Lotus Temple

Beside the Li River, within Mount Dapan.

A temple of gilded lacquer and jade masonry had risen there, incense drifting through the air as Buddhist chants murmured on.

An old monk sat before the hall, wearing a five-colored, gold-woven brocade kasaya embroidered with cliff patterns, auspicious clouds, and tranquil waters. His face was square, his nose narrow, and his eyes and brows lowered as he recited the sutras.

The ordinary people of Mount Dapan had all converted to the Buddhist Way. Some impoverished families sought children, suffered illness, or lacked money. They bowed their heads to the ground with every step from the mountainside until they reached the Great Hero Hall, where novices in plain yellow-brown robes received them.

Those seeking children sent their women to spend a night in the Child-Giving Cave behind the temple. Those suffering illness received a breath of Buddhist energy from an eminent monk, while those without money were granted a grain of gold.

Once their wishes were fulfilled, these people invoked the Buddha's name and prostrated themselves. Faint streams of incense and fire prayer power gathered around the old monk inside the temple.

As for those without the necessary affinity, who died on the pilgrimage and whose bones fed the mountain's tigers and wolves, Master Cihai said they, too, had accumulated virtue and would receive blessings in their next lives.

A warrior monk entered the temple, pressed his palms together, and first invoked the Buddha's name. Then he knelt and bowed low, speaking urgently:

"Abbot, Chen Weiyuan has ordered the mountain sealed and will no longer concern himself with affairs in the Plainlands. Zhu Yucheng has reached an agreement with him, granting every household forty years to achieve Foundation Establishment."

"Should we seize this opportunity to take control of the Great Scenery Plains?"

Cihai finally reacted. He rose and walked slowly out of the hall. He had already attained [Hearer] and was approaching [Solitary Realizer], not far from the realm of Dharma Master. All he lacked now was an accumulation of prayer power.

"The time has not yet come."

Cihai looked at the devout mortals below the mountain and sighed.

"Although Chen Weiyuan has sealed his mountain, Zhu Yucheng has long regarded the Plainlands as his private property. He will not tolerate us laying a finger on them."

"For now, we should think of occupying more of the spiritual mountains in Green Peaks. We need only watch from afar and wait for Zhu Yucheng to bring about his own destruction."

The warrior monk serving under him continued:

"Then should we occupy Longbright now? Chen Weiyuan can barely protect himself. The Great Red Abbey has no one sheltering it now. This is our opportunity."

The old monk Cihai sighed, swept his sleeve, and returned to the temple, a hint of displeasure in his voice:

"Chifa, your view is still too shallow. My ascension to Dharma Master is already certain. If Xu Xuan of the Great Red Abbey wishes to establish his foundation, he must first ask whether the Black Wind Valley beside him agrees."

"To truly take the Great Red Abbey, we must wait until I break through to Dharma Master. All you need to do is hold Xu Xuan back, prevent him from cultivating in peace, and delay his Foundation Establishment."

Below the hall, Chiming was filled with admiration. He felt that the abbot's foresight reached far beyond his own.

Cihai had already returned to his seat and begun reciting sutras.

"Chen Weiyuan can barely protect himself? These newly admitted disciples have never witnessed the calamity of that year."

Cihai closed his eyes, seemingly recalling that scene once more. Back then, he had only just entered the temple and was cultivating under his master.

A noble young man in black, splendid and imposing, had stormed into the temple alone. He had only just broken through to Foundation Establishment, while Cihai's master had been a Dharma Master for many years. Yet the young man had skewered him to death with a single thrust of his spear and smashed the temple's golden statues to pieces.

That spear-bearing figure appeared in his dreams time and again, leaving the old monk trembling with dread.

"The imperial blood of Ancient Shu truly is beyond the reach of ordinary men."

Cihai raised his head and looked toward the Great Scenery Plains.

So what if my cultivation is low and I cannot defeat you, Chen Weiyuan? Haven't you still become a plaything of the immortals above, forced to seal your own cultivation, unable even to protect your own son?

Once the last shred of usefulness has been wrung from you old loyalists and your descendants in the Plainlands, it will be time for me to deliver your bloodline.

The Buddhist chanting rose again, and the golden statues of the Buddhas within the temple seemed to radiate boundless joy.

White Stone Mountain, the mine.

Xu Xuan reached the deepest cavern here. Before him, flowing flames coursed over a Treasure Tree, and its Red Fruit gave off a fragrance that refreshed the heart and soul.

Jiang Chiyu waited behind him. Beside him, an outer disciple knelt prostrate on the ground. Not far away lay a corpse, also dressed in an outer disciple's clothes.

