Chapter 140: All These People Were Villains
"This situation is quite..."
In the small cave, the three individuals exchanged glances. They felt a bit awkward. One undercover agent sat alone, while the other two faced each other.
The three undercover agents convened in a circle...
They even decided not to put on their undercover hats again. Anyway, there were no "outsiders" here.
With everyone being undercover, it essentially meant that there was no undercover.
"Ehem." Chu Liang cleared his throat. He looked at the monk named Pushan and said with a smile, "I really didn't expect... a high monk from the School of Buddhism to be in our midst."
"I can't be considered a Buddhist high monk. I am just a lowly wandering monk." Pushan shook his head repeatedly before he said with a smile, "I have been focusing on silent meditation[1] for many years and rarely interact with people. I don't know much about the affairs of the world. It's only recently that I descended the mountain to gain some experience. I never expected such strange things to happen to me."
Ah?
Chu Liang could not believe what he had just heard.
You practiced silent meditation?
Master, if you spend some time under the sun, even your gums might get sunburned[2]. Are you sure you've been practicing silent meditation?
Seeing the puzzled expressions of the two, Pushan seemed to sense something and hurriedly explained, "It's precisely because I practiced silent meditation for thirteen years. So now, after I broke my silence, there was a bit of a rebound..."
So that's why...
Chu Liang finally understood.
Abstaining from speech for thirteen years has led to an outburst of talkativeness.
The Buddhist sect in this world originated from the far western regions, from an unknown place west of the extreme west. It has been around for only a millennium, which meant that its foundation was relatively shallow.
With profound Buddhist principles and robust practices, Buddhism has amassed a considerable base of followers. Its dissemination has been widespread, allowing it to stand alongside Daoism and Confucianism as one of the three conventional schools of thoughts.
Of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, there were two Buddhist sects—the Buddhist Cloud Monastery and the Monastery Tower.
The rapid development of Buddhism as one of the three schools of thoughts within a mere millennium was closely tied to the vigorous support of the imperial family. This was perhaps due to the dominance of Daoism in the previous landscape of the cultivation world, holding significant sway[3].
Hence, throughout the generations, past emperors of the Yu Dynasty vigorously supported both Confucianism and Buddhism. Institutions like the Ascending Dragon Academy in the Terrestrial Ten and the Monastery Tower were established with the support of the imperial court.
In fact, the full name of the Monastery Tower was the National Guard Monastery Tower.
The Buddhist Cloud Monastery, on the other hand, was a sacred Buddhist site renowned for the first transmission of Zen teachings. It enjoyed even greater reverence. Legend had it that this Buddhist sect was really situated above the clouds and represented the zenith of Buddhist doctrine in the cloudy heavens.
Due to conflicts among certain sects, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion rarely promoted the Buddhist sects. The Monastery Tower was widely known through imperial patronage, but the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, despite being one of the Divine Nine, was relatively less known by people.
The Buddhist Cloud Monastery was perched high above the clouds and seldom entangled itself in the intricate matters of the cultivation world. This detachment led to young disciples like Chu Liang not knowing much about this Buddhist monastery. They were only familiar with its name but had no idea of why it was important.
That was why the two could only guess and couldn't determine Pushan's origin when he showcased Buddhist divine skills in a competition of immortal arts with Luo Yao.
"...So, I used a move called Heaven's Reversal to invert the effect of the soul-capturing divine skill onto that diabolical cultivator and he inadvertently trapped himself in the Netherworld Codex. That evil and ruthless diabolical cultivator finally suffered the consequences of his actions. And that's how I came into possession of the Soul Subjugator Token." While Chu Liang was momentarily lost in contemplation, Pushan had already ended the story of how he acquired the Soul Subjugator Token.
Even though this matter could have been explained in two sentences, he insisted on talking for almost half an hour.
Chu Liang smiled politely and said, "With Brother Pushan joining us, our devil-slaying mission will become even more secure."
Then Luo Yao yawned and said, "I'm tired."
A cultivator at her level would rarely feel tired. However, it was understandable as she had listened to Pushan's chatter for half a day.
"It's getting late. We should rest for now." Chu Liang quickly suggested, seizing the opportunity for some relief. "Miss Luo, you are a lady, so this cave is all yours. We'll head outside..."
"No need." Luo Yao declined. She then flipped her hand, opening a white paper umbrella. A soft white light instantly enveloped her.
It appeared as if a pure white female ghost shadow was embracing her, making her seem very secure.
"Are we going to rest..." Pushan looked meaningfully at Chu Liang, as if he wanted to chat a bit more.
