Chapter 181 — The Wordless Jade Wall
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 8 of 9
Master Pu Cheng slowly opened his eyes from his meditative trance and looked toward Ming Li, still sitting calm and peaceful. After a long pause he sighed low: "Foolish child, foolish child—in the end you still cannot let it go?"
With that he shook his head gently, sighing without cease.
The divine monk Pu Fang, seated below him on the left, said mildly, "We have labored so, setting up the Buddha sect's Great Subduing-Demons Formation—first, to purge the malevolence of the Blood-devouring Bead from him, and more importantly, to dissolve the demon in his heart. But his heart is barred fast, and the demon is hard to banish. Even if the malevolence of the Blood-devouring Bead were purged, how do we know he will not turn demon nonetheless one day? What we do today may only be aiding the tyrant in his cruelty!"
Master Pu Cheng frowned, his face darkening. "Junior brother, this young man has the deepest of ties with our Brahma Voice Temple. By no means may we speak lightly of giving him up. Why do you say such a thing?"
Pu Fang's expression shifted. He joined his palms and said, "Your reproof is just, senior brother. It is not that I bear this young man any prejudice; truly, it is that I thought of those years ago... of how we brothers were parted in life and death, and my heart grieved, and I wished never to see him take the crooked path again. I spoke out of turn; I ask your punishment, senior brother."
Master Pu Cheng's face softened. "Do I not share your mind? Else I would not have set this Subduing-Demons Formation, meaning to use the great power of the Buddha's true dharma to bring him across. But here beneath the Wordless Jade Wall, it seems he too..."
He had spoken but half his words when suddenly, in the valley that had been so still and solemn, a great crash rang out from empty air; the whole Wordless Jade Wall trembled faintly, and at once the Buddha character in midair and the one within the jade wall alike tottered as if about to fall.
Master Pu Cheng and the monks of Brahma Voice Temple turned pale with fright, stunned for a moment. They hastened to urge on the true dharma, but then saw a look of pain suddenly rise on Ming Li's face—the Soul-devouring Bead, held down by Buddha-dharma these three days, flared fiercely to life, and a black aura in an instant covered his face.
Master Pu Cheng had never supposed the demon-power of the Blood-devouring Bead so tenacious, that after three days and nights of suppression it should still have strength to resist. He was about to call on the others once more to sustain the formation, but Ming Li could endure no longer; he gave a long cry and rose into the air.
The Buddha's true word in midair burst asunder with a crash. Ming Li, aloft in that shattered word, howled long at the sky like a madman, and at the same time turned to look toward the Wordless Jade Wall—and saw within it lines of dark red uncanny light, gold and crimson struggling without end.
Just as the light flashed wild and strange visions multiplied, a sudden clap of thunder pealed from the sky's edge, and all beneath heaven dimmed.
Winds and clouds came rolling from the four quarters. Upon the smooth jade face of the Wordless Jade Wall, from top to bottom, a row of great characters appeared, bit by bit, as though deeply engraved—and besides these, countless golden characters, archaic and hard to fathom, leapt and flickered like boiling water amid the gold and crimson light, dazzling the eye. And that single row of characters stood out clear and distinct, and read:
Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs!
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Preview of the next volume:
Upon the Wordless Jade Wall the characters of the Heavenly Book stand revealed—can it be that the holy ground of Brahma Voice Temple has some uncanny tie to this classic of the demon cult? Ming Li's heart-demon cannot be banished, and in the end he breaks through the wall and departs.