Chapter 263: You Are Buddha, I Am Vajra

Xu Fengnian slapped his forehead, abandoning the "Might of Kunlun" technique he had learned from the Huishan Grand Snow Plateau, and swept backward. Without caring if the herders understood the Gusei dialect, he urged the young and strong to retreat first. Xu Fengnian was the first to act, scooping up a young nomadic child under one arm and grabbing a nearby boy. Bending his knees slightly, he launched himself off the cliff face like an arrow, ricocheting several times to reach the mountaintop. After setting the children down, he leaped back into the canyon bottom, then gathered two more young children. He moved with incredible speed, his figure fleeting like a rabbit or a falcon. The herders, abandoning their precious sheep, horses, and tents, retreated desperately. Xu Fengnian worked without pause, ascending and descending more than a dozen times, finally getting over twenty children to the mountaintop. Hooves thundered like exploding thunderclaps, gravel shook loose from the canyon walls, and dust filled the air. Around the bend, a herd of sturdy wild oxen already surged forward like a tidal wave. Xu Fengnian ignored the young, strong herders who had hesitated. In one of his continuous ascents and descents, he spotted a delicate figure bending down to help a fallen child, while holding another by the hand. Xu Fengnian rushed to her side, catching a glimpse of her profile out of the corner of his eye, a flicker of surprise on his face, but he paid it no mind. He swiftly scooped up both children and swept them towards the mountaintop. After putting them down, he plunged back into the valley. Over eighty more herders were still desperately fleeing in the canyon. The maiden, whose beauty was enough to astonish even the Young Master, pursed her lips and stood her ground, her face radiating heartfelt gratitude, her eyes showing a resigned acceptance of fate. Xu Fengnian, however, had no such serene disregard for life and death. Facing the vast, surging herd of wild oxen, he performed "One Qi Descent, Two Qi Float, Re-ascend Kunlun."

The ground shook violently, making the herders' legs turn to jelly. The canyon floor was already uneven, and the shaking made it even harder to traverse. Several elderly people stumbled and fell, struggling to their feet before resuming their run.

Xu Fengnian's momentum was immense, like thunder erupting from flat ground, meeting thunder with thunder. His internal energy surged throughout his body, spilling outwards like a flood, meeting flood with flood.

Xu Fengnian let out another breath, suddenly opened his eyes, and swept his hands outwards in gentle arcs, preventing dust from coming within ten feet of him. The maiden, standing transfixed behind him, only saw the young man with the saber, his long robes fluttering, exuding an ethereal grace. When the mad, red-eyed herd of cattle charged within ten paces of him, they seemed to crash into an invisible bronze wall. The front hooves and forelegs of the leading cattle were twisted and pushed back, then countless more wild oxen from behind piled into them, layer upon layer, until the first wave of the herd burst apart, scattering blood. Yet, even so, the dense, dark mass of cattle was halted in its tracks, unable to advance an inch.

One after another, massive wild oxen weighing over a ton from the rear crashed into the wall. Their carcasses piled up, instantly forming a gruesome wall over thirty feet high, crimson, thick, and blurred with blood, a truly horrifying sight.

The robust wild oxen had long, thick, sharp horns that curved in astonishing arcs, white patches below their knees, and shoulders that rose like humps. Any single one of them was enough to strike fear into one's heart. On the grasslands, it was not uncommon for lions and wolves to be gored and tossed by adult wild oxen. How much more terrifying was this torrential herd, powerful enough to flatten mountains, trapped in the narrow confines of the canyon with nowhere to flee, as if meeting an enemy on a narrow path, with no choice but to charge forward to the death.

Wild oxen are naturally docile, but pouring into the canyon and stampeding unleashed their fierce, primal instincts. Especially when artificially obstructed and brought to a standstill, their legendary stubbornness was truly unleashed.

Xu Fengnian pressed his hands downwards, and over forty wild ox carcasses instantly plummeted.

His feet also slid back two steps along the ground.

With the obstruction gone, the herd trampled over the bodies, leaping forward and resuming their frenzied charge.

