Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 583 The Discipline Hall Hides a Demonic Heart: Lan Meng Feng Lai Sheng's Fear
—Gyeonggi Province, Jungju, and former Buddhist sect
The setting sun shines through the golden roots and ginkgo leaves of Pilu Temple, casting fragmented golden spots on the bluestone slabs inscribed with Sanskrit.

Pilu Temple, as the oldest temple in the territory of the Davidic Dynasty, is said to have been established by the divine master Huashen Jueshi, and is therefore extremely illustrious.

This great temple should have been a sacred place filled with chanting and pilgrims, but today, in the abbot's meditation room, only the sandalwood incense wafting intermittently from the bronze incense burner, mixed with a faint trace of blood, was shrouded in an eerie net in the twilight.

At this moment, Abbot Huihai of the former Buddhist sect was sitting cross-legged under the Bodhi tree. The patches on his gray monk's robe were tinged with warm colors by the setting sun. His thin fingers were twirling a string of shiny Bodhi seeds, each bead engraved with a tiny swastika.

As the sword-wielder of the original Buddhist sect's ancestral temple of the Great Immortal Dynasty, he outwardly appeared as a high-ranking monk who strictly adhered to the rules and assisted the Immortal Dynasty in protecting the country. However, at this moment, the compassionate expression on his face was not very resolute. His voice trembled slightly when he chanted the sutra, and his white eyebrows twitched slightly, indicating that he had reached a critical point in his cultivation.

At this moment, the room fell silent, and even the cicadas chirping in the courtyard suddenly stopped.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but when the cicadas began to chirp again from the leaves of the glazed tree in the courtyard, the old monk's twitching eyebrows stopped, and a look of melancholy appeared on his face, which then turned into a long sigh:
"Alas, the path to becoming a deity is so arduous."

This scene was extremely rare for a highly virtuous monk like him. However, only a few breaths later, the old monk's sorrowful expression deepened rather than faded, and he murmured again:
"So Gelezhen of Benying Temple actually attained the 'Three Bodies United in Clarity' and mastered the method of transforming into the 'Vairocana Illusionary Body Vidyadhara Bodhisattva'? Could it be that the virtue and merit of the contemporary Mahayana sect are truly weaker than that of the false Buddha of the Great Snow Mountain?"

Huihai sighed again, for the original Buddhist sect was founded by his own divine ancestor, but the disciples were unworthy, and no more disciples of the enlightened master appeared afterward.

However, the Xue Shan Dao Ben Ying Temple, which has never had a Nascent Soul Ancestral Master, is about to produce an Awakening Master.

Huihai, the current abbot, often thought that he was no less than his predecessor and was the most likely person in the original Buddhist sect in the past three thousand years to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, but he was still a step behind those flowery monks of the Great Snow Mountain.
"Fortunately, that blessing is able," Zen Master Huihai murmured halfway through his recitation. Suddenly, the oil lamp on his desk flickered slightly, and a Buddhist chant echoed from the outer monastery.
"Amitabha, Master, the eight golden pills sent by the Duke of Qin have been made. Please come and take a look."

Master Huihai's eyes flickered for a moment, then he flicked his right fingers together and lightly tapped the low table. After a crisp tapping sound, the Zen door opened without any wind, revealing a tall and handsome monk.

This is Master Liaojue, the chief disciple of Zen Master Huihai, who is also one of the most likely people in the David Dynasty to achieve the Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, it seems that Liaojue and Princess David have some kind of ambiguous relationship.

Such a fine student naturally deserves the respect and appreciation of his teachers.

Therefore, the current Zen masters of the original Buddhist school practice year-round, while the affairs of the school, both large and small, are generally managed by Master Juejia. Over the past hundred years, there have been no major mistakes or omissions.

Normally, Liaojue wouldn't dare to disturb his abbot's secluded cultivation. However, these eight Golden Core cultivators were sent by a special envoy from the newly noble Qin State Duke, which was of great importance and required Zen Master Huihai to take a look.

Just as Master Liaojue had predicted, when the Zen gate opened and his master's figure was revealed, and he saw the earnest look in Huihai's eyes, Master Liaojue knew that his invitation was not a mistake.

Huihai, whose cultivation had been disturbed, said nothing more, but gave Liaojue a wink, and the two of them stepped onto lotus flowers and entered the Discipline Hall.

The Discipline Hall is the most strictly regulated place in Pilu Temple. As soon as you step through the threshold, you are greeted by a solemn atmosphere.

The floor inside the hall is paved with a single piece of black jade lion slab, with gold-powdered "precept runes" embedded in the gaps between the slabs, which gleam with a cold, faint light under the ever-burning lamps in the corridor.

