"Corrupted? What do you mean by that?" Luo Chen asked.
"Literally what it means."
"Hmm?" Luo Chen frowned slightly, gazing at the white-robed monk in confusion.
Master Xuan Du sighed and said in a low, distant voice, "This matter begins five hundred years ago..."
As he recounted the tale in a measured cadence, Luo Chen and Qingshuang finally gained some insight into the closely guarded secrets of the Buddhist sect.
Mahakala was a genius of peerless, heaven-sent caliber!
He had been hailed as the greatest talent in the Hanging Temple in a thousand years, possessing both the highest Buddhist nature and the most astonishing aptitude for cultivation.
His depth of comprehension regarding Buddhist scriptures and the sheer speed of his cultivation surpassed anything ordinary mortals could fathom.
Before reaching the age of three hundred, he had already stepped into the Vajra realm.
Early on, the previous abbot had appointed him First Seat of the Prajna Hall.
Not only did his realm progress by leaps and bounds, but eight hundred years ago he had also single-handedly subdued the desolate beast Golden-Winged Great Peng—still at Rank 4 at the time—adding a Dharma Protector Spiritual Venerable to the Hanging Temple.
Through this momentous feat, Mahakala's prestige in the temple soared higher and higher.
In the end, he truly lived up to the high hopes of the temple's senior monks, successfully stepping into the Arhat realm five hundred years ago.
"Which is what you refer to as the Soul Formation stage," Master Xuan Du noted specifically, making it easier for Luo Chen and Qingshuang to understand.
Luo Chen nodded. "I already knew a bit of that information. But five hundred years ago, after he attained the Arhat realm, what on earth happened to cause this so-called corruption?"
"The corruption did not manifest all at once. It was a gradual descent, step by step, until reaching what it is today."
Master Xuan Du chanted a low Buddhist invocation before explaining, "Senior Brother Jialuo progressed too quickly. Even though his Buddhist nature was remarkably profound and his comprehension of Buddhist scriptures far outstripped ours, the time he spent was simply too short. He was only able to master Buddhist arts, yet struggled to truly grasp Buddhist principles. In this way, a latent danger was planted.
"Five hundred years ago, after attaining the Arhat realm, he felt that very few in the Hanging Temple had achieved the fruit of an Arhat, falling far behind sacred grounds such as the Daoist sects and Mingyuan. Seeing that the rest of his martial brothers were lacking, he had a sudden impulse and attempted to enlighten the Dharma Protector Spiritual Venerable, the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
"Yet little did he expect that his grasp of Buddhist principles was still shallow, and supernatural powers could not overcome karma. The Golden-Winged Great Peng swept away thirty-six high monks' sarira relics and betrayed the Hanging Temple, fleeing into rebellion.
"If that were all, it might not have been disastrous. But suffering the first failure of his entire life, karmic hindrances and inner demons abruptly surged, and he gradually grew extreme.
"Back then, Senior Brother Huiping once said that Jialuo had been influenced by heaven and earth!"
Influenced by heaven and earth?
Luo Chen understood this phrase deeply; it could easily be replaced with the word "assimilation."
Regardless of which cultivation path one followed, once it involved Rank 5, interactions with heaven and earth grew increasingly frequent.
During this process, cultivators drew heavily upon heaven, earth, and nature to comprehend the true intent of laws. Yet the more one seized and comprehended, the easier it was to be assimilated by heaven and earth.
With the slightest slip, one's Dao heart would waver, causing one to sink into the bitter sea.
Phrasing it that way might sound somewhat abstract, but one only needed to look at Perfected Shenyuan's fate to see it clearly.
Falling into deviation, forcibly demanding power that one was ill-equipped to wield—the only outcome was death!
Luo Chen keenly seized upon a familiar name in the monk's words.
"Monk Huiping?"
He suddenly remembered that Monk Huiping also hailed from the Hanging Temple, having severed ties with it only several centuries ago to travel to the Eastern Desolation, where he established a sect and propagated the Buddhist way.
"Could it be that he also left the Hanging Temple back then because of this?"
