Knife splashing

Chapter 313 Entering the Zen Temple at Night
The night is dark and the moon is covered with a thin layer of frost.

Inside the courtyard, there are towering ancient trees all around, and under the moonlight, mottled black shadows appear on the walls.

The surroundings were dead silent, as if swallowing up all sounds. Li Yan could even clearly hear his own breathing. The surrounding Buddha statues, incense burners, and ancient trees were all filled with a strange atmosphere.

"Senior, I'm here!"

Li Yan's eyes were full of vigilance and he shouted loudly.

However, no one around answered.

Li Yan squinted his eyes and looked around, then slowly drew out the Dust-Breaking Sword, exerted force with his feet, and flew backwards, leaving the courtyard where the main hall was located.

The current situation is obviously not right.

Could it be a trap?

Why did Baotong Temple do this?
Li Yan was confused, but he obviously didn't have time to think about it at this time. He decided to leave this dangerous place first and then make some plans.

However, after walking out of the door, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

In front of us is the courtyard where the Main Hall is located.

It was still the same, empty, lonely and dark...

Li Yan gritted his teeth, turned around and walked out the door again, but after going back and forth several times, he did not continue.

Every time, we would enter the courtyard where the Main Hall was located.

Li Yan's face was gloomy. He pinched his fingers and used all his strength to display his sense of smell. He took a deep breath, and all kinds of smells instantly rushed into his nostrils.

He smelled the same scent of soil, trees, bricks, and sandalwood as before, but the smell outside the courtyard seemed to have completely disappeared...

Is this some kind of strange formation?

Li Yan frowned and looked around with vigilance.

He had heard from Wang Daoxuan that this was the behavior of some people who were trapped in an array formation: they felt dizzy and disoriented, a bit like being trapped in a wall of ghosts.

But this one in front of me is too mysterious.

Why can’t even the magical powers detect any abnormality?

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something. Suddenly, he pulled out a horse armor from his arms, tied it to his legs, and chanted: "Nuo Gao! Six Jia and nine chapters, the sky is round and the earth is square, the four seasons and five elements, the sun and the moon are the light..."

Call ~
The wind around him was blowing fiercely. This time he did not go through the main door. Instead, he took three or two steps into the air and jumped directly out of the wall.

The Northern Emperor's magical movement technique includes a method of getting through danger, which is specially used in various dangerous situations and formations. By following specific steps and taking advantage of the momentum, one can escape.

However, no matter how he climbed over the wall or how he flew into the air, he would always return to this yard.

Helplessly, Li Yan had to tear off his armor and horse.

He waited for a while and found that there was no danger. Then he walked forward carefully with the knife in hand, towards the main hall...

…………

It is still the courtyard of the Main Hall, but the scene is completely different.

On the ground, there are Buddhist lamps that look like shining stars, wooden fish sounds, and many monks sitting cross-legged and chanting scriptures.

On the stone steps outside the main hall, several old monks were sitting cross-legged. Tongxuan and Tonghai were among them, and they were making the fearlessness seal, meditation seal, impermanence seal, etc.

Li Yan was also in the courtyard.

But here he was standing inside the gate, his eyes empty, his body seemed out of control, and after a long time, he took a step forward.

"Senior Brother Tongxuan."

Looking at Li Yan in the distance, an old monk suddenly said, "You may have overestimated this boy. It would be enough if he could break through the affliction barrier. If you directly block him with the knowledge barrier, he may not be able to enter the hall at all. It's a waste of opportunity."

Tong Xuan's white eyebrows moved slightly, and he said, "Years ago, a disciple sent me a book from Jinling, called "Journey to the West to Release Evils", which was compiled from folk tales and legends."

"The author of the book may have some knowledge of Xuanmen. Many things in the book are implicit and refer to the stories of Dharma lines from various places."

"The book mentioned an incident in which the Great Sage could fly a great distance with his somersault cloud, but he could not escape from the palm of the Buddha's hand. I think about it carefully and it is somewhat similar to the mysterious realm of my Baotong Zen Temple."

"In our mysterious realm, there are five obstacles: afflictions, karma, retribution, knowledge, and habits. Very few people can make it through. We have also asked outsiders to comprehend, but at most they can get through the afflictions."

"I think that maybe it takes a lot of energy, so it's hard to get through. I might as well start with the obstacle of knowledge and perception, and it will be different."

The old monk still shook his head, "If you can't even get past one obstacle, this year's opportunity will be wasted."

Tong Xuan smiled slightly, "Chance is opportunity, there is a chance, but it also requires fate. If there is no fate, forget it, just give him something else, why do you have to be so persistent, Junior Brother?"

"That's what senior brother said."

The old monk nodded slightly and said no more...

