The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 357 Song Que Arrives at Cihang Jingzhai

Mount Meng is a famous mountain in Shanxi. Since the Buddhist forces assisted the Li clan, it has become another center of Buddhism in the north, because the famous Cihang Jingzhai Buddhist temple moved here.

Since Di Ni established Cihang Jingzhai, the successive generations of Cihang Jingzhai have been at odds with the Yin Kui Sect of the Demonic Sect. At the beginning, Cihang Jingzhai was certainly inferior to the Yin Kui Sect. However, due to the rampant infighting within the Demonic Sect, Cihang Jingzhai actually gained fame by stepping on the reputation of the Yin Kui Sect. Over the past hundred years, it has grown stronger and stronger, becoming the leader of the righteous path in the world. Together with Jing Nian Zen Temple, it leads the Buddhist sect. In this generation, it even launched the impressive act of electing an emperor on behalf of Heaven.

However, with the thief Ning Daoqi as their henchman and the four holy monks working together, Jingnian Temple encountered Su Ming. Their dreams were shattered in three encounters. Not only did they lose their stronghold, Zhongnan Mountain, but Ning Daoqi and the four holy monks also died one after another. The Buddhist sect was also divided as a result, and they could no longer lead the Buddhist sect's power.

In the Battle of Jian Ge, the top Buddhist masters suffered heavy casualties. In the Battle of Luo River, Jing Nian Temple is still sealed off in Luoyang and cannot leave. Since the Five Barbarian Invasions, Buddhism has never experienced such a situation. It is incomparable to the time of Emperor Wu of Liang.

On this day, several figures arrived at the foot of Mount Meng.

"You all wait at the foot of the mountain; I will go up there myself!"

Gazing at the secluded Zen temple nestled among the mountains, Song Que's eyes darkened. Now that the world was at peace, it was time to deal with these wicked and immoral Buddhist monks. Cihang Jingzhai had repeatedly opposed the Wu Kingdom; if the court didn't make an example of them, how could it demonstrate its authority?

Moreover, the resources and wealth controlled by Buddhism also aroused the envy of the imperial court. "A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." Few can match Buddhism's ability to amass wealth. Two emperors have already set an example for Song Que, so he doesn't mind being the third.

The founding monarch had enough prestige and power to suppress the backlash from Buddhism. In any case, Cihang Jingzhai could not exist. If they had quietly eaten vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, Song Que might not have been able to tolerate them. But these nuns openly interfered in the struggle for the dragon, and if they lost, they should be prepared to lose everything.

Song Que stepped onto the path. A light drizzle was falling from the sky. The trees in the forest were lush and green, and the scenery was pleasant. In the pouring rain, he did not use an umbrella, yet not a drop of rain could touch his body.

Whenever something lands around it, it's as if it encounters an invisible barrier and is blocked from entering.

A moment later, Song Que arrived at the mountain gate and saw a stone plaque on the mountain road above that read "My home is in this mountain, where the clouds are deep and I do not know where it is." Further away were seven wooden doors with lotus-patterned door knockers, and finally a dark red main gate.

From here, he could already see the Cihang Jingzhai Hall shrouded in mist, and the three gilded characters "Cihang Hall" engraved on it.

The familiar scene reminds me of a time decades ago when Song Que and Fan Qinghui had a relationship, lingering amidst the beautiful landscape and leaving behind a wonderful memory. Unfortunately, they eventually became enemies. The person is gone, and although the old scene remains, everything has changed.

A biting mountain wind blew, the misty drizzle gradually thickened, and large swathes of black clouds slowly moved in from the sky, signaling an impending storm.

Just as Song Que reached the stone tablet, two figures emerged from both sides and blocked his path.

The two women were pretty and charming, dressed in white gowns and carrying long swords, yet they showed no signs of being nuns. Seeing Song Que strolling through the rain without a single wet patch on his clothes or mud on his feet, they exchanged a glance, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice:

"Please stop here, sir. This is the premises of my Cihang Jingzhai. No one else is allowed to enter without permission. May I ask your honorable name?"

Song Que glanced at the two women. Their skills were not weak, second only to the Grandmaster level, and they were considered good fighters in the martial arts world. However, he did not expect that they were just guards at Cihang Jingzhai.

"Bring Zhao Rumeng out!"

The two women raised their eyebrows and scolded in a delicate voice, "How dare you! Where did this madman come from, daring to address the master by his name!" As they spoke, they drew their long swords and pointed them at Song Que.

Song Que gently shook his head. "Is this how Buddhism treats its guests?"

"Very well, they've been uninvited guests these past few days!" He stepped forward, his figure flashing past the stone tablet like a phantom, and in the next instant he was already a few steps behind the two women.

The two women stood frozen in place like stone statues, then collapsed into the mud with a "thud," their bright eyes turning dull and lifeless.

