Buddha's Son (6000)

In that instant, many gazes fell upon him, and two of them made Xu Qi'an feel as if he were being pricked by thorns.

Deep within the temple, the gaze emanating from the Third-Rank Vajra was scrutinizing, while the gaze from Irbu was chilling.

The martial arts practitioners present silently kept their distance, lest they be caught in the crossfire if this mysterious master was "punished" by a third-rank spiritual master or guardian deity.

They were unhappy that the Witch God Cult's Spiritual Wisdom Masters were slandering Xu Yinluo, but they only dared to mutter quietly and protest weakly. For the man in blue to jump out and mock them like this was no different from suicide.

Liu Yun of the Double Blade Sect struggled to her feet, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. She was delighted that someone had stepped forward, but she couldn't help but worry about the plain-looking man in the green robe.

This person is cunning and powerful, daring to face a third-rank expert head-on. Normally, she would have invited him for drinks. Now, she just wanted him to leave as soon as possible.

As she pondered this, the observant Liu Yun noticed that the companions of the man in blue showed no signs of panic or fear; their expressions remained calm. One of the men, who appeared ordinary, even had gleaming eyes, and perhaps even seemed to be anticipating the upcoming conflict?

Yuan Yi and the other fourth-rank experts stared intently at the man in blue, while also observing the actions of the two third-rank experts, hoping to discern their true intentions through the man's ordeal.

If the man in blue were to meet with misfortune, they would decisively abandon the treasures inside the pagoda and leave the Sanhua Temple.

"Amitabha."

Instead, it was Monk Jingxin who spoke first, in a low voice:

"Senior Brother Yinshun's poison hasn't been cured yet; only he can cure this poison. Please, Uncle Dunan, show mercy."

Before Du Nan Jingang could speak, Irbu said calmly:

"Don't worry, Monk Jingxin, the sorcerer's Blood Spirit Technique can also remove the poison from him."

The monk Jingxin clasped his hands together and said nothing more.

Having said all that, it seemed as if the man in blue had already been sentenced to death.

"Senior, are you confident you can kill him?"

Li Lingsu transmitted her voice with slight excitement.

He was very interested in Xu Qian's identity and still hadn't figured out his background. Although this old man was proficient in Gu magic, Li Lingsu didn't think that Gu magic was his main practice.

"I'm just a slacker," Xu Qi'an thought to himself. In front of everyone, he took out the conch shell, brought it to his lips, and muttered something to himself.

What is he doing?

Upon witnessing this scene, Li Lingsu, the people from Leizhou around her, and the Buddhist School monks in the distance all looked bewildered.

But soon, they understood.

"Look, what's that?"

A monk pointed to the sky and cried out in surprise.

Including Xu Qi'an, Li Lingsu, the Double Blade Sect, the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce, Commander Yuan Yi, and General Li Shaoyun, they all turned their heads to look at the sky behind them.

A pitch-black steel turret, forged from black iron, hangs in the air.

It was twelve zhang long and three zhang high, with fifteen heavy cannons lined up in a row, thick metal tubes protruding from the gun emplacement, and rows of ballistae placed along the edge of the emplacement.

The surface of the steel turret lit up with dense and intricate array patterns, inscribed with thirty large arrays, including but not limited to defensive arrays, teleportation arrays, levitation arrays, and Spirit Gathering Formation.

In the center of the fort stood a man of ordinary features, holding a calligraphy scroll in his left hand:

Let everyone enter the Floating Pagoda!

Holding a calligraphy scroll in his right hand:

Otherwise, raze Sanhua Temple to the ground!

"Is he... Warlock?"

"What... what kind of monster is this?"

Someone murmured.

As a member of the martial arts world, he was experienced but had limited vision. In addition, Warlock were rare and had almost disappeared from the martial arts world in the past. Therefore, the heroes and warriors of Leizhou rarely saw the Warlock ' fancy tricks.

This floating steel turret was simply unbelievable to them, its style completely out of step with the times.

Dongfang Wanrong was dumbfounded. She herself controlled a Law Artifact called "Wind-Riding Boat," Law Artifact only had wind-riding and defensive formations and was used as a large flying magical Law Artifact.

Thus, the Wind-Riding Boat was deemed worthy of being listed as one of the twelve Law Artifact of the Witch God Cult.

The floating turret that appeared before them was clearly not in the same league as the Wind-Riding Boat.

In some ways, the Warlock system is truly a bit abnormal.

