The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 410 Becoming a Ghost in Tianlong Temple

Under the cover of night, in the alley.

Duan Yanqing blocked Dao Baifeng's path. After more than ten years of despair, his heart was now filled with emotion.

Dao Baifeng's face changed color with Duan Yanqing's words, sometimes pale, sometimes serious, sometimes dazed.

More than ten years ago, she learned that Duan Zhengchun was having affairs with many women. In a fit of anger, she gave her virginity to a disabled beggar outside a temple who was the dirtiest and ugliest in appearance, as revenge.

More than ten years have passed, and this matter has remained buried deep in my heart, unknown to anyone.

Unexpectedly, the beggar from her past came to her door today, and he even seemed to possess extremely high martial arts skills, which surprised, annoyed, and frightened her.
After all, she was the wife of the Prince of Zhennan in Dali. Her affair with this beggar back then was only due to a moment of anger.

If the person in front of her were to bring up the matter from back then to the royal palace or the royal residence, she would have no face to continue staying in Dali City.

After thinking it over, Dao Baifeng's face darkened, and she said coldly, "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't know you at all, and we've never had any relationship."

Having spent most of his life wandering the martial arts world, Duan Yanqing had witnessed the coldness and warmth of human relationships. Faced with Dao Baifeng's sudden change of attitude, he quickly understood the situation clearly.

He stared wide-eyed and spoke in ventriloquism: “You don’t need to worry about me going to the Prince’s Mansion and the Imperial Palace to expose this matter to those two; I will keep this secret, but how long this secret can be kept is not up to me, but up to others.”

Upon hearing this, Dao Baifeng's already cold expression turned even more unpleasant: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that you actually told others about this fabricated story?"

Duan Yanqing ventriloquistically said, "No, it wasn't me who told others about this, but rather others who told me; that's how I learned that you actually bore me a son, Duan Yu, Duan Zhengchun's only son, and the only male in the next generation of the entire Dali Duan family."

Dao Baifeng's eyes were filled with sorrow and panic, and her voice trembled as she asked, "Who told you this? Who knows these secrets?"

As she said these words, her mind was in complete turmoil.

This matter was originally a secret known only to heaven and earth, and the rest was known only to her.

Why has it become a secret that many people know now?
Thinking about the consequences of this matter spreading, Dao Baifeng seemed to see the tragic scene of her and her son Duan Yu being driven out of the palace and even out of Dali City.

At this moment, Duan Yanqing calmly said in ventriloquism, "You don't need to worry about this matter; worrying won't help. But even if this matter gets out, I'm not afraid, because I also have the surname Duan, and my name is Duan Yanqing."

Dao Baifeng, whose mind was in complete turmoil, heard the name "Duan Yanqing" and felt it sounded extremely familiar. After thinking about it for a while, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "You...you are the Crown Prince Yanqing who disappeared more than ten years ago?"

Duan Yanqing spoke in ventriloquism: "That's right, I am the Crown Prince Yanqing from back then; those rebels chased after me, not only cutting off my legs but also disfiguring me beyond recognition; I originally intended to go to Tianlong Temple to ask Elder Kurong of my clan to avenge me, but before I could even enter, I encountered you."

Upon hearing this, Dao Baifeng immediately understood the meaning behind the other person's words.

Her son, Duan Yu, was of the Duan family of Dali.

If Duan Yu is able to inherit the throne and become the next emperor of Dali, it would be equivalent to Crown Prince Yanqing regaining the throne.

Moreover, and most importantly, Duan Zhengchun and Emperor Baoding Duan Zhengming only had Duan Yu as their male descendant. If Duan Yu did not inherit the throne, who would?

Dao Baifeng was having a brainstorming session, his thoughts wandering wildly and becoming extremely chaotic.

Having already received the answer from Dao Baifeng, Duan Yanqing did not wish to linger. He simply told her to rest assured, then leaped up and disappeared into the night.

By the time Dao Baifeng came to her senses, Duan Yanqing had already disappeared.

She looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, her expression changing several times, before finally sighing bitterly, "Forget it, I'll just go back to Yuxu Temple!"

On the second day.

Xu Xingchen proposed to Duan Zhengchun and his son that she wanted to leave the palace.

Duan Zhengchun and his son knew that many things had happened at the Prince's Mansion last night, and it was really inappropriate for the guests to continue staying there. They could only apologize.

Xu Xingchen placed the jade statue on the carriage she had come from, and rode away amidst Duan Zhengchun's reluctant gaze.

After leaving the palace, Xu Xingchen did not linger in Dali City. She walked out of the city gate along the main street.

When they encountered some pedestrians and merchants on the road, they used the Soul Transfer Technique to hypnotize them and ask them for directions to Tianlong Temple.

The ancestors of the Duan family who were emperors would become monks at Tianlong Temple after abdicating.

Therefore, Tianlong Temple was the family temple of the Dali royal family, and no other temple in the country could compare with it in terms of prestige.

Because of the importance and special nature of Tenryu-ji Temple, even if passersby know its location, they will not casually reveal it to others.

Therefore, Xu Xingchen had no choice but to resort to some means!
Tianlong Temple is located north of Zhongyue Peak in Diancang Mountain outside Dali City. Its official name is Chongsheng Temple, but the people of Dali are used to calling it Tianlong Temple.

Nestled against the Cangshan Mountains and facing the Erhai Lake, the area boasts numerous temple buildings.

