Chapter 200: Great Awakened Jin Xian, The Lineage of Mind Cultivation

"Where are we going?"

Wu Daoxuan stared at the red-skinned gourd at Qian Chen's waist and asked, while he was at it, where they were going to paint the mural.

"Chang'le Ward, Zhao Boyan Temple!" Qian Chen replied without turning his head.

Zhang Xu followed behind, swaying, just wanting to sponge a few cups of wine; he didn't care at all which temple they were going to!

Zhao Boyan Temple was built by Empress Dugu Qieluo of the previous dynasty to commemorate her father, Dugu Xin, the Zhao Boyan known as the "Side-Hat Official."

Therefore, in the previous dynasty, this temple was among the best in Chang'an, with an extraordinary foundation. It was only because of the multitude of temples in the Great Tang that it had declined... After all, it became a trend for the nobles of Chang'an to abandon their residences and donate them to become temples and shrines. With Qinglong Temple, Daxingshan Temple, and Daci'en Temple all established by the imperial family, why would they favor a temple built by a noble of the previous dynasty?

This temple was said to possess nine marvelous treasures!

The first treasure was the mural under the western corridor of the temple, painted by the previous generation's master of painting, Fan Changshou—the "Western Transformation of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss." The Eight-Treasure Meritorious Lotus Pond in the painting was especially marvelous; if one stared at it with focused mind, one would feel as if the water were entering the floating wall, giving a sense of translucence.

It was said that the meritorious lotus flowers in the pond could be plucked. In the past, when Empress Dugu Qieluo missed her father, she would send someone to pluck a meritorious lotus flower and place it in her room. It would emit a pure fragrance, and smelling it would prevent all illnesses and make one's heart feel even more at ease.

The line-drawing murals of trees, stones, and various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the temple gate were the work of Yan Lide, which could be called the second treasure.

The Dharma body of the Vairocana Buddha in the Huayan Hall within the temple was sculpted from seven-treasure glazed gold. It stood six feet tall, with a simple and ancient style, containing profound Buddhist Dharma and deep power of faith. When refined, it possessed infinite divine might and was the temple's town-protecting treasure.

It was said that within the Dharma body of the Great Buddha, there were also hidden three dou and four sheng of the true body sarira of the Vairocana Buddha. Totaling several thousand grains, they were enshrined within the Great Buddha's Dharma body, and in coordination with it, could rival and suppress demons of the Yang Spirit realm.

In addition, there were over six hundred small silver statues in the temple, all of which were magic treasures for offering and refining, capable of suppressing ordinary demons and ghosts. When enshrined by believers at home, they could protect the house, ward off evil, and subdue demons; altogether, they could also count as one treasure.

There was also one large silver statue and one large gold statue, each over six feet tall, said to be life-sized statues left behind by cultivators who had achieved the Buddhist Dharma-form Golden Body. There was also a screen of Buddhist scriptures inlaid with various hundred-avoidance precious pearls, which could shield an entire city when refined; it was a defensive magic treasure.

And a scripture book cast from gold... This was the temple's truly profound inheritance, which Qian Chen could not know!

In fact, if one were to speak of the true Buddhist supreme treasure, it would be the Tripitaka True Scriptures brought back by Master Xuanzang when he ascended from Mount Sumeru to the Heavenly Realm of Ultimate Bliss. This was the true inheritance of the Heavenly Realm, scriptures bestowed by the Buddha himself! The Big and Dou Xiaoyan Pagodas that Qian Chen had visited were built specifically to house these Tripitaka scriptures.

Qian Chen choosing Daci'en Temple as the place to slay demons was not without the intention of exploring the secrets of the Wild Goose Pagoda's hidden scriptures.

However, in the Big and Dou Xiaoyan Pagodas of this world, there was absolutely no trace of Xuanzang's hidden scriptures.

Moreover, the Big and Dou Xiaoyan Pagodas built by Xuanzang in the past should not have been so simple. Qian Chen did not believe that when Xuanzang brought the scriptures back to Chang'an, Ye Fashan, Luo Gongyuan, and the others had not thought of accidentally setting a fire to let these scriptures, which the Buddhist sect had calculated so much to transmit, go up in smoke.

Such changes, including the withering of the Primordial Spirit in the Great Tang at this time, even to the point where the dignified Zhengyi Tianshi was not a Primordial Spirit True Person.

This was somewhat absurd!

Qian Chen had always suspected whether it was because this world was a projection of the real Earth Immortal Realm. Perhaps the Tianshi and high-level experts he saw were all incarnations of great beings.

