NOVEL NEXT Chapter 138
Several days later, Jiang Chen and his companions arrived within the territory of the Buddha Temple.
In front of the group stood a majestic Buddhist hall with red walls and grey tiles, basking in the sun’s radiant glow.
This was one of the forty-eight Guidance Halls of the Buddha Temple, specifically set up to guide cultivators.
Guiding, in practice, meant categorizing the cultivators who came to the Buddha Temple and facilitating their scripture recitation and management.
If a cultivator came to join the Buddha Temple, they would be taken to the main temple by the Guidance Hall.
Others would receive a Buddha amulet and be assigned to one of the subordinate temples to recite scriptures until they were deemed qualified to move freely.
The influence of the Buddha Temple was vast, and the forty-eight Guidance Halls could not cover the entire perimeter.
As a result, there were always cultivators trying to bypass the Guidance Halls and enter the territory of the Buddha Temple directly.
Little did they know that the Buddha Temple had two major formations.
One was the Great Defense Formation of the Buddha Temple, which would only be activated during a sect war.The other was the Salvation Formation. Using incense as a medium, the Buddha Temple and its countless subordinate temples were tightly interconnected, forming a Salvation Formation that could cover the entire territory of the Buddha Temple.
Without a Buddha amulet, any foreign cultivator below the Upper Four Realms who entered would be instantly enlightened by the descending Buddhist law.
According to those bald monks of the Buddha Temple, this was to confess one’s sins before the Buddha.
Jiang Chen shook his head, thinking that the cultivators who had tried to bypass the Guidance Hall were quite ‘talented’.
The Buddha Temple had a rule that all cultivators entering its domain must recite scriptures, so how could they allow anyone to exploit a simple loophole?
Anyone with a brain wouldn’t think like that.
Even Xiaobai, this foolish tiger, surely wouldn’t be so foolish!
“Eldest Senior Brother, this Buddha Temple is really stupid. Can’t we just bypass this Guidance Hall and directly enter the Buddha Temple to avoid the need to recite scriptures?” Xiaobai’s eyes lit up, thinking it was very clever move.
Jiang Chen was speechless.
Taking a deep breath, he looked straight at Xiaobai and said earnestly, “Xiaobai, I must admit my mistake frankly. I truly underestimated you!”
“Ah, well, I’m not that amazing. I’m still a bit inferior compared to you, Eldest Senior Brother… Ah!!”
Before Xiaobai could finish speaking, he received a kick from Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen did not want to waste time with this foolish tiger, so he quickly led the others into the Guidance Hall.
In fact, he could bypass the Guidance Hall with his trump cards alone. But for Xiaobai and the others, there was only one path left—to meet the Buddha.
Moreover, his goal this time was to first find Lin Feng.
If Lin Feng had entered the Six Prisons, he would also need to go there. And the cultivators who trespassed into the Buddha Temple only had one path—enlightenment.
Even if they had avoided the Salvation Formation, they would have faced endless pursuit and had no right to enter the Six Prisons for ‘reformation’.
Even in the original story, although Lin Feng was reluctant to recite scriptures, he only caused a big stir after receiving a Buddha amulet from this Guidance Hall.
Upon entering the hall, Jiang Chen immediately frowned.
As far as he knew, the Buddha Temple was always bustling with cultivators, and this Guidance Hall should be crowded.
But now… aside from a few young monks sweeping the floor, there were hardly any other foreign cultivators.
Then, a fat, shiny-headed monk with his robes open revealing a greasy belly approached from a distance.
After sizing up Jiang Chen and his companions, the monk seemed to recognize at a glance that Jiang Chen was the “leader” and squinted his eyes to ask,
“May I ask, donor, what brings you to the Buddha Temple?”
“Defying the heavens!”
Xiaobai answered first, with a resounding voice and a pair of tiger eyes full of sparkles.
Hearing this, the monk shuddered in fright.
But soon, he leaned close to Jiang Chen and whispered, “Donor, is your beast pet a bit simple-minded?”
“High monk, your insight is as bright as a lamp!” Jiang Chen praised.
“Modesty, modesty,” the monk waved his hand, quickly downplaying the praise.
