Chapter 88: The Arrival of the True Male Lead!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qiao Wan was once again blasted away by a burst of golden light. This time, Venerable One Miaofa showed no mercy. Qiao Wan was directly smashed into a pit, and the chaotic demonic energy around her subsided. With a loud "thud," she fell onto the ground, unconscious.
The blow from Venerable One left Qiao Wan covered in blood, with a bite mark on his neck. His fierce gaze was as sharp as a knife.
Glancing at the crowd of monks who were watching, they all trembled in fear. Did Venerable One truly unleash his anger? Whoever dares to attack Venerable One and push him to this extent will surely suffer in the days to come.
Thinking about this, the compassionate monks couldn't help but look at Qiao Wan in the pit with sympathy.
As the monks in the Great Hall of Light secretly glanced at Venerable One Miaofa, the radiant and majestic Buddha glanced at the demon on the ground and frowned, speaking coldly, "Hurry and carry her to Qieli Pond!"
The monks in the Great Hall of Light looked at each other, their hearts shaken.
Qieli Pond? Has it come to this point? Does Venerable One plan to personally heal this demon?!
Despite their shock, the imposing presence of Venerable One Miaofa was too heavy, so they didn't dare delay. They quickly sent a few young monks to rush forward, pick up the unconscious Qiao Wan, pat her gently, and carry her to Qieli Pond.
As we all know, Venerable One Miaofa usually meditated and practiced Zen at Qieli Pond at the bottom of the No-Phantom Cliff.
Cen Qingyou stepped forward.
In the past, the gentle and composed young master felt a lot of pressure when facing the stern face of his own master. But with a glance at the miserable Qiao Wan, his heart wavered for a moment, and he spoke in a gentle voice for her: "Master... Xin Yi has been diligent in her cultivation these days, but she has fallen too deep into darkness and is unable to control herself."
Venerable One Miaofa had a cold expression, saying, "I know how to handle this matter!"
Thinking about the merciless golden light that just struck someone, Cen Qingyou silently retreated to the side, sighing in his heart: Xin Yi, this is the extent to which I can help you.
As for the matters at the bottom of the cliff, they could only hope that Qiao Wan would take care of herself.
After everyone left, Venerable One Miaofa reached out his hand, touched his neck, and when the golden light dispersed, the bite mark was completely unharmed. After all, this was a wound caused by dark energy, and it would take some time to heal.
Miaofa took a deep breath in his heart, swept his sleeve coldly, and quickly rushed towards the bottom of the Infinite Cliff.
The cool pond water covered Qiao Wan's entire body, a gentle breeze blew, and the ripples in the water washed away the darkness that clung to her.
Qiao Wan woke up from a daze, her head pounding.
She reached up to her forehead, causing water to splash everywhere.
Water?
Qiao Wan was taken aback, before she could gather her thoughts, she heard a voice from above her: "Awake?"
She turned her head and saw a serious-looking Monk standing on the shore.
Qiao Wan's heart skipped a beat, she didn't have time to wonder how she ended up in the pond. Just as she was about to climb out, a beam of golden light struck her and pulled her back in.
"Go back."
A robe suddenly covered her from head to toe.
"Put on the robe," the Monk commanded firmly.
The scent of sandalwood filled the air.
Qiao Wan soaked in the pond while the Monk watched from the shore.
"This is Qieli Pond below the Immeasurable Cliff. It can suppress the darkness. From today onwards, you must come here to soak for two hours every day."
Qiao Wan's mind was in a daze and she couldn't remember what had just happened. But when she saw the worried face of the monk and the bloodstains on her body, she wisely chose not to ask any questions.
"After soaking, I will help you get rid of the evil energy in your meridians," the monk said.
The water in the pool had a calming effect, so Qiao Wan obediently soaked in it for a while before getting out and sitting in front of the monk.
A golden light entered her meridians and her consciousness, patiently and gently clearing away the remaining evil energy.
Qiao Wan wanted to speak to the monk, but before she could, he sternly interrupted her.
