Chapter 565

Chapter 565: Meeting Formless Again

Ling Mountain Temple, the holy site of the Western Buddhist Realm.

The foremost temple of the Buddhist sect!

Although Ling Mountain Temple is neither the largest nor the most powerful among the many temples of the Western Buddhist Sect, and cannot compare to Tianlong Temple, Fayuan Temple, Guangji Temple, and others, its esteemed position in the hearts of billions of monks and devotees has remained unshaken for millennia!

Ling Mountain Temple is nestled at the foot of a golden mountain, constructed entirely from materials sourced from the nearby Mount Ling. This seamless integration of temple and mountain creates a harmonious and majestic sight.

The most striking feature is undoubtedly the giant Buddha statue seated upon a Lian Tai.

This colossal statue, standing over a hundred zhang tall, resides within the temple, backed by the imposing presence of Mount Ling. Its surface shimmers faintly with a golden light, and its half-closed eyes seem to reflect deep contemplation, evoking feelings of profundity, grandeur, compassion, and benevolence.

This is the renowned Ling Mountain Buddha!

The Spirit Mountain Conference, held every three years, takes place in front of this great Buddha statue of the West.

It is said that the Ling Mountain Buddha itself is a top-tier Buddhist treasure, radiating an aura that spans thousands of miles, intimidating all evil spirits and magical spirits!

Notably, the Western Buddhist Realm offers little refuge for evil spirits, and disturbances by magical beasts are rare, making it a land of peace and purity.

As Ling Mountain Temple is a sacred site of the Buddhist sect, before the Spirit Mountain Conference officially begins, over a hundred representatives from the Taoist sect, including Wang Chen, are not permitted to enter immediately. Instead, they are guided by the temple’s host to stay in the courtyards.

Surrounding Ling Mountain Temple are hundreds of large and small courtyards, capable of accommodating ten times the number of Taoist representatives with ease.

Wang Chen, as the chief representative, was assigned an independent small courtyard.

At the same time, the temple host informed Wang Chen and the others that the Spirit Mountain Conference, originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow, would be postponed for three days due to certain reasons.

This meant everyone would need to stay here for three more days.

“I wonder what these monks are up to!”

After settling in, Wang Chen and Xu Yingyi reconvened to discuss their next steps.

According to Xu Yingyi, he had attended the Spirit Mountain Conference many times before, but this was the first time he encountered such complications. He felt something was amiss but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“In any case, everyone should proceed with caution…”

Wang Chen thought for a moment and said, “If there’s no urgent matter, it’s best not to venture out. Stay in the courtyards and wait for the conference to begin.”

With the situation unclear, they could only take things one step at a time.

That evening, after enjoying the vegetarian meal delivered by the temple’s novice monks, Wang Chen went to the small courtyard to relax and digest.

Ling Mountain Temple had prepared a vegetarian feast for them.

While the Buddhist sect generally abstains from meat, many monks still partake, and some even indulge in cruelty and killing.

However, the monks of Ling Mountain Temple are an exception; many are ascetic monks who typically consume no meat, dedicating most of their time to Buddhist practice.

Because of this, Ling Mountain Temple has historically produced many great monks and Yuan Ying-level Vajras in abundance.

This made one hesitant to act carelessly.

The vegetarian cuisine at Ling Mountain Temple is of exceptional quality; even without meat, the ingredients are meticulously selected and prepared to perfection, offering a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Coupled with the abundant spiritual energy contained within the ingredients, Wang Chen found himself needing to practice the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method twice after finishing a meal!

He made the most of these precious food ingredients!

Just as Wang Chen was about to conclude his practice after completing his Vajra Fist routine, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation rise in his heart.

He suddenly turned around and saw an old monk, whose face bore the marks of time and who carried a tattered Buddhist lantern, standing just ten steps away.

Memories flooded Wang Chen’s mind, and he blurted out, "Master Formless!"

This old monk was the great monk Wang Chen had encountered at the Yunyang Sect while clearing Evil Spirits at the graveyard years ago.

The term "great monk" is often used to mock certain monks who are unworthy of the title, but Wang Chen understood very well that Formless truly deserved the honor!

The mental techniques for the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method were all given to him by Formless.

So, upon seeing Formless now, Wang Chen was both surprised and delighted, saying, "You are here too?"

"Amitabha,"

Formless lightly chanted the Buddhist mantra, "Donor Wang, have you been well since we last met?"

This simple greeting made Wang Chen’s previously tense heart relax instantly. "I am well, may I ask if the master seeks me for something?"

Although Wang Chen was not clear about Formless’s status in the Buddhist community, the depth of his cultivation level was something even Wang Chen could not discern.

A person of this caliber would not just come to the courtyard where he stayed to chat!

"Young friend, this poor monk wishes for something,"

Formless smiled slightly, and a hint of childlike innocence appeared on his aged face. "I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?"

Wang Chen asked, "What is it?"

Formless replied, "A nest stone from the Underworld Realm."

"A nest stone?"

Wang Chen paused momentarily.

He indeed had several nest stones of varying sizes with him, which he hadn’t exchanged for merits, leaving them at home for unexpected needs.

Wang Chen immediately took out the largest nest stone from his Xumi Ring and handed it to Master Formless.

Although this nest stone was valuable, he had not forgotten the help Formless had given him and naturally was not stingy.

Formless accepted the nest stone, and with a blink, tucked it into his sleeve.

"Good, good,"

the old monk said softly, "Thank you, young friend; this is a small token of my gratitude."

As he spoke, he pulled out a Jade Slip from his pocket.

Wang Chen’s heart stirred as he took the Jade Slip and tried to infuse his energy to inspect it.

After a moment, he revealed an expression of surprise.

The Jade Slip contained the teachings for the final three levels of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method!

It truly was as if he had taken hard steps only to find the reward right in front of him!

Wang Chen had never imagined that this body-refining technique would fall so easily into his hands.

It felt almost unreal!

To know that while the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method could be practiced even by novices, the important later sections had always been held tight by Tianlong Temple, a secret not passed down to others!

Wang Chen had originally thought that he had reached the peak in this technique with no possibility of further ascent.

How could he have the ability to seize the secret methods of Tianlong Temple?

Yet, Formless had delivered it right to him!

"Thank you, Master!"

Though he was extremely shocked inside, Wang Chen still deeply bowed to Formless.

Formless smiled slightly and said meaningfully, "A flower represents a world. This realm is fated with you, but you cannot stay for long."

Wang Chen was startled!

His biggest secret was not the Cultivation Panel he possessed.

It was his identity as a visitor from Earth!

Formless had clearly seen something and spoke with intent!

"Master…"

Wang Chen was about to ask for clarification when he suddenly realized that the old monk had vanished before his eyes!