However, according to Dongfang Wanrong's judgment, similar Law Artifact are extremely expensive to refine and cannot be mass-produced. Otherwise, the Great Feng would have unified the Nine Provinces long ago.

Sun Xuanji!

From deep within the temple, the thunderous voice of the guardian deities echoed.

Sun Xuanji said calmly, "Hmm!"

As he spoke, he waved the words in his hand to indicate that he was not joking.

With the firepower from the fortress, Sanhua Temple would be razed to the ground after a few rounds. The guardian deities are not afraid of this firepower, but the monks in the temple and this ancient temple with hundreds of years of history would definitely be difficult to preserve.

Yuan Yi's brow twitched, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You are the second disciple of the Supervisor, the third-rank Warlock Sun Xuanji?"

Given his noble status as the Commander-in-Chief of Leizhou, he naturally knew of Sun Xuanji.

The Commander-in-Chief is the most powerful person in a prefecture. There are only thirteen such people in the entire Great Feng. They are true regional governors.

"Um!"

Sun Xuanji nodded.

The crowd below erupted in uproar. Based on the distinctive white robes, they had vaguely guessed the newcomer's identity Warlock, but they never expected him to be the second disciple of the Supervisor, a third-rank Warlock.

This is a Warlock who is sparing with words, and his demeanor exudes the air of a master.

This figure is suspected to have been summoned by the master in blue.

For a moment, the way everyone looked at Xu Qi'an was filled with speculation and curiosity.

Who is this person?

He had just blew on the conch shell, and then the white-robed Warlock appeared. Liu Yun pursed her lips, her eyes darting back and forth between the man in blue.

Li Lingsu's eyes widened, her expression a mixture of disappointment, shock, and perhaps both.

The fact that he could summon Sun Xuanji so easily proves that his story about playing chess with the supervisor that day was true and he wasn't lying. Was the reason he summoned Sun Xuanji because he felt that Vajra and Linghui Master weren't worth his time?

The Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect secretly speculated.

"Can!"

After a moment of silence, the Vajra deep within the temple spoke.

Seeing this, Xu Qi'an felt relieved.

Sun Xuanji's use of the cannon as leverage was a pre-arranged strategy, with him responsible for providing support from the outside. However, if only Xu Qi'an entered the Pagoda alone, it would attract attention.

Once inside the tower, they would be vulnerable to attacks from masters of the Witch God Cult and Buddhist School, which led to the strategy of spreading rumors to attract heroes from the martial arts world.

He hid among a group of commoners, keeping a low profile. Even though he was targeted because of his actions just now, people from the underworld could act as his helpers, so he wouldn't be left all alone.

Seeing the Buddhist School Vajra compromise, the heroes of Leizhou showed joy, straightened their backs instantly, and the dejected atmosphere vanished.

"Antidote!"

Monk Jingxin looked at Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an chuckled and said, "Throw him over here."

The monk Jingxin gently lifted the middle-aged martial monk from behind with his palm, sending him lightly to Xu Qi'an.

The latter extended his finger and touched the middle-aged monk's nose. Wisps of bluish-black mist emerged and were drawn back by his finger.

As the poison gas was removed, the middle-aged monk's blackened face gradually returned to normal color, but he remained unconscious.

He will wake up in an hour. After a few days of rest, he will fully recover.

Xu Qi'an threw him back.

The monk Jingxin reached out and took the middle-aged martial monk's hand, clasped his hands together, and then led the monks of Sanhua Temple back into the temple.

General Li Shaoyun, carrying a long spear, excitedly said:

"Lord Yuan, let's go inside."

Taking a step forward, they were the first to enter the temple.

The crowd followed closely behind.

After passing through a series of grand halls, the three parties quickly arrived at their destination, where a massive stupa stood deep within the temple.

With its white walls and black tiles, at first glance, it doesn't look like Law Treasure at all, but more like a normal Buddhist pagoda.

The only odd thing is that it is a hundred meters tall, but the tower only has three windows, symbolizing three floors.

Furthermore, the tower door was dark gold, as if cast from gold. It had no door knocker, no keyhole, and was tightly sealed.

The three groups gathered outside the pagoda, locked in a silent standoff. The local heroes of Leizhou frequently looked up at the sky, silently calculating the time when the pagoda had been opened in previous years.

Closer and closer.

Rumble!

The tower trembled dully, and the dark golden tower door slowly opened.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the door, only to see complete darkness.

"Amitabha!"

Monk Jingxin clasped his hands together, bowed to the pagoda, and walked into the pagoda first, his red and yellow robes swaying.

"Amitabha!"

