After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

After leaving the capital of the Taisho Dynasty, Wang Lingguan had been investigating the whereabouts of his friend whose name he had forgotten, to the point that he himself was implicated.

Now, I've arrived at the place where all of this happened... and I've even arrived at the grave mound and tombstone that I keep dreaming about.

It seems that everything can be answered here.

The thin-skinned coffin lid was completely opened, and Zhou Yan, Little Yama, and Wenquxing's gazes naturally entered the inside of the thin-skinned coffin.

There was nothing inside the coffin.

There was absolutely nothing there. There were no bones, no urn, no little dragon girl that Little Yama was still holding. It was just an empty space, completely devoid of anything.

To avoid misreading the situation, Zhou Yan picked up the thin-skinned coffin and shook it on the ground.

There was no sound of anything falling or hitting the ground.

"Nothing... at all?"

Wang Lingguan, who was on Zhou Yan's back, stood up and walked to Zhou Yan's head to stare at the coffin.

Wang Lingguan had long been prepared that the coffin would contain his own corpse, or part of his corpse, but in the end, there was nothing in the coffin.

This made Wang Lingguan feel more uncomfortable than anything else.

Zhou Yan placed the empty coffin back on its original spot and said helplessly.

"There really is nothing there. If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself."

Wang Lingguan jumped off Zhou Yan's back and circled the coffin, occasionally tapping it with his sword.

Little Yama patted Zhou Yan's fluffy head and transmitted his voice into the secret passage.

"What was in the coffin may have already come out."

What Little Yama meant was that the thing inside the coffin might be Wang Lingguan, who was currently looking after the coffin.

　Before Zhou Yan and the others entered Dayuan Temple, Wang Lingguan was lying dead on the edge of Lingshan. Now that he has been resurrected, he may have come out of this coffin.

Zhou Yan somewhat agreed with Little Yama's statement, but as soon as the thought came to mind, Zhou Yan felt a deep sense of fear.

There are hundreds of deities in this burial ground; what if they all came out...?

I don't know how big my hatred is for them.

After knocking on the coffin and still finding nothing amiss, Wang Lingguan walked over dejectedly.

"Everyone..."

Wang Lingguan looked very unwell.

"Why are there things in all the other coffins, but I can't find a single hair in mine?"

Zhou Yan and Little Yama looked a little off; neither of them knew how to explain to Wang Lingguan that he had actually died long ago.

It was Wenquxing who spoke up.

"Perhaps the timing is wrong,"

Little Yama and Wang Lingguan both looked at Wenquxing.

Wenquxing originally wanted to touch His beard, but when he touched it, he didn't touch the beard, but only the smooth chin, so he had to let go.

“I have some doubts that these post-sacred temples are linked together according to chronological logic.”

Chapter Twenty: Facing It Head-on

Wang Lingguan murmured in bewilderment.

"Time...logic..."

Wenquxing explained.

“The Hou Sheng Temples that keep appearing on Lingshan Mountain may not be replicas, but rather appear in chronological order, with each one representing a Hou Sheng Temple from a certain period of time.”

After a pause, Wenquxing added.

“When I looked at different temples before, I carefully observed the traces at the gates of these temples. Some traces seemed young, while others were old, as if they were from the same building at different times.”

Xiao Yanjun clapped his hands.

"Is this the immature idea you mentioned before, Lao Wen?"

Wenquxing nodded slowly. Although he was a male playboy by nature, his slight nodding gesture was inexplicably reserved and refined, like a noble girl who had received strict education since childhood.

Even the little Yama King wanted to push Wenquxing away, seeing this pretentious guy reveal his true colors.

"Well, I was thinking at the time, what is the significance of these post-holy temples that have appeared one after another? They can't just be simple copies and proliferations, right? So I deconstructed them from the two simplest logics: space and time."

Wenquxing's bright eyes were fixed on the surrounding graves.

"From my current observation, time logic is the most appropriate answer."

Wenquxing can see that the various traces between different temples are inconsistent.

Zhou Yan, who was sitting down, couldn't help but interject.

"If this idea is correct, then these post-sacred temples may completely reveal the inside story of how Mount Ling has been from the beginning to the present day, and we can even use this information..."

Zhou Yan swallowed.

"Change the past?"

Little Yama replied.

"If you're capable enough to hear the entire story of this calamity and survive, then you can consider whether you can save Mount Ling."

The secrets of this sacred mountain carry a meme virus; hearing too much of it will cause Zhou Yan to die a violent death, and one from which resurrection is unlikely. ∴∽

Zhou Yan gave an awkward laugh.

Indeed, with my current abilities, changing the past is quite difficult.

Wang Lingguan on the ground understood.

"So, it's possible that because we entered at the wrong time, my body isn't in this coffin?"

Wenquxing nodded gracefully, then added a sentence.

"But we can't let our guard down, this coffin..."

Even though the person is still alive, a coffin has already been prepared. What does this mean?

This means that the ruler of the Later Holy Temple, the future Buddha Maitreya, may have already made preparations to assassinate Wang Lingguan.

Wang Lingguan sneered.

"I don't know what this Future Buddha is. He's been targeting me. I've fought countless battles and faced death countless times. Even if this Future Buddha has great supernatural powers, he can still kill me."

Wang Lingguan drew his sword from his waist, its intense heat causing Zhou Yan, Xiao Yanjun, and Wenquxing's eyes to ache. The sharp energy spread outwards like the pressure of a nuclear explosion.

The once quiet cemetery was now filled with the howling wind.

"This old man also wants to bite off a piece of flesh from this fat Maitreya!"

Little Yama gave a thumbs up.

"What a spirit! Senior Wang, come on up, let's go and see the other temples of the Later Saints."

