Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 683 - Chapter 683 Chapter 69 Thunder Department

Chapter 683: Chapter 69 Thunder Department Chapter 683: Chapter 69 Thunder Department Muni’s eyelids suddenly snapped open, and his bloodshot eyes whirled around: amidst the flurry, Li Yan and the others had vanished without a trace.

The sound of the sea murmured, reflecting his face.

Crowned with a precious diadem, draped in strings of pearls, with long earlobes and a broad forehead, his face shone with a golden luster, and a hint of star-white glimmered in his deep black eyes. He knelt on all fours beside the sea, almost as tall as the dense forest along the coastline.

“…”

Suddenly, he reached out a hand and seized a giant turtle, the size of a truck’s cab, placing it before himself.

After struggling for a while and realizing Muni’s grip was unyielding, the giant turtle sighed and, incredibly, spoke in Qian Wu’s voice, “Who would have thought that in my lifetime, I would actually see the legendary demon lord Boxun. I could die without regrets now. The Heavenly Marrow Lineage has been passed down for a thousand years, and no one has been as blessed as I.”

Boxun, with the Sanskrit name “Poluweimoposhebati,” was recorded in the Miscellaneous Treasure Sutra as a demon who brought eighty billion followers to obstruct Tathagata’s enlightenment. The Samyukta Agama said that among the gods of the Desire Realm, Heavenly Demon Boxun was the foremost, a testament to Boxun’s vast magical powers.

Sifan faces the Eight Sufferings, the lineage of birth suffering belongs to the Lord of the Yellow River, Feng Yi, and the lineage of death suffering, Sikukui Muni’s, truly belongs to demon lord Boxun.

In response to Qian Wu’s words, Muni was unmoved, merely asking softly, “Where is this, and why have I become like this?”

Qian Wu answered, “Haven’t you been yearning for the Dragon Vein? Now that you’ve entered the Feng Shui Realm, the Earthly Fiend Dragon Vein is right before your eyes. As for your appearance, in the Feng Shui Realm, all things are unconcealed, benign gods and fierce demons each show their true form, only Heavenly Yi and the three oddities can maintain human form. Doesn’t this appearance now reflect your true shape? Why bother asking me.”

Expressionless, Muni asked again, “Why can’t I smell them?”

The giant turtle replied, “The five colors blind the eyes; the five notes deafen the ears; the five flavors dull the taste. Feng Shui solely speaks of form and qi, treating all beings equally, naturally there are no distinctions in smell or color. You want to catch them, you can only rely on your bare eyes.”

The star-white pupils in Muni’s eyes contracted violently for a while. Truly kneeling on the beach, he placed Qian Wu on his chest. His right hand plunged into the seawater, and soon, he caught a fiercely struggling, dozen-yard-long red giant python. Then, he bit off the snake’s head, oblivious to the fresh blood, voraciously chewed for a while, and then roared to the sky in fury, “Where’s the taste? Why is there no flavor!”

Unfazed, Qian Wu softly said, “As I’ve already mentioned, Feng Shui talks only of form and qi, without color or flavor.”

Roar!!!!!

Muni, refusing to accept this, tore the red python in half, gnawing off a chunk like a cut of ham, but still, he couldn’t taste anything!

Truly kneeling on the ground, he began to guzzle the seawater, the posture of a demon’s drinking causing waves to roll and crash. After a long while, he finally lifted his head.

“Tasteless!”

Muni stood up, sending shockwaves through all things. He grabbed a large golden carp leaping nearby and devoured it in two bites: “This has no flavor either!” He then reached up and caught a colorful bird from the sky, wolfing it down voraciously.

“This too lacks flavor!”

He grew restless, and everywhere he passed, whether it was the golden and silver sands, gemstones and jewels, mountains, and forests, he tried to eat them all, not to mention the various bizarre forms of life that all fell prey to his merciless hands, with no chance of fighting back.

Yet the agitated Muni did not notice that beneath the sea were two halos of light, the reflection of dragon eyes. As he rampaged, several golden Compasses shot out from the dragon eyes, soaring into the sky. They were the Taixu Compass, Jin Yu, Liu Xia, and Kui Gang, the four fierce deities.

