Hehe, Why Aren't You Laughing Now?

"Beware, everyone! This is most likely just an empty shell! Cihang Pudu has not yet appeared!"

One user shouted as soon as they entered, clearly realizing something was wrong.

Just like deliberately placing an empty target there, this tactic, similar to using straw boats to borrow arrows and draw enemy fire, is all too common.

But unexpectedly, just as a sword aura slashed through the air, the "Cihang Pudu" sitting high above suddenly opened its eyes!

"----You've finally arrived; you've kept me waiting far too long."

Despite his aged face, the contrastingly youthful tone of his voice seemed to convey a strange sense of satisfaction.

With just a few words and no concrete action, the sword energy vanished without a trace as a faint Buddhist light emanated from behind him.

He didn't even pay attention to Swordsman Xiahou had just swung his sword. The deep-set eyes of this "national advisor" were as calm as two ancient wells. He just glanced around and stared straight at the bearded swordsman in the lead.

"Yan Chixia, I've long admired your name. It's wonderful that you've finally arrived."

"What's even more remarkable is that these extraordinary beings, who are also the source of this food, have arrived in parallel, further highlighting the extraordinary circumstances involved. Surely—"

"Monster! Where did you get this body from?!"

A roar like that of a lion abruptly interrupted the "national advisor's" words.

Accompanied by visible, colorless ripples surging forth, it instantly pounced towards the lotus platform!

Before Yan Chixia could speak, Zen Master White Cloud spoke first, clearly displaying a completely different demeanor from his usual solemnity.

"Oh, it's my brother, Junior Brother Baiyun. You've grown old too."

The Buddha's light continued to circulate, easily dispelling the Fearless Lion's Roar that had come at them.

After carefully examining the old monk for a few moments, the words spoken by "Cihang Pudu" suddenly changed to a rather normal tone, like the sigh of an old monk.

"May Buddha have mercy."

"This tattered body was used by me when I was in seclusion in the mountains, occasionally hunting for food from passersby to satisfy my hunger."

One day, however, I encountered an old monk in the mountains who, overestimating his abilities, intended to convert me.

"I first pretended to be a diligent student, listening to his scriptures for three days, before launching a surprise attack, using my life-giving poison. It took me several days to finally subdue that old monk."

"That old monk was truly accomplished; his body and soul both carried a sandalwood fragrance, incomparably exquisite. Although he couldn't match your level of completely concealing your unique fragrance and physical presence, he was still a rare individual."

"At that time, I had not yet cultivated the scriptures and did not have much patience, so I devoured him, body and soul, completely. I also took many of the orthodox Buddhist teachings and essential texts within his soul. In the end, only this old skin remained, which could still be used as an armor to conceal my presence."

"Upon closer inspection, that happened many years ago, approximately—"

"You wretched creature! You've eaten my precious treasure!"

Hearing the demon deliberately use the old monk's voice to casually say a few words, the White Cloud Monk stood on end, and he was furious beyond measure, no longer displaying his usual compassionate nature!

Suddenly, he took off his prayer beads! With a single chant, he tossed them aside, and accompanied by a flow of Buddhist light, the unassuming rosary suddenly shone with a large expanse of golden brilliance!

"Fellow Daoist! Please accept my condolences! Do not fall for this monster's tricks!"

Those around could tell that the old monk corresponding to that body was probably the senior brother of the White Cloud Monk, and judging from their similar faces, they were very likely brothers who had studied under the same Buddhist master!

Flesh and soul devoured by demons, never to be reborn; even the remaining skin is used as an accessory, subjected to curses and scorn for years.

It's terrifying to even think about.

It's no wonder that even the old monk's profound meditative cultivation showed signs of being breached at this moment.

But at this moment, he obviously couldn't care less about anything else. Just by looking at what the White Cloud Monk had to do, you could tell that he was truly enraged!

The string of beads broke in the middle, and in an instant, the string of 108 Bodhi seeds shot out like shooting stars, each one bursting with a dazzling Buddhist light, like a sudden rain pattering on banana leaves!

"A trivial skill."

Seeing this, Cihang Pudu on the lotus platform merely chuckled softly.

With his hands clasped together, the Buddha's light around him suddenly turned into a strange dark golden color, accompanied by a faint, almost inaudible chanting, as if hundreds of people were surrounding him, softly reciting scriptures and praying for blessings.

It was an ominous sign, one that, if even slightly noticed, could cause one's mind to waver.

Especially under that dark golden Buddha light, the overwhelming rosary beads, when they flew to within three feet of the lotus platform, began to show signs of stagnation, as if they were stuck in a quagmire, their speed becoming slower and slower.

"Go!"

With a soft shout of Cihang Pudu, the eerie Buddhist light suddenly appeared and vanished in an instant. As the halo between the prayer beads shattered, it flew back at an even faster speed, heading straight for Zen Master White Cloud's face!

