a flash of light passed, and Tang Ku’s figure slammed down from mid-air, creating a huge crater in the ground.

However, his body was very sturdy. He flipped over and jumped up. He lowered his head and looked at his chest; a deep fist print on his jinlan kasaya was slowly disappearing, causing him to frown slightly.

“In such a short time, you could actually see my movements?” Tang Ku looked at the mid-air and chuckled, “It seems you’re not just a pretty face after all!”

Divine Lord’s figure suddenly appeared, suspended in mid-air, looking down at Tang Ku and saying, “You are what surprises me. I clearly erased your power, so why can you still use such a skill?”

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just exceptionally gifted!” Tang Ku squinted and said, “So, if I don’t defeat you, I can’t escape, right?”

Divine Lord chuckled, “You can try, if you think you can do it!”

Tang Ku suddenly remembered the opponent’s combat power and couldn’t help but rub his nose, saying, “I’m actually very curious, between your combat power and my eldest Disciple’s, who is stronger?”

Divine Lord was slightly startled, then thought for a moment before saying, “Oh, you mean that primate? Hmm, his power is stronger than any of us Twelve, and not by just a little bit. To be honest, if our Lord didn’t have a way to control him, the Western World might not have been so easy to conquer!”

“That’s not right…” Tang Ku thought to himself, “The System showed that Sun Wukong’s combat power wasn’t that strong back then… Did he hide his strength? Or did his combat power decrease after being controlled?”

However, with his current combat power, trying to win against the one in front of him would be wishful thinking!

“Since you’re unwilling to be my Disciple, then I can only follow the Lord’s command and kill you. I hope that after you enter Reincarnation, you won’t suffer the hardships of this life again!”

As he spoke, Divine Lord clasped his hands together, then formed a Buddhist mudra. Behind him, a large number of indistinct runes suddenly appeared. These runes combined to form a huge circular object behind him, resembling a coin. Golden light shimmered on it, and various Buddhas and hand seals glowed brightly.

“Oh, Vajradhatu Mandala… Is this Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel?” Tang Ku squinted slightly, revealing the origin of the move.

Divine Lord was suddenly stunned, then said, “You actually know the name of this move?”

Tang Ku chuckled, “I know a lot more! Not only do I know the moves of you Twelve, but I also know the origins and Cracking methods of these moves! Just give me a few days, and I can break your moves!”

“Is that so?” Divine Lord didn’t feel he was exaggerating at all. In fact, after thinking seriously for a moment, he suddenly said, “Then I can even less afford to keep you. Linglong Zi was right, if you live, you will definitely be a disaster!”

Tang Ku turned to look at Linglong Zi, revealing a mischievous smile.

Linglong Zi shivered, then immediately hid behind the throne.

“Monk, since you know the name of this move, that means you know what effect it will have, right?” The huge golden treasure wheel suddenly pressed down on Tang Ku, and at the same time, Divine Lord’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Of course I know!” Tang Ku pouted, “You’re not as handsome as Shaka from Saint Seiya…”

“Shaka? Who is that?” Divine Lord was suddenly startled, and then something seemed to recall in his mind, causing him to frown slightly.

“Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel can deprive the user of their connection to the outside world, ultimately depriving a person of their six senses… Hmm, you really don’t know who Shaka is? Then what do you call yourself?” Tang Ku had already been enveloped by the power of Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel; his visual perception of the outside world had disappeared, but his other senses were still present, so he could still speak.

“I don’t know. My original name is Shi Jingmo, Virgo warrior of the Twelve Palaces!” Divine Lord frowned slightly, “You’re quite resilient. Your perception hasn’t completely disappeared yet? Even though you don’t even have power…”

“Maybe it’s because I’m from a Buddhist background!” Tang Ku suddenly sat cross-legged, his eyes lifeless as he said, “Have you ever heard of Buddhist scriptures?”

Divine Lord nodded: “I have read many Buddhist scriptures. Why, do you have something different?”

“This move of yours, or rather, this Divine Ability, should actually be related to Buddhist scriptures. The deeper one’s understanding of the Buddha’s philosophy, the stronger the power of this move. But conversely…” Tang Ku chuckled, “You insist on using this move to suppress a Buddhist Disciple, or rather, the only True Buddha of Buddhism!”

“What do you mean?” Divine Lord frowned slightly. He seemed to have a bad feeling, but clearly, the guy in front of him was just a lamb to be slaughtered, so why did he get a bad feeling?

“When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva practiced the profound Prajnaparamita, he perceived that all five aggregates are empty, and thereby transcended all suffering…” Divine Lord frowned slightly, “This is the Heart Sutra? But why does it sound different when it comes from your mouth?”

Tang Ku ignored him and recited the scripture from beginning to end. And when he reached the part that said: “No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind,” his eyes suddenly regained their sight at that moment!

Divine Lord was greatly alarmed. Before he could speak, he saw Tang Ku close his eyes, clasp his hands together, and begin to recite another passage of scripture.

“You Bhikkhus, you should know that the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the One Endowed with Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Trainer of Persons to be Tamed, the Teacher of Devas and Humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One, is also like this. …”

“This is the Nirvana Sutra?” Divine Lord was puzzled, not knowing why Tang Ku would recite scriptures in such an environment, but he knew that if he let him continue, Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel would collapse.

That’s right, collapse!

The power of Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel seemed to be constantly diminishing as he recited the scriptures.

“Thus have I heard: At one time the Buddha was dwelling in Shravasti, at the Jeta Grove, Anathapindika’s Park, together with a great Bhikkhu Sangha of twelve hundred and fifty Bhikkhus, all of whom were Arhats free from outflows, upholders of the Buddha’s teachings, who had well transcended all existences. They were able to accomplish dignity in the land, turning the Buddha’s Dharma Wheel, wonderfully capable of inheriting his last will…”

The Shurangama Sutra… The Avatamsaka Sutra… The Great Brightness Sutra… The Akasagarbha Sutra… Each scripture was very long, yet it also seemed very short, as if it was imprinted into Divine Lord’s mind in an instant.

Tang Ku was a monk in his previous life, and in this life, he became Tang Seng, who was a great Revered Master of Buddha Dharma recognized even by the Western Paradise Buddhas! And there was Golden Cicada from his previous life; his Buddha Dharma cultivation was also incomparably profound!

Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel, like the Shaolin Temple’s Seventy-Two Ultimate Arts, the higher one’s Buddha Dharma cultivation, the stronger the power of this Divine Ability. But conversely, what if the user’s opponent has a deeper understanding of Buddha Dharma?

“Playing with Buddha Dharma in front of Tang Seng? Heh heh, did you graduate from kindergarten?” Tang Ku’s face was solemn and dignified, but he secretly chuckled in his heart.