Chapter 51: Guns Like Fire, Purifying the World’s Karmic Consequences

"Danger! A large number of aberrations are heading toward us! From the direction we just came!"

A soft yet slightly panicked voice suddenly broke the silence among the group.

It was Kassan, the timid and bashful succubus.

Only when danger was imminent could this plainly dressed succubus girl muster the courage to speak fluently and loudly.

A mirror-like surface of water materialized in front of the group.

With a flash of cyan light from the Eagle Eye spell, the distant scene was projected onto the water mirror.

A vast army composed of bizarre aberrations swarmed forward like a plague of locusts.

Even the oddly shaped plants along the way were crushed into pulp beneath the trampling of countless aberrations.

They were not heading specifically for the group; they were merely passing by.

Yet for the scavengers and wasteland hunters along their path, this meant certain catastrophe.

"Can we scan laterally and avoid them? How far are they from us?" Anthony asked quickly.

"We can't avoid them! There's no end in sight!" Kassan gripped her staff, her face pale with terror. "They'll make contact with us in three minutes at most!"

"Well, that leaves us no choice. Let's just hope the longitudinal formation of these brainless, bad-tempered fellows isn't too long."

Lu Wenwu smiled faintly, instantly equipping his heavy-punch gauntlets. A faint blue glow lit up the hyper-spatial storage compartment of his Wings of the Firmament.

"I hate fighting, especially during the day."

Anthony sighed, finally changing into his signature vampire formalwear.

Bat wings unfurled from his back with a snap, and an aura of crimson blood faintly swirled around him.

"Damn it, fighting brainless things like this makes my mental and soul spells practically useless!"

The fox-girl from the Northeast cursed as she changed into a set of spell robes. After a moment of thought, she drew a spell sword from her backpack and channeled her spirit into the blade.

The three wastelanders stood nearby, staring in absolute shock.

Takeda and Old John trembled as they huddled together, so frightened that their lips turned white.

The priest stammered, "M-My Lords, that is a tide of aberrations! Lord Tyrant and Lord Anthony possess flight capabilities; if we run now, we might—"

"Amitabha. Esteemed donors need not worry; leave the front lines to this poor monk."

Old Monk Ruhuo remained as calm and composed as ever. He took a large stride forward, planted his feet in a T-stance, and suddenly flicked open his red kasaya to reveal a thin gray monk's robe beneath.

A black lotus platform materialized beneath his feet, slowly lifting the old monk into the air.

A heavy sniper rifle, at least two meters long, suddenly appeared in his hands, taking aim at the rumbling distance in the horizon.

wisps of bright yellow Buddhist battle qi circulated around him, and the old monk's benevolent expression shifted in an instant.

A green-faced, fanged projection of a Buddha enveloped him, and the oppressive might radiating from his body grew steadily heavier.

***

The Dharma Form of Wisdom King, the Wrathful Vajra!

On the bright silver barrel of the gun, one Buddhist mantra inscription after another lit up.

Inscribed upon it were the scriptures of Buddhism—the Mahaparinirvana Sutra!

Used exclusively for bestowing salvation upon the dead.

At the location of the energy slot, the six-syllable Sanskrit mantra of Buddhism—"Om mani padme hum"—flashed alternately, and the entire rifle radiated an intense, righteous aura from the inside out.

Anthony's face showed shock as he quickly retreated a few paces, lingering fear in his heart as he muttered, "A firearm forged entirely from mithril! Enchanted with Buddhist scriptures, inscribed with demon-repelling holy flames, blessed by the power of merit—a legendary artifact for subduing demons!"

"This gun is a dragon."

Old Monk Ruhuo raised the rifle and fired.

Crimson flames wrapped around the bullet as it streaked across several kilometers.

Intense explosions erupted alongside sheets of flame, and several aberrations perished instantly.

"The gun is like fire, purifying the karmic fruits of the world."

"The Buddha smiles, and the enlightened monk is none other than I."

"This poor monk is Ruhuo!"

The Dalong heavy sniper rifle fired continuously like an assault rifle. The gunshots thundered, each shot faster than the last.

The demon-repelling holy flames burned fiercely, illuminating the old monk's face, where wrath and compassion fused into one.

His lips moved slightly as he silently recited scriptures.

Countless aberrations were shot dead on the spot before they could even draw near.

Taking advantage of the brief lull before close combat, Lu Wenwu asked with mild curiosity, "Master Ruhuo, how did you come to dabble in gun-kata and battle qi? Logically speaking, shouldn't Buddhist disciples use pestles, subduing-demon staffs, or crescent shovel-spades?"

"In this life I've sought no good karma, only to fight fires on the battlefield."

"Suddenly hoisting the Dalong high, while chanting praises to the Buddha on high."

"Thunderbolts strike across the battlefield; today at last I know who I am."

The old monk spoke calmly, his hands never pausing in their relentless shooting.

"Rather than saying this poor monk is fated with firearms, it is better to say I am fated with the Buddha."

"Aside from chanting sutras and eating a vegetarian diet, this poor monk is also a quasi-Tier-A commander in the Rising Dragon Army."

"The Vajra bears a wrathful gaze, and thus subdues the four demons."

"This poor monk has served in the military for over fifty years, enduring countless battles of all sizes."

"Though summoned by the Buddha to enter the monastic gates, my heart to save the nation remains!"

"Dharma can ferry people across, but it cannot save them."

"Those who have left the secular world should take compassion as their primary virtue."

***

"This poor monk subdues demons to save the nation. This is—Great! Compassion!"

The tide of aberrations finally appeared fully in their sight.

Like a mountain of black waves, it rolled in, blotting out the sky.

The wasteland trio had long since been scared out of their wits, collapsing onto the ground, utterly unable to stand.

Kassan's staff moved unceasingly, and a wealth of spell radiance shimmered over the four main combatants.

Layer upon layer of supportive magic stacked together, nearly transforming Old Monk Ruhuo, standing atop his lotus platform, into a constantly flashing neon sign.

"Heavy sniper halts Papiyas before he nears; transport bombs soar long through ninefold skies."

"Grieving to watch the myriad fiends of all directions, tungsten-core steel rounds uphold the righteous path."

"Assault rifles string together to sever sins and karma; individual fuel-air explosives untie the hanging inversions."

"Majestic military might awakens the Rising Dragon; righteous holy flames wash away past transgressions."

"Ami......tabha......"

The old monk low-chanted an unknown poem, and the Dalong heavy sniper rifle vanished without a trace.

In its place was a prayer wheel composed of six barrels.

The complete Sanskrit inscriptions of the Diamond Sutra lit up, and a deep green glazed pure flame flickered brilliantly.

Purifying and subduing-demon rounds, engraved with cleansing scriptures, spat forth. The old monk's slaughter speed was now countless times faster than before.

The Six Paths of Samsara Prayer Wheel spun thirty-six hundred times in a single breath.

Demon-slaying vermilion rounds, great compassion ferries all living souls!

That black lotus platform was not merely capable of providing flight; it seemed to be a magical vessel equipped with storage functions.

A golden-red bullet belt extended from beneath the lotus platform, connecting directly to the rapidly firing Six Paths of Samsara Prayer Wheel.

Casing after scorching shell fell like raindrops, nearly burying Old John, who was obsessed with relics of the old era.

Yet at this moment, he no longer had the heart to pay attention to those supreme treasures that had intoxicated him for the better part of his life.

Right now, something far more captivating had appeared.

His turbid eyes stared into the distance, growing brighter and brighter.

The glazed pure flames blazed continuously across the battlefield, and those ferocious, tsunami-like aberrations fell one after another like harvested wheat.

This scene was nothing short of a miracle!