Chapter 31 : The Living Gods and Buddhas
Chapter 31 : The Living Gods and Buddhas
The Living Gods and Buddhas
Chu Tianxing's group successfully retreated into the ship's cabins, and the crew members waiting to assist them immediately locked the doors.
Soon, the sound of deafening impacts began to ring out from outside the door.
The not-so-sturdy hatch began warping at a visible rate under the relentless pounding.
A thin layer of metal door obviously couldn't hold back these fish monsters with their powerful builds for long.
But the narrow corridor worked in their favor. The monsters couldn't use their numbers advantage, and it would take only two people wielding long weapons to hold the chokepoint.
The security captain ordered the students to retreat to the main dining hall while he and his team and some crew members held the passage.
Chu Tianxing frowned thoughtfully. "Are we really just gonna hole up in here and wait? There are a lot of those fish things out there, and some of them can shoot energy blasts like that staff-wielding one. Even with the terrain advantage, you guys might not hold out for long."
The security captain's voice was grim. "You're not wrong. A prolonged defense is a lost defense; pure defense isn't gonna cut it. But we're massively outnumbered with no way to counterattack. We can only use the terrain and hold out for rescue. Hopefully, we can last until help arrives."
Chu Tianxing's eyes sharpened. "Will rescue actually come? Something feels... off about this whole situation."
If it were anyone else asking, the captain might not have answered. But Chu Tianxing's lightning assault and takedown of the staff-wielding monster had genuinely impressed him. Plus, the captain owed him one. If Chu Tianxing hadn't charged in for that kill, another gray beam might've ended the security captain's life right there on deck.
After a moment's hesitation, the security captain spoke decisively. "Don't worry. The Eastern Depot handles national security. They monitor incidents like this 365 days a year, 24/7. The moment something like this happens, they'll detect it and dispatch rescue immediately."
Chu Tianxing raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The Eastern Depot monitors incidents like this around the clock? So this kind of thing has happened before? Can you tell us what exactly we're dealing with here?"
The security captain shook his head. "I signed a non-disclosure agreement. Can't say more than that."
Xiao Hu protested, "Come on, man! At a time like this, is it really necessary to keep us in the dark when we're living through it?"
The security captain's tone remained firm. "Rules are rules."
He paused, then continued in a softer tone. "But don't worry. After this is over, the Eastern Depot will explain it to you. Of course, you'll end up signing NDAs just like me."
Gao Yuan asked curiously, "So you've been through something like this before?"
The security captain smiled slightly. "Once, when I was younger and still in the military. But that incident was way smaller scale than this, and we didn't face these bizarre monsters that shoot energy attacks.
"Alright, this isn't the place for chitchat. Get to the dining hall and gather with the others. Leave this to us."
Chu Tianxing asked, "You got hurt earlier, you sure you can handle this?"
The captain replied, "That fish thing's technique was pretty weird. It drained my stamina and weakened my martial arts... But the effect seems temporary. My strength isn't dropping anymore, and with my level of skill, I should recover soon enough. So don't worry, we'll hold the line."
The narrow passage meant the monsters couldn't use their numbers, but the same applied to the defenders. At most, only two people could fight at the front at any given time. The security captain with his six men, plus several crew members with decent martial arts skills, could rotate in pairs to guard the corridor. Having more people here wouldn't help anyway.
Chu Tianxing understood and didn't insist on staying. He nodded to the captain. "Alright, be careful. We'll head to the dining hall. If anything goes wrong, send someone to get us immediately."
With that, he led his classmates through the ship's corridors toward the main dining hall.
Back on deck, everyone had been panicking. Even Xiao Hu, who'd made such a dramatic entrance and initially dominated the fight, had embarrassingly lost his cool. Only Chu Tianxing had stayed calm throughout the entire event.
He had not only organized the retreat with composure, but had also insta-killed an elite fish monster and single-handedly charged into the monster horde to decapitate the staff-wielding leader.
No matter how confused his classmates were about his dramatic transformation, they had no choice but to follow his lead and unconsciously move to his rhythm.
