Volume One: The Hidden Dragon Beneath the Abyss Chapter 46: Divine Power

Wang Chuan immediately formed a hand seal, and in that instant, a Buddhist radiance burst forth from within him, dispelling demonic obstacles and breaking through all enchantments.

As recorded in "The Family Sayings of Confucius" by Wang Su of the Three Kingdoms: "To dwell with the virtuous is as if orchids and angelica were brought into the room; after a time, you no longer notice the fragrance, for you have become one with it."

Wang Chuan had long delved into the three teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, comprehending the Daoist Canon and Buddhist Sutras with a single insight. Encountering an eminent monk like Ji Xin, with whom he had discussed Zen for days, his attainments had reached a considerable height.

This hand seal he now formed was the Mudra of Meditation.

The Mudra of Meditation is the seal most frequently formed by the Buddha, signifying meditative contemplation and inner tranquility. It is said to be the gesture employed by the Buddha at the moment of enlightenment. In ancient times, after Prince Siddhartha ended six years of asceticism and partook of the milk porridge offered by the shepherdess, he sat cross-legged beneath the Bodhi tree, formed the Mudra of Meditation, and in deep contemplation, beheld the morning star and awakened to supreme enlightenment, attaining Buddhahood. Some say that Shakyamuni used this very gesture when he entered meditation and achieved enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree. In Esoteric Buddhism, this mudra is used by Mahavairocana of the Womb Realm and is called the "Dharmadhatu Meditation Mudra."

As explained in the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch – On Meditation": "Meditation is the active function of being unattached and undefiled outwardly; concentration is the clear and tranquil abiding of the mind inwardly. Outward meditation and inward concentration are one and the same. To remain unmoved by the five desires and six sensory realms, to be unshaken by the appearances of life and death in the world, that is meditation; to have no attachment or craving inwardly, that is concentration. To truly investigate meditation and concentration is as if light suddenly fills a dark room!"

From the "Heart Sutra": "When practicing deeply the Perfection of Wisdom, he perceived that all five skandhas are empty, thereby crossing beyond all suffering and adversity." The phrase "practicing deeply" refers to profound meditation and concentration. In meditation, the Bodhisattva perceives that when the five skandhas are empty—when there is no self—all afflictions and suffering are transcended. It is in this pure wisdom gained in meditation that the Bodhisattva attains great liberation.

Meditation, also called "samadhi," is known as "the King of Samadhis." "Meditation" and "concentration" are also called "cessation" and "contemplation": cessation is letting go, contemplation is seeing through. Meditation means the mind is unified and settled, stilling chaotic thoughts and focusing solely on one object. Meditation must begin with entering stillness, proceed to the utmost stillness, and finally reach perfect tranquility—a state of self-forgetfulness, where body and mind are empty, entering the vastness of the Dharma-realm. Yet, to enter true meditation in seated Zen, one must possess a transcendent spirit to overcome all physical, psychological, and subconscious obstacles. The essence of Zen lies in generating supreme wisdom in the midst of concentration, using this wisdom to verify the true nature of all things—this is Zen.

As soon as this hand seal was formed, Wang Chuan immediately anchored his mind with unshakable stability.

His spear thrust out, piercing the void.

With that, he shattered the opponent’s demonic energy. The hand seal vanished without a trace.

Xu Sheng narrowly dodged in time; otherwise, a single blow would have gravely injured his vital energy.

“Well done! Wang Chuan, you’re indeed a worthy adversary, deserving my full strength!”

Xu Sheng sneered, demonic energy radiating to its utmost, merging with his surroundings. His body flickered unpredictably like a ghost as he darted toward Wang Chuan.

A flare of fire erupted from his palm, his five fingers clawing at Wang Chuan.

“Heavenly Demon Devouring Fire!”

Wang Chuan had scant knowledge of the demonic clan’s techniques, but now he witnessed some firsthand.

Sensing imminent danger, he met the attack with his spear, quivering like a dragon.

Clang—

The opponent’s claw struck hard, and the two clashed in raw strength.

Black miasma coiled around, thick as surging waves, threatening to engulf Wang Chuan at any moment.

He could only resist with his protective martial aura.

But his spear, gripped tightly by the opponent, was forcibly crushed and refined into a wisp of blue smoke.

"The demon clan is indeed formidable," Wang Chuan thought, hands now empty, yet he felt as if freed from fetters. Stretching his arms, his true energy gathered and refined more intensely than ever. Driving his meridians, his qi surged upward, steam coiling above his head—an ethereal vapor that gathered without dispersing, like the legendary Three Flowers conjoining at the crown.

With a few grasping motions, he clawed at the void, sending a formless assault at Xu Sheng.

Whoosh—

Xu Sheng swung both fists, dragging a wild gale as he charged Wang Chuan.

His claw skill struck out, but it was as if he faced a mountain—immovable, invulnerable.

Moreover, the surrounding demonic aura pressed in from all sides, growing even more oppressive.

Wang Chuan felt his own body twist, as if a man who could not swim had been swept into the eye of a storm at sea, robbed of all strength to struggle. Gales howled, space itself quaked—it was as if a mortal had fallen into a vacuum, utterly defenseless.

Had it been anyone without Wang Chuan’s immense power, a single moment here would have torn them to shreds.

Thus, he had to resolve the battle swiftly—he could not afford delay.

