The wind seemed to be roaring. Esteemed Sir Lan didn’t know what An Keyi was currently saying to Lin Xi and the others. He was currently furious at himself because he who used to be Green Luan Academy’s number one swordmaster was actually seriously wounded without being able to intercept it. Under the interweaving wind and snow, Lin Xi’s figure in the carriage seemed to have gradually become one with Principal Zhang’s.
Under this type of misconception, he breathed with difficulty. He suddenly felt another strange source of fear.
It was as if a type of mortal threat already arrived, yet he didn’t understand where this fatal threat came from. His body felt ice-cold. There was an indescribable source of impatience surging within him.
The figures of Principal Zhang and Lin Xi, the blade radiance sword shadows of countless battles, they already disappeared. All of this was replaced by the snow-white body of a woman from his memories.
The snow around his body instantly turned into a red brocade. He heard his own throat gasp for air, he could also hear the four Flame Titans’ breathing become exceptionally heavy.
Right at this time, Nangong Weiyang reached out her hand next to Lin Xi. She gripped Lin Xi’s longsword. In just a fraction of a breath of time, her body shook fiercely, as if she suffered an intense backlash. This ordinary carriages’ wheel axles simultaneously released a crack sound. The longsword turned into an astonishing streak of rainbow light, instantly arriving in front of Esteemed Sir Lan in a straight line.
The charming and gentle scene in Esteemed Sir Lan’s consciousness immediately intersected with this sword light.
A streak of sword radiance appeared in the hands of the naked woman in his mind. He now already completely understood what produced this strange reaction within him. However, compared to Lin Xi’s previous sword, this sword was even more powerful. When the black and red sword had just risen up, this sword already descended, crushing down on his black and red flying sword, landing on his chest.
His body flew back uncontrollably.
The flying sword rushed out from his back, bringing with it a blast of thick bloody mist.
He was immediately at a loss. Only then did he see that An Keyi and Qin Xiyue already brought Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang with them, running crazily through the wind and snow.
Thud!
He fell heavily to the ground, his body continuing to slide along the snowland.
After sliding more than ten steps of distance, he subconsciously stood up.
When he stood up again, only then did he discover that he already lost all of his strength.
He raised his head, seeing four Flame Titans roaring in the snowland as if they completely lost track of Lin Xi’s group. Then, he lowered his head and saw that his chest was already completely empty.
He could see the blood soaked-snow and the black night sky through the huge hole in his own chest.
He saw that the blood in his own body was also black.
He thought back to his entire life, suddenly feeling incomparable pain and suffering. He then fell down, passing away.
…
“What kind of medicine is that?”
Lin Xi couldn’t help but ask while looking at An Keyi.
Apart from An Keyi, he, Nangong Weiyang and Qin Xiyue, the three of them all had a true feeling of renewed life.
After seriously injuring Esteemed Sir Lan, the soul force within his body was already continuously being released by him. Under the biting cold winds, his body felt a bone chilling frigidness, his lips also becoming a bit dark from the cold.
When An Keyi who was holding him while running quickly heard this question, her cheeks flushed slightly. However, she still replied with a bookish tone, “It is an aphrodisiac… it should be the world’s most powerful aphrodisiac.”
Even though when Medicine Department’s new students joined the academy, they would often joke around in private that the medicines they wanted to make were either aphrodisiacs or laxatives, An Keyi’s reply still left Lin Xi’s group completely shocked.
“Devil Eye Flower…”
An Keyi saw how cold Lin Xi was. After a bit of hesitation, she wrapped herself tighter around Lin Xi. This was but a normal action during a battle and escape, but the blushing on her face became even stronger. She subconsciously explained, “During East Scenery City, Harmony Splendor City and Meteor City’s great battles, we realized the effects of the Devil Eye Flower. According to the academy’s original intention, we only wanted to see if we could make any medicines that could greatly increase our strength before Purgatory Mountain Patriarch arrived outside Thousand Leaf Pass. After all, the Devil Eye Flower possesses powerful stimulation effects. If it can greatly increase one’s reaction time and perception, even help the body exceed their normal limits… As long as we could kill Purgatory Mountain Patriarch, even if there were some side effects, it was a worthy sacrifice in many of our eyes. However, our Medicine Department ultimately failed… and ended up making this type of medicine. It has powerful hallucinogenic effects, resulting in the most powerful aphrodisiac.”
“Regardless of what kind of medicine it is, as long as it can kill the enemy, it is a good medicine.” Nangong Weiyang gave An Keyi a look and asked seriously, “But this medicinal force only affects the mind for a halt or so of time, so we had to leave immediately?”
