Chapter 116: A Devil in the Buddhist Temple

It had taken Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi quite some effort to locate the Ziyan Temple. Fortunately, they had already reached the Seed Formation Realm. Although the mountain paths were rugged, they hadn't disheveled the two too much.

Upon reaching their destination, Wang Sheng couldn't help but feel a little disappointed again. The temple looked like a scaled-up version of the courtyard in Wudang; it was anything but grand.

The outer walls were in ruins, and the front gate was barely intact. Even the colors of the two main doors on either side were mismatched. Moreover, the plaque bearing the three ancient characters for "Ziyan Temple" had lost most of its paint and was riddled with winding holes.

If a few vines and dead leaves were added to the scene, it could have been more convincing to call the place Lanruo Temple[1].

The temple gate was half-open, and a few monks could be seen sweeping the courtyard inside. As Wang Sheng extended his spiritual consciousness across the grounds, he immediately sensed the presence of over twenty cultivators, most of them at the Breath Condensation and Spirit Convergence Realms—realms that Wang Sheng could easily see through. He also discovered several places that his spiritual consciousness could not penetrate, which were likely where the temple's senior monks resided.

Fei Lianzi chuckled softly and murmured, "Seems there really are some masters in here."

At that moment, a solemn Buddhist chant echoed from within the temple. The speaker had sounded like a calm elder, his tone neutral.

"

Namo Amitabha.

Daoist masters from the Shu Sword Sect, may I ask what business you have here today? Please, enter the temple so we may speak."

Two young monks—barely in their teens—poked their bald heads out through the gap in the gate. Seeing that visitors had arrived, they hurriedly opened the gate. Several monks in the outer courtyard, dressed in monastic robes, also looked out curiously. However, upon realizing that Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi were not dressed in Daoist robes, they appeared to be slightly disappointed.

Fei Lianzi cupped his hands as he walked in. Smiling, he greeted, "I'm Fei Lianzi, Ninth Elder of the Shu Sword Sect. I was just a bit bored and restless, so I thought I'd stop by. Neighbors should stay in touch, don't you think?"

From the great palace, an elderly monk in a patched

kasaya

stepped out. The sunlight revealed the faded fabric and several worn patches on his robe. He was thin and had a completely white beard, but his gaze remained bright and spirited, emanating a gentle and kind aura.

"I am Xuan Ku, the abbot of this temple."

Wang Sheng was momentarily unsure of how to respond. As Daoist priests, how were they supposed to address monks?

Fei Lianzi assumed the elder monk was of the same generation as their sect master. Hence, he returned the greeting with a Daoist bow. "Greetings, Abbot Xuan Ku."

Wang Sheng followed suit. "Greetings, Abbot Xuan Ku."

"Please, come into the hall and rest," the abbot offered courteously. "Though we have seen each other less often in recent years, our temple and the Shu Sword Sect have long shared deep ties. For you two immortals to come today truly brings joy to my old heart."

In response, Fei Lianzi smiled again and offered a few polite words. The abbot then led them into the great palace, where they took seats on a few wooden chairs in the corner.

The temple clearly had financial problems. Even the gold paint on the Buddha statue was nearly worn off, a sign that they had no funds to repaint it. After all, a temple's income mostly came from incense offerings. For an old temple hidden deep in the mountains, a bit of hardship was to be expected.

In ancient times, monks would travel to seek alms not just to fill their stomachs but also to save money to gild their temple's Buddha statues. It was a practice that also served as a form of cultivation.

Wang Sheng didn't look around much. He had come purely out of curiosity—to interact with Buddhist cultivators and broaden his horizons.

The two young monks who had opened the gate soon returned with tea.

Xuan Ku warmly greeted, "Please don't mind the mountain spring and coarse tea. Did you two visit today only for the sake of neighborly relations?"

Fei Lianzi nodded and was about to respond when Wang Sheng suddenly replied, "Senior, my master sent me here to greet an old friend of his. His friend's Dharma name is Rufeng..."

The name did sound a little odd.

"Buddhist Master Rufeng?" the abbot repeated with a smile and nodded. "He indeed cultivates here at our temple. Please wait a moment. I will summon him at once."

"Thank you, Senior."

"It's no trouble," Xuan Ku replied with a smile and a wave of his hand. "Our temple and the sword sect have always looked after one another. There's no need for such formality."

Soon, several middle-aged monks arrived together. Aside from one whom Wang Sheng couldn't see through, the others were all cultivators at the Spirit Convergence Realm. The overall strength of the Ziyan Temple's Buddhist cultivators didn't seem particularly high.

In his past life, Wang Sheng had read some analysis online from so-called "cultivation experts." Among them were discussions that dissected the reasons behind the decline of Buddhist sects, and some of their arguments actually seemed quite reasonable.

The root of the problem, it appeared, lay in the Buddhist scriptures.

No matter how numerous the Daoist heritages were, they all traced their origins back to the

Dao De Jing.

The techniques and realms pursued by each Daoist heritage were all developed with that foundation and could serve to verify each other.

Meanwhile, the cultivation techniques of Buddhist sects mostly stemmed from a wide range of scriptures, and unlike the

Dao De Jing,

none of those scriptures served as a central, authoritative guide. Hence, the current Buddhist inheritance within the Hua Republic had become overly fragmented.

There were many Buddhist cultivators and followers, and Buddhist texts had spread far more widely than Daoist classics. However, during the thousand years after the loss of primal qi, most cultivation methods derived from those scriptures fell into oblivion.

