Chapter 191 Seizing the Buddha's Opportunity

Mu Changge left the valley shrouded in pink mist, the cool mountain air completely calming the residual heat in his body. He stood on a mountain peak, his gaze calm as he looked toward the distant horizon—the direction where the dark red Devilish Qi light pillar had originally stood.

"Jian Wushuang..." He whispered the name, then turned, transforming into a sword shadow, merging like a ghost into the shadows of the mountain forest, speeding away in the opposite direction of the Devilish Qi light pillar. He deliberately suppressed his aura, moving without a sound, like the most seasoned hunter threading through the complex terrain of the Secret Realm.

Several days later, on the edge of the desert. The scorching sun baked the yellow sand, and heat waves distorted the air. Mu Changge keenly caught a trace of faint yet pure sandalwood and Buddhist chanting. Following this anomaly, he slipped into the heart of the desert like a ghost.

Passing through a huge sand dune, the scene before him suddenly opened up. On a relatively flat patch of sand, a towering phantom of an ancient temple stood! The ancient temple seemed to be cast from glazed gold, emitting soft and solemn Buddha Power, with waves of Buddhist chanting, forming an extreme contrast with the Death Desert.

"A projection... with a world inside." Mu Changge hid behind a sand dune, his gaze scanning like a falcon.

He saw Liao Chen. This Buddha Son was draped in a brocade cassock, standing directly in front of the ancient temple's phantom, his expression solemn, with Buddha Power faintly circulating around him. Ten zhang behind him, a dozen Disciples of the Buddhist sect stood respectfully with their hands hanging down, not daring to approach, clearly strictly observing the hierarchy and not daring to overstep.

"Amitabha." Facing the phantom, Liao Chen pressed his palms together, his voice coming through clearly, "It is indeed the projection of 'Jia Ye Temple'. You all guard the outside; without my authorization, no one is to approach."

"We obey the Buddha Son's decree!" The monks answered in unison, then tacitly dispersed, faintly surrounding the ancient temple's phantom within a hundred zhang radius. Each of them had a vigilant expression, sat cross-legged, and chanted scriptures, surprisingly setting up a simple Buddha Power barrier in an instant, clearly well-trained.

Liao Chen ignored the monks, stepping forward a few steps, closer to the phantom. He slowly raised his left hand, palm facing upward, chanting words. A moment later, a brilliant golden light emerged from between his eyebrows, slowly drifting down to his palm, turning into a small, exquisite phantom of a golden seed covered in dense Sanskrit.

"Buddha Fate Golden Seed, sensing the Bodhi." Liao Chen gave a low shout, pushing the phantom of the Golden Seed in his palm toward the phantom of the ancient temple.

The moment the Golden Seed touched the phantom, it was like water hitting boiling oil; the entire phantom of the ancient temple fluctuated violently! The sound of Buddhist chanting suddenly grew high-pitched, and dazzling Buddha Power erupted from the center of the phantom, then violently contracted inward, gathering on the sand in front of Liao Chen.

"Hum hum hum—"

Space trembled, and a golden light gate, allowing only one person to pass and rotating slowly, gradually solidified amidst the vast Buddha Power and Buddhist chanting! The scene inside the light gate was blurry, but pure Buddha Power and ancient sandalwood scents were already rushing toward him.

"The entrance is open, the Buddha Fate is ahead." A flash of heat crossed Liao Chen's eyes, but it was immediately suppressed. He looked around again, confirming that the Disciples' barrier was stable and there were no abnormalities, before taking a step forward, his figure disappearing into the golden light gate. The light gate rippled slightly after he entered but did not close, clearly requiring a special method or waiting time to open again.

Behind a sand dune in the distance, Mu Changge held his breath, taking everything in. "Buddha Fate Golden Seed? It seems to be a unique token or method of the Buddhist sect... Those Disciples were left outside, and there is a barrier..."

His gaze flickered, and his brain worked at high speed. Forcing his way through the Disciples' barrier would surely alert Liao Chen. But if he waited for Liao Chen to retrieve the treasure and come out, there would be even less Opportunity. The only chance was in this short time while Liao Chen had entered the light gate and it hadn't closed yet... He had to sneak into the light gate without alerting the monks forming the barrier outside!