An Keyi nodded. “Our academy obtained a few vials of Flame Titan blood from your battle against Zhang Ping, which is why I am certain that this medicine is useful on Flame Titans as well, just that its effects do not last long. Even if they are under the medicine’s effects, all sacred level existences would still possess battle instincts when facing the threat of death.”
Nangong Weiyang frowned. “If me and Lin Xi weren’t injured, we would have been able to kill those four Fame Titans.”
An Keyi nodded.
“This type of medicine will still be useful in the future.” Nangong Weiyang gave her a look and said. “It should be useful when facing Zhang Ping in the future as well.”
Hearing her words, An Keyi instead remained quiet for a moment. Then, she shook her head. “No one knews how Zhang Ping’s constitution will evolve. These types of medicines might not be of any use against him in the future.”
Nangong Weiyang also became silent again.
The Flame Titans could sense the aura of ‘Demonization’. Just how many more mortal and extremely unfavorable secrets did Zhang Ping grasp?
…
Three majestic and unimaginably dignified large buddhas were buried in yellow sand.
Next to a buddha whose clothes wrinkles were even longer than a fleet of carriages, a wide canal surged with fresh water.
Behind this large buddha was a deep moat, a massive valley.
The roofs of some buddha palaces were vaguely visible, flickering with golden light. They were built inside of this deep valley. The runes on the mountain walls and temples all released gentle buddha light, forming rings of circular sanskrit text, all of this gathering a sea of golden buddha light.
This was Sanskrit Temple, another cultivation holy land outside of Green Luan Academy and Purgatory Mountain.
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai sat within a certain cave surrounded by buddha light.
In front of these bald monks sat an old yellow browed monk.
“Senior, please help us dispel our confusion.”
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai bowed in greeting. The two of them didn’t speak any extra words, because they knew this person was definitely aware of where their confusion lied.
The yellow browed old monk gave Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai a look, saying without any happiness or sorrow. “The buddha has many incarnations, the devil also has many incarnations.”
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai knew that the yellow browed old monk’s words definitely carried deeper meanings. However, they still couldn’t understand, so Zhen Pilu spoke up again. “This disciple does not understand.”
“The buddha might also be the devil, the devil might also be the buddha.” The yellow browed old monk gave Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai a calm look.
Shock appeared in the eyes of Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai.
Zhen Pilu’s brows furrowed, the space between his brows furrowing. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but the yellow browed old monk instead already began to speak again. “If the devil wishes to control the world, then it has an evil incarnation, using fear and despair to oppress the world. At the same time, it must have an incarnation of kindness to appeal to another group of people.”
Yun Hai’s eyes couldn’t help but open wide. He asked with a stunned expression, “Master… are you saying that our Sanskrit Temple is also merely a method the devil has used to control the world?”
The yellow browed old monk looked at him and said, “To be precise, we used to be.”
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai who were immersed in buddha light were shocked beyond words. Out of the countless possibilities they had considered, they never expected the yellow browed old monk to actually give them this type of reply.
“For those who have truly transcended worldliness, regardless of whether it is evil or kindness, they are all merely methods used to control this world. When many people believe that they are fighting for the kindness within them frantically oppose the devil’s rule, they are completely unaware that they are actually still under the devil’s control. The devil watches the world from the highest point while playing his chess pieces. The battle of good and evil is merely a game under his control.” The yellow browed old monk continued to slowly say.
Zhen Pilu’s brows furrowed even higher. He asked with a grave expression, “What master is saying is that our Sanskrit Temple was also originally an inheritance under the devil sect, that we had always been under their control?”
The yellow browed old monk looked at him. He calmly reached out a finger, pointing towards a certain place behind him and Yun Hai.
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai turned around, seeing that there were two small temples there.
“The world’s devils and buddhas, for a true devil king, are just like those two houses. If he enters the left house today, then the left house is precisely his, he is the lord of that house. Tomorrow, if he wants to enter the right house, then he will be the lord of that right house.” The yellow browed old monk said, “Only when he is ultimately destroyed, will these houses no longer belong to him.”
Yun Hai thought for a bit, and then he asked, “Master, our Sanskrit Temple was originally another incarnation of the devil king, one of his inheritances that was used by him. Then from your respected self’s intentions, later on, this type of age ultimately disappeared. As such, cultivators of later worlds at most received some cultivation experiences from the past age. Then what kind of a relationship does our Sanskrit Temple have with Purgatory Mountain? Why is it that regardless of whether it is the previous Purgatory Mountain Patriarch or the current Zhang Ping, neither of them seem to care about us at all?”
