Urban Martial Saint

When this question was raised, Ye Qing was momentarily at a loss. However, he quickly reacted, paused briefly, then nodded directly, saying, ”That’s indeed the case.”

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar at the scene, and everyone fixed their eyes on Ye Qing. This was a big deal; according to Shijia, whoever activated the Buddha’s Left Hand might end up dead. The move could indeed deal with the Corpse Ghost Dragon, but the cost was sacrificing someone from their side. Under such circumstances, no one could accept this outcome, regardless of who would die.

”Ye Qing, why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Shen Tianjun asked solemnly, looking at Ye Qing with clear suspicion on his face. He knew Ye Qing’s character well, so he vaguely guessed Ye Qing’s thoughts.

”Everyone, don’t worry, listen to me first.” Ye Qing waved his hand and said, ”Uncle Shen, I knew about this in the sealed chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away. However, Patriarch Bodhidharma also left a solution, so it’s not a particularly significant issue, thus I didn’t bring it up.”

”A solution?” Hearing this, everyone felt slightly relieved. Huangfu Ziyu quickly asked, ”What is the solution?”

”Patriarch Bodhidharma left a method to instantly expand one’s meridians. Combined with the Cultivation of the Power of Dragon Elephant, it could enhance the body’s tolerance a hundredfold or even several hundredfold in a short period, fully bearing this power!” Ye Qing said, ”I have already mastered this method. So, even though the power of the Buddha’s Left Hand is immense, my body can handle it. There’s nothing to worry about!”

”Really? That’s great!” Everyone was overjoyed. If there truly was such a method that could prevent casualties on their side, it would be the best outcome. Not only were the members of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance pleased, but Ding Lianshun Yin Xianzi and Ning Qianshu were of the same mind.

Shen Tianjun was slightly silent for a moment, then said, ”So, you will be the only one to activate the Buddha’s Left Hand?”

”Yes,” Ye Qing nodded and said, ”After all, I have learned the Power of Dragon Elephant, which Patriarch Bodhidharma deliberately left behind to activate the Buddha’s Left Hand. I must say, Patriarch Bodhidharma was truly foresighted, leaving such a backup plan millennia ago. Without these secret techniques left by Patriarch Bodhidharma, dealing with the Corpse Ghost Dragon would not be easy!”

Ye Qing’s words immediately caused a stir among the surrounding people, sparking discussion about the secret techniques left by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

Shen Tianjun still seemed puzzled, but Ye Qing quickly seized the opportunity to ask Shijia, ”By the way, Monk, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why wasn’t there any of Patriarch Bodhidharma’s remains in the place where he passed away?”

Hearing this question, everyone immediately looked at Shijia. When Ye Qing returned, he had mentioned the situation in the sealed chamber, and everyone was quite puzzled as to why Patriarch Bodhidharma’s remains were not inside the tomb. However, at that time, Shijia and Wuhua were busy examining the Buddha’s Relic, leaving the question unanswered. Now that Ye Qing brought it up, everyone regained interest.

Shen Tianjun also looked at Shijia, as this was something he had never heard of, and he was indeed curious about it.

”What you said makes no sense; who says the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away must contain his remains?” Shijia shrugged and said, ”Must your remains stay where you died? According to your logic, those who die in car crashes should be buried under the road?”

”This...” Ye Qing was left speechless by Shijia’s rebuttal, unable to respond. This was true; the sealed chamber was simply the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, but Shijia never said it was his tomb.

”Then where is Patriarch Bodhidharma actually buried?” The Wolf Monk asked from the side, also very curious about this matter.

”Nonsense, if I knew, would I have needed Young Ye to painstakingly find that sealed chamber?” Shijia said, ”What’s buried in the tomb of Patriarch Bodhidharma is certainly more formidable than what’s in the sealed chamber. But the key problem is, have any of you heard of the tomb of Patriarch Bodhidharma throughout these years?”

Everyone looked at each other; indeed, no one had heard of it. Patriarch Bodhidharma was a mythical figure—a legend. He had a beginning but no end. In fact, if Shijia hadn’t mentioned the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, none of them would have known. As for his tomb, no one knew of its existence.

”Then, who is the Eternal Demon mentioned by Patriarch Bodhidharma?” Ye Qing asked again.

”Who do you want me to ask that to!” Shijia shrugged again and said, ”Hey, Young Ye, don’t think I’m all-knowing. These Eternal Demons, needing Patriarch Bodhidharma to suppress them personally, are definitely extraordinary beings, beyond the limits of Fate. You must understand that even if I can divine, the stronger a person is, the harder it is to predict their fate. Those who surpass us are beyond my sight. Otherwise, would I need you to venture into the sealed chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away? I would have divined and gone there myself years ago!”

