This place was the Shaolin of a certain samsara world. If Han Guang were the “Celestial Emperor,” it wouldn’t be strange for him to pull people in using special items, like Gu Xiaosang did. But how could there also be a Dharma Body here?
Wouldn’t that expose the secrets of the Six Paths?
Or is this Dharma Body also a fellow samsara traveler? Or perhaps Han Guang brought him in beforehand, but the other never left this demonic land, mistaking it merely for a hidden sanctuary?
Was this Dharma Body someone from the Celestial List, or did he come from terrifying worlds like those of Journey to the West or Fengshen?
Numerous questions surged in Meng Qi’s mind. What had initially seemed clear was now clouded in mystery once more.
“Abbot, do you know which Dharma Body it is?” Meng Qi couldn’t help but ask.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt he wouldn’t receive a useful answer. If Kong Wen had known or been willing to speak, he would have directly named the person earlier instead of using the vague term “a Dharma Body.”
Kong Wen softly chanted a Buddhist mantra: “That lay devotee has always remained hidden in the shadows, directing the grand formation. Elder only vaguely sensed his presence while resisting the array. We have not met face to face.”
Just as I thought… Meng Qi sighed inwardly.
Although the number of Dharma Bodies in their own world was limited, narrowing down the possibilities, this matter involved samsara, and worlds like Journey to the West and Fengshen did exist. Who knew where Han Guang might have dragged an assistant from? Without clues, it was indeed impossible to make sense of it.
Seeing Meng Qi fall silent, and concerned about Shaolin, Kong Wen asked: “Master Su, how is Shaolin faring now?”
Meng Qi briefly recounted the key events and finally asked, “Abbot, what exactly is Han Guang scheming for by impersonating you and infiltrating Shaolin? Logically, after so many years, with his strength and capability, he should have already succeeded. Could he really intend to keep up the deception indefinitely, transforming Shaolin into his pillar and providing him with an overt identity? He can’t use the Arhat Dharma Body, and the world is becoming increasingly chaotic, making it impossible to avoid interacting with other Dharma Bodies. What would he use to conceal his identity?”
Kong Wen was equally puzzled. He pondered and said, “Han Guang knows about this hidden sanctuary and can come and go freely. Although core inheritance texts like the Yijin Jing are in the central defensive area protected by Ananda’s Blade, with Han Guang’s skills, once he infiltrated, as long as he doesn’t fear exposing his identity and suddenly acts, Ananda’s Blade would struggle to stop him…”
“Could it be that he intends to gradually refine Ananda’s Blade? His transformation secret techniques certainly cannot fool a divine weapon. As soon as he gets close, any slight movement would be detected immediately. Could he be cultivating the Jiuda Xuan Gong…”
As Kong Wen pondered and analyzed, Meng Qi suddenly sensed something off and interrupted, “Abbot, this hidden sanctuary isn’t the one behind Shaolin’s back mountain.”
Kong Wen let out a slight “Hm,” showing a hint of surprise: “But this place perfectly matches the descriptions in our sect’s secret texts.”
Meng Qi organized his words carefully: “Abbot, I should clarify. This hidden sanctuary is indeed behind Shaolin’s back mountain, but this Shaolin is not our Shaolin.”
“A while back, I had a peculiar encounter and accidentally entered this world, discovering that the Shaolin here was almost identical in terrain to our own Shaolin, and it used the ancient name ‘Shaohua Mountain’ from Lotus Peak.”
Kong Wen listened in silence, and after a long pause, he sighed deeply: “Amitabha, Elder now understands Han Guang’s purpose.”
“I would be honored to hear the details!” Meng Qi’s expression brightened.
Although he had just “witnessed” the tragic fate of the ancient sages who knew too much, this matter concerned his master and younger apprentice brother, and it equally affected his own life—he had to figure it out!
Despite being trapped within the array, as an experienced Dharma Body, Kong Wen still possessed various mystical abilities. He sensed Meng Qi’s calmness and, after some consideration, said, “Master Su, have you ever heard of ‘Chrono-light Fragments’?”
“No,” Meng Qi replied, puzzled.
