Yama Rising

Chapter 633: Longxing Temple

Longxing Temple.

The city-wide power outage had little effect on Longxing Temple. Monks were still going about with their evening classes, while an old monk remained seated in the middle of the main hall, leading a few other novice monks in the sutras that they were chanting. They were surrounded by dozens of lit candles.

The novice monks glanced at each other in dismay. Master Yuanzhi may appear to be kind, but they knew that in reality he was one of the strictest masters around, and he would never allow them to leave earlier than their regular dismissal time. Was something wrong with him today?

“And close the door after you.”

“Today isn’t the day that I die.” Yuanzhi stopped chanting and spoke without even turning back, “The Longxing Temple isn’t a place where you curmudgeons can come and go so freely. This is your final warning.”

“Then, prepare to be punished for your transgressions!” Yuanzhi’s body spun right around, only to notice a dark figure standing with his hands behind his back right in the middle of the swirling nethergale. At once, a scroll of ancient scriptures emerged from his long sleeves, unravelling itself as it shot towards the dark figure like the emergence of a yellow dragon.

Om mani padme hum… The six-syllabled mantra? Qin Ye watched with great interest as Yuanzhi proceeded to perform a somewhat awkward dance. Before long, his limbs began to glow with a golden light, and then he suddenly turned and patted between the brows of the Buddha statue.

Unfortunately… nothing happened.

Yuanzhi glanced at the Buddha statue behind him, and patted between its brows once more.

Moments later, the sound of rapid smacking of palms against a statue echoed out throughout the main hall. After some time, Qin Ye couldn’t take it any longer, “Come on, that’s enough. Even the statue’s going to get swollen from those palm strikes…”

“Impossible, right?” Qin Ye smiled, “I’m rather surprised too. I’m surprised to find that the presiding monk here in Longxing Temple is actually an intermediate Judge-class expert. Fairly good.”

Before he could even finish speaking, a dark and heavy object flew straight into his hand.

The identity token was like a sun to Yuanzhi - a sun formed out of Yin energy. In fact, it emitted such intense Yin energy that Yuanzhi wasn’t even able to get a good hold of it.

“Abyssal Prefect?” He drew a deep breath and waved his hand casually, causing the token to fly right back into Qin Ye’s hands. Then, he gazed deeply into Qin Ye’s eyes for some time, before finally asking, “It’s well known that Emissaries of Hell can’t be seen with human eyes. So, why is it that I can see you?”

“Thank you for your guidance.” Yuanzhi sighed softly, and then bowed deeply, “Yuanzhi greets the esteemed Abyssal Prefect. What business might you have with us today?”

“I’m here to look for something. I’ve thought about it. The only two possible places are the Zhongdu Imperial City of the Ming , and the Longxing Temple. I’ve taken a good look around the Zhongdu Imperial City, but I’ve found nothing. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get a good read on the Longxing Temple.”

Qin Ye looked him deep in the eye, “Visions of Emperor Hongwu, or some divine revelation? Nothing of that sort?”

Just then, a ripping sound came from Qin Ye’s sleeves, and the Harken leapt out and raised its front paws. At once, Daddy Qin immediately picked him up and held it in his hands.

Moments later, the Harken lay down comfortably in Qin Ye’s bosom and turned to Yuanzhi, “Old monk, are you sure you’ve got it right? Hell has it recorded clearly that Emperor Hongwu was once a monk with the Longxing Temple. Are you suggesting that Hell was wrong?”

How terrifying…

It was only when it showed itself that he suddenly discovered an overbearing source of Yin energy washing over him like the waters in the ocean. It was stifling and suffocating.

This is someone stronger than an Abyssal Prefect… It… has to be at least in the realms of a Yama-King!

The Sixfold Ghost Kings?

“The Harken.” As soon as Qin Ye disclosed the dog’s identity, Yuanzhi shuddered profusely, and then collapsed to the ground.

“Do you believe me?”

“Will you require him to reveal his true form?”

I’m afraid Fengyang County wouldn’t be able to withstand the descent of such a mighty presence…

“Nothing…” Qin Ye gritted his teeth and glared at the Harken - What the hell is this? Are you biting me just because I’m not paying any attention to you? Are you having a bad hair day or something?!

After spending the next few moments placating the Harken, Qin Ye turned back to the old monk, and the old monk slowly rose to his feet again. With a long sigh, he finally addressed the Harken’s earlier query, “You are right. And I have an inkling I know the exact place that you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean?” Qin Ye immediately pressed the point, “Where’s the other Longxing Temple?”

Qin Ye nodded softly. Yuanzhi’s meditation room wasn’t far from the main hall, and it was plain and simple. There was a bookshelf filled with books that one would expect of a monk, and then some.

“The real Longxing Temple is where Emperor Hongwu became a monk, and it’s none other than the temple originally named the Huangjue Temple, or otherwise known as the Yuhuang Temple. Most of the history books would have referred to it by the latter name. Established in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was completely destroyed twice over.”

Two Longxing Temples… there’s no better smokescreen than this!

“Then, at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, one of the monks who had fled for his life back then returned and rebuilt the temple. However, because the original site was already occupied by an imperial office, he built the temple 300 meters away from the old site. Later, in the 4th year of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang became a monk in this place. Some say he was a monk for 8 years, while others say that he only spent 50 days in this place. Regardless, in the 12th year of the Yuan Dynasty, and during Zhu Yuanzhang’s campaign, the Yuhuang Temple was destroyed by a fire.”

So that’s how it is…

“So, where’s the original Yuhuang Temple located?”

Furthermore, they didn’t even bother disguising their Judge-class aura that was pouring out of their bodies. One had a blistering aura like the embodiment of a thunder’s wrath, while the other appeared soft as a gentle river. Qin Ye was just stroking the Harken when he suddenly paused. The Harken’s eyes widened slightly.

However, it didn’t say a single word.

Zhou Xianlong and Mo Changhao were standing right outside the door to Yuanzhi’s meditation room. Furthermore, they could all sense the presence of several others in the distance with their infrared sights all trained at Qin Ye’s body. A number of other shadowy figures remained hidden in the darkness of the night.

“Greetings, esteemed Abyssal Prefect.” Zhou Xianlong cupped his fists respectfully and bowed slightly, “I wonder where you hail from? And what might your purpose be here?”

Mo Changhao’s eyes gleamed brightly as he added, “The Divine Protectors has an ancestral admonition that has been passed down through time, and that is that Yin and Yang do not intermingle. You’ve entered the mortal realm without first informing the Divine Protectors. Don’t you think you’re acting beyond the scope of your authority?”

There were times when Fate just had a twisted sense of humour.

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1. This refers to a project of Emperor Hongwu to build an imperial capital near his hometown, but it was eventually abandoned.