Seven or eight feet away from the feet of the two people in Yulian City, the terrain suddenly sank, forming an extremely steep cliff.
The sudden appearance of a downward-denting cliff in the wilderness was indeed a strange thing, but it was not the cliff itself that made Lu Chenjia so surprised that it was unimaginable.
This cliff is extremely wide, spreading out towards the front of the wasteland, with seemingly endless edges on both sides, and then closing together at the horizon, forming an extremely wide and deep sinkhole, so large that it is unimaginable for humans. Even if all three Chaoyang Cities were thrown into the sinkhole, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to fill it up.
And in the center of the sinkhole, stands an extremely majestic mountain peak. There is no doubt that this is the most majestic and steep mountain peak that Lu Chenjia has ever visited. Because the sinkhole is too deep, only a very small part of the mountain peak sticks out of the ground. Among the peaks, there are countless yellow temples looming.
And because the moisture at the bottom of the tiankeng is relatively heavy, self-generated fog makes the majestic mountain peaks shrouded in clouds and mist, completely invisible from the mountainside, as if they have disappeared, just like a suspended island floating in the clouds.
Xuankong Temple is indeed worthy of its reputation.
The sinkhole was obscured by fog, and Lu Chenjia's eyesight could not see very far.
But because Yu Liancheng wanted her to see the true face of Xuankong Temple, she looked through the thick clouds and saw the situation at the bottom of the sinkhole.
In the tiankeng, there are actually countless layers of terraced fields. In addition to the terraced fields, there are also gurgling rivers and simple houses. There are many crops growing in the fields, and countless farmers with dark skin and ragged clothes are working there. At a casual glance, it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of people.
In addition, there are women with earth-colored faces who are weaving and washing clothes, with indifferent expressions.
Children without labor do not have the energy and naughtiness of ordinary children. Many of them are looking at the mountain peak hidden in the clouds and mist, and seem to be chanting something.
A rough calculation shows that there are at least 700,000 to 800,000 people in this sinkhole, or even millions of people.
Rather than saying that they are human beings, it is better to say that they are serfs, tirelessly worshiping the temple hanging in the air.
"How...this...is possible?!"
Anyone who admires Buddhism will probably be disappointed when they see this scene, just like countless eminent monks who have come to visit Xuankong Temple. The Buddha said he would save all sentient beings, but why did he turn a blind eye to the suffering people beneath his feet?
Lu Chenjia was born in the Yuelun Temple of the Buddhist Kingdom and was baptized in Buddhism since childhood. Like all believers in the world, he regarded the Xuankong Temple as a holy place and a paradise.
But now, when she really saw the Hanging Temple, she felt extremely disappointed...
Perhaps for the monks at Xuankong Temple, having millions of serfs to serve thousands of them is naturally a paradise.
But for the millions of serfs below, it was really hell, and they were not allowed to stand up for generations, and they had to sit in a well and look at the sky from birth to death.
"What's impossible?" Yu Liancheng said indifferently.
"But, why is this happening?" Lu Chenjia still couldn't believe it: "Why did the Xuankong Temple do this?"
"The four unknown places are holy places for practitioners, and each practitioner requires a massive accumulation of resources, but they themselves are not productive."
Yu Liancheng said indifferently: "The academy is worshiped by the entire Tang Empire, and Zhi Shou Guan collects massive resources from the Xiling Temple. As for the destroyed Demon Sect, not only can they plunder everywhere, but they also have the backing of the Huangren tribe.
As for the Xuankong Temple, they showed themselves to be compassionate and universal, so they naturally could not act as unscrupulously as the Demon Sect, and they did not have the ability to generate huge strength like the Academy or Zhi Shou Guan. So, they imprisoned these millions of serfs and asked the serfs to provide them with food, clothing, housing and transportation so that they could practice Buddhism all day long..."
Lu Chenjia was silent.
She is a Buddhist believer and even wanted to become a monk for a time, but now her faith in Buddhism has been shaken like never before.
The temples in the mountain peaks look solemn and peaceful, completely different from the world under the tiankeng. One is the Buddhist kingdom on earth, and the other is hell on earth.
The Buddhist sect is said to be compassionate, so the monks living in Xuankong Temple should be all Bodhisattvas. There are hundreds of thousands or millions of serfs suffering at their feet. They sit on the peak and step on the heads of the serfs. How can they meditate, meditate, and say "all living beings are equal" with peace of mind?
Is there no one to change all this?
Lu Chenjia didn't know that there were many truly compassionate eminent monks in Xuankong Temple who had wanted to make changes. But once it changes, the Buddha will collapse, and the serfs below will become at a loss.
