bookrebus Chapter 1829 Dafan Temple
Chapter 1829 Dafan Temple
Mingchuan's throat was dry, and it took him a while to find his voice.
"Senior, you previously said that Yue Wuyai deduced that the Star Gate's energy was related to the Spirit Realm?"
Master Lingxu gave him a deep look: "Yes. This is also what makes me most uneasy. In the eyes of the Holy Domain, the Spirit Realm has always been a lower realm, a place with relatively scarce resources and relatively weak laws. Why would the Qi of the Star Gate manifest here?"
"What role does the Spirit Realm play in this Star Gate upheaval that could sweep across the heavens? Is it a stepping stone, or the key itself? Or perhaps..."
Master Lingxu paused, and this pause made Mingchuan's heart tighten as well.
He understood that what Lingxu Zhenren might be referring to was the sacrificial offerings.
Mingchuan took a deep breath, the cold night wind filling his lungs and calming his burning mind slightly.
A jumble of clues, a vast mystery, a potential terrifying crisis... all of this weighed heavily on his heart like a mountain.
But he can't afford to act rashly.
Zhao Hu and the others are still in the Fallen Star Wasteland, their fates unknown. Everyone in the Wan Chuan Sect is waiting for him to bring back news.
"Regardless of what Star Gate is, regardless of what the Silent Zen Temple wants to do, and regardless of what Yue Wuyai and Yue Yao are plotting," Mingchuan's voice became steady and firm again, his silver light in his eyes restrained, yet even more profound.
"The most urgent task is to find Zhao Hu and the others, and find out what is hidden in the Fallen Star Wasteland. Yueyao's stronghold, the traces of the Silent Zen Temple, and even... the possible clues to the Star Gate may all be there."
He looked at Master Lingxu: "Senior, we must contact Master Huineng as soon as possible. He has a deep understanding of the secrets of the Holy Domain and is also a high-ranking Buddhist monk. He may know more about the Silent Zen Temple, Little Western Paradise, and Star Gate. At the same time, we also need his and even the Dafan Temple's attitude to deal with the Dragon Roar Temple and any possible third-party forces."
Master Lingxu nodded: "That's right. Without further ado, let's return to the inn immediately, meet up with Green-Faced Fox and the others, and then set off for Dafan Temple."
"With Black Viper acting as a covert force in Shaquanji, and given that we've already alerted them, they shouldn't be making any major moves here in the short term."
Without further delay, the two disappeared into the darkness and silently returned to the Sandwalk Inn.
The inn rooms were brightly lit.
The Blue-Faced Fox and the Crimson Flame Fox had already conducted a preliminary study of the puppet's remains and the dark red talisman, while Ye Yan listened in.
Upon seeing Mingchuan and the other person return, the Green-Faced Fox immediately said, "The crafting technique of that puppet's core is extremely ancient, combining some of the Buddhist concept of Vajra Indestructibility with a violent power originating from ancient evil energy. The crafter is at least highly accomplished in the art of crafting and energy fusion, no less than any crafting master in the Holy Domain. Unfortunately, the core's self-destruction mechanism is very thorough, making it impossible to trace back to its source."
Crimson Fox added, "The teleportation coordinates of that talisman are dynamically encrypted and have a backdoor. When I tried to decipher it, I triggered a weak alarm, which I immediately shut down, but the other party may already know that the talisman has been tampered with. The coordinates point to... roughly in the western part of the central part of the Holy Domain, in a dangerous area called the Chaotic Sky Sea, but the exact location cannot be determined."
“The Chaotic Void Sea…” Lingxu Zhenren pondered, “The space there is chaotic, and ancient ruins and spatial rifts often appear. It is indeed a good place to hide and establish secret bases.”
"It seems that this Silent Zen Temple is more troublesome than we imagined," Ye Yan frowned.
Mingchuan succinctly shared the information he had obtained from Gray Rat, as well as Lingxu Zhenren's explanation of the Star Gate, with everyone.
