Chapter 2276 (Raw 2383): The White Moonlight Covers the Cold Mountain

“May the Lord Buddha preserve us! Peace prevails! Peace prevails! This humble monk is Yan Chen. On my master’s order, I am here to bring Xiao Chen back to the Hidden Spirit Temple for punishment.”

The instant the Buddhist greeting rang out, a silver light tore through the sky.

Then, the beam of light landed. A young monk with red lips and white teeth appeared. He had bright eyes and delicate facial features, quite a childish face.

This person was clearly a young monk. However, when he addressed himself as a humble monk, it seemed somewhat comical.

This little monk looked very handsome. However, most people just found him cute.

The imperial ancestral temple’s Imperial Ancestor frowned and said, “Little monk, this is not a place for you. Quickly leave.”

Yan Chen said seriously, “Greetings, Imperial Ancestor. This is an official letter written by the abbot, and this is an official letter written by my master, Xu Yun. Imperial Ancestor, please take a look.”

There were two official letters, one from the Hidden Spirit Temple’s abbot and the other from Venerable Xu Yun.

“Imperial Ancestor!” Anxiety flashed in the First Prince Wang Fei’s eyes; he wanted to advise the Imperial Ancestor not to care about this and just take down Xiao Chen.

“Stay calm. Don’t get impatient.”

Suspicion flashed in the eyes of the imperial ancestral temple’s Imperial Ancestor. After he received the two written letters, his expression changed drastically.

The venerable abbot’s letter wrote that Xiao Chen caused a massive commotion in Yan City under the spiritual mountain, affecting many temples and disrupting the pilgrims. The Hidden Spirit Temple could not tolerate this, so he sent Yan Chen down the mountain to bring Xiao Chen back for punishment, to purify Xiao Chen’s heart and cleanse him of his sins.

The other letter was written by Venerate Xu Yun, proving the little monk’s identity and stating that the little monk was his disciple.

The two official letters complemented each other. They were genuine and could not be mistaken.

The imperial ancestral temple’s Imperial Ancestor wanted to find flaws with them but could not find anything, so he could only helplessly return the official letters.

“Xiao Chen! You caused trouble in Yan City, destroying the Buddhist temples and harming innocent pilgrims. Your sins are heavy. Under orders of my sect, I am to bring you back to atone for your sins.”

Yan Chen took back the official letters before walking over to Xiao Chen with a grave expression. Then, he asked seriously, “Do you admit to your crimes?”

The bystanders found this slightly awkward. Xiao Chen had caused a massive commotion, practically destroying a good chunk of Yan City and killing several of the First Prince’s men. In the end, the Hidden Spirit Temple wanted to take Xiao Chen away for injuring its pilgrims.

The Hidden Spirit Temple looked like it was going to discipline Xiao Chen. However, it was clearly trying to protect Xiao Chen in reality.

“Indeed, I should not have destroyed the temples.”

If the imperial ancestral temple’s Imperial Ancestor brought Xiao Chen away, who knew when he could return? The little monk appeared at a good time. Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

“Pa!”

Yan Chen leaped up and slapped Xiao Chen’s head. Then, he barked, “You show no sincerity at all. You truly are laden with sin. Come with me.”

Xiao Chen felt stupefied at being slapped. Then, Yan Chen quickly took him away, leaving behind a bunch of stunned people.

“Yan Chen…Yan Chen… Why does this Dharmic name sound so familiar?” the First Prince muttered to himself, frowning in suspicion. Then, he startled awake after a while. “It’s him! The Little Demonic Monk Silver Saber.”

Only then did everyone regain their senses. They recalled the silver beam of light when the little monk first appeared. It really was the Little Demonic Monk Silver Saber.

“Imperial Ancestor, there might be some problem with this. The Little Demonic Monk Silver Saber has a bad reputation and is not well received in the temples. How could the abbot entrust such an important thing to him?” the First Prince Wang Fei said seriously, his eyes gleaming.

The imperial ancestral temple’s Imperial Ancestor reacted and turned around to look. However, Xiao Chen and the little monk were no longer in sight.

Outside the city:

“Pa! Pa! Pa!”

Xiao Chen repeatedly smacked the little monk’s bald head. He scolded softly, “You little fellow, how cheeky of you! To think that you dared to beat Big Brother before everyone.”

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Big Brother, stop beating me.”

The little monk held his head with two hands, trying to dodge left and right, and continuously crying out in pain.

Xiao Chen pulled his hand back. After some thought, he said, “Your official letters are fake, right? Just look at how you left in a rush.”

Yan Chen smiled and explained, “The official letters are real. However, I spun the story of destroying temples and injuring pilgrims. Master just wanted to meet you and got me to make a trip over. I did not know that you got into such big trouble when I left the temple, so I could only make up an excuse on the spot.”

Xiao Chen laughed hoarsely, “You are rather smart. Let’s go, then. I also want to take a look at the Hidden Spirit Temple.”

The top Buddhist sect holy land in the world, ruling over the other Buddhist sects. Xiao Chen had a fate with Buddhism. Furthermore, the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique he practiced was a Buddhist sect Martial Technique. Perhaps he could make some breakthroughs with it at the Hidden Spirit Temple.

The two did not dare to linger for too long. They rushed to Spirit Vulture Mountain outside of Yan City.

Many magnificent temples dotted Spirit Vulture Mountain, making it give off a bright Buddhist light. Pilgrims continuously flocked to them.

Even though such a huge commotion happened in Yan City, there was still a steady, endless flow of pilgrims.

