Chapter 23: The Demon-Subduing Vajra

  Qingxu saw that Yuantong was unable to persuade Tiehu, and his eyebrows gradually rose. He knew that the monk had gotten angry. It was already unusual for Yuantong to be able to endure his temper and spend so much time with Tiehu. It seemed that he really liked Tiehu a lot. However, the monk's temper looked like it was about to erupt, and if Qingxu didn't leave soon, Tiehu would probably get into trouble.

  With a clear and calm mind, the power of the Tao was gathered, and suddenly there was an awareness. A Daoist priest and a young man surprisingly walked out of the nearby forest, startling him. At such a close distance, he hadn't noticed that these were no ordinary people!

  Qingyu walked out with a calm and composed pace, but the small stone behind him was not so relaxed, it was tense to the extreme. Qingyu arrived in front of Tiehu, who hadn't spoken yet, but seeing Qingyu was like seeing a family member, he exclaimed "Master you're here!" and rushed over, hugging Qingyu's legs tightly and refusing to let go. Qingyu smiled wryly, Tiehu had used this trick countless times on him, each time either crying or shouting, it was really unbearable!

  Yuán Tōng heard Tiě Hǔ's address to Qīng Xū, his face turned even darker. He looked at Qīng Xū and said "You are the Taoist from Kuàng Tuò Mountain?"

  "Qingxu Jing Shou, Ming Zhi Gu Wen De Dao 'Poor Dao Qingxu, I don't know how to address you, brother?'"

  Yu Tong did not hesitate and said "The Great Brightness Temple's Ming Dao is me!"

  Qingxu heard the words but didn't reveal anything, and calmly said, "So it's actually Master Mingdao, I've long heard of your great name."

  Yu Tong's black face flashed with anger, and he coldly said, "I don't dare to, I've also heard of Qingxu, the eldest disciple of Kongtong Sect. Today is a fortunate encounter!" After finishing his sentence, he looked at Tiehu who was still hugging Qingxu and crying, then continued, "I have something to ask of you, I wonder if brother can agree."

  Qing Xū smiled slightly and said, "I don't dare, elder brother please speak, I will definitely do my best!"

  Yuán Tōng pointed at Tiě Hǔ and said, "I have a deep connection with Tiě Hǔ, I was thinking of taking him as my disciple. But I heard that brother has already taken him in, is this true or false?"

  Tie Hu heard this and first shouted "Master! Master! I don't want to be a monk's apprentice!"

  Qingxu didn't even bother to respond, and instead said to Yuantong Dao, "Tiehu is not from my Kunlun Sect, Brother, please go ahead. If he can enter the gate of Daguangming Temple, it's his good fortune."

  Tie Hu's eyes welled up with tears, and his words were stuck in his throat as he clenched his fists tighter. Yuan Tong's face lit up with joy, saying "Then thank you, Dao brother! Since that's the case, Tie Hu won't bother you anymore! Stop bothering Dao Zhang!"

  Tie Hu will listen to his words, shouting "I won't go! You're not my master! I don't want to be a monk, I want to be a Taoist!"

  Yu Tong's face turned awkward as he stood in front of Qing Xū. He walked forward, about to pull up Tie Hu.

  Zhī Tiě Hǔ suddenly stood up with a "hū" sound, and immediately threw a punch at Yuán Tōng, saying "I'll beat you, stinky monk!"

  Yuán Tōng's face sank, and he didn't dodge or evade. With a flip of his right hand, he grasped Iron Tiger's fist, which was full of vigor and strength, in his palm. He didn't allow Iron Tiger to struggle, and with just a slight exertion of force, Iron Tiger's body weight of over 200 jin seemed as light as a feather in Yuán Tōng's grasp. The entire person was pulled over, and Yuán Tōng let out a low hum. Just as Iron Tiger was about to curse loudly, he felt his body stiffen and become unable to move, even unable to speak.

