Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 124: Realm of True Void

When they actually began their attack on the White Lotus Temple, Yue Hongling felt grateful that she had exercised caution when investigating the temple earlier and had not taken any direct action.

Although the temple appeared to only have a few hundred monks, each one of them was actually a formidable warrior. Fa Yuan and Gong Chaoqun were evenly matched, and to everyone’s surprise, despite being caught off guard and forced to defend hastily, they managed to hold their ground against the full-scale assault of the Demon Suppression Bureau! As they fought, they managed to gradually retreat toward the back of the temple.

If not for the hundreds of archers provided by the army for support, the Demon Suppression Bureau alone would not have been able to clean out this troublesome hideout. It was no wonder Gong Chaoqun often found his hands tied when dealing with the affairs of the Maitreya Cult.

Yue Hongling found it difficult to understand why the monks of the White Lotus Temple were so strong.

The Maitreya Cult was not like the major sects and clans that nurtured their disciples from a young age, nor was it like the Demon Suppression Bureau, which carefully selected talented individuals to join their ranks.

The Maitreya Cult’s recruits came from all walks of life. Some were criminals, while others were innocent civilians. Only a portion of them even had any martial skills before joining the cult. The majority of them were poor farmers or fishermen, and many of them were already adults or even middle-aged when they joined. Despite that, they somehow managed to train these recruits from diverse backgrounds, with varying levels of talent, to reach at least the first or second layer of the Profound Gate. There were even a select few who reached the sixth and seventh layers.

Yue Hongling was completely baffled thinking of how they had achieved this level of cultivation in such a short time

Are all of them like Zhao Changhe?

Additionally, due to their doctrine of “killing to achieve enlightenment,” these monks were all extremely fierce and fearless warriors. Each one of them had shed blood and taken lives; they were not your average peaceful monks.

There were many more branches of the Maitreya Cult throughout Jiangnan, and it was reasonable to assume that they all had some measure of power. If they were to rise up and revolt, it would truly be a cataclysmic event.

Even just the White Lotus Temple alone made Yue Hongling doubt whether the archers outside could stop them if Fa Yuan decided to flee. Then...what about the entire Jiangnan?

Swish!

Yue Hongling slashed the throat of a member of the Maitreya Cult with her sword, but then she immediately winced and clutched her shoulder.

While the shoulder injury was no longer hindering her mobility much, it still affected her performance more than she had anticipated. Actual combat was proving to be more challenging than she expected.

She looked up to see Fa Yuan leading a few core monks, fighting while retreating up the mountainside under the relentless assault of Gong Chaoqun and the others.

It was late at night, so it would be easy for them to escape once they made it into the forested mountains. Zhao Changhe had plenty of experience in this regard, so he knew that very well.

We can’t allow the key figure to get away!

Yue Hongling clenched her teeth, ignoring the sharp pain in her shoulder. She propelled herself into the air and thrust her longsword forward, aiming to stop Fa Yuan from escaping.

Fa Yuan was still engaged in combat with Gong Chaoqun. He knew that Gong Chaoqun was truly formidable, and he was not confident in coming out on top if they were to duel. They were in an incredibly difficult situation. Their opponent’s momentum was overwhelming them, and their own side was in disarray. Regardless, Fa Yuan was confident that he could escape. With the cover of the night, as long as he found an opportunity to make it into the forest...

He raised his jiedao[1], and a dazzling light enveloped Gong Chaoqun. This was the Maitreya Cult’s secret art, White Lotus Purifies the World.

Gong Chaoqun shifted his weight slightly backward, focusing on his sword vigilantly.

He knew how powerful this strike was. Thousands of illusions attacked simultaneously, with each lotus petal acting as a blade. He had to maintain a steady state of mind and break through the illusions to withstand the attack.

However, just as he took a half step back, the blade light suddenly disappeared, and Fa Yuan had already retreated. It was actually a feint!

“It looks like the Demon Suppression Bureau is nothing special! Hahahaha— Aaah!”

Fa Yuan’s words were cut short as a sword descended toward him under the moonlight. Yue Hongling’s figure appeared like the moon goddess under the full moon, striking down at Fa Yuan from above.

