Chapter 1700
Chapter 1700 (Raw 1712):
The group of six entered the temple and immediately felt a cold and sinister aura, so they quickly circulated their energy to resist it.
The young cat-eared girl leading the way turned her head back and looked at Xiao Chen. "Don't feel that it is strange. When the Old Master was still alive, this temple was managed by us Fiendish Demons. Following his will, we test the disciples that come in here to seek fortuitous encounters. Those who can pass will gain all sorts of benefits."
"Old Master? Who is this Old Master?" Xiao Chen asked cautiously.
The young cat-eared girl raised her head and said, "That would be the Divine Vein powerhouse that you all speak of. Although he did not create this world, when he subdued this patch of Fiendish Demon Battlefield, he naturally became the master of all the Fiendish Demons. Even if it has been tens of thousands of years since he passed away, the will he left still influences this world. No Fiendish Demon would dare to disobey it.
"It is just like the rules that need to be followed. The Fiendish Demons that do not obey will be struck to death by heavenly lightning without exception."
On hearing this, Wang Ce could not help relaxing considerably. It turned out that these Fiendish Demons were bound by restrictions as well.
So, Wang Ce smiled faintly. "I understand. However, what I don't understand is that Fiendish Demons are mostly berserk and see us sect disciples as enemies. Why do you give off the feeling that you are not a regular Fiendish Demon? Furthermore, you say that all the Fiendish Demons in this place are like you?"
The cat-eared girl looked at Wang Ce with a strange expression. Then, she replied coldly, "To us Fiendish Demons, you sect disciples are mostly berserk, killing Fiendish Demons without any mercy. Every time, there would be sect disciples who lack judgment or are greedy dying in this Buddha Seeking Platform."
Wang Ce immediately felt embarrassed. "Pretend that I never asked."
"Every hall and room is guarded by Fiendish Demons. You just need to pass the test, and you can enter. Whether you can obtain the treasures in the halls will depend on yourself."
After the young cat-eared girl finished, her figure bounced up and leaped over a few tall walls, disappearing from the group's eyes.
As Xiao Chen watched the young cat-eared girl leave, he carefully thought about what she said.
Wang Ce said, "It looks like this place is not as we thought. It is not as dangerous as it is said. Young Master Xiao, how about we split up?"
Seeing that this temple was not as scary as rumored, Wang Ce and the others immediately had other plans. They were no longer willing to continue traveling with Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen said magnanimously, "As you wish."
"Goodbye."
Wang Ce's group of four revealed faint smiles, quickly charging in with anticipation.
"Senior Brother, where are we going?"
"Of course, it is the Wisdom Hall. We have to be fast. Otherwise, when more people come later, we won't get many benefits."
"Damn it! If we had known that this temple had such rules, we would not have bowed down to Xiao Chen and accepted a split like seventy-thirty. Who does he think he is? To think that he even lectured me on how to cultivate righteous Qi."
Feeling regret, Wang Ce could not help an enraged expression appearing on his face. As he thought about what Xiao Chen said to him, he appeared upset.
---
Only Xiao Chen and Yang Qing remained. She asked, "Young Master Xiao, what do you want to do at this Buddha Seeking Platform?"
Xiao Chen answered honestly, "To achieve enlightenment. I have no need for Wisdom Tea or other Medicinal Pills. I originally thought that this was an ancient Buddhist sect holy land. Now, it looks like I was wrong. What about you?"
Yang Qing paused for a moment before saying, "I'm here to retrieve something. Now that we are here, it is time to split up."
Xiao Chen did not question any further. Everyone had their own secrets. Hence, he nodded and said, "Let's separate here, then."
Yang Qing looked at Xiao Chen and smiled bitterly in her heart before taking off.
Seeing the other party leave, Xiao Chen entered deep thought. Along the way, he did not seem to have done much for her; he was pretty much useless to her.
Given this, this woman did indeed not have any disloyalty to Xiao Chen. In fact, she could have come alone, and it would not have been a problem. She just wanted to help Xiao Chen and lead him over. However, she did not expect that Xiao Chen's strength was so astonishing.
Since Xiao Chen did not need Yang Qing's help at all, there was no more need for the original plan.
Now that the two arrived at their destination, they each had things that they had to do; hence, it was time for them to split up.
As Xiao Chen held the Buddhist prayer beads, he meandered around the temple. The doors to the halls representing fortuitous encounters were all tightly shut. He tried checking with his Spiritual Sense, but it was ruthlessly repelled, an impenetrable force protecting the halls.
