104: Yuheng Zhenren (with pictures)

Chapter 104: Immortal Master Yuheng (With Images)

"Heh, heh heh heh heh..."

A low, hoarse roar came from Abbot Fayuan's throat.

As if experiencing a final burst of vitality before death, his previously drooping head suddenly lifted, staring fixedly at Zheng Yi who was sitting not far away.

"Emperor Zhengyong! Emperor Zhengyong! How dare you treat My Buddha like this! Aren't you afraid that My Buddha will send down the fires that burn the heavens!?"

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "If Great Master Fayuan only has this much to say, then We will come see you next time."

As he spoke, he stood up, wanting to leave this place.

Zheng Yi could not help but feel a deep admiration for Abbot Fayuan's ability to hold out for so long.

Under the Suqiu punishment, an ordinary person could only hold on for at most six or seven days before suffering from mental derangement, cerebral hemorrhage, ruptured cerebral blood vessels, and dying.

As for Abbot Fayuan, he actually held out for seventeen days!

Seventeen days without sleep or rest, truly worthy of being a Cultivator!

You must know that after breaking through the seven-day limit of Suqiu, every single moment is pure agony, yet Abbot Fayuan actually persisted for seventeen days.

It is simply a miracle!

Just wondering if other Cultivators could hold out for even longer?

Abbot Fayuan said in exasperation, "Stop! Stop right there for this Buddha Lord!"

"What on earth do you want! This Buddha Lord came to the capital precisely to convert you, yet you treat My Buddha like this!"

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "Great Master Fayuan, stop struggling. There are many things We want to know."

"For instance, your origins, how you obtained your Cultivation Technique, and how you became the abbot of Tianlong Temple? And whether you have any other accomplices, and so on..."

"We must know all of this intelligence!"

"You...!"

Zheng Yi smiled faintly and said, "Great Master Fayuan, you haven't slept for seventeen days. If you can tell Us all this, We will naturally let you rest. How about it?"

"Do your words carry the weight of nine tripods?"

"Of course!"

"Hoo, hooh hooh..."

Abbot Fayuan glared fiercely at Zheng Yi, gritting his teeth as he said, "Fine! This Buddha Lord agrees to you!"

"If you dare to deceive a Cultivator, even if this old man turns into a ghost, he will not forgive you!"

At this moment, his mind was extremely chaotic, and he didn't know where to begin; his breathing also began to accelerate.

He only felt a dry heat all over his body, especially the blood vessels around his head throbbing incessantly, looking extremely ferocious.

"Elder Chen, light this incense."

From behind Zheng Yi stepped a young eunuch, holding a wooden tray in his hands.

Atop the wooden tray was placed a stick of exquisitely crafted sandalwood incense.

This incense was called Qingshen Incense, which had the effect of soothing the nerves, calming the mind, and stabilizing the spirit. It was also something he obtained from Cui Xiabing.

It was also one of Cui Xiabing's cultivation auxiliary items, which she would only use during a Breakthrough, making it extremely precious.

"Understood!"

Elder Chen lit the Qingshen Incense, and a faint fragrance lingered in the surroundings. Anyone who smelled this fragrance felt refreshed and light-footed.

"Qingshen Incense?"

Abbot Fayuan also slowly lifted his head, revealing a trace of a bizarre smile.

"Behind you, there really is a Cultivator."

"Zhao Xi Zheng? Or someone else?"

"To think this Buddha Lord could still encounter a fellow practitioner in this barren land devoid of Spiritual Qi, it truly is..."

Zheng Yi interrupted his words and said, "We have always yearned for immortal arts and have been searching for immortal affinity for several years. If Great Master Fayuan had been willing to impart your teachings back then, perhaps you would already be the Grand Preceptor of Great Yu by now."

"It is a pity, however, that Great Master Fayuan chose to take such desperate risks, leaving Us with no choice but to resort to this drastic measure."

Abbot Fayuan shook his head hard and said, "Desperate risks? So be it. Isn't it just that you want to know this poor monk's secrets? This poor monk will tell you right now."

"This poor monk's real name is Gao Zhijian, originally nothing more than a fisherman by the sea. When I was young, when I went out to sea fishing with my father..."

After a lengthy narration, Zheng Yi quickly learned of Abbot Fayuan's background.

According to what he said, once when he was fishing as a child, he accidentally dug out a golden jade pendant from the belly of a large fish. His father gave it to Abbot Fayuan and strung a red cord through it to hang around Abbot Fayuan's neck.

For seven or eight years, he had always worn it as a pendant.

Who would have thought that during a conflict and fight with bullies from another fishing village, someone stabbed him in the shoulder with a fish trident, and his fresh blood dripped onto that jade pendant.