Shen Tianjun slowly nodded, saying, ”What the master said is indeed true. The Way of Divination has such limitations. The stronger the person, the harder it is to predict their destiny.”

”Regarding the Eternal Demon, I’ve thought carefully and really can’t figure out who it might be,” Shijia said. ”But you previously mentioned that at the bottom of the underground river, there’s a stele eternally standing there. The inscriptions are in Buddhist Texts, maybe from these we can infer the demon’s origin. Because the spot guarded by the stele is directly connected with the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma guarded. Hence, it can be concluded that the stele and Patriarch Bodhidharma are defending the same Eternal Demon!”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing immediately remembered, ”That’s right, I did jot down some of the inscriptions on the stele.”

”Did you?” The monks in the hall suddenly became spirited, gathering around Ye Qing. Shijia eagerly urged, ”Quick, write it down, let me see.”

Not delaying, Ye Qing quickly found a piece of paper and began to jot down the Buddhist Texts he memorized. In truth, Ye Qing hadn’t remembered much, given the short duration he was underwater. But he remembered the largest few red characters on the stele vividly, so he copied those first.

Seeing the red characters that Ye Qing wrote down, Shijia was stunned; however, the reactions of Bloody Monk and Wolf Monk were not as intense as Shijia’s. Upon seeing the characters, the Wolf Monk softly said, ”Unmovable as Mountains, Bodhisattva Seal!”

”What does ’Unmovable as Mountains, Bodhisattva Seal’ mean?” someone nearby couldn’t help but ask, as none were well-versed in things related to the Buddhist Sect.

”It is the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal!” Shijia said solemnly, ”This is the manifestation of Acalanatha’s Great Dharma Power in the world, empowering an object to be Unmovable as Mountains, suppressing everything.”

”Ah?” Everyone widened their eyes, and Ye Qing, looking at Shijia in astonishment, asked, ”Acalanatha? There’s such a figure?”

”What do you think?” Shijia glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”You’ve seen the Honored Buddha’s Relic Sharira, yet you’re reluctant to acknowledge the existence of these Bodhisattvas?”

”That’s not what I meant, I just...” Ye Qing scratched his head, saying, ”Bodhisattvas, aren’t they gods?”

”That depends on how you interpret this,” Shijia replied. ”The Corpse Ghost Dragon lived for over three hundred years, resurrected, created body doubles, immune to blades, invulnerable to water and fire, matchlessly strong. Such a case isn’t so different from what people mythologically refer to as gods.”

After listening to Shijia’s remarks, Ye Qing was taken aback, and exclaimed in surprise, ”According to you, the gods in ancient myths were just enormously powerful individuals?”

”Precisely,” Shijia replied. ”Bodhisattvas are that kind of existence, and the Immovable King Supreme Bodhisattva was one of the five revered kings under Shakyamuni and one of the highest ranking Bodhisattvas in the history of Dalin Temple. You must understand, although the Great Demon King was destroyed by the combined forces of Buddhist and Taoist sects, the Demon Sect still survives. The struggle between Buddhist, Taoist, and Demon continues. The battles between various Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and the Demon Sect have never ceased. But who would’ve thought that in the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, a stele left by the Immovable Underworld Supreme Bodhisattva would eternally guard it? It seems the Eternal Demon wasn’t sealed by Patriarch Bodhidharma, but rather by the Immovable Underworld Supreme Bodhisattva!”

”According to what you say, the Immovable Underworld Supreme Bodhisattva and Shakyamuni were people of the same era, generations ahead of Patriarch Bodhidharma,” Ye Qing pondered. ”So much time has passed, did the Immovable Underworld Supreme Bodhisattva only seal one exit? And much later, did Patriarch Bodhidharma seal another? Doesn’t that seem off?”

”The situation is not as you imagine,” Shijia shook his head, saying, ”I estimate that over so many years, the seal must have started to loosen; hence, Patriarch Bodhidharma personally went to reinforce it with the Honored Buddha’s Relic Sharira. Therefore, Patriarch Bodhidharma only went to strengthen the seal, ensuring that the Eternal Demon wouldn’t escape. It’s not that he and the Immovable Underworld Supreme Bodhisattva jointly sealed the Eternal Demon!”

”But it’s been several thousand years, regardless of how extraordinary an entity, surely it should have perished by now?” Shen Tianjun wondered. ”Having been sealed for so long, shouldn’t the Eternal Demon have died? Did Patriarch Bodhidharma still need to reinforce the seal?”