An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 223 Tianlong
The moment Chu Xiu saw the main city of Buddhism, he was startled and frowned slightly.

The space in front of him was a square void that was almost identical to Paradise Lost; it was unknown whether there was any connection between the two.

The main city is located in the very center of this space, and it is a huge city covering an area of ​​about 100 square kilometers.

Of course, most of these areas are industrial and agricultural, with actual residential areas accounting for less than 5% of the total area. As far as the eye can see, there are vast fields of farmland and factories, where many livestock can be seen working.

However, all of this was within Chu Xiu's expectations and did not surprise him much.

What truly surprised him was that in the very center of this space, where the city's industrial zone was located, a huge pipe spiraled upwards, like a coiled dragon soaring into the sky.

"That is where the Heavenly Dragon resides."

Liang Zhan explained from the side, "Every day at noon, the Heavenly Dragon returns from beyond the realm, bringing back energy relics full of energy. It is thanks to these relics that we are able to maintain our normal lives."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a buzzing sound suddenly came from the center of the city, and the entire earth began to shake.

People who were working near the main city stopped, knelt down facing the central passage, chanted Buddhist scriptures, and looked on with piety.

Liang Zhan seemed to instinctively want to kneel down, but as soon as his legs bent, he realized something, glanced at Chu Xiu wearing a mask, and straightened his legs again.

"Let's go take a look," Chu Xiu said calmly.

"Yes," Liang Zhan replied.

Chu Xiu controlled the four-winged monster bird to land in an uninhabited area, and then walked with Liang Zhan and the others towards the core area of ​​the factory.

The area around the pipeline where Tianlong was located was heavily guarded, but Liang Zhan's prestige was too great. The guards at the gate all recognized this martial arts prodigy who was rare in a thousand years and the great general who had guarded the front line for twenty years. Therefore, Chu Xiu and his party did not encounter too much obstruction and arrived at the front line area where the workers were working.

There is a circular pipe that occupies almost half of the city, like a giant python coiled on the ground. There are movable doors on the steel pipe that can be opened. Chu Xiu felt that it was a bit like the waiting area of ​​the high-speed rail on Earth, only much larger, with a width of over 300 meters and a length that forms a huge ring with a circumference of nearly 20 kilometers.

This ring encircles all the central areas of the main city, and along the ring is a ring of industrial zones, with the main industrial facilities built around the ring.

As Chu Xiu approached, the earth trembled more violently, as if a colossal creature was rapidly approaching. Ordinary workers could not even stand steadily and needed to hold onto special handrails.

The vibration lasted for a full five minutes before it began to gradually subside. At the same time, Chu Xiu felt an extremely powerful aura emanating from inside the pipe.

However, he was currently using the Blood Demon clone, so his perception was not very clear. Even so, he could confirm that there was definitely an extremely powerful creature hidden inside the pipe!

"laugh--"

Suddenly, a large amount of steam shot out of the pipe, as if long-accumulated heat was finally released. Then, all the movable doors in the passage opened, revealing a dark "wall".

Yes, Chu Xiu could only describe it as a "wall." Behind the movable door was a passage more than twenty meters long, and at the end of the passage was a "wall" whose entire appearance was completely obscured. The wall was inlaid with countless energy relics.

The workers stepped forward and skillfully pried the energy relics off the "wall" with specially made picks. They carried the relics, which weighed more than ten kilograms, back through the passage and handed them to the transport workers. Then they took the empty energy relics that had run out of energy and put them back through the passage.

Each worker is responsible for three access doors, loading and unloading hundreds of energy relics. This process takes about three to four hours, after which other workers transport these energy relics to various places where they are needed.

Watching the busy workers, Chu Xiu stroked his chin and quickly made a decision: "Let's pry open a hole and see."

"Huh?" Liang Zhan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. He coughed lightly and strode forward: "Everyone, I'll take up a few minutes of your time. I have something to announce."

While Liang Zhan was drawing the attention of others, Chu Xiu quietly slipped away to the vicinity of the pipe and found a secluded spot.

With such a long pipeline, it's impossible to have guards everywhere; most of the guards are just scattered around the industrial area.

With a thought, Chu Xiu's chest split open, and he reached inside to pull out a longsword of the [Perfect] rank.

Although the Blood Demon clone is only at the peak of the Ferocious Rank, this is because it was just born and has not yet had time to be nurtured. The main body is actually already at the General Rank and can use General Rank equipment.