Amidst the chanting of Buddhist mantras, the burly young martial monk Jingyuan and the head monk Hengyin followed closely behind, while behind them were nine martial monks and nine Zen masters.

Two Zen masters, one martial monk, and the other eighteen people of varying cultivation levels. Xu Qi'an glanced at them and knew that these twenty-one monks who had entered the tower were the competitors he would have to deal with later.

"You little slut, you better not come in, or I guarantee today will be your death anniversary."

The charming and beautiful Dongfang Wanrong turned around and glanced at Wenren Qianrou with a smile.

The Eastern Sisters led the disciples of the East Sea Dragon Palace into the pagoda.

Upon hearing this, Li Lingsu grimaced, her head throbbing.

"Do you need me to kill these two sisters for you?"

Xu Qi'an jokingly transmitted his voice. "So you won't have to hide all the time."

Li Lingsu hurriedly shook her head and replied telepathically, "No, senior, you might as well kill me."

I was just saying. I can't kill two peak fourth-rank cultivators. Xu Qi'an watched Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun lead their subordinates into the tower, and without further hesitation, he mingled with the martial artists and entered the tower.

"Let's go in too! Let's go in too!"

The little white fox tried to struggle out of Mu Nanzhi's arms but failed, so it resorted to coaxing. "Go inside and play with him."

You dare to enter a Buddhist School temple?

Mu Nanzhi glanced at the fearless, inquisitive little fox.

The little white fox thought for a moment, then remembered the terrifying legends about Buddhist School that its clansmen had told it, and weakly said:

"Well, I don't really want to go."

Her head rested on her soft chest, basking in the early winter sun, and she said in a clear, childlike voice:

"Auntie, what is your relationship with him?"

"It's nothing."

"Oh!"

The little white fox was immediately relieved and believed that Mu Nanzhi was telling the truth, because such an ordinary woman was not worthy of Xu Yinluo.

Only a fox who possesses both talent and beauty is worthy of Xu Yinluo.

"Does he frequent the Imperial Academy of Music?" the little white fox asked again.

"You even know about the Imperial Academy of Music?" Mu Nanzhi was taken aback.

"Although I've never lived in a human city, I'm quite knowledgeable. For example, human women often call women more beautiful than themselves 'fox spirits.' In the human world, fox spirits are a symbol of beauty and talent."

The little white fox showed off its knowledge in a serious manner.

"Who told you that?" Mu Nanzhi asked with a smile.

"My people."

This made Mu Nanzhi, a fox spirit, think to herself with a smile, "In the eyes of human women, perhaps fox spirits are the most beautiful, but in the eyes of human men, there is only one most beautiful woman in the world."

"Who is it?" the little white fox asked.

"The most beautiful woman in the Great Feng, the Princess Consort of Zhenbei," Mu Nanzhi said with a serious expression.

She originally wanted to say "Mu Nanzhi", but considering that it would reveal unnecessary information, she changed it to a more common name.

The little white fox revealed a human-like, admiring expression.

At this moment, Mu Nanzhi saw the old abbot of Sanhua Temple take out a bead the size of a fist from his robe.

The light and shadow flickered within the bead, reflecting the figures of Jingxin and the others, and revealing a magnificent golden palace.

"Very good!"

Irbu's soft laughter drifted over.

The pagoda isolates them from outside prying eyes, and this mirror-like teardrop is the key to maintaining the "friendship" between the two sides.

After stepping into the pagoda, Xu Qi'an looked around and found himself in a hall that was unimaginably spacious.

This great hall has no dome; looking up, one sees swirling clouds and mist.

At the end of the main hall stands a golden Buddha statue, several dozen feet tall, resembling a small mountain.

This Buddha has a kind and benevolent face yet exudes majesty, with thick earlobes and a cluster of small, curled bumps on the top of his head, positioned in the center.

Even those who don't practice Buddhism can recognize him once they've been to a temple.

Buddha!

To the left of the Buddha are thirteen golden statues, and to the right are fourteen golden statues.

They were both men and women, and each had a different style of ring behind their head. Some were flames, while others were copper discs with segmented lines, resembling a simple sketch of the sun. The variety was endless.

Interestingly, nine of the golden statues have indistinct faces.

Xu Qi'an calmly looked around. The spaciousness of this hall exceeded the limit that the Floating Pagoda could accommodate. At least from the outside, the Floating Pagoda could not contain this hall inside.

This familiar scene in the Buddhist realm reminded him of the golden alms bowl that the Arhat who saved him from calamity had used during the Buddhist School contest.

The golden bowl contains a Buddhist realm.

