The novice monk smiled faintly. "Amitabha. It is indeed this humble monk."
After he openly stated his identity, Luo Chen could not help exchanging a glance with Qingshuang, a solemn expression surfacing in both their eyes.
Had the two of them been at their peak, they would not have feared Xuan Du even if he stood right before them.
Under their current condition, however, they might still be able to manage experts below the Great Cultivator stage. But against a Great Cultivator—especially a top-tier one of Xuan Du's renowned stature—a true clash would almost certainly result in death or grievous injury.
Qingshuang remained silent, leaving the initiative in communication to Luo Chen.
She was the most famous top-tier Demon Emperor in the Mountain Sea Realm, and having previously revealed her true form before human cultivators, the more she spoke, the more likely she was to slip up.
With Luo Chen, there were no such concerns.
The title of Alchemy Grandmaster ensured that wherever he went, he would be treated as an honored guest.
Seeing Xuan Du smiling and pleasant, Luo Chen's thoughts stirred slightly.
"Does Master intend to stop us as well?"
The novice monk shook his head. "Hardly to stop you. I merely wish to invite you both to be guests in my Glazed Pure Land."
"Guests?" The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched. "Guests in name, house arrest in truth, I presume!"
The novice monk hurriedly waved his hands. "Benefactor Luo worries overmuch. This humble monk truly invites you in all sincerity, wishing only to share tea and discuss the Dao with the two of you. If you are unwilling, I will not force the matter. It is only that this Golden Body of the Wisdom King cannot be lent to you two fellow Daoists."
Luo Chen frowned and subconsciously looked toward Qingshuang.
Qingshuang sent a voice transmission: "For the sake of secrecy, the Western Desert teleportation formation was not established atop a spirit vein. To activate it, one must draw upon the Buddhist power accumulated within this Golden Body of the Peacock Great Wisdom King. By all rights, this arrangement is exceedingly covert; Xuan Du should not have been able to discover it."
Luo Chen's heart sank slightly. He had previously discussed with Qingshuang the route back to the Eastern Desolation.
The most convenient way was naturally the super teleportation formation connecting to Mount Cangwu, which could take them there in an instant!
If they had to rely on foot travel to traverse from west to east, the time required would not be a matter of merely a year or two.
Moreover, during that journey, they would have to pass through the Central Plains, which was at its most tense in the aftermath of the great war, making unexpected hindrances even more likely.
Both he and Qingshuang were in terrible condition and urgently needed to find a spiritual land to recuperate.
And most importantly, nearly ten years had passed since he left the Eastern Desolation. Luo Lingxi was growing older, and any further delay could genuinely affect his future cultivation.
There was no time to lose!
The best solution at present was undoubtedly to capture the novice monk and seize control of the local teleportation formation.
Yet since the other party had waited for them with such composure, it meant the teleportation formation was also under his control.
If Xuan Du's true body intervened in person during the teleportation, the consequences would be unimaginable.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the novice monk. "Merely to be guests?"
The novice monk's cultivation realm was not high, clearly not Master Xuan Du's true body, but merely a vessel possessed by a strand of his divine sense.
Yet under the pressure of Luo Chen's divine soul, he remained neither servile nor haughty, hardly affected at all.
His expression turned solemn. "A monk does not speak falsehoods. In truth, this humble monk also wishes to discuss a cooperation with you two benefactors."
"Cooperation?"
"Yes. The specifics are not convenient to detail here, but the terms this humble monk offers will certainly bring you only benefit and no harm." With that, the novice monk pressed his palms together in a bow. "Once the matter is concluded, the two of you may depart as you please, and this humble monk shall not disturb you in the slightest."
Luo Chen pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Lead the way. I would also like to see what the legendary Glazed Pure Land looks like."
The novice monk revealed a heartfelt smile and walked out of Fomu Temple.
Behind him, Luo Chen and Qingshuang exchanged a glance. No words were spoken, but a silent tacit understanding had already formed between them.
***
The Western Desert was a name distinct from the five continents of the Mountain Sea Realm.
Upon this expanse of land, the true names used were the Buddha Land, or the Oases.
