Blissful Monk had trained under the Joyful Zen Monastery.
The Joyful Zen Monastery, traced back to its roots, was a branch of the Acacia Sect.
Their lineage was exceptionally ancient and complicated.
If one traced it far enough back, it could be traced both to the Dual-Body Long-Life Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism and to the Internal Alchemy of orthodox Daoism.
In Esoteric Buddhism, the male body of the Dual-Body Long-Life Buddha represented the Dharma, while the female body represented wisdom. Together, they represented the union of Dharma and wisdom.
In Daoism, it was "Take Kan to Fill Li," forming the "Kan-Li Union" and thereby achieving the dual cultivation of nature and life, with life and death as one.
But this method was extraordinary, and the slightest carelessness could lead to a misinterpretation of its meaning.
That, in turn, could lead one astray, turning one into a villainous demon.
There had been such a group within Esoteric Buddhism. Lacking sufficient self-discipline and depth in Buddhist teachings, they had tried to comprehend this path, only to fall into an inferior way and be expelled by their masters.
There had also been Daoists who misinterpreted "Take Kan to Fill Li." Some disregarded their partners' wishes, while others forced the act without regard for their partners' lives.
Neither group was tolerated by the righteous path of the jianghu, and in the end, they had banded together to form the original Acacia Sect.
With "break down barriers and liberate one's nature" as their creed, they had run wild, bringing disaster upon the jianghu and harming countless men and women.
The righteous path of the jianghu had repeatedly joined forces to attack them, scattering them more than once.
But the sect was rooted in the very nature of humanity, and no matter how many times it was scattered, it could rise from the ashes.
To this day, it remained active throughout the jianghu.
Within the sect, however, there were differing beliefs and distinctions of rank, and none would submit to the others.
The Joyful Zen Monastery was a branch that had split off amid such strife.
Their principal martial art was called the [Heavenly Desire Divine Skill]. It had utterly abandoned the principle of uniting Dharma and wisdom, taking desire as its driving force and ultimate bliss as true knowledge. Pursuing pleasure and desire to their extremes, as well as rapid advances in inner power, it had long since become a demonic path through and through.
Yet the martial art still retained various secret methods of Esoteric Buddhism.
The [Ultimate Bliss Dharma Body] Blissful Monk now employed was a variation of one of Esoteric Buddhism's divine body-protection skills.
As he drove it with his inner power, golden light rose from his skin. As his True Qi circulated, seductive sounds could even be heard in the air, capable of disturbing the mind and stirring up desire.
It was said that once this method was mastered, the [Ultimate Bliss Dharma Body] could transform into the [Heavenly Desire Dharma Form]. Within its golden light, it could even conjure all manner of illusions, plunging any man or woman who saw them into desires from which they could not extricate themselves. With the Dharma Form protecting the body, one would be indestructible as vajra, impervious to all things.
But Blissful Monk's current realm of cultivation was nowhere near that level.
Even so, the method's defensive power was no weaker than the various divine body-protection skills of Buddhism.
All this took time to describe, but happened in an instant!
The force of Fang Shuwen's punch had already reached Blissful Monk.
A tremendous clang rang out like a great bronze bell. The impact of the deafening sound whipped up a violent gale throughout the front mountain hall.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!
Sounds erupted from every direction as every door and window in the hall was swept open by the fierce wind from the collision.
Blissful Monk's figure shot backward, forcing Feng Mantian, Guan Tianyue, and the others behind him to retreat along with him.
Only after retreating thirteen feet in one breath did Blissful Monk abruptly raise his head, a savage look appearing in his narrow eyes.
"That's all you've got!!"
As the words left his mouth, a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips.
Fang Shuwen looked at his own fist in some surprise.
He had to admit, the monk really was tough.
Neither the status nor the martial arts of this group could compare with those of the people he had encountered earlier, so Fang Shuwen had put considerably more force into his attack than before.
The same was true of this punch... yet he had not expected it to fail to break through his opponent's divine body-protection skill completely!
He immediately nodded.
"Big monk, well done."
The praise came straight from the heart.
Yet Blissful Monk's mouth twitched when he heard it...
What was his status, and how old was Fang Shuwen?
As a master long renowned in the jianghu, fighting Fang Shuwen was already a case of the old bullying the young.
Yet after taking one punch, although his divine body-protection skill had not been completely broken, he had still been wounded.
The words he had just spoken were, in the end, something he had forced out to save face.
And in return, Fang Shuwen had given him a word of sincere praise...
Sincerity really was a killing move; it struck right at the heart.
Did this brat even know that elders came before the young?
He immediately snorted coldly.
"Benefactor, your killing intent is so great. Aren't you afraid of falling into Avici Hell after death!?"
He had meant to strike at Fang Shuwen's heart, but Fang Shuwen seemed to turn a deaf ear. He simply took a step and flew toward him.
"Try taking another palm strike from me."
The palm strike began as lightly as mist and rain, yet Blissful Monk's pupils abruptly contracted.
It was none other than [Strike the Mountain, Suppress Demons], the move Fang Shuwen had used to break the Evil-Slaying Sword with a sweep of his palm when he killed Li Nanchen!
Blissful Monk had seen the power of that palm strike with his own eyes. He immediately roared:
"Everyone, lend me a hand!!!"
Suspecting nothing amiss, Feng Mantian and the others all reached out and pressed their palms against his back.
Golden light rose once more, but Fang Shuwen's palm strike had already reached him.
When the palm strike touched the golden light, the terrifying commotion from before was nowhere to be seen.
The instant Fang Shuwen touched the golden light, it simply dissipated without a sound.
Finally, his palm landed lightly on Blissful Monk's chest and abdomen.
It was truly light...
At least to an onlooker, it looked as though Fang Shuwen had given him a gentle push on the chest.
Or rather, a pat.
It was like a joke between friends, nothing to worry about.
But Blissful Monk felt as though thunder had devoured him.
He looked at Fang Shuwen and wanted to speak, but as soon as he moved his lips, a crack spread from the corner of his mouth.
The cracks swiftly spread across Blissful Monk's entire body.
Cracking sounds rang out without cease.
"Not good!!"
The black-robed figure, who had never shown his true face, suddenly flung out a hand and was the first to leap backward.
Feng Mantian and Guan Tianyue also sprang aside.
Xu Chongshan and Zuo Qingshuang hurriedly shouted:
"Retreat!!!"
With a rush of movement,
the Pearl Pavilion disciples in the hall receded like a tide to either side.
Fang Shuwen tapped the ground with his foot and retreated as well.
The very next instant after he moved back, a thunderous boom erupted from within Blissful Monk's body, and a great cloud of bloody mist exploded outward.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Fragments of his corpse swept out in every direction with tremendous force.
Blood splashed across half the front mountain hall in an instant. By the time everyone came to their senses, Blissful Monk was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained where he had stood was a pair of feet...
Blood fell like fine rain, every drop... telling of Blissful Monk's tragic fate.
Fang Shuwen lightly brushed off his sleeve and stepped forward with a frown.
"Just as I thought, I still mustn't use too much force.
"As for the three of you left... how about you stop coming at me one by one and attack together instead?"