Chapter 246

"These are all ancient relics; could it be that this place was once a living Gu Xing, with traces of human activity?"

The buildings in the ruins are obviously not naturally formed; even after collapsing for endless ages, one can still vaguely know their former grandeur and magnificence.

Just considering a stone block resembling a gate, although it has been smashed, it is still several tens of zhang high, and many patterns are carved on it.

Mostly depicting flowers, birds, fish, and insects, they contain the natural Dao; Duan De et al. speculate that they likely belong to a not‑weak race, and very possibly the human race……

One cannot deny the vast numbers and great strength of humanity; wherever there is a Gu Xing or a place with vital essence, there are almost always human cultivators.

Of course, except for those special star fields.

They pressed forward, crossing thousands of li, and the surroundings remained ruins; one can imagine how prosperous and powerful this place once was.

"What is this thing?"

Suddenly, the big black dog halted, eyes narrowed into slits staring ahead; it seemed an invisible barrier stood before them.

The unscrupulous Daoist reached out and touched it, easily slipping his hand through; finding no mishap, he jumped right over.

"Huh…… the air inside seems a bit richer; this barrier appears to have isolated this place separately."

He took a deep breath; although the air was thin, it was much better than outside the barrier.

"Mars?"

Yang Zhu also entered the barrier, and then saw a stone tablet in the distance bearing the two characters "Mars".

In an instant, Yang Zhu suddenly understood.

Their destination this turn is actually the Mars Gu Xing, an ancient planet that once hosted a mighty civilization, but later declined into its present state.

Here lie many relics, and the Great Thunderclap Temple is situated here, with the Eighteen Layers of Hell beneath it.

Inside are the various ferocious and wicked beings suppressed here by Shakyamuni; they mostly commit heinous acts and have caused great catastrophes.

"Do you know this place?"

The Jade Pool Holy Maiden's beautiful eyes flickered; she curiously surveyed the area and asked.

"I know a little about it."

Yang Zhu led the group forward, and soon a massive ancient structure came into view.

It was a huge temple, simple and majestic, standing here, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding ruins.

On the temple's plaque, the four ancient characters "Great Thunderclap Temple" were inscribed, containing profound Buddhist doctrine; gazing at them for a moment, the chanting of ancient monks echoes in one's mind.

"Great Thunderclap Temple? Isn't it in the Western Desert? How come there's one here too?"

The Jade Pool Holy Maiden was puzzled; the Great Thunderclap Temple's status in the Western Desert is akin to that of a deity, with no force able to rival it.

There, it is a holy land of Buddhism; every monk and cleric fervently worships it, longing for it immensely.

The vast majority of Buddhist monks and devotees regard beholding the Great Thunderclap Temple as their lifelong wish, all desiring to see the supreme temple built by Emperor Amitabha Buddha.

"Woof, seriously, that dead baldy actually has some skill, building his baldy temples everywhere."

The big black dog muttered, showing not the slightest reverence.

He has never taken a liking to monks; after seeing the baldy's mark left beneath the Investiture of the Gods on Holy Precipice last time, he grew even more resentful.

"Hey, compared to my Boundless Heavenly Venerable, he ultimately falls short."

Duan De, commonly called the Boundless Daoist, is after all a Daoist sect, and generally holds no fondness for Buddhism.

Plus, his naturally carefree, fear‑of‑nothing disposition makes him outspoken as well.

"Amitabha Buddha's strength is not bad, but his conduct is hardly commendable."

Yang Zhu's tone was, of course, based on the fact that the baldy, in order to open the path to immortality, sacrificed all the temples and believers of the Western Desert, turning it into a "dead land"; the founder of Buddhism, who professes compassion, has become a harvester of billions of lives—such conduct is despicable.

Such conduct can be said to be no different from that of the Forbidden Zone Supremes; even if his power were greater, it would not earn Yang Zhu the slightest respect.

Whether before or now, Yang Zhu has never taken a liking to Buddhism.

"Don't let me run into you again in the future."

To put it bluntly, if Yang Zhu attains great accomplishment and meets Amitabha Buddha, he'll surely split the latter's skull and let him taste the flavor of the Heavenly Blade.

"Boom!"

Yang Zhu and his companions stepped onto the stairs; the big black dog darted to the front, its massive black paw slamming out, powerfully smashing the gate into pieces, exploding into countless fragments.

A thick layer of ash covers the ground here; most things have turned to dust, only the temple itself remains.

Perhaps it is due to the special patterns laid down that it has been preserved to this day.

"What a worthless thing, there's nothing at all—truly a bunch of poor ghosts."

Heihuang rummaged through the temple nonstop, yet found nothing; the items that hadn't turned to dust would turn to ash at the slightest touch.

He was almost constantly searching while cursing, never ceasing, as if venting his dissatisfaction.

The Jade Pool Holy Maiden was far more composed, merely walking slowly along the walls to look, paying little heed to those two.

Wherever she passed, a ripple spread, sweeping away all dust, not a speck allowed to touch her.

"Damn the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, always the same impoverished sourpuss."

Duan De felt around everywhere, plunged his hand into the thick ash, and after a bit of rummaging found only a broken stick, ending up with a hand full of gray.

"Wait a minute, this place seems to have been visited before?"

Soon he sensed a slight anomaly, discovered an unusual object, picked it up and weighed it carefully, unable to help frowning.

"……"

Yang Zhu saw what the other held in his hand, somewhat speechless; it was nothing else but a chocolate wrapper……

"Sure enough, poverty makes a jingling sound; I really want to smash this place to pieces……"

After another search, Heihuang and Duan De found nothing, angry enough to want to tear this place apart.

"This place is no simple matter; beneath our feet lies the legendary Eighteen Layers of Hell, suppressing……"

Yang Zhu related what he knew; the notion of the Eighteen Layers of Hell is naturally also circulated among the Northern Dipper.

But after all, it is cultivators' direct experience, far less sinister than the rumors circulating on Earth.

I, this humble Daoist, know that I once dug up the tomb of a highly cultivated bald donkey—a monk—and in his ancient texts there is a record of the eighteen layers of hell.

Duan De clapped his hands, suddenly recalling something.

So you mean that beneath our feet lie suppressed ferocious beings, and moreover, the true form of the crocodile ancestor's evil thought that you previously severed is right here?

The Holy Maiden of Yaochi knew that Yang Zhu had once helped Li Xiaoman sever evil thoughts, and soon these connections became clear.

Yes, it is suppressed beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple.

It is said that the Great Thunder Sound Temple is a divine land, a holy place bathed in Buddha light, extremely sacred, inspiring many to yearn for it.

Actually, the situation is the opposite: this place is not only not a Buddhist land, but precisely the entrance to the eighteen layers of hell, where an unparalleled ferocious being is suppressed.

(End of chapter)