What's more, how can one person change such a huge thing as the Xuankong Temple?
They couldn't bear it and couldn't control it, so they left the Xuankong Temple one after another. Out of sight and out of mind, it gradually became a problem for them. For example, Master Huang Yang of the Tang Dynasty, and Master Qishan of Lanke Temple...
"Amitabha." A Buddha's name sounded, and an old and dry voice said: "The donor is an outsider who only has a partial understanding of the Buddhist holy land, so he misunderstood it."
Lu Chenjia turned around and saw an old monk with a dark face, shabby monk clothes and dust all over his body. He didn't know when he appeared, but he was obviously a senior monk from the Xuankong Temple.
Yu Liancheng didn't answer, and didn't even bother to look back.
But Lu Chenjia seemed to have grasped the last straw and asked quickly: "I have met the master, what do you think of this sinkhole?"
The old monk said leisurely: "Countless years ago, the Buddha opened up the Buddhist kingdom with great vows and built countless temples on the mountain peaks. As for the people below, the Buddha walked in the world and gathered countless sinful people to work here. Let them graze and let them be influenced by the Dharma, so that they can wash away their sins. I, the Buddha, are merciful."
Lu Chenjia said: "But the people under the tiankeng now are only the descendants of those sinful people. They are not sinful? Why do they have to live in this dark place for generations?"
The old monk said calmly: "The sins of the past life must be repaid in this life. Suffer the sins in this life and enjoy the next life."
"Absurd, what about the afterlife and this life is simply nonsense." Yu Liancheng shook his head: "And if the Buddha said that people are guilty of serious sins, then they are guilty of serious sins? This is even more nonsense. Then do I say that this Hanging Temple is the place of sins? In this country, the monks above are all demons and evildoers. Wouldn’t it be necessary to have the monks above them cramped, skinned, and sent to the ten hells one by one?”
"Buddha has great compassion and enlightenment, how can it be compared to ordinary people?" The old monk shook his head and said.
"It seems that Buddha is superior to others, above all living beings. Whoever the Buddha said is a sin, that person is a sin." Yu Liancheng shook his head and slowly turned around: "Master, do you think I am guilty?"
"You are... the Jade Donor?! I didn't expect you to be here." The old monk trembled slightly.
"Hey, old monk, you want to kill me?!"
Yu Liancheng frowned slightly.
There are many people in the world who know him.
But Yu Liancheng found that when the old monk saw his face, there was an unconcealable murderous intention in his expression.
The wrinkles on the old monk's face gradually relaxed, but the murderous intention became stronger and stronger: "The old monk is a master lecturer in Xuankong Temple."
"Master Lecturer..." An idea flashed in Yu Liancheng's mind, and he blurted out: "You are Dao Shi's illegitimate son."
The old monk's face darkened slightly, and his quiet eyes showed compassion: "My poor child may have become the next Buddhist monk in the future, but unfortunately... Jade Donor, your sins are serious."
"Yes, I was the one who killed Dao Shi. The sins of the previous life must be repaid in this life. According to your Buddhist theory, this can only mean that your son committed too many sins in the previous life."
Yu Liancheng shrugged: "But it seems that he has not yet finished repaying the sins of his previous life, so I want you, the father, to repay them together. I will send you down right now so that you and your son can reunite happily."
"Amitabha." The old monk looked solemn, clasped his hands together, and an extremely pure Buddhist aura suddenly emerged spontaneously, turning into a golden light shield to protect him from top to bottom.
"Buddha sees all living beings as domestic animals, but I see monks as ants." There was an inconspicuous grain of gravel floating in front of Yulian City: "Dust and sand can destroy ants."
When these words fell, he flicked his finger, and the grain of sand shot out, flying ten feet through the air, carrying a sharp whistling sound, and headed towards the golden air shield, as if it was a divine sword piercing the air.
The air shield collided with the grain of gravel, and the air shield rippled, then cracked, spread quickly, shattered with a bang, and the dust continued to move towards the old monk.
The old monk knew that the person in front of him was a formidable enemy, so after releasing the aura shield, a golden luster appeared on his right hand, making it look like a Buddha's palm made of pure gold.
The moment a crack appeared in the air mask, the old monk blocked it in front of his chest seemingly slowly but actually very quickly.
At this moment, the dust has arrived.
The force carried by the gravel is unimaginable, and it is extremely sharp, piercing through the void.
There was just a crisp sound of "ding", golden brilliance bloomed, and the old monk's entire palm was pierced. The dust continued to pierce the old monk's heart.