Master Xuan Du nodded slightly. "Precisely so!"
Luo Chen was astonished. "I didn't realize before that you two were actually martial brothers, given that your dharma names bear no resemblance."
"Buddhism emphasizes equality. Generational hierarchy is merely for convenience of address. Moreover, Senior Brother Huiping hails from the Chan branch, while Senior Brother Jialuo comes from the Pure Land branch. Our dharma names and generational lineages naturally differ. Yet cultivation knows no constraints of age or seniority, so we adopted the most common convention in the cultivation world—the accomplished take precedence—for ease of address," Xuan Du said, before continuing where he had left off. "Senior Brother Huiping's realm stood above ours, and he was also one of the eight First Seats among the hundred and eight high monks of that era. He was the first to detect something amiss with Senior Brother Jialuo. After remonstrations proved futile, he used the propagation of the Dharma as a pretext to depart the Hanging Temple alone."
Qingshuang, who had remained silent at the side, suddenly spoke up.
"Monk Huiping was indeed formidable. Back when the three Great Cultivators of the Eastern Desolation joined forces against me, he alone could meet my attacks head-on. In fact, had I not unfolded my true Qingluan form, I would have been suppressed by him instead."
Luo Chen understood better than anyone how terrifying her true Qingluan form was.
The Great Five Elements Sword Formation paired with the Law-Suppressing Five Elements Awls and the Soul-Weaving Needle had failed to bring her down, forcing Luo Chen to release his lifebound magical treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, before he could barely suppress her.
Even so, refining her remained an extraordinarily daunting task.
If Monk Huiping had once clashed head-on against her true Qingluan form, his body refinement realm alone must not have been inferior to Luo Chen's current Late Desolate Ancient stage.
Master Xuan Du glanced at Qingshuang without showing any surprise.
Evidently, he had gathered intelligence on this matter and knew her general circumstances.
He continued, "After Senior Brother Huiping departed, I also gradually noticed Senior Brother Jialuo's temperament shifting. As a precaution, I left the Hanging Temple as well. Not only that, but while Senior Brother Jialuo was in seclusion, I quietly took the Buddhist sect's sacred treasure, the Glazed Pure Land, to prevent him from relying on such a weapon to bring disaster upon the mortal realm."
Hearing this, Luo Chen fell into contemplation.
The space he currently occupied had been formed by the Glazed Pure Land, and being inside felt virtually indistinguishable from the outside world.
Such marvel surpassed even the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven and the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm.
With this treasure in hand, Mahakala, having already attained the Arhat realm, would have been completely unconstrained, capable of acting without hindrance.
If he truly wished to bring disaster upon the world, who could stop him, other than supreme powerhouses like Monarch Qixia who did not belong to the Mountain Sea Realm in the first place?
Divine Lord Youli?
He certainly possessed the power, but he was restricted by the Rank 5 Fortune Gu and suppressed by that ocean of origin qi, unable to step away from his tiny patch of ground atop the Peak of Clouds.
"Not long after this humble monk departed the Hanging Temple, the monks within fell under Senior Brother Jialuo's influence, their temperaments gradually shifting to become increasingly extreme. In fact, that extremism even spread to many Buddhist peers across the Western Desert's Buddhist lands."
Realization dawned on Luo Chen. "No wonder the abbots from Mount Wutai we ran into earlier resorted to fighting and killing at the slightest provocation despite their impressive realms, showing not a shred of the compassion befitting monastics. Were they also affected by this?"
"Mount Wutai is not far from the Hanging Temple and once even bore the duty of guarding the Verdant Mist Screen. They have likely already sunk deep into it." Master Xuan Du wore a compassionate, sorrowful expression, his tone tinged with deep regret. "Their claim of wanting to capture Fellow Daoist Qingshuang as a Dharma Protector spiritual beast was merely an imitation born of extreme adulation toward Mahakala."
Eight hundred years ago, Mahakala captured the Golden-Winged Great Peng, adding a Dharma Protector Spiritual Venerable to the Hanging Temple.
