Chapter 347: Chapter 97: Pure Land’s Three Zen Masters, The Cat Swaps for the Crown Prince (Two-in-One) (2)

If it were the most powerful Zhou Kingdom, Chen Kuang believed its power might far surpass that of a Saint.

Moreover, this time there is no "Dao Heart" for Chen Kuang to shatter.

Lv Zhexiong, newly ascended to the Daoist Shore Realm, has already reached his limit in protecting the Chen Family, and Chen Kuang must find another way to ensure his own safety.

With the "Heart for Heart" passive skill, as long as Chen Kuang does not die, Lv Zhexiong will not die.

But what Chen Kuang is most worried about is actually another point.

The Emperor of Yang Kingdom, lacking deep comprehension, upon realizing he has been fooled by Chen Kuang, may become reckless when faced with such a situation.

Meaning, he might directly reveal the news that Chen Kuang has consumed the Elixir of Longevity.

By then, Chen Kuang will become the coveted Tang Monk’s Flesh for all cultivators under the heavens.

Faced with the temptation of immortality, even those cultivators who were previously friendly to Chen Kuang might turn into enemies.

Secondly, is to fulfill Huo Hengxuan’s last wish before his soul dissipates.

Although Huo Hengxuan plotted against him quite a lot, he also helped him a lot, so naturally, he cannot break his promise.

He must show that sword, which swept through ten thousand armies, to one person.

Third, to give his cultivation technique a proper origin.

This was actually a trap by Huo Hengxuan, meant to force him to go to Jie Lan Temple, otherwise, privately practicing a top Buddhist Sect cultivation technique would be a huge handle, and would make him wanted by the Pure Land.

The two left the dilapidated temple, and outside it was a vast, desolate desert.

The dark yellow wind and sand blew against their faces, rough and dry, brushing against their exposed cheeks and skin, even bringing a slight sense of pain.

Chen Kuang, having been born and lived in a riverside village in both his past and present life, was a bit unaccustomed for a moment.

With his current cultivation level, naturally, he wouldn’t be affected by the external environment.

But, perhaps due to psychological factors, he even felt that the surrounding Spiritual Qi was somewhat dry...

He didn’t expect that... the Pure Land would be in the middle of a desert.

On the way, Chen Kuang took the opportunity to chat with Xiuzhu, coaxing quite a bit of information from this unsuspecting young monk.

Xiuzhu, a prodigy of the Pure Land, was indeed a born sage. As a child, he wandered as an orphan, later taking shelter in a dilapidated temple during a snowy night, where he inadvertently discovered a relic within a damaged Buddha statue.

The moment he touched the relic, he passed out, and when he awoke, he was brought back to the Pure Land by monks from Jie Lan Temple.

Strangely enough, he inherited the abilities but did not inherit the memories, and he doesn’t even know which Buddha’s Son his relic belonged to.

Even Jie Lan Temple couldn’t trace the relic’s origin, ultimately attributing it to a Buddha’s Son who had ventured out for training long ago but had died unexpectedly.

After all, the relic was genuine, and the cultivation technique was real too.

The insightful meditation technique, unique to the Pure Land, could not be faked.

Moreover, Xiuzhu, kind-hearted by nature and gifted, was very much liked by the Great Zen Masters Buwen, Bugan, and Buyan of the Pure Land, and they let him stay, apprenticed under one of Master Buwen’s disciples.

These three Great Zen Masters are indeed the Three Saints of the Pure Land.

Indeed, the Pure Land has a total of three Saints presiding over it, which is the foundation of the Ten Thousand Miles Buddha Country; though uninterested in worldly affairs, distant from the noise of the world, no one dares to underestimate them.

Before Lv Zhexiong became a Saint, the Mystic God Daoist Sect with its four Profound Profound Realm experts and Lin Qingya, a Daoist Shore Realm cultivator, could barely be considered on par with the Pure Land.

Thus, Xiuzhu can also be considered a grand-disciple of a True Saint. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

However, the Pure Land has one major issue: they do not concern themselves with matters outside the Pure Land.

In their view, choosing to experience trials and hardships is a necessary path of cultivation; even the Buddha had suffered during his cultivation, so naturally, these Buddhist disciples should emulate that.

Even if they die outside, it is just a part of the trial, but once they fall, someone would be dispatched to retrieve the relic and select an outstanding disciple for insightful meditation practice.

Of course, if the Buddha’s Son had already chosen an inheritor, the latter would naturally seek out the Pure Land Buddha Country themselves, like leaves returning to their roots.

