It is precisely because of this platform where people can exchange information and help each other that time travelers are able to do so well!
While searching, Cao Pi discovered a mission!
Mission Name: Strike Against Immortals and Buddhas Series - Guanyin Temple
Mission Description: Suppressing the immortals and Buddhas is a long-term necessity. Among them, Guanyin Temple is the mortal realm where Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea resides. Destroying this place will have a tremendous impact on this person.
Task requirement: Cultivation level must be at least at the peak of the fourth rank.
Special Note: If your cultivation level is at the fifth rank, you can accept the advancement quest. This is a hidden quest, and the rewards for completing it are enormous, but the risks are also very high.
Therefore, please consider carefully and act within your means!
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Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Demise of Guanyin Temple
Wulan Mountain is a place of beautiful scenery with clear waters and lush mountains. Moreover, the mountain is imbued with spiritual energy, making it an ideal place for retirement by all accounts.
Meanwhile, Cao Pi arrived at the foot of the mountain. Today marked the seventh day since he arrived.
After seven days of reconnaissance, coupled with the information provided by Pang Tong, he had gained a relatively deep understanding of this so-called Guanyin Temple. He had also made some preparations to deal with its hidden cards.
Tonight will be the end of it all.
At night, due to the darkness, most of the worshippers in the temple have already left. After all, worshipping Buddha and burning incense are two completely different things!
At first glance, the candles inside were all thumb-thick tallow candles. Once lit, their fragrance could be smelled from a great distance. It was truly extravagant!
Furthermore, the Buddha statues inside are all made of pure gold, or at least gilded. The craftsmen who created these statues were also very skilled.
The temple itself occupies thousands of acres. It is incredibly wealthy, and even the bronze bell that is rung daily is a sacred treasure.
Looking at all this, Cao Pi felt like he had encountered a nouveau riche. After killing everyone, should he rob them? Hmm, maybe he should rob them.
"Thus have I heard..."
"Thus have I heard..."
"Thus have I heard..."
Even from a distance, the sound of chanting could be heard. Clearly, these people had become experienced in chanting; regardless of the actual effectiveness, it at least sounded quite pleasant.
Above the main gate, the plaque bears the four large characters "Guanyin Zen Temple," containing a hint of the true meaning of Guanyin's wondrous teachings, possessing a transformative effect at any time and place, and instilling goodwill towards Buddhism. With this mutual reinforcement, it's no wonder that the incense here is so abundant.
"Yes, the intelligence says there are over 680 adult monks in total, of which 600 are currently in the temple. There are over 100 martial monks with strength at the second rank, and over 40 at the third rank. The abbot is at the early stage of the fourth rank, and the Supreme Elder Jin Chi is at the late stage of the fourth rank."
"This force, combined with the incense offerings here and the formation left by Guanyin, is indeed a powerful force. It can only be said that these bald men have really gone too far."
It should be understood that although Taoism does not engage in production and has various shortcomings, there are very few qualified Taoist priests!
Generally speaking, a Taoist priest without his own ordination certificate can only be called a novice Taoist priest; true Taoist priests have always been very rare.
But what about Buddhism? All you need to do is shave your head and chant a few Amitabha mantras to be considered a senior monk.
Becoming a monk is incredibly easy, yet the benefits are numerous. For example, tax exemption, the ability to oppress tenants, and the ability to live comfortably without working.
As a result, the number of monks naturally increased. With more people, various problems that were not obvious before began to emerge.
"With so many monks not engaging in production, how can the country not have problems? They even have to shave their heads, and they don't even allow senior monks to have relations with junior monks. Isn't this genocide? It's truly a cult. No wonder so few monks from the main world leave Luoyang. They're probably all beaten to death after they leave, right?"
After muttering to himself, Cao Pi took out a talisman, flicked it with his right hand, and it immediately burst into flames.
As the talisman burned, an invisible aura appeared, specifically manifesting as the celestial secrets of the entire Guanyin Temple being obscured for the next three hours. During that time, no matter what Cao Pi did, Guanyin would not sense anything!
Otherwise, if we make a move here, Guanyin will sense it and rush over there. How can we play like that?
After the talisman burned, Cao Pi nodded in satisfaction and then took out a leaf, which was said to be a leaf from the legendary World Tree, possessing the ability to conceal itself.
I don't know how this so-called World Tree could be related to stealth, but the effect is very real, it's just a bit expensive.
With the leaves placed on his head, Cao Pi's aura vanished instantly. The formation couldn't detect him, nor could the naked eye see him; with a little care, he wouldn't be discovered.
And so it was; one step, two steps… before long, they arrived outside a courtyard. This was the residence of Jinchi, the Supreme Elder of Guanyin Temple.
This old monk is now over two hundred years old. He has not yet gone to Mount Ling, nor has he undergone a complete transformation. Therefore, his lifespan is quite leisurely.
It is said that this is his eleventh reincarnation. After each reincarnation, the monks in the temple, guided by Guanyin and using the Dharma treasures left behind by Jinchi from his previous life, would find his reincarnated self and nurture him. This would serve as a trump card for the Zen monastery, ensuring its sustainable development.
At this moment, Jinchi was reciting the Diamond Sutra, a classic text that is one of the highest-ranking books in Buddhism, roughly equivalent to the Four Books in the Four Books and Five Classics, or its status in Confucianism.
With a hiss, Jin Chi, who was chanting sutras, froze for a moment, and a gleaming knife tip appeared on his chest.
It turned out that Cao Pi had already come up behind him, holding a short knife in his right hand.
“Why do you do this, benefactor? Don’t you know that this is the place where Guanyin Bodhisattva is located in the mortal world? Aren’t you afraid that the Bodhisattva will be angry with you for doing this? If you are willing to leave now, I can pretend that nothing happened.”
He was spouting nonsense he himself didn't believe, coughing up blood, while his magical power was rapidly draining away. But Jin Chi had no choice; he was stalling for time!
However, Jin Chi wanted to buy time, and so did Cao Pi. What if the old monk, before he died, burned his divine soul to activate all the formations? The mission might fail!
"Fortune and misfortune have no fixed gate; they are summoned by oneself. Your Buddhist community does not engage in production..."
It has to be said that when you kill someone with a sense of justice in your heart, it feels very comfortable and pleasant, and you feel no guilt at all.
"Esteemed benefactor, cough cough, benefactor..."
As he was speaking, he couldn't continue. In just a few breaths, the deadly poison on the dagger had fully taken effect.
At this point, he couldn't even muster the desperate courage he needed to fight before he died! It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough, but rather that his opponent was too formidable!