Xu Fengnian's sleeves billowed. He slid his left foot out a step, spread his arms, and thrust them forward forcefully, raising a tremendous amount of sand and dust in front of him. The two sides of the canyon walls were pulled by his internal energy, tearing out numerous flying stones as large as small boulders, which shot towards the herd. This slightly checked the herd's momentum. Xu Fengnian ignored the blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, knowing that the flying stones were only a temporary measure, a drop in the bucket. The previous block and this current obstruction merely reduced and compressed the tail-to-head gap between the cattle. While seemingly effective now, the real struggle would come when the torrent's forward momentum fully rebounded and burst forth. If he had reached the Zhi Xuan realm, he could have shattered the cliffs, potentially blocking the canyon. Even a typical Vajra realm physique, he estimated, could not withstand the impact of this "great wave striking rocks." Unfortunately, Xu Fengnian, just shy of the Vajra realm, retreated a few steps, quickly taking breaths without even a moment to spit out the bloody water. He exhaled once for every six inhalations, his long robes fluttering without wind, as he once again performed "Might of Kunlun."

He would block for as long as he could.

Again and again, his Great Yellow Court circulated, replenishing his energy.

After more than a dozen such cycles, he had gradually slid back six or seven zhang. During this time, growing restless, Xu Fengnian's killing intent flared. He used the "Sword Qi Rolling Dragon Wall" technique, employing rolling stones to dismember and shatter the bones of over a dozen wild oxen that charged forward relentlessly. The price was uncontrollable gushes of blood from his mouth, and his heart was greatly shaken. He no longer dared to act impulsively. He felt an immense sense of frustration, his malevolence surged, his eyes turned crimson, and the jujube-shaped mark between his brows slowly shifted from pale to deep purple. His vision blurred, sounds faded, and with his back against the wall, he cast aside all calculations of gain, loss, life, or death, gradually entering an indescribable state of grace. There is a chasm between life and death: Confucianism embraces purity of thought, fearless of life and death with a clear conscience; Taoism achieves great deeds through tranquility and non-action; Buddhism does not hesitate to become a bridge to lead others to the other shore. When Xu Fengnian performed "Might of Kunlun," learned secretly from the Confucian scholar Xuanyuan Jingcheng of Grand Snow Plateau, he exuded a lofty righteousness, embodying the spirit of "though ten thousand stand against me, I shall go." Initially, he took risks to save the herders, harboring a personal desire to forge an unknown good karma. But over time, he shed all attachments. Though in the world, he inadvertently developed a detached, worldly heart. The "Golden Lotus" planted in his Great Yellow Court, after budding and waiting, finally blossomed, bringing instant purity and longevity.

Xu Fengnian had unknowingly opened his Juque acupoint.

His right hand naturally rested behind his back, his eyes closed in concentration, his left palm facing upwards. He only remembered hearing years ago, when he first ascended Wudang Mountain, how Abbot Wang Chonglou had once "severed the Canglan River," storing his energy to its peak. Xu Fengnian lightly swept his left hand, and murmured, "Sever the River."

A chasm opened up on the ground ten feet in front of him, stretching all the way to the cliff face.

A line of six or seven wild oxen plunged into the chasm. After they were filled in by subsequent lines of oxen that couldn't stop in time, the later ones continued to charge forward as if on level ground, blood splashing everywhere.

They charged, he severed.

Xu Fengnian calmly slid backward, severing again and again.

It was truly a magnificent and tragic scene of ebb and flow.

Xu Fengnian appeared graceful and uninhibited, exuding an endless calm and charm, yet blood was seeping from all seven of his orifices. No matter how profound and continuous the Great Yellow Court was, or how renowned for its abundant internal energy, it was not an inexhaustible bottomless abyss. Especially given its emphasis on ebb, flow, and harmony, the Young Master's reckless push to activate the "Sever the River" technique would eventually lead to exhaustion. Xu Fengnian moved like a fish among moss-covered green stones. Though he held no saber or sword, he had a clear thought of directly confronting the surging herd. His intuition told him that with the right timing and place, he could surely comprehend the sixth page of the saber manual. However, the thought had barely emerged before it was extinguished, as Xu Fengnian collided with a soft body he couldn't evade: it was the herder maiden, who hadn't rushed to escape but had simply trotted a few steps after Xu Fengnian retreated. Xu Fengnian didn't know which cycle of internal energy flow he was on. Li Chungang once said that at the peak of sword intent, one's spirit could traverse the eight extremes, and the circulation of internal energy, as embodied by the "Green Snakes in Both Sleeves" technique at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, could cover eight hundred li in an instant. Xu Fengnian dared not compare, but he suspected his own boiling internal energy could at least reach a hundred li in an instant. Xu Fengnian gave a wry smile. Without turning his head, he grabbed her soft shoulder and tossed her backward. He stopped, sheathed his saber to nourish it. He was pushing his body to the absolute limit, like drawing a bow to its fullest, aiming for a complete breakthrough. This was a treacherous path to martial arts advancement, like walking a narrow, winding goat trail. He feared that drawing the bowstring too far would snap it. Even a slight misstep would not just mean dropping one or two realms; there was an eighty to ninety percent chance of destroying the foundation he had so painstakingly built by opening his acupoints. The "Great Yellow Court Longevity Lotus" was not like ordinary wild grass that could wither and revive annually; if it withered, it would be as hard as ascending to heaven to make it bloom again.

