Chapter 40

Beneath the crystal tower, Xin Ji's smile was calm and peaceful as he looked at Duercha, who appeared like a demon, and spoke gently: "Sir, your injuries are not light."

"So what? I can still kill you easily!" Duercha said coldly, then lunged forward, his fists swirling like a hurricane, lightning illuminating the sky, his ferocity unmatched.

Xin Ji's smile grew even more serene, his voice ethereal and peaceful:

"All conditioned things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, like dew and lightning; they should be regarded as such."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed around him. Xin Ji raised his right hand, as if plucking a flower.

Behind him, the crystal Buddha tower slowly radiated light, beams of Buddha light pouring out, and the sound of chanting drifted:

"All conditioned things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, like dew and lightning; they should be regarded as such."

The Buddha light sparkled, as if countless arhats, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas were emitting solemn and ethereal chants together.

Duercha's gaze sharpened, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his face: "You can actually 'sacrifice your body'?"

"Old monk has only recently gained some insight." Xin Ji's figure gradually faded, merging into the Buddha light, dissipating into the world.

"Damn!" Duercha's black robe billowed, and gusts of wind swirled around him, making him look like a human storm, with threads of lightning surrounding him.

Xin Ji's physical body completely disintegrated, leaving only a faint figure, his right hand, in the posture of plucking a flower, gently brushing forward, his smile pure and serene, free from any trace of dust.

All the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the sky disappeared, the Buddha light merging into this single finger, the surroundings becoming peaceful and serene, with the sound of chanting still echoing:

"All conditioned things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, like dew and lightning; they should be regarded as such."

...

Zha, Zha, Zha, Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan entered the secret passage, feeling along the inner wall until they finally found the mechanism to close it.

"This way, Duercha shouldn't be able to find us..." Meng Qi used trivial talk to cover the storm of emotions in his heart.

Qi Zhengyan took out a flint and a fire starter from his pocket, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the surroundings.

This was a passage wide enough for two people, with uneven stones overhead and rough, moss-covered stone walls on either side.

"It doesn't look like it was purely man-made; it seems to be a natural passage that has been modified." Qi Zhengyan carefully examined it, then took a few quick steps and laid Zhang Yuanshan down in a flat, spacious area ahead.

Meng Qi suppressed his emotions, imitating Qi Zhengyan, and chose a gentle spot to lay down Jiang Zhwei, then said "formally": "Senior Brother Qi, I'll go ahead and scout the path to avoid any hidden enemies."

Since even a common little monk could enter the back mountain, Meng Qi believed there were only the relic tower here, no demons or ghosts. He mustered his courage to explore the secret passage. Since the terrain of Shaolin Temple in both worlds was so similar, the end of this secret passage might reveal the secrets of his own Shaolin Temple, and he might gain significant benefits from it.

Moreover, Meng Qi, who was somewhat "familiar" with the "infinite flow," had some ideas after the last cycle ended and he learned about "task evaluations." Exploring secrets might be an important criterion for task evaluations.

Qi Zhengyan looked at Meng Qi with a blank expression, took out another fire starter from his pocket, lit it, and handed it to Meng Qi: "Junior Brother Zhen Ding, I'll leave it to you. I need to stay here and guard Senior Brother Zhang and the others to prevent poisonous insects and snakes from disturbing them."

Ah? Meng Qi had prepared a lot of arguments to convince Qi Zhengyan not to follow him, but he never expected that Qi Zhengyan would be so understanding. He hadn't even said a word, and Qi Zhengyan had volunteered to stay behind!

"Thank you, Senior Brother Qi." Meng Qi didn't dwell on it, lit the fire starter, and headed deeper into the secret passage, alert to any enemies that might be in the darkness ahead and any potential ambush from behind.

When Meng Qi's figure disappeared around the corner, his footsteps growing more distant, Zhang Yuanshan suddenly opened his eyes and said weakly but steadily: "Junior Brother Qi, I didn't expect you to choose to stay."

"I have suffered a backlash, and my strength has greatly diminished. I am no match for Junior Brother Zhen Ding." Qi Zhengyan leaned against the wall, crossed his legs, and answered calmly, "If I went with him, and we encountered a secret or treasure that only one person could know, would you have Junior Brother Zhen Ding kill me, or not? Everyone has greed, and I won't risk 'testing' Junior Brother Zhen Ding's Buddhist heart, so I decided to stay."

Zhang Yuanshan nodded slightly and suddenly smiled: "After your severe injuries, you indeed talk more."

Qi Zhengyan's face turned dark, and he turned his head to the side.

Zhang Yuanshan smiled, closed his eyes again, and continued to heal himself. Jiang Zhwei remained fully focused, seemingly unaware of anything around her.

Meng Qi walked along the secret passage for a while, feeling that he had already entered deep into the back mountain.

The flickering firelight cast a dull yellow hue, making the path seem oppressive and dark, giving Meng Qi an indescribable pressure, as if the fire starter might go out at any moment, and the world would return to darkness, with demons and ghosts emerging to devour him.

After walking for a while, Meng Qi stopped in confusion because it seemed he had reached the end of the secret passage. The mountain wall formed a semicircle, creating what looked like an open stone room.

There was a rotten cushion, a stone bed, and a stone table.

"Could this be the hermitage of some high-ranking person?" Meng Qi speculated, once again cautiously observing the surroundings before stepping forward.

As he approached, the firelight illuminated the mountain wall, and Meng Qi vaguely saw some text.

"Huh, it's Sanskrit." Meng Qi, being a top student in the lecture hall, was not unfamiliar with Sanskrit. He squinted his eyes and tried to read it.

