Chapter 1787: Chapter 1814: Entering Lingyin Temple
Someone recognized Li Xiaobai and hurriedly left. This young Buddhist Sect expert named Wuhu was a formidable rival to Tang Sanzang, Elder Brother Sun Xingzhe, and others. His departure and return must have some motive.
The journey along the Pure Land was very calm, its perimeter completely suppressed. The local monks of the West were shackled and became prisoners.
“The Buddhist Sect’s treasure land has appeared, quickly assemble the sect members!”
“The south’s Huanan Temple has been breached, the Eastern Land monks have not yet taken over, hurry over there!”
“There’s news ahead, Lingyin Temple is also about to be breached, we’ll head directly there in a while!”
Li Xiaobai grabbed a Loose Cultivator and asked, “How’s the battle at the Pure Land going?”
“What battle, the Buddha Lord is about to lose. The Eastern Land monks are busy taking Lingyin Temple, bro, grab some benefits quickly.”
That person glanced at Li Xiaobai, shook his head, and left. At this crucial moment of seizing Buddhist Sect resources, this young man still leisurely drives the carriage, clearly not competitive at all.
Lingyin Temple is the last line of defense of the Pure Land. The Buddha Lord is entangled by the Demon Buddha and Liu Jinshui, and the second senior sister and fourth senior brother are also about to join the battle; defeat is only a matter of time. As for the other high monks, they are also dealt with by experts, and the strength of the remaining disciple-level monks is evidently insufficient to counter the Eastern Land monks.
These monks, who spend their days with wine and meat, are so obsessed with power schemes that their strength has severely deteriorated.
“The tree falls and the monkeys scatter, a fallen Great Buddha can attract so many parasites’ covetousness.”
“But I see the Eastern Land monks are still plentiful, why aren’t they stopping these Loose Cultivators?”
Yu Huan Shui looked at the hurried crowd and sighed.
“Perhaps the Eastern Land’s Demon Buddha just wants to conquer the territory but not keep it, his goal is merely to destroy the Buddha Lord. Or maybe he’s deliberately attracting Loose Cultivators, waiting for a chance to sweep everyone up at once.”
Li Xiaobai continued driving the carriage, using the Teleportation Formation of several temples, traveling all the way to the Buddha Sea.
Surprisingly, this golden ocean was exceptionally calm at the moment.
There were no flames of war, only the breached gate of Lingyin Temple hidden within its small world, floating above the Buddha Sea. Opposing it was a city built of skeletons, rooted in the Buddha Sea, with Demonic Beasts naturally gathering around this skeletal city.
The attack on the Buddhist Sect wasn’t simply a struggle between two forces; the Demonic Beasts, long suppressed by the Buddhist Sect, also began to rise up. This was a great opportunity for them to turn the tables; as long as the Pure Land was destroyed, there would be no one to restrain them afterward.
To soar the skies freely and regain freedom, the Buddha Sea’s Demonic Beasts reached some agreement with the Eastern Land monks.
No wonder the Pure Land was breached so quickly; all the high monks have retreated to guard Lingyin Temple. With such a large addition of terrifying forces, the Pure Land is critically endangered.
“Immortal Ye seems not to have made a move yet, how do we sneak in?”
Yu Huan Shui asked, intending to take advantage of the chaos to enter Lingyin Temple, but given the orderly scene, there seemed to be no chance.
“Isn’t the opportunity on the carriage? Bringing them here was for this moment to come into play.”
Li Xiaobai smiled slightly. Inside the carriage, a young nun from Ci Hang Temple was his natural talisman, allowing him to enter the temple openly and honorably.
Crossing the golden sea, stepping on this majestic mountain gate.
A few beams of golden Buddha light immediately enveloped, exuding a dangerous aura.
“Who are you?”
“Daring to intrude into Lingyin Temple, do you intend to ignore the alliance?”
A monk roared, trying to shout down Li Xiaobai.
“I assisted Master Jingci from the Buddhist Sect in the mountains and fields. Today, especially sending her back, is this how the Buddhist Sect’s Pure Land treats its guests?”
Li Xiaobai calmly said in a loud voice.
After speaking, the Buddha light scattered, and two monks stepped across the sky, appearing in front of the carriage.
“Which Master Jingci are you talking about?”
The two monks didn’t recognize Jingci; monks generally avoid interacting with nuns to avoid suspicion, and they rarely communicated, so they didn’t recognize Jingci, such a young nun.
“Master Jingci of Ci Hang Temple, she’s in the carriage.”
Li Xiaobai lifted the curtain, revealing three little pink faces. The three young nuns inside the carriage were full of bewilderment. Unintentionally, their roles had reversed; they clearly were the robbers, yet now turned into lambs.
However, they recognized Lingyin Temple. Seeing two monks questioning them, they felt an inexplicable closeness, finally seeing their own people.
“Amitabha, I am Jingci of Ci Hang Temple, a disciple of Master Jing’an. Pursued by the Eastern Land monks, I entrusted these two to bring me back, hoping for the two masters’ assistance.”
Jingci the young nun timidly said.
“A disciple of Master Jing’an, I remember such a thing. Recently, Master Jing’an has searched everywhere, not expecting that Master Jingci was already chased out of the Pure Land by robbers.”
“Coming to Lingyin Temple is a wise choice. The situation is complex, and right now, only Lingyin Temple is safe. You may enter, and I will inform the masters of Lingyin Temple.”
The two monks clasped their hands together and said.
Li Xiaobai didn’t respond; he simply flicked the reins and drove away.
Facing a life-and-death crisis, these monks won’t even say ‘Amitabha’ anymore. Evidently, their usual humility and politeness were false, just a facade.
“Li… young master, how did you know my identity?”
Inside the carriage, Jingci, the young nun, asked.
“Your master was captured by me, your enemies were killed by me, and if you want to live, sit tight. Other than needing you to speak a few words at checkpoints, there’s nothing for you to do.”
Li Xiaobai impatiently waved his hand and pulled the curtain back.
The three little ones inside trembled. Their premonition was correct; an excellent hunter often appears as prey.
“Where are we going? Should we find a place to hide?”
Yu Huan Shui surveyed Lingyin Temple and asked. He thought many monks would be gathered here, but upon entering, he found the place deserted with no sign of anyone.
“This is the perimeter of Lingyin Temple; the true cultivation area is in the deep mountains beyond. We’ll find a place to hide in the mountains.”
Li Xiaobai was well-acquainted with the area. After all, he had cultivated here for some time. Following his memory, he bypassed the large architectural complex and entered the wilderness.
But as soon as the carriage entered the forest, they were immediately suppressed by a terrifying force.
An old monk holding a Zen Staff slowly approached. The golden Buddha light crushed the carriage into pieces, and Jingci the young nun and the other three were prostrate on the ground, unable to breathe.
This was Master Tianxuan of the Temple of Heavenly Sound, who had previously been tricked by Li Xiaobai with the Heavenly Tribulation.
“Wuhu, as soon as you entered Lingyin Temple, you were recognized by the disciples guarding the mountain gate. This old monk didn’t expect you to be so bold to fish in troubled waters at such a critical moment.”
“Unfortunately, you miscalculated. You must have taken the disciples of Ci Hang Temple hostage; admit your guilt and face execution, and you may keep your whole body!”
The old monk gestured, and dozens of Buddhist Sect experts emerged, surrounding Li Xiaobai and Yu Huan Shui. Leading them was Master Lingtang, who had a past grievance with him; this truly was a case of enemies meeting face to face, with heightened animosity.
“Wuhu, you didn’t expect this day to come, did you?”