Otherwise, Zhang Guo Lao not having achieved the Primordial Spirit at this time really did not live up to his name.

Logically speaking, as a master of cosplay, Tai Shang should not have let go of the Eight Immortals, this top male group of the Daoist sect!

And according to Tai Shang's script, that ancestor of sword immortals, Donghua Dijun, who had already attained the Dao, would likely also be reincarnated in the Great Tang.

Sima Chengzhen suspected that Qian Chen was someone...

Qian Chen also suspected that Sima Chengzhen was the incarnation of some great being!

The few of them did not stop, arriving at Chang'le Ward. Qian Chen led the group straight toward Zhao Boyan Temple. The monks in the temple saw that they were all dressed as scholars, so they did not stop them; instead, they recognized Wu Daozi.

The guest-welcoming monk came up enthusiastically and greeted, "Is Master Daoxuan here to find your master? I will go and report to the old man right away!"

"Someone invited me to paint a mural!" Wu Daozi said freely, "I am also an old friend of Zen Master Guangxiao! It is good for you to go and report..."

"No need! The person we are going to see now is Zen Master Guangxiao..." Qian Chen took over the conversation, "The person who invited you to paint this picture is Zen Master Guangxiao, and it has nothing to do with me."

He gave Wu Daozi a look that said, "You know what I mean."

The group dismissed the guest-welcoming monk and went straight to one of the nine treasures of Zhao Boyan Temple, the place under the western corridor where the "Western Transformation of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" mural was located.

When Wu Daozi was learning to paint, he had also viewed all the famous wall paintings in the two capitals. He had naturally studied this "Western Transformation of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" carefully.

But now, coming to the temple again and facing this wall painting, Wu Daozi had many new ideas. He opened his Heavenly Eye and examined the wall painting in front of him, sighing in admiration. The lotus pond on the wall painting was marvelous, the seven treasures were magnificent, and even the textures on the lotus petals in the meritorious pond were very clear.

It even radiated a pure and subtle Zen intent...

The entire mural depicted the Western Pure Land, and the Meritorious Treasure Pond only occupied a corner of the picture.

One could imagine the richness of the mural's content.

Wu Daozi looked up at this painting and felt that the lotus flowers in the meritorious pond were like coming to life; the lotus leaves seemed to be swaying slightly as if blown by the wind, and the pond water rippled slightly, as if it would ripple out at any moment.

"Wrong!" Wu Daozi was shocked; the ripples in the meritorious pond in the painting were actually spreading out!

At this moment, all the lotus flowers in the pond were swaying with the wind, and the breeze even blew the hair on his forehead.

Only then did Wu Daozi discover that he and Qian Chen and the others had arrived at the edge of the meritorious pond at some unknown time. The pure water in the pond radiated clear spiritual light, containing incomparably ethereal spiritual energy.

"Is this a secret realm? Or a small world within the painting?" Seeing Yan Shu opened his mouth and said, "Junior brother, when did you know that there was such a world here?"

"Sima Chengzhen told me!"

Seeing Yan Shu was still puzzled: "Sima Chengzhen, a Daoist Tianshi, how would he know about this secret realm of the Buddhist meritorious pond?"

Qian Chen turned his head back and smiled slightly: "You had better ask him yourself!"

After saying that, he stood up and stepped onto a lotus flower near the shore.

The lotus flower in the meritorious pond bloomed as large as a cart wheel, and it was quite spacious for one person to stand on. Seeing Yan Shu tentatively stood on a lotus leaf, and Wu Daozi, Zhang Xu, and Cen Can also followed onto the lotus leaves.

"This meritorious pond is like truth and like illusion; it is a truly brilliant illusion realm!" Qian Chen explained with a smile, "Therefore, everything here cannot be viewed with common sense. Space and time are inverted and unpredictable!"

Just as he was speaking, the lotus flower and lotus leaf under everyone's feet suddenly sank and flipped under the water surface.

Everyone flipped into the pond water head over heels, but the water surface seemed like an invisible boundary; the ethereal pure water stained their clothes, and the lotus flowers seemed to have flipped one hundred and eighty degrees.

But they were still sitting safely on the lotus flowers and lotus leaves. The pond water surface beneath them reflected the shadows of countless lotus flowers, and the world around them had already changed.

There were no endless lotus flowers here; apart from the lotus flowers and lotus leaves they were sitting on, it was a water surface that was as clear and calm as a mirror, without a single ripple.

In the distance, there were also two lotus flowers floating on the water surface...