Among these pilgrims were ordinary people and cultivators of various cultivations, people from every walk of life, both weak and strong.

These pilgrims differed significantly from each other. They had only one common point: a sincere heart that sought Buddha.

Xiao Chen looked at this spiritual mountain from below. He could sense a vast power of faith contained in it.

That was a kind of opportunity inherited for ages, one that was as vast as the sea.

The endless stream of pilgrims accumulated the power of faith. The Buddhas received the power of faith, enjoying the incense. Then, they transferred it back to the believers, forming a cycle, endlessly accumulating.

This resulted in the scene Xiao Chen saw, a vast, grand, and polished scene.

When one stood within the sea of faith gathered by the incense, one would feel as insignificant and weak as an ant.

Of course, ordinary people could not sense the profoundness behind this.

They could only feel the Buddhist light shining on them, giving them a sense of peace and making them more pious.

Xiao Chen walked on the mountain road for a while, seeing many temples hiding in the forests along the way. Incense pervaded the place, giving off a dense Buddhist light.

This made the entire Spirit Vulture Mountain seem bathed entirely in a Buddhist light. As one walked on it, one had a strange feeling of ascending to bliss.

The golden statue of the Kāśyapa Buddha stood at the summit. A bright light glowed behind it, guiding all the believers coming from the foot of the mountain.

There were bodhisattvas and arhats behind the Kāśyapa Buddha, appearing indistinct. Even so, they were holy and dignified, not to be profaned.

“I heard that the Hidden Spirit Temple is not on this mountain. If ordinary people explore the entire mountain, they still cannot find it. In that case, is it within the Buddhist light coming from the Kāśyapa Buddha statue?”

Xiao Chen guessed that the Hidden Spirit Temple might be in a secret realm within the Buddhist light behind the Kāśyapa Buddha statue and that only certain people could enter.

“Big Brother, you guessed wrong this time. The Hidden Spirit Temple is not behind the Kāśyapa Buddha statue, and it is not in a secret realm. It is within the forest. Come with me.”

Smiling mysteriously, the little monk led Xiao Chen to a secluded pathway. Although the path was somewhat hidden, one could find it if they tried.

This small path looked like it had not been maintained for many years.

At the large path on the mountain, even though the sky already turned dark, it seemed as bright as day due to the Buddhist light’s illumination.

However, when one entered this ancient path, it seemed like one entered another world. It was dark, eerie, and desolate, but it felt even more realistic.

The desolate, ancient path had green pine trees planted at the side, swaying gently in the wind.

White moonlight dappled the small path, somewhat like mist. Aside from this, no other light illuminated the path.

Xiao Chen experienced a profound state of mind. However, he still felt dubious. Was the Hidden Spirit Temple really at the end of this ancient path?

If that was so, was this not too simple?

Although this was remote, any believer could find it if they tried. There were no illusion formations or secret realms, just a simple path with green pines.

As Xiao Chen wavered in bewilderment, a faint fragrance wafted over.

When he looked up, he saw an old and plain temple five kilometers ahead.

A few cinnamon trees stood in front of this temple. When illuminated by the white moonlight, the cinnamon flowers seemed covered in ribbons.

Xiao Chen could clearly see the words “Hidden Spirit Temple” written above the temple gates from five kilometers away.

“It really is the Hidden Spirit Temple!”

Surprise flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes; he found this unbelievable.

“The green pines border the ancient path. The white moonlight covers the cold mountain. The dark path winds about. This is the Hidden Spirit Temple.”

Suddenly, a soft sigh came from behind. Xiao Chen turned his head to look and saw a middle-aged man holding a folding fan. There was a sword hanging at that person’s waist. As he took long strides forward, he appeared extraordinary. An indistinct royal air leaked out of his body, and he gave off overwhelming pressure.

This person did not intentionally withdraw his aura. However, when Xiao Chen prepared to use his Dragon Might secretly to block it, he found that the aura had already wrapped around him.

Nonetheless, Xiao Chen did not feel any discomfort. Instead, it felt strangely harmonious, as if he had been within this aura all along.

“Young man, there’s no need to feel suspicious. This is the genuine Hidden Spirit Temple,” that middle-aged man said softly with a faint smile as he opened his folding fan.

Xiao Chen asked cautiously, “Might I ask which expert of the Royal Court you are?”

This person possessed unfathomable might. His Imperial Might was far superior to that of the princes. Xiao Chen had just caused a huge commotion in Yan City, entering into conflict with the people of the Royal Court. When he suddenly saw a Royal Court expert, he could not help being wary.

“And who are you? The Heavenly Alliance’s Xiao Chen? The Dragon Race’s Xiao Chen? Or the bladesman Xiao Chen who became angry because of his martial nephew?” the middle-aged man countered with another question, smiling faintly.

Taking advantage of Xiao Chen’s hesitation, that middle-aged person smiled. “There is no need to mind who I am. Right now, both you and I are just pilgrims headed to the Hidden Spirit Temple.”

After that, the middle-aged man went straight to the temple without waiting for Xiao Chen to answer.

Watching this person leave, Xiao Chen muttered, “How strong! He gives off an indomitable feeling.”

“What nonsense? He is the current Yan Emperor. Within the Yanwu Dynasty, even Faux Gods might not be a match for him. What more Big Brother?” the little monk said with disdain.

Xiao Chen immediately felt shocked. Then, he recalled that the sword hanging at the middle-aged man’s waist looked exactly the same as the Yan Imperial Sword that appeared at the Smiling Daughter Pavilion.