Chapter 899: Revised: Chapter 39 Golden Cicada Temple
Heaven-nding Stone?
Wei Dongliu was imdiately startled and hurriedly asked:
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure!” The Kunlun Mirror replied promptly, “Absolutely sure!”
Wei Dongliu suddenly understood: why would those from the Hell Path go to all the trouble to investigate a hidden sect tucked away in the corner of a Dwelling Cave Heaven?
Because the Golden Cicada Temple has fragnts of the Heaven-nding Stone!
Good grief, if it weren’t for Ah Jing telling , I’d have been left in the dark!
That Taoist Luo, clearly ordering to do things, yet withholding any useful information.
Want to gather intelligence, huh? Well, the intel I found says that fragnts of Heaven-nding Stone in this Buddhist Sect have been stolen—don’t bla , Taoist Luo, you go stress about it!
Having decided to seize the Heaven-nding Stone fragnts, Wei Dongliu… now disguised as “Ming Zhi,” a wandering monk from Pudu Temple, followed a novice monk along the mountain road.
“Little master, may I ask how you’re addressed?” Ming Zhi suddenly asked.
Inquiring na, naturally referring to the identity he assud for now.
The novice monk nervously bowed his head and replied:
“My Dharma na is ‘Jianxing’.”
“Vile Nature?” Ming Zhi frowned slightly, thinking the Dharma na sounded odd.
Following Jianxing uphill, Ming Zhi continually observed his surroundings, suspicion gradually filling his mind.
Why would a Buddhist temple be built hidden here, within a Dwelling Cave Heaven?
Looking back on past experiences, the Buddhist Sect indeed has a habit of constructing their residences in remote locations. For instance, Golden Turtle Island’s Demon-Imprisoning Hall in the Southern Sea, or the Thousand Buddha Cave on the southwest plateau (where the Myriad Avatar Absolute Immortal Sword was excavated). Essentially, these places served to guard or suppress sothing, hence they were located as inconspicuously as possible.
Could the Golden Cicada Temple also be built here for similar reasons?
Thinking this far, Ming Zhi realized he had reached the temple gates.
The gates were open, and only one monk was silently sweeping the ground.
Oddly enough, there were no fallen leaves on the ground, so Ming Zhi couldn’t fathom what the monk was sweeping.
“Senior Brother,” Jianxing called out as he approached the sweeping monk, “This is—Ming… Ming Zhi Senior Brother, from Pudu Temple, wishing to stay here… at Golden Cicada Temple.”
The monk raised his head, glancing faintly at Ming Zhi—a glance that revealed disproportionately small pupils and an excessive amount of sclera, clearly symptoms of depleted vitality, energy, and spirit.
There’s sothing strange about this Golden Cicada Temple…
While Ming Zhi was pondering, the monk asked:
“Do you have a permit of passage?”
“I do, I do!” Jianxing hurriedly produced the permit and handed it over.
“Wait outside,” the monk said as he stuffed the permit into his sleeve without even looking at it. “Jianxing, follow to et the abbot.”
The two entered through the temple gates, leaving Ming Zhi standing outside.
He tucked his hands into his sleeves, silently observing the temple ahead.
“There are traces of a formation here,” Ming Zhi thought to himself, “and a very intricate one at that.”
“Indeed,” Kunlun Mirror scanned briefly and confird the sa. It added, “Don’t you think the layout of this formation looks sowhat familiar?”
“Now that you ntion it, yes…” Ming Zhi began to ponder. “But I don’t recall studying a similar formation.”
“This formation centers around the Buddhist temple, spreading outward in all directions and gradually fading into the void. It’s hard to grasp its full scope, so it’s difficult to determine its exact nature.”
“However, judging by this layout, the scale of this formation must be enormous, surely connected to the entirety of the Dwelling Cave Heaven.”
“Given its connection to the entire Cave Heaven, it’s likely a kind of Protective Sect Array, right?” Suming Sword casually remarked. “Isn’t that type of formation pretty common?”
