Immortals and Buddhas at Your Side

In the early morning, Pufa Temple was bathed in the brilliant morning glow. Seen from afar, it was magnificent and awe-inspiring.

Under the backdrop of the slowly rising sun, the entire temple seemed to flow with golden light, covered in a soft radiance, sacred and solemn, inspiring reverence.

Wang Xuan also became solemn. Regardless of whether he had faith or not, he didn't want to be too casual in such a place, especially since he was here today to seek the rare Ascension Stone.

It was still very early, but there were already some people coming to offer incense. The temple had been thriving with incense for years and was a major Buddhist center.

Clang!

A large bell rang within Pufa Temple, deep and resonant, its sound traveling for dozens of miles. It could even be faintly heard in An City.

In this early morning, accompanied by the rising sun, the distant bell chime was exceptionally evocative, as if it could purify all worldly troubles, bringing peace to one's mind and detachment from the mundane world.

Wang Xuan stood in the distance, looking at the temple in the morning glow. He couldn't help but nod solemnly. Buddhism had endured through various dynasties without decline; there was indeed a reason for it.

The sound of the bell, the curling incense smoke, and the tiles glowing in the morning glow – just this solemn, sacred, and majestic atmosphere was enough to calm people.

"A thousand-year-old temple, truly lives up to its name!" he said earnestly. Today, he was here to seek the legacy of past sages, and his heart was filled with piety, hoping to find a rare artifact left by a great master.

It was still a bit early, so Wang Xuan wasn't in a hurry to go inside. Instead, he walked around the entire temple. It occupied a considerable area and exuded grandeur.

Outside the temple, there were many ancient trees, from thousand-year-old pines to hundred-year-old ginkgo trees. In the morning, wisps of white mist coiled around them, and when illuminated by the sun, they displayed faint, colorful radiance, making them appear even more extraordinary.

"There are mysterious factors!" Wang Xuan walked outside the temple, passing by these ancient trees, and immediately sensed a different aura.

His heart stirred with anticipation. There were many legends about this ancient temple with its rich historical heritage, all related to eminent monks.

It was said that over the past thousand years, two Flesh Body Bodhisattvas had appeared and were preserved, which was remarkable.

A Flesh Body Bodhisattva was an eminent monk or great master who practiced diligently and maintained a pure heart, fully displaying their potential, thus leaving behind an incorruptible physical body. They might have meditated until their death or sat in a vat, and their indestructible physical dharma form could be seen by later generations.

Wang Xuan had entered the Inner Scenery Realm and had pondered the remains of such eminent monks. He wanted to witness them firsthand or feel them up close to verify them one by one.

Furthermore, the number of eminent monks who left behind Sarira in Pufa Temple was even greater. Whether they were true Sarira or gallstones that could be explained by science, they were worth his approach and investigation.

In Wang Xuan's view, if there were true Sarira, they would be similar to Ascension Stones, condensing the mysterious substances brought from the Inner Scenery Realm by great masters.

After circling the temple, Wang Xuan felt it was a worthwhile trip. He had already sensed something unusual among the cluster of ancient trees outside, and he was eager to see what it would be like inside.

As the sun rose, more people entered the temple, but it wasn't crowded. Wang Xuan walked in slowly and glanced at the large bronze incense burner in the courtyard. The incense seemed to have never been extinguished, and the incense ash was so thick that it almost filled the burner.

He grinned. The incense ash that the two eminent monks Old Chen invited last time likely came from this bronze burner, mixed with water and sprinkled on him.

He walked over and offered an incense stick as a gesture of respect.

Generally, temple layouts were similar, starting with the mountain gate hall, followed by the Hall of Heavenly Kings, then the Great Hero Hall, then the Hall of Bodhisattvas, and finally the Dharma Hall and the Scripture Repository.

"Not simple. Is this being low-key and restrained?" Wang Xuan frowned, because since entering, he found it increasingly difficult to sense the presence of mysterious factors.

He looked up. The Great Hero Hall was very tall, with intricately carved beams and painted rafters inside, resplendent with gold and jade, truly magnificent. It housed the resplendent Three-Life Buddha.

However, it was quite strange. In such a sacred Buddhist site, he still couldn't sense any mysterious factors, which made him frown in confusion.

Wang Xuan could only sigh. The Buddhist methods were superb, and some secrets were likely beyond the understanding of an outsider like him. He could only search step by step, without haste, exploring Pufa Temple.

However, after walking through all the Buddhist halls and searching everywhere, he couldn't sense any mysterious factors at all. What was going on?

