Chapter 1430
Chapter 1430
Chapter 1430 Dialogue
'The matter of leaving empty-handed... must be covered up.'
Dangjiang was very clear in his heart that Liaokong's cultivation had improved greatly, and he had mastered the Golden Land, which was closely related to Mingyang. The Dharma Image in the Buddhist Land must be very cautious. If there was no deterrence, he might be taken to some Dharma Image Venerable for protection!
'That would be terrible…'
Having hardened his heart, Liao Kong in the present world still had demonic flames burning in his eyes and remained silent. Then he saw Yuan Shan in mid-air suddenly change his expression!
Within that white vertical pupil, two jade-like fingers had appeared out of nowhere.
The finger extended from the pupil, hooked the corner of the eye, and slowly pulled it down, forcibly sliding this vertical pupil from the top of Yuan Shan's head all the way to her chin!
Thus, this divine eye almost completely filled the old monk's face, and the sound of spitting blood could be faintly heard. But the divine image seemed unconcerned; its enormous pupil moved, as if trying to see him more clearly, and it said:
“Since you are still alive, why not ask a few more questions? It’s not difficult to find you some good bodies now, why waste incense offerings to promote a little pitiful child?”
Liao Kong's pupils trembled violently. After a long while, he finally spoke, saying calmly:
"How is Li Qianyuan?"
Dangjiang chose the answer that was least likely to be wrong, but when those five words rang out, the vertical pupils stopped scanning and looked down at him.
His eyes were indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
His tone turned icy in an instant, and he said indifferently:
“Let’s return to the Sandalwood Grove with the Venerable One.”
Only seven characters
He no longer called him his junior brother, nor did he show any curiosity; instead, he gave a single command.
A chilling sensation surged from Dangjiang's spine to his mind in an instant. The stark contrast disrupted his plans. He felt his limbs grow cold, his heart sank to its lowest point, and only two words remained in his mind:
"It's over!"
He had no idea what flaw the other party had discerned in his words, nor did he realize that simply asking Li Qianyuan would lead to such a blatant exposure. All the carefully prepared words vanished in an instant. The demonic monk's face turned deathly pale, and he was secretly horrified:
"What kind of monsters are these Dharma forms! Do they even have any sense of reason?!"
But at that same instant, he felt a cold aura appear beside him, and a hand as white as jade pressed on his shoulder.
He turned his head and found a man dressed in Taoist robes, whose attire was particularly eye-catching. His face was as cold as ice, without any change.
The Taoist priest moved his lips, looked at him coldly, and said:
"Fool! You've been fooled!"
A burst of white light erupted before Dangjiang's eyes, and he suddenly lost all connection with the void, with only those images still appearing before him.
Liao Kong stood up.
The demonic flames in the monk's eyes dissipated, and his pupils returned to clarity, but were filled with a completely different, icy expression. He raised his head, staring directly into those white pupils, thoughtfully savoring the feeling:
“Zhan…Sandalwood Grove…”
The unknown Dharma form paused for a moment, its cold, condescending posture vanishing, as if it hesitated slightly before saying:
"Junior brother, it's the Sandalwood Forest..."
Liao Kong glanced at him and pondered:
“Go on.”
The Dharma Image abruptly stopped speaking, as if realizing something. The light in its vertical pupil gradually dimmed, and its tone softened as it said calmly:
“Junior brother, this is no longer the Wei Dynasty. When you perished, Uncle Daoqing originally intended to support his disciple and seize your mantle, but unfortunately, trouble arose later, and he angrily said that no one was in charge, which is why you have been struggling to this day…”
He said:
"Now that Junior Brother is back, we should also make a trip to the Sandalwood Forest."
Liao Kong sneered and said:
"Is this your reason for arresting me, Dao Maha?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a laugh rang out:
"It's been many years since we last met, so we should catch up. Otherwise, why would my junior brother agree to see me? There's no need to doubt me."
He seemed to know that the person on the other end was no longer the junior brother from back then, but his words and actions still treated the other person as that person, without any change.
Liao Kong raised his head and said slowly and deliberately:
"Since you know everything, why ask about the Sandalwood Forest? Do you think I'm so stupid as to leave the Golden Land before my strength has recovered and my Bright Sun has faded, or do you think I can't even maintain a single Dharma form anymore..."
"Alright then."
The monk loosened his shackles, took a step forward, and although his lips were covered in black blood flowing from his body as it could no longer withstand the strain, his expression remained cold and natural as he calmly said:
"Since you like to test people, I'll give you a chance."
He stood with his hands behind his back and said:
"If I let you, a mere mortal, roll in here, you'll naturally get to see me. Consider it a gift to me."
