Chapter 257: Who Else But Me for This Task!

"Amitabha!"

Entering the Main Hall, he withdrew his gaze from the statue of Buddha Venerable Tian Rulai.

Kongjue bowed to the withered monk who sat guarding the Main Hall.

After the withered monk gave a slight nod to convey the message.

High Monk Kongjue was finally able to take a step forward, and with a *swish*, he entered the true location of the Great Golden Light Temple.

It was a Cave Heaven Secret Realm that appeared completely uninvaded by Evil Qi.

A magnificent and grand temple, carved everywhere with Buddha statues of varying sizes and emitting a faint golden light, appeared before High Monk Kongjue.

This temple occupied the majority of the Dongtian.

The sky on the periphery was draped with layers of translucent glazed covers, protecting the entire temple within.

At the same time, several side halls in the temple's backyard were arranged with multiple hundred-meter-tall statues of Buddha Venerables sitting in meditation, used to suppress the Evil Qi that was constantly being absorbed from underground, which felt as tangible as a physical entity.

On one hand, this Evil Qi was absorbed and suppressed to prevent it from affecting the main body of the Great Golden Light Temple.

On the other hand, the controlled Evil Qi also became a type of experimental resource for the high monks within the Great Golden Light Temple.

For the sake of the plan, many high monks of the Great Golden Light Temple had been affected due to long-term active contact with the Evil Qi; having their cultivation become difficult to advance even an inch was merely the lightest punishment.

Cases of high monks suffering from Qi deviation or even transforming into Evil Spirits had appeared almost every year for the past hundred years.

Because of this, the Great Golden Light Temple placed extra importance on inspections.

It was precisely for fear that everything would be destroyed by internal strife before the grand plan was completed.

"Abbot, I have not failed the mission!"

After entering the Great Golden Light Temple, Kongjue familiarly found the Abbot who was reading a book.

That was an Avatar of the Abbot from his youth, a rather handsome monk in white robes.

However, knowing that this was one of the three most important Avatars of the Abbot, Kongjue naturally did not dare to harbor the slightest bit of contempt.

"Kongjue, what do you think of that Old Ancestor?"

After taking the box containing the Evil God Remains, the young Abbot asked.

"That Old Ancestor... is unfathomable!"

Kongjue recalled the details of this journey one by one and gave his answer.

And this evaluation indeed piqued the young Abbot's interest.

Immediately, both parties began to review the events while drinking tea.

The young Abbot also learned many recent novelties from Kongjue.

"A flood dragon that has broken through to the Yuan Ying stage and is only half a step away from becoming a true dragon?"

"That must be the little dragon from the Ten Directions Sect, right? To think that a good seedling ruined by incense offerings could actually obtain such good fortune again."

"Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable!"

The young Abbot sighed, and then he was attracted by the news that the survivors had been rescued from Mu Zi Yu by the subordinates of that Old Ancestor.

"That place... the ruins of the Ten Directions Sect?"

"That Old Ancestor could not have gone there without a reason; it seems the Ten Directions Sect has decided to rely on that Old Ancestor?"

"Abbot, shall we just watch the Ten Directions Sect leave?"

Hearing this, Kongjue was slightly startled and asked with hesitation.

"If others are unwilling to participate in the great gamble of our Great Golden Light Temple, then let them be."

"Furthermore, the key items we require were already sent by the Ten Directions Sect a few days ago."

Hearing this, Kongjue felt relieved.

As long as the items had arrived, that was fine; as for those people, they could go wherever they wanted.

Thinking of this, Kongjue recalled Su Ping's final proposal and brought it up as well.

"Hehehe!"

"Since they have extended an invitation, the Great Golden Light Temple naturally cannot refuse."

"Kongjue, you shall take the disciples of your dharma lineage and go."

"Take the Merit Stele, and go to the Sutra Repository to have the Cangjing Pagoda recognize you as its master before taking it along."

"Abbot!"

Hearing this, Kongjue's mouth could not help but widen.

He was very clear that this was clearly a gesture of care for him.

At this critical moment, the further one was from the Great Golden Light Temple, the safer one actually was.

"Disciple... disciple does not wish to go; I only wish to serve the Great Golden Light Temple unto death!"

"Amitabha!"

"Very well, just wait for me to use your departure as bait to first see the origins of this Old Ancestor."

The young Abbot sighed, extended his right hand, and a Liuli Buddha Bead Bracelet appeared in his palm.

The Great Golden Light Temple had previously wanted to calculate the background of Xueshen Laozu.

Yet after checking repeatedly, they only saw a patch of fog.

This was back when Xueshen Laozu first emerged from Nanhuang, with a villainous style and possessing the body of the Blood God, which was considered a precious treasure in the eyes of the Great Golden Light Temple.

The Great Golden Light Temple resisted the temptation and did not act immediately.

The events that followed naturally made the Great Golden Light Temple increasingly cautious.

And as the matter of the Ten Thousand Mountains concluded, the Great Golden Light Temple, discovering that the other party was truly targeting the Evil God, gave up the intention of slaying demons and eliminating devils.

However, this did not mean the Great Golden Light Temple was no longer curious.

Kongjue's trip had yielded a large amount of detailed information.

Especially the contact with that Avatar of Xueshen Laozu provided a massive amount of information for the calculation.

It gave the Abbot of the Great Golden Light Temple confidence that, by relying on these numerous details to compensate, he could break through the other party's arrangements and thereby uncover some of their origins.

This Abbot believed that even if he could not find the main body of the other party's Old Ancestor, at least he should be able to know a thing or two about their background.

Whether they were truly an Immortal descended to the mortal world, or some ancient survivor who had only recently awakened from an Ancient Relic.

The Great Golden Light Temple was truly very curious.

