All the righteous disciples could only lament their bad luck at this point. They also had some contact with the demonic sect members led by Jin Ping'er. Both sides had their own concerns, and after some minor conflicts, no major battle broke out. They then left the Dead Swamp.
While the righteous people's attention was diverted, the Ghost King had already successfully captured the Yellow Bird. Together with the Kui Niu he had captured last time, the Ghost King's Four Spirits Blood Array had finally captured two of the spirits.
After the righteous disciples returned to their respective sects, Li Ling did not return to Qingyun Sect with Xiao Yicai and his group. Instead, he quickly went to the area where Tianyin Temple was located by himself.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
As the melodious bell tolled through Mount Sumeru, the resounding chanting of sutras also appeared in the magnificent Mahavira Hall, gradually expanding as it marked the start of the daily morning prayers at Tianyin Temple.
It was just dawn, and many disciples of Tianyin Temple had already gathered inside the Great Buddha Hall to begin their daily morning prayers.
Nearly a thousand disciples of Tianyin Temple recited Buddhist scriptures at the same time. The voices, imbued with spiritual power, spread through the air. Even though their cultivation levels differed, these voices formed a common frequency due to their shared spiritual power.
The chanting could be heard clearly for hundreds of miles.
Unlike the seclusion of Qingyun Sect deep in Qingyun Mountain and the seclusion of Fenxiang Valley in the southern border region, Tianyin Temple, although located on a mountain, is not far removed from the mortal world.
As one of the three major sects of the orthodox path, and being founded on Buddhism, it is inevitable that Tianyin Temple will emphasize worldly practice and propagation of Buddhism. Therefore, it welcomes pilgrims to come and offer incense and fulfill their vows. The flourishing of incense at the Buddhist temple is exactly what Tianyin Temple likes to see.
Thanks to the long-term efforts and management of the experts at Tianyin Temple, there are virtually no monsters to be seen within a thousand miles of the temple.
Compared to the monsters commonly found in other parts of China, this place is not only thriving in terms of population, but the people also have great faith in Tianyin Temple. Many of the disciples of Tianyin Temple come from the nearby villagers' homes.
After carefully observing the surrounding area, Li Ling did not enter Tianyin Temple directly. Instead, while the monks were doing their morning prayers, he sneaked into the back mountain alone.
Li Ling knew that the wordless jade disc containing the "Heavenly Book" was located in the back mountain of Mount Sumeru. However, the back mountain of Mount Sumeru was extremely large, and he had to carefully hide his figure to avoid being discovered by the monks of Tianyin Temple. Therefore, he searched for two days in a row but still found nothing.
However, even the vast Mount Sumeru has its limits. As time passed, Li Ling ventured deeper and deeper into Mount Sumeru, leaving fewer and fewer areas for him to explore. It seemed that finding the wordless jade disc was only a matter of time. (Sogou Bookstore)
After searching and exploring for a long time, on the fifth day, when Li Ling arrived at a certain place, a withered old monk suddenly appeared in front of him.
The old monk chanted a Buddhist prayer and asked, "Amitabha! What brings you uninvited to the back mountain of my Tianyin Temple?"
"Are you from Tianyin Temple?" Li Ling asked the old monk with a serious expression.
The old monk opposite him appeared calm, but in reality, he was pressing down on him with his aura. Therefore, Li Ling was able to easily determine that the other party was cultivating the "Great Brahma Prajna".
Seeing that Li Ling remained calm despite his full-force aura, the old monk's heart sank. He said, "Amitabha! Benefactor, you have approached the forbidden area of my Tianyin Temple. Please turn back before it's too late."
"It seems this is the location of the wordless jade disc!" Li Ling said with certainty.
“Amitabha, if you continue to pester me, I have no choice but to ask you to leave.”
"Haha!" Li Ling laughed loudly, "That's more like it! Come to think of it, I haven't really fought against any experts from Tianyin Temple yet. Today is the perfect opportunity to finally get my wish!"
"Amitabha!" The old monk stopped trying to persuade him and lowered his eyes, but his loud voice still resonated in Li Ling's ears. The seemingly calm voice was actually extremely loud and resonant.
"I'm telling you, you don't think I'm some ordinary person who can be dealt with by your little tricks, do you?"
