World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 115: The Current State of the Buddhist Sect

Early in the morning, before the Daoist masters and Daoist elders from the other branches of the Shu Sword Sect arrived, Wang Sheng found a few disciples practicing swordsmanship. He asked them about the source of the Buddhist light and chants coming from the mountains.

According to them, there was a temple near the sword sect. In it resided seven or eight elderly monks and twenty to thirty Buddhist cultivators, all of whom recited scriptures and performed morning rituals every day.

Wang Sheng found it rather puzzling.

Even the mountain gates of Daoist sects were not usually built in such close proximity. Meanwhile, Buddhist temples had held historical tension with the Daoist sects for a thousand years, yet the temple was built quite close to the sword sect, practically situated beside the Great Sword Mountain. Why would they tolerate a heterodox sect practicing right next door?

The matter piqued Wang Sheng's curiosity. Since he had time to spare, he continued chatting with the disciples for a bit longer. Unfortunately, they couldn't give a clear answer. They only said that the Sword Gate branch of the Shu Sword Sect and the Buddhist temple had kept to their own ways while also refraining from interfering with each other. It had been like that for years.

Besides, the temple's chants weren't enough to sway the sword sect's disciples, and the disciples had better things to do than vandalize a temple. Since they had no more useful information beyond that, Wang Sheng just asked for Fei Lianzi's residence and went looking for him.

The Sword Gate's mountain was known for its steep cliffs and peculiar peaks. From afar, the Cuiping Peak looked just like a massive screen standing between heaven and earth. Walking along the cliffside plank paths gave an unexpectedly unique experience.

"A Buddhist temple? Oh, you mean the Ziyan Temple," Fei Lianzi said with a smile as he paused his sword practice. "It has been around for over a thousand years. A few years ago, its incense offerings dwindled, and the handful of monks there almost all left.

"Fortunately for them, a few of the elder monks who possess deep cultivation have a complete and authentic Buddhist inheritance. Hence, when the primal qi of heaven and earth returned and cultivation once again became possible, many Buddhist cultivators were drawn to the place. Gradually, their numbers increased."

Wang Sheng didn't have any strong feelings about the Buddhist sect; he neither disliked it nor had any particular affection for it. Still, the conflict between Daoism and Buddhism had been around for a millennium. As a disciple of a Daoist lineage passed down from Lu the Progenitor, Wang Sheng naturally had to consider matters from a Daoist perspective.

"Then why doesn't the sword sect ask them to leave?"

"Actually, someone from the sect did bring that up before, but the sect master strictly forbade us from offending the Ziyan Temple," Fei Lianzi replied in a hushed tone. He then glanced around to check for any younger disciples. "I secretly asked the sect master about it once. He said that beneath Ziyan Temple, quite a few devils are sealed.

"The first abbot of the Ziyan Temple was a close friend of one of our ancestors from the Shu Mountains. The two traveled the land together, slaying devils and corrupt creatures. Those they couldn't kill, they imprisoned and sealed.

"The Ziyan Temple itself was built with the help of our sword sect's forefathers. I've even found some references to this in the ancient texts—it dates back to the era of the Tang Dynasty's Emperor Xuanzong.

"Before the mass ascension a thousand years ago, the Immortal Realm sent heavenly soldiers and generals to sweep away the powerful devils. However, they missed the ones that the cultivators had sealed up. Fortunately, after the disappearance of primal qi, the seals and the devils weakened together, and everything remained peaceful.

"Now that the world's primal qi has returned, who knows whether those fiendish devils beneath Ziyan Temple are dead or not. If they're the kind that can't be killed—well, that would mean they're capable of fighting immortals. Even if primal qi dries up, it might not be enough to finish them off.

"So, forget about driving the Ziyan Temple away. Once you master the Sword-Controlling Art, our branch might have to relocate to Mount Emei, leaving only a few experts behind to guard the Sword Mound."

Wang Sheng was secretly startled. The tale sounded unbelievable, yet hearing it from Fei Lianzi made it seem plausible.

There was obvious evidence—the complete Buddhist inheritance at the Ziyan Temple and the Buddha that he had seen, which could have been a projection that a formation had created.

"Daoist Master Fei Lianzi, are there many places that seal devils like that one?"

Fei Lianzi chuckled. "There are plenty of similar places hidden deep in the mountains and forests, but don't worry too much. After a thousand years without primal qi, ninety-nine percent of those devils are probably dead. A thousand years ago, our sword sect was the number one sect in Shu, and our Sword-Controlling Art was famous throughout the land! That was..."

As the Daoist master went on enthusiastically, Wang Sheng nodded along while pondering over these ancient matters. The world still held many secrets that he did not know. Now, he finally had the opportunity to gradually uncover them and learn about the stories that once took place upon the Great Divine Land.

Coming up with an idea, Wang Sheng smiled. "Daoist Master, would you be willing to take me to the Ziyan Temple to look around?"

"Of course! I was actually planning to show you around the mountain this morning anyway. Let me go change into something more suitable, then we'll visit the temple and check out the Buddha statues and such."

Wang Sheng quickly asked, "Should I change into casual clothing too?"

"Of course." Fei Lianzi laughed. "If a Daoist priest goes there to light an incense and worship Buddha, it would surely make our forefathers turn in their graves!"