"Old monk, be careful!"

Yan Chixia stepped forward, his long sword humming as several streaks of sword light shot into the sky, like screens, blocking all the incoming Buddhist beads.

With a series of clattering sounds, the prayer beads scattered and broke into pieces all over the ground.

Upon closer inspection, almost without exception, each of these fallen Bodhi seeds had become brittle and dull in color.

An episode that is more humiliating than actually harmful.

"Hiss----"

Just seeing this, Yan Chixia couldn't help but gasp.

In just a moment, it defiled the White Cloud Monk's prayer beads and destroyed some of the mental power techniques he had cultivated over many years. This old demon in human skin is too terrifying!

On the contrary, the old monk beside him seemed to sense something and exclaimed in a loud voice, "Not good! There is still a trace of dragon energy remaining on him! Although it is not pure, it is enough to conceal ordinary, shallow supernatural powers, mental energy, and human hearts!"

It should be known that when the dragon energy of the Humanity is strong, it is said to be able to suppress many supernatural powers, make all evil forces retreat, and be impervious to all magic. This is precisely the kind of trouble that many cultivators try to avoid.

Who would have thought that this demon, who was not the "Son of Heaven," would possess some of this dragon aura?

"Heh, quite astute. Well said, the Grand Preceptor is one who shares the fate of the nation." Therefore, I have already taken the blood of several vassal kings of the Great Zhou for a blood sacrifice, temporarily seizing this small amount of complex dragon energy for my use. Though it will not last long, what do you intend to do?"

The old demon on the lotus platform merely chuckled lightly, showing a hint of indifference.

"Holy crap, that old centipede is such a show-off! That 'I love you because you can't stand me but can't kill me' face—damn it!"

With powerful figures leading the way and users whispering amongst themselves, it's clear that there are influential figures supporting the cause.

Seeing this, someone then took out a small straw figure from their bosom, quickly pulled out a charcoal pencil, wrote the four characters "Cihang Pudu" (compassionate salvation) on it, and then compared it with the figure on the lotus platform.

"I just can't stand this kind of behavior! Everyone, watch me pull off a big job for him!"

With one hand pressed against his chest, the user gritted his teeth and slapped himself hard across the face!

Just like that, half of my face swelled up instantly!

But at the same time, for some unknown reason, the old demon sitting on the lotus platform suddenly staggered, as if he had been slapped in the face without his knowledge!

"Oh? So it's Curse-Binding Art? You so-called righteous cultivators actually resort to such underhanded methods? Truly—"

Seemingly surprised, he slowly turned his head back, muttered a few words, and seemed unconcerned.

However, everyone could clearly see that the smile on the old monster's face had quietly disappeared.

"See? Just like that, he stopped giggling!"

Holy crap, this is possible!

"Awesome, bro! Well done, you did a great job!"

"Look at that thing's face, hahaha----"

As we all know, a smile doesn't disappear; it just moves from one face to another!

The people around, who had seen everything clearly, finally couldn't help but suppress their laughter, looking like a pack of weasels who had just stolen a chicken.

"Wait a minute, if you have something this good, why don't you use it on its true form? This is just a skin right now."

After a few laughs, someone suddenly realized what was happening.

"Oh, it's no use. This Cursed Straw Effigy is only Fourth Tier, which has significant limitations. It will automatically dispel the effect once the damage reaches a certain level. I can manage to slap myself a few times, but if I were to actually stab myself hard, the effect would probably be canceled before the damage even reaches me."

-

"Using this to harm the centipede's true form isn't entirely useless; it's just that it might have some effect."

"Oh, I see. Then it's really not very useful."

The people nearby suddenly realized what was going on.

This thing seems quite useful, but it actually has more limitations. Using it to slap someone in the face like this is already considered "making the most of it".

But Yan Chixia and Xiahou, who are both skilled martial artists and ruthless killers, don't think that way.

They keenly seized the brief opportunity exposed by this "slap in the face," and while the Centipede Spirit under the human skin was still turning around to speak, a barrage of sword energy unexpectedly blasted over!

A wave, as white as snow, surged down!

However, the lotus platform remained unmoved, and behind the figure, layers of swirling Buddhist light flowed, as if a true Buddha had descended to earth. With just one hand seal formed, the Buddhist light condensed, and the entire body of this Cihang Pudu being seemed to be plated with a layer of bright golden light, solemn and awe-inspiring!

Clang, clang, clang--!

Accompanied by countless clanging sounds like clashing swords, a large amount of sharp sword energy rushed towards them, but in the end, it could only dissipate and vanish into nothingness in front of this seemingly thin layer of golden light!

Ultimately, they returned empty-handed.