Li Ling seemed completely unaffected by the sound that could cause internal injuries. His feet swayed, his fists clenched, and white light emanated from them. His figure seemed to shift between reality and illusion, conjuring countless images out of thin air, but his true body instantly appeared in front of the old monk and slammed down with a heavy punch!
"Amitabha! Benefactor, your Taoist cultivation is profound, so why do you need to commit this theft?" The withered old monk clasped his hands together, and a golden swastika immediately appeared in front of him, rushing towards Li Ling!
"Bang!"
Li Ling's fist slammed into the swastika, but the golden light of the swastika only dimmed for a moment before returning to normal. Then it continued to push towards Li Ling, causing him to stagger back seven or eight steps before regaining his footing.
"What a formidable monk! I never imagined that Tianyin Temple would have such a master as you. But that punch I just received must have been quite painful!" Li Ling said with a smile, looking at the old monk.
Upon hearing Li Ling's words, the withered old monk's expression changed slightly. At this moment, a white fist mark was clearly visible on his monk's robe.
Li Ling's punch just now seemed simple, but it was actually incredibly varied. It even pierced through the old monk's "Great Brahma Prajna" which he had cultivated for hundreds of years and struck him directly.
Fortunately, although his body appeared frail, the Great Brahma Prajna was actually the most effective of the three major orthodox cultivation methods for strengthening the body, so he was not greatly affected.
After a long silence, the withered old monk finally said, "Amitabha, please forgive my ignorance, but I have never seen such a punch from you before in my hundreds of years of experience in the Dao. I do not know what it is called!"
"Hehe, of course you haven't seen it before!" Li Ling replied with a smile, "This is just a set of fist techniques that I came up with based on the Seven Injury Fist, and after continuous improvement, combined with the techniques of countless fist energies and magic powers. This is the first time I've used it in this world."
After a moment of silence, the old monk finally spoke, praising, "It is truly beyond my expectations that you, benefactor, possess such cultivation at such a young age, and have even created such an outstanding fist technique."
Then, he changed the subject, saying, "But with your talent, why bother with such espionage? Although I admire talent, you are after the treasure of my Tianyin Temple, so I have no choice but to be impolite!"
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Chapter 375: Success
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple!" Li Ling became wary, realizing that this old monk's cultivation was slightly higher than Shangguan Ce's.
Moreover, the Sumeru Back Mountain here is not like the Xuanhuo Altar. If there is any commotion, it will probably attract the other monks of Tianyin Temple. Therefore, this operation is much more troublesome than dealing with Shangguan Ce.
"Fortunately, I was prepared!" Li Ling thought to himself, "They should be finding it soon!"
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, a white figure darted swiftly through the woods. In this tangled forest, this wooden puppet with Li Ling's special features was like a fish in water.
With just a light touch of its toes on the tree, it had already dashed far away like a fluttering butterfly. Even the most agile monkey would probably not be as adept at this in the forest.
The terrain behind Mount Sumeru is magnificent, with towering mountains. To be honest, it is not easy to find a hidden, wordless jade disc in this forest. If the old monk had not taken the initiative to appear, Li Ling would not have been able to discover the direction of the Boundless Jade Disc so quickly.
Now, the wooden puppet made by Li Ling followed the path of the withered old monk. After a simple identification of the path, it had already traveled more than a hundred miles in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and arrived at the foot of a cliff!
Seeing the cliff, the wooden puppet jumped down and landed on a platform below!
A transparent stone wall, tens of meters high, stands silently in front of the wooden puppet, as if it had been carved over countless years, and it even reflects the stunning scenery of the entire Mount Sumeru.
Every mountain, river, blade of grass, and tree was within sight. Even in a tiny corner, two figures could be seen locked in a fierce battle, locked in a close contest. They were none other than Li Ling and the old monk.
He took out a piece of jade. Inside this jade was the power of the "Heavenly Book" that Li Ling had previously infused into it. Under the stimulation of the power of the "Heavenly Book", one character after another slowly appeared on the jade wall. It was the fourth volume of the "Heavenly Book"!
The contents of the "Heavenly Book" on the Boundless Jade Wall were recorded and transmitted into the recording jade. The wooden puppet did not linger and quickly left, while Li Ling was still fighting the old monk.