275: Chapter 275 Lackeys, Suppression

In the gloomy and deep cell, the candlelight flickered unsteadily.

The dim halo hit Master Xuandu's handsome and otherworldly face, adding a bit of obscure and hard-to-understand meaning.

The aroma of wine and meat emanating from the food box seemed out of place in the depths of the Heavenly Prison, which was filled with the smell of blood all year round.

That was a plate of soft and tender braised pork, accompanied by a pot of fine Bamboo Leaf Green wine, with an alluring color.

In this sunless desperate place, such food could already be considered extremely extravagant.

However, Master Xuandu turned a blind eye to the food close at hand, just quietly looking outside the cell door, repeating what he said before.

"Whose esteemed name is the benefactor who was just here?"

The Jailer holding the wind lantern paused slightly at his words.

He subconsciously looked back in the direction Chen Ran left, confirming that the tall figure had completely disappeared into the darkness, before turning around.

The Jailer lowered his voice,

"Great Master, that person is Brother Chen Ran, who is also a Heavenly Prison Jailer."

"Chen Ran..." Master Xuandu murmured softly, passing the two words through his lips and teeth.

In his pair of eyes, a trace of extremely faint ripples seemed to flash by, disappearing in an instant.

Seeing that Master Xuandu seemed to have an inquiring intent, the Jailer leaned closer a little more.

"Great Master has practiced in seclusion here for many years, so you might not know."

"This Brother Chen Ran is deeply valued by the Lin family nowadays, and his status and position are already vastly different from before."

"The Lin family is one of the four major aristocratic clans of Great Wei, and its foundation is unfathomable. Relying on this big tree, Brother Chen Ran's future is boundless."

The Jailer paused, with a hint of admonition in his tone.

"Although Great Master has profound Buddhist dharma, after all, you are in this Heavenly Prison. If there is nothing, it is better not to get too involved with this Brother Chen Ran."

"Lest you bring unnecessary trouble for no reason."

Master Xuandu slightly lowered his eyes, put his hands together, and did not answer.

The tattered cassock fluttered slightly in the chilly draft, exuding a transcendent temperament.

Seeing this, the Jailer said no more.

He knew the temper of this Great Master very well, so he no longer gave too much introduction.

The Jailer changed the subject, his expression became solemn, and his gaze swept alertly toward the depths of the corridor.

"Great Master, these past few days... have those prisoners in the deep layer had any abnormal movements?"

When asking this question, a slight tremor involuntarily appeared in the Jailer's voice.

On the fifth floor of the Heavenly Prison, all those imprisoned were peerless fiends who once shook the world and killed people like hemp.

Even though most of those people were seriously injured and suppressed by heavy Formations, the monstrous Evil Qi emanating from their bodies alone still made ordinary Jailers panic.

In past years, a Jailer patrolling here just took one more look at the cage in the depth, and his mind was shattered by the invisible Evil Qi, driving him mad on the spot.

Since then, ordinary Jailers never dared to set foot in this place for even half a step.

Only Jailers like them with slightly higher cultivation dared to bite the bullet and come down for routine patrols.

Master Xuandu looked peaceful and spoke indifferently: "Everything is as usual, with no ripples arising."

"That's good, that's good..." The Jailer let out a long breath, feeling immensely relieved.

In his gaze looking at Master Xuandu, there was a bit more heartfelt awe and gratitude.

"Thank you, Great Master, for your help over the years."

"If it weren't for Great Master suppressing here and dissolving the hostility of those fiends with Buddhist dharma, I'm afraid chaos would have broken out on the fifth floor long ago."

The Jailer bowed respectfully, his attitude extremely humble.

Although the other party's identity was already that of a prisoner, he showed great respect, as if the person in front of him was not a prisoner at all, but a Great Master proficient in Buddhist dharma.

In the depths of this Heavenly Prison, the boundaries of identity between Jailers and prisoners had already been blurred. To reach that level, being locked in the Heavenly Prison was already extremely rare.

Master Xuandu nodded slightly, closed his eyes again, like a clay sculpture or wooden carved figure, without any sound.

Seeing this, the Jailer tactfully stepped back two steps.

Holding the wind lantern, he began to patrol along the corridor as usual.

The dim light drew long shadows, accompanied by fragmented footsteps, gradually fading away.

Until that heavy bronze giant door made a dull roar and completely closed.

The fifth floor fell into death-like silence once more.

However, this silence did not last long.

Once the bronze giant door was completely closed, cutting off all external Qi.

In the depths of the gloomy corridor, a spine-chilling sneer suddenly sounded.

"Jie jie jie..."

The laughter was hoarse and harsh, like two pieces of iron rubbing against each other, exuding endless resentment and madness.

"The dignified direct Disciple of the Bodhi Zen Monastery has actually fallen to the point of acting as a watchdog for the Great Wei Court."