  Yuantong subdued Tiehu and said to Qingxu Dao "I've made a fool of myself in front of you, brother. I still have things to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"

  "Is Master going back to Daguangming Temple?"

  Yu Tong replied "Not bad!" and unwilling to continue idle chatter with Qing Xu, he pulled Tie Hu away.

  "Then he slowly said, 'If Master wants to return to the Great Bright Temple, please convey my greetings to Monk Kongxuan, and tell him that Qingxu from Guangxian Gate of Mount Congtai is asking after his well-being.'"

  Yu Tong heard the words and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He took a closer look at Qing Xue and said, "So you've known who I was all along!"

  Qing Xu sighed and said, "Tie Xin Luohan's great name is like thunder in my ears, how can I not know? Moreover, I have a few encounters with Ming Dao Shixiong, and Yuan Tong Shixiong has long been admired!"

  Yu Tong smiled coldly, exuding an inexplicable chill, and said "Do you know Ming Dao?"

  Qingxu seemed to have no feeling of being affected by Yuantong's killing aura and said, "Not bad, I've seen it a few times."

  Yu Tong's tone grew even colder, saying "I once made a vow to the Buddha that no matter who mentions the two words 'Ming Dao' in front of me, I will surely kill them. Qing Xu, you be careful!"

  Xiao Shi Tou heard his arrogant words and had long been furious, shouting behind Qing Xu: "How dare you mention the Buddha, killing people at every turn, are you still a monk?"

  Qingxu didn't stop him, and the notorious Yuan Tong had already been infamous for his indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people. It was just that no one expected that after he lost to Mingdao, he would vent his anger on others. This is truly inexplicable!

  "Qingxu gazed at the murderous-looking Yuantong, sighed inwardly and said, 'Elder brother Yuantong, why must you be so extreme? The matter from back then may not necessarily have no solution. Mingdao...'"

  "Shut up, Qingxu! I don't need you to lecture me. The grudge of Mingdao's harm to me for a lifetime will not be repaid if I don't take revenge!" Yuantong interrupted Qingxu's words, he had an unrelenting hatred towards Mingdao, how could it be easily dispelled by Qingxu's few words?

  Qingxu also knew that if Yuantong was so easy to talk to, he wouldn't be the Iron Heart Arhat. He said, "Elder brother Yuantong, I don't want to fight you, leave!"

  Yu Tong burst into a fit of maniacal laughter and shouted, "Qing Xu, this matter has nothing to do with you! Today can only be considered your bad luck, you will die!" As he finished speaking, his originally dark face revealed a faint golden glow, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and his hands made a gesture in mid-air. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar, shaking the heavens. Xiaoshi saw that before his eyes, a brilliant golden light had appeared, and Yu Tong's hands now held a gigantic golden mallet that shone with golden light!

  This golden pestle is over two zhang long, with a thickness of about the size of a bowl at the part where Rulai holds it, and it gets thicker and thicker towards the bottom, with the foot being as thick as a bucket. The entire body shines with a golden light, just like it was cast from gold. Rulai holds the golden pestle, and his whole body is also shining with golden light, seeming to have grown taller and more majestic. Holding the pestle and standing upright, he truly looks like a mighty Vajra warrior sitting under the Buddha.

  The little stone looked dazed and stared blankly, shouting "Is this the Demon-subduing Vajra Pestle?"

  Qingxu ignored the small stone and gently swept it away. The small stone only felt its body being slowly pushed to a distance of over ten zhang by a soft and gentle force.

  Qingxu and Yuantong were only two zhang apart, facing each other like a golden Buddha in the world. Not a hint of tension could be seen on Yuantong's face. Yuantong couldn't help but admire Qingxu's demeanor, but at this point, there was nothing more to say. He also moved Tiehu to a safe place, waiting for his earth-shattering blow.

  Xiao Shi Tou looked at the gigantic golden pestle of Yuan Tong and couldn't help but feel a little worried for Qing Xu. At this moment, Zhao Wu Jin, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "To be able to make the Buddhist sect's magic spell so murderous, this monk is truly the greatest in history!" His tone was extremely sarcastic.

