Chapter 19

Meng Qi sat up with a start, his ears straining to the sound of the bell, his fists clenching under the covers: "Was Qingjing's death discovered? Or did he go missing directly?"

The unusual bell sound made even the miscellaneous monks, who were indifferent to other matters, such as Zhen Ying and Zhen Guan, turn over and feel inexplicably panicked, overshadowing Meng Qi's abnormal behavior.

Inside the Great Hero Hall, the golden-bodied Buddha statue had its hands in a mudra, its appearance solemn and compassionate, looking at the people in the hall.

Directly below the Buddha statue stood an old monk with white eyebrows extending down his face. He had a gaunt appearance, wore a yellow monk's robe, and was draped in a large red kasaya, holding a nine-ringed staff, his face tinged with a faint golden hue.

"Namah Amitabha, please remain calm, all benefactors." The old monk raised a single hand and proclaimed a Buddhist name.

On either side of him stood nearly twenty monks draped in red kasayas, some deeply wrinkled and extremely old, some emaciated and withered like dry wood, and some with a melancholic and refined demeanor.

"Hmph, remain calm? My disciple was killed at your Shaolin, yet you ask me to remain calm?" The old Taoist, wearing a seven-star crown and a yin-yang robe, had eyes that shone like lightning, staring directly at the old monk who spoke, "Master Kongwen, our Xuantian Sect was invited here, but we encountered this. You must give us justice! Otherwise, hmpf!"

His hair was snow-white, but his face was abnormally rosy, without a single wrinkle, a typical crane-haired, child-faced appearance.

This old monk was the abbot of Shaolin, Master Kongwen, who had attained the "Golden Body of the Dragon Subduing Arhat," and had been a dominant force in the martial world for over a hundred years.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Shouzhuo, such a tragedy has occurred in the temple, regardless of who the murderer is, Shaolin cannot escape blame," Master Kongwen said calmly, without any sign of trying to save face. "But I believe that Benefactor Shoujing and the other benefactors present would also want to know who the murderer is and what their purpose was. Please give this old monk some time to examine the body and find the murderer."

Shoujing Daoist was the leader of the Xuantian Sect, rumored to have touched the threshold of the Dharmakaya, ranking second on the Earth List.

"Master Kongwen's words are reasonable, Daoist Shouzhuo, please do not be hasty. Your grief, we all feel it deeply," a middle-aged Taoist in a Xuanwu robe, holding a jade ruyi, advised.

Among his disciples, Zhang Yuanshan looked at Qingjing, who lay on a white cloth, his head separated from his body, his eyebrows raised in anger, and his eyes wide open, clearly having died in a state of extreme shock and anger.

"Such a death method... really..." Zhang Yuanshan was both shocked and surprised amidst his grief. How he died in the cycle world was the same in reality!

Regardless of whether it was because their true bodies were thrown into the "cycle," or the injuries from the illusionary realm were projected, the "Master of the Six Realms" was truly powerful!

This was accomplished right under the nose of the "Dragon Subduing Arhat"!

He secretly glanced at Jiang Zhwei and Qi Xia among the Xijian Pavilion disciples and the Dajiang Gang members. He saw that they, too, were grief-stricken but also could not hide their shock and seriousness. Qi Zhengyan, being just an ordinary disciple, did not have the qualifications to enter the Great Hero Hall with the elders of the Huashan Sword Sect.

However, the mysterious murder of a Xuantian Sect disciple within Shaolin Temple was shocking enough. The other young disciples all had similar expressions, and no one noticed their abnormality.

Daoist Shouzhuo coldly glanced at the Xuanwu Sect Taoist: "Xuanyuanzi, it's not your disciple who died, don't pretend to be a good person!"

"I often hear that Daoist Shouzhuo of the Xuantian Sect has a fiery and straightforward temper. Today, I see it is indeed so," Xuanyuanzi, with good self-cultivation, knew that although the Xuantian Sect still had many disciples like Qingjing, they could afford the loss, but being assassinated in such a manner was a slap in the face. How could Daoist Shouzhuo not be furious? So he just smiled and replied, then looked to the other side, "Daoist Su, what do you think?"

In front of Jiang Zhwei stood a young and handsome man in a green robe. He seemed ordinary, but if you looked closely, you would feel as if he were in an empty space, with no self and no objects.

This green-robed man had his eyes half-closed, his right hand gently caressing the ancient sword at his waist, his voice deep and沧桑 (aged and weathered): "Master Kongwen's words are reasonable."

His voice was very different from his appearance, like an old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and seen through the chaos of the world.

After the green-robed man spoke, the Great Hero Hall fell silent. The fiery-tempered Daoist Shouzhuo did not even argue, as if he had been overwhelmed by the man's aura.

Daoist Shouzhuo paused for a moment, then made a bow: "Please, Master Kongwen, examine Qingjing's injuries."

This was not because the green-robed man had a greater reputation or strength than Abbot Kongwen. Everyone present knew that perhaps in the future, there might be such a day, but at least now, the green-robed man and Master Kongwen still had a vast gap. The real reason was that Master Kongwen was compassionate and humble, never bullying the weak, and one could argue with him about the right and wrong of principles, while the green-robed man was always impatient with words, and when provoked, he would always strike directly with his sword.

Master Kongwen handed the nine-ringed staff to the elegant and melancholic middle-aged monk beside him, then slowly walked forward, stopping beside Qingjing's body, with a faint golden light shining in his eyes.

