The monks in the surroundings fell silent and looked at one another. If that were the case, the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had almost faced a disaster, yet they had actually been saved by this daemon, which reminded them about the Golden Cicada Spirit King from a very long time ago.
The Unraging monk smiled as well, focusing on saving Hua Chengzan.
The Dauntless monk was stern. “Li Qingshan, you may have saved the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, but that is not enough to redeem you. You have to take responsibility for all the damage you’ve caused, not to mention the fact that you hid your identity as a daemon and deceived the entire monastery, which is unforgivable! From today onwards, the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga formally expels Li Qingshan and will be taking back all cultivation methods. Do you have any objections?”
“Whatever!”
Li Qingshan shrugged. This was merely a formality. He was not even a formal disciple of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, and the Battle Demon Statuary was a demonic cultivation method through and through. It was not a cultivation method of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga.
At this moment, the hawk tablet on Gu Yanying’s waist flashed. She was rather surprised, so she grabbed it gently and listened for something. Even she, who always remained so graceful and composed, blanked out for a moment, glancing at Li Qingshan strangely before looking at the Monk Kings with a slight smile.
“What happened?” Li Qingshan asked.
“I just received news that the Umbral Yin sect has been destroyed,” said Gu Yanying.
“What!?”
The Dauntless monk and everyone else was startled. The three major sects of the Green province had all stood for over ten thousand years, all deeply rooted. It was difficult to connect them with the concept of “destruction”. In fact, the Umbral Yin sect was the least likely to be destroyed out of the three. Just the Gate of Hungry Ghosts alone could make everyone reconsider their actions. However, when they considered what the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had just faced, it did not seem so impossible anymore.
He asked in a hurry, “Commander Gu, what happened exactly? Who did it? Is it an invasion from the Kingdom of Yue? Has anything happened to the Gate of Hungry Ghosts?”
“Is it Xiao An?” Li Qingshan asked with raised eyebrows.
“It’s her, the ‘buddha nemesis’. It’s said that a white sun illuminated the Myriad Ghosts abyss, and she gained control of the Umbral Yin Formation of Gathering Ghosts. Only a grand elder Ming managed to escape, with all the other disciples dead. Fortunately, the Gate of Hungry Ghosts wasn’t opened,” said Gu Yanying.
“This girl sure is vicious when she strikes!” Li Qingshan smiled. He knew her Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was extremely effective towards the undead, and she had always been very prudent and far-seeing with her plans, so he did not feel particularly surprised.
The Seven Treasures Monk King lowered his head, and his expression changed. He balled his fists within his sleeves. The buddha nemesis was so powerful. What were they supposed to do?
The Dauntless monk remained silent for a good moment. “Just what is she trying to do?”
“You won’t understand even if I tell you.” Li Qingshan shook his head. He had guessed Xiao An’s plans slightly.
“Qingshan, I’ve completely suppressed his demonic nature. He’ll awaken before long.” The Unraging monk sucked in a deep breath and drew his hand back.
Li Qingshan saw that Hua Chengzan’s complexion had turned back to normal. He clasped his hands. “Thank you, master!”
“That’s only because he has a heart of benevolence. Otherwise, if he only relies on external forces, then even if I can save him in the moment, I won’t be able to save him for good,” said the Unraging monk.
“Once he awakens, perhaps we can learn even more about the Demon domain’s scheme,” the Dauntless monk said cautiously.
With Li Qingshan’s interruption, the Dauntless monk was unable to carry out his judgement ceremony either. He dispersed the monks so that they could go back to tidying up the monastery. The Seven Treasures Monk King also used this opportunity to bid farewell. He glanced at Li Qingshan silently and dared not say anything more.
Li Qingshan was waiting for Hua Chengzan to wake up, so he idled around on the top of the mountain with nothing to do. He strolled around with his hands behind his back. He did not seem like he had been expelled from the sect at all; instead, it seemed like he was strolling through his own backyard. This was probably the first time a daemon had done something like that. The Golden Cicada Spirit King was forced to leave when he exposed himself.
