Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 359 Intellect

Qingzhou, the outskirts of Xining County.

The wilderness is vast, with nothing but weeds and rotten wood piled up in layers on the ground. To the west, one can see continuous mountain ranges covered in snow, while to the north, one can see vast deserts with sandstorms raging.

Cattle and sheep drifted slowly across the wilderness like clouds. Ahead were many men and women, half of whom were from other races and half of whom were separated from their families. They bowed with each step, all heading towards the temples and palaces that stood in the center of the wilderness, like fish swimming into the sea.

The temple was magnificent, with colorful flags and prayer banners fluttering above. The main hall was tall and splendid, with four pagodas of white, red, black and green at each of the four corners. The pagodas were surrounded by iron walls, and demonic energy was intertwined with the radiant light. The murals depicted many monsters, spirits, heavenly kings and warriors, all ferocious and terrifying.

A crowd of ordinary people gathered in front of the temple gate, where a golden plaque bore the three large characters "Wuxiang Temple," majestic and beautiful, but it was closed at the moment.

The door slowly opened, revealing a crack, from which emerged a robust monk with thick eyebrows, full lips, and a monkey-like appearance, dressed in a yellow robe.

As soon as this person appeared, the crowd of ordinary people in front of the temple fell silent, no longer daring to make a sound. Scattered by children, many of whom were seven or eight years old, they came out, most of them with frightened eyes, restrained by their parents, and walked forward.

The ugly-looking monk looked around and walked towards the children. His large, fan-like hands stroked the heads of the children one by one. Most of them remained calm, but a few had a radiant glow emanating from them, their bodies becoming transparent and revealing their stark white bones.

"Good, these few have good potential, they can come to the temple."

He nodded slightly, and the parents of the children immediately showed joy on their faces, and they all knelt down and called out the name of Master Sangjue.

Sang Jue casually took out some yellow and white substances and threw them to the group of mortals. He scolded them a few times, telling them to leave and not to surround him again. Then he led seven or eight children into the temple, and the doors were closed tightly once more.

Upon entering the temple, flames raged on both sides, and the statues were ferocious. Most of the children he was leading had fainted from fright and collapsed to the ground. Immediately, a group of monks stepped forward, picked up the children one by one, and led them into the Four-Sided Pagoda.

Sangjue strode forward, his expression unchanged, and headed towards the main hall.

"Venerable Sangjue, how did you get involved in this kind of thing? Weren't you trying to sever ties with my Bon religion and join the Southern Chan school?"

A man in a pink monk's robe emerged from among them. His face was sinister, and he was surrounded by pink skulls. Celestial maidens chanted various joyful and beautiful songs, their tone frivolous and carrying a subtle sense of hostility.

“Zanluo.” Sangjue’s eyes were sharp as he looked down at him. “What kind of Dharma Master are you, clinging to the Great Blissful Pure Land? You’re nothing but a demon.”

"Why say such things? Neither of us has clean hands." Zanluo chuckled wickedly, casually embracing a celestial maiden. "Da Le Yu and my Huanxi Fadao are destined to be together. Isn't your Wuxiang Temple going to borrow our strength?"

"If my master were not nearing the end of his life, would someone like you be allowed into my precious temple?"

Sang Jue's aura surged, his eyes seeming to spit fire, "Back then, my master came from Xikang Plain to Dali, defeated a group of immortal cultivators here, and established this temple. Do you, the people who delight in the Dharma, dare to come?"

Zanlu remained silent, making way for Sangjue, who snorted coldly and headed towards the main hall.

Upon entering the hall, one finds half skeletons and half Zen Buddhist scriptures piled together in a rather chaotic manner.

A precious platform stands in the center, carved with black birds and spring scenery, radiating light. In the center sits an old monk, dressed in a bright red robe, with his eyes closed and his face gaunt.

If the old monk is asleep, all sorts of thoughts will manifest in the mysterious light of the Earth element, corresponding to the seven emotions and six desires, transforming into various illusory appearances.

"Master."

Sang Juegong uttered a single thought, and within the mysterious light of the Wu Earth, a thought descended, transforming into a white lion in a wrathful form, leaping down and spewing black fire.

The white lion paused, seemingly recognizing the people, before slowly calming down. Its gaze shifted from fierce to compassionate, and it opened its mouth, uttering human words.

"Sang Jue, what is it?"