“You don’t understand,” Ming Zhi chuckled, “Ordinary Protective Sect Arrays guard against large numbers of hostile cultivators invading a sect’s residence.”
“But this is a Cave Heaven, naturally isolated from the outside world. Most cultivators couldn’t even locate the Cave Heaven’s entrance, let alone invade it—so why set up such a massive formation?”
“Look at the Shennongjia Secret Realm earlier—why wasn’t there a Protective Sect Array to ward us off? Because to enter the realm, one mostly needs the passage through the Mortal World Hundred Lifetis Map. Without the Artifact Spirit granting access, you’d be stuck outside… Not everyone has spatial treasures like the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle.”
“Which ans the Golden Cicada Temple’s formation, spanning the entire Cave Heaven, serves so purpose beyond re defense.”
“Oh?” Suming Sword teased with a playful laugh, “Then Sword Master, what’s Golden Cicada Temple’s purpose?”
“That must be…” Ming Zhi was about to fabricate sothing casually when another figure erged from the temple gates.
It was still the sweeping monk, but Jianxing the novice monk was nowhere to be seen.
“Master, please follow ,” the monk said stiffly. Though he addressed Ming Zhi respectfully as “Master,” his tone carried little reverence and seed more indifferent and apathetic.
Ming Zhi followed the sweeping monk in through the temple gates, his perceptive gaze quickly morizing the terrain along the way.
Upon reaching the main hall, Ming Zhi saw an elderly monk standing in its center, wordlessly staring at him.
Unlike typical Buddhist main halls adorned with statues for worship, the Golden Cicada Temple’s was completely bare—the elderly monk stood in the middle of a vast, empty hall, equally vacant in expression, gaunt in appearance, and fixing an unblinking gaze on Ming Zhi.
Ming Zhi: ………
“Ming Zhi, the wandering master from Pudu Temple?” the elderly monk asked.
“Indeed, it is I,” Ming Zhi quickly replied.
Regardless of what was written on the permit, since it was forged by the Hell Path as identification, he needed only to acknowledge it.
“Good,” the elderly monk forced a grueso smile and dryly said, “Your temple’s material support for our Golden Cicada Temple couldn’t have co at a better ti—it’s like rain after a long drought.”
“Haha,” Ming Zhi, while clueless about any material support, instantly guessed that the Hell Path had made arrangents through Jianxing the novice monk to pass goods to the abbot. He responded with a carefree smile, “Just trivial secular items, what’s worth ntioning? Moreover, since I’ve been tasked to co here to study Buddhist scriptures and cultivate Buddhist essence, I’ll be troubling you for a while—this modest support is only natural.”
“No problem at all.” The elderly monk nodded repeatedly and said, “Ming Zhi Master may stay as long as you wish. Uh… Jianwu!”
In ca a bright-eyed novice monk, who ran inside and knelt before the abbot.
“Take Master Ming Zhi to the east-wing quarters and find him a secluded spot to settle in,” the elderly monk instructed.
Ming Zhi observed the novice monk beside him and noticed he seed full of vitality and spirit, his face glowing with energy—completely different compared to the other monks with excessive sclera, shrunken pupils, and gaunt appearances.
The novice monk promptly agreed, as the elderly monk continued speaking to Ming Zhi:
“The east wing is reserved for distinguished guests and senior monks; the west wing is for novices and laborers. The areas we usually gather to chant, study, and discuss scriptures are primarily in the front hall—you’ll know once you visit.”
“Furthermore, the rear hall is a filthy and impure place; Master must not enter it, lest you get contaminated—please rember this strictly.”
Though Ming Zhi agreed outwardly, an odd sense stirred within him.
Filthy and impure place? That phrasing was peculiar.
In the Mortal World, such references usually applied to toilets or areas used for slaughtering livestock. Yet, cultivators don’t need food or restrooms, nor do they slaughter animals—so where would a filthy place co from?
To avoid arousing suspicion, Ming Zhi feigned indifference. Secretly, however, he resolved to find an opportunity to ask Jianxing about this later.
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