Chapter 625 — The Crown Prince of Moonlight

In the temple at Licheng, Ma Rulai and a host of eminent monks watched Shen Mu and the others being drawn up into the Buddha realm by Buddha-light. Their own cultivation was too great; to be drawn in was all but impossible for them. Only Shen Mu, Xuanliao the Demon Ape, and Chenghuai — three wielders of divine powers whose cultivation was neither high nor low — could enter the Buddha realm with ease. "Tathagata, there will be no peril in letting them go?

" asked Jingming, the white-browed monk.

"Peril there certainly is, but not much of it," said Ma Rulai. "The Heavenly Court must be watching the Buddha realm, seeking to grasp it in hand; our Datingming Temple disciples will surely be suppressed, and never allowed to return with the scriptures. That is why I sent Cult Master Shen along with them.

With Cult Master Shen there, the peril is not so great. " Jingming the white-browed monk pondered a while and could find no thread to the matter, sensing only the peril, and said, "I beg the Tathagata to speak plainly.

" Ma Rulai said, "The Buddha realm is still the Buddha realm. They go to fetch the scriptures.

Even if the Heavenly Court's people wish to strike at them, they will not bully the small with the great outright, or the Buddhas would bar the way. With the Buddhas of the Buddha realm present, some courtesy must still be observed. And if they do not bully the small with the great, Cult Master Shen can take whatever comes. As the boxing manuals say: land one fist and open the way, and a hundred fists need never come. Cult Master Shen is the one who lands that fist.

" Jingming the white-browed monk thought it over and smiled.

"Then Chenghuai is the one who smooths things over. " Ma Rulai nodded. "Cult Master Shen strikes, Chenghuai smooths; and if the other side means to argue reason and put them to a justified death, then it is Zhankong's turn.

In debate, Zhankong can leave them speechless.

" Jingming the white-browed monk was filled with admiration and bowed in reverence. "The Tathagata is indeed worthy of the name of Great Wisdom. " In the Buddha realm, on the holy mountain of Mituo Temple, that vast "sarira" came spinning all the way from the mountain gate to the summit. The young monk standing before the great hall of Mituo Temple at the peak was startled and furious; his hands flew, and he performed the art of the Three Grapples of Dragon, Elephant, and Tiger, and about his body appeared the divine forms of dragon, elephant, and tiger, fierce and overbearing.

A hiss — the light of the "sarira" swallowed him, and in an instant his clothes flew apart like butterflies and he stood stark naked, not a thread upon him, with only a pair of shoes left.

That young monk had been haughty, making Shen Mu and his two companions kneel their way up the mountain, striking them if they did not kneel; now his arrogance was gone utterly. Seeing how ill things stood, he made to bolt, when suddenly two rays flashed from the "sarira"; his knees gave way of themselves and he knelt on the ground, unable to move.

Ashamed, the young monk hurriedly lay flat upon the ground, not daring to let anyone see his face. On the golden summit the figures of great Buddhas appeared in the void, seated high and looking down, and every one of them frowned deeply. One Buddha flicked his finger, and the young monk at once felt his legs free again; hastily covering what was before and behind, he fled in a puff of smoke. Suddenly a Buddha-name sounded, and a great golden hand flew out from the main hall of Mituo Temple to meet Shen Mu's "sarira" — some manner of manifestation-type divine ability, by the look of it.

That golden hand of divine power collided with Shen Mu's "sarira" and rang out like bronze and iron, shaking the whole range of mountains.

Beneath one great Buddha sat a monk in white, an auspicious cloud seething above his head; it was from that cloud the great hand had flown to block Shen Mu's sword elixir. "What sarira?

It is nothing but a sword elixir! " The white-robed monk looked at the vast "sarira" and laughed.

"Little tricks of a petty way — good only for a laugh! Watch me take in that sword elixir of yours!

" From the auspicious cloud above his head another lotus flew out and sped toward Shen Mu's great sword elixir; layer upon layer of lotus flowers descended and wrapped the elixir about. Suddenly the mountain shook violently.

The white-robed monk felt the quake beneath his feet; before he heard any sound he saw Shen Mu come howling up the mountain path to the summit — so swift that clouds steamed along his flanks; and though he came uphill, he came like a tiger charging down, one fist splitting the air, thunder crashing! All of Mituo Temple seemed to plunge into a sea of thunder; at that one punch of Shen Mu's, bursting lightning was everywhere, flash upon flash! The monk in white raised a hand to block it, and at once his every limb and bone felt about to burst, his brains seemed about to fly out of his skull, and all in his head went white.

He heard a tremendous boom — he had smashed hard into the holy hall. That wall of the great hall caved inward a foot or more.

The white-robed monk was embedded in it spread-eagled, a dense web of cracks all around him, and crackling lightning racing wildly through his body. Shen Mu raised his hand; the sword elixir flew back, spinning gaily.

As for the white-robed monk's great hand, his lotus, and such divine abilities — the sword elixir had long since broken them. The white-robed monk forced his eyes open, bloodshot and muddled, and could not see Shen Mu clearly before him. "Brother, your attainment in the Buddha-dharma is not up to much. " Shen Mu's voice pierced into his ear.

"Divine power is not the aim of practicing the Buddha-dharma. The aim of practicing the Buddha-dharma is to cast off affliction, open wisdom, and be done with birth and death.

Divine power is an outside way. And since it is an outside way, what difference whether I use a sarira or a sword elixir? " The white-robed monk tried to speak, but coughed up a mouthful of blood and slumped, unable to rise.

In midair a plump, big-eared Buddha spoke in a heavy voice: "Heretical nonsense. You are no disciple of the Buddhist gate — how dare you flaunt your divine powers before my Buddha? " Shen Mu stirred the Tingming Mahayana Sutra; his countenance grew splendid and grave, and he saluted the Buddhas.

"The Buddhist gate? This disciple is ignorant — does the Buddha need a gate to shut out the living beings outside it?

" That Buddha laughed despite himself.

"A glib tongue.

" Yet he did not answer Shen Mu's question straight. In the air the great Buddhas sat motionless. Shen Mu looked around but could not tell which was Dharma King Molun. Another Buddha laughed.

"The Buddha indeed needs no gate; it is living beings who need one.

But you stripped the monks of their clothes the moment you came up the mountain, and made my young disciple kneel, and now you have wounded my disciple. Have you come to seek the Dharma, or to stir up trouble?

Even a Buddha has his nameless wrath — are you not afraid? " "This must be Dharma King Molun!

" Shen Mu's gaze settled on Dharma King Molun: a tall, lean Buddha with a most kindly face, whose look was like a warm spring breeze.

"May I ask the Dharma King: does the Buddha require his disciples to kneel?

" Shen Mu asked. Dharma King Molun shook his head. "He does not. " "Then why," Shen Mu asked, "did you make us kneel our way up the mountain just now?

" Dharma King Molun smiled faintly, flowers raining from heaven and golden springs welling from the earth, and was about to reason it out, when the monk Chenghuai came at last to the summit with Zhankong, the demon ape Xuanliao.