Mu Changge's thoughts raced, and he instantly formulated a strategy. He seemed to completely merge into the shadow of the sand dune, his aura suppressed to near nothingness, while the spiritual power in his body began to circulate quietly along a profound trajectory, ready to strike.

Time passed bit by bit, the desert was deathly silent, with only heat waves and faint Buddhist chanting echoing in the space. The monks on the perimeter closed their eyes and chanted, maintaining the barrier; no one noticed the almost non-existent "shadow" behind the sand dune a hundred zhang away.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the rotation of the golden light gate seemed to have a slight, imperceptible stagnation.

"Now!"

The moment the Buddha Power of the light gate flowed with a tiny gap, Mu Changge moved! He did not leak a shred of spiritual power; his whole body was like a spring compressed to the limit, relying on pure physical strength and strange movement techniques, shooting out along the scorching sand! His speed was extremely fast, yet he strangely suppressed the sound of breaking wind and the force of the wind to the lowest level, his figure almost turning into an unsheathed sharp sword along with the heat waves steaming from the desert, heading straight for the "mirage"!

The monks maintaining the barrier on the perimeter only felt the heat waves in front of them seem to distort, as if it were an illusion. Their Divine Sense swept over, but everything was as usual. They didn't pay attention; light distortion in the desert was quite common.

In a flash, Mu Changge had crossed the hundred-zhang distance, like a wisp of intangible green smoke, and the moment the golden light gate's Buddha Power flowed with the next gap, he "whooshed" and drilled into the light gate! The light gate rippled slightly, like the surface of water into which a small stone had been thrown, but it quickly returned to calm.

The whole process was silent, and the monks outside were completely unaware.

Inside the light gate, it was not directly the treasure hall.

Mu Changge felt as if he had passed through a layer of viscous Buddha Power barrier, the light and shadow in front of him changed, and the next moment, he appeared in a narrow and silent stone corridor. On both sides of the corridor were mottled walls, carved with blurred murals, faintly visible images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, etc., exuding an ancient and vicissitudinous aura. The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and dust.

He immediately suppressed his aura to the limit, tilted his head to listen, and at the same time, his Divine Sense cautiously reached out like silk.

"Liao Chen is ahead..." Mu Changge's eyes were sharp, and he continued to sneak forward silently. The corridor twisted and turned, seeming to lead to the depths. He was like a ghost in the dark night, every step treading on the blind spot of sound, perfectly blending into the shadows of the environment.

Before long, a fork in the road appeared ahead. One path had brighter Buddha Power, with faint Buddhist chanting coming from it; the other path seemed deep and dark, but Mu Changge keenly perceived that Liao Chen's faint aura and footsteps were heading toward the path with bright Buddha Power. However, at the entrance of the dark path, he felt a trace of an unusual, faint fluctuation that was not pure Buddha Power.

After a moment of pondering, Mu Changge had already made his choice. Intuition told him that Liao Chen's goal was the "true treasure" where the Buddha Power was strongest, while this dark path might have other mysteries, and he could go and try his luck.

The dark path was not long, and at the end was an ajar, dust-covered stone door. Pushing open the stone door, inside was a small stone room, simply furnished, with only a stone table and a meditation cushion. On the stone table, there was no treasure shining with Buddha Power, only an old Jade Slip with a dull color, lying quietly in the thick dust.

Mu Changge approached, cautiously using his Divine Sense to investigate, and only after confirming there was nothing wrong did he pick up the Jade Slip and examine it carefully.

A moment later, a flash of realization and mockery crossed his eyes.

"Great Bliss Zen Method" — it was not an orthodox Buddhist Dual Cultivation Technique, but a very niche, even evil, plundering secret technique. It emphasizes controlling desire with desire, but it is extremely easy to indulge in it, seizing the Yin essence of others to strengthen oneself. The progress is extremely fast, but because the Cultivation Technique is too Heaven-Defying, if it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, it will surely cause a great disaster. Beside the Jade Slip, there was a line of small annotations, stating that this technique was left by a high monk in the temple who had also studied and realized it, hidden in this side room to warn future generations to be cautious and avoid it.

