Chapter 61: Great Meditation Dharani   The young man said with a smile, “Why are you running away?”

Little Yuan’er was about to reply, but when she suddenly remembered that she could not expose herself, she swallowed the words that were hanging on the tip of her tongue.

When the young man saw Little Yuan’er hesitating, he continued to say with a smile, “I’ve observed you for the entire night, you can’t fool me. Little girl, you’re from the Divine Court realm. The old man’s body is healthy. His cultivation base is at the middle stage of the Sense Condensation realm.” He gestured with his hand as he said, “But that’s not the point. Back to our topic, the second person who cultivated the sword to the penultimate stage is Yu Shangrong, the second head devil of Evil Sky Pavilion.”

“Who’s the third one?”

“The third person seems far away but is actually very close.”

“You’re the sword freak, Chen Wenjie?” Lu Zhou asked, puzzled.

“No, no... Chen Wenjie is obsessed with swordplay, but he doesn’t love the sword. I’m different. I like the sword, and I like swordplay as well... A person like Chen Wenjie is ambiguous with his stance. Someone like him will die a gruesome death sooner or later,” the young man said.

As soon as Lu Zhou heard this, he knew who the young man was. He stroked his beard as he said, “The one who loves swords to the bones, Jiang Aijian!”

Jiang Aijian had changed his name to reflect his deep love for the sword. He must be the only person in the cultivation world to do so. His pursuit of the sword was almost an obsession. He was also a genuine rogue cultivator. He was adapted to survive on the treacherous path of the cultivation world. His skills were clearly high based on how he managed to escape from the elite who killed Zhuo Ping. He had two obsessions; one was his love for the sword, and second, was to stay out of trouble. His second obsession played a huge role in keeping him, someone who stayed neutral, alive for so many years.

“You’re exaggerating,” Jiang Aijian said with a smile.

Lu Zhou lifted his head slightly as Unnamed materialized in his hand. It was short and exquisite.

Jiang Aijian was visibly stunned. His eyes were widened as he stared at it. It was truly beautiful. The length and the design of the blade were just what he liked. His voice contained hints of excitement as he said, “O-old Mister...”

Lu Zhou waved his hand, and Unnamed disappeared. He said emotionlessly, “If you wish to live, you’d do well not to covet this blade.”

Dong! Dong! Dong!

At this moment, the tolling of the bell could be heard from the holy altar.

Lu Zhou frowned slightly.

The holy altar was where the grand ceremony of the Righteous and Fiendish Paths was celebrated. Why would there be a Buddhist bell there?

Jiang Aijian exclaimed in surprise, “Old Mister, the holy altar is filled with strange people! The cultivators from the Noble and Fiendish Paths are gathered there so it’s an awfully dangerous place to be. I suggest you refrain from going there. I heard the Holy Daughter they had selected this time is the fifth villain of Golden Court Mountain’s Evil Sky Pavilion.” He laughed as he continued to say, “How ironic! A fiend is chosen as the Holy Daughter.”

Lu Zhou ignored him.

Jiang Aijian spoke again, “However, if you really plan on going and getting yourself killed, I’ll be able to obtain your sword, Old Mister. At that time, I’ll collect your corpse and bury you in a treasured land where the elements are in harmony.”

As soon as Jiang Aijian finished speaking, Little Yuan’er lost her temper. “Let me deal with him!” Her body was as light as a swallow, and her majesty could rival the heavens. Her ferocious Primal Qi rippled out immediately.

Jiang Aijian parried the incoming energy waves as he retreated. He was rendered speechless for a moment. “What a feisty young girl... You don’t seem like an ordinary Divine Court Realm cultivator.”

Little Yuan’er scoffed. “I’ll hit you so hard that you’ll be picking up your teeth from the ground...”

“Little girl, don’t make me use my sword.” Jiang Aijian retreated again.

Dong! Dong!

The bell tolled again from the holy altar. It was tolling with increasing urgency.

Lu Zhou glanced at Jiang Aijin dismissively. ‘He’s only a rogue cultivator who loves swords... There’s no need to waste an item card on him.’ He motioned to Little Yuan’er as he said, “Yuan’er, we’re leaving!”

Suddenly, a roar sounded from the nearby forest.

The colossal mount, Bi An, dashed toward them. Its roar frightened the beasts in the forest into scampering. The King of the Beasts’ aura sent chills running up one’s spine.