Clang!

Fayuan fiercely blocked the strike with his jiedao, forced to halt his escape. He cursed in anger, “Yue Hongling! You better not let yourself fall into my hands or I’ll force you to kneel on the ground and beg me like a dog—”

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow shot through the sky like a meteor, accompanied by a terrifying whistling sound. The arrow pierced through the air, coming straight for his throat!

Fa Yuan did not have the time to finish his threat. He swiftly twisted his torso, doing his best to protect his vitals. In the end, the arrow grazed his shoulder, taking a large chunk of flesh with it. Blood sprayed from the grievous-looking wound.

Yue Hongling’s lips curled into a faint smile. Nevertheless, she was unrelenting as she launched another strike at Fa Yuan.

Meanwhile, Gong Chaoqun was already behind Fa Yuan, and the tip of his sword pointed directly at Fa Yuan’s back.

With attacks converging from three directions, how could Fa Yuan possibly dodge everything?

Blood sprayed from his left shoulder and back as Yue Hongling’s strike landed. Fa Yuan stumbled to the side, shouting angrily, “The Maitreya descends, achieving enlightenment through slaughter!”

As he uttered those words, other high-ranking monks nearby who were resisting the Demon Suppression Bureau chanted simultaneously, “The Maitreya descends, achieving enlightenment through slaughter...”

“Unborn Venerable Mother, Realm of True Void...”

Just as Yue Hongling was about to deliver another blow to Fa Yuan, she saw a monk with bloodshot eyes rush at her like a madman.

Yue Hongling thrust her sword into the monk’s chest, hoping to force him back. But to her surprise, the monk did not dodge at all. He allowed her blade to pierce his chest and then grabbed hold of her sword tightly.

He’s gone mad...

Yue Hongling tried retracting her sword from the monk’s torso, but she couldn’t.

She turned to look around and realized that all the monks had gone mad.

Each of them used their own body to block the weapons of the Demon Suppression Bureau, holding on tightly and refusing to let go.

These individuals were no longer just fanatics; fanatics still knew pain, but these guys seemed to have lost even their ability to feel pain. No...they were barely even people. They were slaves, beasts whose rationality had been stripped away by some secret art, willing to sacrifice everything for their faith.

Was this their Realm of True Void, their ultimate bliss?

Well, from a certain point of view, it was bliss, since they couldn’t even feel pain anymore.

As the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau tried to recover their weapons, Fa Yuan took advantage of the chaos and disappeared into the forested mountains.

Gong Chaoqun was naturally furious. “Search the mountains! He’s heavily wounded! He can’t run far!”

Yue Hongling grabbed her shoulder and took a few deep breaths. The clash with Fa Yuan had aggravated her injury. She had been suppressing the pain, but she could not suppress it any longer. Her wound reopened and began bleeding profusely.

When she thought of the timely support of that arrow, Yue Hongling felt some indescribable emotions in her heart. She raised her head and looked toward the temple, searching for Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe had not participated in the siege because he had his own set of opponents to deal with—primarily the flower-picking celestial maiden.

When he fired the arrow, he had already restrained the flower-picking celestial maiden. He had only managed to provide long-range support, because he didn’t have the time to rush over. By the time he could reach them, the situation had suddenly changed and Fa Yuan had already escaped.

Zhao Changhe pressed Dragon Bird down on the celestial maiden’s shoulder, forcing her to kneel on the ground helplessly. He sighed and said, “Fa Yuan threatened Yue Hongling with such cruel words, yet you’re the one kneeling now... Isn’t it unfair? You aren’t the one who caused all this mess, but you’re still being punished.”

Yue Hongling, who had been about to approach Zhao Changhe for a discussion, paused and looked at him with a complex expression, deciding to stay back temporarily.

In fact, Zhao Changhe did intend to take revenge on Yue Hongling’s behalf, but that was not his sole motivation.

