The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 206 - 148 Xiangji Temple_2

Chapter 206: Chapter 148 Xiangji Temple_2

"Maitreya Sect is rebelling, this place is also unknown to others, one can imagine how deep their thoughts are..."

Luo Faqing was startled and pondered, "You’re right, could it truly be a secret spy from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect? But why would they use such evil techniques?"

Behind them, Lu Gongyuan was bound in chains, stumbling along as he walked. Hearing the two men’s conversation, he merely lowered his head, staying silent.

Li Yan, however, wouldn’t let him off and turned to inquire, "You’ve escaped calamity once, yet you don’t think of finding a place to retire peacefully. Instead, you insistently follow this Zhao Changsheng. What are his capabilities?"

Lu Gongyuan fell silent for a moment before responding, "The Vice Sect Hierarch is the true descent of Maitreya, who has made us behold Buddha Country in our dreams."

"Maitreya’s descent?"

Wang Daoxuan said coldly, "During the Tang Dynasty, the virtuous monk ShanDao practiced for his own and others’ benefits, kept his faith, and accumulated good deeds; he was the Buddha on earth."

"All these deeds you’ve done, yet you still foolishly desire rebirth in the Pure Land, utterly laughable."

Lu Gongyuan dared not retort, but stubbornly said, "The Vice Sect Hierarch has the appearance of Buddha. If you’re fortunate enough to meet him one day, you won’t speak like this."

"Buddha-like or demon-like appearance doesn’t matter."

Li Yan spoke gravely, "Where does that man come from? Why did my father want to investigate him?"

Lu Gongyuan bowed his head, "I’m not sure myself, I just reported as it was. Afterwards, Incense Master Luan took over this matter. As for the reasons, I dared not ask too much."

Li Yan thoughtfully asked, "Where is Luan Hong’er hiding now?"

Lu Gongyuan shook his head, "I’m not sure, I only know that Incense Master Luan accompanies the Sect Leader on travels across the Divine State, their whereabouts unpredictable."

"The last time I saw her was six years ago. She entered the temple by night, spoke a few words with Monk Hui Qing, and then left swiftly..."

Beside him, Luo Faqing, having learned of Li Yan’s identity as a living Yin messenger, also changed his attitude for the better and said solemnly, "Regarding Luan Hong’er, I do know some information."

"She is one of the Incense Masters of the Maitreya Sect, known by the nickname ’Red Lady.’ Initially, she was a ’Golden Swallow’ who collected intelligence. Later, after being abandoned by a man, her nature changed drastically, and she joined the Maitreya Sect."

"She likes wearing a red bridal dress at night, haunting like a fierce ghost. When encountering a lone man, she lures him into deserted temples in the wilderness to consummate the marriage, then kills him."

"For a time, tales of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost of Chang’an caused an uproar, not until the Maitreya Sect rose in rebellion did people discover it was her doing..."

Li Yan’s forehead inexplicably broke out in cold sweat, "The one who abandoned her, it wasn’t my dad, was it?"

"Of course not." Luo Faqing looked somewhat astonished and shook his head, "The one who abandoned her, it’s rumored to be the eldest son of a significant figure in the court."

"The last she appeared was in Jiangnan, fighting over a Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure, killing many, and her Dao has reached the fourth level."

Li Yan relaxed, his curiosity growing.

His father often said, as people in the pugilistic world, don’t meddle in idle affairs. There must be a hidden story behind the secret investigation of Zhao Changsheng...

...

Xiangji Temple, a renowned temple in Guanzhong, is the Ancestor Court of the Lotus Sect.

Its name comes from the "Vimalakirti Sutra," stating "In Tianzhu, there is a country where many fragrances converge, and the Buddha there is known as ’Fragrance Accumulation.’" Built during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Gaozong once entered the temple to pay homage to the Buddha, donating over a thousand relics and treasures adorned with precious fabrics, contributing to the flourishing incense.

However, the Battle at Xiangji Temple and the suppression of Buddhism during the Huichang era nearly reduced this place to ruins.

During the Song era, the Lotus Sect revived, and the temple was rebuilt, but it was destroyed again in the fires of war after the Golden Tent Wolf Country invaded.

Because of the Maitreya Sect incident, Great Xuan also became quite wary of the Lotus Sect. Thus, today’s Xiangji Temple has fewer than fifty monks who farm their land and practice Buddhism behind closed doors. The temple has been barely maintained through donations from the faithful.

Amidst the vast snowfall, the ancient monastery and broken pagoda seemed utterly desolate.

Li Yan had not yet approached when his Hook Paper suddenly caused him pain, followed by a vision: on the Lotus Throne, the light around the Buddha was dim, and his eyes were covered by a grass rope and a White Talisman.

"Hmph, even Buddha has his eyes covered, no wonder evil abounds beneath his feet!"

Li Yan let out a cold snort, unfazed.

Probably, that Japanese monk had tampered with Xiangji Temple to secretly nurture vile creatures.

Yet the searing pain from the Hook Paper did not subside.

Mist rose around him, becoming hazy.

