novelraw Chapter 308 - 282 Maha Jin Lian
Chapter 308 - 282 Maha Jin Lian
The Lotus Temple was located in Zhao Country and was a Dharma Appearance lineage monastery. Zhao Country revered Buddhism, with numerous temples throughout its land. Among the 461 temples of the region, Lotus Temple ranked among the top ten, possessing vast tracts of land and supporting thousands of monks.
Minghui glided on the wind above the temple’s wide fields, while the emaciated tenant farmers below hastily dropped their farming tools and prostrated themselves in a hurry.
"Auspiciousness to the Mage! Auspiciousness to the Mage!"
As if not hearing them, Minghui descended towards the splendid Golden Hall on the mountain, which was lit with countless dense candles and gold incense sticks. The smoke filled the air, flowing through gaps in stairs and windows, resembling a gentle and beautiful white waterfall. Only a temple of such magnitude could afford to burn such astonishing quantities of tallow and wood every year.
At the foremost end, several women, either sitting, kneeling, or even lying, were dressed in brocade clothes, young and beautiful. Among them was a small child, appearing five or six years old, clever and adorable, looking like an exquisite doll, nursing from one of the women. All around, the light of candles flickered, as young girls hurriedly walked about carrying oil pots, busily adding oil everywhere.
The aroma of fats and incense was pervasive. Minghui hurriedly straightened his robes and respectfully said:
"Minghui pays respects to his Master, wishing the Master a hundred lives of auspiciousness, eternal great kindness and joy, a Dharma Appearance golden body, imperishable and indestructible!"
The child, while suckling milk, cast a side glance at him, and unexpectedly spoke in soft and pleasant Sanskrit, echoing through the hall. The girls on either side all knelt down as they heard him say:
"Minghui, I sent you to escort Master Murong. Why have you returned?"
"I’ve been wronged!"
Minghui hastily prostrated, his head thumping loudly on the ground, as he recounted what had transpired. The child then widened his eyes, released his mouth from the nipple, milk stains all around it, and scolded:
"Useless trash, bringing trouble back here. Hand over that Golden Hall!"
Minghui quickly brought out the Golden Hall, which floated wobbly from his sleeve. Initially, it was only the size of a palm, but soon it transformed, standing about as tall as a person, like a small table, albeit shaky and covered in cracks.
The child examined it for a moment, his expression somewhat odd, as he naively said:
"This is quite peculiar, its grade is very high, yet it doesn’t feel malevolent... It must be from some unfamiliar fellow on the Immortal Path."
This child was naturally the Master of Mage Minghui, Cheng Maha Jinlian, the ancestral master of Lotus Sect. Having achieved Maha for three hundred years, reincarnated seven lives, and extraordinarily accomplished in Buddhist practice, he was only a step away from Dharma Appearance, ranking as one of the most influential figures in Zhao Country.
Buddhist practitioners and Immortal Cultivators followed distinct paths. The Immortal Path began with the Xuanjing Wheel, and upon success, one could employ Immortal Techniques. Buddhist monks, however, spanned across Fetal Breathing and Qi Cultivation in a single realm, firstly achieving only bodies as strong as steel and iron. Upon breaking through and becoming Mages, they slightly surpassed Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the Immortal Path. Further achieving Compassion, they still fell short of Zifu by a bit, and although Maha was inferior to Golden Core, it was only marginally stronger than Zifu, revealing an asymmetrical and eerie sensation throughout.
Observing the colorful light inside the hall, Cheng Maha Jinlian felt a profound excitement in his heart, vaguely sensing a cool and mysterious Spirit Mechanism. He was ecstatic and contemplated to himself:
"Remarkably, this mere Mage Minghui has glimpsed at Golden Core without dying. Could it be that this Golden Core Immortal Cultivator encountered some trouble, at the brink of death? I have cultivated Maha for seven lives; I’m merely a step away from the Dharma Appearance. It seems that Karma Magic has arrived! Hahaha!"
Cheng Maha Jinlian, who had practiced Maha for seven lives and was on par with the peak of Zifu, was overwhelmed with desire and made up his mind. Speaking bluntly, he said:
"Even if it is Golden Core, what of it? Although I cannot defeat it, resolving one of its destined tribulations should not be an issue. Present that Magic Artifact to me!"