His words flowed smoothly and naturally, brimming with confidence, and finally a hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes.
Jindi is the manifestation of Fangzun. Before he was realized, even if other World Honored Ones came, they would not be able to find him out of thin air. However, the manifestation is slightly different. Now that Liaokong is under His control, it is of course possible to squeeze in for a short time. But doing so would not do Him any good.
If the one dwelling inside is truly a Maha, even if we kill him, this golden land will not fall into his hands. But if there is truly a wisp of a Dharma image inside, entering with Yuanshan's body, then he will never be able to come out...
Testing is possible, but pointless, especially since the noble aura emanating from the other party is something that a Maha could not imitate.
His pupils shifted slightly, showing no embarrassment at being seen through, and he continued to address her affectionately as "Junior Brother," saying:
“Since Junior Brother does not wish to go to the Sandalwood Forest, we will naturally respect Junior Brother’s wishes. However, since Qin Ling has appeared in the world, it is only natural that she should spread the Daoist teachings widely.”
This is a blatant conspiracy—Liaokong is the master of the Golden Land and the embodiment of Dharma, so he cannot be controlled. However, if any Maha or Compassionate One is taken in, they certainly do not have such great abilities. Whether they send their own people in or start with those who have been in there, they can slowly find out the details of the one inside!
His words were sharp, yet he spoke calmly:
“If I don’t pass it on, then Junior Brother won’t need to leave Jindi. As for Liaokong—I will take him with me. Junior Brother has already left a trace in the mortal world. Even if I set him up and refine him into eighty-one pills for consumption, there will still be a time when he can be linked to Jindi.”
Liao Kong chuckled and said:
“If the Dharma image is not widely propagated, where will the deity get incense offerings? It will naturally follow one’s heart.”
Those pupils looked down, and he said calmly:
"it is good."
“If Junior Brother recovers from his injuries and wishes to advance further, he will eventually have to come to the Sandalwood Forest. I will be waiting for him there.”
She didn't even glance at him.
The pupils slowly dimmed, and finally a profound Zen-like wisdom echoed in the heavens and earth:
"May I ask your name, junior brother?"
The black-robed monk straightened his sleeves. The bleeding from his lips had slowly stopped, and he casually said:
"Measurement of prison".
The sound resounded throughout the world, and the Dharma Image's laughter slowly rose, seemingly with a touch of relief. Liao Kong then slowly closed his eyes and knelt down on the ground.
"Boom!"
The melodious chimes rang out from beyond heaven and earth, time, which had been frozen in mid-air, finally resumed its flow, and the divine power that had enveloped the entire mountain forest and isolated it from the outside world finally dissipated. What resounded through the snow, however, was a sudden and abrupt sound:
"puff!"
Yuan Shan knelt down on the ground.
The Eighth Mahakala's face was covered in cracks, and the vertical pupil between his brows had disappeared, leaving only a diamond-shaped, dark indentation. Beside him, the mournful boatman suddenly stood up, reaching out to support him. Finding his breath extremely weak, he cried out urgently:
"Abbot!"
The two Maha Qiqi were startled, unsure whether the Dharma image had left or not, and dared not get up. After a while, they saw golden light flowing down from the towering clouds. Yuan Shan breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression gradually calmed down.
Seeing that the position of abbot had slipped through his fingers, Beichuan felt a pang of sorrow, but a smile appeared on his face as he said:
"Abbott! Sir, he..."
"It's alright..."
The old monk hurriedly summoned his attendants, and it took him several breaths to calm himself down, his heart reeling as if struck by thunder.
'There's even a Dharma image within Qin Ling's golden ground!'
The golden ground has existed since ancient times and is now almost inextricably linked to the Dharma body. Even in the more distant past, the golden ground was of paramount importance for enlightenment. However, in ancient times, the manifestation body of the Buddha resided within himself. Even if one attained enlightenment through the golden ground, he would not reside in the Buddha's manifestation body as he does in the present world, but would instead entrust the enlightenment to his disciples…
It is precisely for this reason that the Golden Land often contains various Daoist treasures and opportunities. Although it is unexpected that a Dharma image could be used to heal injuries within it, it is also reasonable. Yuan Shan finally adjusted his mind, stood up, and smiled:
"Congratulations!"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, not knowing how the Prison Dharma Image planned to deal with Liao Kong. But since the other party didn't know, it was most likely that Liao Kong was the master's food. As the only one with memories left, he didn't reveal anything and just kept congratulating him.
Liao Kong, having also survived a calamity, felt even more grateful, nodding repeatedly and sighing inwardly:
'Adults are still the most reliable!'
The group exchanged glances, and Yuan Shan chuckled, saying:
"Now that this matter is settled, why don't we come to my temple..."
