Blade - Unbound

The moment Xiangji Temple was mentioned, Luo Faqing let out a cold sneer."Those monks really never learn from their mistakes!"

Seeing Li Yan's confusion, Wang Daoxuan sighed softly and explained, "There are many Buddhist and Daoist sects throughout the Divine Continent, but among those involved with the mystic path, the four principal Buddhist schools of teachings are the Zen, Esoteric, Lotus, and Vinaya."

"The Zen school of teaching teaches that all beings possess Buddha-nature, that enlightenment requires no external seeking, and that all dharmas are realized within one's own true nature. Its ancestral temple is Shaolin in Yuzhou. It is also one of the orthodox mystic sects officially recognized by the imperial court.

"The Esoteric school of teaching regards oneself as the Buddha. It originated past the Tianzhu mountains and was introduced into the Divine Continent during the Tang Dynasty. Its teachings are vast and intricate, and now include Tang Esotericism of the Central Plains, the Tufan Esotericism, and Eastern Esotericism of the land across the sea.

"The Vinaya school of teaching specializes in the study and transmission of monastic discipline. Its precepts are extremely strict, and its ancestral temple lies within Zhongnan Mountain. It too is one of the officially recognized orthodox mystic sects.

"Each Buddhist school of teaching has its own strengths. Because of their countless followers, they all received imperial recognition and regularly conduct rituals to exorcise evil and soothe the dead. Only the Lotus school of teaching, however, remains under the strictest supervision by the imperial court."

Li Yan asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Wang Daoxuan replied gravely, "The Lotus school of teaching cultivates the recitation of the Buddha's name as its internal practice, while relying upon the power of chants externally. Through the union of internal and external, they seek rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. As such, their teachings share deep roots with the Maitreya Sect.

"The Maitreya Sect rose to prominence during the Song Dynasty. Since its doctrine was simple and easy to understand, it attracted countless commoners. But over time, all kinds of people joined; discipline became lax; and its followers gathered secretly at night before dispersing by day, assembling crowds to stir up trouble and frequently launching rebellions.

"During the previous dynasty's war against the Wolf Kingdom, the court even relied upon their strength. But after the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, they were harshly outlawed, and they caused no end of chaos. As a result, the Lotus school of teaching was viewed with suspicion as well. However, most of the time, its monks simply secluded themselves in cultivation, avoiding worldly affairs altogether."

"Avoiding worldly affairs?" Luo Faqing sneered. "If that were true, how could they be sheltering evil cultivators and colluding with the Maitreya Sect?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment before turning toward the side. Lu Gongyuan had already been securely bound and forced to his knees. His face was devoid of hope. He wanted to commit suicide, yet feared Li Yan would capture his soul. As someone so important, he naturally could not be executed so casually.

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "What is the current situation inside Xiangji Temple? Has it already become one of the Maitreya Sect's hidden strongholds?"

Lu Gongyuan's psychological defenses had long since collapsed, and he answered honestly. "Huiqing arrived early. He was already the Deputy Sect Leader's trusted confidant many years ago. After spending years in the temple, and because of his profound understanding of Buddhism, he eventually became the Supervising Monk.

"Since the court keeps a close watch on the temple, the monks there only study Buddhist teachings. None of them cultivate mystic arts or martial arts. We have merely carried out our activities in secret under Huiqing's protection."

Li Yan continued to press, "How many of you are there?"

"When the uprising failed, those of us under the Deputy Sect Leader's command were hunted simultaneously by both the imperial court and the Maitreya Sect's Incense Masters. Thirteen of us escaped here. Over the years, we dared not reveal our identities. One by one, we entered the temple under various pretexts and became monks. After accounting for those who died of old age, seven remain."

A frown appeared on Li Yan's face. "Any real experts among them?"

"Three know mystic arts; the others only possess martial skills. The strongest is Huiqing himself. He knows many techniques and martial arts from the eastern lands across the sea."

Luo Faqing said grimly, "We have to move immediately. We've already alerted them. They'll certainly be preparing to flee. If they manage to take the corpse away, the Du Family's bloodline curse will eventually erupt.”

He snorted. "Hmph! The remnants of the Maitreya Sect and those islanders actually dared cast curses near Chang'an and nurture such an evil creature. Not a single one of them can be allowed to escape!"

Even Wang Daoxuan nodded in agreement. "Daoist Luo is right."

