Chapter 579 242: Pure Land

The visitor was an old monk with a gaunt face, his wrinkles deeply etched with the marks of time. Yet his eyes were as clear as an infant's, and as profound as an ancient well.

He radiated no aura whatsoever—neither the tranquility of the Buddhist Sect nor the sharp edge of a martial artist. Standing there, he seemed to have merged with his surroundings. If not for seeing him with the naked eye, one's Spiritual Sense would be completely unable to detect his presence.

"I am Seven Sufferings, the former Dean of the Great Sun Institute at Forgotten Intent Pavilion."

The old monk in black robes pressed his palms together and gave a slight nod, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Forgotten Intent Pavilion!?"

Chen Qing's brow furrowed, and he was even more shaken inwardly. "Master, you are an eminent monk from the Pure Land!?"

Pure Land!

Located west of the Great Yan Dynasty, it was a vast, boundless Buddha Country.

Legend had it that the land was covered in temples with ceaseless Sanskrit chanting, a place where ten thousand Buddhas were worshipped. It was a Holy Land for practitioners of the Buddhist Path.

It was home to numerous Buddhist Sects, but three reigned supreme, standing preeminent in the world. And this Forgotten Intent Pavilion was the leader of the Zen Sect, one of those three!

Its lineage was ancient, its foundations unfathomably deep, and it held significant influence throughout the entire Buddha Country.

"Indeed!"

Master of the Seven Sufferings confirmed once more, his gaze falling upon Chen Qing. "Donor, the Body Refining Martial Arts you cultivate has a vital energy as blazing and potent as a furnace. Its foundational methods stem from a supreme Body Refining Secret Technique from my Pure Land, called the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body. It seems to have undergone some evolution and is slightly different, but we share the same roots, the same origin. Naturally, you have an affinity with the Buddha."

Chen Qing was somewhat stunned. 'My Eight Extremes Vajra Body, the very art that made my name, actually originates from a peerless Body Refining technique of Pure Land Buddhism?'

He suppressed his shock and doubt and asked another crucial question: "Master of the Seven Sufferings, your Cultivation is profound. Why would you be here at Prison Peak, a restricted area of my Celestial Treasure Upper Sect?"

Master of the Seven Sufferings's expression was calm as he slowly said, "As for why I am here, it is at the invitation of your sect's Donor Jiang. I am here to suppress the prison and purify the Evil Qi. My Buddhist Sect's Martial Arts, especially those of the Great Sun Institute's lineage, naturally counter sinister Evil Qi. I have been here for thirteen years."

Donor Jiang!

'It really is the Sect Leader!'

Chen Qing's thoughts raced. 'The Sect Leader managed to invite the former Dean from the leading Zen Sect of the Pure Land to guard this place for thirteen years?'

'The relationship between the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect and Pure Land Buddhism seems far from simple.'

"I see."

Chen Qing's expression remained unchanged. He cupped his fist and said, "This junior is Chen Qing, newly assigned to guard duty here."

Master of the Seven Sufferings nodded and advised, "From today onward, you only need to patrol this first level. Familiarize yourself with the environment, but do not go deeper. For the past month or so, the Evil Qi at the bottom of the prison has been particularly restless and can disturb one's Heart and Spirit. You will need to expend more effort to resist it. Wait until I find a way to suppress the restless source of Evil Qi underground again. After this month, the situation will ease considerably."

A chill went through Chen Qing's heart. He cupped his fist again. "Thank you for the guidance, Master. This junior will remember it."

Master of the Seven Sufferings said no more. He gave Chen Qing a slight nod, and his figure seemed to melt into the shadows, silently vanishing at the end of the dim passage as if he had never been there at all.

Chen Qing stood rooted to the spot, watching Master of the Seven Sufferings's figure disappear as faint ripples stirred in his heart.

'The former Dean of the Pure Land's Zen Sect has been suppressing this prison for thirteen years.'

'The relationship between Sect Leader Jiang Lishan and the Buddhist Sect, as well as the Black Water Abyss Prison itself, all exude an extraordinary aura.'

He gathered his Heart and Spirit and turned his focus back to the task at hand.

Following Master of the Seven Sufferings's advice, he began to carefully inspect the first level of the Black Water Abyss Prison.

The passage was deep, flanked by hard rock walls on which a thin layer of white frost had condensed—the result of long-term erosion by the dense Evil Qi.

Chen Qing activated his Eight Extremes Vajra Body to resist the constantly encroaching Evil Qi.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the space before him suddenly opened up into a massive, circular chamber.

This was the main area of the first level.

Individual cells had been carved into the circular rock wall. At a rough glance, there were a dozen or so.

Just as he had observed, none of the cells had ordinary iron bars. Instead, they were sealed by single, massive, thick stone doors.

Only at the bottom of the stone doors, near the floor, was a square hole about the size of a bowl, which appeared to be a passage for delivering food.

Chen Qing paced slowly along the circular corridor, carefully sensing the surrounding Evil Qi.

Just as Master of the Seven Sufferings had said, the Evil Qi here was not evenly distributed, nor was it emanating from the surrounding walls. Instead... it came from beneath his feet.

Chen Qing was lost in thought.

'This is just the first level, and the Evil Qi is already so dense that it requires someone with my level of Body Refining to stand guard long-term. What must the lower levels be like?'

'And what kind of terrifying beings are imprisoned here?'

.....