He wondered how far the herders had run, and if they had made it out of the canyon.

Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, thinking, "Damn it, I'll hold on a bit longer. If I can't, I'll have to retreat. If I keep fighting like this, I'll really die here."

Dying is secondary; it's the unwillingness to give up that truly bothers him.

As the wild oxen thundered closer, almost upon him, Xu Fengnian completed another grand internal energy cycle. He could clearly see the terrifying, ferocious eyes of the front-line oxen.

The wild oxen simultaneously lowered their heads, intending to gore him to death with their horns.

Xu Fengnian's clothes first compressed, then billowed outwards, more intensely than before. He cupped his hands together in front of his chest, forming a circle.

From a small circle, circles gave birth to more circles, until a great circle encompassed the vastness of heaven and earth.

The dust in the canyon swirled, forming a circular mirror.

Xu Fengnian moved back inch by inch.

The wild oxen, inexplicably, advanced inch by inch.

He had told himself he'd only hold on for a little longer, but without realizing it, Xu Fengnian had already held on for a very long time.

On the mountaintop, an old monk in a simple kasaya stood with his feet off the ground, holding a bamboo staff, as if riding the wind like an immortal. Seeing this sight, he was slightly moved and sighed softly, "To disregard life and death in self-forgetfulness, fueled by passion, is mere brute courage. But to know what should not be done, yet still remember what must be done, reveals one's true nature and character. A little selfishness cannot obscure a good heart."

The old monk swept down into the canyon bottom like a falcon descending, grabbed Xu Fengnian with one hand, and then, treading on thin air with a series of ethereal, "dragonfly skimming the water" steps, floated towards the herder maiden. He softly said, "Your Highness, save the people. Allow this old monk, who has made a grave error, to halt the wild oxen."

As Xu Fengnian instinctively wrapped an arm around the maiden's waist, the old monk lightly uttered "Rise," and the man and woman floated towards the mountaintop.

The old monk's feet finally touched the ground. He turned and powerfully thrust his staff into the earth.

Were it not for his kasaya, this old monk, who otherwise seemed like a benevolent, ancient village elder, now glared with wrathful Vajra eyes, facing the surging herd with a deep, muffled roar.

The sound, like a swiftly unleashed thunderclap, reverberated for several miles around.

The Northern Mang's new martial arts evaluations highly praised this Buddhist saint, stating: "Longshu, the Saint Monk of Liangchan Temple, fearlessly expounds the Dharma, his voice the true sound of the Tathagata, possessing the Lion's Roar, subjugating all beings."

The wild oxen instantly halted their charge, and silence fell upon the valley.

Inside the canyon, blood flowed like a river.

The old monk bowed his head in shame, pressing his palms together.

Xu Fengnian was utterly exhausted, staggering before collapsing onto the ground. The maiden sat cross-legged behind him, her eyes brimming with tears, gently supporting the Young Master who was about to fall backward. Xu Fengnian had no mind to ponder whether the old monk had set a trap or anything else, nor did he care about the woman behind him. He simply looked down at his blood-stained clothes and wryly smiled, "Constantly spitting blood like this isn't good."

And then, he fainted.

The old monk pulled out his bamboo staff and came to the mountaintop. He took Xu Fengnian's pulse, exhaling in relief. Then, he took a white bowl from his satchel, sliced his own wrist with a finger, and after filling the bowl, handed it to the maiden.

The old monk's blood was not the ordinary crimson, but a golden-yellow hue, only mentioned in obscure Buddhist scriptures.

He was truly a Buddha who had reached the pinnacle of the Vajra realm.

The maiden, intuitively understanding, embraced Xu Fengnian and fed him the bowl of golden-yellow blood, a treasure far more precious than countless cities.

After standing up, the old monk floated back down to the valley floor, reciting the Diamond Sutra as he went. After leaving the canyon, he swept onto the mountaintop, took an old horse, and led it forward, softly saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your initial entry into the Grand Vajra realm."