Seeing their classmates treating Chu Tianxing as their leader, Xu Jing and Li Haiyang, who'd been inside the ship during the attack and missed Chu Tianxing's performance, were completely baffled.
Since when did Chu Tianxing become so charismatic?
And since when did Xiao Hu start being so polite to Chu Tianxing?
Xu Jing had always been Chu Tianxing's little fangirl.
But she was only a fan of his literary talent.
Normally, she didn’t mind his antics; she might even play along. But in a life-or-death battle? Let her follow Chu Tianxing's orders completely? She'd refuse without hesitation.
In her mind, she should be the one protecting him on the battlefield. What right did he have to call the shots?
Yet here was Xiao Hu, meekly following Chu Tianxing's lead.
Confused, Xu Jing tugged on another girl's sleeve and whispered, "Why's everyone listening to Chu Tianxing?"
The girl looked at Chu Tianxing with worshipful eyes and whispered back, "Because he's totally badass!"
"Badass?" Xu Jing was stunned. "That's not exactly the word you'd use for a scholar, right? Shouldn't that describe someone like Xiao Hu?"
The girl clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes full of little stars as she gazed at Chu Tianxing's back. "I’m serious! You didn't see him earlier. He single-handedly killed the elite fish monster, charged alone into the monster horde, and took down their leader... He looks like a protagonist from a martial arts novel! Like a demon-conquering lord from heaven above, truly a guardian god among mortals!
"Seriously?"
"Of course! Everyone except you and Li Haiyang saw it! Why else would the security captain treat him so respectfully? It's because Chu Tianxing saved his life!"
Hearing this, Xu Jing's face was filled with annoyance and regret. She wished she hadn't been a step too late and missed Chu Tianxing's moment of glory.
Li Haiyang, meanwhile, directed his questions to Xiao Hu.
"Brother Hu, what's going on? How come you're taking orders from Chu Tianxing now?"
Xiao Hu looked depressed. He glanced at Chu Tianxing's back.
Fuck, I had such a brilliant, shining entrance earlier. How the hell did I end up looking like a fool?
And as a result, he had let Chu Tianxing steal all the thunder.
It must be because the fish guts and brain matter were too disgusting, and I've always been a bit of a neat freak. I couldn't handle all that filthy stuff, so I screwed up. But it won't happen again. I'm used to the smell now. Next time, whether it's killing monsters or people, I won't puke.
While conducting this impressive internal monologue, Xiao Hu told Li Haiyang, "The Brother Hu thing is outdated. From now on, call me Eastern Tyrant, thanks."
"Eastern Tyrant?" Li Haiyang was puzzled. "What kind of nickname is that?"
"Haven't you read a novel called Legend of the Condor Heroes?"
Li Haiyang shook his head. "I signed up for the tournament, so I've been in training isolation. Haven't had time for books."
"You gotta check it out. It's an extraordinary martial arts novel that captures the true spirit of us martial artists..."
"Since Brother Hu praises it that much, I'll definitely give it a read. But where can I find this novel?"
"Go to the Huan Kong Net. You will see it right on the homepage. The novel's been dominating both the Clicks and Recommendations Rankings..."
Li Haiyang was about to nod when he suddenly paused.
Wait, wasn't I asking why everyone's suddenly respecting Chu Tianxing? How did the topic get so completely sidetracked by Xiao Hu?
He tried again. "Brother Hu, about Chu Tianxing..."
"Please call me Eastern Tyrant, thanks."
"Right, Brother Hu. What's the deal with Chu Tianxing?"
"Chu Tianxing..." Xiao Hu's eye twitched. "I seriously suspect that bastard was putting on an act of playing the pig to eat the tiger this entire time. Either that, or he was practicing some weird technique that made him frail until it was complete, and now he's mastered it. Or else... he popped a pill or got a cheat!"
Li Haiyang looked intrigued. "Popped a pill? A cheat?"