"The Buddhist School is very skilled in this kind of Divine Ability. I remember on the way back to the capital from Yunzhou, I dreamed of the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago. In one scene, a high -Buddhist School monk had thousands of troops leap out from his palm."

"Perhaps the high monk had Law Artifact similar to a golden alms bowl, and the army was incorporated into the Buddhist realm. Besides, these local natives are so calm."

The heroes of Leizhou, who witnessed this scene firsthand, seemed unsurprised and remained relatively calm.

"By the way, Wenren Qianrou said that the Floating Pagoda opens once a year. Those who pass the pagoda's trials can enter the Three Flowers Temple and become Buddhist School disciples. Those who fail the trials will surely spread their experiences inside the pagoda after they leave."

Xu Qi'an suddenly realized.

"Amitabha!"

The monk Jingxin led the Buddhist monks in a gesture of respect with their Buddhist School together.

He turned and addressed the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and the group of people from Leizhou:

"The golden statues sculpted here, with the one in the center, represent the Buddha of Great Compassion and Empowerment, the only Buddha in all realms. The three golden statues on the left and four on the right represent the nine Bodhisattvas of Buddhist School. The remaining ones represent the eighteen Arhats."

Good heavens, even Vajra isn't qualified to have a golden statue?

Xu Qi'an called out loudly, "Monk, why are the faces of the nine Bodhisattvas blurred?"

Master Jingxin answered every question, "These nine golden statues represent the nine great Dharma forms, and do not refer to any single Bodhisattva."

Upon hearing this, most people were puzzled, but Xu Qi'an suddenly understood.

Monk Jingxin was taken aback, scrutinized Xu Qi'an, and asked from afar, "Does the benefactor know about the Nine Dharma Forms?"

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Vajra Wrathful Eyes, Acala, Great Samsara, Great Compassion, Great Wisdom, Pharmacist, Practitioner, Colorless Lapis Lazuli, Vairocana Buddha."

The monks of Sanhua Temple became restless and began whispering among themselves.

Jingxin gazed intently at Xu Qi'an.

"Huh, he's right? The monks at Sanhua Temple didn't refute him."

"I've long heard that Buddhist School has nine major characteristics; so these are the nine. Who is this person, to know so much about Buddhist School?"

"What are the wonders of the Nine Dharma Forms?" someone asked loudly, expecting Xu Qi'an to answer.

At this moment, the masters of the Double Blade Sect, including Tang Yuanwu, Liu Yun, and Commander Yuan Yi, all turned to look.

"How would I know? I've never fought with the Bodhisattvas." Xu Qi'an smiled calmly.

"The pilgrim's appearance is unparalleled in speed, allowing him to traverse the Western Regions in the morning and settle in the Jingshan Mountains in the evening. His colorless crystal can make the mind as clear as a mirror, free from thought and desire, and slowing down the mind."

At this point, he chuckled, seemingly too lazy to explain further, and said, "The other Dharma forms are self-explanatory."

Upon hearing whether it was true or false, the crowd subconsciously looked towards the monks, including Jingxin, only to see Jingxin, Jingyuan, and Hengyin, the abbot of Sanhua Temple, with slightly dazed expressions.

It's true! The thought suddenly flashed through everyone's minds.

"Hiss"

Li Shaoyun, leaning on his gun, looked back at Xu Qi'an and grinned, saying, "Hey, who are you, kid? You know so much."

Yuan Yi reminded him, "It could also be a senior."

On the other side, Dongfang Wanrong asked her younger sister in a low voice, "Is it him?"

Dongfang Wanqing shook her head. "I can't be sure. This person doesn't seem simple; he's somewhat different from the man in blue from Pingzhou."

Having just witnessed the middle-aged monk being poisoned, the Dongfang sisters suspected that this man in blue was the same man they had encountered in Pingzhou that day.

What they have in common is their skill in using poison.

But his appearance was different, and there were no signs of disguise. Furthermore, the plain-looking woman who used to be with him was gone.

Most importantly, the man in blue was never seen using any hidden Gu techniques, so it's hard to be certain.

Dongfang Wanqing continued, "Pingzhou is far from Leizhou, so logically they shouldn't be able to reach Leizhou so quickly."

The alluring older sister frowned and said, "You saw it yourself just now; this person knows the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy. If he's the one leading the way, wouldn't that make sense?"

Dongfang Wanqing said calmly, "First, you need to prove that the man in the green robe in Pingzhou knows the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy."

She paused, then said, "There's no point in guessing. We'll find a chance to test him later and force him to use his hidden poison techniques."