Eight hundred years later, the monks of Mount Wutai sought to emulate him. But what they encountered was not the Golden-Winged Great Peng, but Qingshuang—and a Qingshuang accompanied by Luo Chen at that!
Returning in defeat had been entirely natural.
Luo Chen suddenly said, "Master, you don't expect the two of us to deal with Mahakala, do you?"
Master Xuan Du smiled faintly. "The Alchemy Grandmaster seems rather eager to try!"
Luo Chen replied helplessly, "Where on earth did you hear any eagerness from me?"
Master Xuan Du chuckled. "The very fact that such a thought crossed your mind—is that not eagerness?"
Luo Chen clamped his mouth shut, while Qingshuang gave him a curious glance.
Indeed, ordinary people would never even consider such an idea.
Even Qingshuang, who had clashed with Soul Formation grand experts twice, would never contemplate how to actively confront such beings.
Master Xuan Du shook his head. "Both of you are standout figures among the world's cultivators, with few rivals beneath the heavens. Yet an existence comparable to Soul Formation like an Arhat is still beyond what you can confront. In particular, both of you harbor considerable latent dangers and gaping vulnerabilities; any assistance you offer might easily turn into a liability instead. In inviting you here, this humble monk merely wishes to ask the two of you to hold the perimeter and defend the Glazed Pure Land. Nothing more."
"Defend the Glazed Pure Land?" Luo Chen was puzzled.
Qingshuang suddenly said, "Since we entered, the entrance to the Glazed Pure Land has never closed."
Luo Chen froze. Was that something worth pointing out?
Leaving the entrance wide open was a show of good faith on the host's part, allowing them to leave at any time.
Yet immediately afterward, he realized something was amiss.
Infusing his eyes with magic power and channeling origin power into his eye sockets, brilliant golden light blazed as his Scarlet Eyes and Golden Pupils abruptly flared to life!
Within his vision, faint wisps of spiritual opportunity were subtly drifting into the Glazed Pure Land from the outside world, converging toward the white-robed monk before them.
"You are gathering spiritual opportunity!" Luo Chen exclaimed.
"Benefactor, that pair of eyes of yours is truly cultivated to an extraordinary level!" Master Xuan Du once again praised Luo Chen's spirit eyes, making no attempt to conceal his actions. "Yes, this humble monk has already begun preparations to break through to the Arhat realm."
Luo Chen shook his head. "Master, why such haste? A breakthrough of this magnitude can never be accomplished in a short time. What if Mahakala moves to disrupt you? Besides, the two of us have not agreed to help you yet."
"There is no time left," Master Xuan Du said, a flicker of trepidation surfacing in his eyes. "The last time Mahakala struck across the void to repel the Ancient Red Sand Scorpion, I realized he had already stepped into extremism. Now that the gates of the Hanging Temple have swung wide open, it signifies he is already prepared to turn the entire Mountain Sea Realm into an Earthly Buddhist Kingdom. I must stop him!"
Luo Chen was perplexed. "If all people dwell within a Buddhist kingdom, wouldn't that be a good thing for Buddhist cultivators like you?"
Master Xuan Du said placidly, "If everyone turns toward goodness and comprehends the Dharma, what difference does a kingdom make? Conversely, if one uses the propagation of the Dharma as an excuse to wage war and slaughter, it is nothing more than recklessly indulging greed, anger, and ignorance, creating pointless butchery."
"You certainly see things clearly, Master."
Luo Chen offered a word of praise, but it was merely a compliment and nothing more.
Though the monk painted a terrifying picture involving the common people of the world and an Earthly Buddhist Kingdom, it did not resonate deeply with Luo Chen.
From the very beginning, Luo Chen had been a self-interested person.
Even though he had changed much along his cultivation journey, shouldering many responsibilities and duties, what he cared about most remained his close companions, his relatives, and his own cultivation.
With his life soul still held in the grip of the Daoist sect, how could he have the spare energy to pity the common mortals of the world?
Qingshuang reacted the same way!
What she cared about was her elder sister, Monarch Qixia, and Mount Cangwu.
