Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior

Chapter 404 - 237: Single-arm Bell-Raising, Power That Surpasses Mountains and Dominates the World!

"I, Li, am not entirely without a solution!"

A calm voice resonated with the wailing mountain wind above the Ancient Mountain Lord Temple.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

Su Mu’s spine swayed like a Great Dragon, with every major tendon inside him glowing with Cyan Jade light, and White Jade bones shimmering with brilliance. The patterns of the Secret Realm on his body were fully illuminated, propelling his Jiao Tendons and Jade Bones to their utmost potential without reservation.

Every inch of flesh vibrated rapidly at a speed beyond the naked eye, causing the observers’ pupils to contract sharply, as the sounds of Su Mu’s tendons and bones reverberated in unison.

The roars of tigers, the cries of deer, the howls of bears, the screeches of apes, and the chirps of sparrows all erupted simultaneously from Su Mu’s body.

Then, two demon beast phantoms manifested behind Su Mu, positioned to the south and north. The Fire Sparrow phantom was in the south; as its wings flapped, the air within the temple distorted violently, and the temperature surged as if ready to ignite the sky.

Another figure coiled to the north—a fearsome Water Ape. With its emergence, ripples of water spread across the sky. Although it paled in comparison to the Fire Sparrow phantom, its aura remained exceptionally strong.

During the month at the Qifeng Mountain Range, Su Mu did not neglect other martial arts. By utilizing the Sixth-Grade Water Ape Essence Blood scavenged from the secret chamber of Tao Xingzheng at the Qingyun County Magistrate’s Office, he successfully advanced the Profound Demon Five Transformations to the second transformation, and the renal Five Viscera’s Water of the Five Elements was nearing refinement.

The cries of the five beasts faded, with the sounds of the Fire Sparrow and Water Ape resonating inside the temple, intertwining and enhancing Su Mu.

Profound Demon Five Transformations: Limit Break!

"Zheng zheng!"

At this moment, the limits of the Jiao Tendons and Jade Bones were shattered, with the Jade Bone State’s Cyan Jade light continuously transforming into brilliant golden light, enveloping Su Mu with a layer of gold. Boundless divine power surged through Su Mu’s limbs and veins, unleashing a formidable and terrifying aura like a humanoid ancient demon beast, his black hair wildly fluttering.

This was Su Mu’s first time unleashing the limit break without reservations after mastering the second transformation. Each inch of his flesh, tendons, and bones experienced a ripping pain akin to a tidal wave, identical in his heart and kidneys, causing a trickle of blood to uncontrollably seep from the corner of his mouth.

"The Sixth-Grade Water Ape Essence Blood is still weaker compared to the Fire Sparrow Essence Blood; the water and fire are imbalanced!"

Since forcing himself to partially step into the Secret Realm, mysterious patterns had appeared on his Jiao Tendons and Jade Bones. The pain experienced upon Su Mu’s next limit break would subsequently be considerably reduced.

He understood that the current increase in pain was evidently due to the imbalance of strength from the two essence blood absorbed, but fortunately, the Five Elements Technique he practiced was inherently balanced, capable of achieving equilibrium.

"Is this the breath of the Secret Realm?"

The yellow-robed old monk, Zen Jing, the current Abbot of Vajra Temple, sensed the aura on Su Mu and widened his squinted eyes, speaking out.

"The Secret Realm, is it the rumored Vajra Secret Realm?"

"No, Benefactor Li hasn’t stepped into the Secret Realm. What kind of martial art is this, that can forcibly grant someone partial mastery of the Secret Realm’s mysteries? Truly astounding!"

This statement stirred waves of astonishment, and the initially nonchalant Zen Ming and Zen Wu behind Zen Jing showed signs of disbelief on their faces.

Yet, swiftly, their minds turned sharply, quickly calming down again.

Only a rare few on the scene knew that the copper material of this Mountain Lord Ancient Bell was extraordinary, and the mountain terrain where the Mountain Lord Temple stood was exceptional. This was why the first ancestor of Vajra Temple valued it and established the mountain gate here.