Xiao Hu's expression grew serious. "The pill would be the Thunder God Yu Jiang's Creation Pill. The cheat means the Mind-Reading Power of the DJ Tathagata. By chanting the DJ Tathagata's name, one can receive his blessing and be temporarily granted powerful martial strength..."
The DJ Tathagata was one of the nine living gods and buddhas at the Astral Qi Realm in the Great Ming Dynasty. He possessed the power of Mind-Reading. By sincerely chanting his name, believers could have their wishes sensed by him. If a believer faced mortal danger, DJ Tathagata could even provide remote blessings, temporarily granting them formidable martial power.
Astral Qi Realm warriors were called "Living Gods and Buddhas" not just because of their human-nuke-level destructive capability, but because each possessed incredible, almost mythological special abilities.
Li Haiyang said, "Creation Pills are crazy expensive; there's no way Chu Tianxing could afford one. Don't tell me he's converted to Buddhism?"
Xiao Hu sighed and looked at Qin Ling who was inseparable from Chu Tianxing. "That would be a good thing if it’s true... What worries me is if he finds some lucky encounter and actually gets his hands on a Creation Pill..."
Up ahead, Qin Ling finally couldn't contain her curiosity. "Tianxing, did you really... find a Creation Pill?"
Chu Tianxing had been building up to this reveal for so long, but Qin Ling refused to believe him every time, even threatening to take him to a psychiatrist. Now that she'd seen it with her own eyes, she had no choice but to believe.
Chu Tianxing slightly. "See? I told you miracles happen. You believe me now?"
She was silent for a second, then just nodded and whispered, "I'm sorry. I get scared back there. I should have backed you up on that charge."
Chu Tianxing comforted her. "You actually did pretty well. You got the first kill, remember? Besides, nobody performs perfectly their first time in combat. Let me tell you a story...”
"During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man from Qi named Chen Buzhan. One day, he heard that his ruler was in danger and volunteered to help. As he was leaving, his chariot driver noticed his hands shaking as he held his bowl and asked, 'You're clearly scared, why are you still going to help the ruler?'”
"Chen Buzhan replied, 'Helping my ruler in danger is a public duty. My personal cowardice is a private matter. I can't let private concerns interfere with public duty.' The charioteer was deeply impressed and drove him to aid their ruler."
Qin Ling asked, "What happened next? Did he overcome his fear and achieve great merit for his ruler?"
Chu Tianxing said casually, "Oh, when he got there and saw how brutal and chaotic the battlefield was, he was literally scared to death. But that's not the point. What's important is that his act of overcoming his fear just to go to the battlefield is itself worthy of praise..."
"..." Qin Ling was speechless.
An aircraft circled overhead in the area where the ship had encountered the strange fog.
The mysterious fog had long since dissipated from the ocean's surface. But the cruise ship had also vanished without a trace. The sea was completely empty.
Yet the aircraft didn't expand its search radius. Instead, its patrol circle kept shrinking.
Then the cabin door opened, and a figure leapt out, plummeting down until it suddenly stopped hovering about a hundred meters above the ocean surface.
Holding what looked like a compass but was clearly filled with high-tech components, the figure studied the sea below and nodded. "The Gate of Revelation is right here."
With a flick of his hand, he sent out a blast of qi, which exploded into a brilliant firework high in the sky.
Soon, several more figures came flying through the air to gather around the first one.
"Have you locked the coordinates?"
"Mm. The Gate of Revelation that appeared this time is three meters below the sea's surface. It's an invisible portal, not visible to the naked eye. And its energy intensity is extremely high, probably connected to something far from simple. It's closed now, but who knows how long we'd have to wait for it to reopen naturally. There are fifty-four students on that missing ship; they can't wait that long. We need to work together to force it open."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's open it!"
The figures immediately arranged themselves in a formation above the sea and began coordinating their efforts to breach the portal.
(TL Note: I kid you not, the Chinese for DJ Tathagata is 电音如来. 电 = Electricity. 音 = Sound. 如来 = Tathagata. The 电音 parts literally mean Electronic Music, EDM if you will.)
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