Chapter 1701
Chapter 1701 (Raw 1713):
Zhen Xuan's sudden attack startled all the other sect disciples. Only he would be so bold.
The others would only dare to think of it but not really do it. After all, this temple was very strange. Not everyone was as strong and confident as Zhen Xuan.
"Senior Brother, where should we go now?"
Zhen Xuan showed an uncertain expression for some time before answering, "Get some people to stand guard outside the temple. The others will come with me to the Wisdom Hall."
---
On the other side, Xiao Chen was already deep in the temple, unaware that many people had arrived at the Buddha Seeking Platform. He continued to stroll around aimlessly.
Xiao Chen's right hand gently fiddled with the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls as he took unhurried steps. While observing his surroundings, he enlisted the aid of the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls to digest the rare plants that he consumed earlier and strengthened his Buddha-like heart.
One hour later, he had digested and refined nearly all of the rare plants that he had consumed.
Xiao Chen felt that his bottleneck would rupture at any moment. The opportunities from the Buddha Seeking Mountain made his accumulations even stronger. He was confident that once he broke through, he could immediately fight the top ten disciples of the three blessed lands.
Even if the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique did not improve, Xiao Chen would be able to hold his own in a frontal confrontation with the peak people like Shangguan Lei or Wang Yueming.
As for Zhen Yuan, Xiao Chen still found him somewhat unfathomable. He needed to improve the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique before being confident enough to take him on.
With this thought, Xiao Chen now wanted to go to the Ten Thousand Weapon Pavilion and seek out a Dao Weapon.
As long as he engaged in a huge battle, he would be able to make a breakthrough. He would no longer fear the peak disciples of the various holy lands working together and playing dirty tricks.
One of the main reasons why many people could not obtain a Dao Tool, regardless of their strength, was that they could not block attacks from the true inheritors from other sects after getting surrounded.
The logic was very simple: if one ultimately could not obtain something, they definitely would think of ways to prevent others from obtaining it as well.
Such was human nature and had always been.
Xiao Chen had not gone to the Ten Thousand Weapon Pavilion yet because of such concerns. He needed to prepare first, to gain the ability to fight against many.
However, he was now fully capable of making this gamble.
Xiao Chen immediately acted on his thoughts. He put away the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls and raised a leg to walk back. After all, this Buddha Seeking Platform was significantly different from what he expected.
Hey!
However, just as Xiao Chen was about to leave, he glanced around and noticed that the doors to a hall in the distance were open.
Strange…
After walking for so long, Xiao Chen still had not seen any halls with their doors open from the start.
"Let's go over and take a look."
While remaining cautious, Xiao Chen held the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls and walked over. When he tilted his head back, he could barely make out the words on the old and dilapidated signboard. This place was the Heart Cultivating Hall.
Heart Cultivating Hall. Most temples had similar halls to this. Monks would sit there in meditation to seek peace.
No wonder this place was empty. It would not have any Buddhist sect fortuitous encounters. Naturally, it would not need any Fiendish Demons to guard it.
When most saw this signboard, they would probably ignore it.
Xiao Chen pushed on the doors, fully opening them, and dust fell off. When he looked around, it was as he expected.
The hall had a large pile of tattered prayer mats on the floor, a headless Buddha statue that had toppled over, and countless yellowed sheets of Buddhist scriptures. It looked empty and gloomy. With one glance, one could see everything; there was nothing.
Dilapidated, messy, and decayed. This was the scene that greeted Xiao Chen.
He casually picked up a page of Buddhist scripture. Before he could take a look at it, it crumbled into dust in his hand.
Xiao Chen sighed softly and chose to give up. There really was no fortuitous encounter for him to garner.
This was how cruel time was. No matter how flourishing the fragrant incense back then or how many esteemed powerful monks there had been, it could not stand up to the merciless march of time.
The many prayer mats on the ground clearly showed how many people had sat in meditation here. The ancient mottled wall paintings proved the glory of the past. The huge Buddha statue on the floor displayed exquisite craftsmanship.
Xiao Chen took in the surroundings before his gaze landed on the headless Buddha statue. Suddenly, he came to a realization.
If the glory of the past could not become eternal no matter how glorious it was, what exactly should one pursue in life?
That indistinct connection Xiao Chen originally had with this nameless temple suddenly became clear.
The Buddhist Śarīra Pearls in his hand gave off a faint light.
A gentle breeze blew, picking up the scattered pages of scriptures and swirling them around Xiao Chen. They then spontaneously ignited.
"This is…"
Xiao Chen's expression changed slightly in some confusion. A bloated feeling was coming from his forehead. The swastika there appeared without his volition.
Then, the swastika sucked in all of the burning scriptures. Immediately, the words of countless esteemed monks appeared in Xiao Chen's mind.
