Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing was dumbfounded. He hurried to the door and knocked on the stone gate, wanting to see how thick it really was. However, when he knocked, he was astonished to find that the stone gate emitted a muffled and heavy sound, indicating that it was not hollow behind it.

Ye Qing was shocked again. The sound the stone gate made was enough to prove that its thickness was definitely over two meters, and possibly even thicker. Although Ye Qing held the scabbard of The Ancestor of Miao Dao, it could only pierce the stone wall. The scabbard certainly couldn’t be used to dig through this stone. Even if Ye Qing broke the scabbard, it would be impossible to break through a stone gate two meters thick!

Now Ye Qing finally understood the meaning of those eight characters he saw outside.

”Once you enter this chamber, there’s no turning back!”

Indeed, as soon as he entered, the way out was sealed and couldn’t be opened. There was definitely no retreat.

Ye Qing stood by the stone gate, frowning in frustration, when suddenly there were echoes of loud sounds from outside. It was the same sound he heard earlier, as if other stone gates were falling down. Ye Qing was even more astonished. Could it be that entrances outside were also being sealed by stone gates, starting to close?

Listening to those booming echoes, Ye Qing was further shocked. After standing there silently for a while, he finally turned around to examine the situation inside the stone chamber. After all, the door was already shut. Breaking it open was impossible, so he decided to first understand what was in the stone chamber. Besides, since this was the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, he wouldn’t have left a dead end, right? Maybe there was an exit he hadn’t discovered yet.

The stone chamber was empty, except for a stone platform and a stone slab bed. The surrounding stone walls were blank with no content. So Ye Qing could only approach the stone slab bed to see if there were any traces left on it.

When he got beside the stone slab bed, Ye Qing indeed found some engraved marks on it, which seemed to be some words. He quickly wiped off all the dust scattered on the stone slab bed, finally revealing the inscriptions clearly.

This place was where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away. Ye Qing was initially worried that the inscriptions here might be the Buddhist Texts left by Patriarch Bodhidharma. However, when he clearly saw the words on the stone slab bed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. What was left was not Buddhist Texts, but ordinary Chinese characters. Although they were ancient script, Ye Qing could still recognize them.

On the stone slab bed were several lines of characters. After reading the first line, Ye Qing’s expression changed slightly.

”Whoever enters this door in the future, it is the time when the Evil Demon wreaks havoc. It is also the day when the Secret Techniques I left will exorcise the demon.”

This is the first line, written simply, yet it was astonishing. A thousand years ago, could Patriarch Bodhidharma really foresee these events? Although he didn’t write about the Corpse Ghost Dragon, how did he know that when someone entered here, it would be the time the Evil Demon wreaks havoc? Patriarch Bodhidharma was renowned worldwide and truly extraordinary!

Ye Qing continued reading; the second line wrote: As the Martial Path declines and Buddhist and Taoist Ways are destroyed, the Evil Demon reigns supreme, naturally inevitable. I foresaw a great calamity, so I left six secret techniques to be passed down. The day the Evil Demon appears, these six techniques will reemerge. However, the six secret techniques alone are not enough to exorcise the demon. I have left behind a demon-slaying holy object in this chamber, called Buddha’s Left Hand, which is a Shariputra transformed from the Buddha’s Bone after Shakyamuni passed away. By channeling the power of the six secret techniques into it, you can activate the Shariputra of Buddha’s Left Hand, thus reawakening the mighty power of Buddha’s Left Hand, sufficient to exorcise the demon!

”Buddha’s Left Hand?” Ye Qing exclaimed quietly. He didn’t expect that there wouldn’t be a secret technique left by Patriarch Bodhidharma, but rather a Shariputra from Buddha’s Left Hand?

Who is Shakyamuni? Shijia had told Ye Qing before; after Buddha, Shijia Mouni was the foremost figure in the Buddhist Sect, the most renowned and revered in later Buddhist history. But could a single Shariputra left by him possess such power? Although the Corpse Ghost Dragon was not as strong as Shakyamuni, it was currently a top figure. Would a Shariputra left by Shakyamuni be enough to exorcise him?

Ye Qing’s heart was filled with shock. After entering this stone chamber, he had constantly been in such a state. And now, he was completely confounded by these words left by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

Continuing on, the third line wrote: Buddha’s Left Hand possesses unparalleled power, making exorcising the demon not difficult. However, the person who activates Buddha’s Left Hand must also endure its powerful force. The mildest consequence is the total loss of Martial Arts and severe internal injuries, leading to death within three years. The severest, power exploding from the body, causing instant death, inescapable from such disaster. Therefore, future users must exercise extreme caution; any slip could lead to total annihilation!