  "Brother, you've finally spoken up! Tell me, where did this monk's golden pestle come from? Is it like your Scarlet Flame Sword?"

  Zhao Wuji's recent mood has not been good, and he has been cultivating all along without even talking to Xiaoshi. Today, it seems that his mood is not bad, so I heard him say: "The Demon-Subduing Golden Vajra Pestle is the supreme great method of Buddhism, and after successful cultivation, one can obtain the supreme great power bestowed by the Buddha. With just one pestle, there will be at least tens of thousands of kilograms of force. It is said that after this method is fully cultivated, one pestle can open mountains and split seas, truly unstoppable. The Golden Vajra Pestle is transformed from the true energy of the cultivator, and the higher the cultivation, the larger the pestle will be. Looking at this monk's cultivation, it's not shallow either! Your senior brother is in trouble!"

  The little stone was shocked. Looking at Qing Xuan in front of Round and Through, he was like a small tree that would fall with just one touch. How could he withstand the blow of this huge golden pestle?

  "Hurry up, big brother! Can't you help out our senior brother?"

  Zhao Wuji said, "What's the hurry? Your Eldest Senior Brother isn't made of paper. I think his cultivation has improved significantly recently. Although Yuantong is powerful, he has a heavy killing intent and his technique is close to the demonic path, truly wasting the painstaking efforts of Kong Xuan! Your senior brother's Taiqing Dao power is only one step away from reaching the state of Hunyuan, it won't be easy for Yuantong to defeat him!"

  "What's this 'Mado'?" The little stone didn't understand.

  Zhao Wuji seemed unwilling to discuss matters of the demonic path with Xiao Shi Tou, and only said "This matter can be discussed later, let's see how your senior brother deals with Yuantong!"

  Xiao Shi Tou didn't have time to ask any questions, watching Yuan Tong had already wielded the Demon-Subduing Vajra Scepter to its limits. Suspended in mid-air ten zhang above the ground, the Vajra Scepter in his hand had reached over three zhang in length, shining with an even more dazzling golden light. Lowering his head to gaze at Qing Xu, he said: "Qing Xu, why haven't you taken out your treasure? Are you planning on receiving my Vajra Scepter empty-handed?"

  Facing the overwhelming momentum, he was as calm and composed as a mighty Vajra, with not a hint of fear in his heart. On the contrary, his confidence was stronger than ever before. Recently, despite encountering powerful enemies and suffering defeats, his cultivation had benefited greatly, and his abilities had improved significantly without him even realizing it. Upon hearing Vajra's words, he smiled slightly and slowly rose to face him, saying "Vajra, I've long heard that the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle is the most powerful technique in Buddhism. Today, I'm not talented, but I'll take on your challenge with bare hands!" His voice was calm, but his tone was extremely confident.

  Qingxu said it lightly, but was furious and his anger reached the boiling point. He slapped me with a loud slap! Although I knew Qingxu's cultivation was not weak, Yuantong didn't put this Mount Kuafu Sect's master disciple in his eyes. His name shook all sects and he roamed the world, except for being defeated by Mingdao, he had always been arrogant and looked down on others. Moreover, in recent years, he had been cultivating in seclusion, his cultivation had made great progress, and he thought that even if he met Mingdao again, he would not lose. But now he encountered a Daoist who was even more arrogant than him, this Qingxu who had always been unknown.

  His face was flushed with golden light, and the killing intent in his eyes grew even stronger. He stared intently at Qingxu, saying word by word, "I'll fulfill your wish! Take this!" He vowed to crush Qingxu's power under his hammer, to vent the raging flames of anger!

  A loud shout, the Vajra pestle slammed down on Qingxu with a force of ten thousand kilograms. The powerful airflow generated by the Vajra pestle as it cut through the air came crashing down from above, pressing the weeds flat against the ground. Xiaoshi was almost knocked over, but he felt a surge of heat in his body and suddenly steadied himself, knowing that Zhao Wujin had lent him a hand. Thinking about Qingxu facing such an enormous force head-on, Xiaoshi's heart was already in his throat. He thought to himself, "Big Brother, you're too reckless going up empty-handed - where's your sword?" and hastily looked up again.

