Chapter 215: Sect Master's Secret Chamber
Chen Chang'an stared at the white-robed monk before him, asking in a deep voice:
"Who are you?"
The monk put his palms together, his eyes and brows holding a smile, his voice as gentle as a clear spring:
"This poor monk's Buddhist name is Ming Xin."
Chen Chang'an's pupils slightly contracted, immediately pursuing:
"Where is Wang Shouzhi?"
Ming Xin smiled faintly, his fingertip gently tapping his own heart:
"I am him, and he is me."
As soon as the words fell, Ming Xin's body suddenly erupted with blinding light. Countless profound runes flowed beneath his skin, as if the entire heaven and earth were madly squeezing his existence. The light flickered for several breaths before gradually calming down.
Ming Xin looked down at his palm, explaining in a calm tone:
"This world does not allow the appearance of the Immortal Venerable Realm, and is madly rejecting me."
Hearing this, a flash of wild joy appeared in Chen Chang'an's eyes—if heaven and earth were suppressing him, perhaps he still had a chance of survival!
However, Ming Xin's next sentence made his heart sink into the abyss once again:
"But fortunately, this poor monk's magical power is still sufficient. Persisting for an hour or so should not be a problem."
Chen Chang'an gritted his teeth, suppressing the fear in his heart, and tentatively said:
"Looking at your image as a high monk, you don't seem to have the style of those evil monks... Can we let things end here and part ways?"
Ming Xin still had a smiling face, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss, making one shudder:
"How could that be? You destroyed the foundation of my Dao cultivation. Have you not heard the saying—'To sever someone's path is like killing their parents.' You killed my parents, would I let you go?"
Chen Chang'an's heart trembled, but his expression remained unchanged as he said coldly:
"Then why don't you make a move?"
Ming Xin gently flicked his sleeve, his tone gentle:
"I find you interesting and want to talk with you. Killing you would only take a flick of a finger."
Chen Chang'an took a deep breath, forcing a stiff smile onto his face:
"Alright, what shall we talk about?"
—He thought to himself: "Just be careless. Let's drag this out for now!"
Before Chen Chang'an could finish speaking, Ming Xin suddenly smiled slightly and said:
"I've changed my mind."
Chen Chang'an's heart tightened, but he maintained a calm expression on the surface, even forcing a smile:
"Why? The weather is so nice, wouldn't it be good to chat about life and ideals?"
Ming Xin shook his head, his gaze as deep as an abyss, as if it could penetrate all illusions:
"I feel you're hiding some trump card I don't know about. If I leave too little time and you manage to escape, wouldn't that be a laughingstock?"
Chen Chang'an cursed inwardly, but said casually:
"What trump card could I have? I'm just an ordinary Saint Realm cultivator."
Ming Xin's mouth curled slightly, his expression enigmatic:
"That's hard to say."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he waved his hand, and a brilliant Buddhist light, like a heavenly river pouring down, rushed straight toward Chen Chang'an! The light was pure and flawless, yet contained a terrifying pressure capable of crushing mountains and rivers. Wherever it passed, the void trembled, and even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was instantly evaporated!
Chen Chang'an's pupils contracted sharply, his body hair standing on end. He subconsciously tried to activate his protective spiritual light to resist—however, just as the Buddhist light was about to touch him, it bizarrely dissipated!
Ming Xin frowned slightly, tapped his fingertip again, and a golden "swastika" Buddhist seal materialized in the air, rotating as it suppressed downward! But as soon as the seal approached within three zhang of Chen Chang'an, it melted away silently, like snow meeting fire!
"Hmm?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Ming Xin's eyes. He then put his palms together, chanted incantations, and in an instant, the sound of Sanskrit filled the air. Countless golden lotuses bloomed from the void, each containing supreme Buddhist power, sweeping toward Chen Chang'an!
However—
As soon as the lotuses approached, they shattered like bubbles, turning into specks of golden light that dissipated into nothingness!
Chen Chang'an's originally tense body gradually relaxed, and a look of wild joy appeared in his eyes! He straightened his back, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from turning up:
"It seems... the Immortal Venerable is not in good form today?"
Ming Xin was not angered. Instead, he looked at Chen Chang'an with interest, as if pondering something. After a moment, he suddenly smiled:
"Interesting."
With that, he flicked his sleeve, and an invisible, formless power of karma quietly attacked Chen Chang'an—this strike involved no spiritual power, borrowed no divine abilities, and aimed directly at the root of fate!
However, just as the power of karma was about to entwine Chen Chang'an, a ripple suddenly appeared in the void, and the power dissipated once again!
Ming Xin finally put away his smile, his gaze grave:
"So that's how it is..."
Chen Chang'an felt immense relief.