The bell, not only forged personally by the ancestor, but also served as the core pivot of Vajra Temple’s sect protection array. Though it had weakened and been damaged over centuries, it was still set up by the ancestor’s own hand.

Without recognizing the array, it couldn’t possibly be broken, and even with mastery over the Vajra Secret Realm, it was unlikely to succeed through sheer force."

In Zen Ming and Zen Wu’s opinion, breaking through with raw strength would require a cultivator of the Upper Three Grades. While Su Mu exhibited combat strength far exceeding his current grade, he was merely someone who just stepped into the Sixth Grade as a martial artist.

This was a deadlock. From the outset, Vajra Temple never intended to let Su Mu take the secret technique down the mountain; those three Buddhist scriptures were offered as compensation for allowing Su Mu to pick one.

"Huff huff huff—!"

A sudden gale raged on the scene. While the monks in the temple were still astonished at Su Mu’s partial grasp of the Vajra Secret Realm’s mysteries, majestic and powerful Gang Force violently erupted from Su Mu’s palms in the next instant, condensing into substance.

"External power release, condensed into substance... Gang Force, this is Gang Force, and this person has even mastered Gang Force!"

Witnessing the transformation of power from invisible to visible, becoming Gang Force visible to the naked eye, those at Vajra Temple, with its legacy from Longfu Temple, immediately recognized it as Gang Force. Upon hearing that Su Mu had displayed Gang Force, the monks collectively gasped in disbelief.

Just because the person in front not only displayed Gang Force, but its thickness reached one and one-fifth of an inch, indicating that the opponent hadn’t just recently formed Gang Force. This majestic and powerful Gang Force likely took dozens of years to condense.

"Close to one and one-fifth inch thick, this person’s Gang Force is way too powerful... A hundred years ago, a patriarch of our temple also comprehended Gang Force, but initially, it was only one-third of an inch thick and took nearly twenty years of refining to finally break through one inch."

"This person looks just over thirty, did he begin cultivation from the womb, innately mastering Gang Force from birth?"

"Gang Force..." Zen Jing, the yellow-robed abbot, was completely moved by the sight of such majestic Gang Force. "Why didn’t little brother Zen Xin ever mention this, is it possible..."

The turmoil below the stage fell on deaf ears, as above, Su Mu, with predatory shadows vanishing from his eyes, suddenly thrust out his palms. However, he didn’t directly contact the Mountain Lord Ancient Bell with his flesh, but hoisted the bell using the majestic Gang Force.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

The grand tolling sound resonated like an ancient clock echoing through eternity. Upon the quivering bell, the inch and one-fifth thick Gang Force vibrated while dense cracks rapidly covered it, shattering and dissolving through the bell’s force, but swiftly healed under the incessant torrent of Su Mu’s frenzied Gang Force.

Ripples of golden light radiated from the Ancient Bell’s center, transforming into blasts of Gang Wind, causing the novice monks below Seventh Grade to stagger and nearly be blown off. The elder monks extended their hands to steady the novices and swiftly moved forward to shield them, employing Buddhist Dharma to shield against the aftermath.

"Ha!"

Su Mu shouted softly, his voice like thunder exploding in the Zen Temple, light from the crevices pierced the darkness under the ancient bell, as it slowly rose from the ground. Su Mu’s feet trembled on the steps, causing the entire ancient monastery to shake incessantly.

"Crackle, crackle——!"

Blood surged across Su Mu’s face, veins like jiao dragons bulged one after another. As he slowly lifted the ancient bell, he bent his back downwards, one hand supporting the bottom of the bell, not as if he would push it over, but acting as if he intended to lift it directly.

"Rise!"

Su Mu roared angrily, stamping his foot viciously to the ground, with the fire sparrow shrieking and the water ape bellowing behind him!

In the eyes of the astonished, the tall figure suddenly stood straight, as majestic and powerful Gang Force raged within the limit-breaking state, lifting the golden bell inch by inch off the ground.

