Patrol Captain

The meditation room was filled with the fragrant aroma of sandalwood incense.

Beside the table, Venerable Aniruddha lowered his eyes and clasped his hands together, seemingly silent, yet the meditation room was brightly lit as if illuminated by candlelight.

On the other side, Chen Yuan's brow shone with light, and he received joy and enlightenment in his heart, with chanting of Buddhist hymns resounding.

It is not put into writing, but transmitted through the heart.

After an incense stick had burned, Venerable Aniruddha raised his eyebrows and eyes, slowly lowered his hands, and looked at Chen Yuan, "Alright, the Dharma has been transmitted."

"If any misfortune arises as a result, it has nothing to do with me."

"Your Excellency should consider this carefully. If the Buddha's relic is powerful, activating it rashly will only cause harm and bring trouble."

Under the influence of Anilou's heterochromatic eyes, he appeared serious, and at this moment, he seemed to possess more Buddhist nature than demonic nature, with a touch of compassion.

Chen Yuan nodded and took the armrest.

"Thank you very much for helping me out of this predicament, Venerable One!"

"There are some things that I can't tell you too much about."

"No need to thank me. I'm only doing this out of respect for Luo Tianjun. It has nothing to do with you. If there's nothing else, you may leave." Anilou's voice was hoarse and indifferent.

Regarding Chen Yuan's identity, he fundamentally rejected it and was unwilling to have much interaction with him, making no attempt to conceal his likes and dislikes.

Chen Yuan wasn't annoyed; instead, he chuckled.
"I will not say more about this matter, nor will I let the Venerable One help me for nothing."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and flicked his sleeve to the side. A stream of light landed in the meditation room, and in a flash, a graceful young woman with a beautiful figure and a light veil appeared.

The moment this young woman appeared, the room was filled with a fragrance—a pleasant scent that overshadowed even the sandalwood in the meditation room.

The girl's eyes were filled with fear, and her body trembled slightly, making her look pitiful!

But in Chen Yuan's eyes, the girl's appearance was extremely deceptive. Her true form was that of a bird with a human upper body, wings on her shoulders, and red flesh. She was nothing more than a monstrous creature.

On the other side, Venerable Anilou, who had not wanted to interact with Chen Yuan too much and was about to raise his hand to interrupt, paused. His heterochromatic eyes stared at the "girl," his nose twitched, and the strange color in his eyes changed slightly.

Chen Yuan caught a glimpse of the venerable one's expression out of the corner of his eye and smiled knowingly.
"What does Your Excellency think of this young girl?"

"It is said that Gandharvas are skilled at playing various wonderful and elegant music. They do not eat meat or drink alcohol, but live among flowers and fly in the sky. They only seek fragrance as nourishment and their bodies exude a strange fragrance. They offer treasures and praise to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Arhats."

After speaking, he turned to the "girl," his face cold.

“Play a tune for the Venerable One. If you can please him, you will live. If not, you have no reason to live.”

Upon hearing this, the girl trembled with fright and repeatedly replied, "Yes!"

Soon, a flute appeared in the Gandharva girl's hand. She slowly raised her hand, placed the flute to her lips, and gently began to play.

As a syllable emerged from the flute, clouds and mist arose spontaneously in the meditation room. Then, Chen Yuan and his companion seemed to rise into the clouds, followed by petals fluttering down. A melodious and wondrous celestial sound, capable of bringing peace and joy, flowed gently, like the murmur of a clear spring, accompanied by the intoxicating fragrance of flowers.

Within, it was like a wondrous realm, with celestial maidens flying in the air, their faces veiled by a pipa, making one feel as if they had fallen into a peaceful and blessed land.

As the time it takes to drink a cup of tea ends and the music fades, the lingering melody remains, and the "young girl" is filled with anticipation.

"What does Your Excellency think?" Chen Yuan asked.

“The wondrous sounds of the heavens, the praises of all Buddhas, the guardian deity of Mount Sumeru can indeed suppress my demonic nature, not bad.”

"That is the blessing of this wretched child," Chen Yuan said with a smile to the girl.
"From now on, you will serve the Venerable One in plain clothes."

The "young girl" saw the blood-red Arhat and sensed its eerie, demonic aura. Her pupils dilated, and she clasped her hands together obediently.
"May I follow the Venerable One and uphold peace and joy."

Seeing this, Venerable Anilou looked at Chen Yuan with his heterochromatic eyes and uttered a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha, it seems I have no choice but to accept your kindness."

"It should."

The three beasts each found their own "home" in Chen Yuan's hands, which can be considered a waste to be put to good use. Moreover, it seems that Venerable Aniruddha really saw the usefulness of the Gandharva girl.