"Could it be... that group of monks... came here for this?" Mu Changge was slightly puzzled. Liao Chen triggered the Buddha Fate Golden Seed, surely knowing there was a great Opportunity here. He left his Disciples to guard outside and entered alone, probably not just for the "true treasure" on that path; this "Great Bliss Zen Method" was probably also one of his real goals.

"Cough... A Buddhist sect that appears solemn on the surface, but covets this kind of evil plundering technique in the dark... Interesting... Truly interesting, confiscated!" Mu Changge sneered, and without hesitation, he put away this Jade Slip. This item might not have been retrieved by Liao Chen yet, or he intended to come and get it after getting the true treasure. But now, it belonged to him.

After putting away the Jade Slip, Mu Changge did not stay any longer, quickly exited this side room, returned to the fork in the road, and without hesitation, sneaked toward the direction where the Buddha Power was bright and Liao Chen's footsteps could be heard.

Passing through the corridor, the scene in front of him suddenly opened up. A magnificent and solemn Buddha hall appeared in front of him, with golden bricks and jade pillars, towering Buddha statues, and exquisite murals. And in the deepest part of the hall, on a golden lotus platform, two items were suspended: a crystal-clear sarira that seemed to have golden flames flowing inside, and a volume of ancient, simple scriptures with Sanskrit flowing on it. It was exactly the Buddha Bone Sarira and the Prajna Heart Sutra!

And at this moment, Liao Chen was standing about three zhang in front of the lotus platform, with his back to the hall door. He was not in a hurry to take the treasure, but sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, palms pressed together, eyes closed, concentrating, and whispering some obscure scriptures. As he chanted, paths of pale golden Buddhist characters emerged from his body, slowly floating toward the lotus platform, seeming to communicate, soothe, or perform some prerequisite ritual of recognizing an owner or unsealing. He was fully focused, his aura faintly connected to the lotus platform, sarira, and scriptures, clearly at a critical moment, and his perception of the outside world had dropped to the lowest point.

"A heaven-sent Opportunity!" A sharp glint flashed in Mu Changge's eyes.

At this moment, Liao Chen's mind was almost entirely immersed in communicating with the Buddhist treasures; he was at his most unguarded!

Moreover, since the Jade Slip of the Great Bliss Zen Method had already been taken by him, one part of Liao Chen's scheme had already failed, and he certainly would not let him go later.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mu Changge pushed his movement technique speed to the limit, turning himself into a blurred afterimage, carrying a resolute sharpness as he lunged straight for the lotus platform!

He did not attempt to attack Liao Chen, as that would instantly awaken him.

His goal was singular—to take the two Buddhist treasures on the lotus platform!

Just as Mu Changge's figure erupted forward and his fingertips were about to touch the Buddha Bone Sarira—

"Hm?" Liao Chen was, after all, a Soul Transformation Stage expert; even at the critical moment of communicating with the Buddhist treasures, his instinctual sense for danger remained.

The sharp sound of air being torn behind him and the unmasked intent of plunder caused him to instantly snap out of his immersion!

He opened his eyes violently, not even having time to fully turn his head, yet the corner of his eye caught a ghostly figure lunging toward the lotus platform!

"Evil spawn! How dare you seize the possessions of my Buddha Sect!"

A roar of shock and rage erupted from Liao Chen's throat; his process of communicating with the Buddhist treasures was forcibly interrupted, causing his Qi and blood to churn. What made him even more furious was that someone had actually sneaked here to snatch them at the critical moment of his impending success!

Furthermore, the opponent's speed was too fast, and the distance too close!

Liao Chen had no time to use any complex Divine Ability; it was purely an instinctual reaction. His palms, previously pressed together, suddenly separated, and his right hand, carrying violent Buddha Power and rage, struck out backward like lightning!

A beam of golden Buddha Power, condensed to the extreme, like the palm of an enraged Buddha, carrying the might to purge demons, struck directly at Mu Changge's vital heart area!

At the same time, his left sleeve swept wildly, and a massive suction force enveloped the lotus platform, attempting to retrieve the two Buddhist treasures first.

