"For a dead object, is it really worth it?"
"The Suru Mountain is already hard to fathom; it’s best not to ignite other disputes."
"Furthermore, when you descend this ti, if you establish a widely known forum and lay down magic veins, without the support of external court and local powers, it would be like a castle in the air..."
"After this, I will et you alone."
This Peng King seed wise and clear-minded, aware of the external situations, and spoke these words.
After speaking, the human form of the Peng King suddenly glowed with golden light and vanished into thin air in an instant.
Arhat Jieye folded his hands and lowered his head slightly, then looked up, with a fleeting obscure glint in his eyes, and stamped his foot.
The golden body faded, transforming into a layer of golden powder diffusing to the surroundings. Wherever it passed, the Lotus Dharma Realm dissipated, and outside it remained a moonless, windy night, the ancient temple still, seemingly unaffected.
.......
Jingguan City, Yunding Mountain, Governnt Administrative Office.
In the dead of night, the mountains were silent, yet occasionally flashed with cold light upon iron armor, and pairs of shining eyes, like lurking tigers.
At Cloud Peak, in the rear of the Heavenly Patrol Hall, a dim yellow light leaked from a solitary chamber.
The candlewick cast tiny glowing fragnts, illuminating the paper window bright and dim, casting a shadow on the hems of a dark robe worn by an elder in the hall, shading its dark patterns.
The elder sat cross-legged between four folding screens, eyes closed, head down, the wrinkles on his face slumped, resembling an old man weary with age.
Floating around him in the air were about a dozen bronze mirrors, each moon-disk-sized, slowly rotating, their surfaces tilted upward, with edges inlaid with silver wires reflected a cold gleam under the candlelight.
Images flashed within each mirror.
In one mirror, a group of armored soldiers was patrolling with fire torches, the scales on their armor reflected flickering light, and the crunching sound of their boots crushing dry leaves seed capable of penetrating the mirror into the room.
In the adjacent bronze mirror, a Blue Armor General was in a tent camp, writing a secret letter by candlelight, a slender fair hand beside the desk grinding ink, the owner of the hand hidden in the darkness beyond the reach of the lamp, with letters resembling "Prince" visible on the docunt.
There was also a dimst surface, silent, occasionally showing a rack full of armor quickly swallowed by deeper darkness.
At that mont, a draft of air seed to sneak through the door seams, making the fire within the room flicker as though it might be snuffed out by the breeze but then surged again imdiately.
At this mont, one of the bronze mirrors’ images suddenly froze, then the silver wires at its edge flared up, illuminating the quiet room entirely.
Subsequently, the image on this bronze mirror transitioned, revealing a tranquil mountain forest, in which stood an ancient temple.
In the center of the quiet room, Helian Mountain, sitting cross-legged, slightly moved his eyelids before abruptly opening his eyes, and with a finger swiped the mirror to the front of him.
Helian Mountain stared at the image within the mirror with confusion painted on his brow, asking where is this? Cien Temple?
This did surprise him sowhat.
However, Helian Mountain rallied himself, erecting his manipulating formula hand and pointed towards the mirror surface, and a point of silver light shot forth from his fingertip, crossing the mirror surface that rippled as if a giant stone had been thrown into it.
Then, it went abruptly dark!
The image vanished.
Helian Mountain furrowed his brows, attempting multiple tis with no success in capturing the image, hence he sprang up.
There’s sothing strange about this.
"Soone is here!"
He opened his mouth, voice soft, yet outside the quiet night, the sound of armor clanking rose swiftly.
"Lord State Preceptor!"
A stern voice echoed from outside.
"Send soone to investigate at Cien Temple, and call for Heavenly General Qi Tian as well." Helian Mountain recalled previously ordering Qi Tian to keep an eye on the temple because of the western region saint monk’s vast reputation, lecturing there on spiritual laws, showing many miraculous phenona.
As a response ca from outside, the bronze mirror imagery reerged.
But this ti, it revealed the figure of Chen Yuan.
"Lord Helian, are you well since last ti?"
From the mirror ca Chen Yuan’s calm voice.
