Rescue

Outside the magnificent and imposing Buddhist temple, under the Bodhi tree.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian, depicted as a young monk, takes a golden bowl from his sleeve and places it in front of him.

Opposite him stood a crystal Bodhisattva, dressed in white, barefoot as white as snow, with a head of flowing black hair.

Apart from the lack of color in his lips, the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva appeared normal.

Her eyes, sparkling with a glassy luster, gazed at Guangxian without any emotion, and she said softly:

How strong is the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox?

The young monk calmly said:

"It's still a bit short of being top-tier."

The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva nodded.

"Without awakening that Divine Ability, she cannot fully utilize the spiritual essence of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, so the threat is not significant."

As they spoke, the golden bowl emitted a beam of golden light, which materialized above their heads into the imposing figure of the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian clasped his hands together and spoke calmly:

"The Southern Demon Kingdom has been restored."

Zhenmojian is located south of Aranta. It is a cold valley where Buddhist School carved roads and prisons into the cliff face to imprison monks who broke their vows, demons who roamed the Western Regions, and some foreign enemies.

Two or three hundred years ago, the Demon Suppression Valley was filled with Demon Race.

Later, some of the Demon Race reached the end of their lifespan and died naturally. Others, unable to endure the bitter cold and loneliness, converted to Buddhist School. The Demon-Suppressing Ravine gradually became deserted.

Asura descended from the sky, his gaze sweeping across the valley, where rows of empty, desolate prison cells were embedded in the cliff walls on both sides.

The further down you go, the dimmer the light becomes.

"Clatter~"

Asura landed in the valley and looked westward.

On the dark cliff face was a cave entrance, two zhang high, with three characters carved above it:

Demon-Suppressing Ravine!

Entering the cave allows you to descend directly into the depths of Arantha.

Legend has it that the Buddha suppressed the Asura King at the bottom of the mountain, referring to this Demon-Suppressing Stream.

The valley floor is a forbidden area of Aranya, where ordinary monks are not allowed to approach. As for Arhats and Vajras, they are also not allowed to enter without the permission of the Bodhisattvas.

In the past, the Bodhisattva Guangxian would sit in Alanda and watch over it from a high place. Asura never came here, whether before his death or after his return to power.

Asura reached out his hand cautiously into the cave, as if there were an unseen door there.

His hand easily reached into the cave, only to find nothing.

Without the restraints, Asura's sharp eyes gleamed beneath his prominent brow bone. Without hesitation, he stepped into the cave.

The passageway was pitch black; in the absence of light, the structure of the eyeball meant that even those in the extraordinary realm could not see.

However, extraordinary individuals do not necessarily need to use their eyes to see.

In particular, Asura had also cultivated the Heavenly Eye, but for some reason, based on the intuition of a transcendent expert, he neither used the Heavenly Eye nor used his Primordial Spirit to explore his surroundings.

The unique sense of crisis that martial artists possess was not preceded by any warning.

Continuing along the dark tunnel, Asura was completely unafraid of encountering obstacles, for even the most powerful weapons would find it difficult to break through his body.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Asuro stopped.

"Huff, huff."

Ahead, deep within the passageway, came the sound of rhythmic breathing.

Asura came to find the remains of the Asura King, but he did not expect to encounter this situation.

Is someone sleeping in the Demon-Suppressing Gorge where the Asura King was once subdued?

A cold wind blew against his body, and Asura felt a chill run through his entire being, a chill that came from his very soul.

However, the martial artist's premonition of danger still failed to materialize.

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree, symbolizing power, sat cross-legged with palms together. Upon hearing of the Southern Demon Kingdom's establishment and the withdrawal of Western Region monks from the Southern Frontier, his calm and solemn face showed no change in expression. He simply spoke slowly:

Even you couldn't stop them.

In response, Bodhisattva Guangxian calmly replied:

"I am not a first-rank Warlock."

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree, maintaining his folded hands, turned and asked:

"How is Asura's condition? After returning to his original state, is his heart still pure?"

He was referring to the fact that Asura failed to protect the severed limbs of the deity, allowing the Demon Race to reclaim them, which was the main reason for the loss of the Southern Frontier today.

The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva also shifted his gaze to the Guangxian Bodhisattva.

The young monk spoke slowly:

"A Buddha's heart is pure and unblemished!"

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree nodded slightly.

The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva then withdrew her gaze.

"Liuli, how long will it take for your injuries to heal?" Gara Tree lowered his gaze, looking at the bodhisattva with her flowing black hair.

"The supervisor's actions have damaged my foundation, and the injury will be difficult to heal in the short term unless the Bodhisattva of Dharma Salvation returns and Pharmacist to help me heal." The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva shook his head slightly.

The Garuda tree sighed softly:

"Back then, the supervisor's strength was still above average; now, it would be difficult for him to damage your foundation."

