Chapter 172 - 172 163 Destroying Buddhism (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 172: Chapter 163: Destroying Buddhism! (Please Subscribe) Chapter 172: Chapter 163: Destroying Buddhism! (Please Subscribe) The departure of the people from Gold Mountain Monastery marked the end of the affair, and Tang Qian felt somewhat regretful that he hadn’t witnessed a battle between the monastery and the court.

No matter who would have won or lost, the Azure Flood Dragon Association would have had a piece of the pie.

If Gold Mountain Monastery had been defeated, their resources would have been devoured. If the court had lost face, it would have benefited the development of the Azure Flood Dragon Association, and the misery of the court might even enrage some of its powerful figures.

After all, Gold Mountain Monastery was at a disadvantage.

In any case, it was a pity…

He turned to Tao Qingyuan and said,

“Green Envoy Tao, Captain Commandant Lv, since the matter has now concluded, I will take my leave.”

He completely ignored Chen Yuan.

Of course, it was quite normal; although Chen Yuan’s strength was somewhat surprising to him, there was still a huge gap between them, and they were not on the same level at all.

If he had greeted him specifically, it would have seemed even more bizarre.

“Gang Leader Tang, fare thee well.”

Tao Qingyuan’s face was iron blue. He would remember the events of today and would look for an opportunity to settle the score in the future. The Azure Flood Dragon Association… hmph!

Unperturbed by Tao Qingyuan’s thinly veiled threat, Tang Qian left without further ado. He would not have stood up for Gu Hao if he feared the court, and he turned to leave promptly.

Upon his departure, the members of the Azure Flood Dragon Association present also began to disperse.

As for the Changle Gang members, they too departed. Shi Yunlong’s arrival was as sudden as his departure; he had come merely to watch the spectacle, and now that it was over, there was no reason for him to linger.

The townspeople also began to slowly disperse, yet some faces were still brimming with joy, excitedly discussing the events with those around them. It was foreseeable that the day’s events would rapidly spread far and wide.

Chen Yuan’s name would rise to prominence once again.

After all, he was the focal point of the incident.

Gold Mountain Monastery, Changle Gang, Heavenly Patrol Bureau, Military Equipment Army, Azure Flood Dragon Association, Qingyun Sword Sect…

All of them had resounding reputations, not to mention the appearance of several Reach Profound experts. The fight was so close to breaking out…

Shen Yanshu raised her head to glance at Chen Yuan, said nothing, and left with the excited Xiaoyu.

Ye Chenbai, who was observing from a distance, smiled. He had seen many such events and was not too surprised, but Chen Yuan’s ranking on the Hidden Dragon List would certainly rise this time.

With the strength and potential he demonstrated, he was bound to surge significantly.

Seeing everyone dispersing, Lv Yuan also had no intention of staying. He gave a respectful salutation to Tao Qingyuan:

“Green Envoy Tao, I have other matters to attend to, so I will not impose any further.”

“I’m grateful to Captain Commandant Lv for his assistance this time.”

Tao Qingyuan’s face was full of solemn gratitude. Regardless of why Lv Yuan had assisted him, there was no doubt he had lent a hand, and Tao Qingyuan would not have dared to act without his support.

Their previous relationship had been average, but they might well cultivate a closer association in the future.

The strength of the Military Equipment Army was by no means inferior to that of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

“My thanks to Captain Commandant Lv.”

Chen Yuan also hurriedly gave a respectful salutation, with a look of gratitude on his face.

Lv Yuan had indeed assisted him this time, and he remembered it; if the opportunity arose in the future, he too would offer his help.

“Not bad, formidable in youth.”

Lv Yuan offered a few encouraging words, smiled, and turned to leave with his select group of soldiers from the Military Equipment Army.

Although he had not brought a large army, he had brought nearly a hundred of his most elite troops.

Once everyone had gone, Tao Qingyuan, unable to restrain his curiosity, asked Chen Yuan:

“Have you truly cultivated Buddhist Cultivation Techniques?”

Chen Yuan did not deny it and nodded:

“Back when I was in Ping’an County, I had received guidance from an elderly monk at Cien Temple; at that time, I was merely a humble constable…” Chen Yuan explained half-truthfully:

“But it’s definitely not as Fa Nan claimed, that I have cultivated some kind of top-tier Buddhist Body Refining Divine Skill. It was merely a combination made by the old monk based on the Golden Bell Shield and some other Buddhist Body Refining Techniques, intending for me to experiment with it.”

“I never expected this Cultivation Technique to provide me with so much help.”

Chen Yuan had heard of the Jianghu Golden Bell Shield technique and knew it had certain external characteristics similar to the Vajra Glaze Body, where one’s body would develop pale golden spots.

So long as there was no close examination, Chen Yuan was not afraid of being exposed.

As for offering the Vajra Glaze Body to the court, Chen Yuan lacked such dedication. If they wanted it, they would need to come up with equivalent conditions; otherwise, there was nothing to discuss.

After listening to the explanation, Tao Qingyuan nodded:

“It’s good that you haven’t cultivated Buddhist Techniques.”

Chen Yuan’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he asked nonchalantly:

“Is there some hidden danger in cultivating Buddhist Techniques?”

Tao Qingyuan clasped his hands behind his back and nodded, explaining to Chen Yuan:

“This matter isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s now rarely mentioned. I also heard about it from the Golden Envoy. More than two hundred years ago, when Great Jin had just been founded,

due to certain reasons, the Buddhist sects from the Western Regions came to preach in the Central Plains. However, the leading sects of the Jianghu in the Central Plains deeply resisted their presence. The Buddhist sects initially struggled mightily to gain a foothold…”

Chen Yuan nodded, understanding that the Buddhist sects were like outsiders trying to take things away. As soon as they settled in the Central Plains, they would inevitably take away the interests that belonged to the Dao, Sword, and Demon sects of the Central Plains.