"Xiuli, were you the first to discover this Treasure Tree?"

Xu Xuan turned to look at the outer disciple prostrating himself on the ground.

"Reporting to the sect leader, while mining ore, I dug my way to a wall of mica stone. I knocked a hole through it and peered inside, and that was when I saw this cavern."

Qi Xiuli lifted his head. He had the appearance of a middle-aged man, and fear that seemed to have seeped into his very marrow showed between his brows. Still, he answered carefully, word by word, without losing his composure.

"Then tell me how Li Heishui, who was mining in the same tunnel as you, died."

Xu Xuan looked at the corpse nearby and released a little of his aura. The disciple below, trapped in the early stage of Fetal Breath, felt as though an immense weight were bearing down on him. Trembling, he began:

"When I saw there was a treasure, I wanted to report it to Senior Brother Chiyu. But Li Heishui said we could steal some refined iron under cover of darkness. Even if we couldn't move the Treasure Tree, we could take its fruit and break off its roots, then become rogue cultivators. He said we would live far more freely than we do now."

"Sect leader, gratitude toward the sect was one reason, but another was that I'm a coward. I truly didn't dare commit such a disastrous deed. Li Heishui pretended to agree with me, then attacked when I wasn't prepared. I, I, I was-"

A bead of cold sweat ran down Qi Xiuli's face, pale from his years in the mine. He did not know whether the great man before him would believe his words or simply kill him to preserve the secret.

Seeing this, Jiang Chiyu stepped forward and said quietly:

"Sect leader, Xiuli truly is timid and deeply mindful of kindness. He would never betray the sect. Back when the founding master fell, Li Heishui made some remarks and was punished for them."

Xu Xuan looked at Qi Xiuli, kneeling and trembling on the ground. His expression softened somewhat. He helped him up and smiled.

"Do not be afraid, Xiuli. The sect would never wrong a loyal disciple like you. You've had a fright. Go to Green Luo and recuperate for a few days. Pills and provisions will be prepared for you. This mine will still need your efforts afterward."

Qi Xiuli was startled. He had never expected such good fortune. He knelt again and kowtowed in thanks for the sect's nurturing.

"As for Li Heishui, throw his corpse into the Ten-Thousand-Zhang Abyss. Chiyu, investigate his associations carefully. If any outer disciples were involved, escort his children and descendants to Green Luo to answer for it."

Hearing this, Qi Xiuli's legs shook, and he dared entertain no further thoughts. Jiang Chiyu had secured the cavern with a formation, leaving it hidden from everyone. Most of the disciples guessed that Qi Xiuli and Li Heishui had committed some offense, but they did not know what it was.

Jiang Chiyu had already led Qi Xiuli away. His wife and children would accompany him to Green Luo while he recuperated.

Xu Xuan naturally could not bring himself to murder disciples at will. But this spiritual treasure was too precious for him to have any leeway for mercy. He could only guard against leaks rigorously.

"First, let Qi Xiuli see Li Heishui's fate. Then bring his wife and children under our authority in Green Luo. Finally, give him a position in this mine and put him in charge of certain matters. Once his interests are tied to ours, he won't dare harbor divided loyalties."

Xu Xuan examined the Treasure Tree before him closely. He had consulted the sect's records, and it should be an [Earthflame Noon-Origin Tree], which had the wondrous effects of strengthening blood and vital energy and consolidating one's foundations. For someone practicing the Fire Virtue Cultivation Art, it could even improve their constitution and bring them closer to the nature of fire.

In that respect, it was somewhat like the [Mystic Prayer Thunderwood] within his body.

For now, the Red Fruit this Treasure Tree produced could not be allowed to circulate outside. He dared let only a handful of people within the sect use it for cultivation. Only after Xu Xuan established his foundation and deepened his cultivation would he have some measure of strength to reveal it.

Leaving the cavern, Xu Xuan concealed himself. Only Jiang Chiyu had received word of his visit to White Stone. The other outer disciples mining here had noticed nothing at all.

Riding a thundercloud toward Green Luo, he quietly began pondering another matter.

"Everything is in order now, and I've broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Even if Xie Shu attacks, I can hold him off with [Constant Light]. Lotus Temple still hasn't made a move, but sooner or later, it will lose patience. These days are a rare stretch of peace."

"It's time to settle Qiyun's marriage and bring the Autumn Gourd School to our side, so we can watch over and support one another."

At that thought, Xu Xuan smiled and descended onto Rosy Dawn Peak.

The book has been signed. Thank you all for your support. Continued readership is especially important for a new book. I'll keep posting three updates a day.

(End of chapter)