The thought crossed his mind, and Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, then rose from the futon and helped Venerable Anilou with his hand.
"I have troubled you greatly today, so I will take my leave now. I will visit you again another day if I have the opportunity."

As he spoke, he gathered his sleeves and turned around, but after taking only two steps, he seemed to remember something, paused, and drew out his words.

"Guests from the Venerable One's residence should be careful."

After saying that, Chen Yuan walked out of the meditation room in a few steps, and the door slowly closed behind him. A long Buddhist chant came from behind him.

"Amitabha!"

As the sun began to set and dusk approached, Chen Yuan and the white-robed monarch Luo Cheng appeared atop a cliff dozens of miles outside the southern city of Zhennan Prefecture.

"An hour has passed, and it seems you've already found the answer to your question?" the white-robed king asked.

"I have to give face to you, senior, for clearing up my doubts." Chen Yuan nodded. "However, the appearance of those two people at Venerable Anilou's residence has made me somewhat concerned."

Chen Yuan was referring to the Nine Candles.

The white-robed king's dark eyes flickered. "It is a bit strange that he is avoiding me, but I shouldn't ask too many questions."

"The seven kings do not interfere with each other, but they also fight among themselves. After all, they have been in that dark and gloomy place for so many years, and they are neither human nor ghost. None of them are good people."

"You mean that holy land? They're all a bunch of lunatics who will do anything for cultivation. They don't need to think highly of us."

"Some of us might do anything to ascend to immortality."

The white-robed king's voice became deep and his eyes became profound. You must know, the huge hole in the sky above the Ten Thousand Mountains was created by them.

These words sent a chill down Chen Yuan's spine. What was Senior Luo implying? Had that Venerable One already fallen into demonic possession? What plans did he have with the people of the Holy Land?
Or is it reminding myself that these people are different from those in my past life?

A thought flashed through Chen Yuan's mind, but his expression remained calm. He simply said:
"Senior Luo, there's no need to say these things to me."

"If you have been lonely for a long time, you can come to Qingshan County in Baidi City to find me. I will prepare good wine and food for you."

The white-robed king's dark eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "Perhaps!"

"Now that the matter is settled, let's all go home and leave."

With that, the king transformed into a streak of rainbow light and headed south at incredible speed. Chen Yuan watched him leave, then turned and looked towards Zhennan Prefecture, his gaze spanning dozens of miles to the mist-shrouded ghost city, giving it a deep look.

What are an immortal king and a madman from the Holy Land planning to do by getting together?
After thinking for a while, Chen Yuan looked up at the sky.

With a sudden rise from the ground, it soared upwards, rushing northwest into the clouds.

At the same time, two figures appeared on the misty southern city wall of Zhennan Prefecture.

It was Jiu Zhu, wearing the Red Demon Mask, and the old man in black robes. Both of them were shrouded in a milky white light shield, concealing their auras.

Two pairs of eyes disappeared into the mist, watching two streaks of light depart, one to the south and one to the north.

"That person is gone!" The old man in black robes seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then his tone became more serious, "Why did this person suddenly come here? Could it be that he followed you after you cast a spell last time?"

"Old ghost, use your brain. So much time has passed, this must be a coincidence." Jiu Zhu recalled what had happened before, his face behind the mask was somewhat ugly, and his tone was gloomy.

“I thought so too. Otherwise, it would be really troublesome to be targeted by them. This person came in and found you right away, showing no mercy. He clearly had the intention to kill you.” Old Ghost’s voice was hoarse. He felt it was a tough situation and ruthlessly reopened Jiu Zhu’s wounds. Jiu Zhu had obviously suffered a loss under that general’s spear.

"Shut up." Jiuzhu glanced sideways, her anger rising.

The old man in black robes realized he had misspoke, and gave a dry laugh, like a broken bellows, before his expression turned serious.

"Don't be angry yet. We need to think about whether we can stay here. You saw the man next to that Chen fellow, he also seems to be an immortal monarch. They know each other. Moreover, just now, that Venerable One and that Chen fellow talked privately for so long. Do you think they might be..."

The old man in black robes paused abruptly, his eyes holding a rather intriguing expression.

Nine Candles' crimson ghost face was ferocious. "It shouldn't be. This Venerable One didn't want to see them in the first place, and we have what the other party wants, and we have already changed the other party."

"Besides, are you willing to bet that guy surnamed Chen might be waiting for us outside?"

"You have to be extremely careful when dealing with this guy. He's treacherous and cunning, and he can turn on you without hesitation."

No sooner had these words been spoken than a Buddhist chant suddenly reached the ears of the two who were concealing their presence.

"Please remain here in peace, sirs. General Chen has not gone far!"

Upon hearing this, the old man in the black robe widened his small eyes.

