Monk of Ultimate Bliss had studied under the Huanxi Zen Courtyard.
Tracing its origins, the Huanxi Zen Courtyard was in fact a branch of the Hehuan Sect.
Their lineage was exceedingly ancient and intricate.
Tracing it all the way back, one could reach the dual-bodied Buddha of Longevity of Tantric Buddhism, as well as the orthodox internal alchemy of Daoism.
In Tantric Buddhism, the dual-bodied Buddha of Longevity had the male figure representing Dharma and the female figure representing wisdom; united, they embodied the fusion of Dharma and wisdom.
In Daoism, it was "taking Kan to fill Li" and the "intercourse of Kan and Li," thereby achieving dual cultivation of essence and life, with life and death unified as one.
Yet this method was extraordinary; the slightest carelessness would distort its true meaning.
This would lead practitioners astray, turning them into villainous demons.
Within Tantric Buddhism, there had been a group whose self-restraint was lacking and whose grasp of the Buddhist teachings was shallow. In trying to comprehend this path, they ended up falling into degenerate ways and were expelled from their sects.
There were also Daoists who distorted "taking Kan to fill Li," disregarding the consent of their partners or even forcing the act without regard for their partner's life.
Neither group was tolerated by the righteous path of the jianghu, and eventually they banded together to form the original Hehuan Sect.
With the creed of "breaking barriers and liberating human nature," they acted with wanton abandon, terrorizing the jianghu and butchering countless men and women.
Time and again, the righteous path of the jianghu united to attack them, scattering them more than once.
Yet this sect was rooted in primal human desires, so no matter how many times it was broken, it inevitably rose from the ashes.
Even today, they remained active throughout the jianghu.
However, differing ideologies and hierarchies existed within the sect, and none yielded to the other.
The Huanxi Zen Courtyard was a branch that had split off amid such infighting.
The primary martial art they cultivated was the Heavenly Desire Divine Skill. Having completely abandoned the principle of fusing Dharma and wisdom, they were driven by lust and desire, treating supreme bliss as true realization. Seeking the zenith of pleasure and meteoric growth in internal skill, they had long since devolved into an outright demonic path.
Even so, this art still retained various esoteric Tantric techniques.
The Dharmakaya of Ultimate Bliss currently deployed by Monk of Ultimate Bliss was a variation of Tantric body-protecting divine skills.
As he channeled his internal force, golden light surged over his body. Amid the circulation of true qi, decadent, seductive sounds drifted through the air, capable of unsettling the mind and stoking base desires.
It was said that if this technique reached full mastery, the Dharmakaya of Ultimate Bliss could transform into the Heavenly Desire Dharmalaksana. Within the golden light, diverse illusions would manifest, leaving any man or woman who beheld it hopelessly ensnared in desire. With the Dharmalaksana shielding the body, one would become an indestructible vajra, impervious to all things.
Yet Monk of Ultimate Bliss's cultivation realm was nowhere near that level.
Even so, its defensive capability was in no way inferior to the various protective divine skills of the Buddhist sects.
All this happened in the blink of an eye!
The energy of Fang Shuwen's fist had already arrived before Monk of Ultimate Bliss.
A deafening clang rang out like the booming of a great temple bell. The massive auditory shockwave stirred up a violent gale throughout the front mountain's main hall.
Clatter, clatter, crash!
Rattling and banging resounded from every direction as all the doors and windows in the entire hall were blown wide open by the gale from this single clash.
Monk of Ultimate Bliss's figure was knocked violently backward, forcing Feng Mantian, Guan Tianyue, and the others behind him to retreat along with him.
Reeling back thirteen chi in a single breath, Monk of Ultimate Bliss jerked his head up, a ferocious glint surfacing in his narrow eyes.
"Is that all you've got?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a trail of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
Fang Shuwen looked down at his own fist with a touch of surprise.
He had to admit, this monk was genuinely tough.
Whether in status or martial arts, these people were leagues above those he had faced earlier, so Fang Shuwen had put considerably more power behind his strike than before.
This punch had been delivered with that heavier force... yet he had not expected that it wouldn't fully shatter the monk's body-protecting divine skill!
He nodded at once.
"Not bad, big monk."
This praise came straight from the heart.
Monk of Ultimate Bliss's mouth twitched upon hearing it...
What was his status, and what was Fang Shuwen's age?
As an expert long-famed throughout the jianghu, fighting Fang Shuwen was already picking on someone far younger.
Yet after taking a single punch, though his protective skill hadn't completely broken, he had still ended up wounded.
His boast just now had been nothing more than putting on a brave face.
And in return, all he got was Fang Shuwen's heartfelt compliment...
Sincerity was indeed the ultimate killing move; it pierced right into a man's heart.
Did this brat have any concept of respecting one's elders?
He let out a cold snort at once:
"Almsgiver's killing intent is far too heavy. Aren't you afraid of descending into the Avici Hell after you die?!"
This was intended as a psychological strike, but Fang Shuwen seemed deaf to it. Taking a single stride, he soared forward:
"Try taking another palm from me."
The palm began as light as misty drizzle, yet caused Monk of Ultimate Bliss's pupils to contract violently.
It was none other than the very move Fang Shuwen had used to kill Li Nanchen, snapping the Zhanxie sword in two with a single strike—Striking the Mountain to Shake the Fiend!
Monk of Ultimate Bliss had witnessed the might of this palm with his own eyes, and he roared immediately:
"Lend me a hand, everyone!!!"
Without hesitation, Feng Mantian and the others pressed their palms against his back.
Golden light surged once more, and Fang Shuwen's palm was already before them.
When the palm met the golden light, none of the earlier terrifying momentum appeared.
The instant Fang Shuwen touched the golden light, it vanished without a sound.
In the end, this palm landed feather-light against Monk of Ultimate Bliss's chest and abdomen.
It was truly light...
At least to onlookers, it looked as though Fang Shuwen had merely given him a gentle shove against the chest.
Or rather, a soft pat.
As if it were a playful nudge between friends, something entirely beneath notice.
Yet Monk of Ultimate Bliss was struck as if by lightning.
He stared at Fang Shuwen and tried to speak, but the moment his lips parted, a crack split open at the corner of his mouth.
Immediately after, cracks rapidly spread across his entire body.
Creaks and snaps echoed incessantly.
"Not good!!"
The black-robed man, whose true face had remained hidden all along, suddenly flung his sleeves and was the first to leap backward.
Feng Mantian and Guan Tianyue also sprang aside.
Xu Chongshan and Zuo Qingshuang urgently shouted:
"Fall back!!!"
Whoosh!
The Zhujige Pavilion disciples inside the hall surged like a tide toward both flanks.
Fang Shuwen pushed off the ground with the tip of his toe, retreating as well.
And in the very next instant after he fell back, a thunderous explosion erupted from within Monk of Ultimate Bliss, detonating in a massive cloud of blood mist.
Swish, swish, swish! Mangled fragments of flesh and bone, propelled by immense force, swept out in every direction.
Blood sprayed across half the front mountain's main hall in an instant. By the time everyone recovered their senses, Monk of Ultimate Bliss was gone.
Only a pair of feet remained on the floor...
Blood drifted down like fine rain, every single drop... recounting the tragic end of Monk of Ultimate Bliss.
Fang Shuwen lightly dusted off his sleeves and stepped forward with a furrowed brow:
"Sure enough, I still shouldn't use too much force.
"As for the remaining three... how about you don't bother coming at me one by one? Why don't you all attack together?"
Chapter 40