317: Chapter 317 Five Forces

Ye Jing withdrew his fist and suppressed the fire. The red flames around his body slowly faded, and the explosive sounds within his bones gradually subsided, leaving only a lingering warmth from the burning in his palms.

Having just used the Thunderbolt Flame Art, although it didn't consume much spiritual energy, it left his Physical Body feeling a bit of soreness and swelling. This was the norm for a Body Cultivator's battle—using the Physical Body as the weapon and spiritual energy as the edge.

But this slight discomfort was negligible; Ye Jing didn't even need to consume any Spirit Medicine to recover. Between breaths, his body returned to its original state.

In front of the stone house, the remaining Mortals had long since collapsed to the ground in terror. Some were trembling all over, while others had already begun kowtowing to Ye Jing, muttering "Living Bodhisattva" and "Immortal Master."

Their eyes were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and profound awe.

The caravan leader composed himself and stepped forward quickly, giving Ye Jing a deep bow. He bent his waist extremely low, his tone both respectful and urgent.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving us! We will never forget such great kindness! If not for you, we would have surely become food for those Night Cats today!"

Ye Jing waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over them, his tone indifferent. "It was just a small effort. I have just arrived here and happened to encounter it; I couldn't simply watch people die."

He deliberately softened his tone, not revealing too much of his edge. After all, he was not yet familiar with the situation in the Buddha Realm, and being too conspicuous might not be a good thing.

The most important thing right now was to gather information from these people.

Hearing this, the caravan leader quickly straightened up, a grateful smile on his face as he introduced himself. "You are too modest, Immortal Master. I am Zhang De, the leader of a caravan traveling between Jinshan City and the surrounding towns, primarily trading Spiritual Plants and Ores."

"Is this the Immortal Master's first time in the Buddha Realm? No wonder you don't know the danger of these Night Cats—they are common Yao Beasts on the outskirts of the Buddha Realm called 'Blood Bats.'"

"They hide during the day and come out at night, preferring to eat the flesh and blood of living beings, especially Mortals. Every night they emerge in swarms and move extremely fast. If you hadn't stepped in, my caravan would have been finished."

Ye Jing nodded, having gained some understanding, and then asked, "Then do you know the situation of the Buddha Realm?"

Zhang De was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Does the Immortal Master wish to know about the Cultivators of the Buddha Realm? Or something else?"

Ye Jing was momentarily taken aback. His knowledge of the Buddha Realm came entirely from Yun Ling; he only knew that the Buddha Realm frequently came to Luoxia Land to demand tribute from the four Sects and had isolated Luoxia Land like a prison, with its borders strictly guarded.

Now, having smuggled himself in using the thousand void ethereal map, he looked at the strange Mortals in this town and the high-and-mighty Buddhist Cultivator.

He knew nothing else, not even the other powers of the Canggu Realm.

Ye Jing deepened his tone, his gaze sweeping the surroundings, noticing several Blood Bat carcasses in the corner of the stone house.

He released a bit of spiritual energy, quietly setting up a simple soundproofing barrier—he didn't want this conversation to be overheard by Cultivators in the shadows, causing unnecessary trouble.

"Tell me everything you know regarding the Cultivator forces and town distribution of the Buddha Realm, as well as the other major powers of the Canggu Realm. Explain them one by one."

Seeing this, Zhang De's awe grew. He quickly lowered his voice and leaned in, his tone carrying a hint of apprehension.

"Immortal Master might not know, but this Buddha Realm is not a place we Mortals can discuss casually. The entire Buddha Realm is controlled by the 'Great Leiyin Temple,' which is one of the top powers in the Canggu Realm."

"The Cultivators in this temple are all Buddhist Cultivator with unfathomable cultivation bases. It is rumored that the Temple Master has already reached the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul, making him extremely formidable."

"Late Stage Nascent Soul?" A flash of solemnity crossed Ye Jing's eyes as he couldn't help but think of Ming Hui, the Nascent Soul Cultivator who had easily killed Fan Lang.

Ming Hui was only at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul and was already that powerful; Ye Jing couldn't imagine how terrifying a Late Stage Nascent Soul would be. There were likely no small number of Golden Core Cultivators as well.

It was no wonder the Buddha Realm could manipulate the four Sects of Luoxia Land at will; their foundation was indeed so profound.