They agreed to meet at Wang Sheng's residence in a few minutes. Wang Sheng returned and changed into ordinary clothes. Thankfully, both his and his senior sister's luggage were still there.

After some thought, Wang Sheng also gave his master a call, telling him that he'd likely stay at the sword sect for another two or three months. Qing Yanzi naturally didn't object. He simply reminded Wang Sheng to be courteous while staying with another sect and, aside from the Sword-Controlling Art, not to learn too many of their techniques or take advantage of their hospitality.

Wang Sheng readily agreed. He then asked a few questions about Buddhist cultivators. Qing Yanzi seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the topic, sharing a few interesting anecdotes about the Buddhist sect.

First of all, after the resurgence of primal qi, the Buddhist sects and Daoist sects showed a stark contrast in how they developed. On the Daoist side, each sacred mountain and sect inheritance quickly rose to prominence, reclaiming their place as the orthodox path.

The Buddhist sects, however, were far more unpredictable. Temples that had once been famous before the resurgence of primal qi rapidly faded into obscurity. Strangely enough, it was often the obscure, unknown little temples that suddenly produced a few deeply cultivated Buddhist monks. Qing Yanzi even mentioned that the Sturdy Iron God had once been a defector from a temple called the Wei An Temple.

—Though the Buddhist sects have clearly declined, there are still several traditions among them that are quite profound. If you get bored at the sword sect, you might as well visit the Ziyan Temple. Hahaha!

—While you're at it, if you run into someone named Rufeng, who's only a nominal monk, just tell him you're my disciple and ask him to pass twenty years' worth of refined cultivation to you."

Wang Sheng was speechless. "Master, I still feel that the cultivation I gain through my own efforts is more reliable.

—Hahaha! Don't worry, I was only teasing. It just came to mind that an old friend of mine mentioned that he had started cultivating at the Ziyan Temple in Shu not long ago. If that temple really is near the sword sect, then if you have the time, you might as well stop by and say hello for me.

After chatting for a while, Wang Sheng ended the call feeling a bit emotional. His master truly had far too many connections. Somehow, even deep in the mountains of Shu, he still had acquaintances among the Buddhists.

Since Wang Sheng was going anyway, he figured he might as well pass along his master's regards.

Should I bring a gift? Maybe some fruit, milk, or a small gift box...

Having changed into casual clothes, Wang Sheng glanced out the window toward the temple's location. Just then, he heard Fei Lianzi calling for him outside. The two headed toward the back mountain of the sword sect without bothering to conceal their cultivation auras.

"I asked my senior brother about a shortcut. We just have to cross two peaks, and we'll reach the temple. Oh, and I figured I'd show you our sect's restricted area along the way—the Sword Mound!"

Still fresh off his master's warning not to overstep while visiting another sect, Wang Sheng quickly asked, "Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?" Fei Lianzi casually pulled Wang Sheng along by the arm. "You're already here, so just treat this place like home. No need to be so polite."

Wang Sheng could only smile wryly.

The Shu Sword Sect had three restricted areas, all located along the same path. The first was the Daoist canon repository, a place for storing sect scriptures. All sects had one.

The sect has so many swords that it should be called a sword repository tower instead, though, Wang Sheng jokingly thought.

After passing the "sword repository tower," they spent ten more minutes walking in a mountain valley before arriving at the second restricted area: the Sword Mound.

Wang Sheng had been especially looking forward to it. However, the moment he saw it, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

It wasn't the sight that he had imagined—no sea of swords stabbed into the ground or a mysterious forest of broken blades. Instead, the place was covered in small stone steles standing upright, looking much more like a cemetery.

"The Sword Mound, as the name suggests, is a burial ground for swords," Fei Lianzi explained with a smile. "But not just any sword can be buried here. Only those that have been used to slay devils and devils or gained worldwide renown are eligible. Once they're broken or retired, they're brought here to be laid to rest."

He pointed at a row of the most recently added steles. "These dozen or so swords here were just ordinary swords. There are even two sabers that technically aren't swords, but they still earned their place in the Sword Mound. All of these belonged to the grandmasters when they were young. They even used them during the war against the invaders. Unfortunately, most of those grandmasters never made it back."

Wang Sheng slowly nodded and crouched before a small stone stele, brushing his fingers across the carved characters.

Unnamed Sword No. 42.

Fei Lianzi smiled. "Come on, let's keep going. This is all there is to the Sword Mount. There aren't any treasures lying around."

Wang Sheng sighed lightly as he stood up. As he cast one more glance over the valley, a fleeting thought stirred in his heart.

"The place where swords come to rest, huh..." he murmured.

Fei Lianzi replied, "Rather than that, I'd say this is a place to remember the swords' original owners, just in a different way."

"Mm." Wang Sheng nodded.

He loved swords. Even though Abyss Listener was already broken, he still hadn't discarded it. He wasn't a disciple of the Shu Sword Sect, though, and Abyss Listener wouldn't qualify to rest here.

Shaking his head, Wang Sheng turned and walked away. In the end, he didn't venture too deep into the Sword Mound. They still had to visit the Ziyan Temple, and by the time they returned, the Daoist elders from the other two branches of the Shu Sword Sect would likely have arrived. There wasn't much free time left to wander.

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