Chapter 302

Chapter 302: Master Bai Mu

"Sigh~" Bai Lian Chan Master sighed deeply and said, "This is exactly why I find myself in such a difficult situation. If you had a powerful weapon that could kill the Thunder Tribulation Immortal, would you easily give it to someone else?"

"Well, I probably wouldn’t want to~" the senior disciple replied with a bitter smile.

"Not even for an Eighth-rank Treasure!" the disciple said, his face full of worry.

"A life-saving treasure like this, how could a cultivator easily give it up?" the third disciple said helplessly.

"Exactly~" Bai Lian Chan Master said with a wry smile, "For the Chongming Ancient Temple, I have already paid a huge price. Some elders in the temple have not spoken up, but they are actually quite dissatisfied. If we could find the Secret Vault, that would naturally solve everything. However, now that we have no trace of the Secret Vault, we still have to pay a hefty price to get Fang Lie to exchange for the Man-Eating Demon Ogre? The elders in the temple are unlikely to agree."

"What can we do when nothing seems to work?" the senior disciple said, his face clouded with worry.

"It’s all that damn Fang Lie’s fault! If he hadn’t meddled, we wouldn’t be so passive! How could the fourth junior brother possibly have died?" the second disciple said angrily.

"How about we use the Puppet That Dies in Place Divine Lightning to put him to rest?" the third disciple suggested fiercely. "As long as we are careful and hide our identities, without any evidence, even the Mo Sect couldn’t do anything to us!"

"Absolutely not~" Bai Lian Chan Master quickly shook his head. "That’s too risky. If we are discovered, the Mo Sect and the Great Thunder Sound Temple would surely be at odds!"

"Master, he’s just a Qi Sea cultivator! We are all Thunder Tribulation Immortals! If we are discovered for eliminating such a weakling, wouldn’t we be fools?" the third disciple said proudly.

"I’m not worried about Fang Lie; I’m worried about the Benevolence Token!" Bai Lian Chan Master said solemnly. "Though its power is seldom mentioned, as a Ninth-Rank Treasure, it is certainly not something we should provoke. Even if Fang Lie is just a candidate Token Lord, he must still be under its protection. Even if you do kill him with the Puppet That Dies in Place Divine Lightning, he will definitely know your identity right away. Then, we will have a huge problem!"

"This~" the third disciple fell silent. He could only helplessly say, "Master, regardless of what happens with that scoundrel Fang Lie, we really need the Man-Eating Demon Ogre’s testimony!"

"Yes, Master~" the senior disciple frowned and added, "A considerable amount of time has passed, yet we haven’t even found the door to the Secret Vault. The elders in the sect are already becoming impatient. If we fail to find the Secret Vault and have to sacrifice a Thunder Sound Golden Bell, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Lian Chan Master also showed a troubled expression.

The Thunder Sound Golden Bell is not a minor issue; if they give it up and gain nothing, he, as the Master, would face criticism and might even lose his position.

Thinking of this, Bai Lian Chan Master felt even more vexed and couldn’t help but furrow his brow, saying, "It’s so strange. Senior brother clearly said the Secret Vault exists, so why can’t we find it?"

After saying this, Bai Lian Chan Master fell into deep thought, and the three disciples dared not disturb him.

After a long while, Bai Lian Chan Master shook his head, looking somewhat helpless. "It seems we can only ask your Senior Uncle Bai Mu to help!"

"Ah~" the three disciples exclaimed in surprise: "Ask Senior Uncle Bai Mu? Is that appropriate?"

"Master!" the senior disciple said anxiously. "Senior Uncle Bai Mu is elderly and cannot move around well!"

"He is a treasure of the sect. If anything were to happen to him, your position as Master would be finished!" the second disciple exclaimed as well.

"We are not hopeless yet. At worst, we can gather more disciples and dig three feet into the ground to find the Secret Vault!" the third disciple said worriedly. "As for Senior Uncle Bai Mu, it’s better not to disturb him!"

"Sigh, how I wish I didn’t have to trouble him!" Bai Lian Chan Master said helplessly. "But this matter is of great importance. If the other three major Buddhist Sects get wind of it, they will surely come to cause trouble. If any accidents occur then, our situation will be even worse. Junior Brother Bai Mu is our only hope. For the sake of the sect, we have no choice but to disturb him!"

"This~" the three disciples exchanged glances, all showing expressions of deep concern.

It turned out that Master Bai Mu was the only one in the Great Thunder Sound Temple capable of calculating the Heavenly Dao’s secrets.

Though he had a high status and could be considered Bai Lian Chan Master’s junior brother, in reality, his cultivation was merely at the level of the Wind Tribulation Immortal, making him significantly weaker than Bai Lian Chan Master’s three disciples.

However, Master Bai Mu’s position was slightly higher than Bai Lian Chan Master and even Master Tianlong, almost on par with the abbot of the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

The reason for this was that he was an extraordinary genius when it came to calculating the Heavenly Dao’s secrets, possessing a unique ability to see what others cannot—the Heavenly Dao’s eyes!

This talent granted him the ability of a blind man, yet he could clearly see the Cause-and-Effect Lines, allowing him to calculate the Heavenly Dao and view the future of Yin and Yang!