Seeing Chen Yuan, Helian Mountain’s expression eased, the tightly knitted brow lines settled down, softly calling,
"Hold on!"
"No problem now."
"Maintain your positions."
"Yes!" The shadows outside quickly vanished, returning the silence.
While Helian Mountain, feeling prompted, shook his fra, disappearing from the room, reappearing on the edge of a flying cornice west of Cloud Peak.
There, Chen Yuan stood atop.
"Lord Chen visits in the dead of night, intending to put so eye drops in my eyes?"
Once Helian Mountain appeared, he went straight to the point.
Chen Yuan in plain clothes, still the white robe from the day, looked sideways, "Lord Helian, what do you an by that?"
Helian Mountain thought Chen Yuan carried grudges over previous displeasures, playing a word ga, he spoke bluntly, "Why is Lord Chen beating around the bush, you sent your confidant to see today, wanting to address the collusion between the Beiliang Demon Suppression General and western demons, are you here to supervise ?"
He referred to the day’s matter.
Chen Yuan suddenly realized, this State Preceptor misunderstood, he shook his head,
"I am here at this ti not for that, but for sothing else."
"Earlier, I ca from Cien Temple, had a brief exchange with that saint monk, and there’s sothing I need to inform you, Lord Helian."
Upon hearing, Helian Mountain’s expression grew tense, the folds on his skin tightened towards the corners of his eyes,
"This monk is rumored to have co down from Suru Mountain from the Western Regions, gaining significant reputation here in Jingguan City in a short ti, I have already investigated secretly on his first day here, predicting him to be an arhat, but nothing more could be found, so I just kept an eye on him."
"After all, within and outside Jingguan City, there are dragons and tigers hidden, and I cannot always watch him."
"Lord Chen, do you have sothing to say?"
Helian Mountain’s eyes flickered with a cloudy glow.
Hearing this, Chen Yuan, pondering upon seeking information about the Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic and Golden-winged Roc, to prevent being left in the dark.
So he opened his mouth,
"Old State Preceptor, are you aware of the Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic?"
Without preface or epilogue, he suddenly asked.
Helian Mountain narrowed his eyes, "I know, the court venerates it, or rather, throughout history, there have been related legends, the Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic is the core condensed from the life’s virtue and will of the Ancient Buddha upon parinirvana. Classic records say after a Buddha’s reincarnation, the relics divided into eighty-four thousand pieces were sent by disciples to all corners of mankind to build towers for reverence, passing down the Buddhist law. However, with ti, and turmoil, many vanished, the Buddhist law less visible, and those in existence beca exceedingly rare, most closely guarded on the Suru Mountain in the West."
"Among them, the more important ones, the simplest way is to see the size, for a Buddha’s relic divided into eighty-four thousand parts, the larger and more complete the relic, naturally....."
Helian Mountain felt comforted by being addressed as the Old State Preceptor by Chen Yuan and explained the origin and legend of the Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic.
This Old State Preceptor, spanning through three dynasties, indeed knew much.
Hearing this, Chen Yuan understood better and would naturally have negotiating leverage at the ti.
"So, what is so wonderful about this Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic?"
Chen Yuan pressed on the key issue.
Helian Mountain imdiately gave Chen Yuan a aningful look, "You must first have one, only those who possess it can truly experience it, I have seen it before but without such fortune, or perhaps you might inquire the Great Divine Skills among the Buddhists."
"Also, you ntioned having crossed paths with that saint monk from Cien Temple, what transpired there?"
Chen Yuan did not wish to elaborate.
Too many questions and the issue seed to be getting tricky.
He rembered one of the seven Undying Kings outside Jingguan City was an arhat who had resurrected.
Perhaps he could glean so information then decide on what to do with the Buddha’s Finger Bone Relic, a finger bone relic was guarded by the Golden-winged Roc, a Bodhisattva-level entity, certainly extraordinary, even though the opposing side displayed indifference.
"So matters cannot be disclosed yet, involving Suru Mountain’s karma, not suitable for publicity, the Old Preceptor need only monitor Cien Temple and also pay attention to the matters I requested from the Holy Sect."
"Farewell!"
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