Li Yan thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Very well. They've already realized what's happening. Those paper figures probably won't be enough to deceive that creature tonight. Time is of the essence. Let's head up the mountain immediately!"

There weren't many enemies, and according to Lu Gongyuan, they were all the old, weak, and disabled survivors left behind from those days.

Just then, Li Yan recalled something and turned to Lu Gongyuan to ask, "You said the court was not the only ones to hunt you. Even members of the Maitreya Sect were searching for you. Why?"

"I happen to know the reason." Luo Faqing interrupted, his expression turning rather strange. "We'll talk about it on the way. It's actually quite a ridiculous story."

As the group made their way up the snow-covered mountain, Luo Faqing explained, "That Deputy Sect Leader's name is Zhao Changsheng. That man was quite an interesting figure. He joined the Maitreya Sect halfway through his life. No one knew his origins, yet the Maitreya Sect Leader trusted him greatly. Within only a few years, he had become the Deputy Sect Leader.

"The Maitreya Sect was tremendously influential back then. Since they had fought against the Wolf Kingdom, and were later outlawed after the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, not only were their followers dissatisfied, but many people in the jianghu also sympathized with them.

"Moreover, they established sixty four branch halls across the Divine Continent, each named after one of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Book of Changes. The master of each branch possessed extraordinary abilities and enjoyed considerable fame in both the mystic world and the jianghu.

"However, they secretly gathered at night and dispersed by day throughout the Divine Continent, constantly stirring up trouble. At times they even attacked county offices. Every time the court crushed one stronghold, another would spring up elsewhere. It became an enormous headache.

"At the same time, the Guanzhong Plains suffered a devastating drought, with corpses of the starved littering the countryside. This Deputy Sect Leader secretly spread the idea that the time had come for dynasties to change, and that all their branches should unite to launch a nationwide uprising.

"The incredible part was that the Maitreya Sect Leader actually believed him. After the Military Surveillance Department learned of the plan, they deliberately held back their forces. Only after the Maitreya Sect plunged the Guanzhong Plains into complete chaos did the imperial army descend with overwhelming force and annihilate them.

"There were rumors back then that this Deputy Sect Leader was actually an undercover agent cultivated by the Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, whose purpose was to gather the entire Maitreya Sect together so they could be destroyed in one sweep.

"However, both the Taixuan Orthodox Sect and the imperial court deny those rumors. They both have sent experts to hunt him down. Meanwhile, the surviving remnants of the Maitreya Sect believe the rumors to be true, and they're hunting him down as well.

"Heh... It's rather amusing. If that man truly wasn't an undercover agent, then he must have been an utter fool..."

Li Yan shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't think so. If he were truly a fool, how could he have laid out this scheme near Chang'an twenty years ago? The Maitreya Sect hadn't even rebelled at that point.

"The uprising was still unknown, yet this place had already been prepared. That alone shows how deeply calculating he was..."

Luo Faqing paused, lost in thought. "You have a point. Could he really have been an undercover agent of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect? Then why would he resort to such sinister methods?"

Behind them, Lu Gongyuan stumbled along in chains. Hearing the conversation, he merely lowered his head and remained silent.

Naturally, Li Yan had no intention of letting him off so easily. Turning around, he asked, "You already escaped death once. Instead of hiding somewhere and living out the rest of your days peacefully, why did you remain so devoted to Zhao Changsheng? What kind of person is he?"

Lu Gongyuan fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "The Deputy Sect Leader is the true reincarnation of Maitreya. He once allowed us to behold the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss within our dreams."

"The reincarnation of Maitreya?" Wang Daoxuan snorted coldly, "Master Shandao of the Tang Dynasty helped both himself and others, cultivated the righteous path, and accumulated virtue through countless good deeds. That is what a true Buddha in the mortal world should be. After everything you've done, you still dream of attaining rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? What a joke."

Lu Gongyuan dared not argue, though he stubbornly replied, "The Deputy Sect Leader bears the appearance of a Buddha. If you ever have the fortune to meet him, you won't be saying such things."

"Whether he bears the appearance of a Buddha or a demon isn't important." Li Yan interrupted and asked in a grave voice, "Where exactly did that man come from? Why was my father investigating him?"

Lu Gongyuan lowered his head. "I don't know either. I merely reported the matter truthfully. Later, Incense Master Luan handled it herself. As for the reason, I didn't dare ask."

Li Yan pondered before asking, "Where is Luan Hong'er hiding now?"