However, Mu Changge's timing was incredibly cunning!

Liao Chen's palm wind arrived first despite being launched later, but Mu Changge seemed to have anticipated this, shifting his lunging figure slightly at the moment when there was no room to dodge.

"Rip!" The golden palm wind grazed Mu Changge's left ribs, drawing a spray of blood and leaving a burn deep enough to expose the bone.

Agonizing pain flared, and Mu Changge let out a muffled groan, but his eyes became increasingly sharp and fierce; his forward momentum did not decrease but instead increased!

"Hand it over!" Ignoring his injuries, he formed his right hand into a claw and took the lead, disregarding the suction of Liao Chen's sleeve. Spiritual light flickered in his palm as a bizarre suction force erupted—not to oppose, but to cleverly "pull"!

Under the pull of this clever force, the Buddha Bone Sarira and the Prajna Heart Sutra on the lotus platform paused slightly, deviating just enough from Liao Chen's suction range to be snatched by Mu Changge and instantly stored in his Storage Ring!

"No—!" Liao Chen's eyes were splitting with rage; watching the supreme Buddhist treasures he was about to obtain be snatched away right before his eyes, the massive psychological disparity and monstrous anger instantly shattered his reason.

The backlash from having his communication with the Buddhist treasures forcibly interrupted, combined with extreme fury, caused his internal Qi and blood to churn violently. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he nearly vomited blood!

"Evil spawn! Die for me! Great Might Heavenly Dragon!"

Liao Chen was completely enraged, no longer possessing any of the peace of a Buddha Sect Disciple; his face was as twisted as an Asura's, and he struck out again with a backhanded palm!

The violent Buddha Power transformed into a massive, sky-covering golden Buddha palm, with a "卍" symbol rotating in its center, radiating a terrifying might capable of suppressing everything. It almost covered the entire back of the great hall, intending to crush Mu Changge along with that entire space!

The moment Mu Changge snatched the Buddhist treasures, he used the force to twist his body and charged toward an inconspicuous Protector Vajra statue on the side of the great hall that he had observed earlier!

He had unexpectedly sensed earlier, in the supplementary information of the Jade Slip from the side room, a vague mention of an emergency teleportation array formation within the great hall.

The golden Buddha palm followed like a shadow, and the terrifying pressure instantly turned the clothes on Mu Changge's back into powder, causing his skin to crack and bleed profusely.

Yet he gritted his teeth and endured, pushing his speed to the limit. At the instant the Buddha palm descended upon him, he lunged violently to the feet of the Protector Vajra statue and slammed his palm onto a lotus pattern on the statue's base that looked merely decorative!

"Hum—!" A blinding white light suddenly erupted around the statue, and the space twisted violently! A distorted light gate, large enough for only one person to pass through, formed instantly!

"You want to leave? Stay here!" Liao Chen roared, and the golden Buddha palm suddenly accelerated, chasing down fiercely!

"Puff—!" Mu Changge ultimately failed to dodge completely and was clipped by the edge of the Buddha palm. His entire body flew sideways like a torn sack, blood spraying wildly from his mouth as he slammed heavily into the wall, breaking who knows how many bones.

But he used this massive force to tumble into the dissipating distorted light gate!

Liao Chen's roar, accompanied by the violent palm force, blasted the spot where Mu Changge had been, along with the Protector Vajra statue, into fragments! Dust filled the air, and gravel flew everywhere.

The white light dissipated, and the light gate vanished. In the great hall, only the maddened Liao Chen remained, along with a space filled with devastation and the scent of blood.

"Ah—!" Liao Chen roared at the sky, his voice shaking the hall. He no longer possessed any trace of solemnity; his face was twisted, and his eyes were bloodshot. The cooked duck had flown away! The Buddhist treasures he had in his grasp had been snatched!

"Who is it? Who exactly is it?" He roared madly, his Divine Sense sweeping through the entire hall like a storm, spreading outward, yet he could no longer find any trace of the attacker. Only near the base of the shattered statue did he see a jarring pool of blood and a few blood-stained fragments of clothing (fragments of a Wandao Sword Sect Disciple robe).