…………

On the other side, Li Yan had already stepped into the main hall.

There was silence in the palace. The door was slightly ajar, letting in moonlight. The statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were solemn and indifferent, and seemed to be looking down at him.

There was an indescribable smell of mold and incense in the air, and time seemed to have stopped here.

Of course, there is no danger either.

Although Li Yan didn't know what was going on, he had an inexplicable intuition that all the strange things before his eyes might be related to that opportunity.

I have heard that Zen Buddhism "does not establish words, but points directly to the human heart". Even the opportunities are made so mysterious, which really makes people confused.

Looking at the Buddha statue in front of him, Li Yan had an idea. He took down the clear water offered on the stage, placed it on the ground, took the hook, pinched the magic formula, and stepped over.

This is a method of communicating with gods through correspondence.

He remembered that the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva in the main hall had already condensed into secular gods and should be able to communicate.

However, after using the divine method, there was still no movement.

Li Yan looked around and immediately understood.

Everything before my eyes may be an illusion.

But this illusion was too terrifying. He could feel his own body and even cast spells...

Magic?

Li Yan's heart moved and he quickly reached into his arms.

Sure enough, he discovered something strange.

He originally placed five armored horses, and he had just used one, so there were still five, and the number had not changed at all!

It seems that we need to break the illusion in front of us first.

With a plan in mind, Li Yan searched everywhere in the hall, but after turning around several times, he still couldn't find any key.

He had an idea and returned to the front door again, sitting cross-legged and meditating.

Sure enough, I found something strange again.

Normally, when I concentrate my mind, I would enter the spiritual space, but here, I simply cannot do that. It is as if the Great Hall in front of me blocks it from the spiritual space...

Li Yan also showed some stubbornness and continued to concentrate, staring at the main hall in front of him.

Then, the main hall began to become distorted.

Just like a kaleidoscope, everything in front of my eyes was constantly shattering and reorganizing, and in the process, my spiritual power was constantly being consumed.

hum!
At this moment, a force suddenly emerged from his body, with an indestructible momentum, directly smashing everything in front of him.

The innate energy of Gengjin, the blessing of the White Emperor?
A hint of surprise appeared on Li Yan's face.

Since this thing was obtained in Huashan, it was only drawn out when taking the Dust-Breaking Knife, and then it returned to calm and became the foundation for building the building.

Unexpectedly, it was brought out again now.

Without any hesitation, he continued to concentrate his mind. As his spiritual power was consumed, more innate Gengjin energy rushed out and shattered everything in front of him.

And he also vaguely established a connection with this Gengjin energy...

…………

Clang! Clang! Clang!
Inside the courtyard, the wind was whistling around Li Yan, and in the wind were several gusts of sharp energy, making the sound of iron colliding.

The surrounding Buddhist lamps went out one by one, and several monks who were beating wooden fish also retreated in a hurry.

"Innate Gengjin Qi?" The old monk who had just spoken showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, "How dare an ordinary person take something like this into their body?"

Tong Xuan pondered for a moment, "I have read this boy's information. He has been to Mount Hua. Perhaps he has received the blessing of the White Emperor of Chunyang Palace..."

As he was speaking, Li Yan in the distance suddenly raised his foot, took several steps in a row, and crossed half of the yard.

"Good!"

Tongxuan smiled slightly, and the seals in his hands began to change. The other old monks did the same, forming a new combination.

And Li Yan also stopped again...

…………

In the illusion, Li Yan frowned and slowly stood up.

The scene before my eyes changed again.

It was still the courtyard outside the main hall, but there were six more clouds of different colors, surging up and down like living things.

Whoosh!
Before he could react, a cloud of golden smoke rushed towards him, and an illusion appeared in front of Li Yan again.

Gold, silver, jewelry, natural treasures, and various martial arts techniques were dazzling and kept appearing in his mind.

It seemed that anything could appear as long as he wanted.

This feeling is really strange.

Li Yan had already guessed that this should symbolize some kind of greed.

But greed is something that cannot be easily eliminated.

He didn't care about gold, silver, and jewelry, and had no sense of the treasures from heaven and earth, but when a technique appeared before him, he couldn't help but take a glance at it.

It explains the ultimate of martial arts in a broad and profound way, with every word being a gem. It seems that as long as you comprehend it thoroughly, you can attain enlightenment at any time!

Li Yan couldn't help but take another look.

This time, I was addicted to it.

The desire for knowledge is also a kind of greed.

However, after watching for half an hour, Li Yan looked up blankly, his back suddenly felt cold, he immediately woke up, and couldn't help cursing inwardly.

Sure enough, I couldn’t remember anything and still gained nothing.

This state is a bit like watching short videos in the previous life. Through watching them, you can understand the world and the various aspects of life, but in fact, it is just a dazzling display of desires.