Luo Chen and Qingshuang had emerged from the Far Eastern Vast Sea Desert, which bordered the Monan Royal Court.
Legend had it that the Monan Royal Court was an enormous realm where Buddhist practitioners and mortals coexisted, encompassing states great and small, enshrining numerous golden statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and home to countless thousand-year-old ancient monasteries.
The armies of demon beasts harassing the oasis Buddha Land had swarmed out from the far west.
As for the Glazed Pure Land Luo Chen spoke of wanting to see, in the territory of the Western Desert, it was closer to a legend.
It possessed no fixed mountain gate, no disciples walking the world—only the legend of a single monk and a single temple.
Some even claimed the Glazed Pure Land was a hidden grotto-heaven, or perhaps a roving Buddhist monastery.
As for these myriad rumors, Luo Chen soon found his answer.
Gazing at the faint spatial ripples flickering in the void, he exclaimed in surprise, "A spatial spirit treasure?"
The novice monk was preparing something, and hearing Luo Chen identify the nature of the Glazed Pure Land in a single word, he could not help but hold Luo Chen in higher regard.
"Sumeru contained within a mustard seed, myriad leagues merged in a square inch. Though imperceptible to the mortal eye, the Dharma Realm shines ten thousand fathoms bright. Benefactor, those eyes of yours are truly extraordinary!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly, his gaze subconsciously falling upon Qingshuang.
Qingshuang had cultivated bitterly in the true intent of spatial laws. If she possessed such a spirit treasure, she could reside permanently within the turbulent void currents, and in this world, truly no one could threaten her—
Not even Soul Formation powerhouses!
To his surprise, Qingshuang showed little desire, only mild curiosity.
Seeing her reaction, Luo Chen grew thoughtful.
Indeed!
Qingshuang was refining the Void-Accumulating Flower. If she truly succeeded and opened up an internal space within her body, she herself could traverse the turbulent void currents, so why would she need to rely on some spirit treasure?
To the side, the novice monk's preparations had reached their final stage, and the Glazed Pure Land was about to be opened.
Finding a moment of leisure, he spoke leisurely: "The two benefactors may not know, but this Glazed Pure Land is the first and only spirit treasure of the Western Desert's Buddhist sects, not the slightest bit inferior to the Central Plains' Lanke Chessboard."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that this treasure can also suppress earthly qi and gather spiritual opportunity?"
"Far more than that!" the novice monk chuckled, his words filled with utter confidence.
Luo Chen was skeptical. "If it is truly so formidable, how could it be in fellow Daoist's hands alone? Could the true master of the Western Desert, the Hanging Temple, stand by and watch such a priceless treasure remain outside their grasp?"
The novice monk did not answer, merely sending a final incantation gesture toward the sky.
The night sky hung high, originally devoid of both stars and moon.
Yet once that incantation was struck, the heavens trembled, and the dark clouds receded.
A beam of gentle moonlight poured down, illuminating the depths of the void.
Gradually, a corner of a glazed Buddhist monastery, nestled amid a forest of stupas and a sea of bamboo, revealed its tip.
"Benefactors, please!"
Luo Chen paused, standing motionless.
Now that the moment had arrived, he hesitated instead.
When it came to the Dao of Space, it was extraordinarily mysterious, and countless cultivators across the world mastered at best its mere surface.
Yet within the Buddhist sects, matters were different.
The saying that a mustard seed contains Sumeru and Sumeru hides within a mustard seed had been passed down for ages. Strong cultivators skilled in spatial restrictions were not few among Buddhists; for instance, the purple-gold alms bowl in the hands of Mount Wutai's Cihai was quite a fine spatial magic treasure.
He had not expected the Glazed Pure Land to be a spatial spirit treasure.
Once inside, stepping back out might not be so simple.
"Let us enter."
Unexpectedly, Qingshuang showed no fear at all.
She sent a voice transmission: "The restriction Xuan Du cast through the possessed novice monk just now was an Equilibrium Art. With this art in place, the Glazed Pure Land remains constantly open to the outside. If I wish to leave, I can break free in an instant."
With this reassurance, Luo Chen finally put his mind at ease.
Stepping forward, he crossed the shimmering void; in a daze, heaven and earth overturned.