But the face beneath the Nine Candles Mask finally broke down, and he cursed.

"grass"

And so, as time passed, the sun set and night fell. Then the sun and moon took turns, and just as dawn was about to break, a few wisps of clouds gathered in the northern sky outside Zhennan Prefecture. Chen Yuan jumped out from among them, his eyes burning as he gazed intently at the approaching dawn. As the fog-shrouded Zhennan Prefecture gradually quieted down from its hustle and bustle, it began to fall silent.

They monitored the area all night, but found nothing.

The masked man has not shown himself, and Tianmu has not sensed him, which means he is on guard.

Continuing to wait here is just a waste of time and pointless.

Moreover, he still has many things to deal with right now, so he can't keep waiting here for the other party. He can only wait until he has some free time in a few days to see what happens.

Thinking this, his body suddenly transformed into a cloud and merged into the clouds.

This time, he's really gone.

The following day, Qingshan County was quiet and peaceful.

In an alley next to Jiazi Alley, a newly moved-in family was furnishing their home. Shop assistants were coming and going, and the furnishings were all high-end items, attracting many neighbors to look and whisper among themselves. A woman was helping with the arrangements, but the new owners of the house had disappeared.
Two hundred li east of the county, in a mountain valley, an old man with hair like ox horns and a bulbous nose sat on a rock at the foot of the stream. A large yellow gourd hung above his head, humming and vibrating. With a sucking motion, the gourd drew in the cascading waterfall as if inhaling clouds. The old man chuckled and laughed, looking thoroughly pleased, like a mischievous child.
Twenty miles south of the county, on a mountain peak, someone built a hut. When the sun hung high on the peak, the hut was bathed in sunlight like gold leaf. The bamboo door was half open, and inside, a figure dressed in silver was bent over a desk. Under the shadow of an old pine tree behind the house, a woman dressed in red, with a sword on her back, was sitting cross-legged. Suddenly, a crane flapped its wings among the gnarled branches, its wingtips sweeping across the flowing clouds. The fine feathers that fell were made translucent by the sunlight, like a handful of broken gold.

Meanwhile, a strange syllable echoed from a cave a hundred miles west of the county.

"Dayata Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Svaha"

This sound is extremely difficult to understand. It is said to have come from the fourth volume of the Great Buddha's Crown Dharani Sutra in the Western Paradise and is regarded as an extremely auspicious mantra.

At first, the chanting was clear and melodious, like the copper bells on the eaves of an ancient temple trembling gently in the breeze, spreading slowly through the tranquil Buddhist hall. As the chanting continued, echoes reverberated in the cave, growing deeper and more profound, like ancient bells in the deep mountains, striking the space and causing vibrations.

Inside the cave at this moment.

Just like last time, Chen Yuan suddenly opened his third eye, and the glazed divine light shone on a section of white jade finger bone.

It was the Buddha's bone relic.

At this moment, the relic, which had not changed since the seal was broken, seemed to sense something. It began to shimmer with a hazy glow, expanding and contracting as if resonating with the mantra.

As the chanting deepened, the light emanating from the finger bone relic grew increasingly intense, its dazzling brilliance almost blinding.

Finally, as the rosy clouds reached their zenith, Chen Yuan's Heavenly Eye trembled, and the scene shifted, revealing the ancient temple and treasure mountain once more.

In the illusory world, Buddhas and dragons, with lowered eyes and brows, descended from the sky with a giant finger pointing to the heavens!

The scene reappears.

Cultivation progress +0.1%
Anilou's method seems to be effective; he, a person who does not understand Buddhism, forcibly activated the Buddha's relics.

At this time, in the afternoon, eight hundred miles away, three hundred miles north of Chengdu, on a desolate mountain, a loud whistling sound suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a golden light suddenly shot into the sky, blasting open a low mountain about a hundred feet tall.

In the golden light, a golden feather appeared as if a divine feather had been born, and the golden feather swept across the sky.

A black crack that stretched for miles appeared.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying aura poured out from the black crack like a tidal wave, causing the sky to rumble and tremble.

The next second, the black rift suddenly tore open, and an enormous, sky-covering golden claw emerged from it, reaching directly towards the barren mountain below.

"boom"

With a single claw strike, the deafening roar shook the mountains to their core, sending billowing dust surging like a giant wave. In a thunderous crash, the earth within a radius of dozens of miles sank to the ground. The terrifying power was truly astonishing.

After the golden claw struck, it retracted into the black rift. Then, a huge golden eyeball emerged from behind the black rift and rolled up and down, seemingly looking down, which was quite terrifying.

After a long while, the enormous eyeball, as large as the sun, seemed to have failed to find its target, and its cold gaze vanished into the sky through the spatial rift! (End of Chapter)