Zen Buddhism is indeed tricky!
Li Yan took a deep breath, regained consciousness, and said calmly: "The road must be taken step by step. This kind of thing can't trap me..."

After saying that, he took a step forward, and the golden smoke dissipated instantly.

At the same time, a cloud of red smoke enveloped him.

This time it was "anger".

The things he had experienced in the past and the people he had met were all teasing him with various words, forcing him to fight.

Li Yan's temper was naturally not very good, and he couldn't help but take action directly, but no matter how many he killed, there were always new comers.

And those who were hacked to death would also use new methods to provoke his anger.

Finally, Li Yan gradually calmed down and murmured, "Other people's words are like will-o'-the-wisp fire, confusing people's minds. There are countless people in the world who like to argue."

"My heart is as strong as iron, why would I waste my words with you?"

In an instant, the red smoke dissipated.

Looking at the remaining clouds, Li Yan already had some guesses in his mind.

He had heard of the concept of afflictions in Buddhism. There are six fundamental afflictions in the world: greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and wrong views. On this basis, twenty more afflictions can be derived.

Greed, resentment, inability to distinguish right from wrong, pride and arrogance...all these things make people feel distressed and cause suffering.

He who can see through it is a Buddha.

Li Yan is certainly not a Buddha, but these troubles can help him train his mind. Isn’t this an opportunity?
Some things cannot be avoided, just like spiritual practice, you also need to examine yourself before you can see all living beings and the world!
After realizing this, he became calm and took the initiative to face his troubles.

Not long after, under the gazes of several old monks, he made another big step forward...

…………

At the same time, the Shi Mansion banquet was coming to an end.

The moon was bright in the sky, the lights in the palace were brilliant, the troupe was still performing, the wine table was a mess, and many people had already drunk themselves to the point of being dizzy and had fainted on the ground.

The Dragon Boat Festival is also a time for the disciples of Pai Sect to get together. They are usually very tired from traveling on the river, so today the Pai leader is treating them, so naturally they have to drink to their heart's content.

Shi Chen also drank a little too much.

Even though due to their status they would not compete with others, but people would toast one after another, and the number of toasts was quite large.

He took another drink, glancing furtively to the other side.

In that corner, there were twins, a boy and a girl. The boy was handsome and the girl was charming. They were both dressed in white and spoke to others in a somewhat reserved manner.

"Who are those two?"

Shi Chen couldn't help but ask.

The old man with the white paper fan next to him stepped forward and whispered, "Two green hands from Qi and Lu were invited to see the world."

"See the world?"

Shi Chen sneered and said disdainfully: "Those old guys only want to let people see the world, thinking that the world is the world of flowers and flowers, but they don't know that the world is the human heart."

"Only after seeing the evil in people's hearts can you understand what the Jianghu is like..."

"The leader is right."

The old man with the white paper fan nodded quickly and said, "I'll let them come over and listen to the instructions of the leader."

Soon, the twins were invited over and faced Shi Chen, greeting him respectfully according to the rules of the martial arts world.

Shi Chen's face was solemn and his words were neither salty nor bland.

But a desire was already rising in my heart.

A few people in the distance saw it and could not hide the contempt on their faces.

Shi Chen, this guy, has a bad habit of being with both men and women. He likes to visit brothels and often goes to the brothel.

I don't know which bad guy wanted to please this bamboo pole and deliberately lured the twin brother and sister to come here...

Of course, no matter how much they despise him, no one wants to offend this guy.

The old man with the white paper fan next to them also nodded and bowed, constantly provoking the brother and sister to toast Shi Chen.

After a while, he went to the back hall again.

In the darkness in the distance, a monk from the Law Enforcement Hall, dressed in disguise, looked at all this with a suspicious look on his face and whispered, "Have the identities of these two been verified?"

"Return to Master."

A man from the Duwei Division next to him said respectfully in a low voice, "We have checked it out. He is a disciple from a small sect in Qilu. There is no problem."

As he said that, he sneered, "Master, don't feel sorry for them. These two siblings must have heard some rumors and are thinking of offering themselves to someone else and climbing up the social ladder."

The monk sighed softly, "Amitabha."

He didn't realize that although the man from the Duwei Division lowered his head, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes...

…………

Call ~
Another strong wind blew up, and a large number of Buddhist lamps were extinguished.

Li Yan had also arrived outside the main hall. His eyes were still empty, his face was pale, he was sweating profusely, his legs were trembling, and he seemed to be about to fall down at any moment...

The old monks on the steps all had solemn expressions, even Zen Master Tong Xuan was no exception.

"Brother, something is wrong..."

"Why is it that this person's mind and spirit can never be exhausted?"

(End of this chapter)