"Xuandu, you bald donkey, you have truly thrown away all the face of the Bodhi Zen Monastery!"

An icy voice came from the deepest cage, carrying undisguised mockery.

The voice was mixed with a rich bloody aura, like an evil ghost crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood roaring.

Immediately afterwards, echoing voices sounded one after another in the remaining cages.

"What bullshit eminent monk, he is just a waste who deceives the world and has a body full of Karmic Obstruction!"

"Pretending to chant sutras here, do you really think you can wash away your hands full of blood?"

"Willing to be a lackey of the court and help those running dogs suppress us, Xuandu, you are simply unworthy of wearing this cassock!"

Foul language surged from all directions like a tide.

Those peerless fiends who had been imprisoned for who knows how long poured all their resentment and killing intent onto this monk who was out of tune with them.

In the darkness, pairs of scarlet eyes lit up, resembling fierce beasts lurking in the abyss, staring fixedly at the first cell.

Violent Evil Qi raged in the corridor. Those locked here were naturally heinous prisoners.

Now seeing someone stabbing them in the back, and being treated so well, they were naturally filled with burning hatred.

Facing this overwhelming abuse and malice, Master Xuandu's expression did not change.

He still sat upright in that inch of land, his posture as upright as a pine.

The surrounding clamor and malice were like a breeze blowing across the mountain ridge, unable to shake him in the slightest.

Master Xuandu's thin lips parted slightly, and he chanted obscure Buddhist texts in a low voice.

"Om, ma, ni, padme, hum..."

At first, the chanting was extremely light, almost drowned out by the surrounding wild laughter and curses.

But gradually, the sound seemed to contain some kind of strange rhythm, echoing in the empty fifth floor.

Every word uttered seemed to weigh as much as ten thousand jun.

Rings of golden ripples, hard to see with the naked eye, centered on Master Xuandu and spread outward.

That golden light was pure, grand, and solemn, carrying a grand Concept of universal compassion.

A faint scent of sandalwood faintly emerged in the air, completely dispelling the nauseating bloody stench.

Wherever the golden light passed, the raging Evil Qi melted instantly like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

Those fiends who were still wildly shouting just felt an irresistible coercion weighing down from above their heads.

"Ugh..."

Several muffled groans came from the darkness.

That coercion was not a simple suppression of strength,

it was as if an angry Vajra had manifested in their Sea of Consciousness, suppressing all evil and delusional thoughts.

The foul language in the corridor stopped abruptly.

A trace of dread and pain flashed in those scarlet eyes, and they hid back into the depths of the darkness one after another.

The violent wind subsided, and the fifth floor returned to deathly silence once more.

Master Xuandu slowly stopped chanting.

The golden light around his body gradually receded, and only that faint candlelight was left in the cell again.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the cold iron bars and looking toward the tightly closed bronze giant door.

In his deep eyes, a trace of ripples hard for ordinary people to perceive flashed by.

"People of the Lin family..."

Master Xuandu muttered to himself, his voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

The figure of the young man just now lingered in his mind.

Master Xuandu let out a long sigh and closed his eyes again.

"All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and illusions..."

In the gloomy cell, only a lingering sigh remained.

Outside the bronze giant door.

Chen Ran did not leave as the Jailer expected.

He quietly stood in a shadow at the corner of the corridor, his whole person seeming to blend with the darkness.

Chen Ran stood quietly in the dark, feeling the cold Qi seeping in bit by bit around him.

The chill on this fifth floor was not ordinary cold, but Yin Qi mixed with countless grievances.

However, he had already stepped into the Innate realm, his true essence was endless, and he was not afraid of these Yin Qi.

He was just borrowing momentum.

Chen Ran's eyes were deep, gazing at the heavy and archaic bronze giant door.

The Talismans on the door flickered with weak light from time to time, maintaining the operation of the Formation.

This Formation was extremely profound, not only able to suppress Qi and blood and true essence, but also having the effect of isolating Divine Thought exploration.

Chen Ran had tried to probe his Divine Thought into it, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, instantly swallowed up by an invisible force.

He could not find out what was happening inside the fifth floor.

However, the Jailer's attitude toward Master Xuandu just now made him harbor many doubts in his heart.

A prisoner locked in the deep layer of the Heavenly Prison should be a heavily guarded criminal strictly managed by the court.

Yet the Jailer not only treated him respectfully, but even delivered exquisite wine and meat.

Between his words, there was even an implicit sense of reliance.

"Suppression... helping..."

Chen Ran replayed the fragments he heard just now in his mind, his eyes growing deeper.

The fifth floor of the Heavenly Prison locked all peerless fiends with towering Evil Qi.

Could it be that the Directorate of Astronomy and the court also utilized Master Xuandu's Buddhist dharma to balance the Evil Qi on the fifth floor?