Liao Chen panted heavily, his chest heaving, barely suppressing the churning Qi and blood and his monstrous murderous intent. He walked to the pool of blood, crouched down, and dipped his finger into a bit of the blood that had not yet coagulated. Buddha light flickered on his fingertip as he carefully sensed and traced it.

"A person from the Wandao Sword Sect, is it... This Buddha Son will remember! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you! And I will completely deliver you to nirvana!"

Liao Chen stood up violently, looking in the direction where Mu Changge had disappeared (sensed via a secret technique), then looked at the empty lotus platform and the chaotic side hall, his eyes terrifyingly sinister.

"He is heavily injured; he cannot run far! Mobilize all forces, search! Search the entire Secret Realm for me!"

Liao Chen gritted his teeth, no longer resembling the unfathomable Buddha Son he usually appeared to be; only endless murderous intent remained.

He forcibly suppressed his injuries and quickly searched the ruined hall for other exits. He knew that the temporary teleportation array was one-way and random, and being ancient, it was unstable; the exit must still be somewhere in the Secret Realm.

A moment later, Liao Chen exited the hall. His face was livid, and there was even a trace of blood he hadn't wiped from the corner of his mouth; he appeared outside the hall, seething with Evil Qi.

"Buddha Son!" The monks were shocked.

"Transmit my decree!" Liao Chen's voice was hoarse, containing endless fury. "Within the Secret Realm, all Buddha Sect Disciples must immediately put down everything they are doing and search with all their might for a heavily injured male Wandao Sword Sect Disciple with a Buddha Power burn on his ribs! Anyone who provides accurate clues will be heavily rewarded! Anyone who can take his head, I, in the name of the Buddha Son, guarantee to gift him three Buddha Son Sarira beads!"

"Yes!!" Although the monks were confused, seeing the Buddha Son so enraged, they dared not ask more and immediately took orders, taking out their communication Jade Slips to transmit the order and the general characteristics of Mu Changge. For a time, dark currents surged throughout the Secret Realm.

Liao Chen stood in place, gazing into the depths of the desert, his fists clenched tightly. "No matter who you are... stealing my Buddha Sect's supreme treasures! I shall send you to eternal bliss!"

...

Under a dried-up riverbed tens of thousands of miles away from the ancient temple projection, in a hidden rock crevice, the space twisted slightly, and a figure covered in blood and in a wretched state stumbled out—it was Mu Changge.

"Cough, cough... Pfft!" As soon as he landed, he spat out another mouthful of clotted blood, his face pale as paper.

Liao Chen's enraged strike, even though it only grazed him, had broken his bones, severely injured his internal organs, and allowed Buddha Power to invade his Meridians, bringing about a burning, agonizing pain.

He quickly consumed several Medicinal Pills to heal his injuries, gritted his teeth against the intense pain, simply treated the burn on his ribs that was deep enough to expose the bone, changed into clean clothes, and used a secret technique to temporarily suppress his chaotic Qi and the erosion of the Buddha Power.

"An enraged strike from the Soul Transformation Stage... truly formidable." Mu Changge panted, leaning against the hard stone wall, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

But when he sensed the Sarira radiating a gentle Buddha light, the scripture with natural Dao charm, and the ancient Jade Slip recording the Great Bliss Zen Method inside his Storage Ring, a smile appeared on his pale face.

"Buddha Bone Sarira, Prajna Heart Sutra... and this unexpected 'evil technique'... it was worth it."

His eyes were cold. "Liao Chen... you must be furious right now, right? Being angry is good. Hunting me down? Very well... this rage will serve me well."

He did not delay any longer. Enduring the pain, he struggled to his feet, carefully cleared the traces in the rock crevice, then consumed a Medicinal Pill to conceal his aura. His figure, like gravel blending into the shadows of the riverbed, sneaked away in another direction.

A frantic manhunt sweeping through the Buddha Sect forces in the Secret Realm had already begun.

And the heavily injured Mu Changge, like a ghost walking on the edge of a blade, began his journey of escape and counterattack.

Liao Chen's rage and that unexpected Great Bliss Zen Method had all become his reliance.