Chapter 313

The night was low and heavy, the moon sprinkled thin frost.

Inside the courtyard, ancient trees towered all around. Under the moonlight, mottled black shadows appeared on the walls.

It was deathly silent all around, as if swallowing all sound. Li Yan could even clearly hear his own breathing. The surrounding Buddha statues, incense burners, and ancient trees were all permeated with a strange aura.

"Feng Feng Shixiong, I have arrived!"

Li Yan's eyes were full of vigilance as he called out loudly.

However, there was no answer from the surroundings.

Li Yan squinted at his surroundings, slowly drew his Duanchen Blade, exerted force from his feet, and his body flew backward, leaving the courtyard where the Mahavira Hall was located.

The situation before him was clearly not right.

Could it be a trap?

And why would Baotong Zen Temple do this?

Li Yan was suspicious in his heart, but at this moment, it was clearly not the time to think too much. It was better to leave this dangerous place first before making further plans.

However, after exiting the door, a chill suddenly rose in his heart.

Before him was still the courtyard where the Mahavira Hall was located.

It was still the same appearance, empty, lonely, and dark...

Li Yan gritted his teeth, turned around, and exited the gate again. But after going back and forth several times, he did not continue.

Every time, he would enter the courtyard where the Mahavira Hall was located.

Li Yan's face was gloomy. He pinched a magic formula, exerted his sense of smell to the limit, and took a deep breath. Various scents instantly flooded into his nasal cavity.

He smelled soil, trees, bricks, and sandalwood—exactly the same as before. But the scents outside the courtyard seemed to have completely disappeared...

Was this some kind of strange formation?

Li Yan's brow was tightly furrowed, and he looked at his surroundings with a face full of vigilance.

He had heard Wang Daoxuan say that some manifestations of being trapped in a formation were like this: dizzy, unable to distinguish direction, a bit like a "ghost hitting a wall."

But the one before him was too mysterious.

Why couldn't even his divine ability distinguish any abnormality?

Li Yan was thoughtful. Suddenly, he pulled out a paper horse from his bosom, tied it to his leg, pinched a formula, and chanted: "Nuogao! Six Jia, nine chapters, heaven is round and earth is square, four seasons and five elements, sun and moon are light..."

Whoosh~

A wild wind rose all around. This time he didn't take the gate, but soared into the air in two or three steps, jumping directly over the wall.

The Northern Emperor's Divine Travel Technique had methods for dealing with danger, specifically used for various dangerous situations and formations. By borrowing momentum according to specific steps, one could escape.

However, no matter how he climbed the wall or soared, he would always return to this courtyard.

Helpless, Li Yan had to tear off the paper horse.

He waited for a while longer and found there was no danger, so he carried his blade and walked cautiously toward the Mahavira Hall...

…………

It was still the Mahavira Hall courtyard, but the scene was completely different.

On the ground, Buddha lamps were placed, as if the stars were brilliant. The sound of wooden fish was constant, and numerous monks were sitting cross-legged chanting scriptures.

And on the stone steps outside the Mahavira Hall, several old monks were sitting cross-legged, Tongxuan and Tonghai among them, each pinching the Fearless Seal, Zen Meditation Seal, Impermanence Seal, etc.

Li Yan was also in the courtyard.

But the Li Yan here was standing inside the gate, his eyes empty, his body seemingly not under his own command. After a long time, he took a step.

"Feng Feng Shixiong Tongxuan."

Looking at Li Yan in the distance, an old monk suddenly spoke: "I fear you have overestimated this child. It would be enough to break the obstacle of afflictions. By directly blocking him with the obstacle of knowledge, I fear he won't be able to enter the hall at all, wasting the opportunity in vain."

Tongxuan's white eyebrows moved slightly, and he said: "Last year, a disciple sent a book from Jin Ling, titled 'Journey to the West: Explaining the Calamities,' collected from folk tales and legends."

"The person who wrote the book might have some understanding of the Mystic Sect. Many things in the book point to something else, referencing stories of various Dharma lineages."

"The book mentions one thing: the Great Sage's somersault cloud covers 108,000 li, yet he cannot escape the Buddha's palm. I thought about it carefully, and it is somewhat similar to this Mystic Realm of our Baotong Zen Temple."

"This Mystic Realm of ours has five obstacles: the obstacle of afflictions, the obstacle of karma, the obstacle of retribution, the obstacle of knowledge, and the obstacle of habits. Very few can pass through. We have invited outsiders to comprehend it, but at most, they pass the obstacle of afflictions."

"I thought about it carefully; perhaps the consumption of mental energy is quite large, so it is difficult to pass. It might be different if we start directly from the obstacle of knowledge."

That old monk still shook his head, "If he can't even pass one obstacle, this year's opportunity will be wasted."

Tongxuan smiled slightly, "Opportunity is opportunity; there is opportunity, but it also requires fate. If there is no fate, then so be it. Just give him something else. Why must you be so persistent, Junior Feng Feng Shixiong?"

