Chapter 34

Is this something you can recognize again?

It was the same when I met the Demon Sect's Holy Maiden, and it feels like more people are recognizing the Yitian Xueyu.

But why is he so flustered?

Zhao Hui swallowed and continued speaking.

"Does the Venerable know the true nature of this pearl?"

"......"

Venerable Fan Sheng, with wide eyes, was trembling all over, looking extremely frightened, as if he couldn't bring himself to speak.

When Venerable Fan Sheng suddenly staggered, the monks who gathered to support him were equally flustered.

Though he had many questions, Zhao Hui had no choice but to decide to wait until he calmed down.

After about half an hour,

Venerable Fan Sheng, who had been calming himself for a long time, finally spoke.

"......Would you like to meet the Abbot with me?"

Zhao Hui's eyes glimmered strangely.

This was because Venerable Fan Sheng had changed his self-reference from "Lao Na" (old monk) to "Xiao Sheng" (young monk).

Of course, both were humble ways to refer to oneself, but "Xiao Sheng" was a more humble term.

From this change in attitude, Zhao Hui instinctively felt that this monk knew more than he expected.

"This is not a conversation to have here. Let's go up the mountain quickly."

For Zhao Hui, this was a welcome situation.

After all, his goal was to meet the leaders of Shaolin.

Although the situation had taken a slightly strange turn, the fact that he would be taken to meet the Shaolin Abbot was certainly welcome.

"Understood."

Thus, Zhao Hui crossed the mountain gate with Venerable Fan Sheng.

As soon as they crossed the mountain gate, the scenery that came into view made Zhao Hui's face light up.

Most sects divide their territory into inner and outer areas.

The first reason is to set up another wall inside the wall to guard against enemy invasions, and the second is to create a sense of belonging and competition among disciples based on their achievements.

However, Shaolin did not have such a distinction between inner and outer areas.

The temples and halls of Shaolin were simply scattered freely.

Some temples were nestled in the shade of the ridges, while others were precariously perched on the mid-slopes of jagged rocks.

This not only gave a mysterious feel but also conveyed Shaolin's proud confidence, which did not consider enemy invasions.

Although Shaolin was currently overshadowed by Huashan, its status in the history of the martial world was by no means insignificant.

When they reached a vast training ground with Venerable Fan Sheng, a loud battle cry shook the heavens and earth.

- "Hap! Taaaah! Haaaah!"

Hundreds of monks were lined up in an orderly manner, performing their training with strict movements.

Zhao Hui winced and covered his ears.

Does this Shaolin martial art require such a loud cry to practice?

In fact, most of the movements in Shaolin martial arts included the technique of "hou" (roar).

This was because cultivating a robust and powerful breath to train the mind and straighten the heart was the source of Shaolin martial arts.

Occasionally, someone with extraordinary talent in "hou" would appear.

Such individuals would often have the opportunity to learn the unique martial art of the seventy-two secret techniques of Shaolin, known as "Lion Roar."

"Haaaaah! Ugh! Haaaaah!"

To Zhao Hui, the short monk at the front was such an anomaly.

Despite his short stature and not particularly large build, his voice was as powerful as a modern loudspeaker.

After observing him for a while, Zhao Hui and Venerable Fan Sheng eventually reached the Abbot's quarters, passing by the guest hall and the Arhat Hall.

"Amidha Buddha."

When Venerable Fan Sheng softly recited the Buddha's name, a monk guarding one side of the Abbot's quarters quickly approached and clasped his hands.

"I greet Venerable Fan Sheng."

"Is the Abbot inside?"

"Yes, he is. Please enter. But this guest......"

The monk's sharp gaze swept over Zhao Hui.

"It's not a time to question outsiders. I will take full responsibility, so please step aside."

"......Understood."

Zhao Hui, entering the Abbot's quarters with Venerable Fan Sheng,

The first thing that caught his eye was a bamboo staff leaning against one side of the room.

Ordinary bamboo is usually long and straight, but this staff had a strange shape, growing in a random curve.

What was even more peculiar was that it emitted a faint glow, likely due to the green jade embedded at the top.

At that moment, Zhao Hui felt as if he were seeing the true might of Shaolin, the center of the Nine Sects and the first under heaven, with its long tradition.

After all, he had seen the Green Jade Buddha Staff of Shaolin, which was said to be a rare sight in the life of a martial artist.

"Amidha Buddha, I greet the Abbot."

The Shaolin Abbot, Kong Tian Da Shi.

He was the elder brother of the famous Seven Seated Kong Kong Da Shi and led the Zen School of the current era with a mind and wisdom that reached the heavens.

However, his appearance was rather ordinary.

He wore a simple, worn-out kasaya, and his build and appearance were those of a common old monk.

