And he even comprehended Divine Skills, truly miraculous!
God knows what kind of mastermind made this bowl of beef noodles!
I'm afraid even my master couldn't do this, right?
"So what if you are a Daluo Golden Immortal who has reached the twenty-eighth rank of blossoming? In the end, you have only just entered the realm of Daluo Golden Immortals, your state is still unstable!" Lingji frantically tried to calm himself and said fiercely.
He was at the peak of the early stage of the Daluo Golden Immortals, just one step away from the middle stage, absolutely not something Yang Jian, a rookie, could compare with!
Stable or not, don't we know if we try?" Yang Jian's eyes shone with a hint of killing intent, and he dashed toward Lingji like a streak of flowing light.
To harm his brother, to destroy his cave abode—if he did nothing, would Buddhism think he, Yang Jian, was made of mud?
Lingji refused to show weakness, his Flying Dragon staff wooshing through the air, immediately engaging Yang Jian in battle.
However, as soon as they crossed hands, Lingji deeply regretted it.
Yang Jian, the War God of the Three Realms!
What is a War God? His Martial Arts Skills have reached an unparalleled level of mastery. Within the same realm, how could his martial prowess be comparable to Lingji's?
The beating he took was perilously close to disaster, utterly disgraceful.
The spectacle was hugely satisfying for the crowd of the Heavenly Court, but it caused the brows of the Spirit Mountain's assembly to deeply furrow.
This was a complete outclassing; an old Daluo actually getting thrashed by a newcomer—it would be a laughingstock if word got out!
After several more exchanges, Lingji could no longer hold on, retreating dozens of steps and regulating his breath.
Then, a giant Golden Body in the image of Lingji manifested, centered on himself.
"Amitabha Buddha, Donor, this is a secret defensive skill of Buddhism, the 36-foot Golden Body. It cannot be broken without Great Magical Power. So, how about we call it quits?"
With the display of the 36-foot Golden Body, Lingji gained a good deal of confidence, but after all, it was just a defensive skill.
As a result, Lingji beat a retreat.
Yang Jian snorted coldly with disdain, "Bullies the weak and fears the strong, is this the true face of your Buddhism?"
Lingji's face reddened, and he quickly pretended as if nothing had happened, chanting Buddhist scriptures.
You want to stop here? But I don't!" Yang Jian scoffed coldly, with the blade of his Three-pointed Double-edged Blade pointing directly at Lingji, the turtle shrinking within his Golden Body!
"Hmph, so stubborn!" Lingji's face twitched as he bolstered the Dharma power on his Golden Body even more.
So what if he didn't want to stop? Could he really break through this 36-foot Golden Body?
Yang Jian did not speak; instead, he closed his third eye, and the Three-pointed Double-edged Blade in his hands slowly took on a strange posture, as a surge of momentum began to build.
"One Thought Slash?" Chen Nuo, holding a branch in the courtyard, looked at a tree and murmured to himself.
With that, he swung his arm out, and an invisible Qi slash struck the tree.
However, after the Qi slash went through the tree, nothing happened; the tree remained as it was.
But Chen Nuo frowned, revealing a satisfied smile, "Not bad, this Yang Jian's talent is not weak at all!"
On the other side, Yang Jian's momentum continued to build, reaching near its peak, his aura so intense that even Lingji felt uneasy in mind and spirit.
Finally, Yang Jian's third eye snapped open, his gaze blazing with brilliance as if all three eyes were Heavenly Eyes!
The Three-pointed Double-edged Blade was held high, as imposing as a towering mountain.
He swung the blade down!
Slash!
A momentum that bore straightforwardly made Lingji tense up. Could it really be that he wouldn't be able to defend against it?
The blade collided with the Golden Body, letting out a thunderous sound, yet it made no progress at all.
"Hmph, it's a futile effort. You still think you can break the Golden Body!"
Lingji's mood instantly improved, a scornful smile about to form on his face.
But in a fleeting moment, he seemed to see Yang Jian's figure that had struck the Golden Body not pausing at all, continuing to swing towards him right through the Golden Body.