Such a talent was not inferior to spiritual roots. If he had cultivation talent, even if it were merely a Middle-grade Spiritual Root, he would surely advance to the Thunder Tribulation level with ease, perhaps even becoming a Semi-Immortal and almost certainly succeeding the abbot.

Unfortunately, those who had such talents often suffered from heavenly envy and rarely possessed cultivation talent. This Master Bai Mu only had a False Spiritual Root.

Even so, he managed to reach the level of the Wind Tribulation Immortal after the Great Thunder Sound Temple used countless rare treasures on him!

His main focus in cultivation could only be the "Past and Future Star Sutra," which is specifically designed for calculating the Heavenly Dao’s secrets.

With his Heavenly Dao Eye, Bai Mu Chan Master became the only Supreme Divination Master of the Great Thunder Sound Temple.

The position of a Supreme Divination Master is extraordinary; they are treasures for major sects. There are only about twenty super major sects in the entire world, including righteous and evil sects and Fang Sects, but among them, there are only a handful of sects with a Supreme Divination Master—no more than five!

Having a Supreme Divination Master gives a sect a significant advantage in everything they do. They will be the first to receive information about any immortal burial or hidden secrets, and might even know the origin and some of the restrictions within, thus saving a lot of effort and reducing casualties during explorations.

Moreover, during a crisis, they can calculate and find a way out to resolve the dire situation. If there are difficult matters to solve, the Supreme Divination Master can uncover solutions amidst the chaotic Heavenly Dao’s secrets.

Thus, sometimes the real decision-maker for a sect’s strategies is not the Clan Leader but the Supreme Divination Masters. Their importance even surpasses that of the Clan Leader. If a Clan Leader dies, they can easily replace them, as there are always plenty of Thunder Tribulation Immortals, and sometimes even two Semi-Immortals in a major sect.

However, there are only about three to five Supreme Divination Masters alive in the entire world, so every one that dies means one less, and raising new ones is nearly impossible.

The talent of a Supreme Divination Master is extremely rare, even scarcer than spiritual roots! Bai Mu Chan Master has been the only Supreme Divination Master of the Great Thunder Sound Temple for eight thousand years, and he is nearly 1800 years old now.

Normally, the lifespan of a Wind Tribulation Immortal is around a thousand years. But he has been using miraculous spirit pills to extend his life to reach this age. Just the cost of supporting him could bankrupt a medium-sized sect.

His treatment is much higher than that of the abbot of the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

Although Supreme Divination Masters can calculate the Heavenly Dao and even know the past and future, they must also bear the immense backlash from the Heavenly Dao.

The greater the matters being calculated, the more terrifying the backlash becomes.

With Bai Mu Chan Master’s ability, if he were to calculate an ordinary Qi Sea cultivator, he could deduce every detail of their life from birth to now—even knowing if they wet the bed at certain ages would be as easy as reading palm lines.

Moreover, it would not take much of a toll on him, as he possesses many supreme treasures for protection against the Heavenly Dao backlash that allow him to calculate ordinary matters without difficulty.

However, if he attempts to calculate a Thunder Tribulation Immortal, even for a brief moment, it would still drain his Nascent Soul energy.

And if he were to calculate the abilities of a Semi-Immortal-level being, he would risk his lifespan; merely peering into their secrets would cost him over ten years!

If they aimed to calculate the whereabouts of Ninth-Rank Treasures or related information, they must be prepared to sacrifice their lives as a single glance would at least consume a hundred years of lifespan.

As for predicting the rise and fall of an entire major sect, that is playing with death, and survival would be nearly impossible. Just looking a glimpse into the future would require a thousand years of lifespan—virtually a guarantee of death!

This time, Bai Lian Chan Master wanted to find the Secret Vault of the Chongming Ancient Temple, which surely contains treasures, possibly even Ninth-Rank Treasures!

If Bai Mu Chan Master were truly called upon to calculate, it could easily cost him hundreds of years of lifespan.

Of course, the treasures provided by the Great Thunder Sound Temple would play a vital role, potentially shielding him from ninety percent of the tribulations.

Even so, that remaining ten percent still represents decades of lifespan!

For someone who has lived for 1800 years and is nearing the end, only surviving on spirit pills, this risks his life! A small misstep could lead to his demise.

If the sect’s treasures were lost because of this, Bai Lian Chan Master would surely face consequences; even if he is the leading elder, he would still face imprisonment for over a hundred years.

That is why Bai Lian Chan Master’s three senior disciples were so shocked and voiced their objections. If Bai Lian Chan Master were held accountable, he would no longer be the leading elder, and they would also lose their positions as the leading disciples, leading to a drastic fall in their standing within the sect.

The Fire Tribulation Immortal might be seen as a great figure outside, but in a place like the Great Thunder Sound Temple, that is nothing special; they have many of them!

However, after careful consideration, Bai Lian Chan Master resolutely said, "No, we should still invite Junior Brother to help. This matter concerns the future of our Great Thunder Sound Temple. If we can locate the Secret Vault, even if it means sacrificing him, it’s worth it! Besides, under the nourishment of countless spirit pills, he still seems to have a hundred years of lifespan; consuming a few decades may not be fatal!"

Upon hearing this, his three disciples immediately understood his meaning. Bai Mu Chan Master is already elderly and is barely hanging on; he hardly engages in the sect’s affairs anymore. Rather than letting him gradually use up enormous resources, it is better to put him to use to contribute a little more before passing!