Based on their previous interactions, he felt that the flower-picking celestial maiden’s faith was not as fanatical as the others. She had shown that she knew to act according to the circumstances, which indicated that she was not blindly devoted to the cult. This act of pinning her down was also a test. If she was as fanatical as those suicidal zealots, she would never kneel and instead choose to end her life with Dragon Bird.

However, she had chosen to kneel, indicating that she was not as irredeemable as those zealots. She could be persuaded to surrender.

But then, the flower-picking celestial maiden said, “Our cult has always treated you well. We simply wanted you to join us. Why do you resist us so strongly?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Join you? You want me to send myself to my death like those beasts?”

The celestial maiden was startled and said softly, “No, you won’t become like them... You’re a hidden dragon with boundless potential. The cult would nurture you differently.”

“Is that really so? They sent you, disguised as Miss Yue, to ‘preach’ to me. But your true intention was to take control of me.”

The celestial maiden said, “Those things are completely different... Forget it, if that’s how you choose to see it, there is no point in arguing.”

Zhao Changhe said, “I do not want to argue with you. I think that you are different from them. You have not been brainwashed into a fool or a lunatic like them, and we can still communicate. Let me tell you frankly, with the injuries Fa Yuan sustained just now, there is no way he can escape Gong Chaoqun’s encirclement. If we can’t find him, it means there must be hidden caves or tunnels in the mountains. I strongly suspect that everyone is still searching in the mountains, while he is already several li away by now.”

The celestial maiden’s gaze flickered with surprise.

Zhao Changhe said, “So I’m not wrong, am I? Come on, after all these years, there must be hidden caves or something like that in the area. As long as you tell me where the secret passage is, I can make the decision to spare your life. You can change your identity and live somewhere else in the future, never getting involved with the Maitreya Cult again. Seeing the fate of those people, do you really not feel any disgust toward the Maitreya Cult? You know you’re just a tool for them. When things go wrong, they will send you to die without even blinking.”

The celestial maiden found the situation incredibly strange. “You... You could have tortured me mercilessly, or at least said some harsh things to me as Fa Yuan did to Yue Hongling. Why are you choosing to spare me and even advising me to change?”

Zhao Changhe blushed a bit, and he whispered to her, “Well... You once helped me hug her for a moment and let me enjoy a bit of her fragrance.”

The celestial maiden’s eyes widened, and her frightened expression from being held as a captive nearly completely disappeared. She could barely hold herself back from bursting out in laughter.

Zhao Changhe, feeling embarrassed, threatened her, “Tell me quickly, or I’ll really resort to torture!”

“There’s no need for that,” she chuckled. “Not only do I know where the secret passage is, I can even take you there right now.”

Zhao Changhe asked in surprise, “Why are you so cooperative?”

“Because you’re right, I don’t want to end up like them in the future.” The celestial maiden smiled. Then, she added playfully, “And... you’re quite adorable. It turns out that the person that others see as the Bloodthirsty Asura is actually such a cute little brother... Plus, I’m definitely not just a tool.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Zhao Changhe felt a little embarrassed and subconsciously looked around, only to be surprised to find Yue Hongling standing nearby, eavesdropping.

Zhao Changhe: “...When did you get here?”

“Just now.” Yue Hongling walked over expressionlessly and, for whatever reason, kicked the flower-picking celestial maiden in the leg. “Where is the secret passage? Hurry up and tell us.”

Did she really just get here?

Zhao Changhe tilted his head and acted like he didn’t know anything.

The celestial maiden smiled and said, “Actually, there is an underground secret chamber and passage within the temple. It’s used for secret rituals and as an escape route to the back of the mountain. Your arrival caught them off guard, so they did not have the time to enter the passage and could only retreat to the back mountain first. That being said, if he goes through the passage now, he’ll come out inside the temple. If you solely focus on searching the mountain, he might escape from here.”

Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling exchanged a glance, and the small embarrassment in their hearts instantly dissipated.

The celestial maiden added, “By the way, there are many recovery items down there. The methods of recovery that our cult has far exceed your imagination. I suggest you not give him a chance and act as soon as possible.”

1. This is a Buddhist monk’s knife. It has a long rectangular blade with a single sharpened edge. Search “戒刀” for a better image. ☜