"Feng Feng Shixiong is right."

That old monk nodded slightly and said no more...

…………

On the other side, Li Yan had already stepped into the Mahavira Hall.

The hall was lonely. The hall door was slightly ajar, moonlight spilled in, and the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were solemn and indifferent, seemingly all looking down at him.

In the air, a moldy smell intertwined with the smell of incense, indescribable. Time seemed to have congealed here.

Of course, there was also no danger.

Although Li Yan didn't know what had happened, he had an inexplicable intuition that all this weirdness before him might be related to that opportunity.

He had long heard that Zen "does not rely on words and directly points to the human heart." Even the opportunity was made so mysterious, it really made one confused.

Looking at the Buddha statue before him, Li Yan's heart moved. He took down the clear water offered on the platform, placed it on the ground, took out his hook-document, pinched a magic formula, and stepped over it.

This was the method of communicating with the divine through the hook-document.

He remembered that the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues in this Mahavira Hall had all condensed into secular gods and should be able to communicate.

However, the method of communicating with the divine was used, but there was still no movement.

Li Yan looked at his surroundings and suddenly understood.

Everything before him might be an illusion.

But this kind of illusion was too terrifying. He could feel his own physical body, and he could even perform techniques...

Techniques?

Li Yan's heart moved, and he hurriedly reached into his bosom.

Sure enough, he discovered the strangeness.

He had originally placed five paper horses, and he had just used one, but now there were still five. The quantity had not changed at all!

It seemed he had to break the illusion before him first.

With a plan in mind, Li Yan searched everywhere in the hall. However, after turning around several times, he didn't find any key.

His heart moved, and he returned to the gate, sat cross-legged, and practiced meditation.

Sure enough, he found the strangeness again.

In daily meditation, he would enter the divine space, but here, he couldn't do it at all, as if the Mahavira Hall before him had blocked it from the meditation space...

Li Yan also developed a stubborn streak, continued to focus on meditation, and stared fixedly at the Mahavira Hall ahead.

Subsequently, the Mahavira Hall began to become distorted.

Like a kaleidoscope, everything before him was constantly shattering and reorganizing, and in this process, his divine sense was also constantly being consumed.

Hum!

Just at this moment, a force suddenly appeared from his body, carrying an invincible momentum, directly shattering everything before him.

Innate Geng Metal Qi, Bai Di's Fate?

A trace of surprise appeared on Li Yan's face.

Since he obtained this thing on Mount Huashan, it was only drawn out when he took the Duanchen Blade, and later it returned to calm, becoming the foundation for building the building.

He didn't expect it to be drawn out again today.

Without any hesitation, he continued to meditate. As his divine sense was consumed, more Innate Geng Metal Qi rushed out, shattering everything before him.

And he also vaguely established a connection with this Geng Metal Qi...

…………

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Inside the courtyard, the wind whistled around Li Yan, accompanied by several sharp auras, making the sound of iron colliding.

The Buddha lamps around were extinguished one by one, and several monks who were knocking on wooden fish also retreated in a panic.

"Innate Geng Metal Qi?" The old monk who spoke just now showed a trace of surprise in his eyes, "How could an ordinary person dare to introduce this kind of thing into their body?"

Tongxuan pondered for a moment, "I have seen this child's information. He once went to Mount Huashan, perhaps he obtained the Bai Di's Fate of the Pure Yang Palace..."

As he spoke, he saw Li Yan in the distance suddenly lift his feet, walking several steps in a row, crossing half of the courtyard.

"Good!"

Tongxuan smiled slightly, the Dharma seal in his hand began to change, and the other old monks did the same, forming a new combination.

And Li Yan also stopped his steps again...

…………

In the illusion, Li Yan's brow furrowed, and he slowly stood up.

The scene before him changed again.

It was still the courtyard outside the Mahavira Hall, but there were six clouds, each of different colors, surging up and down like living things.

!.

Whoosh!

Before he could react, a golden mist rushed toward his face. Before Li Yan's eyes, illusions appeared again.

Gold, silver, and jewelry, heavenly treasures, various martial techniques and secrets, dazzling, constantly appearing in his mind.

It seemed that as long as he wanted, anything could appear.

This feeling was truly a bit strange.

Li Yan had already guessed that this should symbolize some kind of greed.

But greed—how could it be easily eliminated?

He didn't care about gold, silver, and jewelry, and he had no reaction to heavenly treasures. But when martial techniques appeared before his eyes, he really couldn't help but take a glance.

It explained the ultimate of martial arts, profound and broad, every word a gem. It seemed that as long as he understood it, he could attain the Dao at any time!

Li Yan really couldn't help it and took another look.

This time, he was addicted to it.

Was the thirst for knowledge not also a kind of greed?

However, after watching for half an hour, Li Yan looked up blankly, his back suddenly felt cold, he immediately woke up, and couldn't help but curse secretly.

