Chapter 33: The Unbreakable Golden Body

“Who am I?”

The young man in the Taoist robe smiled faintly. “Does it really matter?”

“Not really, but dear sir, though this humble monk is no match for you, I cannot stand by and watch you bring calamity upon the world.”

The monk, Wuling, pondered for a moment, then his face softened into a serene smile.

“Since you can become a Buddha or a demon with but a single thought, then I shall follow you and awaken your Buddha nature.”

“If you awaken it too much, you’ll become a Buddha,” the Taoist youth replied.

With that, Wuling gathered his golden alms bowl and calmly trailed behind the youth.

He truly could do nothing against the Taoist youth, but he had no intention of leaving.

“Are you some kind of crazy monk?” the youth sneered.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” The Taoist’s lips twitched; he had thought this monk was somewhat normal, but after half a day of fighting, the monk neither ran away nor fought back; instead, he chose to follow him, trying to awaken his Buddha nature?

“I cannot save you, and you cannot kill me,” said Wuling, shaking his head.

“Then I’ll try,” the youth said, drawing his sword and striking at the little monk with all his might, unleashing the full power of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yet the little monk stood motionless, calm as a still lake, letting the powerful sword strike his head. A flash of golden light shimmered, and the sword was halted.

Only a faint white mark remained on the top of his head...

“An indestructible golden body of the Buddhist order?” The Taoist’s pupils contracted slightly.

“A little monk not yet twenty years old has cultivated the golden body of Buddhism?”

The indestructible golden body is one of the strongest defensive constitutions, typically only mastered by monks who have reached the saint or higher realms.

This little monk was merely at Nascent Soul stage and yet had cultivated such a body.

The Taoist’s sword failed to inflict any damage, completely blocked.

“I’m not good at fighting; forgive me if I’ve offended you,” Wuling said with an embarrassed smile, looking harmless enough.

But to still be smiling after being struck by a sword like that was unsettling.

“What exactly do you want?” the Taoist youth was on the verge of losing his temper.

“To help you become a Buddha. Since you can wield Buddhist powers, you are fated with my Buddha. My Buddha is merciful and willing to save all those who are destined.”

The little monk clasped his hands together, his expression solemn, his delicate face full of sacredness.

The Taoist youth, furious, drew his sword and launched a full assault, but could not even breach the monk’s defenses. Despite being struck many times, the monk kept reciting scriptures, urging the Taoist youth toward Buddhahood.

The little monk could not subdue the Taoist youth, and the Taoist youth could do nothing to the monk. As the monk said, he was truly poor at fighting; his specialty was chanting scriptures to suppress evil. Facing the Taoist youth, he was helpless and resorted to this last measure.

“I really don’t believe in superstition. I just can’t shake you off today,” the Taoist youth snorted coldly, unleashing his full cultivation. Since he couldn’t kill the monk, he no longer tried to. After all, the indestructible golden body was like an iron tortoise; not only was it impenetrable at the same realm, but even a higher realm struggled to break through.

Judging from the Buddhist light enveloping the little monk, it was likely his bones had turned into Buddha bones.

Buddha bones rivaled the legendary immortal bones, like those of the freak Qin Changsheng—extremely difficult to penetrate.

“I’m leaving.”

In a comical scene, the Taoist youth activated all his movement techniques and began to flee.

After a long chase, just as he thought he had finally shaken off the monk, he saw the little monk calmly following three feet behind him.

“This is crazy! I could handle Qin Changsheng, but why do I have to deal with such a disgusting monk?”

The Taoist youth’s face darkened. The little monk stopped and folded his hands seriously, uttering a solemn “Amitabha.”

“Dear sir, please calm your heart. I will now chant the Heart-Purifying Mantra to dispel the demonic thoughts within you.”

“Pure heart like water, clear water is the heart. Gentle breeze stirs not, waves remain calm. Sitting alone under the bamboo grove, long whistle and qin sound. Meditation deepens, poison dragons vanish. My heart has no holes, Heaven rewards diligence. My righteousness is stern, ghosts and demons tremble. My passion overflows, Heaven and Earth return heart. My will soars, water rises and wind blows. Heaven high and Earth wide, water flows and clouds drift. Purity cures the root, the righteous path preserves the body. Ultimate nature and utmost goodness, the great way naturally forms...”

The Taoist youth was speechless.

He still didn’t believe in this nonsense and tried to run again.

But when he looked back, the little monk was still there.

Whenever there was a moment, the monk resumed chanting scriptures.

Many times the Taoist youth, pushed to his limit, drew his sword and struck, only to see the monk immediately activate the indestructible golden body, letting tens of thousands of sword strikes fall harmlessly while he remained as immovable as a mountain.

The Taoist youth was utterly speechless.

“Monk, why are you so disgusting?”

“Didn’t you already encounter Qin Changsheng? He too has a pure and immaculate Daoist heart. Why don’t you follow him?”

Knowing he couldn’t shake the monk, the Taoist youth tried to divert the monk’s attention by appealing to his interest in Qin Changsheng...

“Master Qin has a female companion, it’s inconvenient...”

“......”

“Then I’ll find a female companion. You won’t follow me then?”

“I will, because you have not yet become a Buddha.”

“Favoritism?”

“Amitabha... Dear sir, your heart grows restless again. I shall continue chanting the Heart-Purifying Mantra for you...”

“Get lost!!!”

“Pure heart like water, clear water is the heart...”

“Damn it, how can there be such a disgusting monk like you?”

The Taoist youth was on the verge of madness.

Yet the monk never gave him a moment’s peace.

He even convinced the reinforcements to turn back, resolutely intent on guiding the Taoist youth to Buddhahood.

Despite his poor combat skills, the monk was terrifyingly adept in defense and speed.

No matter how many tricks the Taoist youth wielded with his peach wood sword, he was helpless against the monk.

Unable to kill or flee, the Taoist youth nearly bit through his own teeth, forced to begrudgingly acknowledge the monk’s presence.

But unfortunately, he could do no evil deeds.

However, after enduring a day of hardship, the Taoist youth grew cheerful again.

“You want to guide me to Buddhahood? Then I’ll guide you to demonhood. Let’s see who wins in the end.”

The monk had a bad feeling about this, and sure enough, the Taoist youth stopped cultivating and began frequenting the finest brothels, openly ordering a bevy of beauties for nightly revelry, ignoring the monk entirely.

The monk often watched with a flushed face, sometimes closing his eyes.

Whenever this happened, the Taoist youth would hurriedly pull up his pants and run—only to be caught again by the monk soon after.

Eventually, the youth stopped running and even ordered two companions for the monk.

Though the monk never indulged, as a demon lord, the youth felt that if the monk could refuse, he could not.

The only sour note was that every time he enjoyed himself, the disgusting monk would be nearby chanting scriptures and beating the wooden fish drum, making each pink, intimate encounter feel like a Buddhist ritual.

After a while, the Taoist youth found it all quite dull.

“...”