diskusbooks #457 - Chapter 457
#457 - Chapter 457
At this time, Jie Kong also found new clues about his background within the territory of Northern Zhou. This clue pointed to a large mountain near Yuan Du, so he came to Zhong Wu Ye to discuss it.
Zhong Wu Ye had just returned to Yuan Du City when he received a message from Jie Kong. The two met at a secluded small restaurant.
“This is truly an earth-shattering discovery!”
Zhong Wu Ye took the ancient bronze token from Jie Kong's hand, carefully examined it, and couldn't help but exclaim.
The palm-sized bronze token was as bright as a mirror. The carved Qilin in the middle was vivid, domineering, and lifelike.
A circle of small characters was carved around the edge of the token, said to record the pass code. At the center of the token, at the fangs, were embedded two rubies, shining brightly in the sunlight.
“That’s right, I accidentally discovered this thing while cultivating,” Jie Kong nodded, his expression solemn: “Judging from the patterns on it, it should be the legendary Kyushu Travel Token. Moreover, I have checked the information, and it seems to be related to an ancient temple nearby.”
“Ancient temple? You mean…” Zhong Wu Ye's eyes lit up.
“That’s right, the Lingyun Ancient Temple on Lingyun Mountain in the northern suburbs of Yuan Du.”
Jie Kong nodded solemnly: “Legend has it that in front of the ancient temple's gate, there is a carved lion statue, and the core is filled with this kind of travel token. If the token can be reinstalled inside the lion, another door can be opened, and there might be secrets about my background inside…”
Zhong Wu Ye couldn't help but slam the table and stand up: “That's great! We'll go to Lingyun Ancient Temple to explore and maybe find a breakthrough!”
…
The sound of footsteps, like a lone boat, echoed in the silent forest.
Jie Kong, dressed in a green robe, moved quickly on the verdant forest path. A beam of dazzling sunlight shone through the dense branches and leaves, casting a dazzling spot of light on his thin body.
Jie Kong quickened his pace and soon walked out of the lush forest. A solitary peak suddenly came into view. It was an ancient and majestic mountain, its steep peaks looming in the clouds, extremely mysterious. On the mountainside, there was a flying-eaved ancient temple built against the mountain and beside the water, the entire temple seemingly integrated with the heaven and earth.
“It seems that this is the ancient temple,” Jie Kong murmured to himself, walking straight towards the temple.
Soon, he arrived at the mountain gate of the ancient temple.
The mountain gate was extremely tall and majestic, stacked with hundreds of large wooden Suanni beasts. In front of the high Dougong gate on the front was carved a huge Tang lion head, with its teeth and claws bared, ferocious and terrifying. Jie Kong gasped, but he did not hesitate, and directly pushed open the heavy door and walked in.
Inside the ancient temple, incense wafted faintly, and green smoke curled up.
Although he could only vaguely see the abbot and others chanting scriptures and burning incense there, the quiet and devout atmosphere suddenly calmed Jie Kong's heart. He couldn't help but look around, and saw that the eaves of the ancient temple were covered with moss, and the curves of the Buddha statues appeared particularly gentle and elegant.
“Junior Brother Jie Kong!”
At this moment, a loud voice came, interrupting Jie Kong's surprise. He followed the sound and saw a middle-aged monk in a yellow robe walking quickly out of the Buddha hall, waving to him with a happy face.
Jie Kong saw the man's appearance, and his whole body couldn't help but froze. At first glance, this middle-aged monk looked quite amiable and kind, with a kind face and gentle smile lines at the corners of his eyes. But on closer inspection, he couldn't help but shudder.
Because the monk's face was extremely rugged and solemn, his eyes were like hot irons, bright and piercing, even revealing a bit of sharpness. This was clearly a high monk with unparalleled martial arts!
He walked up to him and smiled faintly: “I am Jie Chen, Junior Brother. What, after so many years, you don’t recognize me anymore?”
Jie Kong was stunned, then nodded as if he suddenly understood:
“Long time no see, Senior Brother!”
The two brothers exchanged greetings for a moment,
I found a clue in the territory of Northern Zhou, pointing to this ancient temple.” As he said, he took out a strange object and placed it in his palm.
It was actually a bronze token, with a vivid and domineering Qilin statue carved in the middle. In the eyes of the Qilin, there were two blood-red gems embedded, shining brightly in the light of the glazed lamps.
“This is the clue I obtained.” Jie Kong's expression was solemn, and a pair of eyes revealed a bit of caution and vigilance: “I have checked the information, this token is the travel token used by the Kyushu Sanxian. According to rumors, a travel token like this was once installed in the lion statue in front of our ancient temple's mountain gate! Senior Brother, do you know the key to this?”