Wang Lingguan's aura slowly rose up Zhou Yan's back. Zhou Yan took a few steps out of the Hou Sheng Temple, and then stepped into the void outside the temple gate, standing a hundred meters in the air and looking down at half of the Ling Mountain.

Before Wenquxing mentioned it, Zhou Yan hadn't paid much attention. But now that Wenquxing had, Zhou Yan pulled up the attribute columns of these Post-Saint Temples and specifically looked at the time in these attribute columns. As soon as he saw it, Zhou Yan confirmed what Wenquxing had said: these Post-Saint Temples were indeed in different time periods.

It has been happening for thousands of years, and even in the last five days.

“What Wenquxing said is indeed correct.”

Zhou Yan assured Wenquxing of his guess.

Wenquxing said with satisfaction.

"Now that my guess was correct, there's no need to run around like a headless fly anymore. Just choose a temple in the later period of the Holy Temple that's in a suitable time to visit."

Wenquxing looked at Xiaoyanjun, who nodded to Wenquxing and then spoke to Zhou Yan.

"During what period of time were the temples dedicated to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva established?"

Zhou Yan looked at the temple of the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta and responded.

"It seems to have been eight hundred years ago. I'll look for the Hou Sheng Temple from that period now."

Zhou Yan's gaze swept around the surroundings, finally settling on the Hou Sheng Temple, which was only three days different from the Guangming Temple where the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta resided.

Stepping down from the void, Zhou Yan arrived at the entrance of the Later Saint Temple in just a few steps.

The main gate of the temple was wide open, and Buddhist light and chanting continued to pour out from inside. However, this time, Zhou Yan saw many humanoid phantoms moving back and forth at the entrance within the Buddhist light. At the same time, a strong sense of crisis, so intense that it made Zhou Yan frown, poured into his mind from within the temple.

At this time of year, the Temple of the Holy One seems to hold something extremely terrifying and dangerous waiting for it.

Zhong Zhouyan, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

"There seems to be something harmful in here."

The little Yama on Zhou Yan's head pressed down on Zhou Yan's hair, which was standing on end out of fear, and nodded.

"I can tell."

Zhou Yan was so nervous he was practically freaking out.

Wang Lingguan and Wenquxing looked solemn. They hadn't encountered any danger or obtained much information when they passed through the two Hou Sheng Temples before. Now that they sensed danger, it meant that there was a high probability that they could obtain useful information from this place.

"If any of you feel danger."

Wang Lingguan got up expressionlessly.

"Let Wang go in and scout ahead."

This coffin matter clearly involves Wang Lingguan. Wang Lingguan doesn't have the temper to let others take responsibility for his disasters, so when something happens, Wang Lingguan still prefers to handle it himself.

Without saying a word, Zhou Yan stepped out with his claw, and with that one strike, he moved from outside the temple gate to inside.

Wang Lingguan looked surprised, while Wenquxing and Xiao Yanjun remained expressionless.

There must be a reason why Wang Lingguan was able to be resurrected. Zhou Yan and Little Yama would not let Wang Lingguan go in to test the waters just for a little bit of security.

The Buddha light inside this temple was even stronger than the other two combined. After Zhou Yan entered, the seven-colored Buddha light spread throughout the temple, and within the Buddha light, there were many faint, burning human figures.

Zhou Yan looked at these illusory figures and saw that they were all Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and some Buddhas that Zhou Yan did not recognize. The Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta that Wang Lingguan had previously tried to bind was not among these figures that appeared and disappeared in the Buddha light.

The figures in the Buddha's light were not difficult to distinguish, but these figures were in groups of three or five, bowing their heads and speaking in a language that Zhou Yan and the others could not understand, and then heading in different directions.

Even though they were right in front of them, Zhou Yan, Xiao Yanjun, Wang Lingguan, and Wenquxing felt as if they were in a different world. They couldn't talk to each other and were completely unable to communicate.

Then, a burst of Buddhist light emerged from the distant Hall of Heavenly Kings. As this light appeared, the five gates of the Hall of Heavenly Kings were opened, and hundreds of Arhats and Bodhisattvas emerged amidst the flowing Buddhist light.

The figures of Buddha light in front of Zhou Yan and the others stepped forward one after another. Although the mouths of these figures were constantly opening and closing, and their facial expressions could be vaguely seen changing, the entire Hou Sheng Temple was submerged in absolute silence, without making a sound.

Wang Lingguan, who was above Zhou Yan, couldn't help but speak.

"Are these also fragments of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?"

Zhou Yan nodded.

"They seem to be embers of something that existed, just like those faceless monks."

Wenquxing stared at the monks for a while, then shook his head.

"What on earth happened at Mount Ling? It's all so strange."

Suddenly, the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas who came out of the Heavenly King Hall on the opposite side parted to make way, and immeasurable Buddha light emerged from the parted path.

Many bodhisattvas and Buddhas on both sides of the road successively put their hands together in prayer.

It seems the guy about to emerge will be a big shot.

In fact, a great figure did emerge from the road that was cleared.

Name: Guanyin (Avalokitesvara)

The pupils of Zhou Yan, in his mythical form, trembled. Emerging from the path cleared by the Buddha's light and human figures was none other than Guanyin.

Unlike other illusory forms of Buddha's light and human figures, the Guanyin who walked out was much better in terms of both opacity and the clarity of her facial features.

Most importantly, after Guanyin emerged from the Buddha's light and human figures, she gracefully walked towards Zhou Yan and others who should have been excluded from this world.

They went straight to Zhou Yan.

The little Yama King on Zhou Yan's head couldn't help but lean closer to Zhou Yan's head and hurriedly said.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva! Could you be an incarnation here?"