The voice was weak and feeble; if it were uttered by someone on the verge of death, it would stir up a gust of wind that howled through the hall, scattering the scriptures and skulls even more haphazardly.

Sang Jue slowly bowed his head, his expression sorrowful yet struggling, which made his ape-like face even uglier.

"The four aspects of the demon head have been separated according to the method and placed in the tower. They have been refined using secret methods and can be used at any time."

"Alright, I'm using the [Great Dream Peace Technique] to stabilize my lifespan, and with this head here, I have a better chance of being reborn."

The white lion turned its head to look at the old monk sitting on the platform, its voice steady, but Sangjue below replied in a trembling voice:

"Master, can this [Heart-Transforming Demon Chief] truly be used for reincarnation? This is something born from Bodhi being corrupted by Mara's nature."

"It's alright. The six desire demons of the Great Blissful Pure Land will also make a move, as will the people of the Joyful Dharma Path. They have already made a vow; they want Xining County, so naturally they will come to help me."

“Master Zhixing, the Great Blissful Pure Land is a demonic path, and I’m afraid it’s not credible.”

Sang Jue broke out in a cold sweat. He had already reached the level of a Dharma Master, but at that moment, he felt a mix of fear and anxiety.

The Great Blissful Pure Land is renowned as a demonic sect in Liaodong, practicing both immortal and Buddhist cultivation. It has six demonic manifestations that roam outside, all at the Sattva level, not to mention the true demonic bodhisattva, who is a genuine enlightened being.

The sinister and treacherous nature of this sect is well-known to most Buddhist practitioners. Now that it has joined forces with the Xikang Yuan Huanxi Fadao sect, it is not easy to get along with them.
"Sang Jue!"

The white lion let out a low growl, slowly circling around Sangjue and looking at him coldly.

"Are you also having thoughts of leaving me?"

"This disciple has absolutely no such thought." Sang Jue's expression was solemn, and he bowed even lower. "It's just..."

He suddenly raised his head, looked at the white lion representing the wrath of intellect, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

“Back then, my master led me out of Xikang Plain and came to Dali, saying that he wanted to become a disciple of the Southern Chan School in order to attain the true enlightenment of Sumeru. But now he has gone down the path of the Bon religion. The Dayangming Temple hates reincarnation and possession the most, and has even used the Demon Lord of the Heart Transformation. This…” Before Sang Jue could finish speaking, the white lion roared angrily, its eyes filled with violence again, and it rebuked him like thunder.

"What is the Great Yangming Temple? Since they dislike my background, why should we care? The immortals, Buddhists, and Taoists of the Great Li all think highly of themselves; how can we possibly fit in?"

"Upon seeing this group of foreign monks from my Wuxiang Temple, do the Buddhist and Taoist sects of Qingzhou have any intention of getting close to them? Even if Dayangming Temple joins forces with Chilei Dao, they are unwilling to accept my Wuxiang Temple."

Sang Jue was roared at until blood flowed from his seven orifices. At this moment, he was half angry and half worried. Of the four prefectures in Qingzhou, Xining belonged to his Wuxiang Temple, and the rest were Dayangming Temple in Lintiao Prefecture and Chilei Road in Cangshui Prefecture.

The Dayangming Temple is powerful, with a high-ranking monk from the Bodhi Vehicle presiding over it, comparable to the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm of immortal cultivators. However, it dislikes the Wuxiang Temple and would rather coexist with the Chilei Dao than allow the Wuxiang Temple to remain in the remote wilderness.

Silence fell around him. Sangjue looked up and saw that the white lion had already returned to the dream protected by Wuguang. Only a voice fell.

“Sangjue, although my lifespan is coming to an end, I have my own methods, so there is no need to worry about reincarnation.”

The ugly-looking monk bowed his head again, but he was somewhat worried. Master Zhixing was an Arhat of the First Vehicle, higher than Vajra but lower than Bodhi, equivalent to the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm of immortal cultivation. He could not get any closer.

Buddhist practitioners have extremely long lifespans and enduring spirits, surpassing even immortal cultivators. However, their physical bodies are not as wondrous as those of immortals and often decay prematurely. Thus, various methods of reincarnation and possession have emerged.

One's cultivation is entrusted to the Pure Land, and after reincarnation, it is slowly retrieved; this is the right path.