“I don’t deserve the title of a high monk. My Dharma name is ‘Hui Xing,’ one of the forty-eight elders of the Buddha Temple’s Guidance Hall, studying the Dharma for just over a hundred years, deeply trusted by our temple, I do have some insight.”
Is this modesty? More like boasting…
Jiang Chen immediately rolled his eyes.
Indeed, even those bald monks who preach ‘all is emptiness’ still like to gild themselves.
Especially that Buddha covered in gold!
‘Perhaps this is what they call, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked’? Jiang Chen thought to himself.
“Monk Hui Xing, may I ask why there are no foreign cultivators in this Guidance Hall?” he inquired.
Monk?
This title made Hui Xing frown immediately.
He had just been modest, and his title had changed from “high monk” to “monk”?
It should be known that all monks can be addressed as monks, but very few can be called high monks!
Although annoyed, he couldn’t say it outright, and his tone became lukewarm, “Recently, two foreign cultivators have been wreaking havoc within the Buddha Temple. One drove three preaching monks mad, and the other, unwilling to recite scriptures, caused disturbances everywhere. Soon, the Buddha’s disciples will personally capture them.”
Jiang Chen immediately understood.
The one causing disturbances must be Lin Feng! But as for the other person, he had no idea.
After all, whether in the original story or through the nine cycles of reincarnation, since Mu Kui never experienced dreams that were forgotten at a glance, he never sought clarification from a preaching monk and, naturally, did not drive several people mad.
“Hu Xing, what does this have to do with the decrease in cultivators in the Guidance Hall?” Jiang Chen asked again.
Upon this question, Hui Xing’s smile faded once more.
Now, he was being called by his Dharma name, without even the respectful title of “monk”!
Hui Xing wanted to leave directly, but he could tell that Jiang Chen and his companions were not ordinary, especially that foolish tiger, which clearly was a great demon capable of human speech, must have an ancient bloodline.
They say that the Buddha sees all beings as equal, but he was not yet a Buddha and naturally couldn’t reach such a state.
After a moment of contemplation, Hui Xing answered, “Those two are from the Jiuyan Sect! And our temple received news that the Ninth Peak Eldest Senior Brother of the Jiuyan Sect, the sole son of the Jiang family from the Upper Domain, Jiang Chen, is on his way to the Buddha Temple! Our temple’s Buddha has said that this Jiang Chen is a calamity. Wherever he goes, evil spreads, therefore the temple is temporarily closed to keep him out.”
After speaking, he sized up Jiang Chen again and asked, “May I ask the donor’s name is…”
“Zhang Hu.” Jiang Chen replied instantly.
His real name naturally couldn’t be revealed. Otherwise, even if he could enter the Buddha Temple, he would be driven away by those bald monks, and then he wouldn’t be able to disrupt Lin Feng’s opportunity.
This Hui Xing didn’t seem to have a strong dislike for him, presumably because he was inwardly despicable.
As expected, Hui Xing didn’t doubt him and nodded, “Donor Zhang, please return. As I have said, the Buddha Temple is temporarily closed. We do not accept other unrelated persons except for fellow practitioners and those who wish to become disciples of the Buddha Temple.”
“Amitabha, I have three Dharma names. The first is ‘Song Zang (Funeral Procession)’, the second is ‘Ban Zang (Half Burial)’, and the third is ‘Quan Zang (Complete Burial)’!”
Jiang Chen brought his palms together, the Buddha Stupa Sutra circulating within him, his voice like the sound of Buddha, “The three names combined are simply called ‘San Zang (Triple Burial)’!”
(TLN: Buddha Stupa Sutra is a reward from the system)
These words instantly confused Hui Xing! An old monk?
He looked at Jiang Chen’s black hair on top of his head and estimated Jiang Chen’s age. He didn’t seem like an old monk! And three Dharma names? Combined into ‘San Zang’?
Isn’t that nonsense?
But… Hui Xing rubbed his eyes and cleaned his ears!
Although these words seemed nonsensical, why?
Why did the person in front of him resemble the six Buddha sons of the Buddha Temple, not only with a voice like Buddha’s but also bathed in Buddha’s light, clearly someone deeply versed in Buddhist teachings?!
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