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Chapter 210 Early Arrival
At this moment, the donkey cart was speeding along the road to Shuanghe City.

Even now, Zhou You was still somewhat dazed.

No way, I was almost done with the mission, how come another accident happened?
—Just a short while ago, after saying those two sentences, the face-destroying man's body turned into dust on the spot, and Zhengde and Cai Yuankui's faces immediately turned extremely gloomy.

Next, they did only two things.

First, they borrowed a donkey cart from Lu Xiuyuan, who was even more bewildered.

Second, they dismantled the frivolous chariot of the Venomous Snake Monk, used the materials to assemble two harnesses, then attached the chariot's horses to an easy-to-drive donkey cart, and with a flick of the whip, they galloped away!

The rider sat silently in the driver's seat, but his impatience was evident from the constant cracking of his whip.

Zhengde sat on the other side of the carriage, his face ashen.

Finally, Zhou You couldn't help but ask.

"Monk, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Only then did Zhengde notice his expression. He quickly recited two lines of the Heart Sutra and then slowly spoke.

"Master Zhou, since you have been so persistent in your belief in the Three Altars Dharma Assembly, you must know what it is, right?"

Zhou You simply shook his head and smiled bitterly.

No, I really don't know—after all, I don't have the chance to find out what I know, and it's no use asking what I don't know.

However, he consciously refrained from speaking, while Zhengde continued to explain.

"It is good that the Taoist priest knows that the Three Altars Dharma Assembly originally referred to the Three Altars Ordination Assembly, a ceremony for monks to receive ordination. However, after being altered by Tantric Buddhism, it has become a ritual for welcoming deities and Buddhas."

"In my humble opinion, this Dharma assembly was to guide the descent of the Lord of the charnel ground, Red Tara, and Vajrapani, which correspond to the three schools of Tantra. Although these are not easy to match, since it involves guiding three bodhisattvas, it will take quite a long time. As long as I report back in time, I can stop it no matter what—after all, no one among the sect leaders wants the calamity of Wuzhou to happen again."

Zhengde took a breath, and his face turned even paler.

—But at the same time, they are also getting younger.

When I first met him, he was a monk who was nearly thirty years old, but now he looks like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy.

Clearly, this person has become deeply possessed by evil.

But Zhengde seemed completely unconcerned and spoke quickly.

“But this Longhua Dharma Assembly is different. In the Tantric school, and even in the entire Buddhist community, it is a taboo among taboos. By the way, Daoist, have you heard of Maitreya Bodhisattva?”

Zhou You nodded.

He might have a superficial understanding of other Buddhist knowledge, but it would be difficult for him not to know this deity who is known to every household in China.

Zhengde then continued his explanation.

"When the extraterrestrial demons invaded, three beings in the Western Paradise were most severely injured: the Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Maitreya Bodhisattva. The Buddha has been missing ever since, Guanyin Bodhisattva died on the spot, and only Maitreya Bodhisattva survived, but he was completely corrupted and could no longer be purified."

"Among the eight schools of Buddhism, there are many methods to perceive deities and Buddhas through visualization, some of which are highly corrupted. However, in no school is there a single practitioner who visualizes Maitreya Bodhisattva. Do you know why this is?"

Zhou You shook his head honestly.

"I don't know."

"It's very simple, because it's too dangerous."

Zhengde sighed.

"When contemplating other gods and Buddhas, one can resist pollution by reducing or avoiding it. However, Maitreya Bodhisattva is the only one who will inevitably be possessed by demons once one catches a glimpse of his form. As for guiding him to the mainland, there is indeed no such thing. In the western borderlands, a small country once tried to guide Maitreya Bodhisattva—but before the ceremony could be completed, the entire country was wiped out."

"...In fact, not a single trace was left."

Upon hearing this, Zhou You's expression finally turned serious. "You mean this Dragon Flower Dharma Assembly held at Bodhi Temple?"

Zhengde sighed softly, then raised his head and looked at the city that was now faintly visible.

"Senior Brother Kong Guan is only guessing from the scenery outside. Let's just hope it's not the worst-case scenario."
-
Driven by Cai Yuankui's full efforts, the donkey cart quickly arrived at Shuanghe City.

The moment the city gate was in sight, a strong horse foamed at the mouth and finally collapsed to the ground. Cai Yuankui decisively cut the harness, then, with veins bulging on his arm, he forcefully pulled on the other rein, barely managing to stop the momentum and causing the donkey cart to drift and stop in front of the gate.

A soldier guarding the city watched as the cart shaft narrowly missed his head. He stood there stunned for a while before breaking out in a cold sweat.

Damn it, I was just taking a short break and I almost lost my head!
The soldier then cursed angrily on the spot.

"Are you blind?! You son of a bitch, do you have a death wish, speeding around the city gate like that? You've got a screw loose in your head!"

However, he didn't utter the last words.

He met the driver's gaze and saw only a pair of gloomy, watery eyes.

"Step aside!"

That one sentence alone made him take a step back in shock.

But soon, he remembered his identity and the Bodhi Temple behind him, and shouted with his neck stiff.

"Who the hell are you? You think you can just tell me to move aside like that?"

Cai Yuankui was too lazy to waste words with him and directly drew his waist knife—but before he could make a move, someone had already stood up and said to the soldier.

"I said, you should recognize who I am, right?"

After a few seconds of scrutiny, the soldier finally discerned something amiss on the face. His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed down.

"Master! Didn't you go to exile Zhengde? How come you're back so soon?"

—This soldier was one of Ben Shan's group of cronies.

Zhou You simply waved goodbye.

“Something happened along the way, and I have urgent business to report to the temple. Please open the door quickly.”

The soldier was taken aback, then suddenly realized and said...

"Just as I thought! The golden light in the temple has dimmed considerably this morning, and everyone was quite panicked. They never expected that it was to welcome you, Master."

Upon hearing this, the three people in the car exchanged glances.

This morning should have been the time to ambush and kill the poisonous snake monk.

In other words, something had already gone wrong at that time!

The city gates had already been opened, and the group didn't have time for further conversation. Zhou You drew his sword and stood up, while Cai Yuankui carried Zhengde on his back, and they headed straight for the temple.

Both of them were quite fast walkers, and they arrived at the Bodhi Temple in just half an incense stick's time.

—As expected, just as the soldier said, the golden light that was originally as bright as the sun dimmed considerably. Before, one would feel the heat all over their body if they got close, but now, even when they were close to the temple gate, they could not feel the slightest bit of heat.

Only Zhengde lay prostrate on Cai Yuankui's body, head raised, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Daoist Master, Benefactor Cai, disaster has struck! This ritual is in jeopardy!"

"It opened ahead of schedule!"

(End of this chapter)