Was he being summoned for a task?

By now, Li Yan had grown accustomed and ran forward swiftly, soon seeing the ancient well where missions from the Yin Bureau were released.

He pressed down on the well’s edge, and the water inside immediately began to swirl.

A vision appeared before his eyes: an ancient monastery, straw mat tatami, sliding doors, and an old small tea table...

A monk lay on the ground, with scrolls scattered and smeared with bloody handprints, surrounded by darkness swirling, and a shadowy figure that seemed to attach itself to the monk.

And that figure, dressed in white hunting clothes and a black high hat, obviously donned as an Onmyoji, was covered in filth and wrapped in chains.

As it clung to the monk, all the chains around it snapped...

Could this be... a Rejuvenator!?

Li Yan was slightly taken aback.

According to the "Yin Law" given by the elderly woman of Tianzhu Mountain, Rejuvenators were also considered yin criminals; they typically couldn’t remember the affairs of the Yin Bureau, but no matter the reason, they interfered with the Yin Yang order.

Still, did he have jurisdiction over a foreign ghost...

Li Yan stopped trying to understand as the surrounding scenery instantly returned to normal.

"What happened?"

Ahead, Luo Faqing had just turned around to ask.

And next to him, Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei had only just turned their heads.

Li Yan immediately realized that the speed of "communication with God" had increased again.

It seemed that the more he used the Hook Paper, the more fluent it became.

"Nothing."

Li Yan shook his head and immediately pinched his fingers to cast a spell, activating his Divine Skills.

There might be obstacles set up inside by the divine Buddhas, inevitably covering their eyes.

However, he quickly changed his expression, "Trouble! Hurry!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately quickened their pace.

At this moment, the temple gates were tightly closed.

Li Yan took a sprinting step forward, and as soon as he landed, a clang sounded; his long sword unsheathed and slashed along the crevice of the door.

He used Hidden Energy, and the force was astonishing.

Crack!

The thick door bolt behind them broke at the sound.

Sha Lifei immediately followed up with a kick, smashing open the gate.

They saw two monks lying prone in the snow near the entrance, both seemingly very young, with black and ferocious faces, spitting black blood, already breathless.

"They died from poisoning!"

The group quickly made their judgment.

Luo Faqing let out a cold snort, "A demon is a demon; even daily Buddhist devotions can’t change its nature."

Saying so, he leaped toward the rear courtyard.

A thought struck Li Yan, and he pulled Sha Lifei’s ear to whisper a few words.

Sha Lifei immediately understood, tied Lu Gongyuan, who had his leg tendons cut, to a pillar, then grabbed Wang Daoxuan and ran towards the main hall.

Seeing Luo Faqing’s confusion, Li Yan said in a deep voice, "We’ll go first; they’re going to destroy the opponent’s Array."

He’d been constantly using Yang Jue and could smell that there were no people inside the main hall, but there were some straw ropes emitting a strange Evil Qi.

They were most likely set up by the opponent, and whether they were useful or not, it was best to destroy them first. The gods and Buddhas in the temple were also a form of Divine Astral, formed by the convergence of incense and wishes, which could at least suppress evil spirits.

Although Luo Faqing was curious how he knew this, he didn’t ask further.

The two of them sprinted all the way, continuously encountering the corpses of monks along the path, all with black faces, dead from poisoning.

"Hmph!"

Luo Faqing said coldly, "I heard that the Lotus Sect was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and was highly esteemed there. Hui Qing may be from the same sect, but he sheltered them and even made them the abbot, no different than inviting wolves into the house."

Li Yan nodded but said nothing.

Remembering the illusion he’d just experienced, he knew the situation was probably not that simple...

The current Xiangji Temple was quite run down, much smaller in size, and it didn’t take long for the two of them to reach the rear yard’s woodshed.

Whoosh!

Before they even got close, an arrow shot out from the window.

It was several remnants of the Maitreya Sect, using the walls of the woodshed for cover, shooting arrows through the gaps in the windows.

These people wore monk’s robes and were not young, with calm and indifferent eyes, but their attacks were exceptionally vicious.

Li Yan, naturally, was well aware of this, and without slowing his pace with Luo Faqing, he deflected the incoming arrows with his sword.

These people were probably quite skilled in their youth, but now that they were old and frail, their responses clearly couldn’t keep up.

Luo Faqing feigned an assault from the main door, while Li Yan seized the opportunity to burst through the window. They coordinated well: in an instant, sword and blade lights flickered, splattering blood, and in a few moves, all these people were dealt with.

In such an urgent matter, they weren’t about to hold back.

Now, the woodpile in the woodshed had been pushed aside, revealing a hole in the ground covered with wooden boards.

Li Yan sniffed, "It’s not small inside; I’ll lure the enemy, and you summon the Ghost Gods to attack."

Underground with no light, naturally, one could summon ghost gods.

Li Yan remembered the ferociousness of the ghost soldiers from Shang Mountain; that yin criminal had a mysterious identity, and with this method available, of course, he would use it.

Having said that, he leaped into the cavern...