Jie Chen's face sank. He looked at the old token in Jie Kong's hand, his eyes shifted for a while, then he took a deep breath and said solemnly: “Junior Brother, what you said is very close to the truth. That Qilin Token is the most important treasure of our ancient temple.”
Jie Kong nodded, and then asked with trepidation: “Then Senior Brother, do you know the whereabouts of this token?”
Jie Chen's face was heavy, and he slowly shook his head: “The experience of this token being lost and found can be described as bumpy. Back then, Master worked so hard to find it back, but lost it again during a trip.”
Jie Kong's face was solemn, and his eyes revealed a bit of determination: “In that case, I must find the true whereabouts of this token! Senior Brother, please give me some advice.”
Jie Chen stared at Jie Kong, a trace of appreciation flashed in his eyes, and then he said earnestly: “A mere token, why is it worth mentioning? However, obtaining the mysteries it carries is a great test.”
As he spoke, his face involuntarily became solemn, and he looked around the entire ancient temple, murmuring:
“The ancient temple has been unattended for many years and is full of dust. But this last important task will eventually be shouldered by someone. Jie Kong, are you willing to stay here temporarily and help me repair this dilapidated ancient temple? When the mechanism is repaired, the token will naturally appear.”
Jie Kong did not hesitate, and immediately knelt on one knee respectfully, and said loudly: “Junior Brother is willing!”
Seeing this, Jie Chen just smiled faintly, his expression showing no joy or anger. He patted Jie Kong's shoulder heavily and said in a deep voice: “Okay, then practice well here. The restoration of the ancient temple will take time. When the time comes, we will make plans.”
…
A few days later.
A faint fragrance wafted in the air. In the quiet inner hall of the ancient temple, Jie Chen was sitting on a futon, meditating. At this moment, a sound of footsteps came from outside, breaking the silence of the room.
Jie Chen slowly opened his eyes and saw Jie Kong walking in quickly, his face solemn. He stood in front of Jie Chen, bowed respectfully, and said, “Senior Brother, the situation is urgent!”
Jie Chen nodded and said in a faint tone: “Don't panic, tell me.”
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Jie Kong swallowed and said solemnly: “Actually, the Nightmare Demon who attacked Ciyin Temple back then seems to be reappearing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jie Chen's body suddenly stiffened. The candlelight also seemed to be aware of something and flickered a few times. After a long time, he sighed heavily, his eyes drooping, full of self-blame: “Yes, it was that Nightmare Demon who caused the tragedy back then, and even hurt you deeply, I still feel guilty.”
Jie Kong shook his head and was about to comfort him, but Jie Chen had already raised his heavy eyes and stared at him deeply: “I was corrupted by the Nightmare Demon back then, and I beat you, I deserve to die. Since then, I have no face to face you anymore. I have retired to this mountain and practiced hard for many years, only hoping that one day I can personally get rid of the Nightmare Demon who caused our master and apprentice to lose our lives, then I will have a chance to make amends.”
Jie Kong waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of sincerity: “Senior Brother, don’t blame yourself. I already understand your situation that day, and I know that you were devastated at the time and were not yourself at all. As long as you can cheer up now, I will be satisfied.”
Jie Chen was still full of guilt, and lowered his head sadly.
Seeing this, Jie Kong couldn't help but become anxious, fearing that he would be affected again, so he quickly said: “Senior Brother, in any case, this time I will fight alongside Senior Brother Zhong. When the time comes, we will work together to wipe out that Nightmare Demon, sweep away the past shadows, and recreate the future, why not?”
Jie Chen pondered for a long time before slowly raising his head. The guilt in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented persistence and firmness. He looked at Jie Kong with burning eyes, and said in a firm and powerful tone: “No, this time I want to rely on my own strength. If I just rely on you and Junior Brother Zhong like this, when will it be over? I must personally get rid of that Nightmare Demon to truly resolve the knot in my heart!”
Jie Kong was stunned and wanted to persuade him again, but he saw that Jie Chen had already stood up, his whole person exuding an unprecedented tenacity: “Jie Kong, please watch from the sidelines for now, and when I am ready, I will take action myself! I must take on this battle alone!”
After the words fell, he strode away without looking back, and soon disappeared between the heavy and winding corridors. Jie Kong looked at his receding figure and couldn't help but feel a little worried. But fearing that he would hinder his senior brother's courage to make a decision, he finally had to give up.
Not long after, Zhong Wu Ye also arrived at this ancient temple and stayed in the temple with Jie Kong. The two were discussing how to assist Jie Chen when they suddenly heard a violent commotion erupt in the courtyard!
Zhong Wu Ye and Jie Kong exchanged glances, hardened their hearts and kicked open the door. They saw smoke and dust billowing in the courtyard, and a strange black air pervading everywhere! Jie Chen was alone, fighting and entangled with a half-human, half-beast monster. It was the form transformed by the Nightmare Demon back then!
