Chapter 99 - 98: Supreme Mahasari
It was true that monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple were tracking Gongyang Li. It was also true that one of their novice monks had been killed. But they hadn’t come for revenge!
Several months ago, the Vajra Prajna Temple held a large dharma assembly. However, due to the negligence of some novice monk disciples, a number of Evil Dao masters managed to sneak in and cause trouble.
The incident was quickly suppressed by the Vajra Prajna Temple. However, when the temple later took inventory, they discovered a treasure had gone missing.
The lost treasure was the Supreme Mahasari, left behind by the Vajra Prajna Temple’s abbot from over five hundred years ago, Master Lian Chi, the "Descent Bodhi"!
More than five hundred years ago, during the final years of the last dynasty, the Great Xia had yet to rise. The world was in chaos and the Jianghu was in turmoil. Even the Vajra Prajna Temple, one of the Buddhist Ancestral Courts, was not spared.
At that time, Master Lian Chi didn’t know when the turmoil would end. To ensure the Sect’s survival and the continuation of its lineage, he chose to pass away peacefully at the peak of his power, long before his natural lifespan was over, leaving behind the Supreme Mahasari.
This Relic was imbued with an incredibly powerful Buddha Nature. Bathing in its radiance could accelerate the cultivation speed of any Buddhist Cultivation Technique.
Moreover, if a disciple cultivating one of the Vajra Prajna Temple’s Skills bathed in the Buddha Light, they could even gain new insights into their practice.
It was this Supreme Mahasari that helped the Vajra Prajna Temple survive that turbulent era, allowing them to nurture many outstanding disciples.
Now, five hundred years later, ninety percent of the power within the Supreme Mahasari had been depleted, but it remained a priceless treasure.
Most importantly, its symbolic value to the Vajra Prajna Temple was immense.
During that dharma assembly, there were so many visiting monks that the Vajra Prajna Temple decided to bring out the Supreme Mahasari. This was to allow everyone to bathe in the Buddha Light, and also to share the story of its origin, bolstering the temple’s reputation.
But they never expected such a mishap to occur, resulting in the relic’s loss.
Worst of all, not even the Vajra Prajna Temple knew which Evil Dao master had stolen the Supreme Mahasari.
Too many people had come to cause trouble. There were dozens with known reputations, and if you included the opportunists who were just there to fish in troubled waters, the number likely exceeded a hundred.
The Vajra Prajna Temple kept the matter under wraps.
If word got out, it would be, first, a great humiliation. Second, they feared the thief would be alerted and go into hiding. And third, they worried that if others in the Jianghu learned of the Supreme Mahasari’s value, they wouldn’t return it even if they stumbled upon it.
So, the Vajra Prajna Temple could only dispatch teams of monks to hunt down the Evil Dao miscreants who had caused trouble at the assembly. Publicly, they claimed they were avenging the disciple who had been tragically killed during the chaos.
This way, they could both conceal their true objective and project an image of strength for the Vajra Prajna Temple: that they would hunt down anyone who killed even an ordinary novice monk of theirs, no matter how far they fled.
In the time since, the Vajra Prajna Temple had killed many of the Evil Dao miscreants responsible for the disturbance, hunting them all across the Jianghu, but they had yet to recover the Supreme Mahasari.
The teams sent out by the Vajra Prajna Temple were assembled based on the strength of their respective targets.
Gongyang Li’s Primordial Pill had been destroyed and he was severely injured, so they had only dispatched two Condensing Truth Realm experts and three Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Monks to track him.
For the more powerful Evil Dao miscreants, the Vajra Prajna Temple had dispatched far more formidable lineups and treated their pursuit with much greater importance.
Among those Evil Dao miscreants, Gongyang Li’s strength was merely average. The temple’s inner circle hadn’t even considered him a prime suspect.
But in truth, the one who had stolen the Supreme Mahasari was none other than Gongyang Li.
’And in the original story, for some unknown reason, Xing Shen and his group definitely failed to kill Gongyang Li.’