Sure enough, he couldn't remember anything, still gaining nothing.

This state was a bit like brushing short videos in his previous life, thinking he understood the world and life, but in fact, it was just the dazzling flowers confusing his eyes.

Zen, it really is tricky!

Li Yan took a deep breath, recovered his clarity, and said calmly: "The road must be walked step by step. This kind of thing cannot trap me..."

After saying that, he took a step forward, and the golden mist instantly dissipated.

At the same time, another red mist enveloped him.

This time it was "hatred."

The things he had experienced in the past and the people he had seen were all using various words to tease him, forcing him to fight.

Li Yan's temper was naturally not very good, and he couldn't help but take action directly. But no matter how many he killed, there were always new ones coming.

And those who were killed would also use new methods to stir up his anger.

In the end, Li Yan gradually calmed down and muttered: "Others' words are like ghost fires, confusing people's minds. There are countless people in the world who love verbal disputes."

"My heart is like iron; why bother talking nonsense with you all!"

In an instant, the red mist dissipated.

Looking at the remaining clouds, Li Yan already had a guess in his heart.

He had heard that in Buddhism, there is the obstacle of afflictions. Worldly afflictions have six fundamental afflictions: greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and evil views. On this basis, twenty kinds of afflictions can be derived.

Greed, hatred, inability to distinguish right from wrong, arrogance... all these things make people's hearts distressed, and suffering is born.

Those who can see through it are Buddhas.

Li Yan is of course not a Buddha, but these afflictions can also just happen to temper his character. Is this not also a kind of opportunity?

Some things cannot be avoided, just like cultivation, which also requires examining oneself to see all living beings and see the world!

Thinking of this, he also became calm and actively met the afflictions.

Not long after, in the eyes of several old monks, he advanced a large distance again...

…………

At the same time, the banquet at the Shi mansion had reached its end.

The moon in the sky was bright, the mansion was brilliantly lit, the troupe was still performing hard, the wine table was already a mess, and many people were already dizzy from drinking and had collapsed on the ground.

The Dragon Boat Festival was also the time for the Pai Sect disciples to gather. It was hard work coming and going on the river on weekdays, so today, since the leader was treating them, they naturally had to drink to their heart's content.

Shi Chen had also drunk a bit too much.

Even though he wouldn't compete with others due to his status, one person toasted him, another toasted him—it was continuous, and it added up to quite a bit.

He drank another cup and secretly glanced at the other side.

In that corner, there were indeed twins, a man and a woman. The man was handsome, the woman was charming, both dressed in white, talking to others with some restraint.

"Who are those two?"

Shi Chen couldn't help but ask.

The white-paper-fan old man nearby hurriedly stepped forward and whispered: "Two greenhorns from Qilu, invited by someone to see the world."

"See the world?"

Shi Chen sneered and said disdainfully: "Those old things only think about letting people see the world, thinking the world is a world of illusions. They don't know that the world is human hearts."

"Only after seeing the sinister human heart do you know what the martial world is..."

"The leader is right."

The white-paper-fan old man nodded hurriedly and then said: "I will let them come over now to listen to the leader's guidance."

Soon, the twins were invited over. Facing Shi Chen, they respectfully greeted him according to the rules of the martial world.

Shi Chen's face was solemn, and his speech was neither salty nor light.

But in his heart, a fire of desire had already risen.

Several people in the distance saw this and couldn't hide the disdain on their faces.

This guy Shi Chen had a foul habit: he ate both men and women. He not only liked visiting brothels but also often went to male brothels.

I don't know which bad seed wanted to please this pole and deliberately lured these twin siblings to come...

Of course, disdain was disdain, but no one was willing to offend this guy.

And the white-paper-fan old man nearby was also nodding and bowing, constantly inciting them with words, letting the brother and sister toast Shi Chen.

Not long after, they turned to the back hall.

In the darkness in the distance, a monk from the Law Enforcement Hall was disguised, looking at all this with a face full of suspicion, and whispered: "Have the identities of these two been verified?"

"Reporting to the Master."

A man from the Commandant Office nearby looked respectful and whispered: "It has been verified. They are disciples of a small sect in Qilu. There is no problem."

As he spoke, he sneered: "Master, don't pity them either. These two siblings likely heard some wind and were thinking of offering themselves to climb a high branch."

The monk sighed slightly, "Amitabha."

He didn't notice that although the man from the Commandant Office was lowering his head, a trace of mockery flashed in his eyes...

…………

Whoosh~

Another wild wind rose, and a large number of Buddha lamps were extinguished.

And Li Yan had already arrived outside the Mahavira Hall. His eyes were still empty, his face pale, sweat falling like rain, and his feet were trembling, seemingly about to fall at any moment...

The old monks on the stone steps were all solemn, and even Zen Master Tongxuan was no exception.

"Feng Feng Shixiong, something is not right..."

"Why is this person's mental energy inexhaustible?"

(End of chapter)