Qinglong Temple was built in the 13th century AD.
According to ancient temple records, in the sixteenth year of Yuanzong of Goryeo Dynasty, it was the Xianchun period of the Southern Song Dynasty in Great Xia. The treacherous minister Jia Sidao caused chaos in the imperial court, and later the Mongolian eminent monk Ba Si Ba went to the Southern Song Dynasty to fight against various cultivators.
At the battle of Tong Pass, Ba Si Ba, as the Great Dharma King, swept through the Southern Song cultivators, and the morale of the Mongolian army was greatly boosted, ready to destroy the decadent world in the south in one fell swoop.
But as soon as the order was issued, before Ba Si Ba could move, a young man appeared before Tong Pass.
He claimed his surname was Qin, with no given name, dressed in plain clothes, and challenged the Mongolian State Preceptor and all great Mongolian masters on the spot.
That battle was not recorded.
All that is known is that by dawn, the once invincible Great Dharma King had passed away at Tong Pass, with none of his disciples surviving. More than five hundred great Mongolian masters gathered at Tong Pass all lay dead in the desert.
That night at Tong Pass gave birth to many legends. Survivors went into seclusion in the mountains, and after the Yuan dynasty destroyed the Southern Song, this matter was hidden in the secret archives of the imperial palace.
However, one of the survivors of that battle at Tong Pass was a scholar from the Goryeo Dynasty. His name was Ming Bensheng. He was originally sent to Mongolia to study and was unexpectedly highly valued by Ba Si Ba, becoming the attendant of the Great Dharma King.
Therefore, Ming Bensheng personally witnessed what happened that night.
Shortly after his return to Goryeo, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty married his daughter to the Crown Prince of Goryeo, Wang, realizing the alliance between the Yuan Dynasty and Goryeo. In the same year, the Crown Prince ascended the throne, becoming King Muryeol of Goryeo.
King Muryeol recognized the Yuan Dynasty as his suzerain. Upon his enthronement, he ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple in the name of the princess. Thinking of Ming Bensheng's fluency in Mongolian, the King ordered him to choose a site and build the temple.
Ming Bensheng came to the foot of Ruiyun Mountain and chose this location. Legend has it that he saw a green dragon descending on white clouds and circling the mountain, hence it was named Qinglong Temple.
Strangely, after the temple was built, Ming Bensheng disappeared.
He originally had a life of wealth, a beautiful wife, and lovely children. But he vanished without a trace.
There were also various strange legends at the time.
Some said Ming Bensheng revealed heavenly secrets and saw the green dragon descend, so he was eaten by the dragon.
Others said Ming Bensheng's temperament changed drastically after returning from Tong Pass, and he never saw his wife and children.
Even more, some secretly rumored that Ming Bensheng had already died at Tong Pass, and the one who returned was just a zombie.
In short, from the moment it was built, Qinglong Temple became the supreme temple of the Goryeo continent.
Whether it was the Goryeo Dao, the Silla Sword, or the Baekje monks, they all established various altars and buildings near Qinglong Temple.
Gradually, Qinglong Temple became the holy land of the three major sects.
Anyone from any sect, including the sect leader, could only wear plain clothes upon entering the temple, not allowed to carry weapons, nor to bring more than two escorts.
Moreover, the temple rules were strict, and it was said that all beings were equal. Stepping into the temple made one a servant of the holy land. Therefore, one's name could not be used here; instead, one was addressed by a code number according to the order of entry.
For instance, at this moment, Jin Taiheng waited patiently in a long line for a long time. Only after people from the three major sects had entered did he receive a wooden plaque with "Six Hundred Seventy-Two" written on it.
His identity was that of an observer, and he could only bring one escort.
That escort, naturally, was Qin Ye Xuan.
Qin Ye Xuan received plaque number Six Seventy-Three.
Jin Taiheng wiped the sweat from his brow, saying, "Once we enter the temple, I will be Six Seventy-Two, and you will be Six Seventy-Three. We are the first to receive plaques after the people from the three major sects, so..."
"So there are six hundred and seventy-one people from the three major sects this time," Qin Ye Xuan played with the wooden plaque and smiled leisurely.
Jin Taiheng, however, could not smile: "More than six hundred seventy sect masters, even if they gather together, do you really have the confidence to enact universal equality?"
Qin Ye Xuan glanced at him: "I can suppress their spiritual power and turn them all into ordinary people, but how powerful are your bombs?"
