Chapter 359: Revealing True Colors

As Lu Shanjun roared, a faint, terrifying, and eerie monstrous figure, vaguely human-like, coalesced from the demonic energy behind him.

“Rooooar----”

Rumble, rumble, rumble…

The roar and fierce winds continued for a short while. Tiles across the entire Daming Temple, formerly Luming Zen Temple, rattled, and trees in the surrounding mountains swayed.

The monks standing at the main entrance of the temple found it difficult to remain upright during the roar, and all had to cover their ears. The monk guarding the gate was already crouching on the ground, hands clasped over his ears.

It was a while before the roar gradually subsided. Several individuals among the group appeared dazed and bewildered.

The expressions of the elder monks, as they looked at Lu Shanjun, were filled with extreme apprehension. This was clearly no ordinary demon; not only had it taken human form, but its immensely oppressive demonic energy and the fleeting phantom image were the real cause for concern.

However, Lu Shanjun’s true target was not these monks outside. In the temple's bell tower, the monk responsible for ringing the bell had just recovered from the shock, removing his hands from his ears and shaking his head as he looked at the large bell hanging before him.

The large bell appeared unchanged, but the monk, having struck it for so many years, knew it intimately. He walked around to the other side of the bell and indeed found two thin cracks. If struck directly with the hammer, the bell would likely shatter.

On the steps below the temple entrance, Lu Shanjun smoothed his sideburns, which had become disheveled from his roar, before speaking again.

“Now that I’ve spoken, I hope my words carry a bit more weight. Let Zhao Long come out and meet me; I have no desire to clash with any of you esteemed monks.”

Lu Shanjun’s tone was calm, but the elder monk opposite him could no longer remain completely composed.

“Benefactor Lu, Jue Ming is deeply immersed in Buddhist cultivation and is currently in secluded meditation. He has long severed all worldly ties and is not an evildoer. Though I observe you are a demon, you appear reasonable. This Zen temple is a place of peace, and it is not convenient for demon cultivators to enter. Please, Benefactor, turn back.”

“Benefactor? I haven't given you anything, nor do I intend to. How can I be called a benefactor? Perhaps, old monk, you should just call me a monster.”

Lu Shanjun was mocking the elder monk, who had initially been aggressive, directly calling him a “monster,” but now softened his stance upon realizing the demon was formidable.

“We are all cultivators. Human cultivators preach the path of cultivating the mind even more than my demon race. If Zhao Long truly has a clear conscience, he will face no danger by coming out. Even if he hides, it will be useless. If he doesn’t come out, I will go in.”

As he spoke, Lu Shanjun began ascending the steps again, approaching Daming Temple with each stride.

With each step, a black, smoke-like aura emanated from his form, distorting the vision of some of the monks. The steps beneath Lu Shanjun even appeared to sink, creating an incredibly surreal effect.

Though a human figure was approaching, it felt as if a colossal beast was slowly drawing near.

The leading elder monk let out a loud shout, spreading his arms wide then bringing them together.

“Namo Great Ming King Buddha...!”

The resonant Buddhist chanting brought forth a bright yellow light, rousing the monks whose minds had been enthralled.

“Guard your minds! This is a mind-influencing demonic spell. Go into the temple and counter it with Buddhist teachings! Recite the Ming King Mantra!”

“Go, quickly enter the temple!” “Hurry, hurry!”

Except for three elder monks who remained outside, all the initially imposing monks retreated into the temple, sitting cross-legged on either side of the main courtyard entrance.

“Recite the Great Ming Mantra, and respectfully invoke the Great Ming King to manifest his divine protection!”

The seated monks, with hands pressed together and eyes closed, chanted the Buddhist scriptures in unison.

The moment the Buddhist chants began, all monks throughout Daming Temple, whether true cultivators or ordinary monks, immediately sat cross-legged and joined in reciting the Great Ming Mantra.

Within moments, the sacred chants became deafening, and bright yellow Buddhist light continuously shimmered throughout Daming Temple.