Understanding that his rescue depended on this young man, Kong Wen explained in detail: “Perhaps due to a battle between great beings, or some cosmic anomaly, or other causes, our world occasionally experiences fractures. Some fractures manifest as the land splitting into several pieces, while others are ruptures in time itself—an uncertain future, splitting off a possible version of that moment.”
“Generally speaking, these Chrono-light Fragments are highly unstable and incomplete. Only a very few can persist for long. They float within the river of time, and only those who have attained the Dharma Body can spiritually traverse the pure lands and discover them. However, due to their rarity and concealed locations, they are often encountered by chance rather than sought deliberately.”
Meng Qi, having experienced various scientific explanations, quickly grasped the concept and deduced, “So does this mean this place is the ‘past’ Shaolin?”
No wonder this Shaolin possessed the true essence of Ananda’s Blade Breaking Technique, while our Shaolin only had the manual!
“Hmm, it could even be earlier,” Kong Wen said confidently. “Based on your earlier description, the monk within the ‘Invoking Demons’ array is not the Patriarch Bodhidharma.”
Meng Qi was immediately confused: “But there is also a Shaolin on Shaohua Mountain, and it’s arranged similarly.”
“Master, please remain calm and listen to Elder’s explanation,” said Kong Wen, showing no sign of impatience despite years of entrapment. His cultivation of Chan was truly profound.
He paused and continued, “Chrono-light Fragments originate from our world, with countless subtle connections. Although they may contain only certain areas, the landscapes and names remain the same. Even at the initial split, most people remained identical.”
Meng Qi listened with growing horror. If he encountered a “split,” wouldn’t there be another version of himself?
Would there still be that certainty and uniqueness of “I am who I am”?
“Only upon reaching a certain cultivation stage and encountering a ‘split’ would another version of oneself not appear. The Chrono-light Fragments contain only legends, similar items, and the essence of techniques, along with various karmic connections,” Kong Wen seemed to sense Meng Qi’s fear.
This… suddenly, Meng Qi somewhat understood why myths of Celestial Emperors and Demon Lords appeared in so many samsara worlds!
However, those samsara worlds were not similar to their own world; they differed greatly, lacking the mystical phenomenon of “this Shaolin and that Shaolin,” making them unlikely to be “Chrono-light Fragments”!
Meng Qi felt he was drawing closer to the “truth,” yet it became increasingly obscure.
“Because the strong leave only legends, Chrono-light Fragments tend to evolve into increasingly ordinary and mundane places, with only a few managing to transcend on their own,” Kong Wen roughly explained before shifting topics. “This place should be a small Chrono-light Fragment centered around Ananda’s hidden realm, so it mainly corresponds to Lotus Peak.”
So it really was a hidden realm derived from Ananda’s Pure Land… Meng Qi inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled.
“Originally, after the split, Chrono-light Fragments become independent worlds, self-contained and unaffected by our world. But exceptions exist, as there are countless subtle connections. If a force at the level of a Dharma Body exists, it can leave an imprint within a Chrono-light Fragment through these connections, though little residual power remains unless one has the cultivation of an ancient great being,” Kong Wen smiled gently. “When you entered this hidden realm, did you see a door with the words ‘Sentiment, righteousness, goodness, and benevolence—do not enter this door’ inscribed upon it, lacking in Buddhist light and power, more like a warning?”
“Yes!” Meng Qi reacted quickly. “On the door in our back mountain, these eight characters had sealing power?”
“Shaolin is a sect possessing Dharma Bodies, with many Dharma Body martial arts and various formations surely attuned to Dharma Body-level arrays, indirectly affecting the choices of monks here?”
“The sudden appearance of the Bagua symbols earlier must also be because of this… Oh no, someone has entered the forbidden area of the back mountain!”
And it’s even at the Dharmakaya level!
Kongwen remained calm and unhurried: “There’s no need to worry too much. In the past, even the great Patriarch Bodhidharma could only reach the sixth level and obtain the third form of the Divine Palm, unable to ascend to the peak. In today’s world, it is likely even more difficult. Otherwise, Benefactor Han wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide in Shaolin. Perhaps he only recently found a way to break Patriarch Bodhidharma’s seal.”