So the Sect Master's Secret Chamber could affect the other party. What was there to fear now?
The situation had reversed, and he naturally would not let the opportunity pass, immediately sneering:
"Immortal Venerable, do you want to continue?"
Ming Xin gave him a deep look, then suddenly turned and took a step, his figure disappearing between heaven and earth.
Chen Chang'an stood frozen in place, only coming back to his senses after a long while. Amidst his wild joy, he felt a faint sense of unease—
"He... just left like that?"
Chen Chang'an stood in the void, his divine sense sweeping a radius of a thousand li, but he could no longer perceive even a trace of Ming Xin's presence.
"This is bad..."
His heart suddenly sank—if this monk left directly, it might not be a good thing! What if he went to hunt down his disciples, or even, in a fit of rage, massacred the entire Immortal Spirit City? What then?
"No, I must force him back!"
Chen Chang'an forced himself to calm down, his thoughts racing. For an existence like Ming Xin, with his heaven-reaching cultivation and arrogant pride, what he likely could not tolerate the most was being looked down upon and insulted!
"Since I can't find him, I'll make him come back on his own!"
Chen Chang'an took a deep breath, then laughed out loud, his voice full of mockery:
"Ming Xin? What a fine 'Ming Xin'! I find your Buddhist name truly laughable. What heart are you illuminating? The heart of greed, anger, and ignorance, or the heart of foolishness and ignorance?"
His voice, amplified by spiritual power, rumbled like thunder, shaking the eight directions:
"A dignified Immortal Venerable, actually scared off by a Saint Realm cultivator like me? If this gets out, I'm afraid the cultivators of the upper realm will die of laughter!"
He paused, then sneered again, his tone even more contemptuous:
"I originally thought a high monk of the Buddhist sect would at least have some magnanimity. I didn't expect you to be a rat that hides its head and shows its tail! What, are you afraid? Afraid that this 'ordinary' Saint Realm cultivator really has a trump card that will make you, an Immortal Venerable, lose face?"
Seeing there was still no response from the surroundings, Chen Chang'an continued to up the ante, his words growing sharper:
"You call yourself 'Ming Xin,' but where is your heart? You cultivate Buddhism but don't even dare to face your own Dao heart. What kind of high monk is that? I see you as nothing but a coward in a monk's robe!"
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping the void, his tone sarcastic:
"The Buddhist sect emphasizes compassion, but what about you? You speak of 'severing a path is like killing parents,' yet you don't even have the courage for a direct confrontation! With that, you dare call yourself an 'Immortal Venerable'?"
"Oh, I understand—" Chen Chang'an suddenly feigned a look of realization, "You're not afraid of me, you're afraid of yourself! Afraid that you, a dignified Immortal Venerable, if truly forced back by a Saint Realm cultivator like me, will have your Dao heart damaged and never make any progress again!"
He grew more and more animated, his words like daggers, striking at the sore spots:
"That's right, and you, Wang Shouzhi!"
"Buddhism speaks of 'repaying the four kinds of kindness,' but what about you? Your parents gave birth to you and raised you, yet you shaved your head and became a monk, severing your bloodline, and even committed the act of killing your own kin. That is unfilial!"
"You were once a cultivator of the Gale Pavilion, nurtured by your sect, yet you betrayed your tradition and converted to Buddhism. That is disloyal!"
"You claim to be compassionate, yet you wish to annihilate my entire family over a personal grudge. That is unkind!"
"You call yourself a high monk, yet you can't even achieve 'letting go,' your obsession deep-seated. That is unrighteous!"
Chen Chang'an's words grew increasingly fierce, each word like a blade, striking at the vital points of the Buddhist precepts:
"What kind of Buddhist disciple are you? Nothing but a hypocrite in a monk's robe!"
"What Buddha do you cultivate? What scriptures do you recite? You can't even uphold the most basic 'Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds,' and you dare call yourself 'Ming Xin'? I'd say you're 'Mi Xin' (Confused Heart)!"
"A Buddhist cultivator like you, I'm afraid even the Buddha would shake his head upon seeing you—disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unrighteous. What Buddhism are you cultivating? You're just cultivating your own obsession!"
Before the words had fully faded, the void suddenly froze!
A pressure as vast as the heavens descended with a crash. Ming Xin's figure slowly materialized, still in white robes whiter than snow, but those eyes were now as cold as frost.
"Have you said enough?" he asked plainly, his voice terrifyingly calm.
Chen Chang'an's heart trembled, but he still forced a cold sneer:
"What, did I hit a sore spot?"
Ming Xin looked at him quietly, then suddenly smiled:
"Not a bad use of provocation, but unfortunately—"
He raised his hand and gently pressed down.
"You've overestimated yourself."
The heavens and earth suddenly darkened!
...
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