On the high platform directly in front, there is a wooden statue of the founder of the original Buddhist sect. The statue is wearing a gilded kasaya, holding prayer beads in his left hand and forming the "demon-subduing mudra" with his right hand. His eyes are slightly lowered, yet they seem to be able to see through people's hearts.

In the bronze incense burner in front of the Buddha statue, three half-burnt sandalwood sticks were inserted, the smoke rising straight up without dissipating, clearly restrained by the array formation inside the hall.

Twelve dragon-carved stone pillars stand on either side of the high platform, their surfaces inscribed with the Buddhist precepts, from "Do not kill" to "Do not lie," each character clear and the strokes vigorous. Bronze bells hang atop the pillars, silent when the wind blows, only sounding as a warning when a disciple who has broken the precepts enters the hall to be punished.

Two rows of Bodhi wood benches were placed on either side of the hall. The benches were smooth as mirrors, indicating that they had been wiped clean for many years. On the table at the end of the benches, disciplinary instruments such as rulers and prayer beads were neatly arranged, each of which exuded a chilling aura.

The bloodstains on it were left by an unknown disciple, staining the original color of the ritual implements completely, making it awe-inspiring to behold.

The high-grade incense and the fragrance of precepts in the hall blend together and permeate all directions, complementing the swastika mantras scattered throughout, enough to suppress the evil spirits and make it difficult for them to raise their heads, thus demonstrating the solemnity and uprightness of this place of Buddhist precepts.

Anyone who sees this will gain a deeper understanding of what rules and regulations truly mean.

Zen Master Huihai and Master Liaojuejia were very familiar with this. The two of them stepped on the black jade lion board, and their footsteps echoed in the empty hall, sounding particularly clear.

Upon reaching the left side of the high platform, after Master Liaojue dismissed the disciples on duty, Zen Master Huihai slightly raised his eyebrows and gently pressed his hand on the "戒" (precept) inscription on a dragon-carved stone pillar. With a soft "click," a hidden door slowly emerged from the side of the pillar, its edges engraved with patterns completely different from the precept symbols inside the hall.

The patterns were twisted and intertwined, gleaming with a grayish-black luster, and faintly exuding a bloody smell, seemingly incompatible with the solemnity of the Discipline Hall.

“Master, the formation is ready.” Master Liaojue stepped forward and took out a black token from his bosom. The token was engraved with the word “Compassion”. He inserted the token into the groove of the hidden door, and a dark green light immediately lit up inside the hidden door. A narrow passage could be vaguely seen behind the door.

Embedded in the walls on both sides of the passage are dark, shadowy beads. The light emitted by the beads is dim and murky, but it makes the passage appear shadowy and adds to the eeriness.

The master and disciple stepped into the passage, and the hidden door slowly closed behind them, shutting out the pure fragrance of the Discipline Hall.

The air inside the passage instantly turned cold and biting, filled with a strong stench of blood and decay, making one's stomach churn.

After walking about a hundred steps, the space suddenly opened up to reveal a huge secret chamber, which was the place where human puppets were made.

Countless chains hung from the ceiling of the secret chamber, each chain ending in a dark golden body.

These were the eight Golden Core puppets mentioned earlier. Their eyes were closed, the "Spirit Control Seal" between their brows glowed red, and their bodies were shrouded in gray-black puppet energy, occasionally emitting a "sizzling" sound.

In the center of the secret chamber was a huge furnace, with a ghostly blue flame burning inside, and countless tiny runes could be vaguely seen churning within the flame.

On the ground next to the furnace, there were scattered bits of foul-smelling minced meat and blood-stained monk robes, and the stench of blood was coming from there.

The walls are covered with the text of the "Brahma Sounds for Crossing the Puppet of Calamity" scripture, but dark red handprints are scattered around the text, as if someone had left them here when they were struggling in pain.

What's most chilling is that in the corner of the secret room, there are more than a dozen broken human puppet bodies. Some are missing arms and legs, some have crooked heads and empty eye sockets, exuding an indescribable sinister and terrifying aura, which is completely different from the square and solemn discipline hall.

A narrow array so simply separated a Buddhist holy site from an Asura's arena.

Even though Zen Master Huihai, who had cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage and had served as the abbot of the original Buddhist sect for over seven hundred years, still frowned slightly upon seeing the scene before him.

If it weren't for Duke Kuang Liuting of Qin sending these eight golden pills (three laypeople, five monks, and eight laymen), Zen Master Huihai might not have reopened this place after so many years.

After all, the original Buddhist sect is long past the turbulent period when he first took over, and there is no need to resort to such cruel and unjust methods.