"Amitabha……"
At the last call of the Buddha, the old monk was unable to cross his legs, his head dropped, and he lost his breath.
Lu Chenjia pursed his lips tightly. This guy was indeed very strong, incredibly strong.
"Let's go." Yu Liancheng turned around.
"Where to go?" Lu Chenjia was startled.
"Go and be a Buddha, a real Buddha."
Yu Liancheng stretched out his hand to stop Lu Chenjia's slender waist. When the other party's face was slightly red and he was about to scold him, he jumped down into the sinkhole. His ears were immediately filled with the sound of wind.
…
Hidden underground in the huge sky, shrouded in clouds and mist, golden temples are looming, so peaceful.
Suddenly, a very distant and distant sound of Buddha's chant sounded from the tallest temple. This sound spread far away. After a while, it spread to the entire Hanging Temple and even affected the tiankeng below. When the serfs in the sinkhole heard this Buddha's name, they immediately knelt on the ground in fear.
After a while, dozens of ascetic monks dressed in crimson climbed up to the ground along the steep stone path between the cliffs. The leading monk, with his unique monk robes and solemn expression, is the first of the seven monks in the Venerable Hall of Xuankong Temple.
The previous Buddha's name in the Hanging Temple came from the highest-ranking sermon seat in the temple.
In front of a stick of incense, for some unknown reason, the Zen leader of the sermon was slightly disturbed, and he ordered the monks and soldiers of the Zunzhe Hall to go and see what happened. Although Qi Mei was classified as the leader of the Zunzhe Hall, he had to come forward in person.
Soon, they saw the master lecturer.
The master lecturer sat cross-legged with a calm expression, but Qi Mei could tell that the master lecturer had lost his breath.
"who is it……"
Qimei frowned slightly, the lecturer was very powerful and there were not many people in the world who could kill him. What's more important is that there are almost no signs of fighting around, which means that the lecturer may be killed by the opponent in an instant without much resistance. Moreover, the method of killing was very strange, and there was no visible scar at all on the outside.
"Go and check the body of the lecturer." Qimei waved his hand and asked a monk behind him who was proficient in autopsy to come forward and inspect the body of the lecturer.
The monk stepped forward, narrowed his eyes slightly, and vaguely smelled a trace of blood. He stretched out his two palms to untie the lecturer's clothes and inspect them carefully.
"Well, wait, don't do it!
" Qimei suddenly had an unpleasant premonition in his heart, and even caught a trace of the remaining sharp sword energy from the air, and shouted fiercely.
However, the opportunity in his shout was a little slow, and the monk's fingertips had already touched the lecturer's clothes.
The sword energy contained in the flying sand in Yulian City is unimaginable and cannot be resisted by a master like the lecturer. With only a small part of the force, the air shield was broken, penetrated the palm, penetrated the chest, and a large part of the sword energy was contained in the flying sand. Now, the flying sand is thrown into the body of the great lecturer and forms a balance with the body of the great lecturer.
And when the monk's fingertips came into contact with his clothes, this balance was broken. Then waves of powerful energy surged out from the body of the great lecturer, sharp as a sword.
In an instant, the monk was reduced to a pulp by countless sharp energies amidst his screams.
These energies continued to surge towards Qimei and the others. Qimei and the monks quickly dispersed, but in the end, three monks were still unable to dodge and were cut into pieces.
"With such sword energy, even Liu Bai can't do it. Who is it..."
Qimei's face was gloomy. He didn't even know the identity of the intruder, but he had already lost three of his capable subordinates. He looked at the corpse of the lecturer again and strode forward.
"The first of seven, be careful..." The other monks were still confident.
"It doesn't matter."
Qimei stood in front of the corpse of the lecturer, and when he touched it with his fingers, the corpse began to turn into ashes, with a few colorful relics in the ashes.
The sharp energy from before has been completely poured out.
The first thing to be injured by the energy was the body of the lecturer.
The seven eyes were lowered, looking at the relics that could not be incinerated by any flames. At this time, there were already several cracks, and they couldn't help but look more serious.
"It's not Liu Bai. There are only a few people in the world who can do this. Even above the Five Realms, there are only a few people such as Master and Guanzhu. But they are not good at swordsmanship. Maybe...it's called Yulian City..."
Not long after, a distant bell rang from the highest temple.
Then the sound of the bells was passed down layer by layer, and the bells rang one after another. Finally, one thousand and eight bells rang at the same time, resounding throughout the world.
In the Hanging Temple, a powerful enemy is coming.
…
ps: The next world is probably Jiuding. Let me find some inspiration from two fans of Jiuding Ji.