There were too many scriptures, a boundless mess. They sounded like buzzing; he could not understand anything.
This startled Xiao Chen. He knew that this was a coincidental fortuitous encounter, a great piece of fortune.
These scriptures contained the realizations of countless esteemed monks in this Heart Cultivating Hall. However, there were too many in no particular order. It was impossible to obtain them all. He could only take one and use it for his own.
Xiao Chen quickly sat down cross-legged. As he held the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls, he started to ponder on the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique's Resolving the Mundane.
Slowly, only one set remained of the mess of words. Only one set contained enlightenment related to Resolving the Mundane.
Four hours later, all of this realization condensed into a few words: resolve the mundane and gain eternity!
This happened to correspond with Xiao Chen's earlier enlightenment. If the glory of the past could not become eternal no matter how glorious it was, what exactly should one pursue in life?
Such an obsession was due to the one being worldly-minded. He realized that if one could not look past the mundane, everything was just an illusion.
While one was in the mundane world, one sought to transcend. Once the mundane was resolved, it turned eternal!
In that instant, Xiao Chen comprehended the true meaning of the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique's Resolving the Mundane. It left its mark in the depths of his soul, unforgettable.
"Whoosh!"
When Xiao Chen opened his eyes again, he felt a cold sweat covering his entire body. This was too scary.
This move produced an even stronger pressure than Breaking the Mundane. Resolving the mundane, could one truly resolve the mundane?
Xiao Chen, who just returned to reality after transcending, felt frightened by the true meaning of this saber move, breaking out again in a cold sweat.
If I resolve the mundane, will I still be me?
The esteemed monk who created this Saber Technique was simply too terrifying. No wonder the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique was relegated to a forbidden art in the Hidden Spirit Temple, disliked by the orthodox.
The words "abstinence violation" were very bold, making one feel uncomfortable all over.
Breaking the abstinence could mean going on a killing spree. If one were not careful, one would turn into a demon.
Although Xiao Chen had all sorts of concerns, the might of the Saber Technique went without a doubt. It was very compatible with his Saber Dao, absolutely his strongest move.
After he stood up, he was in no hurry to leave. He remained in this Heart Cultivating Hall and started practicing Breaking the Mundane.
---
In the distance, the young cat-eared girl's gaze landed on the gates of the Wisdom Hall.
Wang Ce had a cocky expression as he walked out alone. The young cat-eared girl revealed mockery on her lips.
A short while earlier, Wang Ce's three companions wanted to work together to kill him. Who knew, Wang Ce made the first move and killed them all. Now, he monopolized their gains.
However, just as Wang Ce came out, he saw Zhen Xuan and Yan Feng leading the monks from the Potala Mountain's various temples. His expression immediately sank.
Zhen Xuan revealed a cold smile. "It looks like we do not need to take the test of the Wisdom Hall again."
Wang Ce turned to flee without saying a single word.
"Cripple him!"
Zhen Xuan pushed off the ground and blocked Wang Ce. The other Buddhist sect disciples surrounded Wang Ce without a word.
The result went without saying. No matter what trump cards Wang Ce had, he had no way to flee.
Just Zhen Xuan alone was enough to deal with Wang Ce. Furthermore, there were still Yan Feng and the other monks. At this moment, Wang Ce could not help feeling regret. If his companions were around, they could have worked together to use Unbendable Might. If so, they definitely could have fled.
Greed. Wang Ce and his junior brothers all died because of greed.
"Flap! Flap! Flap!"
A black bird flew to the young cat-eared girl's arm again. Then, her figure flashed as the temple doors opened, and she walked out of them.
When the young cat-eared girl saw the person who came, she noticed that the other party wore very clean-looking, white monk robes. This person had an extraordinary aura, clad in gentle Buddhist Might that inspired respect in others.
However, the young cat-eared girl vaguely sensed that something was not quite right.
Suddenly, her eyes shone with a thick light that made them look like black gemstones. She peered through the white-clad monk's clothes at his bones, which were crystalline and transparent, giving off a Buddhist light and appearing faintly spiritual.
The young cat-eared girl continued peering deeper. The more she looked, the more startled she became. This was a perfect Buddhist sect holy body.
Just as the young cat-eared girl was about to withdraw her gaze, she saw a black heart. It was terrifyingly black. After just one look, she immediately averted her eyes, her expression changing drastically.
"Have you taken a good look at my heart?" the white-clad monk asked the young cat-eared girl as he smiled faintly.
This was the Black Lotus Church's Holy Son, Ming Xuan!
The young cat-eared girl could not reply. The Holy Son Ming Xuan had used one hand to grab her neck and lift her.
This time, the young cat-eared girl failed to dodge, unlike with Zhen Xuan.