On one pink lotus sat Sima Chengzhen, whose face was somewhat pale. He sat with his five hearts facing the sky, and wisps of pure water qi turned into thin mist, wrapping around him, constantly nourishing his injuries, making his complexion slightly better.

On the other white lotus sat an old Zen master. He had a smile on his face, but his whole body constantly emitted clear light, merging into the faint water mist, enveloping Sima Chengzhen.

Wu Daozi said in surprise: "Sima Chengzhen, Zen Master Guangxiao?"

He felt as if he had seen an illusion... Sima Chengzhen, who had always detested the Buddhist sect, was actually quite familiar with the high-ranking Buddhist monk Zen Master Guangxiao. It looked like they had an affair!

It made him unable to figure out what the situation was!

Seeing Yan Shu was even more shocked and uncertain.

He looked at Sima Chengzhen and said: "I remember, Tianshi, you have always disliked the Buddhist sect, so why did you run into the secret realm of the Buddhist sect?"

Sima Chengzhen opened his eyes when he heard their voices and stopped regulating his breath.

He suppressed his injuries and smiled faintly: "Who would have thought that a dignified Daoist Tianshi would hide in a Buddhist temple? You couldn't think of it, and An Lushan should be even less able to think of it!"

Seeing Yan Shu pointed at Sima Chengzhen with his finger, a cunning smile appearing on his face, and whispered: "Good for you, Zhengyi Tianshi, thick eyebrows and big eyes, how did you also hook up with the Buddhist sect!"

Sima Chengzhen smiled: "Is it only allowed for the Demon sect to plant nails in the Buddhist sect, and not allowed for my Daoist sect to have some arrangements?"

Zen Master Guangxiao beside him smiled slightly: "The Daoist Lord Tai Shang transformed into a Buddha, he is the Tai Shang Buddha Mother, the Tai Shang True Buddha. He expounded the Buddhist Dharma and is an awakened one. Therefore, Buddha is originally Dao, and the Buddha is also a Jin Xian."

"Why can't there be disciples who believe in the Tai Shang True Buddha?"

"This old monk is the Mind Cultivation lineage of the Great Awakened Jin Xian of the Daoist sect!"

Wu Daoxuan and Cen Can were dumbfounded, especially Wu Daozi, whose eyes were even more horrified, as if saying: "I have known you, Guangxiao, for decades, how come I didn't know that you, a Buddhist son, were also from the Daoist Ancestor's transformation-into-Buddha faction?"

Sima Chengzhen and Qian Chen looked at each other and smiled, tacitly not speaking.

Before Sima Chengzhen left, worried that he might never return, he told Qian Chen all the key points in Chang'an, and mentioned that Zhao Boyan Temple was superficially a Buddhist temple, but in fact, it was also a shrine of the Great Awakened Jin Xian lineage of the Daoist sect.

It was a nail planted by the Daoist sect in the Buddhist sect...

In the "Western Transformation of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss" mural in the temple, there was hidden a cave-heaven world, what the Buddhist sect called the Pure Land Dharma Realm.

And Zhao Boyan Temple was also one of the important array eyes of the Chang'an Divine Capital Array.

An octagonal ancient well in front of the temple street had sweet water quality, but it secretly connected to the underground water veins of Chang'an, and together with several well eyes in the temple, it was also a secret path that could silently sneak into and out of Chang'an.

Qian Chen, holding Sima Chengzhen's Tianshi Seal, could gain the trust of Zen Master Guangxiao and mobilize part of the Daoist sect's latent power in Chang'an.

Since the founding of the Great Tang, it had enshrined the Tai Shang Daoist Ancestor as the Xuan Yuan Emperor, and had revered the Dao for hundreds of years. There were countless official families in Chang'an City who believed in the Daoist sect.

When necessary, these people were all the hidden forces of the Daoist sect!

At the critical moment, Qian Chen could use the Tianshi Seal to activate them.

And Zhao Boyan Temple was, firstly, a hidden move planted by the Daoist sect; secondly, it was an important array eye; thirdly, it had a secret path that could silently enter and exit Chang'an; and fourthly, it had a secret hiding place.

With so many factors added together, it was truly an excellent place to plant a hidden move.

Moreover, after successfully arranging the "Hell Transformation Picture," Qian Chen and the others could walk away, but this "Hell Transformation Picture" imprisoned countless ghosts and gods, and still needed people to guard it. It was naturally more reassuring to hand over such an important backup move to one's own people. ===== CHAPTER 201 =====