Zhong Wu Ye and Jie Kong naturally knew that the power of this Nightmare Demon was very terrifying, and ordinary people like Jie Chen could not handle it at all. As expected, Jie Chen was retreating steadily in the fight with the monster, and was obviously in a desperate situation!
Seeing this, Zhong Wu Ye was shocked and immediately drew his sword and was about to rush forward, and Jie Kong followed closely behind. But at this moment, Jie Chen suddenly turned his head, his eyes like a raging fire, and stopped the two of them: “Don't be nosy! This is my own business, I must suppress it with my own strength!”
After saying that, he gritted his teeth and pounced on the ferocious Nightmare Demon again. Zhong Wu Ye and Jie Kong had to sigh secretly and reluctantly retreated to the side to watch. However, at this moment, the Nightmare Demon suddenly let out a earth-shattering roar, and actually spewed out a cloud of dark evil energy from its mouth! Jie Chen was caught off guard and directly endured this resounding black mist!
“Not good!” Zhong Wu Ye was shocked and quickly gathered his energy to dissolve the black air. But the black air had surged like a wild wave, instantly engulfing him and Jie Kong! The three of them fell into a bitter battle in this black mist!
The black mist spread, instantly engulfing Jie Chen, Zhong Wu Ye, and Jie Kong. The three fell into a bitter battle, struggling to fight against the Nightmare Demon.
Jie Chen gritted his teeth, his figure wandering and rolling in the black air. Although his attacks were fierce, the Nightmare Demon was, after all, incredibly powerful, and he couldn't do anything to it at all. Soon, he fell into a predicament, his mouth and nose were invaded by the black mist, and his movements became more and more sluggish.
At this moment, a roar came from the black mist: “Senior Brother Jie Chen! What are you doing?” It was Jie Kong's voice.
Jie Chen's heart was shocked, and he suddenly realized that this was a critical moment of life and death. However, at this critical moment, an inexplicable jealousy ignited in his heart!
For many years, he had actually been secretly jealous of Jie Kong. As a junior brother, Jie Kong's qualifications were much more outstanding than his, and his strength had long surpassed him. Now, he had even obtained the treasure of the Kyushu Travel Token, and his future was limitless.
And what about himself? He had once been corrupted by the Nightmare Demon and hurt his junior brother; after that, he retreated to this place, unable to support the younger generation. As a senior brother, it was simply a shame! Whenever he saw his junior brother becoming more and more excellent, his inferior heart would become more jealous and angry.
However, just as this resentment blinded his mind, the scene of the tragedy many years ago reappeared in his mind: back then, he, who had been corrupted by the Nightmare Demon, kicked the innocent junior brother; now, it was his willfulness that made his junior brother fall into danger again.
What am I doing?! Jie Chen suddenly woke up, and a few tips echoed in his mind: “The Dao is not the same, there is no distinction between noble and humble gentlemen!”
Yes, he and Jie Kong were master and apprentice brothers, and there should be no jealousy! His stubbornness over the years was all his fault, and if he didn't cheer up now, he was afraid that the tragedy of many years ago would repeat itself!
Thinking of this, Jie Chen's heart suddenly became clear, and the jealousy in his heart completely subsided. He took a deep breath, circulated the purple energy in his dantian, condensed a huge handprint, and blew away all the surrounding black mist with a whoosh!
“Junior Brother! I'm here to help you!” Jie Chen shouted, fighting side by side with Jie Kong. The two masters and apprentices were of one mind and cooperated seamlessly, actually forcing the Nightmare Demon into a desperate situation!
At this moment, Zhong Wu Ye finally rushed out with his sword, and the three gathered together and displayed the extremely profound “Peacock Opening Screen” formation! The three energies, one turbid and one pure, intertwined together, transforming into a huge peacock phantom, circling in the air.
The Nightmare Demon was shocked when it saw this, and frantically spewed out black mist, trying to break through, but the peacock's divine light flashed, and the black air was completely dissolved. Immediately afterwards, the peacock phantom flapped its wings and flew high, transforming into thousands of golden lights, covering down, and suppressing the Nightmare Demon in place!
The three took the opportunity to attack, jointly launching an unparalleled and supreme strike, and finally completely destroyed the Nightmare Demon that had been rampant for many years and wreaked havoc on the world!
When the black mist dissipated and the first ray of sunlight shone on the ancient temple again, the three had collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Jie Chen let out a long breath and gave Jie Kong a relieved smile.
And just like that, the obstruction from many years ago was finally cast aside. Jie Chen looked at his disciple, whom he was so proud of, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He finally understood that everyone has their own life trajectory, and jealousy would only lead him further and further astray. With today's experience, he finally regained his spirit and would henceforth guide this excellent disciple upwards without any reservations.