Using prisoners to control prisoners.

Such means indeed matched the style of actions of those superiors.

It's just that Master Xuandu, as a direct Disciple of the Bodhi Zen Monastery, why would he willingly suffer this humiliation and become a tool of the court?

How much truth and falsehood were there in the crimes of "seductive monk bewitching the ruler, resisting arrest and killing people" shown on the heavenly book of prison suppression?

Chen Ran's thoughts surged in his heart, and he became increasingly curious about this monk's origin.

Time passed bit by bit.

Chilly winds blew in the corridor, and the coldness was bone-piercing.

Chen Ran stood quietly like a stone statue, unmoving.

I don't know how long passed, but that heavy bronze giant door finally made a roar again.

Accompanied by the flickering of Formation runes, the giant door slowly opened to both sides.

The Jailer carrying the wind lantern pushed an empty dining cart and walked out from the crack of the door.

He locked the giant door backhand, and after confirming that the Formation was operating correctly, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Entering this fifth floor every time was a great psychological torment for him.

The Jailer wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and pushed the dining cart away.

At this moment, an indifferent voice suddenly sounded in the gloomy corridor.

"How is the situation inside?"

The Jailer shivered all over and almost threw away the wind lantern in his hand.

He turned his head abruptly, only to see that Chen Ran had walked out from the dark at some point, looking at him calmly.

"Chen... Brother Chen!"

Seeing who it was, the Jailer hurriedly bowed, his voice still carrying a bit of lingering panic.

"You... why are you still here?"

Chen Ran stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm and relaxed, as if he were just strolling here.

"Observing the Formation runes on this door, so I stayed for a while longer."

His tone was flat, without a single flaw.

Hearing this, although the Jailer had doubts in his heart, he did not dare to ask more.

How could the style of action of these big figures be something a small Jailer like him could guess?

"Brother Chen is diligent, and this subordinate admires it," the Jailer said with a flattering smile.

Chen Ran nodded slightly, his gaze scanning the bronze giant door seemingly at will.

"Just now I saw you being quite polite to the monk in the first cell."

Chen Ran's tone was casual, as if he were just asking casually.

"What crime did that monk commit to be brought in, why is he not wearing shackles on his body?"

Hearing this, the Jailer showed some hesitation.

He was silent for a moment, seeing Chen Ran's stern expression, and considering the other party's current power, he lowered his voice and leaned a bit closer.

"Brother Chen, you might not know, that is an old matter from ten years ago."

"Ten years ago?" Chen Ran raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Indeed," the Jailer sighed, casting a vigilant glance around to confirm that there was no one empty, before recounting:

"What this humble subordinate knows is also just some hearsay and fragmented words. I only know that this Master Xuandu back then was a rare Zen and martial arts prodigy of the Bodhi Zen Monastery, and was originally the predetermined successor to the head of the Bodharma Hall."

"Who would have thought that such an eminent monk would actually develop romantic feelings with a certain woman?"

The Jailer shook his head repeatedly, his eyes full of emotion, "The pure land of Buddhism, how can such Mortal World entanglements be tolerated. Later, I don't know what kind of change happened, and that woman actually died."

Chen Ran listened quietly without saying a word.

"Once that woman died, Master Xuandu went completely mad." The Jailer swallowed a mouthful of saliva, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.

"I heard that he broke the precept against killing on the spot, with extremely ruthless methods, creating boundless karmic sin. Later... he didn't escape, but instead took the initiative to surrender to the court, willingly being imprisoned in the deepest part of this Heavenly Prison."

"Voluntarily imprisoned?" Chen Ran's eyes moved slightly.

"Absolutely true," the Jailer nodded decisively, "With his heaven-defying cultivation back then, if he was determined to leave, the court would probably have suffered a great vitality, but his heart turned to ashes, and he was willing to put on the dark iron pulse-locking shackles, making a prison for himself in this sunless place."

After listening, Chen Ran felt a flash of deep thought in the depth of his eyes.

A stunning Buddhist monk broke precepts and killed people for a beauty, and finally imprisoned himself in the netherworld.

Behind this, there must be even more treacherous and unfathomable secrets hidden.

What was the exact identity of that woman? And at whose hands did she lose her life?

"Thank you for your trouble."

Chen Ran nodded slightly, said no more, flicked his sleeves and turned around, walking up the steps along the gloomy corridor he came from.

The firelight stretched his back extremely long.

This old case of Master Xuandu might be the key for him to pry into a higher participation degree of the heavenly book of prison suppression.

However, the case files of that year still had to be checked at Six Doors to confirm what actually happened back then.

"It seems Six Doors is also a place I must visit."

Chen Ran muttered in his heart, his figure like a shadow gradually disappearing into the dim dungeon.