  Tie Hu wasn't so lucky, he was restrained by Yuantong and couldn't move at all, only his eyes could roll around. With a push from the air flow, "plop" he fell straight to the ground, getting battered and bruised, tears almost flowing out again. Before he could cry, he was stunned by the scene in mid-air.

  Yuán tōng yī jiàng quán lì zǎ xià, shēng shì wěi shí jīng rén. Qīng xū xīn zhōng yǒu shù, tài qīng dào lì zǎo yǐ tí dào jí xiàn, zhǐ jiàn tā bái yù bān de liǎn shàng qīng qì yǐn yǐn yī xiàn, jué bù xiàng yǐ qián nà me chún yù. Shuāng shǒu yán sè hū qīng hū bái, zuì hòu jìng biàn de róu yú bái yù yì bān tòu chū dàn dàn de qīng qì, shuāng shǒu xiān fēn hòu hé jiù yǐ zhè shuāng zhǎng zhī lì lái jiē wú jiān bù cuī de jīn gāng chuí!

  Silent and soundless, golden light flashed, a three-foot-long Vajra pestle was actually pinched in mid-air by Qingxu's slender hands.

  Yu Tong was shocked and incredulous, finding it hard to believe. His full-force strike had been caught by Qing Xū with seemingly no effort at all, without even a slight tremble in his body.

  Below the small stone, it's clear that the thunder is loud but the raindrops are small. The round stick was actually pinched by the big master brother with his hand! Excitedly shouting "Big Master Brother, you're too awesome!" Iron Tiger couldn't move, but in his heart, he secretly shouted "Master is indeed Master! Quickly chase away the monk!"

  Zhao Wuji nodded secretly, praising "Good Qingxu, unexpectedly at this time there is a breakthrough, the Taiqing Dao power has been refined to the Hunyuan realm! Not bad, not bad!"

  Qingxu didn't expect that his own Taicheng Dao power would reach the Hunyuan realm at this time, and he easily took down Yuantong's blow. Looking at Yuantong's face, which changed rapidly in an instant, and finally returned to its usual proud and cold expression, Qingxu knew that he wouldn't retreat in the face of adversity. Sure enough, Yuantong sneered coldly and said, "I underestimated you before, Qingxu. The Taicheng Dao power of the Kongtong Sect is actually so powerful, making my blow useless!" Although his words were like this, his tone didn't have a hint of frustration. After finishing speaking, the golden light on his Vajra Pestle surged, and Qingxu relaxed his hands, letting Yuantong swing down with the pestle. The true energy surged out again, and the temple below was destroyed in an instant, reduced to a pile of rubble amidst the howling wind.

  The little stone saw him wave his hand, and he had such power in his heart. Thinking about it again, his full-strength blow was even more terrifying. Master brother actually didn't get smashed into a meat paste by him, which is really too awesome!

  After the round trip, the golden light on his face gradually disappeared, and the Vajra pestle in his hand also disappeared. He said to Qingxu Dao "I've only heard of Master's Golden Vajra Demon-subduing Pestle, since I started my journey, I've only been defeated by Mingdao, today I lost again, it seems I still need to practice harder! But I want to ask for more advice!"

  Qingxu heard the words and his heart moved, seeing that Yuantong still had some reliance, he said: "This is Elder Brother Yuantong's mercy in sparing my life, I am just lucky for the time being!"

  Yu Tong's face was expressionless, his eyes gazing into the distant horizon. After hearing Xū Yī finish speaking, he slowly said, "You don't need to be modest. I never show mercy to my enemies. The previous strike was already with full force. Now, I can only use you to sacrifice to my divine sword!"

  As soon as the words fell, strange changes suddenly occurred!