With a wave of his hand, a powerful burst of golden light entered her body, causing Qiao Wan to tremble in pain. Her words were swallowed back before she could speak them.
But after entering her body, the Buddha's light seemed to soften its stance and slowly traveled through her veins and arteries, soothing the unsettling demonic energy within her body. It was like a warm, soothing stream that calmed her restlessness and the coldness of violence.
Qiao Wan's whole body stiffened when a thought flashed through her mind like lightning, shaking her to the core.
Her hair, the color of deep blue, fell down, and when the wind blew, it revealed a purple bruise.
Noticing the stiffness of the person beneath her, another beam of golden light forcefully entered her body.
Venerable One Miaofa spoke sternly, "Relax."
Therefore, Qiao Wan dared not speak anymore. She bowed her head obediently, waiting for Venerable One Miaofa to cleanse the demonic energy for her. Meanwhile, she strained her memory to recall what had happened before.
When Miaofa finished cleansing her, Qiao Wan vaguely remembered that she had encountered a group of young men and women who had come to provoke her while she was sweeping.
The discovery of the Great Hall of Light being haunted was a big deal, especially since it happened during the Three Teachings Law Meeting. Qiao Wan had just mentioned this when the Buddhist monk coldly interrupted her.
"I will handle this matter," said Venerable One Miaofa, raising an eyebrow and giving her a stern look. "You just need to focus on dispelling the evil energy. You don't need to worry about these things."
Qiao Wan replied softly, "Senior."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry for causing trouble," Qiao Wan apologized.
"Instead of worrying about others, worry about yourself. I am fine," Miaofa said firmly. "There's no need for you to be concerned."
After Miaofa dispelled the evil energy for Qiao Wan, he left without staying long. Qiao Wan sat in Qieli Pond for a while, feeling better before returning to her meditation room.
But before dawn broke, something went wrong again.
Qiao Wan became angry once more.
The entire Great Hall of Light was taken by surprise when the dark energy went out of control not just once, but multiple times. Each time, it became more fierce, and the intervals between these outbursts became shorter.
After being knocked unconscious by the endless light, Qiao Wan woke up and found herself face to face with a beautiful and solemn face. She remained silent for a while.
"Elder, maybe you should lock me up?" she finally said.
The repeated outbursts were causing trouble, so the Great Hall of Light had its own dungeon where many misbehaving demon cultivators were imprisoned.
The Buddha furrowed his brow as he looked at his junior who seemed so familiar after knowing each other for over a decade in his dreams.
"The dungeon is different from the Great Hall of Light. Are you really sure about going there?"
Qiao Wan's face expressed sincerity: "At the moment, there are no better solutions. I'll just stay in the dungeon for a few days. I believe that the elder will find a way to purify the dark energy for me as soon as possible."
That night, Qiao Wan packed her things and went down to the dungeon of the Great Hall of Light.
But this time, the treatment was much better than the last time in the Precept Hall dungeon. It was a single room, spacious and clean, with a comfortable bed and a table and chairs.
Cen Qingyou was afraid that she would feel lonely being alone, so he specially brought her a box of Buddhist scriptures.
After moving into the dungeon, Qiao Wan started to face off against the evil energy.
The evil energy didn't obey her and wanted to devour her sanity.
But she wanted to control the evil energy.
Both sides refused to give in.
Everyone in the dungeon was wicked criminals.
As soon as they saw a girl moving in, they started provoking.
"What has Miaofa brought in this time?"
"A girl?" The fierce men in the cell laughed maliciously. "Wow, is this a pet kept in the dungeon?"
"Didn't expect Miaofa, the evil Buddha, to have such a taste."
A scar-faced man with a fierce look grinned and banged on the iron bars. "Hey, little girl, forget about Miaofa and join me, big brother."
"I'm alive and well, and if you follow me, you'll definitely be more comfortable than following Miaofa."