When one pushed open the doors and defeated the Fiendish Demons guarding the place, one could search it as they pleased. Of course, some of the halls might have other tests aside from the Fiendish Demon guards.
Xiao Chen did not care about any of this. His original purpose was to seek out a fate with Buddhism, to see if he could find anything that could aid him with the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique.
This was a temple that was actually changed into something with such utility. Furthermore, with Fiendish Demons staying in it, Xiao Chen did not feel that it would have anything with a fate with Buddhism.
Even if there was, that item would have been tainted by the world and the filth of the human heart. Hence, Xiao Chen did not have any thoughts of opening any of the hall doors.
However, it did not matter. After all, before he arrived here, he already reaped a bountiful and unexpected harvest. With the aid of those rare plants, his Buddha-like heart had already grown stronger than before. His Veritable Essence Energy also received another round of cleansing from the White Jasmine Flowers.
Xiao Chen even obtained the even more precious Earthen Fire Golden Lotus. No matter what, he did not make any losses.
He casually fiddled with the Buddhist Śarīra Pearls as he wandered around this old, dilapidated, sinister, gloomy temple. This brought out a certain mental state.
His heart remained calm. His body gave off an invisible light of a Buddhist nature. Vaguely, he formed an indistinct connection with the ancient aura of the temple.
Xiao Chen himself did not feel anything special after seeing everything. Aside from cold, sinister, and dilapidated, all he noticed was the peace of the Buddhist sect.
"Heart of innocence?"
Under the hazy moonlight, the young cat-eared girl sitting on the roof revealed a shocked expression as she looked in Xiao Chen's direction.
"Flap! Flap!"
Just at this moment, a black bird flew over and landed on the young cat-eared girl's arm.
Another person had arrived.
The young cat-eared girl's figure flashed, and the huge temple gates suddenly opened. As if she appeared from nowhere, she walked out.
There were many people outside. However, two bald monks led the group. The young cat-eared girl's gaze swept across and landed on the monk on the left.
This was Zhen Xuan, who had already treated his injuries.
The appearance of the young cat-eared girl caused a commotion. The many sect disciples behind whispered to each other. Like Xiao Chen and Wang Ce, they were confused.
However, the crowd did not rashly ask anything. The reason was none other than…Zhen Xuan standing in front. Who dared to interject with him around? That would just be seeking death.
"You must be here to seek out fortuitous encounters. Come with me, then."
Seeing the young cat-eared girl turn around, Yan Feng asked in a whisper, "Senior Brother, what's going on?"
Zhen Xuan's expression did not change. He merely said indifferently, "We will find out after we go in and take a look."
After saying that, Zhen Xuan took a large stride forward and entered the temple. The many sect disciples behind followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind.
The words that were said to Xiao Chen's group were repeated. This left the sect disciples exchanging looks with each other. Then, they burst out in joy. With that, the young cat-eared girl turned and left.
"Wait a moment!"
Zhen Xuan, who had been silent, suddenly said something, sounding somewhat hostile, his gaze fixed on the young cat-eared girl.
Right after Zhen Xuan spoke, he sent out invisible Buddhist Might. Suddenly, everyone felt intense pressure.
"You have a question?"
Zhen Xuan demanded coldly, "Did you meet a white-clad bladesman? There is also a young girl in her prime who appears chilly."
"This is a question I should not be answering, nor is it something you should be concerned about." The young cat-eared girl's expression did not change as she replied softly.
Zhen Xuan snorted coldly. "Interesting. This is a holy land of my Buddhist sect, and a lowly Fiendish Demon like you really takes yourself to be its master."
"Whoosh!"
Right after Zhen Xuan spoke, he unleashed in one breath the killing move that he had been building up in his hand.
His hand formed a claw, and the fingers immediately appeared like they were dyed with golden light, looking metallic. His figure flashed, and a divine eagle bathed in Buddhist light flew up while spreading its wings.
Zhen Xuan was as quick as lightning, not even leaving an afterimage. He charged in front of the cat-eared girl and prepared to grab her.
Who knew, despite this absolutely infallible, lightning-quick attack, Zhen Xuan merely grabbed air. The young cat-eared girl turned into a small white cat and dodged nimbly.
Then, the white cat leaped up gently and landed adroitly on the roof. She turned her head back to look at Zhen Xuan before leaping again, vanishing from the crowd's eyes.
Zhen Xuan dismissed his technique, feeling depressed. Then, he waved his hand and said, "Little evil creature, consider yourself lucky that you ran fast!"