"The Mahavairocana Tathagata, embodying both exoteric and esoteric teachings. Back when Bodh Gaya was still in existence, this golden body Dharma was passed down only by successive abbots! You fiend, you've actually cultivated some semblance of its power!"

Seeing this, the White Cloud Monk beside him merely struck the ground with his staff, producing an extremely mournful sound.

But he quickly changed his mind.

"No, that's not right—this golden light is condensed yet not born, flowing yet not transforming; it hasn't grasped the true meaning. It must be something you obtained by stealing my senior brother's cultivation results!"

"Indeed, that old monk was taught this method long ago. In order to cultivate a little Bodhicitta and truly achieve the golden body within, he traveled the world seeking merit."

"After he poisoned me that day, he surrounded himself with this Kong light, making his body almost indestructible. He managed to prolong his life for several days until his internal organs were finally completely neutralized by the poison and could no longer hold on, at which point he finally died."

"Therefore, after I devoured his soul, I deliberately and carefully extracted this method from it. After years of practice, although I have not yet achieved great success, I can still activate some of the aura of the Tathagata Golden Body."

"So what are you going to do then?"

The old demon even deliberately asked a question in return.

The only response it received was an even more surging surge of sword energy!

But when they saw a smile reappear on the face of "Cihang Pudu," the users behind them went wild!

"Quick! That bastard's mouth is crooked! Slap him in the face!"

"Oops! I misspoke, I meant slap this guy across the face! Hurry up!"

Two more hard slaps landed, and the other half of this guy's face, which still had a straw doll stuck to his chest, swelled up as well!

But unexpectedly, this time, the same method seemed to have no effect.

"----What do you mean it's useless? Then I just got slapped for nothing!"

Seeing that the golden figure on the lotus platform remained motionless, seemingly unaffected, the older brother, who had been busy taking a beating, looked utterly bewildered.

"----But that's not wrong, it's still in effect."

He checked the straw figure on his chest and, confirming that it was still "working," he was puzzled.

"I don't think this fairy is some kind of Saint Seiya, so why are the same moves ineffective against her?"

"Was it that layer of golden light that had the insulating effect? Didn't Master Baiyun say it was some kind of 'Golden Body Dharma' of the Mahavairocana? Just hearing about it sounds extraordinary."

"No, no, I think it might be because the force wasn't strong enough."

However, a man of unremarkable appearance, easily forgotten, who was standing in the crowd nearby, heard this and shook his head, taking the initiative to interject.

"Perhaps your strength is too weak. A slap would be utterly insignificant to this monster, barely enough to make it eat," it would be nothing more than a tickle.

"As the saying goes, 'Strength makes bricks fly.' If you slap a brick and it doesn't fly, it's because you didn't use enough force."

How about this?

The white-haired man turned around and pulled another young man over.

"Little Chen, come here first. Come on, show this guy the correct way to make a powerful brick fly."

"----, who gave you permission to touch someone's face like that! Don't you have any manners?!"

"Take it out! I told you to take the brick out!"

"Powerful brick flies," understand? Without a suitable brick, how can you demonstrate the classic "Powerful brick flies" move?

As the young man in front of him inexplicably pulled out a large, pale yellow-white "brick" from his pocket, a deep sense of unease instantly swept over every nerve in the straw man's body!

"No, bro, it's not that serious. I think it's fine to just go for it! We're all grown men, what's there to be afraid of touching faces!"

The white-haired man patted the man on the shoulder, first pointing to the smiling face of the monk on the lotus platform, then pointing back to the man's own face.

"Look, look! That guy up there is still laughing! He's still laughing!"

"And you, buddy, your face is all swollen from being slapped! You think you can swallow this?! I can't stand watching this!"

What a serious and earnest expression!

But it does seem to make some sense, doesn't it?

Seeing the calm and composed smile on the face of that "evil monk," even knowing it was just a facade, a nameless anger rose within me!

It was laughing before I slapped it, and it was still laughing after I slapped it. So, wasn't my slap for nothing?

"Grass!"

"At most, it's just one life! I'm a grown man, am I going to chicken out?! Little brother, come on! Slap me here! Slap me hard!"

I don't know why, maybe it was because the slaps were too hard and my mind was starting to go haywire, or maybe I was just really angry and went all out!

This guy was starting to ramble on, but he kept pressing down on the straw figure in front of his chest, signaling "Little Chen" in front of him to make a decisive move!

After hesitating for a moment, "Little Chen" figured this guy was sincere, so he didn't hesitate and slapped him hard across the face with a brick!

With a "poof," the guy spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep, infant-like sleep. The little straw figure on his chest could no longer hold on and automatically flew off!

But for some unknown reason, the "figure" on the lotus platform, which had been unmoved by the eight winds, suddenly began to waver in its golden light, and the whole person was thrown down!

It looks like he was suddenly hit by a brick?