The Monk sighed as his gaze studied the woods around him as he slowly got dressed into a set of long white robes.
They were large enough for the monk to be able to hide stuff in his sleeve, and they were sturdy enough for him to pull on the fabric lightly without ripping it.
Its stretchiness was what allowed him to wear it in some parts, his muscles were standing out even through those robes.
But, most importantly, they were indistinct, not having the sigil of any significant power, which was likely why the Dragon of the Valley gifted them in the first place.
'Not really my style of clothing, I'd prefer something sleeveless... But this will do for now.'
And yes, he did indeed end up washing his clothes in the lake of 'Origin Spring'. It was his only option really.
Ren Huizhong's saliva was a lot less pleasant than his... 'Spring'.
'No use in thinking about it any further... Let's just leave.'
And so, the Monk ventured out of his 'shelter'. The territory of the Beast King was truly a safe haven for him, but only because he had befriended the Dragon of the Valley.
The monk did make sure to grab some water from the lake. He knew it was expensive now, so he had no reason to not do so.
After having cultivated, he could also now tell that it was by no means regular water.
It was brimming with Origin Energy and likely one of the reasons the forest was as lush and full of life as it was.
He captured as much water as he could within two waterskins made from the dried-up snake skins he had collected.
It was not the best material for a waterskin, but it was going to have to do for now.
'I can always come here and get more. If this thing's so valuable, then it may turn into my Buddhist Sect's main source of income.
Though the prospect of becoming piss farmers is a bit humiliating...'
The monk was a bit humiliated, but money was money.
So, with his pockets full of 'treasure', and his muscles filled with Origin Energy, he turned towards the direction of the Guozhi Kingdom and started walking.
'I have quite a long way to go...'
The monk sighed, as he walked down uncharted paths and stepped over overgrown weeds.
The clothes he wore were of the best quality, that much was for certain, they didn't get stuck in anything at all.
For a moment, the monk did think about seeking out the Great White Snake from before, but he ultimately decided against it.
'Revenge is something I had learnt to leave behind me...' The monk smiled as he remembered a short mantra that he had internalized already in the past.
'May the indestructible wisdom purify all my negative actions and emotions.'
It was a plea of purification, one used to push dark thoughts out of one's mind. It was something that he always needed whenever attempting mediation in his past life.
And this time, whilst reciting it in his mind, the monk could clearly feel a lot of the negative thoughts and uncertainty clouding his mind clear away.
'Hmm... My martial arts from earlier seemed to be compatible with Origin Energy... Does that mean Mantras are also going to have an outward or inner effect?'
It was hard for the monk to tell at that time, there was no one he could try to preach to, to try to help them clear their minds as an experiment.
After all, the monk's mind could easily be cleared with or without the Mantra. He had already reached that stage after attaining enlightenment.
'Mantras like those are really more of a memento to me than anything, but if they do have an effect on the real world, then they may be useful for future students...'
Alas, he was not going to have the opportunity to test that for quite some time. He still had no clue why the world persecuted and destroyed Buddhism.
He didn't want to garner any negative attention so quickly.
'Yet, it seems that sometimes negative emotions follow you, even if you do your best to throw them off...'
The monk muttered as he stopped. He was already a few kilometres outside the Beast King's territory and stared straight into the eyes of the gigantic White Snake that he had never quite learned the name of.
"Hmm?~ The King spared you, yet you run into me whilst retreating... Such an unfortunate worm."
The Beast spoke, but this time the Monk didn't bother responding, he just blinked and sighed.
'This creature attained intelligence, but it's likely not that smart... It's not even able to tell the difference between me calmly walking outside of Ren's territory, and me retreating.'
"Big words from a snake. What, ran out of ants to bully or something? Scurry off, I don't feel like dealing with you today."
The Monk didn't really hold a grudge anymore, his thoughts fully clear of any negative emotion as he attempted to side-step the large snake.
"Hisss- You're a lot more arrogant now, human! You carry the King's scent, but he is not here to protect you..."
The Sneak scowled and hissed in anger as it quickly rushed to coil around the Monk's surroundings.
"... I don't remember ever asking for anyone's protection." The Monk said as he clenched his fist.