Looking up, he saw a bright moon hanging high in the night sky.
Truly, a minor world hidden within the void, Sumeru contained in a mustard seed!
Moreover, unlike an unstable minor world like the Yin-Yang Realm, the space of this Glazed Pure Land was exceptionally stable, indistinguishable from the outside world.
With Luo Chen's current methods, tearing open a void fissure would likely prove exceedingly difficult.
Qingshuang paused at the entrance for a brief moment, and only after confirming her perception was correct did she nod to Luo Chen.
The novice monk did not enter.
Upon seeing the two step inside, his whole body trembled, and a dazed look surfaced in his eyes. He bowed toward the monastery shrouded in moonlight within the void, then departed alone.
Under the moonlight, the emerald bamboo sea swayed with the wind, and the snow-white stupa forest stood solemn and majestic.
Such an anomaly was clearly visible even from a hundred li away.
Even the sight of Luo Chen and Qingshuang walking into it was witnessed by many.
In no time, news that the Glazed Pure Land had manifested and that Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen and Demon Emperor Qingshuang had entered it spread swiftly.
***
From within the monastery, which seemed crafted of colored glaze, came the tranquil sound of a wooden fish.
Two figures stepped over the threshold and walked in together.
A monk dressed in white sat with his back to them. Two prayer cushions lay in the hall, seemingly having awaited them for a long time.
"Please."
A remarkably youthful voice rang out.
Luo Chen and Qingshuang exchanged a glance and, showing no fear, took their seats on the cushions in an open, upright manner.
The white-robed monk continued striking the wooden fish, chanting Buddhist sutras under his breath.
Only after quite a while did he cease his recitation and slowly turn around.
With just a single glance!
As their eyes met, the illusion of Mirror Flower Water Moon abruptly bloomed within Luo Chen's pupils.
The young monk did not evade, remaining seated cross-legged, allowing clusters of blossoms to flourish and celestial maidens to surround him.
Boundless illusions sought to pull him into delusion, yet he kept his mind guarded and unmoved.
And on the outside,
Qingshuang struck out with a fist tearing through the air, her pale, slender wrist seeming capable of ripping through anything.
The young monk merely smiled faintly, pinching a flower gesture with one finger and flicking it lightly out.
Dong!
A dull toll resonated. The young monk's body shuddered, like a great bell being struck.
Qingshuang slowly withdrew her right hand, her brow slightly furrowed.
"The Great Vajra Physique—superior even to that bald donkey Ci'en of Mount Wutai!"
On the other side, Luo Chen closed his eyes with a touch of exhaustion, then opened them slowly, gazing at the white-robed monk before him in shock and suspicion.
"You!"
The white-robed monk rubbed the space between his brows and praised, "The Alchemy Grandmaster's prowess far surpasses the imagination of worldly mortals. Had this humble monk not condensed an Origin Soul beforehand, I fear that under that divine soul suppression like a boundless sea and a hellish abyss, I would have fallen into endless illusions in an instant."
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched. "Master Xuan Du overpraises me."
Qingshuang was somewhat astonished by this outcome.
She had personally experienced how terrifyingly deep Luo Chen's divine soul foundation was.
Had it not been for the protection of the Nether Soul Pearl, even she would have been no match for Luo Chen.
One could say that in the contemporary world, no Nascent Soul True Person possessed a divine soul foundation that could rival Luo Chen's.
In fact, in Qingshuang's eyes, the sheer vastness of Luo Chen's divine soul was already infinitely close to that of a Soul Formation powerhouse.
Yet under these circumstances, Master Xuan Du had actually resisted his soul technique!
Luo Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air, knowing that his and Qingshuang's tacit plan had come to naught.
They had never wanted to negotiate any cooperation or exchange conditions.
From the very beginning, their intent had been to enter the Glazed Pure Land, strike with abrupt violence, join forces to subdue Master Xuan Du, seize control of Fomu Temple's teleportation formation, and depart the Western Desert directly.
Little did they expect that this man was also someone who cultivated both magic and body!
He had withstood their combined strike at the very first moment.
What was more, the other party had already condensed an Origin Soul, standing merely a single step away from Soul Formation!