The dungeon in the Great Hall of Light is not as cruel as the dungeon in Precept Hall. Under the personal design of Venerable One Miaofa, each prison cell has a Souvenir Jade Ball that automatically plays the Great Compassion Mantra and repentance texts every day, which is extremely cruel.
Qiao Wan's mouth twitches.
The scarred man is relentless, still gabbing on: "I'm telling you, this monk Miaofa, what's so great about him?" The scarred man pats his chest and promises: "I look tougher than Miaofa, and I'll take better care of you than him."
"Is that so?"
A male voice, clear and cold, resounds, sharp and resonating throughout the dark and sunless dungeon.
Deafening.
In the dark corridor, a monk radiating Buddha's light walks into the middle of the prison cell with an unfriendly expression.
The scarred man is startled: "Damn! When did this monk Miaofa come over?"
"I have the ability to serve others," said the Buddha with a glance, "Can you imagine what it's like?"
Several rays of golden light pierced through the veins and muscles with precision!
"Miaofa!! Miaofa!" The scar-faced man screamed in pain, "I will definitely kill you!"
"Just you wait!" the man growled angrily, "Once I get out, I will kill you, sooner or later!"
Without even looking at the scar-faced man who had brought trouble upon himself, Miaofa approached the prison cells and frowned at Qiao Wan. "Has the demonic energy improved today?"
After seeing the condition of the scar-faced man, and realizing that the Buddha had probably heard their conversation earlier, Qiao Wan felt a little embarrassed. She suddenly didn't know how to face the Buddha in front of her. In the end, she managed to stammer out, "It's still tolerable."
"Sit down, and I will purify the demonic energy within you."
Having spent a long time in the dungeon, Qiao Wan looked worn-out and disheveled, which only made the presence of the Buddha more majestic and dignified.
As soon as they stepped into the prison cell, it was illuminated and vibrant.
The iron chains clanged, and Qiao Wan obediently sat down.
This wasn't what she had imagined.
In her ears, the Great Compassion Mantra and Confession Prayer played repeatedly, mixed with the angry shouts and curses of the criminals.
Qiao Wan opened her eyes and remained silent against the rock wall for a while.
She wanted to become stronger.
Instead of being like before in Precept Hall, like she was now, cowering in a dark and damp dungeon without seeing daylight.
Maybe it was because of the compassion within her, but suddenly Qiao Wan felt her nose tingling and a sense of sadness surged, causing tears to fall again.
Noticing that something was wrong with Qiao Wan, Miaofa pulled back her hand and coldly shouted, "Why are you crying?!"
At this shout, Qiao Wan's tears fell even harder.
Anyway, the first time they met, she had already cried her heart out, so now she felt no burden or pressure to shed tears again.
The radiance of a Buddha is gentle yet strong, compassionate and gentle.
Qiao Wan watched as the woman cried in front of her with such sadness, and Miaofa also seemed a bit stiff. Though her tone wasn't exactly gentle, it did slow down a bit. "Why are you crying?" she asked.
Qiao Wan lowered her gaze. "I never imagined I would end up in this situation."
From beginning to end, all she wanted was to be herself, to become stronger, and to proudly be known as "Qiao Wan" in front of others.
"Do you want to leave?"
Qiao Wan whispered, "Yes, I want to go out and see the conference, but I need to first dispel the demonic energy."
Since becoming possessed by the demonic energy, her demeanor had been somewhat upright.
With a sharp gaze, Miaofa could see right through Qiao Wan's thoughts. "Now that the conference is approaching and many talented individuals will be there, if you want to become stronger, participating in the conference would be a fast way to achieve that."
"If you truly want to leave, there is a way."
Qiao Wan was taken aback. "Please, show me."
Miaofa spoke in a deep voice. "I have mentioned before that your spiritual consciousness is on the verge of breaking through the infant stage."
"If your spiritual consciousness reaches the Yuanying stage, your soul can leave your body. At that time, you can split your soul in half to create a duplicate of yourself, which can travel on your behalf."