This scene shocked the crowd of old monks.

As Su Mu on stage was about to complete the single-arm bell-raising, suddenly, his knees sank, and his previously loosened arm thrust out again, but still couldn’t stop the bell from falling.

At this moment, the invisible force Su Mu felt upon entering Vajra Temple came into play, making him feel as though the bell in his hand was replaced by a mountain.

"Crack, crack!"

Su Mu’s skeleton was overwhelmed, emitting crisp sounds of breaking and cracking.

"Benefactor Li, this is the sect protection array set up by our temple’s forebears. Do not confront it, abandon quickly before the array fully awakens to avoid self-harm!"

The abbot Zen Jing screamed, as Zen Ming and Zen Wu both stepped forward at once, getting ready to rescue him. Though they didn’t want Su Mu to take away the secret techniques, they weren’t ones to repay kindness with harm.

They were grateful to Su Mu for saving their junior brother, knowing Su Mu had done a favor for Vajra Temple, the protection array must not harm him.

"No need!"

Su Mu growled, eyes bloodshot and yet, no matter how he drove the Gang Force, he couldn’t stop the bell’s descent. Instead, he felt it growing heavier, as fractures grew in his bones under introspective state—arms, shoulders, abdomen, back, knees riddled with cracks.

"Blunt Man... Step back three feet and half a foot more on the right for a firm stamp, and lightly step back half a foot, two feet to the left."

In the nick of time, a voice full of pride boomed in his mind, Su Mu didn’t even have the strength to discern who it was from.

The resolve not to give up, burning fiercely like a fiery sea, grasped onto this lifeline instinctively and made a decision in an instant.

"Thud!"

Within Su Mu’s body, tendons and bones emitted sounds like siege crossbow strings about to snap completely. With difficulty, he stepped his right foot out three feet, stepped back half a foot, and in that instant, he felt the weight pressing on his arms—the ’mountain’ suddenly felt lighter.

"It works."

Su Mu’s eyes flashed with joy, his bent knees halted their decline. With another step amid cracking sounds, the Vajra Temple’s protection array showed a brief stasis as it was waking up.

"Rise for me!"

Grabbing this fleeting opportunity, Su Mu shouted furiously, body re-straightened, seemingly to vent his inner rage. Only to see on stage, the man with bleeding eyes and blood-stained gaze suddenly switched to raising the bell with one arm.

"This man wants to raise the bell with one arm!"

The crowd of old monks was instinctively stunned to retreat several steps, much less the little novice monks.

Single-arm raising of the ancient bell, strength enough to pull mountains, a force unparalleled!

At this instant, the monks in the courtyard were profoundly shaken, momentarily reminded of that name which left an indelible mark in the history of Martial Dao, and in the whole realm of cultivation. Inevitably, they recalled the description of that person in later historical records.

On stage, Su Mu raised the bell with one arm, glaring dominantly at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over, causing monks to recoil in shock, none daring to meet his eyes.

Finally, Su Mu’s gaze fell upon the three old monks led by the yellow-robed abbot.

On stage, the fire sparrow and water ape’s shadows flared in the wind, a calm gaze seemed to silently question the trio: Is it enough?

Zen Ming demanded Su Mu to topple the ancient bell and lift it three times, naturally making things difficult for him, wishing Su Mu would retreat and choose a volume of Buddhist scripture instead.

However, Su Mu refused to retreat, instead, raising the bell single-armed before all in the courtyard, under the gaze of the monks!

At this moment, Zen Ming and Zen Wu were also extremely shocked. Under Su Mu’s calm gaze, the leading yellow-robed abbot Zen Jing bowed his head slightly, his tone full of admiration and astonishment as he spoke.

The three old monks clasped their hands together, first chanting a mantra, sincerely bowing towards Su Mu.

"Amitabha Buddha, Benefactor Li has unparalleled talent across Qingyun County, it is old and senile eyes that failed to recognize your greatness, this time I bow to you Zen Jing!"

"Zen Ming bows!"

"Zen Wu bows!"

...