After he finished speaking, the Bodhisattva Guangxian asked calmly:

How is the battle in Qingzhou going?

The galaxy tree shook its head:

"The game is still at a stalemate."

Upon hearing this, the two Bodhisattvas, Guangxian and Liuli, pondered for a moment:

"This shouldn't be happening."

The latter added in a pleasant voice:

"With the elite forces of Yunzhou, they should have already taken Qingzhou by now. The Gu Clan is ultimately too few in number to influence the overall situation."

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree did not answer, but said calmly:

"You shall wait for news in Alando, and guard against the Demon Race's attack on Alando to seize the head of the Divine One."

The Buddha's resting place is in the meditation grove west of Aranda.

This is a forbidden area for Buddhist School monks; from ordinary monks to Bodhisattvas of the highest rank, no one may enter without being summoned.

The red walls, like a giant python winding its way up the mountains, are layered upon each other, topped with gray tiles.

Outside the Zen grove, a golden light shone forth, manifesting as the form of the Arhat who had saved from suffering.

The Arhat Du'e clasped his hands together, bowed outside the Zen monastery, and whispered:

"Disciple Du'e pays homage to the Buddha."

The Zen grove was quiet, without any movement or even any living creature.

"Disciple Du'e pays homage to the Buddha."

There was still no movement.

Time was limited, and there was no time to hesitate. Du'e stepped out with his right foot, which was wearing Arhat shoes.

The so-called Zen forest is the burial ground for all monks, from Bodhisattvas to novices, all of whom can be buried in this Zen forest after death.

This is also their only chance in this lifetime to enter this Zen monastery.

As you travel along the road to Du'e, you see towering pagodas, mottled walls, and deep fallen leaves, creating a desolate and lifeless atmosphere.

He was purposefully searching for sculptures of Confucian sages.

According to Xu Qi'an, if the Confucian sage sculpture still exists, then the Buddha has not broken free from the seal.

If the sculpture is destroyed, then the Buddha has been freed from his predicament.

Du'e did not doubt the truthfulness of Xu Qi'an's words, because in this matter, their goal was the same: to unravel the mystery of Shen Shu's "origins".

Xu Qi'an had no reason to lie or mislead; it was pointless.

The Zen forest was vast, occupying an entire mountaintop. The goal of overcoming calamity was clear: head straight for the depths of the Zen forest, where there stood a Bodhi tree.

Legend has it that when the Buddha attained enlightenment on Mount Aranda, the heavens were jealous and sent down torrential rain and lightning on the day of his enlightenment.

At that moment, a Bodhi tree grew out from behind the Buddha, sheltering him from the wind and rain, and protecting him from lightning.

Before long, Du'e arrived deep in the Zen forest and saw the Bodhi tree.

A tall and lush Bodhi tree stands deep in the Zen forest, its trunk thick and its vines hanging down as thick as a forearm, so dense that they almost completely cover the trunk.

The Bodhi tree is not tall, but it extends in all directions, spreading out like a graceful canopy.

Du'e Luohan's pupils contracted slightly.

Under the shade of the trees, there was a pile of severely weathered rubble; upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it was a broken stone carving.

The Confucian sage statue was destroyed, and the Buddha was freed. The Arhat Du'e gazed at the pile of stone sculptures, remaining silent for a long time.

Suddenly, a calm, emotionless voice rang out from behind the Arhat Du'e:

"Du'e, what are you doing here?"

In this situation, most people would inevitably experience a racing heart and break out in a cold sweat.

But Du'e was a second-grade Arhat with profound cultivation of the mind. He slowly turned around, looked at the Bodhisattva Guangxian three zhang away behind him, and said slowly:

"The divine power breaks the seal and reappears in the world. The Southern Demon reclaims the Hundred Thousand Mountains and declares the restoration of its kingdom."

"This matter is of utmost importance. I believe that the Buddha should no longer remain in slumber."

Du'e was a second-grade Arhat, a disciple of the Buddha, and theoretically, his status was no less than that of the Bodhisattva Guangxian.

He was qualified to have a direct audience with the Buddha.

However, in Buddhist School, the highest rank is attained through the attainment of Buddhahood. Arhats are one rank lower than Bodhisattvas, so Bodhisattvas usually hold a higher status.

"The Buddha extinguished the fires of karma in the world; when it is time to awaken, he will awaken. When it is time to see you, he will see you."

Bodhisattva Guangxian spoke calmly:

"If you don't want to see him, you won't see him no matter how high you search, from the highest heavens to the deepest hell."

The Arhat Du'e clasped his hands together and bowed his head, saying:

"It was I who was too hasty."

Bodhisattva Guangxian nodded:

"Go away, and do not disturb the Buddha again."

Du'e said no more and walked away.

Just as he brushed past the Bodhisattva Guangxian, a faint, eerie whisper suddenly came from behind him:

"Help me, help me!"

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.