Lu Shanjun stopped two zhang (approx. 6.6 meters) from the temple gate, meeting the gaze of the three elder monks. The surrounding Buddhist chants, directed at him, sounded extremely grating and progressively worsened his mood.

Waves of Buddhist light permeated the air, also empowering the three elder monks, who became covered in a golden aura. Their aura surged, making them appear even more solemn and imposing.

“Benefactor Lu, it is not too late to withdraw now. If you persist in your delusion, our Buddha Ming King possesses methods to subdue demons and devils! Om… Ma… Ni… Pad… Me… Hum…”

As the elder monk uttered the true words of the Great Ming Mantra, they transformed into six golden characters that settled onto his hands. His palms glowed with golden light, appearing ready to strike at any moment.

“Silence! Get out of my way.”

Lu Shanjun cursed, then took a step forward, charging towards the temple. He swung his right hand, shaped like a claw, upwards. However, the solidified demonic energy and magic did not make this strike sharp; it was more like a tiger's paw strike, prioritizing repulsion rather than injuring the enemy.

“Hmph…”

At the same moment, the elder monk also struck with his palm.

“Still deluded! Take this!”

Golden light and demonic energy collided before the temple gate, unleashing a burst of light in a radiating halo.

“Boom…”

A sudden gale erupted, tearing tiles from many parts of the temple. This initial clash between the two sides was merely the beginning; the moment they made contact, the three elder monks launched a concerted attack, surrounding Lu Shanjun.

Streaks of golden light, like a viscous net, enveloped Lu Shanjun as he looked from side to side.

“Our Buddha Ming King!”

“Subdue demons and devils!”

“Demon, die!”

The three elder monks, whose bodies were originally gaunt, now had bulging muscles. From three directions, they attacked Lu Shanjun with open palms, kicks, and their zen staves.

“Boom!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Thud!”…

Flashes of golden light shimmered as the three elder monks' attacks, imbued with Buddhist power, proved exceptionally fierce and swift. Lu Shanjun, alone in their midst, struggled to parry, appearing to be at a disadvantage, and each collision caused him noticeable pain, making him wince.

The surrounding golden light grew increasingly intense, suppressing the demonic energy.

“This is a pure land of Buddhism; you shall not act so presumptuously!”

“Demon, reveal your true form immediately!”

The elder monks' curses and the Buddhist mantras from the entire temple seemed to penetrate everywhere, constantly echoing, affecting Lu Shanjun's movements, and increasingly giving him a headache.

A brilliant golden light converged on the elder monk's zen staff, striking down from mid-air. The other two elder monks clasped their hands, loudly chanting spells, and the surrounding golden net suddenly tightened, binding Lu Shanjun from head to toe.

“Clang————”

The zen staff struck heavily against Lu Shanjun's forehead, erupting in a blinding golden light that forced him to one knee.

“Praise be to the Great Ming King Buddha! Demon, you refused to retreat, so do not blame our Buddhist law for being merciless!”

The elder monk held the zen staff with one hand and performed a Buddhist salute with the other, calling out the Buddha's name.

The surrounding Buddhist chants grew louder, and countless golden lights streamed from the statue of the Great Ming King Buddha in the temple's central main hall, even tinting the entire temple grounds with a faint golden hue.

“Sizzle… sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…”

The Buddhist golden light on the zen staff was incredibly dense; the staff seemed intensely hot, burning several charred marks and wounds onto Lu Shanjun's forehead, even impressing them onto his frontal bone.

“Demon, reveal your true form!”

Lu Shanjun bared his teeth, looking up at the elder monk holding the zen staff down on his forehead, preventing him from rising. His eyes, originally black, had transformed into a black-and-yellow hue, his irises displaying concentric rings of golden threads, and his pupils had shrunk to tiny golden-yellow points.

A low, snarling growl of a beast faintly permeated the air, and an even more oppressive aura began to spread.