"Qingjing's fatal injury was a palm strike to the back. The murderer was at the initial stage of opening the acupoints and skilled in the Iron Palm. The neck injury was inflicted after death, with a long sword, and the wielder was slightly more powerful than the one who struck the palm. Therefore, there were two murderers, both skilled at opening the acupoints but to different extents," Master Kongwen slowly explained the cause of Qingjing's death, leaving Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhwei, and others stunned. He had reconstructed the scene so clearly and realistically! Truly a Dharmakaya master!

Daoist Shouzhuo's face was still ashen: "Such a conclusion, this poor monk could also reach. But who is the real murderer? Who could sneak two acupoint-openers into the courtyard without this poor monk noticing? Who could commit murder in Shaolin without being detected by your Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear?"

"This old monk was in deep meditation yesterday, observing various pure lands, and was likely seen by the real murderer," Master Kongwen said calmly, his expression tinged with regret.

Daoist Shouzhuo did not back down: "Master Kongwen, your deep meditation is known to few. How could this happen so coincidentally? Please, Master, use your Golden Body's power to trace the real murderer!"

His words were reasonable, and Xuanyuanzi and others nodded lightly, their eyes on Master Kongwen.

Master Kongwen clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, this old monk has already tried. The real murderer's strength is not below this old monk, and the 'clue' has been cut off."

"Does this mean that Shaolin cannot find the murderer? Then this poor monk must report to my senior brother, the leader, and bring out the Time Knife to find the real murderer!" Daoist Shouzhuo said, both angry and furious.

"Amitabha, this old monk is ashamed before the benefactors of the Xuantian Sect. I am willing to go to Jade Emperor Mountain to apologize to Benefactor Shoujing and work with your sect to find the real murderer," Master Kongwen said with a compassionate expression.

Several of the chief monks and elders behind Master Kongwen showed signs of dissatisfaction. Daoist Shouzhuo was too aggressive, and the abbot was too weak! However, they also knew that the incident was too bizarre. If the real murderer could not be found, Shaolin's reputation would be ruined.

Hearing that Master Kongwen was willing to personally go to Jade Emperor Mountain to apologize, everyone was thoroughly stunned. Daoist Shouzhuo, for the first time, showed an awkward expression: "Master Kongwen, there is no need for such measures. Your sincerity, this poor monk can feel. I hope Shaolin will keep this promise and work with our sect to find the real murderer."

A Dharmakaya master, who had dominated the world for over a hundred years, personally coming to apologize was a great test of his Daoist heart. Without concrete evidence, the Xuantian Sect would not push things too far.

Listening to the elders discuss the real murderer, Zhang Yuanshan's mind was in turmoil. To be honest, although the True Wu Sect emphasized the importance of disciples going out to train and hone themselves, and the "cycle world mission" was a form of unconventional training, he had only recently opened his acupoints and was far from being ready to delve into such matters.

Therefore, he very much wanted to get rid of the "Master of the Six Realms" and the "cycle mission." Although he was quite envious of the powerful skills, divine weapons, and elixirs, at his current level, he did not lack secret manuals, weapons, or elixirs, and his cultivation had not stagnated or slowed down to the point where he was being left behind by his peers.

Now, with the "Dragon Subduing Arhat" right in front of him, this was an opportunity to get rid of the "Master of the Six Realms"!

A Dharmakaya master was already a deity, with great powers. Even if not as powerful as the "Master of the Six Realms," he should be able to resist and protect himself and others. If not, the "Master of the Six Realms" would not need to mysteriously "recruit" people to complete cycle missions; he could simply capture all the experts in the world.

Of course, the "Master of the Six Realms" might be concerned about other factors.

"Should I reveal the 'cycle world' to everyone? Can the 'Master of the Six Realms' still kill me in front of the 'Dragon Subduing Arhat'?"

"Even if the 'Master of the Six Realms' is Master Kongwen, in front of the elders of various sects, he would hide his murderous intent and try to protect us. The world is vast, and there are other Dharmakaya masters, not just him. Just in my Daoist sect, Senior Chonghe ranks higher than him on the Heaven List!"

"But if Master Kongwen is working with another Dharmakaya master, when I reveal the secret, the other master could kill me, and he could pretend to be caught off guard, being a step too late..."

"Perhaps the 'Master of the Six Realms' is far stronger than Master Kongwen, reaching the level of legendary Daoist patriarchs and Buddhas, able to kill those who reveal the secret of the cycle world without leaving a trace..."

"If I had opened all nine acupoints, I could use the 'cycle world' to hone myself..."

Zhang Yuanshan thought and thought, many ideas surfacing, but he could not make a decision.

Sighing inwardly, he realized he had a flaw of not daring to take risks.

He knew himself well. In terms of stability and competence, he was always praised by the elders and rarely panicked in difficult situations. However, this also meant he thought too much and had too many concerns, lacking the necessary courage when it came to taking risks.

Thinking of this, he looked at Jiang Zhwei, who far surpassed him in this aspect.

Looking at Jiang Zhwei, who was behind Su Wuming, she seemed to be in deep meditation, with a slight look of sadness, but no sign of wanting to reveal the secret of the cycle world.

Zhang Yuanshan's heart stirred, remembering the passionate look in Jiang Zhwei's eyes when she looked at the sword techniques. He inwardly sighed and shook his head.

"Abbot, I have something to report, related to Qingjing's death." Suddenly, Qi Xia's voice reached Zhang Yuanshan's ears.

He looked over in surprise, seeing a determined expression on her face.

Jiang Zhwei, who seemed to be counting ants on the ground, also looked up in shock.