He shrewdly calculated in his heart. With the Golden Core in a compromised state, merely observing it should not cause any harm. With the support of Dharma Appearance Buddhist practitioners behind him, he would not face any serious consequences. Thus, he confidently undertook the responsibility, full of boldness.
Minghui was overjoyed upon hearing this and eagerly followed up to the Golden Hall. Jin Lian Maha pinched his fingers into a spell, slowly closing his eyes. The child’s face was brimming with contempt, and the colorful light in the Golden Hall weakened gradually, transferring into his spell-gesturing hands.
After dozens of breaths, the look of contempt on Maha’s face slowly receded. He became serious, his fingers working earnestly, harnessing his true abilities. Minghui had been waiting for a while, but there was no sound from above, so he peered secretly and saw Jin Lian Maha drenched in sweat, mumbling incessantly. Minghui was terrified and quickly knelt down, praying in his heart:
"This has nothing to do with a lowly one... This truly has nothing to do with a lowly one... You exalted cultivators battle with spells, which is unrelated to a lowly one; spare me, spare my life!"
Minghui kept his head down in silence on the ground, while Jin Lian Maha had become tremblingly tense. The colorful light in the Golden Hall had completely disappeared, and the spell he pinched in his hands shone with brilliant colors. Surrounded by endless darkness, his mana uncontrollably flowed into his hands, his aura weakening in waves until a light finally broke through.
"What is this..."
————
Below the swirling gray mists, the earth was shrouded in darkness. Lu Jiangxian sat by a stone table, holding a flickering golden light, feeling somewhat troubled.
"I’ve seen those unafraid of death, but never one who rushes towards it in such a manner..."
Lu Jiangxian had been disturbed earlier, aware that Minghui was spying on him. Although he was unable to leave the Dharma Mirror, Minghui was drawn to him by fate. If it had been right after Lu Jiangxian’s awakening, he might not have been able to deal with him. But now, after decades of practicing shamanistic techniques and Immortal Law, he could manipulate Minghui easily with the authority of the Dharma Mirror.
"Initially fearing trouble, I spared your life, and yet you still provoke me..."
Now, Lu Jiangxian’s Taiyin Profound Light might only possess the power of the Foundation Establishment Peak, but in terms of status, it was frighteningly high. As long as he didn’t leave the Dharma Mirror, no one could predict his moves. As for cultivators relying on Talisman Qi to divine information, he could effortlessly cause their meddling to recoil and lead to their death.
"However, there might be someone behind Jin Lian Maha. If I kill him and attract the attention of a Dharma Appearance Sovereign, that would be troublesome!"
He frowned slightly, his mind stirring with an idea. With a tap on the desk, a boundless hall cast from white jade materialized, its walls carved with intricate Incantation Scripts. It was the hall from the Moonlight Origin Mansion in Li Jiangqun’s memories, where he then sat at the highest seat, looking down contemplatively.
"With my current strength, I can pull his spirit nature into the mirror for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to gather some information before severing this strand of spirit nature, causing him to forget."
After some consideration, Lu Jiangxian clenched the golden light firmly in his hand, making up his mind, and cast it forward. Instantly, streams of moonlight coalesced, forming a child about five or six years old who appeared well-behaved and cute. Wearing a robe, the child knelt on the White Jade Slate at the center of the hall.
"Who approaches?"
Jin Lian Maha opened his eyes groggily, glanced around, and immediately sensed something amiss. He hastened to summon his cultivation level, only to find his body feeling hollow and devoid of mana. He was horrified.
Looking up, he saw a man sitting in the highest seat, his face beaming with light that hurt his eyes to see, dressed in clothes that seemed ethereal with immortal intent. Jin Lian Maha shrank back warily, bowing his head, his heart pounding with fear:
"This...! To be captured by mere fate, it can’t be an Immortal Cultivator at the Golden Core stage, this must be an Immortal... Damn it, how can there still be an Immortal lingering in this world, that damned Minghui has led me into trouble with such an old monster..."
As Jin Lian Maha thought to himself, he did not dare to delay and pleaded in a small voice:
"This humble monk is merely a Maha before the Great Compassion and Joyous Lotus World Aspect; unaware of the Immortal before me, I beg you, oh kind and compassionate one, spare my life..."