Seeking Truth with a Sword

Chapter 359 - 313 Floating Tower

"The abbot is kind-hearted."

A middle-aged man dressed in official attire, whom others called Governor Zhang, sighed. "If all the Cultivation Sects in the world could be as generous and supportive to the needy as the Jialan Sect, the world wouldn’t be in such chaos and turmoil."

The other pilgrims showed expressions of sorrow upon hearing this. Many were from places far from the Mountain of Mind and Heart. They didn’t know if they would ever be able to return home, or if their families and fellow villagers could survive this chaotic world.

Sui Yi, an excellent actor, even began to sob softly, her face tear-streaked and pitiful. She wiped away her tears and carelessly smeared them on Li Ang’s arm—her own arm was dislocated and had not yet healed, so she needed to cling to Li Ang to avoid being noticed by others.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

Urgent footsteps approached from a distance. A Martial Monk ran along the corridor outside the Grand Hall, whispering a few words into the Kongwo Monk’s ear.

The Kongwo Monk’s expression suddenly changed. Although it was only for an instant, some of the pilgrims noticed. After uttering "Amitabha Buddha," he instructed the pilgrims to follow the other monks to visit the Grand Hall. He then excused himself and quickly walked toward the Zen rooms to the north, discussing matters with the Martial Monk who had brought the report.

"The Floating Tower has been breached again? How is that possible? Haven’t our senior uncles and brothers set up more Prohibitions, and haven’t people been taking turns guarding it every night?"

"Yes, that’s why it’s so baffling. Last night, Uncle Liao Chen was guarding the Floating Tower. He didn’t sleep all night, continuously reciting Buddha Sutras at the tower’s base. Throughout his vigil, he heard no noise and saw not even a shadow. It wasn’t until dawn, when the relics, sutras, and Buddha statues at the top of the tower were re-inspected, that they discovered some items had been slightly shifted. It was clear there had been an intrusion."

"...Which items went missing?"

"That’s the problem! After an inventory, nothing was missing! Neither the Buddha’s relics nor the Secret Treasures, not even the Buddhist Cultivation scriptures—all were safe and sound! It’s as if the intruder had a different purpose..."

"Speak plainly."

"I beg your pardon, brother, but there have been strange occurrences in the temple recently. First, the positions of the Bodhisattva statues and Buddha statues moved inexplicably. Then, the Floating Tower was repeatedly breached, causing a lot of confusion in the temple. When Weituo Bodhisattva transported the supply ships over three thousand miles to save our Jialan Temple, perhaps this time it’s also some kind of sign..."

"Brother, watch your words!"

Kongwo Monk’s brow furrowed. Though there were indeed legends of Bodhisattvas saving the Jialan Sect in its history, believing in Buddha and believing that a Buddha would disturb the Floating Tower at this moment were completely different matters.

Well, let’s go see what’s going on first.

「The night had grown deep.」

Xiao Da peered through the crack of the door, watching the lights in the side rooms and across the courtyard gradually extinguish until only the stone lampposts in the courtyard continued to emit light.

He withdrew and nodded to the others. Jiu Fenghai first pulled out a talisman from his sleeve and activated it to block out sound, then he spoke, "What the Kongwo Monk said during the day about the Jialan Ancestor exorcising demons is true."

"Hmm?" Xia Jun frowned. "How do you know it’s not made up? All the temples in the world claim their ancestral monks were glorious."

Jiu Fenghai replied, "I studied at Lu Li Academy, and once accompanied Dean Lu Qingya on a journey. In a village in the Northern Land, we found a long-abandoned temple where four demons were enshrined."

His expression turned grave as he continued, "Before the Han dynasty, the worship of Blood-eating Ghost Gods was common. Ordinary people, powerless against demons and monsters, could only coexist with them, offering livestock and praying that the demons would not harm them.

"The demon statues in that ruined temple were lifelike, yet no Demonic Qi remained; clearly, the demons themselves had long perished.

"When my Dean and I visited the village, we heard a legend from an elderly villager, passed down through generations—it was remarkably similar to what Kongwo Monk said.

"Even the names of the four demons, in the local dialect, sounded the same as ’Yi,’ ’E,’ ’Yan,’ and ’Wu’ in the official language of Chang’an.

"However, the ancestors of the villagers had never seen the monk who slew the demons with their own eyes. They only saw the Buddha Light that filled the sky and the holy Buddha chanting that echoed through the mountains.

"Not understanding the truth, they credited this feat to the immortals—the Zen Sect had not yet risen in the Central Plains at that time, and the common people did not know of the Buddha."