“The seal of Bodhidharma?” Meng Qi repeated subconsciously.
It’s better to seal off such a bizarre and dangerous place.
Kong Wen misunderstood it as something else and sighed, “Although this place contains the Divine Palm, it can also amplify one’s inner demons. When Patriarch Bodhidharma first entered, he was unaware and allowed his inner demons to lurk within. Even after attaining the Dharma Body, he could not rid himself of them, and they grew increasingly powerful. Later, he discovered a secret method and found a vessel to transfer them. By force, he severed his inner demons, which, being of similar strength to him, transformed into ‘Evil Bodhidharma.’ In their battle, the ‘Kasyapa Pure Land’ was shattered, the evil demon perished, and Patriarch Bodhidharma’s lifespan was shortened, leading to his premature nirvana.”
“Before his nirvana, he left a seal to lock the stone gate, banishing Ananda’s Pure Land into the boundless void. Thus, successive abbots could only learn of this place through secret scriptures, and no one could find the hidden door or enter this realm. Now that the stone gate has reappeared, it is most likely the work of Benefactor Han.”
So this was the truth behind Patriarch Bodhidharma’s battle with the “Great Demon”… No wonder the Shaolin Temple, despite possessing the divine ability of the “Heavenly Eye,” still had undiscovered secret passages… Meng Qi’s long-standing doubts were once again resolved.
Kongwen continued, “The Patriarch Bodhidharma once said that the summit might conceal a great secret or something even more valuable than the mere third form of the Divine Palm. It seems that Benefactor Han ascended the peak of this fragment of time and space, uncovered a clue, and thus meticulously planned to enter the true Pure Land, which holds unique treasures and secrets.”
“There are still many Dharma bodies in the world. Even the benefactor Guang Lu is not someone Benefactor Han can contend with, which is why he chose to assume a false identity and act with long-term patience.”
The power of the formations within the Shard of Cosmic Light is certainly inferior to that of the true Pure Land of Ananda.
Meng Qi suddenly understood, “That’s why he didn’t dare to provoke the Ananda Blade, fearing it would be detected by the divine weapon and all his efforts would be in vain.”
“So he was never able to access the monastery’s treasured techniques like the ‘Yi Jin Jing’ and had to find another way.”
“Therefore, he wasn’t entirely free within Shaolin. He couldn’t act or leave as he pleased—there had to be proper justification and concealment.”
Kong Wen did not feel joy but sighed deeply, saying, “Yet he can influence the monks.”
“Patron Han, your demonic arts are formidable, capable of subtly leading others astray. Wujing was originally upright, but now he has likely become rigid to the point of obstinacy, or even fallen into the demonic path. His judgment of you complies with the temple’s rules and is not incorrect, yet it lacks the compassion of our Buddha. You should be sent to the Pagoda of Relics to face the wall for ten years, repenting and purging your sins.”
Then it would be better to just expel me from the sect… Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly.
……
Within the true Pure Land of Ananda.
Wang Siyuan stared at the shattered Ananda wooden carving before him, his expression unusually gloomy but tinged with even more madness as he muttered incessantly:
“Unexpected… interesting…”
He glanced at the sixth floor again, found the formation intact with no other anomalies, and immediately turned to leave.
“No, not going up?” Duan Rui asked in confusion.
Wang Siyuan suddenly burst into laughter: “The Ananda wooden carving at the fifth layer’s array core was shattered by karmic backlash. Without its assistance, even with the Luo Book, I can’t deceive the heavens and cross the sixth layer at my current cultivation level.”
The Wang family dispatched two grandmasters to assist Wang Siyuan this time, along with the Luo Shu. There was no doubt they would obtain the A’Nan wooden carving, yet unexpectedly, a bizarre incident occurred.
So it failed… Then what are you laughing at! Duan Rui cursed under his breath.
“How could this be?” Wang Bingning frowned and said.
Wang Siyuan laughed so hard he nearly coughed up blood: “The karma of a supreme being is also unique—someone in a certain spacetime fragment has beaten us to it!”
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