Soon after, he fell unconscious.

In his coma, a giant golden Buddha phantom appeared in his mind, continuously and softly chanting scriptures in a murmur.

At that time, Gao Zhijian, under the influence of this scripture, also followed along in chanting.

When he woke up, seven days had already passed, and the wounds all over his body were actually intact and fully recovered.

Moreover, the giant Buddha phantom in his mind had also vanished without a trace.

However, he firmly etched that scripture into his mind; the name of the scripture was the 《Ten Directions Bodhisattva Scripture for Relieving Suffering》.

Afterward, he bitterly chanted scriptures every day, causing his Physical Body to grow rapidly, and ripples of magical power began to appear within his Dantian.

It wasn't until he joined Tianlong Temple that he understood he had stepped onto the path of Cultivators.

The method he cultivated, however, belonged to Buddhism.

Upon learning of this, the abbot of Tianlong Temple and many Elders quickly accepted him as a True Disciple and imparted their knowledge to him with all their might.

Even the sect-protecting Magical Artifact that Tianlong Temple had preserved for hundreds of years was handed over to him for use.

Vajra Prayer Beads.

Over thirty years of cultivation brought his cultivation base into the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, and with profound Buddhist Dharma, he became the true master of Tianlong Temple.

Hearing Abbot Fayuan recount his past, Zheng Yi frowned and said, "What about the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting?"

"Don't tell me that Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting was also given to you by an old monk of Tianlong Temple?"

Abbot Fayuan lowered his voice and said, "The Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting was not given to this poor monk by the old monk of Tianlong Temple, but it was indeed obtained from Tianlong Temple."

"After this poor monk stepped into the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, I also cultivated the Heavenly Eye of Buddhism, which is what the Daoist school calls the 'spiritual eyes', allowing one to clearly see everything containing Spiritual Qi."

"This Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting is what this poor monk found in the Medicine Master Liuli Buddha Hall of Tianlong Temple's side hall. It has the effect of confusing people's minds, which is why this poor monk named it the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting."

"The Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting?"

Zheng Yi murmured, his tone suddenly tightening as he asked, "What about that jade pendant? The one recording the 《Ten Directions Bodhisattva Scripture for Relieving Suffering》, where is it?"

"Cough cough, cough cough cough..."

Abbot Fayuan suddenly coughed violently. He gritted his teeth and said, "You, you come over. There are too many people here. I, I will only tell you alone."

"Really?"

Zheng Yi seemed moved, standing up and walking toward Abbot Fayuan: "Tell Us quickly. As long as you tell Us the whereabouts of that jade pendant, We will let you go, and can even let you be the Grand Preceptor of Great Yu..."

"That jade pendant is right... Why did you stop?"

Abbot Fayuan suddenly struggled, but his whole body was locked in iron chains, and he shouted angrily, "Walk forward! Take one more step, and this Buddha Lord will tell you where that jade pendant is!"

"Hurry over!"

However, Zheng Yi, who had only walked three or four steps, stopped and sneered, "Speak right here. We can hear you."

"You, you, you dog of an emperor...!"

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, Abbot Fayuan let out a furious roar and fiercely bit the tip of his tongue. Thick fresh blood and flesh immediately filled his mouth.

"This Buddha Lord is a Cultivator, yet I am imprisoned by mere Mortals like you lot. Even if this Buddha Lord turns into a ghost, I will never let you off...!"

"Ah!"

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat. A stream of rich fresh blood immediately transformed into a bloody arrow, shooting fiercely toward Zheng Yi.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Chen Liancang had been prepared for a long time and instantly turned into an illusion, blocking in front of Zheng Yi.

The Internal Energy throughout his body circulated, transforming Qi into a protective barrier, instantly blocking this incoming bloody arrow.

With a 'bang', the bloody arrow instantly shattered, transforming into a large amount of drifting blood mist.

Almost at the same time, Zheng Yi immediately issued an order in his heart. The few Blood Moon Gu crawling on Abbot Fayuan's body immediately opened their mouthparts, fiercely biting into his body.

Especially the three Blood Moon Gu at his neck, temples, and upper cervical vertebrae—within just a few breaths, they completely severed Abbot Fayuan's path of survival.

"Wanting to strike a final blow before death? What a pity, We will not give you this chance!"

Zheng Yi looked apathetically at Abbot Fayuan's corpse and casually said, "Find a coroner to dissect his corpse for Us and see if anything is hidden inside."

"Understood!"

Then he asked again, "Elder Chen, are you alright?"