Now, Zhixing's actions aim to ascend to heaven in one step, using the Dharma of the Great Blissful Pure Land to merge with the "Transformation Demon Lord," thereby subduing Mara's great merit, skipping the stage of retraining, and leaping directly into the realm of Bodhi.

Sangjue's mind grew cold. Thinking about his master's actions, he felt that it was the demon of the Great Blissful Pure Land that had bewitched him. However, he could not comprehend the wonders of the Sattva realm.

He raised his head, glanced at the radiant platform, and sighed.

Now, his wisdom has reached the point of exhaustion, and he has used the Taiyue Spring-Viewing Terrace to stabilize his body and employ the Great Dream Peace Technique to remain in slumber until now, thus maintaining a sliver of hope.

If one were to awaken, one would immediately die of old age. Between life and death, there are all sorts of anxieties and fears, which even a high-ranking monk at the Sattva level would find difficult to comprehend. With one's usual wisdom, one would naturally not agree to rely on that [Transformation Demon Head].

'After all, this was something created by an ancient virtuous person after they became possessed by demons; it's tainted by the nature of demons, and only those who have exhausted their cultivation can use it.'

Upon thinking of this, Sang Jue suddenly remembered another family, and felt annoyed. The Wu family of Tianshui were the ones who cultivated this path. In previous years, they had not made a move because of their master's cultivation level, but now they were probably unable to hold back.

He rose, took one last look at the old monk sleeping peacefully on the womb in the hall, his expression complex, and left the main hall.

The temple doors were closed, and all was silent. Zhi Xing's Dharma body still sat upright on the Taiyue Wangchun Terrace. However, the light suddenly dimmed, but Zhi Xing was still asleep and did not notice the slightest change.

Suddenly, the surrounding skeletons began to move, merge, and converge, transforming into a skeleton human figure.

The skeleton gradually solidified, flesh and blood grew, and it separated from the midline of the body, transforming into a man and a woman. The man was lewd and immoral, and the woman was seductive and alluring, as they gradually separated.

The man was dressed in a pink monk's robe and wore a string of white bone beads. He was followed by many celestial maidens who were hidden in pink light, and lewd sounds came from them.

He shook his head, looked up at the slumbering intelligence above, and sighed softly:

"Poor Brother Zhixing, he doesn't even know if he's alive or dead. Where has all his Buddhist practice gone?"

As he uttered these words, the light above dimmed further, and the old monk's flesh and blood on the platform withered away, leaving only a skeleton standing on it.

"【Joyful Vajra】, don't be silly."

The woman chuckled softly. Her attire was that of a celestial being, wearing a moon-white Taoist robe embroidered with laurel blossoms, a frost-covered sword, and snow-white boots. With every movement, frost-like radiance seemed to emanate from the ground.

She stepped forward, exhaled softly, and sent out a fragrant breeze that landed on Zhixing's white bones. His body immediately returned to normal, and that wisp of life reappeared.

"Impressive tactics. Since you devoured Wei Heng'e, the Demon of Desire has made considerable progress. Even the Wu family's Nanwang Zhenren almost fell into your hands."

As she spoke, Le Nian's brows were filled with wicked intent, and pink magical light behind her condensed like bubbles, containing many lewd images. The celestial maiden chanted, and pink turbid streams rose in the hall. Skeletal beings on the ground engaged in acts of intercourse.

"Your physical body still retains its primordial yin essence."

Le Nian looked at him with burning eyes, but then seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped talking.

"If Vajra is not afraid of the Moon descending to earth and coming to kill me, I am willing to grant Vajra's wish."

Joy was about to cover her face and laugh, frost and snow poured down the ground, and moonlight flowed around her.

"Let's skip it. When Qing'e descended to the mortal realm, she was on the frontier. Your Great Joyful Desire Pure Land has a great master in charge, so you naturally have nothing to fear. As for the Joyful Dharma Path, I am the only one here, so how dare I offend you?"

At this moment, Le Nian put away his evil appearance, and a radiant light appeared around him, with golden lotuses blooming everywhere. His face showed compassion, and a smile played on his lips.

'Demon.'

The Vajra was cursing inwardly, looking at the lustful demon before him with a mixture of greed and fear. The woman, however, seemed oblivious, and whispered:

"My Daoist demonic form of 'Entanglement of Love' has been slain. Heaven, such ruthless methods, but..."

Huan turned around, her once beautiful face now displaying a seductive and alluring expression.

"What does it have to do with me?"

(End of this chapter)