“I respected this place as a Buddhist cultivation ground, and I heeded the teachings of the venerable master from years past, showing you endless forbearance. But now, it has come to this. If I strike harder, even the master himself would not fault me for it! Hahahaha…”

Lu Shanjun slowly straightened the leg he had knelt upon, and his body gradually grew taller.

The elder monk gripping the zen staff had muscles bulging on his golden arms. He switched from one hand to two, his arms trembling slightly as he desperately pressed down on the staff, yet he could not force Lu Shanjun's slowly rising body back down.

The elder monk could no longer control the zen staff and watched helplessly as Lu Shanjun straightened. His physique was now considerably more robust than before, and his height had grown to a point where the elder monk had to crane his neck to look up at him, and he was still growing.

Though still human-shaped, his skin was beginning to roughen, and the color of his skin and the structure of his bones were starting to change.

“Hmph… You want me to reveal my true form? Then I, Lu, shall oblige you!”

As his words fell, Lu Shanjun's body rapidly expanded. The color of his clothes first turned black and yellow, then adhered to his skin, transforming into fur. His limbs and bones protruded, growing sharper and larger, his shoulders broadened, and his spine along his back protruded segment by segment…

The leading elder monk could no longer hold or retrieve his zen staff, allowing it to be carried higher and higher by Lu Shanjun's transformation. Waves of dense demonic energy blurred the air like heatwaves, making the sky appear distorted in the eyes of all the monks at Daming Temple.

The three elder monks and the monks in the temple never ceased their Buddhist practices, continuously channeling mantras and striking with their palms. Yet, at this moment, their efforts seemed to have no effect; their attacks on the demonically-shrouded body were like massive stones dropping into water – a splash, then nothing.

Seeing the dire situation, the leading monk roared.

“Use the Demon-Subduing Mountain Suppression!”

The next moment, the elder monks clasped their hands together and chanted loudly. The Buddhist chants grew increasingly mighty, and the original golden net formed a colossal golden dome, suppressing Lu Shanjun within it.

The colossal golden dome seemed to weigh ten thousand jun, slamming into the ground with a "thud," even smashing through several steps and embedding itself into the mountainside.

However, after only a brief moment, the dome began to expand, and the clasped hands of the three elder monks trembled more and more violently, as if something between their palms was being forcefully pried open.

Endless demonic energy erupted from beneath the colossal golden dome, appearing like burning flames. The original golden Buddhist light in the sky was now replaced by black winds and ethereal demonic fire.

“Crack, crack, crack…”

The colossal golden dome shook incessantly, and a faint, illusory golden mountain, dimly visible on its surface, began to fracture.

“Awoooohh----”

At the very moment the tiger's roar resounded.

“Boom…”

“Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!”

The colossal golden dome exploded, and the three elder monks, facing the blast directly, were flung in three different directions.

“Thud…”

One of the elder monks slammed directly into the temple wall, embedding himself and causing the wall to crack.

“Pah…” A mouthful of faintly golden blood spewed forth. The elder monk slid down the wall, bracing himself with his palms to avoid collapsing entirely, and shakily looked towards the front of the temple.

Unbeknownst to them, the mantras and Buddhist chants throughout the entire temple had fallen silent. All the monks looked up in horror towards the temple entrance.

A building-sized monster appeared before them, neither truly a tiger nor a demon. Its colossal tiger body, upon closer inspection, also bore a human-like face. Its tail, when it swept, left trails of illusory shadows, as if multiple tails were flickering.

Endless demonic energy surged skyward, creating various visual distortions. As the demonic energy flowed, it resembled an endless conflagration spreading in all directions, as if fierce flames were intertwined with dark winds across the heavens.

A claw extended from the giant beast's body, gently grasping and removing the zen staff embedded in its forehead. After a glance, it grinned and then flicked its claw.

“Whoosh…”

The zen staff, whistling through the air, pierced through one of the temple's meditation rooms, and with a "boom," it destroyed half the room before embedding itself two feet into the ground.