"Replying to Your Majesty,"

Chen Liancang said, "Abbot Fayuan was already extremely weak, his Divine Thought exhausted and his magical power drained dry. This final strike merely utilized his remaining essence blood; he was just putting up a bold front. This old slave is fine."

"That is good..."

Just as Zheng Yi was speaking, he suddenly felt his whole body freeze. An illusory figure abruptly appeared in the darkness, pouncing fiercely toward him.

"Dog of an emperor, you destroyed my Physical Body! Today, even if my body and soul are completely destroyed, this Buddha Lord will kill you...!"

Zheng Yi's eyes changed.

A ghost?

Or rather?

Amidst his thoughts, this malicious ghost fiercely lunged into Zheng Yi's body, charging toward his Sea of Consciousness.

This is... Possession!

However, less than two breaths after this ghost rushed onto Zheng Yi, only a miserable scream was heard, and then it vanished without a trace, leaving no aura whatsoever.

"Heh... Wanting to perform Possession on Us?"

Zheng Yi sneered. Regarding the matter of Cultivators performing Possession, he had also learned of it from Cui Xiabing.

Before a Cultivator dies and wants to perform Possession, they must ensure that their own Divine Thought is abundant.

At least, it must not have been consumed too much.

But what about Abbot Fayuan? He was already heavily injured and on the verge of death, and having been tortured by the Suqiu punishment for over half a month, his Divine Thought had long since been completely exhausted.

Being able to say so much just now was entirely due to the effect of the Qingshen Incense.

For someone whose oil lamp had run dry to want to perform Possession, being able to maintain his soul manifesting externally could already be considered his sheer good luck.

Even if there were no Yin Yang Treasure Mirror in Zheng Yi's Sea of Consciousness, he still couldn't withstand Zheng Yi's spiritual might, and fundamentally could never succeed in Possession!

"Elder Chen, this place is handed over to you."

"Understood!"

After returning to White Jade Capital, Zheng Yi once again took out the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting to examine it carefully.

This scroll was about nine feet long and around ten inches wide, presenting an overall bright yellow color, with fine cloud and mist patterns on both sides of the scroll.

What a pity was that there was no content whatsoever on this scroll; it was simply completely blank.

"Now that Abbot Fayuan is dead, the Restriction on this scroll has no one to manipulate it. We will use the water-grinding effort to slowly wear it away. Even if it takes a year, ten years, or a hundred years, We are not afraid!"

After considering for a moment, Zheng Yi put the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting away again and placed it inside the secret room.

Immediately afterward, he summoned a sedan chair and set off for Yuheng Palace.

Yuheng Palace was the sleeping quarters of the Daoist nun Immortal Master Yuheng, who came from the Taiyi Sect during the imperial concubine selection two years ago.

This woman was naturally indifferent to fame and wealth, quiet and far-reaching, almost uncontending with the world.

Ever since entering the palace, she had quietly cultivated inside Yuheng Palace, rarely showing herself and having no conflicts with other imperial consorts.

Over the past two years, Zheng Yi had only met her once a year during various major festivals.

The last time they met seemed to be on the night of the Lantern Festival.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse as Zheng Yi slowly stepped into Yuheng Palace.

Yuheng Palace was specially ordered by Zheng Yi to be built, and its style leaned more toward Daoist temple architecture, filled with an air of immortal elegance.

Under the moonlight, a Daoist nun dressed in a cyan Daoist robe was quietly standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Her face was like a Bodhisattva's, her expression indifferent and calm, her gaze serene, and between her eyebrows was a small lotus flower marking.

Holding a jade-white horsetail whisk, her delicate hands were like jade, as if draped in a layer of light gauze under the illumination of the moonlight.

Zheng Yi's eyes almost stared straight; he hadn't expected that a woman dressed in a Daoist robe covering her entire body could possess such a bizarre allure.

Or rather... allure?

"This concubine, Zhuang Yuheng, greets Your Majesty!"

Seeing Zheng Yi walk in, Zhuang Yuheng performed a Daoist greeting bow.

Zheng Yi hurried forward two steps and took hold of Zhuang Yuheng's warm little hand, saying, "Beloved Consort need not be so formal."

Then he looked up and down at Zhuang Yuheng's Daoist robe and asked quizzically, "Beloved Consort, why are you still wearing a Daoist robe inside the palace? We remember giving you numerous palace gowns last time, don't they suffice?"

Immortal Master Yuheng let Zheng Yi hold her hands, her face showing neither sorrow nor joy as she said, "Your Majesty flatters me. Compared to palace gowns, this concubine... this concubine still prefers Daoist robes."

"Mhm mhm, that's right, We also really like Daoist robes..."