Jin Taiheng was silent for a long time and said in a deep voice, "Enough to blow up the entire temple. I have used all the informants I planted in the temple. These informants have been cultivated for many years, so this time it can only succeed, not fail."
"Then, what is the real reason for this gathering of the three sects?"
Jin Taiheng shook his head: "Various theories. In short, it's a major event. We'll know when we go in later. The three major sects don't play mind games in Qinglong Temple; they say what they mean here."
The abbot of Qinglong Temple, Great Virtue Hui Hai, along with his disciples, stood in the main hall of Qinglong Temple, smiling as they welcomed the people from the three major sects.
Just behind Jin Taiheng and Qin Ye Xuan, the sixty-seventh fourth guest appeared.
This person was wearing a trench coat, tall and slender, very dashing.
After receiving his wooden plaque, he suddenly quickened his steps and came to Qin Ye Xuan's side: "Sir, may I borrow a light."
Saying this, he handed over a cigarette and smiled at Qin Ye Xuan.
Qin Ye Xuan's eyes flickered; this person was too familiar. It was Zhao Xian Ren from the National Intelligence Agency.
"I'm sorry, I don't have a lighter. Um, Six Seventy-Two, do you have one?"
Six Seventy-Two was Jin Taiheng's code name. He took out a golden lighter speechlessly: "You must return it to me. This is a very meaningful souvenir."
Qin Ye Xuan lit Zhao Xian Ren's cigarette and threw the lighter back to Jin Taiheng. The two began to smoke under the pine trees outside the temple gate.
Jin Taiheng's eyes flickered; he clearly sensed an unusual relationship between the two.
But he had sought Qin Ye Xuan's help first and it was inconvenient to inquire at this time, so he waited obediently from a distance.
"Mr. Qin, do you know why the three major sects have suddenly gathered?"
Qin Ye Xuan slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, coughed twice with a frown, and then extinguished it: "What do you know?"
"The Demonic Sect from Great Xia!" Zhao Xian Ren whispered: "The new generation's Demonic Cult leader Zhu Tian Qi recently sent a post to Qinglong Temple, asking the abbot to inform the three major sects to hand over the secret message of State Preceptor Ming Ben that they possess!"
State Preceptor Ming Ben's secret message?
"It's Ming Bensheng, who built this temple. Legend has it that he left behind a secret message before he disappeared, a message with a predictive nature about the future."
Qin Ye Xuan smiled: "Boring. The State Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Chunfeng, also wrote a book called 'Tui Bei Tu,' which is said to predict the rise and fall of events for the next two thousand years. It was later discovered to be a forgery. Those things are intentionally written ambiguously, making them hard to decipher."
Zhao Xian Ren shook his head: "State Preceptor Ming Ben's secret message is different; it's real."
Qin Ye Xuan frowned.
Zhao Xian Ren quickly explained: "The National Intelligence Agency has repeatedly verified it. There are indeed records in the secret archives of the Goryeo Dynasty and the Great Yuan Empire, stating that State Preceptor Ming Ben truly wrote a secret message and provided a detailed prediction time!"
"What time?"
Zhao Xian Ren took a deep breath: "It's now, here!"
"So Zhu Tian Qi gave Qinglong Temple an ultimatum: the secret message must be handed over before 12 o'clock tonight, or she will personally destroy the three major sects and burn Qinglong Temple."
In half a year, Zhu Tian Qi had re-established a vast Demonic Cult, calling herself the Demon Queen. She had three Rakshasas and a Demon Lord under her command, virtually dominating Great Xia.
But why would Zhu Tian Qi get involved in the affairs of Goryeo's Qinglong Temple?
What was the connection between the so-called prophetic secret message of State Preceptor Ming Ben and her?
"Zhao Xian Ren, do you know the content of the secret message?"
Zhao Xian Ren shook his head: "No one has been able to see the full text of the secret message, but..."
"But what?"
"But the now independent Intelligence Agency has great influence and has received support from the chaebols. So we have discussed with the three major sects and Qinglong Temple, and they are willing to hand over the secret message before 12 o'clock, and then everyone will examine its contents together."
"However, negotiations are still needed. Some people are unwilling."
Qin Ye Xuan's mind raced. He patted Zhao Xian Ren's shoulder: "Contact me anytime after we go in."
He walked back to Jin Taiheng and said in a deep voice, "The plan has changed. Disarm your bombs. The people from the three major sects must survive."
Jin Taiheng was stunned.