Wang Xuan began to suspect if there was truly a hidden world here, capable of isolating the overflow of mysterious substances. If that were the case, the Buddhist methods would be quite astonishing.

After all, this was no longer ancient times, but a new era of brilliant technological civilization. A temple that could inherit such secret methods might not be inferior to a Buddhist ancestral court.

"I really don't believe in evil. I refuse to believe I can't find any clues!"

Wang Xuan persevered, visiting every accessible area of the temple, but found absolutely nothing, not a single clue.

He was somewhat dumbfounded. Had his perception gone wrong? Was he being suppressed by some secret power in this thousand-year-old temple?

However, that wasn't the case. He carefully felt his own spirit was extremely vigorous. He could hear the chirping of birds in the dense forest far away.

For this reason, he even ran out specifically to return to the area with the ancient trees. Here, he did indeed detect a trace of mysterious substance.

"A thousand-year-old temple, a sacred Buddhist site, truly awe-inspiring!" Wang Xuan sighed, and re-entered the temple.

This time, he used his agility and nimbleness to go to some non-public areas, even venturing deep into the location of the pagoda, where the bones and Sarira of eminent monks were stored after their passing, usually buried in underground palaces beneath the pagoda.

In this area, he still found nothing, no sensation.

Wang Xuan was starting to get a headache. In this era, was Pufa Temple still unfathomably profound?

Later, he even went so far as to pry up two floor tiles, wanting to see if there was anything hidden beneath, but was disappointed again.

"Something is strange, there's a problem!" Wang Xuan mused, distracted, wandering aimlessly through the temple.

He had been meticulously investigating all day until the stars appeared in the sky before leaving, because he truly found nothing in the temple.

Wang Xuan was unwilling. He continued to wander around the outside of the temple, wanting to observe in the darkness. He wanted to find a high vantage point to overlook the thousand-year-old temple, hoping to discover some clues.

While walking outside, he sensed something unusual. When he reached a high point, he noticed that a distant pool of water was faintly emitting a trace of mysterious factor, which he perceived.

His heart trembled. Being able to detect the mysterious substance from a considerable distance was enough to indicate that it was extraordinary, and he might make a significant discovery.

Upon approaching, he confirmed that this area was indeed special. The pool was adjacent to a stone wall, and the mysterious factor was seeping from the stone wall, showing more mysterious signs than the thousand-year-old temple.

Wang Xuan carefully investigated this area but was slightly disappointed not to find any Ascension Stones. The mysterious factors were evenly distributed on the rock face, not concentrated enough.

He soon understood what was happening. In ancient times, eminent monks had meditated and faced the wall here for years, and the residual mysterious substances had seeped into the rock face.

Unfortunately, the quantity was not sufficient to form a rare artifact like an Ascension Stone.

Wang Xuan leaped up, rushing towards the stone wall and onto the top. He found a suitable spot to sit cross-legged, believing that ancient high monks must have sat in this very place in the past.

Then, he closed his eyes and silently circulated the Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners, attempting to find an opportunity here.

His senses became extremely sharp, detecting that the uniformly distributed mysterious factors within the stone wall were stirring and gathering towards him.

However, it was a pity that, as he had initially judged, the concentration of mysterious factors here was insufficient to form any wondrous objects.

But he didn't stop. He remained seated, circulating the Root Method to draw in this rare substance, as it was immensely beneficial for nourishing his body and spirit.

It was difficult to find such a thing in the current world.

After an unknown amount of time, the mysterious substance in the stone wall became thin, almost impossible to capture. Wang Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, preparing to get up.

However, a chill ran down his spine. He felt something unusual around him. As he absorbed the mysterious substance, it seemed something beyond imagination had attached itself.

In an instant, he stood up, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

"Could it be that not long after sending away a Celestial Immortal, I've fallen into a trap again and attracted another great Buddha?!" Wang Xuan's hair stood on end. His senses were even sharper now, as his strength had improved and his mental energy was more vigorous than ever.

If something went wrong again this time, he felt it necessary to re-examine the truth of Ascension. Perhaps Ascension had different interpretations, another possibility.

"They back then... didn't necessarily fail, and there's still a chance for them to reappear?!" Wang Xuan harbored a truly astonishing suspicion. The deeper he thought about it, the more shocked he became. He felt that the world held secrets unimaginable to ordinary people. If his suspicions were true, it would be earth-shattering.

He was very uneasy and quickly left the area, heading towards An City. He wanted to first confirm if there was indeed another senior beside him, an Immortal or Buddha in his vicinity!

Thanks to: Da Feng Chui A Chui Bu Wan, thank you for your support as an alliance leader.