Killing Monks

As if struck by lightning, the constable's protective energy instantly dissipated, and his internal organs seemed to shift.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and was thrown backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily to the ground, unable to get up for a moment.

Guangyuan slowly withdrew his fist and stood still.

Although his breathing was disordered, his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Looking down at his palm, Guangyuan then glanced at the struggling Constable Qi in the distance and said:

"Twenty-seven palm strikes."

"You struck me twenty-seven times just now, and I remember the force of each one."

He absorbed all the subtle and enduring palm power of the twenty-seven "Qi Family Cotton Palms" into his body without resisting its dissipation.

Instead, by relying on the newly comprehended "Sutra of One Thought of Withering and Flourishing," these external forces of "withering," representing "erosion" and "decay," circulate, accumulate, and compress in the meridians in a strange way.

When things are at their most barren, they begin to flourish.

At the moment when he was enduring the twenty-seventh blow and was nearing his limit.

He transformed and unleashed all his accumulated "withered" power, along with some of his own violent true energy, into an even stronger "glorious" force that represented "rebound" and "emergence," which turned against him in one fell swoop!

This is not the "Sutra of One Thought of Withering and Flourishing" transmitted by Xinchi, but the "Sutra of One Thought of Withering and Flourishing" that he himself comprehended.

What belongs to others is theirs; what you understand is yours.

The foundation of the "One Thought of Flourishing and Withering" Sutra lies in seeing through the fact that "flourishing and withering" are merely appearances, and comprehending the emptiness of "impermanence" and "no-self" behind them.

But Guangyuan knew that it was only a matter of flourishing and withering under microscopic conditions.

Under the macro-level conditions, the concepts of "withering" and "prosperity" remain unchanged.

In a closed environment, energy and mass remain constant.

Whether it is "withered" or "prosperous," it is merely another flow and change of energy and mass.

This too is a matter of "a single thought determining prosperity or decline"!

Qi Butou mustered his inner strength, about to struggle to his feet and fight again, when suddenly he heard a deafening roar from not far away, filled with endless resentment and madness:

"This position of abbot should have been mine—!!!"

"Senior brother! You've bullied me for decades, hindering me at every turn!"

"If you can sit here, why can't I?!"

"You deserve to die! You should have died a long time ago!!!"

It's Huiming!

He ultimately failed to overcome the inner demons hidden deep within his heart, stirred up by the "Mirror of Karma"!

At this moment, the mirror-like illusion magnified everything, driving him into complete madness. His eyes turned bloodshot, and the golden Buddhist energy around him surged uncontrollably, emanating a dangerous aura.

He was like a madman, his punch carrying a violent lion's roar and a fierce wind, but it wasn't aimed at Guangyuan.

Instead, it was blasted towards Kongxing, the Vajra Temple monk who was closest to him, also sitting cross-legged, and seemed to be struggling with his inner demons!

Kongxing's state was also extremely unstable at this moment. He trembled slightly all over and muttered to himself, his voice filled with childlike fear and humiliation:

"Master...Master...this disciple will be very obedient..."

"Please don't let me go into your room again..."

"Uncle-Master... Uncle-Master... You... Don't look... Don't touch... No!!!"

Clearly, the mirror also reflected some unbearable, even darker and more terrifying memories deep within his heart.

Startled by Huiming's ferocious attack, Kongxing suddenly raised his head, his eyes also filled with bloodshot veins. His fear instantly transformed into boundless violence and killing intent!

"Master! I've endured humiliation and hardship for so many years, and you still want to kill me to silence me?!"

Kongxing roared sharply, as if he mistook Huiming in front of him for someone from his memories.

"Master! You are truly... worse than a beast!"

"Damn it!"

"You all deserve to die—!!!"

He no longer suppressed himself and unleashed the same powerful aura of a martial arts master, swinging his palm to meet Huiming!

"Boom! Boom boom boom—!!!"

Both experts from the realm of color were now controlled by their inner demons, their minds were in a daze, and only their most primal instincts for killing remained.

Their battles were no longer haphazard or predictable, but were all the more dangerous and violent!

Fists and palms clashed, creating a fierce wind that swept across the area. Golden light and golden energy collided and exploded wildly, shattering the surrounding trees and rocks into pieces. Pitholes appeared on the ground, and dust filled the air.

The inner strength of the martial artists in the realm of color has begun to merge with the energy of heaven and earth, and their every move is incredibly powerful. This scene of their frenzied fighting is like two mad beasts wrestling to the death!

The constable's eyes twitched as he watched, his heart filled with both shock and anger.

He turned to look at the octagonal bronze mirror on the ground not far away, which still emitted a cold, eerie light, then looked at Guangyuan, whose lips were bloodied but whose gaze remained calm, and said sternly:

"You wicked monk! This...this is all the work of your demonic mirror?!"

"Don't make false accusations, benefactor." Guangyuan silently circulated his internal energy to relieve the stinging pain in his internal organs. Hearing this, he smiled slightly and pointed to Constable Qi himself.

He practiced the "One Thought of Withering and Flourishing Sutra" in reverse, which also put a strain on his body.

"Then the mirror has no effect on you, does it?"

"It is clear that it does not harm people, but rather... reflects one's true nature."

"What does it have to do with me if they can't overcome their own inner demons?"

"What does this have to do with mirrors?"

The head constable was so angry at his twisted logic that he was momentarily speechless, but he had no time to argue.

The situation is chaotic right now, with the two strongest allies fighting amongst themselves. We must take down Guangyuan as soon as possible and control that strange mirror!

As long as the mirror stops causing trouble, with the combined strength of him, Huiming, and Kongxing, capturing Guangyuan is a sure thing.

Without further ado, his eyes flashed, and with a flick of his wrists, he attacked Guangyuan once more!

But this time, his movements were even more elusive, his palm strikes a mix of real and illusory.

He will use his rich experience to gain speed and flexibility, constantly changing his position in an attempt to bypass Guangyuan's defense and snatch the "Guanyin Mirror" that has fallen to the ground!

Guangyuan naturally understood his intentions.

The mirror is the key to disrupting the situation at this moment, and it is also something the other side will definitely want to take.

He endured the pain and stood firmly in front of the mirror, using both fists and palms to block the chief constable's advance.

However, Guangyuan's movement skills were already slightly inferior, and now that he was injured, it was even more difficult for him to keep up with Qi Butou's cunning and unpredictable footwork.

With a few feints and diversions, Qi Butou had already tricked Guangyuan into slightly shifting his center of gravity.

In the next instant, his figure flashed like a ghost towards the mirror, his five fingers forming claws as he swiftly grabbed down!

Just as the constable's fingertips were about to touch the cold edge of the mirror, the octagonal bronze mirror lying quietly on the ground seemed to have a spirit and suddenly jumped on its own!

The mirror slid along the ground, drawing an arc, and just happened to "slide" to the foot of Guangyuan, who had already quietly taken a step forward!

When the head constable's determined grab missed, his movements became slightly sluggish.

In that split second of opening, Guangyuan's long-prepared right fist struck out like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair.

This punch, a mixture of the violent true energy from the "Karma Subduing Demon Skill" and the "One Thought of Withering and Flourishing Sutra," struck the chest exposed by the head constable as he lunged forward!

"puff--!"

As if struck by a heavy hammer, the constable's protective inner energy violently vibrated, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

He was knocked back again, his breath fading.