It should be noted that the "Brahma Sound Salvation" method of creating human puppets by the original Buddhist sect is said to be "superior" and is second only to the "military tally" of the Kuang family clan.

Even the Snow Mountain Path Benying Temple, known for its fierce and bizarre practices, had to admit defeat in this respect, and even came to seek teachings from the two temples when they were on good terms.

Even with such skill, to refine all eight remains of Golden Core cultivators into human puppets in one go, achieving a level of mastery comparable to seventy percent of their former selves, one can only imagine the immense effort and resources that Master Liaojue, who accepted this task, had expended to ensure complete success. At this moment, Zen Master Huihai frowned slightly, his face filled with sorrow, and he clasped his hands together, repeatedly chanting, "Amitabha."

The monk Liaojue, standing to one side, quickly comforted him, saying, "It is all due to the cruelty and inhumanity of the Wei family, and their wicked deeds. It is hardly the master's fault!"

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Huihai's compassionate expression remained unchanged. He simply chanted the Buddha's name a few more times before turning to Master Juejia and saying, "Hand over to the envoy of the Duke of Qin's mansion as soon as possible and leave my place of quiet cultivation, Pilu Temple."

Zen Master Liaojue did not respond hastily, but after a moment of contemplation, he spoke again:

"Master, I wonder if that Duke of Qin will repeatedly use these eight Vajra Warriors to drain our family's resources. If they come again, this..."

"The Emperor is simply urging my family to send troops. As Buddhist disciples, how can we lightly commit acts of killing?"

This old monk has no special abilities; it is enough that I can protect the people within my jurisdiction with my staff. As for the matter of universal salvation, that can wait until a more virtuous person emerges in my family.

In front of his own disciple, Zen Master Huihai was not particularly wary. As soon as he finished speaking, he no longer concealed the insincerity on his face.

The political situation in the world is still unclear, and it is not yet time for the original Buddhist sect to enter the fray. For small families like the Fei family of Yingzhou, which are beset by internal and external troubles, it is certainly possible to take a desperate gamble.

However, for the original Buddhist sect, a prominent ancestral temple that had survived several dynasties, having one's heart set on the imperial court and being dependent on the imperial clan were far from the same thing. Zen Master Huihai needed to be extremely careful in taking care of his disciples and ensuring the continuation of the lineage.

The master and disciple clasped their hands together and recited a passage of Buddhist scripture for salvation from calamity to each of the puppet figures in the room, even though they knew it was useless. Their expressions immediately improved.

Master Liaojue, holding his Dharma treasure, gathered the eight Vajra bodies of the Transcending Calamity. Just as he was about to bid farewell to his master, Zen Master Huihai, he saw a faint spiritual light appear within the latter's robe.

Zen Master Huihai's face showed a hint of surprise, and he did not hide his feelings from Jue, but simply murmured softly: "The Nine Immortals of the Lanmeng Palace of the Outer Sea entered Fengming Prefecture in the north of the mountain. Kuang Liuting met with the Nine Immortals, but there seemed to be discord, and they parted on bad terms."

These ten or so words, without any embellishment, were enough to make Zen Master Huihai close his eyes and remain silent, pondering for a long time, his expression constantly changing.

After a long while, Zen Master Huihai opened his eyes, his gaze now filled with a renewed fervor. When he spoke again, his tone had changed:
"Disciple, give me all these Vajra Blessings. After presenting this old monk with the purple talisman at the Xuanqiong Palace, send someone to visit Grand Eunuch Wei and inquire when His Majesty will have time so that this old monk can personally pay him a visit!"

Master Liaojue also looked thoughtful. Even though he was interrupted by his master, he hurriedly replied respectfully, "Yes, disciple will go and do it."

After the Buddhist monk, at the peak of the Golden Core stage, spoke, he moved swiftly and left the hall in an instant, leaving Zen Master Huihai alone inside. After a long silence, he spoke again in a low voice:

"If that person from Lanmeng Palace truly intends to protect Kuangliuting, then not only will Bai Canhong of Zhaixinglou be in a difficult position, but the neighboring Yuwang Road on the outer sea will also likely have to take some action."
If the direct and indirect branches of the Kuang family were to unite due to a single high-grade golden elixir, and the Taiyi Temple were unable to unite the various branches, what was the point of even discussing the outcome? Kuang Chexiao, how long can the soul lamp of the founding ancestor suppress you, you dragon prodigy?”

—Shannan Road, Tengwen Prefecture, Zhaixing Tower
The power of intimidation that the Palace Master of Lanmeng exerted on these Nascent Soul cultivators was far greater than that of Emperor Wei, who sat on his throne.