"If you truly want to leave, now is the time to cultivate your spiritual consciousness and break through to the Yuanying stage. Once you achieve that, your original body will stay here to dispel the demonic energy, while your duplicate can leave the prison and attend the Three Teachings Law Meeting."
"That means you won't need the advanced disguise provided by the Face Changing Pill. But whether this plan will succeed or not depends on whether Qiao Wan can overcome the demonic energy and break through to the Yuanying stage during this time."
"The words of Venerable One Miaofa came as a surprise to Qiao Wan, as if a huge opportunity had just fallen from the sky."
"Yuanying! As long as my spiritual consciousness breaks through to the Yuanying stage, I can leave!"
"The Buddha practitioner's eyes lit up when they heard this, but then they frowned and gave Qiao Wan a reality check. 'With the demonic energy surrounding you, it will not be easy to break through to the Yuanying stage at this critical moment.'"
Qiao Wan raised her eyes solemnly and said, "Venerable One, I would like to give it a try."
Three Teachings Law Meeting, where the top young disciples from various sects came, was the best time to level up.
When Qiao Wan saw this opportunity in front of her, she didn't want to miss it no matter what.
As Miaofa left, Qiao Wan's spirits were lifted and she immediately sat cross-legged to continue her cultivation.
The scarred man, who had heard the entire conversation between Qiao Wan and Miaofa, sneered disdainfully, "This monk is deceiving you, and you actually believe him?"
Disgusting!
He was imprisoned by this evil monk in a dungeon. The evil monk said he would be released once he had a change of heart.
It had been thirty years since he started thinking! That damn evil monk Miaofa just refused to let him out!
Qiao Wan didn't even bother to look up.
With a goal in mind, she found the motivation to push herself. In the following days, Qiao Wan was full of energy, tirelessly fighting against the demonic energy. She immersed herself in cultivating her spiritual consciousness day and night, taking short breaks only to immediately continue.
Perhaps it was due to being trapped in the dungeon for so long, Scarface initially didn't take it seriously. But soon, he started sitting in front of the iron bars every day, watching Qiao Wan's progress, and occasionally pouring cold water on her.
"It's incurable, there's no hope, just wait for death."
Qiao Wan pressed her lips together, remaining silent, almost returning to her previous state of desperately cultivating.
When she woke up, she would sit cross-legged and recite a repentance text, calming her mind, and continue to absorb the demonic energy.
Every time Venerable One Miaofa left a Buddha's radiance in Qiao Wan's sea of consciousness, she carefully kept it and used it effectively.
After walking through the long corridor, the Buddhist turned around and glanced at the hidden dungeon in the darkness, loosening his furrowed brow slightly.
Hopefully, Qiao Wan wouldn't disappoint him.
Qiao Wan's mental state was already on the verge of breaking through to the Yuan Ying stage. However, the influence of the demonic energy disrupted her consciousness every time she tried to break through, causing her to go berserk and smash walls, often injuring herself badly.
After smashing the walls, she continued to cultivate with blood all over her face.
After a few days, even the fellow prisoners in the dungeons couldn't help but admire Qiao Wan. Once she finished her meditation, Venerable One Miaofa called out in a compassionate voice, "How did it go today?"
Qiao Wan replied in a deep voice, "I'm close, but not quite there yet."
"Will you continue tomorrow?"
"Sure."
In this intense training, Qiao Wan actually managed to break through the infant stage on a certain day! The notorious criminals were even more delighted than Qiao Wan herself. They clapped and cheered, but Venerable One Miaofa gave them a cold glance and a burst of golden light shot out.
"You evil Buddha," he said sharply.
The troublemakers were brought to tears and gritted their teeth as they leaned against the railing.
"Just wait until I get out, I'll kill all of you," Qiao Wan threatened.
During the breakthrough of the infant stage, the monk sat beside Qiao Wan, guarding against the backlash of demonic energy.