Moreover, since Buddhism had merged with the culture of the Central Plains after its arrival from ancient India, it had diverged significantly from its origins. The cultivation methods had also changed, making them unsuitable for mutual reference.

As a result, when primal qi returned and their realms rose, many senior monks who had spent their entire lives chanting scriptures found out that they had no idea how to draw primal qi into themselves for use. Moreover, trying to supplement their practice with other techniques often caused conflicts with their existing realms, making it safer to simply fumble their way forward on their own.

Another key reason, and the very root of the constant conflict between Buddhist and Daoist sects a thousand years ago, was that Buddhism focused on the next life, while Daoism pursued transcendence in this one.

To Buddhists, cultivation began with faith. They viewed cultivation as a means to reach the Western Pure Land, believing that this life was meant for suffering and only through ultimate nirvana could one become a Buddha or a Bodhisattva.

Daoism, on the other hand, upheld a far more pragmatic philosophy. It emphasized reverence for heaven and earth and for one's parents. Its cultivation centered on refining both body and soul, aiming to reach enlightenment and ascension within this very lifetime. A successful Daoist cultivator would either bathe in immortal light in the pursuit of eternal life or reach the ultimate Dao and live freely in this world.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Because of that, a thousand years ago, the two sects began hurling accusations at one another. Eventually, words turned to violence. For a long stretch in history, the two major orthodox factions harbored deep disdain toward each other.

The Daoist sects had since become the mainstream orthodoxy in the cultivation world, while the Buddhist sects had faded into decline. Now, they served only as a supporting force for those on the righteous path.

With the supervision of the Hua Republic, conflict between Buddhist and Daoist sects became rare. Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries usually coexisted in peace, even if they were right next to each other.

The group of middle-aged monks stepped forward and saluted the abbot. The monk whose cultivation realm Wang Sheng could not detect then turned to Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi.

Smiling, he asked, "Which of you came to see me?"

Wang Sheng rose to his feet and smiled. "That would be me, Senior Rufeng. I am Wang Sheng, and I've recently started cultivating in the Shu Sword Sect. My master, Qing Yanzi, specifically instructed me to visit the Ziyan Temple and pay respects to you."

"Qing Yanzi?" The monk's eyes lit up, and his long eyebrows twitched slightly. Laughing heartily, he now seemed noticeably more spirited. "So you're his disciple, huh? I didn't know he's taken in another student. I once traveled with your master for several months and truly admired the depth of his knowledge. Tell me, has your master finally found your mistress?"

"He has," Wang Sheng replied. "Just recently."

Rufeng cheerfully nodded. "That's good, that's good. At least his devotion wasn't in vain."

Xuan Ku smiled. "Come, sit. We can talk as we rest."

Another monk sighed and added, "The timing of your visit couldn't be better. If you didn't come today, we would likely have paid the sword sect a visit in the coming days ourselves."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Xuan Ku interjected. "Nothing is certain yet. There's no need to panic."

Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi exchanged a look. Reminded of what Fei Lianzi had said earlier that morning, a sense of unease began to creep in.

Surely it wouldn't happen so soon...

Wang Sheng

thought.

Still smiling, Xuan Ku asked, "May I ask whether you two have studied Buddhist teachings before?"

"We haven't," Fei Lianzi replied with a slightly embarrassed smile. He then frowned. "From what the master just said, I take it that something has happened?"

Xuan Ku frowned slightly, seemingly reluctant to speak. He merely chanted, "

Namo Amitabha.

"

"Abbot," called another middle-aged monk after performing a Buddhist gesture. "Why not let them take a look for themselves? If we end up being right, the Shu Sword Sect will inevitably get dragged into this since it's just close by."

Rufeng added, "Perhaps it's best to pool our thoughts, Abbot. If it turns out to be a false alarm, then all will be well and good."

Xuan Ku sighed, finally relenting. "Very well. Bring our two guests to the well in the rear courtyard."

Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi exchanged another look. Why didn't any of these monks even ask whether they were willing to go?

Still, the situation had fallen into their laps, and it could put the Shu Sword Sect's safety at risk. Fei Lianzi knew they couldn't just walk away.

The two followed the monks to the rear courtyard of the Ziyan Temple. Its layout was somewhat unusual—rows of side rooms where monks lived surrounded the space, while a single well sat right in the center of the courtyard. Around the well were two or three dozen prayer cushions.

A monk explained, "As per temple tradition, morning scripture recitations are held here, not in the main palace.

"This well is called the Devil-Sealing Well. It's been passed down from abbot to abbot that it's the only entrance and exit left by the great devil-sealing formation. It was meant for future generations to inspect the array.

"In ancient times, before heaven and earth were filled with such strong Buddhist energy, one could see statues beneath the well and even glimpse a cavern in the water."

"After the world's primal qi began to recover, the devil-sealing formation reactivated, but the cavern disappeared. Yet just last month, something changed again." Xuan Ku let out a long sigh. "Rufeng, your understanding of the Dharma is profound. Would you demonstrate for our two guests?"

Rufeng nodded gently, stepped beside the well, and recited a Buddhist chant. He raised his palm toward the mouth of the well and made a pulling motion. A stream of water surged up into his hand and turned into a floating sphere.

He then carried the water sphere over while chanting softly, making the sphere boil. A moment later, a wisp of black-red smoke seeped out of it, but the wind quickly carried it away.

Fei Lianzi's eyes widened. "That's—"

"Devilish qi." Rufeng shook his head helplessly. "It has already begun to leak."

1. Lanruo Temple is most famously known from the classic Chinese ghost story《倩女幽魂》. It is an abandoned, eerie, dilapidated temple haunted by ghosts and demons ☜