A Mystery Within Five Villages Temple as the Deal Approached

The next morning, all the bloodstains had been wiped away.

Even the shattered pavement and lobby have been restored.

No one could have guessed the dramatic turn of events that happened last night.

My phone kept vibrating. I glanced at it and saw it was a group chat Zhu Xiaoming had created. The three of them were chatting idly, discussing news from Jiangzhou City.

Zhang Fusheng glanced at it and said that last night, the Public Security Bureau raided a hospital in the Eighth District.

As a result, over a hundred security guards died, and the area is now cordoned off, supposedly because the hospital was conducting some kind of biochemical research, which was leaked due to the raid.

Did my report work?

Zhang Fusheng raised an eyebrow; a biochemical leak.

'Ring ring!'

Answer the phone.

"Hey, Dad, it's me. I'm fine, and Uncle and the others are fine too."

"If I'm going back to Jiangzhou, I should be planning to go back in the next couple of days. Yes, I know. I'll call Uncle Yu when I get back."

I listened to my dad nag for a while longer before hanging up the phone.

After having breakfast, I greeted my uncle's family.

When he returned to the room, Shi Zhengyuan was still standing there.

"Living Buddha."

Shi Zhengyuan turned his head, his face full of compassion.

Zhang Fusheng remained unfazed:

"Does this mean I've survived a difficult ordeal?"

"I don't know."

Shi Zhengyuan shook his head:

"But when you regain the wisdom and body of the Buddha, it signifies that the Nine Tribulations have been overcome."

Zhang Fusheng gave a forced smile.

The old man asked:

Are you leaving Longzhou City?

"In the next couple of days."

"If you have any questions before you leave, please feel free to ask me."

Shi Zhengyuan said peacefully:

"I cannot leave Longzhou City for an extended period, therefore I cannot leave with you."

Zhang Fusheng crossed his legs and pondered for a moment:

"There is something I'd like to ask you. The other day I encountered a cult member."

He briefly recounted Huang Zhongxiao's story, then asked:

"What exactly is the Talismans that Huang Zhongxiao used? And who is the revered deity he chanted?"

Shi Zhengyuan's expression became slightly serious:

"The so-called Talismans is actually a medium, a medium to borrow power from a powerful being. Since he is chanting 'Venerable One,' then he is borrowing power from a Daoism elder."

"Daoism elder?" Zhang Fusheng asked sincerely, "Is he really able to extend his Spiritual Power so far? What level is that?"

Shi Zhengyuan shook his head:

"It has little to do with realm. In extreme cases, even Great Grandmaster like myself can do this, provided that the Different Dimension scenario being anchored in requires corresponding special abilities."

Zhang Fusheng pressed further:

"Oh? Zhengyuan, please tell me more."

Shi Zhengyuan patiently explained:

"Different Dimension scenes of sufficient rank generally possess all sorts of incredible abilities. For example, before the decline of my Lingshan lineage, an ancestor once anchored himself in a bamboo forest at sea."

"This bamboo grove seems to be the sacred site of a great Bodhisattva. Through this sacred site, that ancestor can also lend his power to many lesser followers, and even allow people from different places across the world to meet in the bamboo grove."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fusheng's eyes suddenly lit up:

"What exactly is the reason for this?"

"Have no idea."

Shi Zhengyuan shook his head:

"We speculate that this is because the Different Dimension scene it's anchoring in is of a sufficiently high level, and having served as a place for preaching and expounding the Dharma, it possesses this characteristic."

Zhang Fusheng asked:

"What about my Five Villages Temple?"

"If the Five Villages Temple is of a high enough status, then it is certainly acceptable," Shi Zhengyuan replied.

Zhang Fusheng seemed to be deep in thought. If this were the case, wouldn't it be possible for the Gaotian Association to meet with each other through the Five Villages Temple as its membership increased?

His eyes flickered slightly, but Five Villages Temple belonged to Zhang Fusheng and absolutely could not appear in the divine realm of Zhong Shan.

I can only hope that the Six Ding Divine Fire will give me a pleasant surprise.

He also sought further instruction from Shi Zhengyuan on matters related to spiritual practice, and after watching him depart,

Zhang Fusheng rushed to the 'special hospital' where Chen Nuanyu's mother was located almost without stopping.

This is one of the most renowned hospitals in the many small cities of the Golden Province.

Once outside the hospital, a quick glance revealed Chen Nuanyu's location: in a special care ward, beside a middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman was in very poor condition, resembling a withered tree—literally a withered tree.

Both legs were completely woody, and the kind of wood that's rotten.

Zhang Fusheng paused slightly in his steps.