Here, he had neither advantage of time, place, nor people.

He could only give his all and finish this quickly.

Clasping his palms, he began channeling demonic energy as well.

Inside and out, the energies of evil fused as one; his state of mind became ruthless and fierce, blending him temporarily with the demon clan.

Harnessing the raging hurricane that swept toward him, he gathered its force in the air, condensing it into a divine blade a hundred meters long, which he brought crashing down upon Xu Sheng with merciless force.

Boom...

Xu Sheng used the mountain cave as a shield, but a single blow shattered it to pieces.

A tremor shook him to his core, his spirit wavering, his divine powers thrown into chaos.

"So powerful! How could such strength and skill exist in the mortal world?"

Xu Sheng unleashed punch after punch in desperation, breaking through the attack, but the backlash left his true energy and spirit in utter disarray, his blood surging wildly.

If he could not heal himself quickly, it would leave lasting harm.

Yet Wang Chuan, with just a breath, regained his composure, and then his five fingers reached forth.

His fingers, like claws, gathered countless streams of true energy.

Mighty as the ocean, rolling like a tide, they gleamed with a crystalline light, like countless shards of colored glass.

With unstoppable force, they clawed straight at Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng dodged repeatedly, shifting his body here and there.

Suddenly, to his shock, he found himself with no escape—the energies locked onto him from every direction and angle.

This...

"Dragon-Seizing Claw?"

He cried out in astonishment, recognizing it as one of the most formidable divine arts of ancient times.

"Precisely," Wang Chuan replied. "Your death here will serve my purpose."

A pity he could not extract the maximum value from him.

This stepping stone would bring him to new heights.

This supreme divine art, when displayed in ancient times, had shaken all realms.

Most especially, it struck terror into the dragon clan.

With the power to seize dragons, its every use was inescapable!

It had become the sole art that could restrain them.

As for others, once caught, they became caged birds, able only to struggle in vain!

In those days, that ancient sage, with immense power unrivaled in his era, wielded the Dragon-Seizing Claw to subdue all—none dared defy him.

Now, Wang Chuan had captured Xu Sheng.

Power surged through his hands, waves of energy roiling like tides, while within the storm, many mighty forces coalesced, rampaging unchecked.

Boundless, formless power surged forth, launching endless attacks.

Xu Sheng mustered all his true energy for defense, his protective aura as tough and unyielding as a tortoise withdrawn into its shell.

Outside, Wang Chuan pressed the assault.

With every blow, heaven and earth shook; explosions of fire erupted above, and Xu Sheng’s defenses nearly broke again and again, only to be swiftly reforged.

It was as if he were being forged like refined steel—if the material were suitable, it would become a divine weapon.

But not so.

Anything ordinary would have shattered already under such ferocious assault.

Wang Chuan breaching his defenses was only a matter of time.

Deep within the cavern, a pair of enormous eyes seemed to have noticed the commotion.

"Break—"

Wang Chuan could waste no more time. He gathered power in two fingers and struck.

This blow transcended the bounds of space and time, arriving in a flash.

A single finger to shatter all arts, nothing could withstand it.

This strike alone could overturn the cosmos, reverse yin and yang.

Where it passed, space itself seemed to twist.

All before him became disorder and annihilation.

A vast, rolling momentum surged toward his foe.

But inexplicably, Wang Chuan sensed that the force of his all-out strike suddenly faltered, then disappeared as if sinking into the sea.

He had sensed this change in advance and fled at once.

Someone had interfered.

The battle had become utterly unequal—the opponent summoned the power of the demon realm, which poured forth like a breached dam, rushing toward Wang Chuan.

He fled with all his might, for the first time feeling an acute sense of danger.

Having cultivated for mere years, he could still hold his own against an old giant like Xu Sheng.

But now, he had no desire to resist.

Instinctively, he felt any struggle would be futile.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

"Who is it? Who is using such power to hold me?"

This shocked Wang Chuan profoundly.

He had a certain mastery of the laws of space, able to traverse vast distances in a moment.

He believed even those who had grasped the laws of space could not so easily catch him. Yet now, he was effortlessly restrained.

It was as if the opponent merely willed it, and heaven and earth themselves aided in suppressing and sealing him!

Clearly, this was someone whose realm far exceeded his own.

Moreover, empowered by the might of the demon realm and the forces of heaven and earth, they had easily ensnared him.

"What a tremendous suction!"

Wang Chuan felt himself caught by a colossal force—each step became unimaginably difficult, his body weighed down a millionfold, making movement nearly impossible.

Yet his own strength, if unleashed, would be terrifying beyond belief.

But here, he was held fast by such means.

"Void-Shattering Palm!"

With a resounding shout, Wang Chuan—rarely one to use martial techniques—now unleashed one.

Both palms struck out in succession, demonic energy exploding, his true energy surging like tidal waves skyward!

This palm technique comprised only three moves, but each could shake the heavens.

First move: Shake the Mountains!

Second move: Sever the River!

Third move: Stir the Sun and Moon!

With his full power, Wang Chuan drew all surrounding demonic energy into himself.

Then, it was as if the world collapsed, space itself twisting and distorting.

With just a few palm strikes, day turned to night, sun and moon lost their light.

For a thousand miles, every demon felt the danger, howling as they fled.

Wang Chuan too broke free, swiftly fleeing the scene.

He strove to erase all traces of his presence.