The Dauntless monk found him to be a great eyesore, but he was powerless over the circumstances. Fighting him right now was not a clever decision, and he had just saved the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. For the longevity and development of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, he could only accept this.
“Sigh, it’s a pity that Great Buddha mountain doesn’t have a head anymore.” Li Qingshan sighed.
Li Qingshan basically went for what pained them the most. The Dauntless monk immediately glared over viciously, his sore spot inside having been touched.
The Unraging monk also said in exasperation, “If you have nothing to do, then just wait here. What’re you strolling around for?”
“You can’t blame me. The top of the mountain was clearly flattened by the golden seal. Speaking of which, I even avenged you! Whatever. For the sake of my master, I’ll just give you a new one.”
Li Qingshan flew up and arrived among the mountains. He looked around for a while and found a small mountain. “Alright, this one will do!” He descended from above and landed before the small mountain, suddenly assuming his physique of the demonic and divine. He embraced the small mountain and bellowed out, “Rise!”
The small mountain shook. The countless trees swayed violently, and boulders rolled down as the mountain was slightly pulled up from the ground. The mountain streams sprinkled down as waterfalls.
He used all of his strength to carry the mountain on his shoulders, trudging towards Great Buddha mountain with heavy steps. Each step he took was like a miniature earthquake.
The monks in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga all raised their heads, watching this in shock. The Monk Kings became speechless too. Something like this was completely unheard of!
When it came to destroying a mountain, basically all great cultivators were capable of something like that, but almost no great cultivator could pull a mountain up from the ground as one whole piece. Even the great Daemon Kings with powerful bodies could not achieve something like that.
The mountain was just a small mountain, only around two hundred meters tall, but it weighed a million tonnes at the very least. If it was completely composed of rock, then it might have even exceeded ten million tonnes. The King of Chu’s Seal could expand to the size of a mountain, but it actually weighed much less. Shifting such a colossal object already surpassed the strength of great cultivators. This was the legendary “power to move mountains”.
Actually, Li Qingshan did not primarily rely on his personal strength. Instead, he used his innate abilities, producing a repulsive force through the Gravity of the Earth to mitigate most of the mountain’s weight. He was basically borrowing strength from the earth. This was an inspiration he had gained when he fended off the King of Chu’s Seal. Otherwise, even if he reverted to his true form, towering over two thousand meters, more than ten times the mountain’s height, he would still struggle to pick it up.
Even a mortal can lift up a rock of corresponding size, yet I can’t with the physique of demonic and divine that possesses four powerful bloodlines. Looks like bigger isn’t always better with the physique of demonic and divine. It needs further refinement, or all I’ll be left with is size, Li Qingshan thought like that as he arrived before Great Buddha mountain.
He planted a foot on the mountainside and lifted the small mountain high into the air with both arms. He called out, “Move aside, the mountain is coming!” A great shadow loomed above, and the Monk Kings all dodged frantically.
Boom! The small mountain landed on Great Buddha mountain.
“Looks pretty good!” Li Qingshan studied it while rubbing his chin, nodding in satisfaction. He did not need thousands of years to gather the power of belief. Just the might behind an attack like that seemed to match the King of Chu’s Seal. He could not throw it at people, but it was completely possible for him to throw it at cities and sects. If a small mountain like that fell down from above, just what protective formation could stop it?
The Gravity of the Earth—this innate ability that originally seemed very useless was gradually demonstrating startling power. Perhaps it was time to change its name.
PS: In the past, I’ve never considered how much a mountain weighs. Then one day, I suddenly got curious and looked into it. Only then did I come to a realisation. It’s no wonder why brother Wukong was squashed half-dead. It’s too fucking heavy. The last part is a sincere hint for the Gravity of the Earth’s new name. It might be an ability even more powerful than the Tremors of the Ox Demon.