A ray of Golden Light flashed across the glazed Buddha Beads.

After a few breaths.

Crack!

Kongjue heard a crisp sound and suddenly discovered that the Buddha Beads on the young Abbot's hand beads had all unexpectedly developed cracks!

The young Abbot looked at the Buddha Bead hand beads in his hand.

A flash of heartache crossed his eyes.

However, he still calmly tucked the hand beads into his sleeve, where they disappeared from sight.

Then he said indifferently:

"This was merely a probe; that the other party possesses such a level of protection was already within our expectations."

Speaking of this, the young Abbot flicked the remaining tea in his teacup out.

The water droplets transformed into a water curtain projection in mid-air.

Inside the projection was a lake at the Great Golden Light Temple.

This lake was at the feet of a thousand-meter-tall Golden Buddha.

The lake was filled with blooming Golden Lotus.

Twelve High Monks, along with the middle-aged Abbot and the Elderly Abbot—these two important Avatars—were sitting cross-legged above the lake.

Surrounded by the interlaced Golden Light emitted by the Golden Lotus, they chanted scriptures simultaneously.

The Elderly Abbot reached out and plucked, and a phantom Golden Lotus appeared in his hand.

Then, with the aid of this flower, the Elderly Abbot began to perform divine abilities to calculate.

The Great Golden Light Temple did not calculate Su Ping directly.

They chose the black flood dragon Ao Li, whose origins were clearly more apparent, attempting to seek the truth through an indirect approach.

At first, it went very smoothly.

The phantom of the black flood dragon Ao Li floated above the Golden Lotus.

The major events of Ao Li's dragon life began to appear; although there were no details, it showed that at a certain period Ao Li received help from a noble person, and at another period Ao Li encountered a calamity.

Then, as Ao Li's strength increased, the results calculated became increasingly blurred.

Finally, it reached the time period when Ao Li saw Xueshen Laozu.

The Elderly Abbot immediately increased his output of Dharma Power.

Instantly, the phantom of the Xueshen main body also emerged.

All the monks also sped up their chanting of the scriptures together.

It was also at this moment, reaching the time period when Ao Li had already conceded, then received the Invitation Letter, and entered the Pot Heaven.

It was also at this instant!

A certain suppression suddenly struck, causing all the monks at the entire lake to stop chanting at once.

"This is... what is happening?"

Dazed for a moment, a High Monk saw the Golden Lotus in the Elderly Abbot's hand unexpectedly wither and dissipate, and immediately let out an exclamation.

Immediately after, these monks also discovered that all the Golden Lotus in the entire lake had withered.

Turning the lake into a dead zone.

The Golden Buddha overlooking this lake also had its huge eyes crackle and crack as new fissures continuously appeared.

In the end, two deep black holes unexpectedly appeared to replace the original eyes.

"Amitabha!"

Before Kongjue's shocked brain could recover, the water curtain in the room vanished along with it.

The young Abbot pressed his palms together, closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them, assuming the appearance of an Anger-Eyed Vajra:

"Kongjue!"

"You had better lead the team to go there!"

"The background of that Old Ancestor... perhaps exceeds your and my estimations."

"Only if you go... can we feel at ease."

Kongjue also nodded deeply, though his mind was still replaying the scene of the Golden Lotus withering.

As a monk capable of entering the core circle of the Great Golden Light Temple.

Kongjue naturally knew of that Golden Lotus Lake.

That was one of the holy sites of the Great Golden Light Temple!

Every Golden Lotus was a piece of incense Dharma Artifact, possessing many wondrous uses.

Previously, when the old Abbot presided over the Dharma Array there to perform calculations, it was for that evil god Avatar sealed in the Earth Palace Secret Realm.

It had only cost the withering of an inconspicuous Golden Lotus in the lake.

One must know, at that time, what was being calculated was not just an Avatar, but involved the true evil god!

But this time.

The Golden Lotus in the lake were far more than hundreds, yet they had all withered!

And even such a price was not enough; it even caused the Golden Buddha, which had endured thousands of years of incense and Buddhist Dharma blessings, to have its eyes completely destroyed!

Even if this Old Ancestor's background was an Immortal descending to the mortal world, it wouldn't be this exaggerated, right!

Could it be that, just like in those legendary storybooks, he is some reincarnated Immortal King or Immortal Emperor!

The mission to go under the other party's command was indeed a heavy responsibility among heavy responsibilities, one that only a capable person like himself could handle!

Kongjue steadied his mind and began to discuss the specific details with the young Abbot.

Inside the Pot Heaven.

Su Ping did not know that he had once again caused a major power, which wanted to uncover his background, to pay a heavy price and start becoming suspicious.

After obtaining the traded Demon Soul, he immediately began to study it.

The method of using a Demon Soul did not seem much different from a Demon Core.

Of course, the actual success rate was much lower.

Just like with a Demon Core, unless one encounters an extremely suitable host body.

Otherwise, it is just some kind of Secret Treasure used for a desperate gamble.

After figuring out the relevant information, Su Ping first refined the Demon Soul into a Guardian Deity.

While pouring in Blood Qi Living Soul as if it cost nothing, he also had the Blood Chain trap the other party.

During this period, the Demon Soul instinctively wanted to resist, but it was immediately suppressed by Su Ping wielding the power of the Blood God's true form.

After completing all of this.

Su Ping took the Demon Soul and returned to Water Blue Star.

Then he released the restrictions on the Demon Soul, letting it search for a host.

After the Demon Soul hovered in the sky for several dozen breaths.

Something unusual finally appeared.

With a 'swish', it turned into a streak of red light and flew off in one direction.

Su Ping also immediately followed.

With the Blood Chain there, he did not worry about losing track of it.