So long as Mahakala did not provoke Mount Cangwu, what did she care if the world drowned in floods?
Master Xuan Du did not seem surprised by Luo Chen and Qingshuang's indifference, nor did he attempt to force them. From the start, he had framed this as a cooperation.
Facing their impassive expressions, Master Xuan Du said calmly, "If the two benefactors lend me a hand, not only will the teleportation formation be returned to you, but this humble monk can also resolve the latent dangers within your bodies."
The moment these words were spoken, Luo Chen and Qingshuang's attitudes turned solemn.
Earlier, Master Xuan Du had indeed mentioned that they harbored latent dangers.
Luo Chen was fine; he knew his cultivation drew upon the strengths of various schools and had inevitably absorbed some dross along the way, making latent dangers perfectly normal. But Qingshuang found it baffling.
"Xuan Du, what latent danger is within me?" Qingshuang asked directly, cutting straight to the point without the slightest hesitation.
Master Xuan Du replied calmly, "Your latent danger is not much different from my Senior Brother Jialuo's back then. It stems from cultivating for too short a time, leaving your state of mind lacking and making you prone to extremes."
Qingshuang frowned. "Demons are naturally extreme in temperament; great joy and fierce wrath are commonplace. How can you call that a latent danger?"
Master Xuan Du countered, "Then why must the benefactor rely on a spirit treasure to protect her soul?"
Qingshuang was struck dumb.
She had not expected him to see through that. She could not tell whether it was his own discernment or the wondrous nature of the Glazed Pure Land.
Master Xuan Du spoke softly, "I do not know how Benefactor Qingshuang managed to cultivate such mighty power at your age. But calculated by the lifespan of a divine beast Qingluan, you cannot even be considered an adult right now. Yet you blindly pursue the true intent of laws and comprehension of the Great Dao. Can you truly withstand the backlash of the Great Dao in the future? Or have you fallen under someone else's influence, abandoning your future merely to grasp the present?"
"Shut your mouth!"
A sharp shout exploded like thunder.
Qingshuang's face turned icy cold as she rebuked the white-robed monk.
"I will not permit you to slander my sister!"
Luo Chen was caught off guard by her sudden fury.
Yet very quickly, he grasped the underlying implication in Master Xuan Du's words.
Qingshuang's strength truly was abnormal.
It was often said that the lifespan of the demon race far exceeded that of humans, and the price of such longevity was slow cultivation.
Qingshuang's true form was a divine beast Qingluan, rumored to possess a natural lifespan spanning thousands of years.
By normal standards, the current Qingshuang was indeed slightly shy of adulthood.
Yet she had already grasped the true intent of spatial laws, looking down upon all peers.
Beneath such proud capability lay the hidden fact that her soul was exceptionally weak.
In other words, the seemingly all-powerful Qingshuang harbored a massive shortcoming!
It was just that this shortcoming had been temporarily concealed by the soul-defending spirit treasure left by Heaven Refining Demon Lord—the Nether Soul Pearl.
*So, was pulling up shoots to help them grow like this something Monarch Qixia did intentionally?* Luo Chen thought silently to himself.
Master Xuan Du showed no anger at Qingshuang's rebuke, merely saying calmly, "Whether it is slander or truth, one knows in one's own heart. This humble monk merely wishes to say that I possess a method to help you shore up this shortcoming, at least allowing it to match your current realm."
This time, Qingshuang fell silent.
Silence meant hesitation, and hesitation meant her interest had been piqued.
Master Xuan Du urged her no further, turning his gaze toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen chuckled. "Master, do I have latent dangers as well?"
Master Xuan Du's gaze toward Luo Chen turned somewhat complex.
He first nodded, then shook his head.
"You do, but none are severe. I truly cannot fathom how you managed to achieve such strength at your age either."
Luo Chen understood. "Since my latent dangers aren't serious, I imagine it will be rather difficult for you to propose a condition that tempts me!"
Master Xuan Du smiled faintly. "I shall do my utmost to try!"
Chapter 986