This provided Chu Xiu with a lot of convenience.

With a forceful pull of his hands, the [Perfect] rank longsword in his hands plunged into the passage, then moved downwards, quickly cutting open a square opening.

This giant pipe, made of alloy steel, is as fragile as tofu in the face of this powerful weapon.

However, although the pipe was made of inferior material, it was ridiculously thick. It took Chu Xiu almost a quarter of an hour to dig nearly twenty meters before he finally managed to break through a hole.

"Twenty meters thick steel armor, it could probably withstand a nuclear explosion, right?" Chu Xiu couldn't help but complain.

At the end of the cave was the pitch-black "wall" that Chu Xiu had seen from afar.

Chu Xiu stepped forward and felt a chill rush towards him. He touched it and found it to be icy cold, and he didn't know what material it was. He then tried to cut it with his longsword, but this time, the perfect-grade longsword, which could even cut through steel, didn't even leave a scratch on the "wall".

"Is this the Celestial Dragon?"

Chu Xiu looked around. The enormous object, which was either the body of a celestial dragon or something else, almost filled the passage, leaving only a distance of less than a meter between them, but just enough to accommodate one person.

He jumped in and immediately felt a chilling aura envelop his entire body. The temperature inside the passage was extremely low, probably only a dozen degrees below zero, and it got colder the further he went in. The air also seemed extremely thin. After walking only a few steps, he felt short of breath.

"If it were an ordinary person, they would probably suffer from oxygen deprivation or hypothermia within minutes."

"I really don't know where this passage leads."

Chu Xiu stroked his chin, feeling a growing headache the more he thought about it. Whether it was the gods or Liang Zhan and the others, they all indicated that Tianlong was the only entity capable of reaching the outside world, meaning that, currently, it seemed the only way to leave was through the pipe.

However, the pipe eventually shoots into the sky, like a rocket, and its length is currently unknown.

Chu Xiu doesn't have the ability to send more than 20,000 people into the air.

"However, the trial will not lead to a dead end without a solution. The key should still be this 'Heavenly Dragon'."

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu returned the way he came and exited the passage.

After reuniting with Liang Zhan, the two of them went to the Buddhist sect with the Buddhist overseer.

As for the guards, they remained hidden nearby, to be used as support.

The Buddhist temple was located far from the central industrial park, in the middle of the wealthy area on the east side. From a distance, one could see a magnificent golden pagoda standing on the ground. Compared to it, the mansions of the city's princes and nobles looked like dilapidated thatched huts.

The pagoda is surrounded by four large courtyards, which house a total of 500 Buddhists. Most of them are Buddhists who are still undergoing training. After a certain period of study, these Buddhists will become warrior monks and temple monks and will be assigned to different positions. Those who perform well or make progress in their cultivation can become Dharma Masters and take on higher positions. For example, the Buddhist inspectors in the army are the elite among the Dharma Masters.

The next step is to become an elder. There are currently eleven elders in the sect. Only by becoming an elder can one be qualified to learn the supernatural powers and profound methods of Buddhism and receive the core inheritance.

Finally, there is the supreme reincarnated holy monk, who is said to be the reincarnation of Buddha, possessing immortality and earth-shattering supernatural powers, and is the absolute and sole ruler of this paradise.

“If you wish to utilize the power of the Heavenly Dragon, sir, you must make contact with the Holy Monk. Some secrets are unknown to others and only the Holy Monk knows them,” Liang Zhan said.

Chu Xiu nodded and continued forward. The three of them quickly passed through the noble district and arrived at the gate of the courtyard where the Buddhist sect was located.

Unlike usual, dozens of martial monks armed with various weapons had gathered at the entrance of the courtyard. Some carried guns, some carried heavy crossbows, and others carried large shields, all staring intently at Chu Xiu and his companions, as if they had known they were coming all along.

"It seems that the Third Elder was quick to report the news," Chu Xiu thought to himself. He did not make any move, but Liang Zhan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Masters, I am Liang Zhan. I have important military information to report to the Holy Monk."

The group of monks exchanged glances, and the leading monk stepped forward and said, "Please follow me, three of you."

The monks parted to make way, and after Chu Xiu and his companions caught up, they surrounded them again.