It has three pagodas, seven towers, nine halls, and a hundred buildings; its scale is grand and its construction is magnificent, comparable to some famous mountains and temples in the Central Plains.

It's just that its name isn't well-known because it's located in the southern border region.

Having determined the location, Xu Xingchen rode forward and arrived near Tianlong Temple in half a day.

He drove the carriage into a forest by the roadside and tied the reins to a large tree.

He then hoisted the jade statue off the vehicle and strode into the depths of the mountains and forests.

They climbed high and low, crossed streams, and sought out rugged and difficult terrain along the way.

Half a day later, they finally found a precipitous cliff face that even ordinary martial artists would find difficult to climb. They temporarily placed the jade statue in a naturally formed cave halfway up the mountain.

After descending the mountain and returning to the woods, we drove the carriage back to Dali city and found an inn to stay at.

Day 2.
Xu Xingchen left the carriage in the backyard of the inn under the pretext of visiting a friend, and asked the inn's staff to take good care of it.

Under the onslaught of money, the innkeeper and his staff bowed and scraped, beaming with joy, and repeatedly said, "Sir, please rest assured, we will take good care of your horse."

Xu Xingchen left the inn and departed Dali City once again, heading towards Tianlong Temple.

Along the way, he also hunted and grilled some wild game in the nearby mountains.

By the time they arrived outside Tianlong Temple, it was already dark.

Xu Xingchen used the Yin-Yang Yuan Magnetic Ring technique within his body to completely conceal his aura, creating a world of his own that was completely isolated from the outside world.

After cultivating and accumulating power over several worlds, his skill became increasingly refined and pure. In this state, when he focused his mind, even some top masters found it difficult to detect him using telepathy.

Unless his gaze lingers on that top expert for too long!

He leaped up and silently scaled the tall wall of Tianlong Temple.

A gust of wind blew by, and his figure was as light as a feather, drifting forward with the wind.

At night, Tianlong Temple is brightly lit. Some people are chanting sutras in the rooms, some are practicing martial arts in the side courtyards, some are keeping watch in the main hall, and some are continuing to offer incense in front of the Buddha.

The scent of sandalwood permeated the entire Tenryu-ji Temple, transforming it into a serene and peaceful place.

Xu Xingchen's figure
Sometimes it appears behind the beams and pillars, sometimes atop the artificial hill, sometimes outside the palace gate, and sometimes in front of the window.
He once strolled leisurely on the rooftops of palaces!

I've even brushed past the warrior monks on night patrol!

When they came across an open window, they would sneak in and stand behind the monk chanting sutras, looking at the books and scriptures on the table with him.

When they came across buildings that housed Buddhist scriptures, they would browse through the bookshelves with the monks on duty.

He was like an omnipresent ghost, wandering around the Tianlong Temple with its many monks, familiar with every monk in the temple, searching for the Six Meridians Divine Sword hidden within the temple.

However, it is likely that the Six Meridians Divine Sword, the supreme martial art of the Dali Duan family, was carried by Elder Kurong, the most senior and most skilled martial artist in Tianlong Temple.

Elder Kurong possesses profound Buddhist teachings, deep inner strength, and unfathomable martial arts skills.

Xu Xingchen was confident that he could defeat his opponent and even snatch the scrolls depicting the Six Meridians Divine Sword before Elder Kurong destroyed them.

But he did not act rashly!
While the Six Meridians Divine Sword was alluring, the upcoming arrival of the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva of the Great Wheel Temple in the Western Regions of Tibet was also worth seeing.

After exploring the temple at night, Xu Xingchen located the positions of several experts.

The following days
During the day, he hid in the temples and monasteries, reading Buddhist scriptures.

At night, he wandered around the temple to investigate the situation.

They could come and go freely in Tianlong Temple, as if they were in an empty place!

The identities of those experts were also revealed one by one during the investigation over the past few days.

The abbot of Tianlong Temple is Master Benyin, who, according to the secular generational ranking, would be the uncle of Emperor Baoding.

Benyin's two senior brothers were named Benguan and Benxiang, respectively. They were thin and sallow-looking with gaunt faces.

There was also a junior brother named Bencan, who was tall and burly.

These four were the only experts in Tianlong Temple besides Elder Kurong who could earn Xu Xingchen's respect.

Based on their breathing, walking, sitting, and breathing patterns, Xu Xingchen estimated that the four men's martial arts skills were roughly equivalent to Duan Zhengchun's, or at most slightly better.

Finally, there was Elder Kurong, who sat facing the wall in a grand hall.

Since sensing his extremely subtle aura, Xu Xingchen has been sitting quietly in the main hall for several days.

I've stopped eating, drinking, and relieving myself every day. I wonder if I've reached a crucial point in my meditation on the cycle of life and death?

As the other monks entered the main hall, Xu Xingchen glanced at Master Kurong's back out of the corner of his eye and clearly sensed the immense power within him.

It flourishes at times and withers at others.

Quite mysterious!

After several days of investigation, he discovered that Kumārajīva's invitation had not yet arrived, which surprised him.

Then he realized that because of his intervention, many plot points did not occur.

Wouldn't that save time?
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long at Tenryu-ji Temple.

On the seventh day, a foreign monk dressed in a yellow robe knocked on the gate of Tianlong Temple and presented a visiting card.

(End of this chapter)