"Haha~ So you're actually looking to fight me now?! A mere year after losing so miserably... Tsk. What an unintelligent human. Fine, I'll even give you the first str-"
Before the snake even finished speaking, the Monk's figure had already finished, turning into an afterimage as the monk took to the skies.
He stood far above the tallest tree, having reached that height with a single leap, surprising even himself as he quickly twisted in midair to face the snake, both of his fists cocked back.
This time, he decided to use a different Martial Art style. One that he could easily call his favourite.
The 'Vajrapani Fist' was a martial style imparted to the Shaolin Monks by the Vraja itself, the representation of Buddha's power and wrath.
'Vraja Fist: Thunderbolt!'
The monk thought of and executed the very first movement of that style, his fists turned into blurs as he rained down innumerable blows towards the ground and the horrified snake underneath him.
Like a thunder storm, some of the strikes seemed to spark and flicker with lightning, something that also took the monk by surprise as he continued to rain down more and more strikes.
The core of the technique that he knew and loved was just that, raining down strikes on an enemy at rapid pace with devastating strength, aiming to overwhelm and break them down quickly.
But now, that he enhanced the technique with his Origin Energy, it was a lot more destructive. His every fist extended forward into gigantic projections of Origin Energy.
Each fist broke through the sound barrier, ringing into the ears of the snake like actual thunder as it quickly moved to coil around its head protectively.
It couldn't fight back, it was too large to dodge those vicious attacks. There was not much else it could do.
The fists rained down upon the snake, pummeling it into the ground, and littering the forest with holes.
Nothing underneath the Monk was spared, and when he stopped, he landed back into a complete and barren wasteland.
'Holy shit... That was a lot stronger than I thought...'
There was no more greenery around, and the snake was pressed into a deep hole into the ground, still in its coiled position.
From its twitches, the Monk could easily guess that it still lived, but it had taken some damage.
'Each strike was not as strong individually as the Ahrat Palm Strike, but the piercing power was exchanged for pure chaos and overwhelming quantity of attacks...'
The styles functioned essentially the same as they had in the Monk's former world, but they had improved to the point where he thought it was appropriate to refer to them as powerful Martial Arts even in his current one.
'Strange... It feels almost as if these styles were crafted with Origin Energy in mind for their use.'
Mo Yangling mulled over that as he studied his knuckles, which were still sparkling with some bits of lightning.
"W-what..." The snake managed to uncoil itself eventually, its broken body barely slithering out of the hole that the Monk had put him in.
"Amitabha, The fact that you have survived means that you are not fated to die here yet. Rejoice, snake." The Monk brought his hands together in prayer and started walking off, just as the barren lands around them started to regain their green luster.
He was not against defending himself, mercilessly at that. But killing a defenseless enemy was a bit much.
'If this stupid snake acts up next time I meet it I'll just kill it with one punch. That way it won't be defenseless when I finish it off...
Amitabha, the Buddha of Wisdom has truly blessed me.'
The Monk smiled as he looked at the healing nature around him. Small trees were already sprouting out of the holes he had left in the ground.
'Seems like my Origin Energy resonates well with the world...' The monk felt peaceful in that moment, he took a breath of fresh air and continued his journey.
As the monk left, flowers glowing in each of the patches of ground he stepped on, the Snake was still mentally recovering from what had happened.
The Demonic Beast didn't dare attempt to stop him, it instead looked at the monk's back almost as if it were looking at a monster.
There were no more thoughts about getting an easy meal in the Snake's head. Instead, it was filled with panic and fear.
'W-what?!? Did his body get possessed by some immortal being? No. It was the same monk... Same manner of speech too.'
The Snake mulled over its thoughts as its broken body was slowly starting to mend itself.
'This is unnerving, I am sure he was weak a while back, yet he overpowered me with little effort now.
My instincts are telling me to avoid him, but he could also prove to be good nourishment...'
The snake's long tongue flickered out, licking its lips as it watched the strange Origin Energy that the monk had exuded steep into the ground and revitalize it.
'His Origin Energy is bound to have good effects on us, if I manage to eat him, I may even grow strong enough to overtake the King!
This monk is not as strong as the King, I wouldn't have survived if that were the case. So we still have a chance, I need to go gather the others!'