Zhang De nodded and continued, "Besides the Great Leiyin Temple, the Buddha Realm has three major branch courtyards: the 'Golden Light Courtyard,' the 'Jingxin Courtyard,' and the 'Demon Subduing Courtyard.'"

"They each govern a specific area. The Golden Light Courtyard manages the order of the towns, the Jingxin Courtyard focuses on Buddhist cultivation and meditation, and the Demon Subduing Courtyard specializes in hunting Yao Beasts and suppressing evil spirits. The Jinshan City we are in now is under the jurisdiction of the Golden Light Courtyard."

He paused and swallowed hard.

He continued, "Buddhist Cultivator have always been arrogant, viewing us Mortals as 'impurities' and Cultivators from other Sects as 'heretics.' If the Immortal Master is here, you must be careful. Otherwise, if you are discovered by those Buddhist lords without a transit pass, you could be expelled at best, or have your cultivation destroyed at worst."

Ye Jing made a mental note of this and asked further, "And how much do you know about the other major powers of the Canggu Realm?"

Zhang De thought for a moment and said slowly, "The Canggu Realm is vast and boundless. Besides our Buddha Realm's Great Leiyin Temple, there is the 'Guijian Immortal Sect' in the East, the 'Southern Border Demon Palace' in the West, the 'Ten Thousand Demon Valley' in the South, and the 'Ice Snow Temple' in the North."

"These four forces, along with the Buddha Realm, are known as the five top powers of the Canggu Realm. There are both checks and balances as well as conflicts between them."

Zhang De didn't forget to explain: "The Cultivators of the Guijian Immortal Sect are mostly Sword Cultivators with powerful combat capabilities."

"The Southern Border Demon Palace is a gathering place for Demonic Path Cultivators, who are as incompatible as fire and water with Buddhist Cultivator."

"The Ten Thousand Demon Valley is the domain of Yao Beasts, teeming with Yao Cultivators, each with terrifying strength."

"The Ice Snow Temple remains hidden year-round in the ice and snow of the North, mysterious and unfathomable."

Ye Jing's heart stirred. These other forces matched the five major powers Yun Ling had mentioned. Ye Jing just listened to them as a matter of course, but that Ten Thousand Demon Valley..."

He could control beasts himself, and Yao Cultivators were different from humans; they were Yao Beasts who had become Cultivators. He would probably have to be careful.

"Since there are so many forces, can they still live together in peace?" Ye Jing asked.

As soon as he said this, Zhang De immediately became nervous and hurriedly said, "Immortal Master! Oh! Keep your voice down! You can't ask that!"

Ye Jing narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Zhang De looked around, his voice lowered so much it was almost inaudible, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Immortal Master may not know, but the strongest Sect Masters of these five major forces established a joint Oversight Union to avoid conflict. If any major event occurs, it is decided by all five parties. But the secret struggles have never stopped!"

Zhang De was also quite helpless.

Ye Jing now had a general understanding that these five forces were like fire and water. He asked again, "Manager Zhang, let me ask one more thing. When I first arrived in the Buddha Country, I saw the people in the surrounding towns in a state of idle dreaming. Why is that?"

Hearing this, Zhang De just felt it was strange. "Has the Immortal Master been to other towns?"

Ye Jing could tell from his expression that he knew nothing about those towns, so he smiled faintly and said, "I was just walking around and saw that the residents in that town all had joyful expressions, which felt very strange. I couldn't help but be curious."

Zhang De heard this and tentatively believed Ye Jing's explanation. He smiled and said, "Perhaps the Great Leiyin Temple governs well."

"Some towns follow Buddhism, seeking only inner peace, so they naturally look joyful. However, regarding the strangeness the Immortal Master mentioned, I have heard some rumors, though I didn't dare take them seriously."

Zhang De rubbed his hands, the smile on his face fading, and his tone became more hesitant.

"It's just that... about half a year ago, a fellow caravan member went to 'Jile Town' in the west. After returning, he said everyone in that town had a silly smile on their face, chanting sutras by day and gathering at night to recite strange Buddha names. They didn't even do business anymore, yet no one seemed to starve to death."

"Some say that high monks from the Great Leiyin Temple cast a spell, giving the townspeople 'Jile Fruits' to forget their troubles. But others say those people weren't there voluntarily; they were fed some sinister Medicinal Pills by Buddhist Cultivator, severing their seven emotions and six desires, turning them into Puppets who only know how to worship Buddha."