Chapter 118: Eight Forces Merged, Straight Into Vajra Temple
The three major sects of Mingzhou, with Flower Stream Sword Sect having the shortest rise to prominence, yet the most sharp and aggressive; in Jianghu, if one encounters a Flower Stream swordsman and falls out with him, they must fight to the death.
Profound Ice Sect acts the most secretive, with its disciples rarely traveling Jianghu, but those who think it easy to bully often end up with no corpse left.
Vajra Temple has a heritage of nearly four hundred years, the deepest foundation, and the most disciples.
If even lay disciples are counted, even Profound Ice Sect and Flower Stream Sword Sect disciples combined are but a fraction of Vajra Temple’s.
Vajra Temple is located in Songyang Prefecture west of Mingzhou.
The sunlight was bright.
Hong Yuan rode on a tall steed, letting the horse gallop along the official road, kicking up large clouds of dust.
In his mind, he recalled last night’s conversation with Yu Wuchen.
After the latter exposed his knowledge of many worldly secrets, he then demonstrated a secret technique.
Gu Technique!
This Gu Technique could transfer all pain and torment suffered by oneself onto the gu insect; enemies could kill him, but if they wished to torture him cruelly, they could not make him feel even the slightest pain.
It would only continuously kill the gu insect during the torture process; once it died, Yu Wuchen himself would also perish.
Hong Yuan found his actions quite puzzling.
Did he think he would subject him to severe torture?
Truly measuring the gentleman’s heart with a petty man’s mind.
Not to mention he was already heading to Vajra Temple; even without this matter, upon learning his good brother Song Yinglong was in peril, he would make this trip.
According to Yu Wuchen, a group from Red Lotus Sect had taken Song Yinglong and headed to Songyang Prefecture long before, seemingly plotting against Vajra Temple.
What exactly they wanted to do, Yu Wuchen did not know; he only knew two among them were Dharma King Baosheng and Dharma King Qingjing of Red Lotus Sect’s four kings.
Hong Yuan’s attitude toward this was to deal with it when encountered.
The main purpose of this trip was still Vajra Temple; it was not about Vajra Temple’s surprise attack on Town Sea Army, abduction of Hongfa, and slapping his Hong’s face.
This was purely a pretext.
Even without this matter, after learning True Skill promotes one’s root bone, he had set his sights on these major sects with True Skill Foundation.
Now it was Vajra Temple; in the future, it could be Profound Ice Sect, Flower Stream Sword Sect…
And even looking across the world!
In this process, collecting True Skills was also a necessary path to achieving supreme martial power.
Without subduing the world’s masters and sects one by one, how could he claim to be the world’s greatest?
As the horse galloped, Hong Yuan’s palms and fingers transformed force, evolving various kinds of force.
The first two layers of Six Void Force’s subtleties are “Net of Other Forces” and “Force Concealment”!
After returning from Xingqing Prefecture, with plentiful gains, Hong Yuan gradually gained new insights; previously, though he could evolve Listening Force, Spiral Force, Penetration Force, Hard Force, Soft Force, and so on with Six Void Force.
But ultimately, he could only employ one kind of force at a time; now, however, he sought to merge various forces into one, achieving two, three, or even multiple kinds of force within a single palm.
Until “Eight Forces Merged”!
“Eight Forces Merged” is the third layer of Six Void Force’s subtleties; here “eight” is not a literal number but figurative—it could be eight kinds, or eighteen, eighty…
It could even incorporate strange forces cultivated from True Skills, allowing Six Void Force to possess both transformative wonders and various strange attributes.
Hong Yuan was actually already doing this.
Seed Jade Skill’s force penetrating “blood” and “liver,” acquiring devouring nature from the blood and wood’s vitality and entanglement from the “liver,” were all being slowly integrated into Six Void Force by him.
After a little over half a shichen, finding the horse too slow, Hong Yuan leaped up directly, turning into a streak of gale toward Songyang Prefecture.
After dashing hundreds of li nonstop, Hong Yuan slowed down to recover strength; by now, he had entered Songyang Prefecture territory.
In the various counties and towns, temple monks and nuns were visibly more numerous; nearly every person in the prefecture paid homage to Buddha, and the thick scent of incense was everywhere.
But with numerous Buddhist temples, it was no paradise; along the way, Hong Yuan saw many abandoned villages and towns, untilled fields, and numerous ragged refugees.
In the biting cold, freezing and starving deaths on the streets were not uncommon.
Vajra Temple was not located in some sacred spirit mountain, but built within the prefecture city.
This time, Hong Yuan did not use lightness skill to rush straight into the prefecture city; instead, he leisurely blended into the crowd waiting to enter.
Of course, he had once again altered his facial muscles and contours, so no one could recognize him at a glance.
Looking toward the city gate, the soldiers guarding it were actually teams of monk soldiers in yellow robes, holding knives and staffs.
After paying the entry fee, Hong Yuan entered the prefecture city and strolled around; in various trades, more and more were dressed as monks and nuns.
Temples dotted the city, the entire city seeming shrouded in incense smoke, with a thick, pungent smell drifting in the air.
The temple is a city, the city is a temple.
Hong Yuan sighed; even without yet seeing Vajra Temple, he had already witnessed its immense influence.
In comparison, Zhongyu Sect, once a sect on par with Vajra Temple, seemed too meager.
But after all, this was a world with extraordinary powers; secular influence could only add icing on the cake— a sect’s strength still depended on top-tier combat power.
In Hong Yuan’s mind, information about Vajra Temple surfaced.
Abbot Huiming, Head of Disciplinary Courtyard Huitong, Head of Secret Treasure Courtyard Huizhao, Head of Charity Courtyard Huizhi…
These four were Vajra Temple’s core leadership, but the Hu generation monks were not just them; there were several others less renowned, who might also possess supreme skills.
Vajra Temple was at the prefecture city’s center; Hong Yuan spread Net underfoot, sensing all auras within a hundred paces around.
This was to see if he could encounter Red Lotus Sect people.
He had met “Hong Lian” and a Red Lotus Sect Incense Master, memorizing their auras with spiritual sense; if any Red Lotus Sect people passed by, even if only faintly similar to those two, he could detect the anomaly.
“Red Lotus Sect targeting Vajra Temple—is this unresolved enmity, or does Vajra Temple hide some treasure?”
“By the playbook, I should wait quietly for Red Lotus Sect to act, then reap the benefits; perhaps even have them become treasure deliverers.”
“But there’s no need for that!”
Hong Yuan would surely challenge the world’s masters in the future; could he always wait for Red Lotus Sect to act this time, and expect others to meddle every time for his gain?
After a moment, Hong Yuan gazed at the majestic temple complex ahead, pinched his glabella, and focused his senses.
He planned to take the direct challenge route, but if the temple hid some “sweeping monk” that even he sensed as dangerous, he would not charge in blindly.
A quarter-hour later, Hong Yuan strode toward the massive temple.
Vajra Temple divided into outer and inner courtyards; the outer courtyard had temples, pavilions, and stupas everywhere, arrayed in rings guarding the inner courtyard, left for devotees to worship.
The inner courtyard was its core.
Hong Yuan toured the outer courtyard for a good while, even eating a vegetarian meal; in his aura sensing, even the outer courtyard monks were all sturdy and fierce, numerous enough to form a strong army.
He passed through corridors, heading straight for the inner courtyard; when Mahavira Hall came into view, suddenly a stern-faced, burly monk blocked his path.
“Benefactor, halt; this is Vajra Temple’s inner courtyard, not open to outsiders.”
