Chapter 268 - 201: Slaughter Tower
The morning sun rose over the vast, desolate desert as wind and sand swirled.
In the basin, the phantom of a Treasure Tower stood tall, emitting countless rays of light.
In just under half a day, nearly ten figures were already standing in the sky above the basin.
Those who could commune with heaven and earth, treading on air and riding the wind, were naturally all Grandmasters.
The earth tremor caused by the ancient ruins seemed to shake the entire West Desert and half of Yunzhou, alerting all nearby experts to their emergence.
The Grandmaster-level experts from the West Desert and the various nations of the Western Regions naturally arrived first. They were startled to see the Ming King and the Black Wind Elder, and they all bowed in greeting before taking their places behind them.
The experts from the borders of Great Li’s Yanzhou and Yunzhou were not slow to arrive either. The Western Pass Guardian General was the first to show up, followed by Grandmasters from several Sects near the border, all coming to investigate.
Seeing the large number of experts from the Western Regions, the experts from Great Li naturally grew wary and looked to Li Xingtuo for leadership.
The experts from the east and west formed a dividing line in the air, facing off against each other.
Li Xingtuo looked at the newly arrived Grandmasters and greeted them politely.
In turn, those Grandmasters were extremely deferential, treating Li Xingtuo with the utmost respect.
There was a chasm-like gap between a Flying Dragon List Master and an ordinary Grandmaster—several chasms, even.
The same was true for those at the top of the Flying Dragon List versus those at the bottom.
Li Xingtuo had recently proven his cultivation in a sword duel, showing he was among the very best. It was only natural for ordinary Grandmasters to treat him with great deference.
However, Li Xingtuo had never been one to put on airs, and he earnestly returned the salute of each Grandmaster.
Then, his gaze fell on a white-browed monk. After glancing a few times at the disciple behind him, he asked with some confusion:
"Master Kongming, Yanbei is quite a distance from here, yet you arrived so quickly! And you were so decisive as to bring your disciples along... This one doesn’t seem to be a disciple of your Golden River Temple, does he?"
He was looking at a young monk behind Master Kongming. This monk’s skin was fair and flawless, his eyes were tranquil and clear, and his entire being exuded an ethereal purity. The robes he wore were also different from those of the other monks beside him.
Master Kongming recited the Buddha’s name and pressed his palms together.
"Amitabha! To inform Sect Leader Li, this is an eminent monk from the Bodhi Institute of Prajna Temple, Master Huie Jue. Master Huie Jue happened to be lecturing on Buddhist Techniques at my Golden River Temple, and it was on his reminder that this old monk learned of the disturbance here and came in advance."
Huie Jue lowered his head, rolling his prayer beads through his fingers:
"Amitabha! Abbot Kongming, you praise me too highly. I am merely a junior, unworthy of the title ’Master.’ It was by sheer coincidence that I came to ask for your guidance, just in time for this grand event."
"To have entered the Bodhi Institute makes you a master in your own right. Huie Jue, your understanding of Buddhist Techniques is profound. Even I have benefited."
Huie Jue repeatedly said he was unworthy, his humility on full display.
"Huie Jue... The Bodhi Institute?"
Everyone knew of Prajna Temple’s Bodhi Institute. Traditionally, only Great Monks from Prajna Temple with the most profound understanding of Buddhist Techniques could enter. Every member within was an eminent and virtuous master, a true pillar of the faith.
’This Huie Jue is so young, and he’s already an eminent monk of the Bodhi Institute?’
Lu Pei listened for a moment, looking at Huie Jue’s age in astonishment, and instinctively asked:
"Monk Huie Jue, from which eminent monk of Prajna Temple did you learn?"
"To answer your question, Benefactor Lu, my master is Master Zhiling. He was the one who alerted me to the disturbance in the West Desert. I relayed his message to Master Kongming, and so we came in advance."
Lu Pei’s eyes widened slightly, and the surrounding Grandmasters fell silent as well.
"No wonder your Dharma name sounded familiar! So you’re Master Zhiling’s prized disciple!"
Master Zhiling: abbot of Prajna Temple, a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, and second on the Celestial Dragon List.
Li Xingtuo had a sudden realization:
"It seems Master Zhiling must have sensed this with his Celestial Eye and Celestial Ear Powers, so he had Monk Huie Jue come in advance?"
"Sect Leader Li, I don’t know when my master learned of this. I just suddenly received a message from him, telling me to inform Master Kongming so we could come together. Sure enough, we felt the stirring of the Earth Dragon halfway here."
The Grandmasters looked at each other in disbelief. ’Prajna Temple is hundreds of miles from Yanbei, and thousands of miles from here. Master Zhiling’s Divine Power has reached such a level?’
’Besides, if Huie Jue truly just happened to be lecturing at Golden River Temple and received a timely warning from Zhiling, that would be one thing...’
’But if Huie Jue’s trip to Golden River Temple was arranged by Zhiling all along... then... does that mean he knew days, or even months, in advance that ancient ruins would emerge here?’
For a moment, though they were all Grandmasters, they felt the realm of the pinnacle Grandmasters was unfathomable, its power as deep as the ocean.
The final stage of the Martial Dao, the Unity Realm, was not about unifying one’s internal and external training. Such a concept was far too shallow. That step should have been completed during the Qi Blood Third Transformation, before one even reached the Grandmaster Realm.
The unity it referred to was that of the inner and outer worlds—or in other words, the Unity of Heaven and Man.
The External Training and Metamorphosis realms of the Martial Dao were for tempering the self—a process of looking inward.
After the Qi Blood Third Transformation, once the physical body reached its limit, a Martial Artist would begin to explore outward.
The Martial Artist would begin to perceive the natural world, understand the principles of all things, connect the two innate bridges, and become able to commune with heaven and earth with but a thought.
Eventually, one’s path would become clear, allowing one to touch the true Dao. The inner and outer would perfectly merge, setting one upon the final path to truth. This was the great realm of Unity.
Thus, a Grandmaster in the Unity Realm had touched upon the ultimate principles of the Celestial Dao. Even one who had only caught a distant glimpse was fundamentally different from those in the realms below.
Therefore, it was understandable that someone who had reached this realm would have some insight into the workings of heaven and earth, and often have premonitions before major events.
But to have a premonition so far in advance was still beyond their imagination.
In fact, Li Xingtuo, who was already standing at the threshold of the Unity Realm, had experienced a similar mysterious feeling. Acting on a whim, he and Lu Pei had come to the edge of the West Desert to see what might happen, and sure enough, this major event had occurred.