When it came to divine soul foundation, Luo Chen was far more powerful than he.
However, Master Xuan Du had already condensed an Origin Soul; the refinement of his soul was sufficient to resist the effects of Mirror Flower Water Moon.
And as for that Great Vajra Physique...
Luo Chen shook his head at Qingshuang, abandoning their initial plan.
If both of them were in their peak condition, each had the strength to battle Xuan Du, and victory or defeat would depend on their respective combat capabilities.
At this moment, however, it was hardly suitable to fight a life-and-death struggle.
"Benefactors, can we have a proper talk now?" The white monk's robe gradually settled. Master Xuan Du seemed not to mind their earlier sudden attack in the least.
Luo Chen rubbed between his brows. "Master is persistent indeed. I wonder what matter weighs so heavily on your mind that you would go so far as to coerce the two of us with the teleportation formation."
Master Xuan Du appeared deaf to the mockery in Luo Chen's tone, replying solemnly instead, "It is not persistence, but that the matter concerns the common people of the realm and requires the assistance of you two."
"The common people of the realm?" Luo Chen was taken aback. In all these years, this was the first time he had heard that phrase, and he could not help letting out a soft laugh. "Master is compassionate indeed, but what do the common people of the realm have to do with me?"
Master Xuan Du said placidly, "Benefactor is also a part of those common people. When a great calamity befalls, one might not be able to remain unscathed on one's own."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "Alarmist talk!"
Master Xuan Du pointed beneath his feet. "Earlier, Benefactor asked why such a profound treasure as the Glazed Pure Land was controlled by me, and why the Hanging Temple was not tempted by it. The answer is quite simple: this treasure was stolen by this humble monk from the Hanging Temple, precisely to prevent them from wielding such a sharp weapon, lest the desire to kill arise from possessing the blade!"
Luo Chen furrowed his brow, setting aside his earlier dismissive attitude.
Ever since slaying Huang Man and Shenyuan, he had possessed immense confidence: across the vastness of the world, so long as Soul Formation cultivators did not emerge, he could be called invincible.
His only hypothetical rival had been Qingshuang, who wielded spatial prowess.
Yet when it came to a sacred ground, he never dared to be careless.
The Hanging Temple was the sole hegemon of the Western Desert—a Soul Formation sacred ground!
"For an eminent monk like Master to resort to theft, it seems the matter is of grave significance indeed," Luo Chen remarked.
Master Xuan Du nodded and asked, "Does Benefactor know of that Arhat of the Hanging Temple?"
An Arhat?
Luo Chen pursed his lips.
The cultivation system here in the Western Desert was somewhat different from the other four continents.
Beyond the common Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages, there existed a mature, separate Buddhist system:
Novices and Bhikkhus, Dharma Masters and Vajras, and even Arhats!
The reason he had joined forces with Qingshuang against Xuan Du earlier was that Xuan Du could possess a novice monk with divine sense without harming him.
From the very beginning, Luo Chen had never underestimated Xuan Du.
It was only that Xuan Du's subsequent display had been too astounding, slightly exceeding his estimates.
And the Arhat the monk now mentioned was someone he also knew a bit about:
The contemporary master of the Hanging Temple, the legendary Mahakala!
The First Seat of the Prajna Hall eight hundred years ago, who had once subdued the desolate beast Golden-Winged Peng, adding a Dharma-protecting Spirit Venerable to the Hanging Temple.
After ascending to the Soul Formation realm, he had naturally taken over the position of abbot, presiding over the Hanging Temple.
It was said that the Hanging Temple's later sealing of its mountain gates and detachment from worldly affairs had also been influenced by him.
Mahakala possessed little renown outside; apart from experts interested in the Buddhist path, many did not even know that such a True Buddha existed in the Western Desert.
Had Luo Chen not looked up relevant information back then out of curiosity regarding Monk Huiping of the Tianji Domain, he likely would have known little about this person either.
Now hearing of this powerhouse from Master Xuan Du, Luo Chen could not help feeling curious.
"What happened to him?"
Xuan Du's face showed deep sorrow and compassion, his voice heavy with grief. "He... has fallen into corruption!"
Chapter 985