Chapter 316: Transformation

The mandala on Bai Lang's body formed rapidly, and even the five cooperating monks found this highly unusual—if Bai Lang were not from a higher world and had seen the deities of the sacred mountain, he too would have been stunned by such a transformation. The big boss named Da Dian clearly left a lingering mark on Bai Lang's tattoo; when the image unfolded, Bai Lang immediately sensed something abnormal. He himself only felt a bit odd, but the monks opposite him seemed not to be.

The five monks' Buddhist teachings were profound, and the deeper the teachings, the greater the impact. Da Dian is a celestial demon, at least having attained the Bodhisattva stage; he uses the hearts of all beings as his own, and contaminating these five monks—who have not yet reached the Arhat stage—is no small matter. Bai Lang only saw that after his single strike, the five monks showed no further change; the true Qi and Internal Force intertwined and kept rotating, and from Bai Lang's perspective it seemed like they had fallen into some kind of hysteria.

An outsider would see the same, but the five monks knew they had already fallen into the Six Paths of Rebirth; before their eyes unfolded an endless mandala, countless worldly dust, and demons as numerous as the sands of the Ganges—yet Bai Lang was unaware. His tattoo had become an infinite demonic realm, already shrouding the temple, and Bai Lang scratched his head, "Huh? Seems I can walk away freely… but those five monks don't look good."

He couldn't worry about all that, nor did he want to reload his gun; the place was already bizarre enough and Bai Lang didn't want to get involved. The device the big boss left also made things difficult for Bai Lang. So Bai Lang left the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple—this temple rarely allowed laypeople to come and burn incense, and this time it simply shut its doors. After the next day and for a long time thereafter, Bai Lang never heard the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple open again; the Four Great Holy Monks of the Buddhist Sect and the Void monks vanished without a trace.

When Bai Lang left that night, he glanced back; the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple still hung lanterns at the Buddha Hall, seemingly normal, yet Bai Lang felt a chill all over. On close inspection there seemed to be nothing, but out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a towering Mount Sumeru? The monks' chanting was faintly audible to Bai Lang, everything appeared quite ordinary. Still, Bai Lang had no desire to set foot here a third time.

Alright, when Bai Lang was in Luoyang, he also never heard any news about the Imperial Jade Seal. The monks were probably frantic, but unless Bai Lang paid special attention, he truly noticed nothing abnormal.

Someone came to ask him, and the matter seemed so serious that Shi Fei Xuan even appeared before Bai Lang without fearing death—this young woman clasped her hands in greeting, appearing before both Bai Lang and Wei Zhenzhen. Since she did so, Bai Lang couldn't just strike her down, especially since even Li Er, who could truly cause trouble, had been released by Wang Shichong. "Patron Bai," Shi Fei Xuan said as she approached, she also knew that Bai Lang must have learned her background, so she made no pretense.

Perhaps someday she will try to use feminine charm to guide Bai Lang, but certainly not now. What she needs to resolve now is the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple issue: "Patron Bai, do you know what happened at the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple?"

Bai Lang examined the hair‑tied nun before him, "I recall you were hiding in the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple; why are you asking me about what happened there?" Bai Lang truly didn't know what occurred after that night, perhaps because he didn't want to think about it. Shi Fei Xuan was equally puzzled; she said she had left during the day, and now she didn't know why she couldn't enter the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple.

Many Buddhist disciples and martial artists have gathered outside the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple, yet no matter how they try they cannot get in—doors won't budge, and even if they scale the walls they emerge exactly where they entered. This bizarre phenomenon has led many to burn incense and kowtow, believing it to be the work of a celestial Buddha. Shi Fei Xuan's question concerns exactly this, because someone truly saw Bai Lang emerge from inside that night—he may be the last confirmed person to have left the interior.

Bai Lang was astonished after hearing that; such a scene isn't unusual—just a sealed space, which many Daoist "cavern heavens" are. But appearing in this world is abnormal; where in this world could such a cavern exist? Suddenly Bai Lang felt his whole body tighten, as if something invisible were pressing on him.

Bai Lang restrained himself, forcibly gathering true Qi, "I truly don't know what happened at the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple; if I have time, I'll go see for myself."

Shi Fei Xuan was also helpless; she lacked the ability to force Bai Lang into giving her an explanation. Now the issue is no longer just the Imperial Jade Seal, but also the Four Great Holy Monks plus a Void problem—these are the Buddhist Sect's elite masters, and she likewise doubts Bai Lang could handle them all at once. Even a grand master capable of shattering the void might not be able to deal with these five masters united.

Later that day, the abnormal scenery vanished. Suddenly not only martial artists but also Wang Shichong and his guard soldiers rushed in. Bai Lang did not go; he had no desire to step inside again. He only heard that those people found nothing inside the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple—the Buddha Hall remained, but not a single monk was seen. A group searched the temple everywhere, and some opportunists tried to profit from the chaos.

Indeed, the melted bronze statues were all money, and the wooden Buddha statues were coated with gold leaf—stripping it off was also money, even the jeweled silks used to adorn the statues were money when taken. Yet for some unknown reason, people inexplicably vanished—under the bright day they simply turned a corner and disappeared inside the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple. When Wang Shichong emerged with a guard force reduced by a quarter, everyone was drenched and none dared look back.

The temple held nothing, yet people kept disappearing, and when night fell, the supposedly empty Silent Contemplation Zen Temple suddenly had lanterns hanging everywhere outside the Buddha Hall, along with chanting—just as before. Those who had lost friends or brothers during the day, upon seeing this, entered the temple again—but almost all of them never returned, never learning what truly occurred inside.

Bai Lang learned of this gradually over the next three days; in Luoyang the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple had already become notorious as a cursed place, and any nearby residents who could leave did so, daring not to linger—though nothing actually happened outside the temple. Even the road passing the Silent Contemplation Zen Temple saw fewer travelers, and some were already talking about building a side road.

Nevertheless, many strong cultivators heard of this anomaly and rushed over to test their fate—after all, isn't the legendary War God Hall similar? Perhaps within this Silent Contemplation Zen Temple one could find a path to enlightenment and immortality.