Don't be fooled by the fact that only a somewhat renowned True Man Jiuzhen and a group of superior cultivators have come from the outer sea; their presence is far more frightening than the arrival of the Imperial Guards by the King of the Immortal Dynasty.

As soon as the news spread, not only did the three military commands under the jurisdiction of Zhaixing Tower immediately reduce their strength, but even Bai Canhong, the master of Zhaixing Tower who often appeared in Taixu to intimidate and supervise the battle, has rarely shown his face recently.

Ordinary disciples might not know the inside story, but even Feng Wen, the demon officer in the Cold Crow Mountains, seemed to suddenly become much colder.

Bai Canhong couldn't blame the demon commander for lacking courage, because people like Kuang Chexiao, who existed in the outer seas, could form their own faction. If they had gone to the Cold Crow Mountains back then, they could still have established a demon kingdom in that spiritual land. They might even have won over and befriended ordinary Nascent Soul demon generals.

Such a figure is not someone a mere early-stage demon commander on the fringes can afford to provoke. Even the Nine True Immortals are rarely seen, and even Nascent Soul cultivators are few and far between, and few are familiar with his abilities.

Bai Canhong, having reigned as the master of Zhaixing Tower for so many years and dominated various fields, had never before found himself in such a predicament. After fighting with this junior, Kuang Liuting, for so long, he was unusually filled with a sense of frustration.

Xiang Tianxing and the three managers were both subordinates, and both were prominent figures who could intimidate others, but at this moment, none of them dared to speak up.

Pu Honggu, the Grand Elder of the Liangyi Sect, who was lying in the corner and covered in deathly aura, looked even more listless. He didn't even have the slightest intention of asking for credit for the three Golden Core cultivators he had just acquired.

Indeed, the words "gloomy and desolate" weighed heavily on the shoulders of all the cultivators, so much so that they held their breath and the hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The deathly silence in the hall was broken by a very light sound of clothes rustling in the wind. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a Golden Core cultivator, now serving as a mere attendant, standing before the hall and bowing:

"Grandmaster, a true master has come to visit from outside."

The golden elixir, holding a mysterious light, flew down to Bai Canhong's front when it opened its palm, revealing a piece of jade engraved with the words "Taiyi".

"Please come quickly,"

Even Bai Canhong himself felt that there was a hint of urgency in his tone, but at this moment, the cultivators in the hall did not care much. They all stared intently at the door.

Soon, a slender figure came into view. The newcomer wore a moon-white Taoist robe, with a magic sword hanging at his waist. A jade hairpin with the words "Taiyi" was tied in his hair. His face was thin and his eyes were as deep as an ancient well. He was surrounded by a faint Taoist aura.

"Master Bai, how have you been?" The newcomer raised his hand in a bow, his tone aloof: "This humble Taoist is Qingxuan. I have come to pay my respects on the orders of the Abbot."

Bai Canhong suppressed his vigilance and pretended to be coy: "Taiyi Temple is indeed well-informed, but I wonder if Daoist Qingxuan's visit is for the Lanmeng Palace or for the Kuang family's clan dispute?"

Master Qingxuan smiled slightly, slowly walked into the hall, his gaze sweeping over the silent cultivators before finally settling on Bai Canhong:

"You flatter me, Master. I have long admired your reputation. My purpose in coming here is neither for Lanmeng Palace nor for the Kuang family, but solely for the future of Zhaixing Tower."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a translucent white jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Bai Canhong, his tone carrying a hint of respect:

"This was written by the Abbot himself; you'll recognize it at a glance, Master." Xiang Tianxing stepped forward, took the jade slip, and carefully examined it before handing it to Bai Canhong. Bai Canhong unfolded the jade slip and saw that the handwriting was vigorous and powerful, reading:

"The interference of Lanmeng Palace in the inner region and the infighting among the legitimate and illegitimate members of the Kuang family are signs of a chaotic world. Your esteemed building is located in the southern mountain region, and you, fellow Daoist, are even comparable to a late-stage True Person, dominating the southwest. However, if you are confined to a corner, you may still suffer collateral damage."

Taiyi Temple is willing to join hands with Zhaixing Tower to protect the safety of the inner region. After the chaos is quelled and a new emperor is established, the affairs of the southwest will be left to Brother Dao's discretion.

Bai Canhong read it carefully, his expression unchanged. He looked up at Daoist Qingxuan and said, "Your abbot has quite the grand gesture. But I wonder what Taiyi Temple wants from my Zhaixing Tower?"

"Don't worry, it's quite simple," Master Qingxuan said, his expression growing even more pleased, his tone calm: "Firstly..."

(It's not that I'm intentionally ending the chapter, but I really can't finish writing it.)

(End of this chapter)