Chapter 88: Empty Illusion

  The place where the toad was located was a protruding rock wall, and Mu Yuan and Chu Yunfei were standing on it, with a somewhat condescending tone. In addition to the toad, there were three Taoist priests with different faces, whose bodies also had Buddhist spiritual light, but they could not hide that one stock of vigorous demonic energy, apparently their cultivation was very deep, and relying solely on empty guidance was not enough to dispel the thick demonic energy from their bodies.

  There's nothing much to talk about with these people, apart from their own magic, the four of them only know some superficial Buddhist mind solutions, which can't satisfy Mu Yuan and Lin Feng's curiosity. After chatting for a moment, they bid farewell hastily, and the two of them seem casual, but in reality, they quietly avoid the various sentries on Xuanfo Island and sneak into the center.

  "This Huayan Sect is quite impressive, with only one elder and a few open lectures, yet there are so many young monks. Although their cultivation is not particularly high, they all seem to be at the level of refining Qi in the first or second layer, with fully connected meridians and already showing signs of condensing acupoints. By extension, it can be inferred that this is the situation within the Huayan Sect itself."

  Apart from the numerous sprites, they also saw many humans, dressed in what seemed to be Middle-earth style attire, apparently merchants coming and going, mooring their boats here. Mu Yuan thought to himself, people often say that there are sacred mountains overseas, and that one can attain enlightenment on Penglai, many people in the mundane world yearn for the fame of the overseas lands, seeking the Tao with all their heart, compared to the great sects of Middle-earth's Daoist schools, they actually seem to be even more revered, truly a strange and wondrous psychology.

  Xuanfo Island is not big, compared to Chongming Island a few days ago, it's not much different. The two of them slowly and leisurely climbed up, and before long, they arrived at the abode of Master Kongxu, which was just an ordinary house made of unknown wood material, nothing special about it. Although their cultivation was only condensed, but with all sorts of secret methods and treasures on their bodies, it wasn't difficult to deceive those little monks!

  Two people saw that on the wooden house, there was a layer of faint mist that could not be seen by the naked eye, like cyan smoke, floating and ethereal, born from the sea breeze, originally something that would disperse with one blow, but condensed into a substance, not drifting with the wind, instead gathering towards the center, as if something inside the house was inhaling and exhaling.

  "This is the power of faith!" Chu Yunfei said with a serious expression after gazing for a moment. Mu Yuan was also surprised by his words, having seen the boundless true void great hand seal of Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue when they exchanged hands earlier. After subduing the sword-toothed dragon beast, in conjunction with the mysterious seal technique, its effectiveness became apparent. The boundless true void great hand seal was actually condensed through cultivation using the power of faith and incense offerings; he hadn't expected to see it here as well.

  Mu Yuan's heart was silently responding, and inside the house, he felt empty and void, as if there were no human affairs, only a faint sense of a breath that seemed to resonate with his own true vital energy. He was astonished in his heart, and transformed the icy divine light outside his body, covering up his original breath.

  Chu Yunfei saw him like this, and also smiled slightly. The originally gloomy and eerie Xuan Yin Qi suddenly produced a domineering aura, which was even more dense and black. In the protective true energy, it seemed that a faint flame was burning, pitch-black and unparalleled. Mu Yuan was somewhat surprised, and transmitted his voice, "This is the technique of Tian Mo's nine turns, I remember telling you about it."

  Mù Yuán was enlightened, and Chǔ Yún Fēi had once said that beside the demonic wooden pole, he also obtained the Tiān Mó Jiǔ Zhuàn's heart method. Looking at it this way, it is indeed an extraordinary mind secret.

  The two changed their appearance, but their breath was not arrogant. With just this change, the people in the house sensed it, and a clear voice came out, "Guests from afar, why don't you come in and have a chat!"

  Mu Yuan exchanged a glance with Chu Yunfei, but it was also within his expectations. The other party's cultivation was obviously more profound than his own, and in the Buddhist sect, there were also divine powers such as the Heavenly Eye and the Heavenly Ear that could detect him, so it wasn't strange at all.

  Two people entered the house, only to see an old monk with white hair and beard, who had stopped doing something earlier. He placed a purple-glowing alms bowl on the table. The alms bowl was crystal clear and dazzling, but it wasn't the alms bowl that surprised him, rather it was the aura he sensed from the alms bowl that made his vital energy surge with excitement.

  Mu Yuan remained calm and composed, as did Chu Yunfei. Both of them were polite to the old monk, "I have heard that your Buddhist teachings are profound, I came specifically to listen to your guidance. If there is any offense, please forgive me!"

  With an ethereal smile, his eyebrows opened and his eyes sparkled with benevolence. "You're too kind, sir. The Taoist and Buddhist teachings have always had their connections. Let's just exchange our views!"

  Three people chatted idly for a while, and the Buddhist monk was indeed eloquent, his words as beautiful as lotus flowers. If not for Mu Yuan's initial wariness of this monk and his ulterior motives, he would have been convinced to change his ways and become a monk!

  "The Master was originally going to lecture tomorrow, but since we two are newcomers to the island and our hearts are filled with eagerness, we cannot help but be a bit impatient and rude. Please forgive us, we will leave first and wait quietly for the Master's lecture tomorrow!"

  With a faint smile and a nod, Mu Yuan followed Chu Yunfei out. It wasn't until they left that place and returned to their residence that Mu Yuan let out a slight sigh of relief.

  Chu Yunfei also wiped the sweat from his forehead, "This old monk is really formidable, with words that can bewitch people's hearts, surpassing any magical powers. I felt like I was floating and would have been brainwashed if you hadn't said we were leaving in the end, thinking it was a revelation!"

  Mu Yuan also felt the same way, "I just started to feel that there was something in that old monk's alms bowl that could trigger my true energy, so I've been on high alert all along. This thing has nothing to do with profound spiritual power or strong divine powers, it directly points to one's heart and mind. It's because you and I have been too careless in our daily lives that we've ended up like this."

  "What's in that bowl is actually something spiritual and mysterious, it seems to have a life of its own. And this monk, he doesn't necessarily seem like a good person either!" Mu Yuan said quietly.

  Although he had a good understanding, Mu Yuan also knew that the monk was not a good person to deal with. He was deeply versed in Buddhist teachings and could not be underestimated. It would be unwise to act rashly. According to what Zi Lan said, whenever this monk gave a sermon, it would last for three to five days, sometimes even ten days or half a month. Fortunately, the time was not short, so they could plan carefully.

  At the moment, nothing was happening. Until midnight, Mu Yuan was still practicing his breathing exercises when he sensed that many different auras of varying strengths had arrived on the island and were coexisting peacefully. Among these auras, there was one that felt particularly familiar to Mu Yuan, but for some reason, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. This made him feel somewhat perplexed and unable to calm his mind for meditation, so he decided to rest and wait quietly for the second day when Kong Xuan would open the altar and give a lecture on the Void-illusory Scripture!

  One peaceful night, when Mu Yuan pushed the window open and looked far away, he saw the sun rising in the east, the sea rolling with golden waves, and everywhere was bright. People were rushing to the island, and most of them were demons, with only a few humans among them. Chu Yunfei from next door was also watching, and the two exchanged a smile. Together with Qi Wei, they rushed to the place where Kong Xuan would give his lecture.