70: A magical place for scripture debate (please read it later)

On the other side,

an unknown place.

On the night ferry,

candlelight flickered faintly.

Only a weak candle flame danced in the passenger cabin.

Inside the cabin, darkness was like ink that couldn't be dissolved.

Twenty low tables were arranged lengthwise in the cabin.

A candlestick was placed on each table.

However, most of them were extinguished.

In the darkness, behind the tables where the lights were out, there were figures sitting cross-legged.

If one stared for too long, it seemed as if something was about to emerge from the darkness.

The heavy night pressed down on the few remaining lights in the cabin.

Among them, eight lights flickered.

An old monk with a sorrowful face and eyebrows drooping to his shoulders sat with his head bowed and palms pressed together, holding a string of prayer beads, his lamp flame as small as a bean.

A faint scent of incense lingered around him.

A young man stood like a sharp blade, carrying a black sword scabbard about a foot wide on his back, his eyes closed. His lamp flame was the size of an egg, and within the flame, a small sword seemed to hum and transform.

There was also a woman in a purple gauze dress, veiled in white, with a graceful figure, long eyebrows, and a tightly furrowed brow.

Her lamp flame was like a cloud of mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

...

These people, men and women, old and young, each had their own unique qualities.

Their attire varied, as if they came from different places.

However, a subtle Qi mechanism pulsed within each person's body.

It was powerful yet restrained, seemingly indicating a deep level of cultivation.

The varying sizes and shapes of the lamp flames in front of these people seemed to be related to their cultivation.

But among these eight lights, two were quite special.

In front of a lamp filled with oil, a chubby little fellow lay sprawled on the table, seemingly asleep.

A Little Squirrel was on his left, and a white fox on his right shoulder.

To the left and right of the lamp flame in front of them, tiny fireflies sparkled, and within them, a miniature city shimmered.

And in the corner of the cabin, there was a man with sword-like eyebrows and a green robe.

The flame in front of him burned fiercely, like a pillar of fire, dispelling the thick darkness in the cabin.

It couldn't get close!

...

When Chen Yuan opened his eyes.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He was currently sitting in the inner room of his small courtyard.

Didn't he just board the night ferry and enter the cabin?

He frowned and pushed open the window.

Outside the small courtyard,

there was a vast expanse of white mist.

In front of his hand was a fiercely burning lamp flame.

Chen Yuan's Minds Eye revolved, shooting out silver light.

As he scanned, the surrounding small courtyard melted away like dissolving rain and snow.

An illusion?

It didn't seem like it.

Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly.

A sound came from the white mist ahead.

His eyebrows flickered, and he stepped out into the white mist.

Suddenly, he stepped into empty space beneath the white mist, and abruptly lost his balance.

His expression changed slightly, and the True Qi in his body vibrated wildly, kicking up a strong wind, trying to stop his descent.

But this seemed to be an irresistible force.

He could only right his body.

As he fell, the white mist dispersed.

The surrounding world became clear.

He saw a forest.

A rolling great river.

And a boat carrying goods and passengers.

He also heard sounds of argument and shouting coming from inside the boat.

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with silver light, and from a distance, he saw inside the open cabin, peddlers, common folk, and people from all walks of life.

They were surrounding an old monk with lowered eyes and long eyebrows, either arguing or shouting.

They seemed to be debating with the old monk.

The old monk, however, merely kept his eyes lowered, offering no response.

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

He had seen this old monk in the cabin.

Before he could think too much, he descended directly from the sky, landing on the deck of the boat.

At this, the cabin suddenly fell silent.

Then, everyone looked at him.

And the long-browed old monk in the center, his lowered eyebrows also twitched, looking at Chen.

"Sir, we asked this Great Master, if one day we were to become carefree recluses in the mountains, transcending the mundane, would we become worry-free? The Great Master said that the human mind gives rise to delusions and one cannot speak true words. He refused to say. Then, wouldn't it be better for us to be like the clear wind and bright moon, without desires or demands? Surely that would be acceptable, but the eminent monk still refused to say."

"Please judge for us, is this Great Master not a fake monk? Sir, if it were you, what would you say?"

A voice came.

Then, there was a chorus of indignant verbal attacks.

"Exactly!"

"Exactly!"

"..."

Then, everyone stopped in unison, looking at Chen, waiting for his answer.

Chen smiled.

"The Great Master is right."

Everyone's expressions immediately changed, instantly becoming gloomy, their eyes turning unfriendly as they stared at Chen.

"The Great Master hasn't even spoken, so how can you say he's right? Are you also fake?"

A shout.

Then, a chorus of voices rose, like a demonic sound pouring into one's ears.

But Chen spoke.

"Wild cranes and idle clouds, what is not a Dharma form?"

"Clear wind and bright moon, are also dust of form."

"The Great Master doesn't speak because everything you're saying is wrong."

"So, the Great Master's silence is deafening, didn't you hear it?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the people on the boat, who had been restless, suddenly quieted, as if lost in thought.

Then, as if they had received some answer, they dispersed, each going about their own business.

It was as if what had just happened had never occurred.

At this moment, the old monk rose and walked out of the cabin to stand before Chen.

Beneath his heavy eyelids, a sharp gleam flickered, and then he uttered a Buddhist chant.

"Amitābha!"

"Benefactor is truly a wonderful person!"

"Even if this poor monk cultivated silent meditation, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to persevere for much longer."

"Benefactor not only helped this poor monk out of trouble but also bestowed upon this poor monk a Buddhist verse. Excellent, excellent."

Chen carefully observed the old monk, finding his physical body somewhat weak and appearing tired, but his eyes were filled with an unceasing sharpness, indicating Major Achievement in his cultivation.

So he got straight to the point, asking for the answer he wanted to know,

"What exactly is going on here?"

"Where is this place?"

The white-browed old monk raised his long eyebrows, seemingly a little surprised.

"Does Benefactor not know where this is? And how did you get here?"

"This place is the Land of Scripture Debate!"

"There are great Opportunities, and also great terrors."

Chen's eyebrows twitched.

"Chen knows little about this place. I came here to find someone. I ask the Great Master to enlighten Chen a bit."

"This place doesn't seem like an illusion!"

As he spoke, he cupped his fists.

The white-browed old monk shook his head upon hearing this.

"Not so, not so."

"This place was once the Scripture Debate ground of a certain Divine Ability practitioner. As time passed, it became a self-contained visualization space."

"Here, countless Divine Ability practitioners left their scriptures in ancient times, which created the miraculous nature of this place."

"The traces left by many Dao achievers are within, forming various wondrous and perilous landscapes. If Benefactor encounters them, perhaps you can gain some insight and achieve true cultivation. Or..."

The white-browed old monk paused here, his ancient eyes lowered.

"Or, you might not be able to cross, and your life will end, forever remaining here."

"This is the second danger of this place: the traces left by those who achieved Dao Heart, and the obsessions left by those whose Dao Heart shattered."

"The place where we are now might be a deeply imprinted scene from when the owner of the night ferry had not yet achieved success in his cultivation."

"Presumably, Benefactor has already experienced it."

"Lifelike, as if everything is real."

"Both real and fake, Opportunity and danger coexist!"

Seeking monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, thank you, benefactors.