Xu Qi'an was unaware of the Dongfang sisters' scheme. His gaze was fixed on the twenty-seven golden statues besides the Buddha, trying his best to discern which one represented a deity.

The eighteen golden Arhats were ruled out first. The Arhats had clear faces, and Xu Qi'an had seen Shen Shu's appearance before, so he confirmed that he was not among them.

If Shenshu is among them, then he can only be one of the nine Bodhisattvas. No, that's not right. Those nine golden bodies represent the nine great Dharma forms, not a single individual. Well, at least we can confirm that Shenshu is not an Arhat.

The monk Jingxin fell silent and led the monks toward the golden statue of Buddha.

Golden statues of Arhats and Bodhisattvas stood on both sides, lining the path to welcome them.

As they passed by the first golden statue of Arhat, their pace suddenly slowed, pausing for three seconds after each step.

Xu Qi'an, seeing this, was puzzled.

The spirited Liu Yun slowly approached and whispered:

"As you may know, this pagoda opens once a year, and anyone who wishes to join the Three Flowers Temple must undergo a trial within the pagoda."

Xu Qi'an nodded calmly.

"According to the Sanhua Temple, this is called testing one's Buddha-nature. Those with Buddha-nature can Buddhist School. Those without Buddha-nature have no affinity with Buddhism." Liu Yun looked at Jingxin and the others, and said:

"If you walk along this path for a hundred steps, under the 'gaze' of Arhats and Bodhisattvas, you will be one who has a karmic connection with the Buddha. Within a hundred steps, there is no Buddha-nature. I have heard those who have entered pagodas say that walking on this path is difficult."

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "What if it's a martial monk?"

Warrior monks and Zen masters follow different paths; how then do we define this Buddha-nature?

Liu Yun curled her lip and said, "Those martial artists present who have reached the sixth rank basically all have 'Buddha-nature.' From the perspective of Buddhist School, those who can reach the sixth rank are all qualified people. Why wouldn't we want such people? There is no way to turn them away. Of course, those who practice Buddhism must also have Buddha-nature."

"Look, the monks at Sanhua Temple are walking faster than the others."

Xu Qi'an followed her gaze and saw that all sides had already embarked on the "Trial Path," forming three distinct tiers.

The monks of Sanhua Temple rode ahead of everyone else, their steps steady and powerful.

Next are the Dongfang sisters, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, and Tang Yuanwu, all of whom hold the fourth rank.

Finally, there are the Jianghu people in Leizhou.

"Aren't you going?" Liu Yun asked.

"Let me take another look." Xu Qi'an gazed into the distance.

"This humble woman will go first." After saying this, Liu Yun quickly caught up with the group. She walked hurriedly, but suddenly slowed down in front of the first quasi-Arhat.

Each step required a nearly ten-second interval, giving the impression of struggling to move.

After a while, Abbot Hengyin of Sanhua Temple, who had been increasingly distancing himself from the crowd, turned back to look at them, smiled, and clasped his hands together in prayer.

"Gentlemen, please approach the Buddha's seat, bow thirteen times, and you will be able to proceed to the second level. This humble monk will be waiting for you there."

He seemed to be mocking everyone.

After bowing thirteen times, Xu Qi'an realized he could proceed to the second level. Without further hesitation, he tentatively stepped forward.

As he was about to pass by the first golden statue of Arhat, he could slow down and take a tentative step.

However, there was no sense of obstruction.

Take the second step.

I didn't feel any pressure from the Arhat's "gaze," and walked around as usual.

Is it because my Buddha-nature (aptitude) is too good? No, no matter how good one's aptitude is, it is impossible to be completely without a sense of pressure. Even a fourth-grade Zen master like Jingxin cannot walk freely. An abnormal situation has arisen, and Xu Qi'an dares not move forward.

It wasn't a matter of aptitude; it was because I possessed unique qualities. However Buddhist School Buddhist School.

This concept of cause and effect originates from Mahayana Buddhist teachings.

He immediately remembered that the Arhat Du'e called him a Buddha's disciple, and that the Bodhisattva Lapis Lazuli also wanted to bring him back to Buddhist School to become a Buddha's disciple who had renounced all worldly desires.

At the time, Xu Qi'an thought they appreciated his "talent," but now it seems the truth is not so simple.

He may have truly become a Buddhist disciple, for in expounding the Mahayana Buddhist doctrines, he created a profound karmic connection with Buddhist School.

This is the real reason why the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva wanted to take him back to become a monk.