’Later, when the Blood God Sect surfaced in great numbers in You Province, it provoked a joint suppression campaign from many of the Jianghu’s Major Sects. Gongyang Li was killed in that battle, which was also when the Supreme Mahasari was revealed.’
’The relic ultimately fell into the hands of the Murong Family. When the Vajra Prajna Temple learned of this, they sent people to reclaim it, even clashing with the Murong Family. It took a great deal of effort for them to finally bring the Relic back to the temple.’
Chen Yuan lowered his head, lost in thought.
’Even if ninety percent of the Supreme Mahasari’s power has been depleted over five hundred years, it’s still a priceless treasure.’
’Since I cultivate the Sutra of the Pure Glazed Vajra, I should be able to refine the Relic as well.’
’Besides, the Vajra Prajna Temple places so much importance on this Relic... I suspect it must have other uses. Otherwise, would they really make such a big fuss just because of its symbolic value?’
’In any case, I have to find a chance to seize the Supreme Mahasari for myself.’
’Those bald donkeys from the Vajra Prajna Temple want their relic back? Let them keep searching!’
’This is where the benefit of cultivating Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon arts comes in.’
’No matter what kind of treasure or technique, as long as I get my hands on it, I can use it.’
"Lord Chen, you were the one who killed Feng Xieyun, and you’ve dealt with these fiends from the Blood God Sect the most. What are your thoughts?"
Du Tianfeng looked at Chen Yuan, wanting him to take the lead.
Before Chen Yuan could speak, Qi Yuanming frowned. "Lord Du, Chen Yuan is merely a Guardian Envoy at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm. With two Inspectors like you and I present, not to mention the senior monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple, he should be following orders. Are you actually suggesting he command us?"
Du Tianfeng coughed lightly. "I, for one, know my own limits. I led my men against Feng Xieyun and was utterly defeated. Since Lord Chen succeeded in killing Feng Xieyun, his abilities are clearly superior to mine. The most capable person should take the lead. Is that not perfectly normal?"
Qi Yuanming stared at Du Tianfeng, astonished.
’He’s only known Chen Yuan for a few days. Why is he defending him so ardently?’
At this moment, Xing Shen suddenly asked, "Was it truly Lord Chen who killed the Blood God Sect’s Saint Heir, Feng Xieyun?"
Du Tianfeng nodded. "I’m not ashamed to admit it, Master Xing Shen. I initially led six Guardian Envoys to hunt down Feng Xieyun, but he still managed to escape. We lost three Guardian Envoys, and I myself was severely wounded.
"It was Lord Chen who took command during the crisis. He rooted out the Blood God Sect remnants hidden within Pian Guan City and then led the assault that finally killed Feng Xieyun.
"You could say the entire operation was orchestrated by Lord Chen. My men were of no help; they even let one of the Blood God Sect remnants escape."
Xing Shen said gravely, "In that case, we are willing to follow Lord Chen’s commands. As long as we can eliminate Gongyang Li, we will cooperate fully."
Hui Ming started to say something, but Xing Shen shot him a glare, and he immediately held his tongue.
With both Du Tianfeng and the men from the Vajra Prajna Temple agreeing to let Chen Yuan take command, there was nothing Qi Yuanming could do, even if he wanted to object.
He could only say with a sneer, "So, what brilliant insights does Lord Chen have for us? Do tell."
Chen Yuan ignored Qi Yuanming and simply asked Xing Shen, "Master Xing Shen, are you certain Gongyang Li has fled into Western Ning Province?"
Xing Shen nodded. "We’ve been in hot pursuit this entire time. There were several occasions when we nearly had him, but we were always just one step behind.
"Once he entered Western Ning Province, however, it was as if he vanished completely. We lost all trace of him."
Chen Yuan lightly tapped the table. "If that’s the case, then it’s likely someone here in Ning Province helped him.
"The members of the Blood God Sect were previously scattered all across Ning Province. But after I killed Feng Xieyun, it must have spooked some of those fiends into gathering together.