The yellow browed old monk looked at him and said, “Our Sanskrit Temple previously experienced a divide. What all of you know about is only the earliest group of monks who established the Divine Elephant Army, as well as the ascetic monks whose cultivation technique Gu Xinyin obtained. The reason I am telling you two these things is because I believe you two should also understand that only a clash between faith and beliefs could result in such a divide within Sanskrit Temple.”
“That is why the divide our Sanskrit Temple experienced before was precisely because we discovered that our Sanskrit Temple’s inheritance was merely an incarnation of the devil?” Yun Hai asked with a stupefied expression.
“That is not all.” The yellow browed old monk shook his head, saying with pity and compassion, “The true devil king built two houses, so he obviously has the keys to both houses. He wouldn’t allow those in his house to betray him. That time, in the endless desert, what we discovered pointed at one fact. Our Sanskrit Temple’s cultivators, for the devil king, might be just like the current Flame Titans. The devil king has his own methods to restrict our methods.”
“From the recordings, we discovered… that this type of method can even control our bodies.” After a slight pause, the yellow browed old monks gave the shocked Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai a look. Then, he said, “That was why after that discovery, many Sanskrit Temple people felt fear. They were scared that someone might be able to use that devil king method, so they left Sanskrit Temple, becoming ascetic monks who roam unknown lands alone to hide from the world. Some monks abandoned most of Sanskrit Temple’s methods, eventually becoming the current Divine Elephant Army. There were also some who remained in Sanskrit Temple, living in kindness, moreover starting to search for a way to change themselves and sever their relationships with the devil.”
“Then as long as it is a cultivator from Sanskrit Temple, there is a chance that there are methods the devil king can use to control us.” Zhen Pilu asked solemnly, “Then our current Sanskrit Hall’s cultivators are still this way? Could it be that Purgatory Mountain’s cultivators can still restrict, or even control us?”
“After Sanskrit Temple experienced that great change, during the endless years, our Sanskrit Temple’s generations of cultivators have already carried out a complete transformation of our techniques, to the extent where we made many sacrifices to completely destroy some especially powerful cultivation methods. Originally, even if the past devil king reincarnated, we could still fight against him.” The yellow browed old monk gave Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai a look. “After that divide, our Sanskrit Temple had a monk who went to Great Mang and entered Sky Devil Prison Plains. He wanted to obtain some of the devil king’s cultivation methods, and then learn from the devil king’s methods how to completely sever our connection with the devil. However, in the end, he became Purgatory Mountain Patriarch, he became the master of that Purgatory Mountain Patriarch who died in front of Thousand Leaf Pass.”
Yun Hai was so shocked his entire body continuously trembled. “Master, your respected self is saying that the master of that Purgatory Mountain Patriarch was actually someone from our Sanskrit Temple?”
The yellow browed old monk slowly nodded. “From a certain perspective, today’s Purgatory Mountain is another branch of our Sanskrit Temple.”
Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai were immediately speechless.
“That person knows that our Sanskrit Hall has changed our cultivation methods greatly. That is why after he obtained some of the devil’s methods, he obtained ways to deal with Sanskrit Hall. The only modifications he did not know about were those of the ascetic monks whose method was obtained by Gu Xinyin who left before him, so there is no way he has any way to restrict it.” The yellow browed old monk looked at the speechless Zhen Pilu and Yun Hai. “That is why we have always cared so much about this set of methods from our sect.”
“That is why after all these years, Purgatory Mountain Patriarch and our Sanskrit Temple have always maintained a type of indescribable tacit agreement. His eyes had always been set on Yunqin, his enemies have always been Yunqin and Green Luan Academy.” Only after a long time had passed did Zhen Pilu say this.
The yellow browed old monk nodded silently.
Yun Hai said with a pale face, “Even though Purgatory Mountain Patriarch has already undergone two successions, reaching the current Zhang Ping, the ways to deal with our Sanskrit Hall’s cultivation methods should definitely be in Purgatory Mountain’s secret texts, so Zhang Ping will definitely be able to obtain them. That is why Zhang Ping doesn’t view us as a threat at all either.”
“We can choose to run, or we can choose to hide within some of Sanskrit Temple’s buddha light. However, we cannot face the true Purgatory Mountain Patriarch, we cannot make him our enemy.” The yellow browed old monk said emotionlessly, “This is precisely the current fate of our Sanskrit Temple.”
“There is definitely a way to change this type of fate.” Zhen Pilu looked at him and said.
“Xuan Yuan[1] has always carried the same type of thoughts as you.” The yellow browed old monk looked at the yellow sand scattering from the distant valley entrance, slowly saying this.
1. Older brother of the two buddhist monks
Comments