The sky filled with roiling black clouds, with white Thunder Plasma suffused within, emitting a fearsomely chilly aura.

“Run far away. Someone will come to save us soon.”

Li Yan called out to Ren Ni, and the two of them fled swiftly, not wanting to be affected by Muni.

Boom!

A white thunder column as thick as a water jar struck Muni’s forehead, causing him, who was in a frenzy, to pause momentarily. However, compared to Boxun’s Dharmakaya, the thunder column hardly held up. It did no damage to him; instead, it made him raise his face and calmly look up into the clouds.

Boom!

This time the thunder column was so large that ten men could embrace it. It engulfed Muni’s head completely. Muni instinctively covered the Qian Wu at his chest and was struck head-on by the astonishing bolt of lightning. After a full half minute, the thunder column dissipated. Muni’s head and face emitted puffs of white steam, and his golden Dharmakaya dimmed considerably.

“Bold demon, how dare you run wild here!”

Tens of towering deities emerged from the clouds, each over five meters tall. They arranged themselves in a divine formation, donned in red ceremonial crowns, lined belts, black soap shoes, and azure silk ribbons. Some had their hair piled high, adorned with seven-colored pearls, their presence lofty and majestic. Others had fiery looks with innate commanding presence or faces like black coal, resembling Evil Ghosts, and some had ornately dressed hair. There were both men and women, each holding blades, axes, swords, and halberds. They were the Thirty-Six Divine Generals of the Thunder Department.

Muni didn’t move an inch, only staring blankly in shock.

Outside the Taixu Compass, the fiery old man pondered for a moment, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He summoned a yellow talisman and affixed it to the Compass. The talisman paper ignited without flame, and the gods of the Thunder Department simultaneously let out a roar. Amidst thunderous echoes from the clouds, white Thunder Plasma washed over Muni’s body like rain.

Meanwhile, as Li Yan and Ren Ni were fleeing, they also got caught in the spread of the thunder talisman. A basin-sized glob of Thunder Plasma came crashing down. Ren Ni, unable to dodge in time, was fortunately pulled aside by Li Yan. The Thunder Plasma smashed into the ground, leaving a dark crater.

“Thank you.”

Ren Ni, still unsettled, quickly thanked Li Yan.

Li Yan shook his head to indicate it wasn’t necessary. As they fled from the clouds, Li Yan looked back at Muni, who was still unscathed despite being bathed in Thunder Plasma. He thought of Mr. Wen Jun’s words, and a deeper gloom filled his heart.

Just then, an even more shocking scene unfolded.

Suddenly, great Buddhist chants resounded, not drowned out even by the strong winds and thunder. Muni rose against the electric Plasma, and the Thunder Department’s warriors helplessly watched as a mountainous Buddha head arose from the clouds, complete with a jeweled crown, necklaces, elongated ears, and wide-open Buddha eyes with black pupils and white irises. The opened black maw of the Buddha bit into the ranks of the generals.

Muni took a large bite. The rows of the Thirty-Six Divine Generals of the Thunder Department went first, with Ji Xiangu, Lian Shengzhe, Five Dragon Officer, and General Suo directly entering Muni’s stomach; Fairy Li, Ma Longguan, Liu Shengzhe; General Liu, Tang Sheren, Yishan Dajiang ended up on either side, ground into powder by the back molars. Meanwhile, Jiang XianGuan, Hu Jialuo, Shigui Dajiang, Ma Jialuo, and Tunjing Dajiang were cut into an arc shape, scattering limbs and torsos unmentionably.

The Thunder Plasma lost its strength and dissipated, as Muni slowly descended. The cloud cover overhead had a large gaping hole bitten out of it. A complete set of massive bite marks was clearly visible on the thick edges of the lead-heavy clouds…

Muni chewed back and forth until the remains of the gods, clouds, and lightning were all swallowed into his stomach. He then muttered, “Tasteless.”

“…”

Li Yan remained silent, while Ren Ni gaped in astonishment: “What’s the damn point in fighting this.”