"Although Gongyang Li’s Primordial Pill is shattered, he is still a Hall Master of the Blood God Sect, which means he has the authority to command these Blood God Sect Martial Artists.
"Western Ning Province is only so large. I suspect my killing of Feng Xieyun alerted this group. Gongyang Li then found them gathered together and used their help to escape and cover his tracks, which is how you lost his trail.
"Now that they’ve gathered, they should be easier to find than before.
"During the operation to kill Feng Xieyun, Wu Bingjian and his men allowed an elder of the Blood God Sect to escape.
"Our pursuit of him since then has yielded a few leads. We can use those leads to track them down.
"As for how to deal with the Blood God Sect, it’s quite simple. It comes down to three words: fast, ruthless, and precise.
"’Fast’ means we act decisively and without hesitation. If we find any faction colluding with the Blood God Sect, we don’t waste time gathering proof. We strike directly and force them to reveal the fiends’ whereabouts.
"’Ruthless’ means that the moment we locate them, we attack with our full strength, crushing the Blood God Sect fiends instantly with overwhelming force.
"’Precise’ is self-explanatory. We must be precise in our targets, focusing on the big fish while letting the small fry go. Who knows, we might even be able to follow the trail to catch a few more big ones."
Xing Shen nodded in agreement.
Chen Yuan’s plan was clear and logical. At least, Xing Shen couldn’t find any fault in it.
More importantly, this was Ning Province. Their group from the Vajra Prajna Temple consisted of only five people. Having lost their quarry, they lacked the manpower to find him, which would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Seeing that Qi Yuanming had no further objections, Du Tianfeng made the final call. "Then we’ll proceed as Lord Chen has suggested. I will have Wu Bingjian compile all the clues they’ve gathered.
"Masters, please rest in Pian Guan City for today. Tomorrow, we move out according to Lord Chen’s plan!"
Xing Shen nodded and pressed his palms together in a salute to Du Tianfeng. "In that case, we will be in your debt, Lord Du."
The five monks were led away to their quarters. Once the men from Zhenwu Hall had departed, Hui Ming could no longer hold back. "Martial Uncle Xing Shen, why did you agree to follow that Chen Yuan’s commands?"
Xing Shen, who had until now maintained a serene and benevolent expression, suddenly looked grim, his face like that of a wrathful Vajra.
"Because, within the White Tiger Hall, that Chen Yuan is the only one who has ever successfully killed a Saint Heir of the Blood God Sect!
"You and I have tracked Gongyang Li. We know how insidious and cunning those bastards from the Blood God Sect are. Once they go to ground in the Jianghu again, how will we ever find them?
"What if the relic is truly on Gongyang Li, and we let him slip through our fingers? Is that a sin you are prepared to bear?
"I know you saw Guang Ji as both a mentor and a friend, and that your bond was deep. It’s only natural that you want to avenge him.
"But remember, long ago, Master Lian Chi chose to pass on at the height of his power for the sake of our Vajra Prajna Temple’s survival.
"Why, then, can you not set aside your personal grudge for the temple’s sake?
"Could it be that your personal vengeance is more important to you than the Supreme Mahasari?"
Hui Ming’s face went pale. With a THUD, he fell to his knees and swore, "This disciple wouldn’t dare!"
Xing Nan, who was standing nearby, sighed and interceded. "Junior Brother, Hui Ming is normally diligent and conscientious in his duties to the temple, never slacking in the slightest.
"Today, seeing his enemy, he was momentarily clouded by greed, anger, and ignorance. He became overly fixated. I’m sure he doesn’t truly believe that."
With Xing Nan’s intercession, Xing Shen’s expression softened. He helped Hui Ming to his feet and said gravely, "Remember, do not let the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance cloud your mind.
"Discipline constrains greed. Meditation pacifies anger.
"Once this business is concluded, if you wish to find that Chen Yuan and resolve your karma, I will not stop you.
"But for now, the temple’s mission takes precedence over everything!"