"Does that mean there really was a Jialan Ancestor?" Ashina Que Teqin couldn’t help but ask. The Turkic people had mixed beliefs, worshipping Haotian, as well as following Shamanism, Manichaeism, Jingjiao, Zoroastrianism, and a considerable number also believed in Buddhism.

"Maybe there was," Jiu Fenghai shook his head and said. "Anyway, we need to go out and collect more intelligence. A light rain fell in the mountains during the day, making the ground muddy. Different places have different soil colors. While walking, I carefully observed the various colored shoe prints left on the road. The black mud left by certain footprints can only be found near the back mountain, that is, in the direction of the Floating Tower. Obviously, something happened there that led to the assembly of monks."

Que Teqin stood up. "If it’s about gathering intelligence, I’ll go."

He was an Innate Martial Artist; if he focused on concealing his tracks, he could reduce the risk of being discovered.

"No," Jiu Fenghai shook his head. "The Jialan Sect has a long heritage and many historical artifacts. Without the corresponding Zen knowledge, even if you see something, you might not realize the problem. I’ll go."

In reality, the best candidate for reconnaissance would have been Sui Yi, with her Academic Palace background, but her arm was dislocated and her injury had not yet healed. Li Ang... his Cultivation was a bit low, making it easy for others to detect him.

"Wish me luck, everyone." Jiu Fenghai stood up, stuck several talismans on his body, opened the window, and disappeared into the night.

In the night-shrouded Jialan Sect, it didn’t feel desolate at all. On the contrary, under the illumination of Long Burning Lamps, the resplendent Buddhist temples and intricately carved pavilions, partly hidden in the shadows, seemed even more lavish and extravagant.

The wealth of the Jialan Sect is striking; this scene almost matches that of the Great Ming Palace three hundred years from now. I bet randomly knocking off a piece of glazed tile or digging up a stone lamppost to take back could fetch a good price.

Jiu Fenghai, dressed in night clothes, shook his head and continued to maintain his Magic, concealing himself in the shadows.

He scaled the courtyard wall, climbed into the treetops, and looked far off to the north. The Floating Tower was brightly lit. At its base, three elderly monks with long beards sat serenely, chanting Buddha Sutras.

With just one glance, Jiu Fenghai immediately averted his eyes, fearing he would attract the attention of those three highly cultivated monks.

Such tight security... It looks difficult to get past...

HUM!

Suddenly, a brilliant Buddha Light shone from the seventh level of the Floating Tower.

The faces of the three chanting monks changed slightly. They simultaneously slapped the ground, their figures leaping up and heading straight for the upper levels of the Floating Tower.

HUM!!

The Buddha Light pulsed continuously, its vibrations rippling through the Mountain Guarding Array that enveloped the Sky Dome, making the array tremble as if struck by a powerful force and on the verge of collapse.

This significant phenomenon made all the monks resting in the various Zen rooms run out, heading towards the Floating Tower.

An opportunity!

Jiu Fenghai’s eyes flashed. He silently jumped down from the treetops, rushing straight to the edge of the Mountain Guarding Array.

The anomaly at the Floating Tower might have been caused by an Alien losing control, or perhaps someone or something had broken in unauthorized. Regardless, with the attention of everyone in the Jialan Sect diverted and the Mountain Guarding Array wavering, it was the best chance to investigate the array’s true strength and weaknesses.

He quickly passed through the woods, arriving at a misty edge. Here, a series of stone steles stood in the forest, their inscriptions forbidding entry.

Ignoring the inscriptions, Jiu Fenghai casually picked up stones and plants, throwing them into the shaking, semi-transparent barrier.

WHOOSH.

The stones and plants passed through the barrier smoothly and fell into the dense forest.

Seeing this, Jiu Fenghai plucked some insects from the trees and tossed them forward. They too passed through without issue.

So...

Jiu Fenghai took out a paper crane from his breast pocket and, using his Spiritual Power, controlled its shaky flight towards the barrier.

One foot, two feet...

The paper crane successfully crossed the air barrier and continued onward. A glimmer of joy crossed Jiu Fenghai’s face.

In the next instant, the paper crane lost control without warning and, during its descent, disintegrated into ash.

His face turned ashen, and he quickly severed his Spiritual Power connection to the paper crane.

But it was too late.

An invisible force transmitted through the paper crane.

With a ripping sound, countless blood-stained lines appeared on Jiu Fenghai’s body. His eyes shook with horror. He took a trembling step forward, and his body immediately fractured into innumerable pieces, falling to the ground in a scattered, gory mess.