No, there are two Yang Jians!
One was blocked outside the Golden Body, while the other regarded his Golden Body as if it were nothing!
Lingji wanted to shout, wanted to defend, but it was as if his body wasn't his own and he couldn't move at all. He could only watch helplessly as the second Yang Jian brought his blade down!
Meanwhile, Chen Nuo, feeling the tree bark, looked up at this tree he had already chopped, lost in thought.
Though it still looked lush, within a few days it would die for only the shell remained.
"The blade severs the flesh, the mind severs the soul?"
Chen Nuo smiled lightly. Indeed, quite a handy Divine Skill, he thought and turned around to shout into the shop, "Wukong, come out and chop down this tree, we'll use it for firewood in the next few days."
At the moment Yang Jian's strike was aimed at the Golden Body, Tathagata stepped and shattered the void, disappearing from his Lotus Throne.
All that was left was the crowd, perplexed.
The next moment, the entire Spirit Mountain emitted mournful wails, all the Buddhas' expressions changed, faces filled with astonishment.
Lingji Bodhisattva had fallen?
The mourning sound of Spirit Mountain, a privilege only a Bodhisattva or someone of higher attainments could have.
Spirit Mountain could sense their life force; if they were to fall, it would lament.
Currently, the only Bodhisattva engaged in battle was Lingji Bodhisattva. As Tathagata had left, Dipankara immediately used his mana to continue receiving the images.
And it was just as they had guessed.
The towering sixteen-foot Golden Body shattered into pieces, and Lingji, who was seated within the Golden Body, fell from the clouds.
Although his physical body bore not a single mark, the scattered look in his eyes was evidence that Lingji's soul was gone.
Yang Jian, looking at Lingji's corpse, felt no dread for slaying a person of Buddhism; instead, his eyes were filled with surprise and joy.
It was unexpected that the Divine Skill he had comprehended would be this powerful. With an attitude of merely wanting to test it, he hadn't thought he would actually kill Lingji.
This bowl of noodles truly transformed him.
All the Arhats and Bhikkhunis around were scared witless, not daring to provoke this War God, especially with Lingji's example dying right in front of them.
Tathagata, stepping out from the void, wore an ugly expression; he was still a step too late. Yang Jian's strike had been too covert.
With a wave of Tathagata's hand, Lingji's body vanished into thin air, and the fragmented soul was gathered beside Tathagata, gradually materializing into a much smaller but complete spiritual entity.
With a flick of a finger, the true spirit shot straight to the netherworld as if being pulled.
Lingji was a predestined part of the Journey to the West, and once he reincarnated and returned, he would once again merge with his Bodhisattva's flesh body.
Then, Tathagata, with a somber look, said to Yang Jian, "Amitabha, Yang Jian, for killing my Buddhism's Bodhisattva, your sin is unforgivable!"
Yang Jian, neither servile nor overbearing, swung his Three-pointed Double-edged Blade toward the ground and took a step forward, saying, "Lingji destroyed my cave abode, hurt my brother, he brought this upon himself!"
This demeanor almost made the Jade Emperor think he was seeing that fearless young boy who was determined to split a mountain to save his mother.
"Sister..." Haotian murmured to himself.
"Presumptuous!"
Tathagata Buddha's eyes widened; dare this mere Daluo Golden Immortal speak to him like this!
"It seems the monk must make you reflect properly," Tathagata said as he tossed his palm, and the begging bowl in his palm flew into the clouds, its mouth facing downward, toward Yang Jian.
As if an invisible force bound him, in an instant, Yang Jian couldn't escape.
This was the might of a Quasi-Saint!
Even the pinnacle of Daluo Golden Immortals had no power to resist in the face of a Quasi-Saint!
Because the gap between them was a qualitative change!
"Follow the monk to the Great Thunderclap Monastery for penance," Tathagata said steadily and imposingly.
This Yang Jian was a third generation of the Chan School; if he acted against him, he would need to consider the consequences.