If he hadn't been met in the Abbot's quarters of Shaolin, it would have been impossible to recognize him as the Abbot.

"Ha ha ha... Welcome. It's rare to see the head of the guest hall. What brings you here suddenly?"

Venerable Fan Sheng's position was the head of the guest hall.

His duty was to welcome the many incense guests who came every day.

Therefore, he was much busier than other leaders.

The mysterious aura in Venerable Fan Sheng's eyes deepened.

"Abbot, I will temporarily set aside my role as the head of the guest hall today."

"Amidha Buddha, what do you mean by that suddenly?"

Venerable Fan Sheng rummaged through his kasaya and sighed deeply as he took something out.

It was a black rosary.

The rosary, covered in a dull, dark light, was filled with strange patterns.

However, these patterns were not the usual symbols of Buddhism.

They symbolized Asura, who led the demons, and Indra, who fought against him!

"Lower Temple!"

The always composed Shaolin Abbot Kong Tian Da Shi suddenly stood up and respectfully clasped his hands.

Dharma Lower Temple.

The protectors of Shaolin in the darkness.

The secret Dharma Lower Temple, whose members were shrouded in secrecy, had now revealed itself.

Kong Tian Da Shi, with a face filled with reverence, spoke again.

How could the authority or distribution of the Abbot be placed before the protectors of a thousand-year-old Shaolin in the darkness?

His voice carried a heavy respect.

"Amidha Buddha, I greet the Lower Temple. I did not know that the head of the guest hall was part of the Lower Temple. Has something happened to Shaolin?"

The Dharma Lower Temple rarely appeared unless Shaolin was in crisis.

Then, does this mean that Shaolin is facing some disaster!

Venerable Fan Sheng was flustered by the sudden respect from the Abbot.

"I am a secret monk of the Lower Temple, the lowest rank of the Wu Ying Sheng. I am responsible for observing the secular world and gathering information. I am not a Fa Ma Sheng who has mastered secret techniques, so the Abbot's respect is too heavy for me."

Kong Tian Da Shi firmly shook his head.

"Amidha Buddha, how can any disciple of a thousand-year-old Shaolin assert their authority before the name of the Lower Temple, which has protected it? Rather, please speak. What has happened?"

Venerable Fan Sheng, with a solemn face, looked at Zhao Hui.

"There was once a time of extinction in the thousand-year history of Shaolin."

Kong Tian Da Shi was greatly surprised.

The largest scale of bloodshed in the history of the martial world was the 'Heavenly Demon Sect's Chaos.'

However, Shaolin never surrendered its gates to the demons amidst such a great calamity.

"Is there... another bloodshed that I, Kong Tian, do not know about?"

Venerable Fan Sheng shook his head.

"That event was not a disaster known to the world like a bloodshed. Abbot."

"......Then?"

Suddenly, a deep darkness crept into Venerable Fan Sheng's eyes.

"......It all began with a single divine being."

The secret of the Dharma Lower Temple continued.

One day, a martial artist came to Shaolin and shouted at the temple.

- "Hand over the Dharma treasure of Indra!"

The Dharma treasure of Indra he spoke of was a treasure that the Dharma Lower Temple could never hand over.

Naturally, the eighteen Fa Ma Sheng, who inherited the secret techniques of the ancient legend, the Dharma of Indra, fought against him with all their might.

However, the legendary secret technique that dealt with Asura and his followers was utterly defeated by a single person.

A realm that was unimaginable.

His divine power was so overwhelming that it was no different from a god.

As all the Shaolin disciples recited scriptures and awaited their extinction with a tragic heart, a god of the current era appeared.

Surprisingly, he was the mastermind behind the 'Heavenly Demon Sect's Chaos' that occurred over a decade ago.

"That god... could not withstand the divine being for even ten seconds and died."

"What!"

Beyond the absolute realm that humans could achieve, he had opened a new realm called the natural realm.

Is this even a believable story?

Kong Tian Da Shi's face was beyond shock.

"Amidha Buddha... However, when all the battles ended, a high-colored aura began to rise from the necklace around the god's neck."

"......Necklace?"

Venerable Fan Sheng nodded silently and continued.

"For some reason, the divine being was shocked and fled from the spot."

Such an absurd story.

The one who so easily defeated the god saw the god's necklace and fled without looking back?

Venerable Fan Sheng looked at Zhao Hui, who had been listening silently, and pointed at him calmly.

"The necklace this guest is wearing is that very necklace."

Suddenly, a look of confusion appeared in Kong Tian Da Shi's eyes.

"......Amidha Buddha, what kind of nonsense is this?"

The era of the god was a distant past.

How could Venerable Fan Sheng, a contemporary figure, recognize such a legendary treasure?

Even if the ancient sage had left it in a painting, recognizing the actual item was a different matter.