The room fell silent.
The sheer volume of information and the potential impact made even the well-informed Blue-Faced Fox and Crimson Flame Fox realize the gravity of the situation.
"I never expected that the legend of Little Western Paradise, which had been missing for many years, would resurface in this way." The Blue-Faced Fox sighed softly. "If it really is them, things will be troublesome. In ancient records, Little Western Paradise was once an extremely powerful pure land of Buddhism, but it was lost for some reason. It is said that its lineage has long deviated from the orthodox path and gone to some extreme. Vajra Subduing Demons... just from the name, they are not benevolent."
"Who cares what kind of evil spirit they are? If they dare to block our way, just burn them down!" The Crimson Flame Fox's eyes flickered with fire, but its tone also carried a rare hint of caution. "However, if they are really related to the Star Gate, then we must be careful. The Star Gate is too powerful; one wrong move could lead to utter destruction."
“Therefore, we must go to Dafan Temple,” Mingchuan concluded. “Master Huineng is the most trustworthy and most likely high-ranking member of the Holy Domain who can provide assistance. We need his help to understand the Silent Zen Temple, investigate the truth of the Star Gate, and deal with Longyin Temple.”
No one had any objections.
After a short rest, just before dawn, the five quietly left Shaquan Village.
Before leaving, Mingchuan issued his first command through the mark he left in the Black Viper's soul:
We will closely monitor all abnormalities in Shaquanji and the edge of the desert. If there are any traces of the Jimie Zen Temple or the Longyin Guanyueying Hall, we will immediately send a message through a specific method.
The sand dunes gradually shrank behind us, eventually disappearing into the twilight horizon of the sandy sea.
Mingchuan and his group flew through the air at an extremely fast speed, transforming into several inconspicuous streaks of light as they sped towards the center of the Holy Domain, towards Mount Ling.
Crossing the Gobi Desert on the edge of the wasteland and traversing rolling hills, the interior of the sacred realm gradually unfolded before them.
In the sky, a giant mythical bird pulled a magnificent carriage as it flew by.
On the ground, cities shrouded in spiritual energy are scattered like stars, far more prosperous and flourishing than the Spirit Realm.
Occasionally, one can see cultivators riding strange magical artifacts or exotic beasts, their auras powerful.
They deliberately concealed their auras, disguising themselves as ordinary traveling cultivators, but the atmosphere within the Holy Domain still made them feel an invisible pressure.
This place is teeming with powerful individuals, governed by strict rules, and is intricately intertwined with various factions, making it far superior to the Spirit Realm.
Several days later, a majestic mountain range, shrouded in a faint golden light, appeared on the horizon ahead.
The mountains stretch endlessly, with the main peak soaring into the clouds. Countless palaces and pavilions can be vaguely seen built against the mountainside, and the sounds of Buddhist chants drift on the wind, bringing peace to the mind.
This is the sacred Buddhist site of Dafan Temple, located on Lingshan Mountain.
"We've finally arrived." Master Lingxu looked at Mount Ling, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.
Five hundred years have passed since he fought alongside Master Huineng to suppress the Demon Abyss.
"Senior, shall we go up the mountain to pay our respects?" Mingchuan asked.
Master Lingxu nodded: "Huineng has been in seclusion for a long time, and it is unlikely that we can see him by ordinary means. However, I have the Buddhist seal he gave me years ago, which allows me to go directly to his secluded meditation room. Let's go directly to the Wuchen Cave in the back mountain."
The five of them descended and walked up a stone staircase at the foot of Mount Ling.
At the mountain gate, a monk greeted us and inquired about our purpose.
Master Lingxu presented an ancient wooden Buddhist seal. Upon seeing it, the guest monk immediately became respectful and bowed with his palms together: "So it is Senior Lingxu who has arrived. The abbot had instructed that if you come, you may go directly to Wuchen Cave in the back mountain. Please follow me."