Chapter 178 The Incense is Poisonous
Zhongzhou—just hearing the name tells you that this place is a vast land located in the center of the ninety-nine states of the Great Qian Dynasty.
In addition to the governors of each of the thirteen provinces of Zhongzhou, there was also a governor-general of Zhongzhou who was in charge of matters concerning the vast territory of the entire province.
However, while the governor-general could control the provincial governor, he could not appoint or dismiss the provincial governor at will.
All officials at the governor level were appointed and dismissed directly by the imperial court.
Even so, the governor of a prefecture still wielded immense authority and was a true regional official.
The Governor's Office of Zhongzhou was not located elsewhere, but in Taikang Province, which was located slightly north of Zhongzhou.
The capital city of "Taikang Province" is a household name throughout the ninety-nine prefectures of the Great Qian Dynasty; everyone knows it.
For no other reason than this, the Great Zen Temple, renowned for thousands of years, with its flourishing incense offerings, the spectacle of horses lighting incense, and its magnificent halls spanning thousands of rooms, is located in the Taishi Mountain of Taikang Province.
However, although the Great Zen Temple is located in Taikang Province, its reputation far surpasses that of the province and even the entire Central Plains. People from outside the region know about the Great Zen Temple of Central Plains when they mention Central Plains.
However, the Great Zen Temple has long since been destroyed, leaving only ruins.
In the pitch-black night, the stars twinkled in the sky, and gusts of night wind blew through the cool air, whistling through the mountains and forests.
Awooo, awooo!
A mournful howl of wolves echoed from the depths of the mountains. Then, howls reverberated from all directions, creating a chilling atmosphere.
Click!
Lin Yi moved his feet, walking step by step, and broke a tile. He bent down and picked up the broken tile, finding that it was a dark blue-black, very sturdy iron tile.
The patterns carved on it have been worn away by the erosion of time, leaving only countless spots, which is why it has become fragile and cannot withstand the force of people stepping on it.
"The marks of time! The ancient temple, which has stood for a thousand years, is now just a pile of ruins."
Looking at the surrounding environment, Lin Yi sighed.
Looking around, all that could be seen on the ground were ruins and rubble, stretching all the way to the other side of the mountain. Occasionally, there were huge iron incense burners, stone cauldrons, lifelike stone Buddha statues, and huge rotten pieces of wood.
These ruins testify to the former glory of the Zen monastery nestled in these mountains!
Lin Yi even saw a huge mountain wall that had been cut open and carved with a half-body statue of Buddha. One of the Buddha's toes was as tall as a person! A person standing on his body could only look up at him!
This enormous Buddha statue was carved from half a mountain. You can imagine how much manpower, material resources, and financial resources it must have taken.
Not far ahead was a huge square that was at least ten or twenty thousand steps long!
The square was paved with solid bluestone, but it was full of potholes and deep footprints.
These deep footprints, a full foot deep, were clearly made by someone using force to trample them.
These remaining traces all bear witness to the former glory of Dachan Temple.
As soon as Lin Yi stepped onto the training ground, a tremendous, invisible force descended from the sky with a loud "boom".
He looked up and saw an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin, holding a cane, appearing about ten feet in the sky. This old woman looked like the venerable elder of a wealthy family.
Especially noteworthy is the seven halos behind the old woman's head.
These seven halos are very obvious, each with a different color, just like the halos behind the heads of Taoist deities and Buddhas in temples!
Such a scene easily leads one to believe that the old woman is a deity from heaven who has descended to earth!
Especially as the halo moved, a powerful spiritual and soul pressure permeated the entire space, giving people the feeling that was no different from that of those high and mighty gods.
The old woman looked down at Lin Yi, who was standing on the ground, and said, "So you've been hiding here. You're a remnant of the Great Zen Temple. No wonder you're being hunted down by the Supreme Dao. Your head is worth a lot of money."
Lin Yi examined the seven halos behind the old woman's head and asked calmly, "Eternal Mother? Are you alone? Why didn't the Vacuum Dharma King come?"
The old woman in mid-air said disdainfully, "Killing you is enough for me alone. Anyone who dares to provoke the Wusheng Dao will surely die without a burial place."
Lin Yi shook his head and said, "Even if Meng Shenji, the head of the Supreme Dao, or Yang Pan, the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, stood in front of me, they wouldn't dare to make such boastful claims. The incense is poisonous and has already corrupted your soul."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stretched out his right hand and reached out to grab at the air.
The primordial energy of heaven and earth converged and transformed into a gigantic hand, as if it were about to pluck stars and seize the moon.
This is the Primordial Qi Hunyuan Capturing Hand.
The seven halos behind the Eternal Mother's head shook violently, and waves of immense, invisible pressure emanated from all sides, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Her eyes flashed with a fierce light as she stared intently at Lin Yi, looking extremely surprised. She muttered to herself and moved as if she were about to take flight from the sky!
A spiritual light shone from Lin Yi's Taixu robe, and the Primordial Chaos Array of Innate Qi flew out from it, enhancing the Capturing Hand.
In an instant, this enormous hand swept across the sky, covering the stars and moon, bringing endless darkness.
"Ah, Doumu Yuanling, dragon smoke protects me, the Crimson Emperor God guards my body!"
At this critical moment, the Eternal Mother screamed, steadied herself, and fought with all her might!
As her body settled, the outermost layer of crimson halo behind her head suddenly expanded violently, bursting outwards like a balloon, and with a deafening roar, it pushed aside the hurricane-like airflow.
In an instant, the crimson halo transformed into a figure dressed in crimson robes, wearing a crimson crown, and with many crimson ribbons around his waist. His aura was like that of an ancient holy emperor, a true god revered by thousands. He descended fiercely and threw a punch, directly meeting the Innate Qi Hunyuan Capturing Hand.
The immense force collided, creating a shockwave. A fierce wind swept across the ruins of the Great Zen Temple, lifting countless shards of stone and tiles. In the distance, several earthen walls collapsed with a bang as the wind blew them down!
The large earthen bricks of the earthen wall were also blown into the air, and then fell heavily back down, crashing to the ground with a terrifying sound.