Lu Gongyuan shook his head. "I don't know. I only know that Incense Master Luan follows the Sect Leader as they travel throughout the Divine Continent. Her whereabouts are unpredictable.

"I last saw her six years ago. She entered the temple under the cover of night, spoke with Monk Huiqing for a while, and then quickly departed."

Ever since learning that Li Yan was a living yin emissary, Luo Faqing's attitude had noticeably improved. He explained, "I do know a little about Luan Hong'er. She is one of the Maitreya Sect's Incense Masters, nicknamed the Red Maiden. She originally served as an intelligence-gathering Golden Swallow. Later, after being abandoned by a man, her temperament changed drastically, and she joined the Maitreya Sect.

"She enjoys wearing a crimson bridal gown at night, like a vengeful ghost. Whenever she encounters a lone man, she lures him to some abandoned temple or wilderness for a mock wedding night before killing him.

"For quite some time, the tale of the Red Robed Demoness of Chang'an spread everywhere. It wasn't until the Maitreya Sect's rebellion that people realized she had been behind it all..."

Cold sweat inexplicably formed on Li Yan's forehead. "The man who abandoned her... wasn't my father, was it?"

"Of course not." Luo Faqing looked rather surprised as he shook his head. "The man who abandoned her was rumored to be the eldest son of a high-ranking official.

"Her most recent appearance was in Jiangnan, where she fought over a heavenly spiritual treasure, killing many people. Her cultivation has already reached the fourth level."

Li Yan finally let out a sigh of relief, though his curiosity only deepened. His father had always said that one should never meddle in unnecessary affairs while wandering the jianghu. There must be a reason he had been secretly investigating Zhao Changsheng.

***

Xiangji Temple was a famous monastery of the Guanzhong Plains, and the ancestral temple of the Lotus school of teaching. Its name originated from the Vimalakirti Sutra: In the land past the Tianzhu Mountains there is a Land of Fragrant Accumulation, whose Buddha is named Fragrant Accumulation.

Built during the height of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong himself once visited the temple to pay homage, bestowing over a thousand relics and countless jeweled banners upon it. At its peak, its incense offerings flourished beyond comparison.

However, the Battle of Xiangji Temple, followed by Emperor Wuzong's suppression of Buddhism, reduced the temple to little more than ruins. Nevertheless, the Lotus school of teaching flourished once more during the Song Dynasty, leading to the temple being rebuilt. Yet after the Wolf Kingdom invaded, it was again destroyed by war.

Now, the Great Xuan Dynasty also regarded the Lotus school of teaching with suspicion because of the Maitreya Sect incident. As a result, Xiangji Temple housed fewer than fifty monks. They tilled their own fields, shut themselves away to worship the Buddha, and only managed to maintain the temple through donations from a handful of devoted believers.

Amid the endless snowfall, the ancient monastery and its crumbling pagoda looked bleak and desolate.

Before Li Yan had even approached, the Summoning Writ suddenly grew scorching hot, and a vision immediately appeared before his eyes. Upon a lotus throne sat a Buddha whose radiance had dimmed. His eyes were covered by sacred ropes and white talismans.

Li Yan let out a cold snort and paid it little mind. "Hmph. Even the Buddha's eyes have been covered. No wonder demons flourish beneath his feet."

Most likely the Wa monk had tampered with Xiangji Temple as well to secretly nurture those evil creatures. Even so, the burning heat from the Summoning Writ still did not fade. White mist suddenly rose around him, turning everything hazy.

Another mission?

Li Yan was already accustomed to such occurrences. He hurried forward and soon found the ancient well through which the underworld issued its missions.

Resting his hand upon the well's edge, the water immediately began to swirl and another vision unfolded before him.

An ancient temple and tatami mats appeared before him. He saw sliding paper doors and an old tea table where a monk lay collapsed on the floor before it. A scroll lay scattered in his hand, smeared with bloody handprints. Black mist surrounded him, while a faint shadow clung to his body.

The figure wore white ceremonial robes and a tall black court hat. Clearly, it was dressed as a yin yang master. However, from the looks of it, it looked like the spirit came from the eastern lands across the seas.

Its entire body was soaked in blood and wrapped in chains. The moment it attached itself to the monk, every chain binding it shattered simultaneously.

A revived being?!

Li Yan was greatly surprised. According to the Yin Laws given to him by the old woman of Tianzhu Mountain, those spirits who came back to life also counted as underworld sinners. They usually remembered nothing of the underworld itself, but regardless of the reason for their return, they had disrupted the balance of heaven and earth.

