Chen Duo and A Huo braved the heavy rain and traveled along the way, stopping frequently, until it was soon evening.
Although their strength is limited, they are not ordinary people after all. They have already traveled four or five hundred miles in half a day. If all goes well, they should be able to reach Heavenly Mountain in a few days.
Along the way, they passed many herders' camps and saw many Sage.
This is a country with faith. Although the people live simple lives, they are very peaceful, and their faces are filled with happy smiles.
Even A Huo and Chen Duo felt their hearts soothed and became much more peaceful here.
However, at that moment, they noticed a cavalry unit appearing in the distance.
"What is that? Does Buddhist Sect also train cavalry?"
Chen Duo asked curiously.
However, A Huo shook his head, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"No, they smell of blood. If it's not intertribal conflict, then they're bandits."
A Huo was deeply saddened by the bandits, and Chen Duo naturally wouldn't stand idly by.
"Let's go! Follow them and see."
Both men had their own methods, and even though their opponent had warhorses that were good at running, they were still able to keep up closely and, thanks to the cover of the sky, were not discovered by their opponent.
As darkness fell, they saw the cavalry enter a large herder camp, where the herders warmly welcomed them.
"Looks like they're not bandits."
Chen Duo breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that nothing unexpected happened at this time. Getting to Heavenly Mountain as soon as possible would also allow them to complete the mission sooner.
"The law of the jungle seems to apply everywhere."
Even in the heart of the Buddhist Sect, such things cannot be completely prevented.
A Huo turned around, his tone somewhat desolate.
His Sword Dao wasn't about becoming a great saint or a saint; he only cared about what he saw in front of him. If the other party wasn't an irredeemable villain, he wouldn't interfere.
The rain had stopped, and the two continued on their way. With their strong physiques, even traveling at night wouldn't be too much of a burden.
The two traveled day and night, and two days later they arrived at the foot of the Heavenly Mountain.
Let's find a place to rest before heading up the mountain!
A Huo could tell that Chen Duo was already quite tired. After all, Chen Duo had not yet entered the Divine Realm, and this was a bitterly cold place. Traveling for three days and three nights without eating or drinking had already exhausted her strength.
"Okay! There's a temple over there, let's go there!"
The closer you get to the Heavenly Mountain, the lower the temperature becomes, and the less food you can find around.
However, the two noticed a strange phenomenon: the camps where the civilians lived were very simple, and they even saw skeletons that had frozen to death by the roadside, but the temples here were built to be extremely luxurious and housed many monks.
The two arrived at the gate of a temple, travel-worn, and politely greeted the monks guarding the entrance.
"We came from a very far place and wanted to go in and rest for a while."
Could you give us some food and a place to rest? We can pay for it.
Chen Duo spoke up.
"Please come inside and have a seat, I will go and inform the abbot."
Although many people come to Heavenly Mountain for pilgrimage every year, very few actually make it here. The gatekeeper monk immediately led them into the outer hall of the temple and then turned to leave to report.
The two sat in the outer hall waiting, while noticing that many monks were chanting sutras in the inner hall. Among them were two monks who had already formed Śarīra, and could be considered highly accomplished monks.
However, outside the temple, they also saw many herders who had come with great difficulty, handing over the food they had painstakingly harvested to the fire- tending monk, and then leaving with their thin and tired bodies.
This disjointed scene made Chen Duo feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Doesn't Buddhist Sect emphasize compassion?
How are they any different from those demonic practitioners who exploit herders to support their own spiritual practice?
" Duoduo, don't talk nonsense."
A Huo spoke up, stopping Chen Duo from continuing.
But it was too late. A kind-looking old monk, accompanied by the gatekeeper monks, walked in from outside.
"You misunderstand, benefactor! These herders are all volunteers; we have never forced them in the slightest."
The old monk put his hands together in prayer and bowed.
"But..."
Chen Duo wanted to refute, but found that what the other person said was indeed the truth, and after struggling for a long time, she could only manage to utter one sentence.
"But wouldn't it be pitiful if they starved to death because of this?"
The old monk smiled, shook his head, and continued.
"The herders eat cattle and sheep, aren't the cattle and sheep they kill pitiful?"
Material satisfaction is cheap and fleeting, but the peace of mind that Buddha bestows is precious and eternal.
If you, sir, can earnestly study the Buddhist scriptures, you will surely understand their meaning.
Chen Duo was speechless, and she knew that arguing with the other person was pointless, so she simply stopped talking.
"My sister spoke recklessly; I beg the abbot's forgiveness."
A Huo quickly spoke up, ending their discussion.
"You've come to pay your respects to the Living Buddha, haven't you?"
The old monk seemed to have seen through their intentions and took out several scriptures from his sleeve.
"Since you have come from afar, I don't want you to leave empty-handed."
But you must understand that if you have Buddha-nature, even an ordinary person can see a living Buddha. But if you don't, no matter how high your cultivation is, you will not be able to find a living Buddha on Heavenly Mountain.
These Buddhist scriptures were written by the Living Buddha himself, and I am giving them to you in the hope that they will be helpful on your journey up the mountain.
"Thank you, Abbot."
A Huo took the scriptures, and then the old monk instructed the gatekeeper monks to escort the two to the guesthouse to rest.
That night, A Huo and Chen Duo were both reading scriptures in the temple guesthouse. Chen Duo became increasingly impatient and angrily threw the scriptures onto the table.
"Utterly hypocritical! I don't read Buddhist scriptures, yet I've still cultivated the Acala Heart Sutra to its highest level!"
Ultimately, in this world, might makes right. What's the point of all this empty rhetoric and fooling the people?
Seeing Chen Duo's reaction, A Huo also put down his scripture.
Don't you want to complete the task?
"We can't go back without seeing the Living Buddha."
Upon hearing this, Chen Duo could only sit down again, feeling dejected. Then, her eyes lit up, and she came up with an idea.
"How about this! Tomorrow we'll go to the Heavenly Mountain and cause a huge ruckus."
I refuse to believe that with our combined strength, we can't force that Living Buddha to come out."
According to intelligence from the Shadow Guards, although Buddhist Sect is at its peak, it actually has no other experts at the Divine Realm. The only living Buddha is said to have been reincarnated from another world.
Otherwise, how could Buddhist Sect have survived the suppression of the Pan Emperor Heavenly Dao for so many years on the Pan Emperor Continent?
A Huo didn't immediately object to Chen Duo's idea; he thought for a moment before speaking.
"We'll proceed with the original plan tomorrow. We'll see what to do next!"