If I were to transform into Zhong Shan right now, there wouldn't be any problem, but I'm afraid that Shi Zhengyuan might suddenly sweep in with his Mental Intent again.

At that time, Zhang Fusheng vanished into thin air.

"Spiritual Power can be extended through some kind of medium, and the status of Five Villages Temple is definitely high enough."

"Then, could I, like the predecessors mentioned by Shi Zhengyuan, and the venerable ones communicated through Huang Zhongxiao 'Talismans, contact Chen Nuanyu from afar through some medium and thus complete the transaction?"

He made up his mind and, instead of going to the hospital, returned to the Ping'an Hotel without hesitation.

Sure enough, on the way back alone, Zhang Fusheng noticed the thought sweeping over him two or three times.

Shi Zhengyuan cares a lot about himself.

That's true, he's Living Buddha.

But this old guy went back to First District, which is a long distance away. How did he manage to scan this area with his thoughts?

Because of the Buddhist kingdom?

Zhang Fusheng didn't know what the Buddhist Kingdom was, but since Shi Zhengyuan could rely on the wonders of the Buddhist Kingdom...

He 'converted' the lingering souls of all those who died in Longzhou City into his own divine realm.

He had reason to believe that Shi Zhengyuan's divine sense, through the wonders of the Buddhist realm, could briefly envelop the entire Longzhou City when necessary.

Zhong Shan cannot appear in Longzhou City.

Carrying four pounds of Star Beast Meat, Zhang Fusheng returned to the hotel, went straight to the top floor, lay down on the bed, and let his thoughts sink into a state of deep meditation.

He visited the Five Villages Temple again.

Ancient pines, some thousands of years old, form the mountain gate. Inside the Daoist temple, there is one main hall, two courtyards, and eighty-one rooms, all quiet and peaceful.

Since Shi Zhengyuan this time, Zhang Fusheng didn't need to suppress his divine realm to the 'Minor Perfection' level.

Therefore, this is not an illusory divine realm, but True Spiritual Realm.

Of course, the Five Villages Temple is still fake, merely a projection from Different Dimension. According to Shi Zhengyuan, it's not difficult to transform what one imagines in the divine realm into reality.

However, to make something from Different Dimension appear real requires an extremely high level of cultivation.

Upon entering, a quick glance around revealed that most of the eighty-one rooms were cluttered, with clothes and other items hanging in some rooms.

It's as if people lived here not long ago.

Entering the main hall of Five Villages Temple,

Zhang Fusheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Something's not right.

Inside the main hall, a shrine enshrines the tablets of Heaven and Earth, and in front of the shrine, a slightly concave, bright yellow prayer cushion holds a burning incense stick.

Wisps of smoke curled upwards.

Last time, the incense burner was empty.

A Daoist scripture also appeared in front of the bright yellow prayer mat.

Zhang Fusheng swallowed hard, stepped forward, and carefully examined the Daoist scripture. There were no words on the cover. He tried to open it, but no matter what he did, he couldn't. Each page of the scripture seemed as heavy as a mountain.

Apart from the Daoist scriptures, the shrine itself could not be moved, but the rest of the items could be arranged as one pleased.

He was somewhat disappointed, and then stared intently at the burning incense for one minute, two minutes, three minutes.

A full half hour passed, and the incense was still burning, not even a little less, seemingly frozen in time, yet still emitting wisps of smoke.

He suddenly had a guess, and the thought left the divine realm. Three seconds later, he entered again and came to Five Villages Temple once more.

As expected.

The incense had burned out, and the indentation of the bright yellow prayer mat had also disappeared.

Even some of the clothes and furniture in those eighty-one rooms had been moved.

Zhang Fusheng's heart pounded, and he murmured to himself:

"So, every time I open the Divine Realm, I'm essentially re-anchoring to the Five Villages Temple in Different Dimension, and 'reacquiring' the scene there?"

"And in the Five Villages Temple of Different Dimension, there are actually people living there?"

He was terrified, repeatedly exiting and re-entering the divine realm.

With each entry and exit, things within the Five Villages Temple undergo subtle changes.

"Once the divine realm is activated, everything within the Five Villages Temple will no longer change, indicating that it is not synchronized in real time with the Different Dimension."

"Only by closing the Divine Realm and then reopening it can the Five Villages Temple regain its new state?"

Zhang Fusheng muttered to himself, closed the Divine Realm once more, waited a moment, and then reopened it.

The position of the bucket changed, tea leaves appeared in the teacup, and the Daoist scripture was turned over.

"Just as I thought. Oh well, let's figure out how to borrow Five Villages Temple first. Wait a minute...?"

Um?

The Daoist scripture has been opened.