Interests were, naturally, something no one would willingly concede.

Conflicts are bound to happen…

Wait, could this also be related to the imperial court?

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but speculate that perhaps the imperial court was also happy to see this happen, letting the Buddhist sects contend with the Central Plains forces and then reap the benefits like a fisherman.

Tao Qingyuan continued, “Later, a high-ranking Buddhist monk took a different approach, proposing the idea of using Buddhist cultivation techniques to disrupt the world. After that, the Buddhist sects began implementation, spreading a large number of Buddhist techniques throughout the Central Plains…”

“At that time, the sects kept to themselves, and it was extremely difficult for independent Martial Artists to obtain a superior cultivation technique. The plan of the Buddhist sects was successful.”

“In just one year, Buddhist techniques were spread all over the Central Plains, and by the time other forces reacted, it was already too late.”

Chen Yuan continued to listen, knowing that what should come next would be the hidden troubles of the Buddhist techniques.

“Those who practiced the Buddhist techniques were not firm in willpower, and many were converted and became monks, causing the power of the Buddhist sects to surge and finally gain a foothold in Jianghu.”

“Later on, the imperial court joined forces with other powers to burn most of the spread Buddhist techniques, a period now referred to as ‘The Eradication of Buddhism and the Burning of Scriptures.’

“Many independent Jianghu cultivators also came to their senses, realizing that practising Buddhist techniques would unconsciously draw them to Buddhism and then lead them to renounce worldly life and become monks, so they cooperated as well.”

“It’s just a pity that in the end, it was still a step too late….”

Tao Qingyuan sighed,

“Up to this day, the power of Buddhism in the Central Plains is no weaker than any of the top factions in Jianghu.”

This was also a failure on the part of the imperial court.

“If practising Buddhist techniques can turn one towards Buddhism, then what about Body Refining Techniques?” Chen Yuan quickly asked.

He practiced the authentic Buddhist Body Refining Divine Skill.

“Body Refinement is fine, but if it’s Qi Refinement…” Tao Qingyuan shook his head.

It was then that Chen Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Being converted after practicing Buddhist techniques, is there no one who can resist?”

If it was as terrifying as that, Buddhism really was a force to be reckoned with.

“Those who can resist the persuasiveness of Buddhism are one in a hundred, each one of firm mind. In fact, even now, there are people who use Buddhist techniques to temper their will in Martial Arts, but unfortunately, there are too few successful individuals.”

Chen Yuan nodded, getting an initial understanding of the danger posed by Buddhism.

“However, Buddhist techniques are not without merit. Apart from tempering willpower, the Body Refining Techniques of Buddhism are still quite popular in Jianghu. There are quite a few in the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, but there’s only been one that could be considered top-notch.”

Tao Qingyuan told Chen Yuan many things about Jianghu, broadening his horizons.

After a long while, Chen Yuan then shifted the conversation:

“I am grateful to you this time, sir.”

Tao Qingyuan waved his hand:

“As a Heavenly Patrol Green Envoy, it is my duty to speak up for you. As for the Qingyun Sword Sect, there will be someone to deal with them…”

What a joke, could one simply dismiss everything with the identity of a dismissed disciple?

Where does that leave the imperial court?

If in the future others were to follow suit, the imperial court would be thrown into chaos. So Tao Qingyuan had already made up his mind. Since his abilities were limited, he would have to report it!

Let the higher-ups deal with it. Even if they don’t make the Qingyun Sword Sect pay a price, they must at least cede some benefits.

And as for the Azure Flood Dragon Association and Gold Mountain Monastery, he took note of this debt.

Hearing this, Chen Yuan finally let his guard down. To be frank, the fact that a couple of Jianghu sects, ones not even considered top powers of Qingzhou Jianghu, could show such disrespect to the imperial court, also filled Chen Yuan with criticism.

He felt the imperial court was too weak, especially with the ridiculous pretext of discarded discipleship, which was like rubbing everyone’s intelligence in the dirt. If no consequences followed, the imperial court’s dignity would be completely lost!

“You’ve made quite the achievement today. I have taken note of this, and you shall be rewarded in time. You may return for now…”

“Yes, I shall comply!”

…

…

In North City of Nanling Prefecture, above Yunjiang River and about thirty miles away from Prefecture City, Gu Hao stood on a sailboat, with the corpse of Liu Changkong resting on the bow.

Looking at Liu Changkong’s corpse, Gu Hao curved his lips into a cold sneer and muttered:

“Junior Brother Liu, you are finally dead!”

“Xiao Junior Sister is mine; how could she be touched by a mere scion of a county-level family? Why didn’t you focus on cultivation? Instead, you went after Xiao Junior Sister.”

“Didn’t you know that Xiao Junior Sister was mine to have? Marrying her, I could gain the support of the Sect Leader and had a great chance of becoming the master of the Sword Sect.”

“And you dared to compete with me? What are you in comparison!”

“Guess what, as you plunged into danger, your senior brother was always there, fanning the flames. I just didn’t expect you could actually make it out alive; you did have some good fortune.”

“And the Liu Family, did you think the Cao County Government and the major families were pressuring the Liu Family by chance? It was all my doing, Junior Brother Liu! Even Chen Yuan, whom you thought was your enemy, was in fact just a bloodied knife in my plan; albeit one that was unforeseen….”

“Speaking of which, I have to thank him for wiping out the Liu Family. How else could your rage be ignited? I know your nature, an eye for an eye, blood for blood.”

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