When Qiao Wan broke through the infant stage, she decisively directed herself to separate half of her divine consciousness. She then used a portion of her own flesh and blood to create a human form, which she inserted into herself.
As for the appearance of the new form, Qiao Wan thought for a moment and decided to create a man.
Suddenly, the inmates in the dungeon became excited. "Listen to me, this is how you do it!"
"Nonsense! Listen to me!"
"You need a scar on your face, it's manly!"
"A man can't be without a bird, how about a small bird?"
"Make a majestic golden-winged eagle!"
The criminals stretched their necks, holding their breath, curious to see what kind of clone Qiao Wan would create.
The young man had black hair tied with a white headband. His eyebrows were like ink, flying diagonally into his temples. With a high nose bridge and faintly pale dragon scales at the corners of his eyes, he exuded the same aloofness as Qiao Wan.
What a beautiful young man, as refreshing as rinsing in ice and snow!
So handsome!
Everyone clapped and praised!
Miaofa spoke in a deep voice, "Come forward."
Qiao Wan obeyed and walked forward. Feeling a subtle sensation below, her face twitched involuntarily. Just moments ago, she didn't know what strange desire to win and compare had taken hold of her, but now she had actually created a golden-winged eagle bird!
Having it was not necessary, but once she had it, she couldn't afford to lose!
But after creating this thing, it felt very strange.
Golden-winged Peng is too big!
Venerable One Miaofa didn't hear Qiao Wan's crazy thoughts, and luckily didn't hear Qiao Wan's crazy thoughts either.
The Venerable glanced at Qiao Wan, raised his hand and made a Buddha seal on him.
On the pale skin of the youth, golden lotus flowers and swastikas appeared.
"Although this is your clone, there is still a bit of demonic energy remaining. My Buddha seal contains a trace of my divine consciousness, which can help suppress the demonic energy and accompany you on this journey, assisting me in monitoring your every move."
This feeling is very strange.
Qiao Wan looked cautiously at the young man in front of her, feeling a bit spaced out. This is a bit like playing a game in her past life, controlling two characters at the same time.
"When the Dharma conference begins, all the talented individuals from different sects will gather at Jiuyue Mountain. If you can make some good friends during this conference, it will be convenient for you to participate in the Kunshan Joint Cultivation Conference in the future."
At that time, the main body will stay in the dungeon and face the demonic energy head-on.
Qiao Wan looked up and saw a young boy with clear and pure eyes, shining like stars.
Using this body, she wanted to compete with the talented individuals who had come to the Three Teachings Law Meeting, and make a name for herself.
"Remember!" said the wise monk, raising his eyebrows and speaking sternly. "Avoid arrogance and impatience! Behave with caution and thoughtfulness!"
While Qiao Wan was diligently sculpting a clay figure, young talents from various schools started arriving at the foot of Jiuyue Mountain.
A girl, dressed in white clothes and adorned with pearls and coral in her hair, had a cool and composed expression. She carried a robe on her arm, showing an elegant and graceful demeanor.
Beside her stood a young man, upright and noble, carrying a huge blue sword on his back. He looked at the majestic mountain in front of him.
"Xie Xingzhi, our taoist friend, is waiting in front of Lisheng Peak," the young man said in a deep voice. "Let's go, Shanhu."
…
"Is this Jiuyue Mountain?"
A middle-aged cultivator, dressed in a simple blue robe and with a short beard under his chin, walked steadily to the foot of the mountain. He carried a black sheathed sword and a small white sheathed sword on his back. Behind him, a group of young scholars, disheveled and stumbling, followed closely.
"Uncle Li, who are we looking for in Jiuyue Mountain?" asked the young girl who accompanied him. Though her clothes were plain, her eyes shone with intelligence and her face was fresh and beautiful.
"This is a Three Teachings Law Meeting, where the top sects of the cultivation world gather. And here we are, just a small academy," murmured the young girl, looking up at Jiuyue Mountain. "I wonder if we can even make it to the Dari Peak."
Uncle Li, who exactly are we here to find?