At the gate, two nuns dressed in blue robes saw Song Que from afar, but seeing no disciples to announce her arrival, they realized something was wrong and suddenly let out a long cry, "Enemy attack!"

"Buzz!"

Two sword lights pierced through the air, accompanied by howling winds. The swords flashed with azure light, obscuring the wind and rain, and stabbed towards Song Que. However, Song Que made no move. He simply stepped forward quietly, and the raindrops falling in front of him condensed into blade shapes in mid-air and slashed out.

"clang!"

Two longswords flew from his hands, slicing through the heavy rain and disappearing into the mountain stream. At this moment, he had already arrived at the gate of Cihang Jingzhai. With a flick of his sleeves, a powerful force erupted. The two nuns' expressions changed drastically. They felt a fierce force strike them, and they were smashed more than ten feet away. The vermilion gate also shattered.

The two rolled onto the rain-soaked ground, their mouths splattered with crimson blood. Their bones were broken, and they lay limp on the ground like mud, their expressions horrified, their breaths gradually fading away.

"Zhao Rumeng, come out!"

Song Que stood in front of the gate and shouted in a deep voice. The rolling sound waves reverberated and instantly covered the entire peak of Mengshan. Within a radius of several miles, there were no other noises, and the sounds of wind and rain were completely suppressed.

In the blink of an eye, streams of true energy roared, shaking down the rain that filled the sky, and arrived at the door.

They were dressed in either blue robes or white shirts and skirts, their expressions cold as they looked at Song Que.

"Amitabha!"

Zhao Rumeng, dressed in a white monk's robe, clasped her hands together, her eyes lowered, and said, "Your Majesty, my Jingzhai has decided to close the mountain for thirty years and not concern itself with worldly affairs. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy." Her words were full of bitterness.

Circumstances dictate that one must yield; her master and senior sister, along with the masters of Jingnian Temple, perished in Sichuan. In this time of crisis, she took over as the head of Cihang Jingzhai, but she was powerless to reverse the situation. The feud between Buddhism and the Song Clan ran too deep, and she could not make the entire Buddhist community bow down.

After failing to persuade Song Que in the past, she returned to Cihang Jingzhai, closed the mountain gate, and never went out again. Unexpectedly, Song Que still did not let them go.

Upon hearing Zhao Rumeng's words, all the disciples of Cihang Jingzhai looked at him with disbelief, never expecting that the person in front of them was actually the current emperor!

Song Que stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, "Sealing the mountain? You're taking the struggle for the world far too lightly."

At present, Cihang Jingzhai has only a few hundred disciples, but they are all under twenty years old. They are calm and steady, with long and deep breaths. They have mastered the essence of internal energy and would be the backbone of any school or sect.

Once these people were to wander the martial world, who knows what kind of storm they would stir up? He had witnessed the power of the nuns of Cihang Jingzhai firsthand. If Su Ming hadn't reminded him back then, he would probably have been betrayed by his own brother-in-law. He had always kept that debt in mind.

A look of pity appeared on Zhao Rumeng's pretty face. "All the past events were done by this humble nun alone, and have nothing to do with Cihang Jingzhai! If you would spare Cihang Jingzhai, this humble nun is willing to take full responsibility!"

She clasped her hands together, murmured a Buddhist chant, and appeared to be at Song Que's mercy.

However, her appearance aroused the indignation of the entire Cihang Jingzhai. As one of the top sects of the righteous path, being a disciple of Cihang Jingzhai was a status they could be proud of. How could they stand by and watch their leader be humiliated?

"Master! You mustn't!"

"Senior sister, let's fight him!"

"Master, we Buddhist disciples must not be insulted!"

As soon as Zhao Rumeng finished speaking, hundreds of Cihang Jingzhai disciples in front of the gate behind her shouted and pressed forward, surrounding Song Que. Even though the Cihang Jingzhai disciples had all heard of the Heavenly Blade's reputation, they could not stand by and watch their leader be taken away!
In an instant, hundreds of longswords were drawn, and a chilling killing intent soared into the sky!

"stop!"

Zhao Rumeng's expression changed, and she protected the disciples behind her. Today, she is no longer the naive girl she once was. In just a few years, she has transformed into a qualified sect leader.

Amidst the horrified expressions of the Jingzhai disciples, Fan Qinghui walked step by step to Gu Shaoshang, her long black hair trailing on the ground, and knelt before Song Que, saying, "As long as Your Majesty spares Jingzhai, Rumeng is willing to stay by Your Majesty's side."

The light drizzle dampened her blue robe, revealing glimpses of her beautiful figure and outlining her perfect curves. Her dark hair veiled her face, giving her a pure and captivating beauty.

"No need. You've already used that trick. I've come today to settle all grudges." Song Que didn't even glance at her. "Have you finished speaking?"

(End of this chapter)