Jiang Aijian was startled by the sight of the legendary mount. He quickly pulled his arms back and did a flip before he landed on the tips of his toes. He moved backward at lightning speed, evading Little Yuan’er’s attack. “So, you’re an elite...”

Those who possessed legendary mounts were undoubtedly elites whose names alone would shock the masses. The Old Mister might have a weak cultivation base, but it was clear his background was not as simple as it seemed.

Although Jiang Aijian loved swords, he loved his life more. He cupped his fists as he hovered in the air. “Old Mister... The holy altar is a dangerous place... Why don’t you go somewhere else instead?”

“I can take care of myself.” Lu Zhou leaped onto Bi An with light movements.

Bi An bared its fangs.

Little Yuan’er glanced at Jiang Aijian and scoffed before she leaped onto Bi An as well.

Jiang Aijian could only look as the duo sped toward the holy altar. He stroked his chin, lost in thought. ‘Should I give chase? What if I run into that old villain?” He was in a dilemma. He mulled over the matter for some time before he finally made a decision. “I’m not going to involve myself in their quarrel. Right. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll just collect his corpse when he dies.” Then, he followed the duo from afar.

...

Dong! Dong! Dong!

On the holy altar.

The huge flying chariot of the Temple of Great Emptiness hovered in the air as dozens of monks chanted sutras with their palms joined together. The sound of their chantings resounded in the air.

Lu Zhou and Little Yuan’er were still a distance away, and the chantings sounded like the buzzing of mosquitoes to their ears. They did not make their way to the monks, instead, they landed someone near the holy altar.

The buildings on the holy altar took up a vast space. The patio at the base formed a ring around the area with 48 doors. The plaza extended for several miles in all directions. Ordinary people were not allowed to be in the vicinity without a valid reason.

When Lu Zhou stepped foot on the holy altar, the tolling of the bells became agitated.

It was annoying.

Lu Zhou raised his hand slightly. “The Buddhists’ Great Meditation Dharani.”

“What’s a bunch of monks doing here?” Little Yuan’er muttered under her breath.

The Great Meditation Dharani had a powerful and intimidating effect on enemies. This was achieved by the communal chanting of sutras. Only the bald donkeys of the Temple of Great Emptiness could pull this off.

“Stay calm and wait. The Great Meditation Dharani can only be recited five times in a row...” Lu Zhou stood still as he looked at the flying chariot in the air. This might prove to be a good thing.

The Great Meditation Dharani could intimidate most cultivators. This solved Lu Zhou’s worry about his Deadly Strike Card being unable to hit multiple targets at once. However, he was truly curious why the Temple of Great Emptiness would appear here when they usually did not concern themselves with the secular world’s affairs?

The bell tolled once more.

The Great Meditation Dharani sounded as though a colony of flies was having a party.

Lu Zhou shook his head helplessly. He wondered if there was anyone who would enjoy listening to the Great Meditation Dharani?

After a few moments, the buzzing of the Great Meditation Dharani finally faded.

The holy altar was plunged into deadly silence.

“Let’s go,” Lu Zhou said as he and Little Yuan’er made their way to the center of the holy altar.

Even when they approached the plaza, nobody seemed to take notice of them. They successfully blended in with the crowd.

Little Yuan’er pointed at a nearby flying chariot and said, “There’s the flying chariot from the Fiend Temple!”

Apart from the Fiend Temple, there were also the flags from the Righteous Sect and the Clarity Sect around the holy altar’s plaza.

Just as expected, the cultivators from the Noble Path and Fiendish Path around the duo had a sour expression on their faces. They were practically huffing and puffing as they looked up.

Lu Zhou swept his eyes across the holy altar. With the Eye of Truth, everyone seemed like an enemy. He did not dare to think about what would happen to him if his identity was exposed. Three Impeccable Cards and Three Deadly Strike Cards were more than enough for him to escape with his life intact, but it would be difficult for him to take Zhao Yue away.

At this moment, a monk emerged from the flying chariot above the holy altar and descended slowly. His palms were joined together, and his kasaya glittered with gold.

Someone cried out in surprise, “Kong Xuan from the Temple of Great Emptiness?”

As Kong Xuan slowly descended, he projected his voice, “The abbot has decreed that the Holy Daughter of the current grand ceremony, Zhao Yue, will be taken away by the Temple of Great Emptiness. I ask for your understanding and forgiveness, my dear benefactors.”

A man in long robes pointed at Kong Xuan as he said indignantly, “Bald donkey! How can we let you take the Holy Daughter away just because you want to? What do you take our Righteous Sect for?”