Patrol Captain

In Zhennan Prefecture, the sun was setting in the west.

Outside the city, the mountains and forests were desolate, with withered grass and trees, and exposed bones. For miles around, not a rooster crowed. Among the broken walls and ruins, one could occasionally see skeletons and broken banners exposed to the sunlight.

The traces of the battlefield are still clear.

Inside the city, however, was shrouded in a thick white fog, so dense that it blurred the entire scene into hazy shadows. Only the corner towers on the city walls remained relatively clear, their upturned eaves tinged with a pale white, their shadowy forms conveying an eerie atmosphere.

Before long, the void outside the south gate of Zhennan Prefecture suddenly blurred, followed by two deep humming sounds, and two figures stepped out of the void one after another.

It was Chen Yuan and the White-Clad Monarch Luo Cheng!
Chen Yuan's eyes were filled with golden light as he looked at the white mist that permeated Zhennan Prefecture. He raised an eyebrow, noting that the last time he came here, the scene was quite different.

The white-robed king said nothing, his eyes as black as ink, and a powerful aura emanated from his body.

However, after waiting for a while, there was no movement from the city.

The white-robed king frowned, took a step forward, and was about to force his way into the city when the fog on the city wall stirred.

Then, a gigantic skeletal creature, hundreds of feet tall, emerged from the mist. Its bones were like blood diamonds, and eerie green flames flickered in its empty eye sockets, making it resemble a mountain of skulls, which was quite terrifying.

This blood-diamond skull, exuding the awe-inspiring aura of the Dragon-Tiger Realm, bowed its head in the mist, looking down. Its soul fire, however, pulsed with cautious reverence, and its voice boomed like muffled thunder.

"What brings you here, Mr. Luo?"

"Where is your venerable master? Why doesn't he come out to greet me personally?" Luo Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, his voice filled with majesty.

"The Venerable One is away, please calm your anger, Lord Luo. Amitabha." The skeleton clasped its hands together, making a rumbling sound, and uttered a Buddhist chant, which was indescribably strange.

Luo Cheng's dark eyes flickered.

"Out?"

This was clearly somewhat unexpected.

After all, their existence has little connection with the outside world.

Luo Cheng turned his gaze to Chen Yuan, who stood in the void beside him, only to find Chen Yuan's brows furrowed, his eyes gleaming with golden light as he looked towards Zhennan Prefecture. His expression changed, showing a mixture of surprise and menacing intent. He then asked:
"what happened?"

Chen Yuan felt a burning sensation between his brows; his third eye sensed that an "old friend" was in Zhennan Prefecture.
"There is a group of madmen in this group. I sensed that they were in the manor. This guy suddenly came to me more than half a month ago, asking me about the whereabouts of the Celestial Being and even demanding the Celestial Being's flesh and blood. I marked him. As far as I know, this group is a bunch of madmen."

Why are you here?

Chen Yuan was also quite surprised, as what he was talking about was the place of becoming a saint.

More than half a month ago, a guy from a holy land came to me from afar, asking about the Celestial Being. When the guy was about to leave, I used my Heavenly Eye to capture and mark his figure. Now my Heavenly Eye is burning hot, telling me that the guy has appeared nearby.

After speaking, he glanced sideways and locked eyes with the white-robed king, his expression meaningful.
Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng, the white-robed monarch, had a flash of white light in his dark pupils, then suddenly turned his head.

"That would be strange!"

"Let's go take a look."

With that, he took a step and transformed into a streak of light, rushing into the city.

Chen Yuan followed closely behind.

The skeletal giant tried to stop him, uttering a deep, rumbling voice, "The Venerable One is not here, what is Lord Luo doing?"

"Get out of my way!" Luo Cheng's white clothes quickly turned black, revealing his ferocious nature. He shouted with a fierce brow, like a thunderclap, which directly stunned the skeletal giant.

Soon, the two rushed into Zhennan Prefecture, which was shrouded in thick fog and had very low visibility.

At this moment, Chen Yuan's burning third eye suddenly opened, emitting a clear ringing sound. He looked sharply towards the northeast, then flicked one hand to the side, unleashing a burst of flame, followed by a sudden golden roar like a dragon's cry.

The sacred weapon, the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, appeared in his hand. As Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with murderous intent, the spear in his hand transformed into a bolt of fire, tearing through the mist and hurling it dozens of miles to the northeast!
A sharp whistle echoed through the void, and the spear, as swift as lightning, hurtled towards a building in the city dozens of miles away!
The distance of several dozen miles was covered in the blink of an eye.

A burst of intense light suddenly erupted from the spear.

A cold snort came from inside the building, followed by a green light that flew up and headed towards the spear.

"when"

A deafening clang of metal striking metal.

Immediately afterwards, the fog surged and swept outwards like a giant wave, and the area around the center of the impact became clear in an instant.