Still... Did ghosts from other lands also fall under his jurisdiction?

Before Li Yan could think it through, the vision instantly vanished.

Luo Faqing had just turned around to ask, "What is it?"

Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei had only just begun turning their heads, and Li Yan immediately understood. The speed at which he entered the divine state had become even faster. It seemed the more he used the Summoning Writ, the more naturally it responded.

Li Yan shook his head. "It's nothing."

He immediately formed another hand seal and activated his divine ability. With even the temple's Buddhas having their eyes covered, the enemy had undoubtedly made preparations.

A moment later, his expression changed. "Something's happened. Hurry!"

Hearing this, everyone immediately increased their pace.

The temple gates were tightly shut, but Li Yan shot forward in a single bound. The instant he landed, his blade flashed from its sheath. He slashed straight through the gap between the doors.

Empowered by hidden force, the strike was astonishingly powerful.

Crack!

The thick wooden crossbar behind the gate, as thick as a man's arm, snapped cleanly in two. Sha Lifei followed immediately behind, kicking the doors wide open.

There, facedown in the snow just inside the entrance, lay two young monks. When they were rolled over, their faces were pitch-black and grotesque as dark blood spilled from their mouths.

They were already dead.

They died from poison!

The group immediately reached the same conclusion.

Luo Faqing snorted coldly. "Evil cultivators remain evil cultivators. Chanting sutras day and night doesn't change their nature."

With that, he immediately dashed toward the rear courtyard.

Li Yan's eyes flickered and he quickly pulled Sha Lifei aside and whispered a few words.

Sha Lifei instantly understood. He severed Lu Gongyuan's hamstrings before tying him securely to a pillar. Then, he dragged Wang Daoxuan toward the main hall.

Seeing Luo Faqing's puzzled expression, Li Yan said gravely, "We'll go ahead. They're going to destroy the enemy's ritual formations."

He had kept his divine ability active the entire time. He had already detected that the main hall was empty, though several sacred ropes within emitted strange killing qi. Those were undoubtedly part of the enemy's arrangements.

Whether useful or not, destroying them first was the safest option. After all, the temple's Buddhas and deities themselves embodied divine qi forged from incense and the wishes of countless worshippers.

At the very least, they could suppress evil creatures. Though puzzled as to how Li Yan knew about it, Luo Faqing asked no further questions. The two rushed ahead together, discovering more corpses of monks the further they went. Every single one had blackened faces, dead from poison.

"Hmph." Luo Faqing snorted coldly. "I heard the Lotus school of teaching was introduced to the eastern lands across the sea during the Tang Dynasty, and is even held in high regard there. Huiqing may have been one of their own, but taking him in and even making him the Supervising Monk was no different from inviting a wolf into the house."

Li Yan merely nodded without saying anything. Recalling the vision he had just witnessed, he knew things were probably far more complicated than they appeared.

The present-day Xiangji Temple had fallen into decline. Its grounds were much smaller than before, thus, the two quickly reached the woodshed in the rear courtyard.

Just as they approached, an arrow shot through the window. Several remnants of the Maitreya Sect had taken cover behind the woodshed walls, firing through the narrow gaps in the windows.

They all wore monks' robes. Though advanced in age, their expressions remained calm and emotionless. Their attacks, however, were vicious beyond measure.

Li Yan had already sensed them beforehand. Without slowing in the slightest, both he and Luo Faqing swept aside the incoming arrows with their blades. Those men had likely been formidable in their youth. But now, weakened by age, their reactions were noticeably slower.

Feigning a frontal assault through the main entrance, Luo Faqing drew their attention. Meanwhile, Li Yan smashed through a window and burst inside.

Working together seamlessly, sword light and saber light flashed in every direction. Blood sprayed through the room. Within only a few exchanges, they had killed every one of the ambushers. Time was too precious to show mercy.

The stacked firewood inside the woodshed had been pushed aside, revealing a wooden hatch covering an opening in the ground.

Li Yan sniffed the air and muttered, "The underground space is fairly large. I'll lure them out while you summon your spirits to attack."

Since there was no light underground, spirits could naturally be summoned. Li Yan had not forgotten the terrifying might of the Shang Mountain Lineage's Ghost God Battalion. With an underworld sinner of an unknown nature lurking below, there was no reason not to make full use of such an advantage.

He yelled a war cry as he leapt straight into the underground cavern.