Chu Xiu didn't mind. These monks were indeed rare martial arts masters, the weakest of whom had the combat strength of a warrior. With modern weapons, they would be a considerable force in this world, but in Chu Xiu's eyes, they were no different from cannon fodder.

Even if they just stood there and let them attack, it would be very difficult to break through his [Treasured] general-level armor.

However, as Chu Xiu got closer to the pagoda, his expression gradually became serious. He saw a statue with bristling hair and beard, holding a long staff, and with an angry expression. The statue was so lifelike that it seemed to come to life at any moment. Chu Xiu felt a powerful energy fluctuation emanating from it.

Around the stupa, there are four Vajra sculptures, each twenty meters tall. They seem to be connected to the stupa by some special means, and their aura is even more astonishing.

"The Eighteen Arhats and the Four Vajras are the main protective forces of Buddhism. Each Arhat is comparable to the top martial arts master. In addition, their physical bodies are indestructible. Even a hundred-man elite squad equipped with Vajra Hand Cannons would find it difficult to destroy them."

"Vajra is incredibly strong. The only time I saw him in action was when the hungry ghost tide was larger than ever before. The holy monk specially sent two Vajras to assist. The scene was truly awe-inspiring. A single palm strike from Vajra was like a hundred cannons exploding at once, which was far beyond human capability."

"Besides that, there are many Buddhist artifacts in Buddhism, the most typical of which is the central pagoda. Within the pagoda's coverage area, the power of all Buddhist monks and protectors will be greatly enhanced," Liang Zhan explained in a low voice.

Chu Xiu nodded in agreement.

These Arhats are comparable to awakened generals, and Vajra's power has reached at least the king level. With the blessing of the pagoda, even his true form would probably have to put in a lot of effort.

The fact that Buddhism was able to maintain its oppressive rule for seven hundred years demonstrates its overwhelming power.

Fortunately, the other party did not seem to have any intention of subduing Chu Xiu and his companions. The monks simply led them to a luxuriously decorated hall and then left.

"Please wait here for a moment, the elders will be here shortly." After saying this, the leading monk also withdrew.

Almost at the same moment he left, the lights in the lobby suddenly dimmed, but did not disappear completely, leaving a faint, dim glow.

Under the dim light, a dozen dancers filed in, their faces veiled and wearing only thin silk undergarments to cover their private parts. A thin layer of gilded gauze draped over their shoulders and backs revealed their graceful figures.

These dancers strolled to the center of the hall and began to perform sexy and alluring dances. Some of the bolder ones leaned against the wooden table in front of the three men, deliberately revealing their full, snow-white thighs and their delicate, jade-like feet resting on the table, swaying slightly in front of them. Their eyes, hidden behind their veils, were captivating and seductive, as if they wanted to steal one's soul.

The Buddhist overseer's face flushed slightly, while Liang Zhan remained calm and composed, even showing a hint of pity in his eyes. He turned to Chu Xiu and said, "These dancers all come from commoner and noble families. Some were selected from a young age and came voluntarily, while others were forcibly taken in by Buddhist monks. They spend all their time in the Buddhist temple and can only go out once a month. They also have to cover their faces and bodies. Their purpose is to serve the Buddhist monks."

Chu Xiu nodded and said, "Don't worry, once they leave this world, no one will force them anymore."

Liang Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and said no more, silently appreciating her dance. As for Chu Xiu, he remained completely unmoved. It wasn't that he disliked women, but he wouldn't let them disturb his mind. In his heart, there was only the endless pursuit of power. Everything else was just roadside flowers and grass. He could occasionally try to adjust his mood, but he would never let it affect his important business.

Seeing that the two men remained unmoved, a strange look flashed in the eyes of the dancer who had been seducing them. She lightly brushed her gauze skirt to cover her thighs and retreated to the center of the hall.

The three waited for about fifteen minutes, when suddenly a bell rang outside the hall. As if receiving some kind of instruction, the dancers withdrew in an orderly manner. Then the lights in the hall came back on, the doors were pushed open, and several figures dressed in bright red robes strode in.

The leader was a short, kind-faced, and stout monk who held a string of prayer beads and bowed to Chu Xiu, saying:

"Amitabha Buddha, this old monk has suddenly decided to temporarily assume the position of Grand Elder of the Buddhist sect to manage the affairs of the sect. Greetings, Your Excellency."

"May I ask what brings you here today?"

(End of this chapter)