Chen Nan was about to engage in intimate activities with the sisters Lu Bailing and Lu Qingqing when he heard that Ning Yinqiu had been brought to Fengdu City by the Imperial Tutor's men.
His expression instantly changed. He rushed out of the room, forgetting to put on his coat, clad only in thin pajamas. His face was grim as he demanded, "What exactly is going on?"
Guo Yu handed Chen Nan a formal invitation. "This was just delivered by a servant from the Imperial Tutor's mansion. They're inviting you to Da Zhao Temple."
Chen Nan opened the invitation and his eyes blazed with intense killing intent as he read its contents.
*Woosh!*
A scorching flame erupted in his hand, instantly incinerating the invitation, which turned to ash and vanished into the night. His face was exceedingly dark, like a rampaging primordial beast. He never expected that the Imperial Tutor, the highest-ranking official, would resort to such despicable tactics. He had actually sent people to capture his beloved to Fengdu City.
"Seven Nights, Qiushui, come here!" Chen Nan sent a telepathic message to Seven Nights.
"My lord, what are your orders?" Seven Nights and Qiushui arrived before Chen Nan immediately.
Chen Nan produced a storage bag and gave it to Seven Nights. "Go to the Imperial Tutor's mansion and hide this storage bag there."
Since the Imperial Tutor had invited him to meet at Da Zhao Temple, he presumed that the experts from the Imperial Tutor's mansion would accompany him. Chen Nan knew that the Imperial Tutor intended to kill him at Da Zhao Temple. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to capture Ning Yinqiu to lure him there.
In that case, he would frame him. By hiding the Imperial Sword in the Imperial Tutor's mansion, he could use the Prince of a Different Surname to sever the Imperial Tutor's influence in the secular world. Chen Nan had actually been looking for a suitable opportunity to eliminate both the Imperial Tutor and the Prince of a Different Surname simultaneously, but such an opportunity was hard to come by. Now, however, the Imperial Tutor had given him an epiphany. If the Imperial Tutor could use his beloved in Tongcheng as leverage while he was away, why couldn't he hide the Imperial Sword in the Imperial Tutor's mansion while he was away?
He then looked at Qiushui. "Go to the Prince of a Different Surname's mansion and inform him that what he's looking for is in the Imperial Tutor's mansion!"
"Understood!"
Both of them vanished into the night. Their cultivation at the Earth Ghost realm, while not exceptionally strong, was sufficient. Chen Nan looked up at the night sky, where the stars hung high and dazzling. In his deep eyes, a wildness flickered. "It's time to deal with this menace, the Imperial Tutor!"
He looked at Di Ting, who had arrived upon hearing the commotion, and smiled. "Brother Dog, shall we take a trip to Da Zhao Temple?"
Di Ting grunted. "In that case, let's go meet some old friends!"
Guo Yu's eyes were resolute. "I'll accompany you."
"Alright." Di Ting agreed, then carried Chen Nan and Guo Yu into the sky and flew towards Da Zhao Temple.
Due to the late hour, Da Zhao Temple appeared very quiet. All the pilgrims had already left. However, the statue of Acala, the Immovable Wisdom King, emanated a faint Buddhist light. From within the temple, the sound of wooden fish and chanting scriptures could be heard. The sounds were sacred, capable of purifying the soul. Yet, they failed to suppress the killing intent in Chen Nan's heart.
As he and Di Ting descended into the temple courtyard, a loud Buddhist chant echoed out. "Amitabha!"
"I never expected you to betray Buddhism." The speaker was an old monk with white eyebrows, sitting alone under a withered tree. He wore a simple monk's robe and held a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet. Even in the darkness, he emanated a faint white light.
Di Ting bared his teeth. "The only Buddha in my heart is Ksitigarbha."
The old monk murmured, "But he is also a Buddhist."
"Go to hell," Di Ting cursed, "You baldy with no hair on your head, you grandson whose mother is ridden by a thousand men."
"Don't you know why Ksitigarbha stays in the eighteenth level of hell?"
"Don't you know why he said, 'Until hell is empty, I shall not become a Buddha'?"
"He simply doesn't want to be tainted by the hypocrisy of your kind."
"Amitabha!" The old monk chanted, and a faint golden light spread from his body. "Your temper seems to have grown rather large!"
Di Ting retorted angrily, "Is it bigger than the green hat on your father's head?"
A flicker of anger flashed in the old monk's eyes. "Di Ting, do you truly believe I dare not suppress you?"
Di Ting gave him a contemptuous look. "Puzhi, old man, it's not that I look down on you, but you're just a junior in front of me! I can destroy you in minutes!"
"Then I shall see your strength!" The old monk named Puzhi raised his hand, and the prayer beads flew into the sky. As they descended, they transformed into a golden light that enveloped Chen Nan, Guo Yu, and Di Ting. It was clearly a Buddhist formation, its golden light adorned with ancient and obscure Sanskrit characters.
"Leave this bald donkey to me," Chen Nan said calmly, walking out step by step. He eventually exited the Buddhist formation, the golden light unable to impede his progress.
Puzhi's pupils contracted sharply. He had been confident in his formation, believing it could trap even a peak Ghost King realm cultivator. Yet, he couldn't understand why Chen Nan could ignore his formation. He hadn't done anything, yet as he walked through it, the formation inexplicably let him pass. Even witnessing it, he found it hard to believe.
"Puzhi, you wretched fool, you should have died ten thousand years ago!"
"If Ksitigarbha hadn't shielded you from a fatal blow, how would you have survived until today?"
"And you, seeing Ksitigarbha in danger for your sake, not only did you not help, but you also attacked him from the shadows. If not for that, how could Ksitigarbha have died?"
"Today, I will send you to meet the Buddha in your heart!" Recalling the events of ten thousand years ago, Di Ting's rage erupted. His eyes turned blood-red, and he let out a deafening roar that shook the void, as if it were about to be annihilated.
At the same time, the formation began to shake. Then, Di Ting's figure disappeared within it. In the next second, he reappeared unnervingly in front of Puzhi and launched a fierce assault.
Although Puzhi was unarmed, the Buddhist light emanating from him was exceptionally strong. He clashed with Di Ting. Even with Di Ting's ferocious attacks, he couldn't break through the golden light surrounding him. Of course, Di Ting also couldn't injure him. For a moment, the battle was evenly matched.
Meanwhile, Chen Nan appeared before the Great Hall of Heroes and saw Ning Yinqiu, her limbs bound. She was tied to a thick pillar, her face haggard. Upon seeing Chen Nan, Ning Yinqiu was stunned, then wept with joy. "Young Master Chen, you shouldn't have come!"
Chen Nan sighed. "You've suffered this calamity because of me, how can I turn a blind eye?" As he spoke, he looked at the figure kneeling beneath the statue of Acala, gritting his teeth. "Imperial Tutor, you are truly skilled at courting death!"
The Imperial Tutor tapped his wooden fish, emitting a scornful laugh. "I do wish to die. I wonder if you can grant my wish?"