"If one does not enter the red dust, does not experience the sea of suffering, and does not break the precepts, how can one understand the true meaning of the rules, see through the illusions of the world, and realize one's own Buddha nature, attaining the true and wonderful emptiness?"

Meng Qi's Sanskrit was not very proficient, and it took great effort to understand the text, though he was not sure if there were any errors or omissions. However, he grasped the general meaning.

"These words are quite profound..." Meng Qi muttered to himself, lowering the torch to shine on the signature.

"A... Nan... Anan?" Meng Qi's mouth dropped open in surprise. Wasn't this the Venerable at the feet of the Buddha?

Wait, there seems to be a story in the scriptures about him breaking the precepts!

The Sanskrit characters of "Anan" were like dragons and snakes, sharp and precise, yet hidden with a faint sense of peace and Zen. Meng Qi's gaze was drawn to them, and he extended his right hand to touch them.

As soon as his palm touched them, Meng Qi suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold, and a blade of light burst before his eyes, like a dragon entering the sea, a tiger returning to the forest, cutting through all obstacles.

The blade of light was terrifying, and Meng Qi could not react at all, only watching as the blade of light transformed into various forms, becoming a vast sea of red dust.

Life is suffering, old age is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering. The blade of light evolved into infinite subtleties, finally converging into a single blade, cutting through all the shackles around him!

In the light, Meng Qi vaguely saw a monk, whose age and appearance were indistinguishable, but he could faintly sense the monk's face full of suffering and heavy determination.

The firelight dimmed, and the Sanskrit on the mountain wall turned to dust, fluttering down.

Meng Qi finally came to his senses, looking at the scene before him with a slight daze. What just happened? The changes in the blade of light and the meaning of the suffering in the red dust seemed deeply etched in his mind.

As the dust settled, it formed words:

"Obtained the true meaning of 'Anan's Precept-Breaking Saber Technique,' and understood the first move 'Cutting Purity' in its incomplete form."

Meng Qi's mouth took a long time to close, finally understanding what had happened. According to what Jiang Zhwei had said, the Dharma Body and some peak-level external techniques and moves do not have written records; they are passed down through the true meaning. However, the objects that carry the true meaning can only bear it once, or they can pass it down for many years. How much one can understand from the true meaning, and whether one can understand it at all, depends on the individual. Once these techniques and moves are fully mastered, they can leave behind the true meaning.

Therefore, Jiang Zhwei could only grasp the basics of "Sword Without Self," and if her understanding were to be written into a manual, it would be worth at most 800 to 900 merit points, far less than the original value.

"I remember the 'Anan's Precept-Breaking Saber Technique' in the temple is not passed down through the true meaning..." Meng Qi thought in confusion. Because the Vajra Temple was skilled in saber techniques, Xuan Xin had specifically mentioned that Shaolin had a technique that could rival theirs, "Anan's Precept-Breaking Saber Technique," which was a peak-level external technique. When perfected, it could touch the laws of heaven and earth. He also mentioned that a high-ranking monk from a previous generation had borrowed the manual and mastered this technique, becoming a great saber expert.

Therefore, Meng Qi knew that this technique was passed down through manuals in Shaolin Temple.

Due to his limited knowledge of the temple's history, Meng Qi had no direction for his speculation. Moreover, he couldn't afford to speculate and quickly closed his eyes, focusing on recalling what he had just learned, repeatedly pondering the changes in the "Cutting Purity" incomplete form.

After all, the "Anan's Precept-Breaking Saber Technique" costs 9,000 merit points, with 3,000 for the main principles and 1,200 for each move. Forgetting it would be a huge loss!

By obtaining the true meaning, he was essentially getting the main principles, though he needed to slowly ponder and understand them. Moreover, compared to the main principles, the true meaning could directly reveal five moves of the saber technique.

Of course, this requires a very high level of insight. For example, Meng Qi, who had just received the inheritance, had only understood the incomplete form of the first move.

"Why is it an incomplete form..." Meng Qi opened his eyes with a hint of disappointment. An incomplete form means it cannot be practiced yet.

Although to truly unleash the power of "Anan's Precept-Breaking Saber Technique," one needs to reach the external realm and trigger changes in the external world, if he could grasp the basics now, it would still be a trump card. Even without the overwhelming power of Jiang Zhwei's "Sword Without Self," it would certainly be described as exquisite and terrifying.

Taking a deep breath, Meng Qi temporarily put this aside and continued searching the stone room, looking for anything else.

Walking halfway around the stone room, Meng Qi saw, under the firelight, what looked like a stone door.

It had only faint traces left on the mountain wall, with familiar characters carved around it.

"Those who value righteousness and benevolence, do not enter this door."

Meng Qi read the words, and out of habit, lightly placed his right hand on the stone door, intending to feel it without pushing it open.

As soon as his hand touched it, an indescribable cold and terror invaded Meng Qi's heart, and images of decaying corpses, evil ghosts, and demons appeared before his eyes.

Then, a flame ignited amidst the black mist, burning everything, directly pointing at Meng Qi.

Meng Qi's face turned pale, and he quickly retreated, breaking away from the stone door, and the images slowly disappeared.

After a moment of panting, Meng Qi found a layer of cold sweat on his back, feeling weak and as if he were severely injured.

"Truly bizarre..." Meng Qi adjusted his breathing and no longer dared to touch the stone door.

At this moment, he saw a deep, unfathomable hole below the stone door, with an indescribable flame burning inside, and a few small characters written beside it.

"Those who betray and are unfaithful, kill!"

What is this all about... Meng Qi thought helplessly.

...

At the edge of the forest, Duercha stood still, looking at the remaining traces.

His left shoulder and left hand were completely gone, and his body trembled uncontrollably, but he still stood straight.

—Heartache, please recommend~

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