Temple

In Li Huowang's memory, most temples were built on mountains, and temples built in cities were relatively rare.

However, that wasn't what he cared about. What he cared about more was the name of the temple the pilgrim had just mentioned, "Zhengde Temple?"

Li Huowang immediately recalled what Zheng Kun had said to Danyangzi before his death. It seemed that they had been hunted down by the monks of this Zhengde Temple.

His heart began to beat faster. He had found the right place. After experiencing so many things along the way, he had finally arrived.

Just then, as he rounded a corner, a wide-open space appeared before him.

Clean and tidy stone slabs paved the way to the wide steps, and at the end of these hundreds of steps, a solemn temple with swirling incense and vermilion walls came into view.

On the black plaque above the tall temple gate, three large characters were written in vermilion: Zhengde Temple.

The couplet on the sides read: "Cultivating virtue plants the cause, the Dharmakaya is perfect and wonderful," and "Clear water reflects the moon, the jade canopy is dignified."

Under the flourishing incense, the entire temple was shrouded in white smoke, making it look extremely ethereal.

"Little Daoist priest, I won't accompany you in. Please go ahead. By the way, West Capital City has a curfew at night, unlike Jianye. Remember to come back before dark."

Li Huowang took a deep breath and walked towards the crowded steps.

Following the pilgrims, he entered the temple, and several large halls stood before him.

At this moment, Li Huowang stood there like a reef in the tide of people, looking at everything around him.

He had found the temple, but the next question stumped him: how should he contact the monks of this temple?

Should he directly say that he was a disciple of Danyangzi? He would probably be slapped to death.

Before Li Huowang could come up with a solution, a monk from Zhengde Temple approached him. After all, even in the crowded crowd, Li Huowang's Daoist Robe was too eye-catching.

As soon as the other party spoke, the pure Buddhist flavor was incomparable to that of the old monk before. "Amitabha, this humble monk is Jian Dun."

Seeing the plump monk in front of him put his hands together, Li Huowang immediately returned the greeting. "Master, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Xuan Yang."

"As a disciple of the Xuan Sect, benefactor, you probably didn't come to this temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, right? This way, please."

Looking at the bustling crowd around him, Li Huowang nodded and followed him towards the side door.

Looking at the shaved scars on the head of the monk in front of him, Li Huowang began to ponder what to say next.

The two of them shuttled through the majestic temple, and the noise of the crowd at the entrance gradually faded away. Finally, they stopped in front of a set of stone tables and stools under a golden ginkgo tree.

"Benefactor, please." The monk Jian Dun sat down, turning a string of prayer beads slowly in his hands.

He didn't ask Li Huowang which sect he belonged to, nor did he ask anything else, perfectly displaying the purity and desirelessness of a Buddhist disciple.

Li Huowang thought for a while, then looked at the monk in front of him. "Danyangzi is dead."

With a "clatter," the yellow-brown prayer beads scattered everywhere.

Seeing the fat monk in front of him stand up, Li Huowang nodded secretly.

There was no mistake, the monks here had indeed been in contact with Danyangzi.

"That old Daoist priest is really dead? This matter is of great importance, please tell me everything in detail."

Since he wanted to know the answer, he naturally had to tell the other party enough information.

Besides concealing the fact that he had taken the so-called Heavenly Book, Li Huowang told the monk before him everything that had happened at Qingfeng Temple.

"Great Master, could Danyangzi really become an immortal under those circumstances?"

As he said this, Li Huowang leaned forward slightly, his expression grave as he continued, "Or perhaps, did he become something else?"

A gust of wind blew, causing the golden leaves of the nearby ginkgo tree to rustle.

"Does the Benefactor truly hear Danyangzi speaking in your ear?" Jian Dun, his expression equally solemn, confirmed again.

"Yes, it's absolutely true, and there's also the abnormality of that God of Joy."

Recalling the scene at the time, a hint of agitation appeared in Li Huowang's eyes.

"That God of Joy, who couldn't be looked at directly, was about to crawl out of the darkness and eat me, but his body, hidden in the darkness, seemed to be pulled by something."

"Although there's no reason for it, I have a guess in my heart that the one pulling the God of Joy in the darkness was Danyangzi, Danyangzi after becoming an immortal."

Jian Dun thought for a moment with a solemn expression, then stood up. "Benefactor, please wait a moment, this matter is of great importance."

Having said that, Jian Dun put his palms together towards Li Huowang, turned around, and left in a hurry.

Although the other party didn't say anything, his attitude had already conveyed some information.

Li Huowang raised his head and looked at the clouds in the sky. "As expected, Danyangzi's matter won't end so easily."

Jian Dun returned faster than Li Huowang had expected. At most, half an incense stick's time had passed before he hurried back, holding a new string of prayer beads in his hand.

"Benefactor Xuan Yang, this way please, the Abbot wants to see you in person."

Zhengde Temple was very large. Li Huowang passed through the temples for a long time before finally arriving in front of a magnificent hall.

Through the eight-panel doors of the hall, Li Huowang saw five enormous, majestic golden Buddhas inside, each over ten zhang tall, sitting cross-legged in different postures.

On a prayer mat in front of the five golden Buddhas sat a figure in a kasaya, his back to them, wearing a five-Buddha hat similar to that of Tang Sanzang.

As Li Huowang walked in, he heard the monk's chanting. Because the hall was spacious enough, the chanting even produced an ethereal echo.

Under the gaze of the five enormous golden Buddhas, Li Huowang couldn't help but slow his pace.

The chanting stopped, and the monk sitting cross-legged on the prayer mat slowly turned around.

When Li Huowang saw the monk's appearance, he was taken aback.

It was an old abbot with white eyebrows and beard. What was surprising was not his unusually kind appearance, but his eyes.

They were pink eyes. Having spent so much time together, Li Huowang could recognize at a glance that he, like Bai Lingmiao, suffered from albinism.

"Amitabha, this old monk Xin Hui greets you." Abbot Xin Hui put his palms together, his tone calm.

"Xuan Yang greets the Abbot." Li Huowang returned the greeting and sat down facing him.

"Abbot, about Danyangzi—"

Li Huowang's words were only halfway out when he was stopped by the other party raising his hand.

"Benefactor Xuan Yang, do you recognize the five Buddhas in this hall?"

Seeing Li Huowang shake his head, Xin Hui stroked his long white beard as he explained, "In the center is Vairochana of the Vajra World, to the east is Akshobhya Buddha of the Fragrant Accumulation World, to the south is Ratnasambhava Buddha of the Joyful World, to the west is Amitabha Buddha of the Western Pure Land, and to the north is Amoghasiddhi Buddha of the Lotus World. Together, they are known as the Five Wisdom Tathagatas."

Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a little anxious. What did the monk mean by telling him all this irrelevant stuff?

"Abbot, let's talk about this some other time. May I ask, what exactly has Danyangzi become now?"

Xin Hui put his hands together and looked at Li Huowang calmly again. "He has become a Buddha."

There will be an extra chapter later tonight, please wait.