Chu Liang immediately responded, "There are challenges awaiting us tomorrow. It's better for us to rest and rejuvenate."
"Alright." Pushan nodded regretfully. With a wave of his hand, the illusory image of the luminous glass bell materialized and covered him, forming a sealed space.
Chu Liang stared at the two of them. He realized that he shouldn't embarrass Mount Shu. And so, he raised his hand and summoned the green leaf. With a flash of green light, he wrapped himself up into a zongzi.
Hmph!
As if I don't have one too!
...
For the three of them, the so-called "rest" wouldn't have to last long. If they had slept until dawn, and the Fiend had arrived early, the sight of their enchanted tools would have exposed all three of them.
Soon, the trio crawled out and sat cross-legged in the cave. Pushan attempted to chat with the two a couple of times, but Chu Liang was the only one occasionally engaging in conversation. Luo Yao maintained a stern expression, refusing to utter any unnecessary words.
These two were like ice and fire. Chu Liang already had a feeling that this journey with them would be quite interesting.
As the sky gradually brightened, the Soul Subjugator Token vibrated once again.
[Fiend]: "I am about to arrive."
[Fiend]: "Prepare yourselves. When I get there, we will meet up with the Guider."
[Fifty-Eighth]: "Noted."
[Sixtieth]: "Noted."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Alright."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Honorable Fiend, I've been waiting for your presence."
The three had a plan on how to deal with this Fiend. Firstly, if he didn't see through their disguise, they wouldn't act against him. They needed him to lead them to the meeting place with the main forces. With only the Soul Subjugator Token, they couldn't bypass the Fiend and contact the higher-ups.
However, once they met the Guider and integrated into the main force of the Dark King Sect, this Fiend would be their first target. After all, he was the only one who might uncover their disguises.
The three of them waited nervously for a moment before they saw a dark figure appear outside the small cave.
The three then walked out in an orderly manner to welcome the Fiend.
Even before Chu Liang saw the Fiend, he felt a vibration coming from the Crimson Executioner within the White Pagoda. In that instant, Chu Liang knew that this cultivator of the Diabolical sect was not an impostor.
The cultivators of the Dark King Sect, known for extracting fresh souls, should trigger a reaction from the Crimson Executioner. The absence of a reaction when he met the previous two indicated that they were impostors.
Currently, Chu Liang had to ignore the agitation of the Crimson Executioner as it was not the right time to kill the Fiend.
The Fiend was wearing a black robe, but his disguise was not as meticulous as that of the three. He wore a simple black robe and concealed his face with a few minor divine techniques.
"Honorable Fiend!" They saluted as they saw him approaching.
"Hehe, long time no see." The Fiend smiled and then said, "Follow me."
This further confirmed Chu Liang's earlier speculation that the subordinates under the Violet Gold Marquess were essentially unfamiliar with each other. The Fiend, when facing his direct subordinates, engaged in no pleasantries and simply acted like strangers.
For lower-ranking members like the Soul Subjugator, the turnover rate was extremely high. If one died, they simply needed to recruit a new one. With a strand of soul fire, one could easily inherit the previous Soul Subjugator's token.
However, this meant that the members of different rankings were not familiar with each other.
While such a management style might enhance efficiency and reduce internal conflicts among lower-ranking members, the drawback was a lack of familiarity. If the Soul Subjugator's token were hacked, it would have been relatively easy for someone to infiltrate.
The Fiend hurriedly led the three through vast forests and mountainous terrain, arriving at a treacherous valley.
Standing on a hillside, they could already see shadows below.
The Fiend instructed them, "Be careful when you meet the Honorable Guider later."
"Yes!" the three responded.
Thankfully, the other two were loud enough that their voices covered up the slight tremor in Chu Liang's voice. Otherwise, there was a real possibility that he would have exposed himself.
It wasn't that Chu Liang had a weak mentality.
He wasn't nervous about infiltrating the enemy's base.
It was because...of the vibration.
The Crimson Executioner in the White Pagoda had indeed sensed the group of black-clad men below the hill and started emitting a series of intense vibrations.
The strong killing intent relentlessly attacked Chu Liang's mind, as if urging him time and time again to wield his sword and eradicate the evil. The righteous sword's anger soared to the heavens.
He felt as though it was on the verge of exploding!
All these people were villains!
1. People who cultivate silent meditation cannot speak at all. ☜
2. This is basically saying that he talks so much that even his mouth is never closed so his gum is always exposed to the sun. ☜
3. This is politics. ☜
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