In mid-air, a bronze furnace with three legs, two handles, and a round belly spun rapidly, emitting blue smoke, and firmly blocked the spear that Chen Yuan had thrown!
"buzzing"

The bronze furnace hummed and vibrated.

At this moment, the tip of the spear crackled with lightning, and the branches of the lightning tree shot out wildly.

"Kuala" sound.

A thunderclap resounded from the sky, and a bolt of lightning descended from heaven, striking the trembling bronze furnace with tremendous force.

With a "clang," the bronze furnace was blasted away by the lightning, plummeting downwards and crashing into the eaves and beams, shattering with a crackling sound and sending up billowing dust.

The next second, the three-pointed double-edged spear flashed with cold light, transforming into a cold star that swiftly slashed into the smoke and dust.

Suddenly, a myriad of golden rays shone brightly amidst the dust and smoke.

Then a powerful and resonant Buddhist chant came from inside.

"Amitabha."

As the Buddhist chant resounded, Chen Yuan and the white-robed monarch descended from the sky above the dust cloud, their eyes fixed on the dust cloud below.

Passing through the billowing dust, they saw a tall monk dressed in blood-stained robes, with one pupil black and the other red, yet his face was calm and serene, radiating compassionate Buddhist nature.

His body radiated a halo of Buddha light, his robe was half-draped, revealing half of his muscles that resembled a writhing dragon, the blood-stained clothes on which were particularly striking, and his pupils were even more terrifying, forming a strong contrast with the compassionate Buddha-nature on his face, as if he were a demon Buddha reincarnated.

It was none other than the Arhat Aniruddha, a venerable one who had attained the Arhatship in Theravada Buddhism during his lifetime!
At this moment, the Arhat, with boundless Buddhist light emanating from his body and his blood-red robes like flames, blocked the three-pointed double-edged spear.

In the large pit beneath him, there was a man dressed in white robes, wearing a red-faced demon mask, with a small bronze stove spinning on his head.

Just then, another cough was heard, and next to the large pit, an old man dressed in a black robe appeared. The edges of the robe were shrouded in black mist, and as they fluttered in the wind, it was as if countless invisible hands were pulling at them, making a soft rustling sound.

"Anilou, what are you doing? You're clearly here, yet you're hiding from me." At this moment, the voice of the white-robed king Luo Cheng rang out.

He looked down at the scene before him, a flash of white light passing through his dark eyes, and let out a cold snort.

However, his gaze fell on Anilou, sensing that something had changed about him.

Anilou Arhat's eyes, which seemed to be both demonic and Buddhist, flickered, but he didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Chen Yuan and said in a hoarse voice,

"Please, this Martial Saint Chen, withdraw your supernatural powers."

"It would be inappropriate for you to attack without warning, disturbing my guests." "Amitabha!"

"Guest?" Chen Yuan's golden eyes swept over Jiu Zhu, who was wearing a red ghost mask below. His third eye opened slightly, and he grinned, saying nothing. Then he raised his hand and grabbed downwards, sending the three-pointed double-edged spear flying back into his hand. It then turned into flames and disappeared.

After finishing all this, Chen Yuan put his hands behind his back and looked back at Venerable Anilou. He also felt that this person had changed a bit from the one he had seen before. His appearance had changed, and his demonic nature seemed to have subsided a bit.

He didn't know how the Nine Candles of the Sacred Land, the one who had come uninvited to him seeking clues about the Celestial Beings, had become this Venerable One's guest. He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So this person is the Venerable One's guest."

"This person was putting on airs in front of me before. I suddenly sensed that he might have misled the Venerable One, so Senior Luo and I forced our way in. It seems that a misunderstanding has occurred."

As Chen Yuan spoke, he glanced sideways at Jiu Zhu, his words utterly impolite, addressing him without even using his name, referring to him only as "this person," which could be described as humiliating and disregarding him.

"And who is this man next to you?" As Chen Yuan spoke, his gaze inadvertently fell on the old man in black robes.

The man was emaciated, his black robe hanging on him like a garment on a hanger. His exposed hands had prominent knuckles and bluish-gray fingernails. His face was like withered wood, its wrinkles deep and etched, layer upon layer, pressing together. His eye sockets were sunken so deeply that two grayish pupils were hidden within them, as if veiled by a thin mist, yet exuding a chilling aura that pierced to the bone. His nose was sharply hooked, and a few wisps of grayish-yellow beard clung to the corners of his downturned mouth. His hair was disheveled, half withered white and half black, and a faint, ethereal chill emanated from him.

Stared at like that, the black-robed old man, who exuded a chilling aura, shrank back in the shadow of his robe, and his gloomy eyes trembled slightly.

Clearly, they are wary!

Meanwhile, in the pit, Cheng Shengdi Jiu Zhu, wearing a ghost-face mask, twitched beneath the mask. A sinister glint appeared in his usually calm eyes as he sneered.
"General Chen is so imposing; his power has even reached here."