If Ye Qing was already deeply shocked by the previous words, these later words gave him reason to be worried. Although a method to deal with the Corpse Ghost Dragon was found, this method seemed far from simple. To channel the power of the six secret techniques into a person’s body to activate Buddha’s Left Hand and defeat the Corpse Ghost Dragon wasn’t the main concern. The main concern was that the person who activated Buddha’s Left Hand had to endure its powerful force—the mildest consequence being the total loss of Martial Arts and a life that wouldn’t last beyond a year. In the most severe case, instant death was actually quite normal!

To use this move to kill the Corpse Ghost Dragon, it truly is a result where both sides suffer. Killing the Corpse Ghost Dragon will definitely cost one life here, and this is really hard to accept.

However, thinking carefully, if the Corpse Ghost Dragon isn’t killed, then far more than one person would die in the world.

Ye Qing sighed and continued reading; the fourth line said: The Buddha’s Left Hand is left here to suppress an evil demon. If taken away, the demon will be freed from its bind. Therefore, I have left a seal, and future individuals entering this stone chamber, the mountain cavity must be sealed, all previous pathways shall be blocked by stones. If future individuals wish to leave this stone chamber, the only pathway lies beneath the stone bed. If one uses this path to leave, beware, as there is an ancient demon sleeping in the passage, do not awaken it. Otherwise, there is no hope of survival!

Ye Qing was stunned again; he hadn’t anticipated that there was also a demon suppressed here. Just what kind of demon is this? Even Patriarch Bodhidharma was so cautious, indicating that this demon is definitely not simple. And the most crucial part is, Patriarch Bodhidharma repeatedly warned not to awaken this eternal demon; what does this mean? After all these years, what demon could live for so long?

The last line contained only a few words: Shariputra of the Buddha’s Left Hand is stored beneath the stone platform.

Ye Qing turned to look at the stone platform beside him; beneath this stone platform, could it really hold the Shariputra of the Buddha?

Ye Qing walked over, reached out to lift the stone platform, but hesitated halfway and stopped. He looked at the stone platform, respectfully bowed, and then reached out to lift it.

No matter what, beneath this stone platform lies the Shariputra of the Buddha, one of the greatest figures in the Buddhist Sect. As a descendant, Ye Qing must show proper decorum.

Lifting the stone platform revealed a wooden box beneath it. This box has been here for a millennium yet shows no sign of damage.

Ye Qing took out the box, examining it closely; it was made of ordinary willow wood. It was unexpected that this material remained undamaged over such a long time; perhaps it was due to the Shariputra of the Buddha’s Left Hand inside.

Carefully opening the box, a golden light immediately shone forth. While the light seemed intense, it was indeed gentle rather than glaring. This light shone upon him, inexplicably granting a sense of spiritual tranquility. In the light, Ye Qing felt as if someone was softly chanting Buddhist texts in his ear, these Buddhist sounds calmed his mind to the greatest extent, washing away previous irritations and worries.

Ye Qing breathed a sigh of relief and looked carefully; inside the box was a golden bead approximately the size of a pigeon egg. The bead emitted a gentle golden glow, the exact light that was shining earlier.

This was the Shariputra transformed from the Buddha’s Left Hand bone!

Gazing at the Shariputra, Ye Qing’s heart involuntarily felt a profound reverence, similar to the feeling when worshipping in a temple. Even if you don’t believe in Buddhism, within the magnificently solemn hall, you would naturally feel admiration for the Buddha Heart.

”Buddha’s Left Hand!” Ye Qing exclaimed softly, slowly closing the box and then securing it on himself. The Shariputra inside this box was the only weapon to deal with the Corpse Ghost Dragon. If this Shariputra were lost, there would be no way to defeat the Corpse Ghost Dragon.

After securing the Shariputra, Ye Qing returned the stone platform to its original place. He then walked to the stone bed, took a deep breath, bent over to grip the top, and lifted it with force; surprisingly, the stone bed was raised.

Though the stone bed looked large, it wasn’t heavy, similar to a wooden bed. Pushing the stone bed aside, a dark passage was revealed beneath it, seemingly the exit mentioned by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

Ye Qing peered into the passage, sensing waves of cold air emanating from within, seeing nothing else. The passage’s extension and exit remained unknown. However, Ye Qing recalled Patriarch Bodhidharma’s warning about an ancient demon sleeping within this passage, posing grave danger.

Nonetheless, Ye Qing wasn’t overly worried. The words left by Patriarch Bodhidharma were written over a millennium ago. After such time, regardless of the demon’s nature, surely it must be dead by now; entering now, he’d likely encounter mere bones and certainly wouldn’t face the so-called eternal demon, thus implying no threat at all.