What Chen Kuang must do now is precisely this.

After hearing about Chen Kuang’s agreement with Huo Hengxuan, Xiuzhu couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer and asked:

"So who exactly is this person you’re supposed to find?"

Chen Kuang replied, "A woman."

Xiuzhu widened his eyes: "A woman? Finding a woman in the Pure Land? Could it be a nun?"

In the Buddha Country, there are almost no ordinary residents; only a circle of lay disciples on the periphery, who must also devote themselves to Buddhism. The deeper you go, the more temples there are, a total of 999 temples, with Jie Lan Temple at the center.

The entire Pure Land comprises these 999 temples, not just the single Jie Lan Temple.

But Jie Lan Temple is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment and ascended, thus, it is the holy place in the eyes of the monks from the other 998 temples, naturally holding the highest status.

According to Chen Kuang, Huo Hengxuan was a Zhengzhu disciple of Jie Lan Temple, and since he was young, his activities should have been confined to Jie Lan Temple, so ordinarily, he wouldn’t have come into contact with laywomen.

Therefore, Xiuzhu could only guess that the person in question was a nun.

Chen Kuang shook his head: "No, he said she was a woman with great swordsmanship and very good-looking."

Xiuzhu let out an "Oh", silent for a moment, then asked:

"So this senior committed a... lust precept offense?"

Chen Kuang suddenly laughed: "No, it was the precept of killing."

Xiuzhu let out another "Oh", this time with a prolonged tone.

Chen Kuang curled his lips and said: "She wasn’t aware of his feelings at all; he was just pining, thinking of her as his unattainable dream for more than forty years."

Huo Hengxuan, the old fool back then, was introduced to swordsmanship by that woman. Later, due to a conflict with other temple disciples, he accidentally killed someone and thus fled, becoming an outcast of Jie Lan Temple.

In short, he was a pure, killing-prone old virgin.

Only after his death did he dare send someone to find her, and even then, it was just to "show her this sword".

Chen Kuang originally wanted to harshly criticize such cowardly behavior.

But thinking about his own entry into the Pure Land, which also had some intention of avoiding Shen Meinan, he felt a bit dispirited.

Yes... matters of the heart really cannot be forced.

Going with the flow is pretty good.

Chen Kuang sighed, looking up at the sky, when Xiuzhu, who was leading the way ahead, suddenly brightened up, pointing in front, saying:

"Donor Chen, we’ve arrived!"

Chen Kuang squinted but saw no entrance to the Pure Land, only a small, solitary temple standing in the desert.

This small temple was truly very small, with just one door and a roof, housing a small Buddha statue inside.

On the prayer mat in front of the Buddha statue, a monk sat cross-legged, hands in prayer, looking serene and solemn.

Xiuzhu called out: "Uncle Du Guan!"

The monk opened his eyes and looked towards the two of them.

Xiuzhu went up to the front of the small temple, explaining the whole situation.

Du Guan recited a Buddhist mantra, saying: "The Pure Land naturally welcomes hospitable guests, come forward and let this humble monk observe."

He extended a hand toward Chen Kuang, palm facing up.

Chen Kuang also placed his palms together in prayer, saying: "Greetings, Uncle."

Being peers with Xiuzhu, adapting to local customs, such an address was nothing out of the ordinary.

Xiuzhu did not notice anything unusual, but Du Guan uttered a "huh?", looking Chen Kuang up and down, with a hint of astonishment and slight disturbance in his eyes.

Chen Kuang, unhurried, smiled slowly: "I came to the Pure Land also to return a relic forged from a True Saint’s body."

He took out a resplendent golden relic from his bosom, and instantly, the multicolored lights entwined with it burst forth in a brilliant array, manifesting eight types of Buddhas, grand and magnificent, striking straight at the heart.

"This, this is..." Xiuzhu was dumbstruck.

He was very familiar with this aura because he too practiced this cultivation technique!

Du Guan suddenly stood up, his pupils constricting: "The Eight Phases of Manifestation!"

"This is the phenomenon of the ’Mud Golden Sculpting Technique’ reaching its great completion! Apart from the three Great Zen Masters, only successive Buddha’s Sons could cultivate it!"

Du Guan, now a bit impatient, asked: "Whose relic is this?!"

Chen Kuang maintained his composure, saying: "About eight years ago, I encountered a wandering monk in a small village in the Liang Kingdom... He said his name was ’Lion Heart’."