He had only spoken half a sentence when Jiang Toushou could no longer sit still.
Logically speaking, Dayang Mountain represents the Sandalwood Forest, and the head is one of the powerful figures who jointly govern Dayang Mountain. Everything here should be under his control. However, his cultivation level is not high enough to invite the Dharma Image, so he has to hand it all over to Yuanshan. Now, if he is asked to invite people to the Compassion Path, he will no longer be the head!
Although he was terrified of the Qilin from the south and even considered resigning himself, he couldn't let it end in this way. He quickly stepped forward and said solemnly:
"We need to go to Dayang Mountain first!"
Now that Yuan Shan knew that there was a Dharma image behind Kong, it was unlikely that he would side with her path of compassion. Her interest had diminished considerably, and she now only looked at Kong with her eyes.
The black-robed monk, partly thinking about his dealings with the abbot of Xuantian Temple, and partly fearing going to the territory of that Dharma Image, chuckled and said:
"I visited the sacred mountain once when I was a child, and it has been many years since I last returned. I miss it terribly and should go up the mountain to see it first!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Fa Chang naturally agreed, nodding slightly. Jiang, the head of the group, was overjoyed, finding the man before him much more pleasing to the eye. Liao Kong, however, had long heard that the man was the Qilin's mortal enemy and secretly considered him an enemy. At this moment, he bowed and deliberately said:
"I wonder... who is the esteemed master who commands us..."
Jiang Toushou's face stiffened, but then he saw Yuan Shan chuckle and say:
"Incredible! Back then, he was the leader personally selected by the [Golden Body Thunder Sound Flawless Dharma Form] to go out... He's a very important figure. The leader also has a junior brother who is the current leader of Thunder. They are both very capable!"
His words were brief but their meaning was clear. Liao Kong had already heard that the other party was quite capable in his youth, and guessed that he was no longer highly regarded. He immediately felt relieved and began to ponder:
'We still need to be on good terms with him. We'll find an opportunity to send him over to the King of Wei to get rid of him; that would be a merit, after all…'
……
The Great Black Heaven.
A pair of amber-white eyes suddenly opened, her emotions as calm as still water. She slowly turned her head to look at Dangjiang, who was bowing his head and sweating profusely beside him.
The monk in blue robes was now completely subdued, kneeling on the ground trembling, his lips shaking, and he whispered:
"Thank you... thank you, sir... If it weren't for your wisdom in understanding the universe and your ability to save me from danger, this humble monk... this lowly official would have truly committed a terrible disaster!"
Dangjiang faced all of this with a mindset of waiting to die—it wasn't that he couldn't withstand intimidation, but rather that he carried too much on his shoulders and had a deep reverence for the Dharma Image, so he was immediately intimidated as soon as he opened his mouth!
If he makes a mistake, he will lose not only his current freedom, but also his life, and who knows how many changes it will cause. On the other hand, he also underestimated this Dharma Master.
'His control over my thoughts was absolutely masterful. Even though he couldn't influence me through the golden ground, he could use a combination of relaxation and tension, taking advantage of my first words and wavering confidence, to intimidate me with words that directly targeted my deepest insecurity!'
Dang Jiang was certain that even if he reacted quickly, without the intervention of this celestial official, if he had been even slightly slow to react, the other party would most likely have launched a powerful attack!
Even though everything was erased by the celestial official, he still felt the immense disaster he had caused and dared not utter a word.
The Taoist priest looked down at him and casually said:
“You know me.”
Dangjiang straightened up slightly, though his chest and abdomen remained hunched, and immediately switched to a respectful smile, saying:
"I heard Kong say that... just by looking at your ethereal appearance, I knew it was you..."
"Since you know it was me, you should also know it was my duty... Don't be afraid, this is not your fault."
The Taoist priest rose, put his hands behind his back, stepped forward, sneered, and pointed:
"Fool! Don't panic. It's not that I understand Dharma Form well enough—He dares not come, and you dare not go. That's enough. Why think about it?"
His voice echoed in the hall, but his form had vanished. Dangjiang, as if hearing celestial music, wept softly, kowtowed three times in the direction where the other had left, then turned and sat down in a chair, sighing deeply and choking back tears:
"This is terrifying!"
He finally settled down, but then suddenly realized something. He took out the blue lotus seal from his sleeve, looked down at it, and thought to himself:
"The people have arrived!"
He quickly wiped away his tears, raised his head, and his demeanor returned to that of a wicked abbot, with a hint of seasoned maturity in his expression.
He's the type who forgets the pain once the wound heals; with a cold laugh, his fox tail wagged again.
"I've seen the Dharma Form now; bluffing three or five Mahas is a piece of cake!"