"Last time I was polite to you, but you suddenly turned on me. Do you really think my Holy Land is made of clay?"

The sound was menacing.

In the sky, Chen Yuan glanced sideways, his eyes narrowed, and a golden resonance erupted from his body.

"Shall we have a fight?"

Upon hearing this, Jiuzhu's eyes darkened, and a sharp tension emanated from them.

Just then, a peaceful force separated the two sides from the conflict, and the Arhat Anilou simply said four words: "The visitor is a guest."

After speaking, the Venerable One exchanged a telepathic message with Jiu Zhu and the other two. One gave Chen Yuan a gloomy look, while the other didn't even glance at him before their bodies transformed into light and disappeared.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and followed the gaze, but soon, the Arhat Anilou stepped into the air and came to meet him.

"I wonder what brings Luo Tianjun and Chen Wusheng here so suddenly?"

This venerable one, who resembled both a demon and a Buddha, spoke in a deep voice, asking a question.

The white-robed monarch Luo Cheng glanced to one side, flicked his sleeve, and...
"I am merely the middleman, bringing him to see you. You must give me this face."

Chen Yuan then took the armrest for support.

"I am sorry for my unannounced visit, but I have a question for you."

After saying this, the white-robed king beside him waved his hand.

"You two talk, I won't interfere."

With that, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

The light emanating from Venerable Anilou vanished, and a sinister aura surged forth. With a flick of his blood-red robe, the two of them shifted their positions in the void, and the next second, they appeared in an ancient and fragrant meditation room.

The meditation room was shrouded in white mist, its dark tiles and upturned eaves gleaming like ink jade soaked in a clear spring, mingled with the soft tinkling of copper bells on the eaves like the gentle murmur of flowing water. Outside the arched windows, green bamboo leaned obliquely over the corners, adding a touch of serene elegance. Beside the window sat a small table with three cushions beneath it, an incense burner burning, a wisp of smoke rising straight up, only to be caught by the white mist at the eaves and slowly dissipate. When the mist was thick, it blurred the bamboo shadows outside the courtyard, and the light and shadow inside the meditation room became hazy as well.

The two landed in the meditation room and sat facing each other on the prayer mats under the table on the shore.

Chen Yuan looked at the tall and eerie Ani Building across the street, and felt a sense of disconnect between it and the Zen-like meditation room.

"Say it!"

“If it weren’t for your close relationship with Luo Tianjun, I wouldn’t want to see anyone from your court.” Anilou’s voice was hoarse, his one black and one red eye fixed on Chen Yuan as he spoke directly.

Chen Yuan was not angry at what the Venerable One said. This involved the history of these people being betrayed by the court in their early years, and he had participated in deciphering it, so he had nothing to say about it.

Previously, these people had been threatening to kill Helian Shan and were actually going to take action.

The grudges involved were not something he could explain.

He nodded and continued the conversation, "I must thank Senior Luo and Venerable One for gracing us with your presence."

"Chen got straight to the point!"

"I have heard that in your previous life you practiced Theravada Buddhism and were a Buddhist. Do you know the method for activating the Buddha's relics, or their purpose?"

Upon hearing this, Anilou's heterochromatic eyes widened slightly.

"Buddha's relics? There are many different kinds!"

"Then we need to know where it came from?"

Chen Yuan didn't mince words either, looking to the west, "This is the Western Pure Land of the human world, Mount Sumeru, said to be the home of an ancient Buddha, who once divided it into 84,000 parts."

Upon hearing this, Anilou's eyelids twitched slightly. He knew about Mount Sumeru; he had visited it a thousand years ago when he descended to the mortal realm. That place was comparable to a miniature Western Paradise, and many old monsters there had chosen not to ascend. It was a place of great mystery.

"My past life was not who I am now. I am no longer a Buddhist, and I cannot be involved in this karma. You should ask someone else!"

Anilou didn't want to get involved with that group of Buddhists; they weren't on the same path. He didn't ask Chen Yuan why he asked that question.

“Mount Sumeru transmits Mahayana Buddhism, and people generally believe that Mahayana is superior to Hinayana. Hinayana Buddhism has almost disappeared in the Central Plains. It seems that even the Venerable One fears these people.” Chen Yuan sighed, his face full of regret.

This statement is both a simple provocation and a fact, both stemming from Mahayana Buddhism.

When the white-robed king explained the lineage between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism to him, he thought to himself that there must be a comparison between the two different paths of practice.

Mount Sumeru is where the Mahayana teachings are practiced.

That's what he thought.

As a result, Anilou's heterochromatic eyes flickered as he looked at Chen Yuan.

"Do you think I'd fall for that?"

“Mount Sumeru says that Hinayana Buddhism is heresy.”

Anilou pressed his hand on the table, his breath noticeably rising. He quickly closed his eyes, and after a long while, slowly opened his heterochromatic eyes.

"you win!"

"I will teach you a method!" (End of Chapter)