"Jizang, it's been a while."

The voice of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra resonated softly in this place.

Ethereal, detached, and tinged with a hint of regret.

A genuine regret.

Hundreds of years ago, the white-robed monk before him was one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas, known as the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!

Back then, Bodhisattva Manjushri wasn't yet the leader of the Four Great Bodhisattvas.

He was!!!

And he was the closest among the Four Great Bodhisattvas to the Sixth Realm, only half a step away from attaining Buddhahood.

It's just a pity that he later fell into demonic ways, becoming a heretic who sought to overturn the entire Spirit Mountain. He was suppressed by the Buddha, his physical body and primordial spirit separated and sealed beneath the Great Jin Dynasty, using the nation's destiny to wear him away.

The white-robed monk seated in the lotus flower slowly opened his eyes, his gaze serene as he gradually looked up at Bodhisattva Samantabhadra:

"Two hundred years have passed, Samantabhadra… you haven't made a single bit of progress."

"Jizang, are you still so stubbornly deluded?"

Samantabhadra raised his head, gazing intently at him.

"It is you who are deluded, you are the heretics,"

Moro spoke.

"As expected, your demonic nature is deeply rooted. Even on the verge of complete annihilation, you remain like this."

Moro clasped his hands together:

"What is a demon? What is a Buddha? Is enjoying the incense offerings of the world and looking down upon humanity what it means to be a Buddha? Is being without desires what it means to be a demon? The Buddha and the demon are separated by a single thought.

Samantabhadra, can you still not see through this?"

"Amitabha, Jizang, do you wish to discuss Buddhism with this humble monk?"

"Why not? Is the Buddhist intent in your heart inferior to that of a 'heretic' like me?"

"Skillful words and eloquent arguments are but a minor path. The Buddha says all living beings are equal, so naturally we must look upon all people. If the people are guilty, naturally they must offer incense. Demons have no regard for anything,

killing and refining souls. Do you think doing as one pleases is what it means to be a Buddha?"

"No, in Spirit Mountain's view, it is not all living beings are equal, but rather all living beings are equal beneath the Buddha. Why should the Buddha be above all living beings? Whether guilty or not,

why must the Buddha decide?"

"Living beings are ignorant, unaware of their sins."

"It is the Buddha who determines the sins of living beings!"

Moro stated solemnly.

Samantabhadra raised his head, slowly shaking it:

"You have already transformed into a demon. In this life, you have no chance of attaining Buddhahood. Even upon death, you will forever fall into the Avici Hell."

Moro radiated a compassionate aura, softly saying:

"The human realm is like hell, demons wreak havoc in the world. If hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha!"

"This is your grand vow?"

"It is."

"Unfortunately, you will never be able to return to the human realm."

Samantabhadra shook his head, turning to leave.

He was unwilling to discuss Buddhism with a heretic.

His original purpose was only to survey this place and confirm that Jizang hadn't escaped. His primordial spirit was currently weak and on the verge of collapse. In less than ten years,

he would be eternally lost.

And once his primordial spirit was extinguished, his physical body, suppressed in Spirit Mountain, would also perish.

Relying on demonic entry to break through to the Sixth Realm was an unforgivable sin.

'Rumble...'

The Demon Suppression Pass closed once more. Moro, seated on the lotus flower, watched as the other party completely disappeared from his sight. His illusory primordial spirit was gradually fading away.

This was a wisp of spiritual consciousness left behind by Moro before he left, but it was only to deceive the other party. After Samantabhadra examined it, it would naturally completely disappear. Before it faded away,

he calmly looked ahead, as if facing all living beings in the world, clasping his hands together, and softly saying:

"This humble monk has already entered the human realm!"

......

......

Kyoto, Qingyun Temple.

While dealing with the little Taoist priest, Chen Yuan was also calling out to Moro. His sudden lack of any response made him feel uneasy.

"Senior, Senior?"

"This humble monk is here..."

Finally, after being out of contact for a quarter of an hour, Moro responded again.

"Why did you suddenly stop responding?"

Chen Yuan immediately asked.

Moro pondered for a moment, then said:

"Samantabhadra went to the Demon Suppression Cave."

"What!"

Chen Yuan was startled and quickly said:

"Did he discover that Senior has left? Should we leave now?"

Hearing that it was dangerous, the thought of running away immediately arose in his mind.

Naturally, such dangerous things should be avoided if possible.

"No need to do so. Samantabhadra didn't see through the means I left behind."

"That's good..."

Chen Yuan's heart, which had been raised, finally settled down. As long as there was no problem.

"If there are no unexpected events, this place should be related to the Tai Xu Palace."

Moro changed the subject, answering Chen Yuan's previous question.

"Tai Xu Palace?"

Chen Yuan was naturally familiar with this name, as it was one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects. However, in his understanding, the Tai Xu Palace and Kunlun Mountain had been in seclusion for many years.

He didn't expect it to be in Kyoto!

Truly, the greatest concealment is in the court.

Few people probably knew that this unremarkable Qingyun Temple, with only a few little Taoist priests, was actually related to the Tai Xu Palace.

He didn't doubt Moro's words or think that he might be mistaken.

At his level, his words were basically pronouncements.

"Then, should we meet this old temple master, Senior?"

"No need. Since the other party doesn't want to have too much involvement with us, why force it?" Moro said.

"Senior is right."

He didn't care about the Tai Xu Palace or the Biyou Palace. Since they didn't want to be involved with him, why should he lick his face and try to make friends?

Calming his emotions, Chen Yuan bid farewell to the little Taoist priest.

The little Taoist priest was a little anxious and quickly said:

"Benefactor Chen, please wait a moment. The temple master will be back soon."

Chen Yuan smiled mysteriously and said:

"Chen will never leave, and the old temple master will never return. Once Chen leaves, the old temple master will return."

"What?"

The little Taoist priest looked confused.

"It's nothing. Farewell. We'll meet again if fate allows."

Chen Yuan patted the little Taoist priest on the head and turned to leave.

As expected, about a quarter of an hour after Chen Yuan left, the old temple master, wearing a green Taoist robe, leisurely returned from outside. Seeing him,

the little Taoist priest quickly stepped forward:

"Temple Master, Temple Master."

"What's wrong?"

The old temple master asked kindly, feigning ignorance.

"Guess who came just now?"

"Who is it that made you so happy?"

"It was Chen Qing Envoy, who defeated the Japanese warriors, oh no, Earl Chen."

"It was him. What a pity. Didn't we miss him last time?" The old temple master touched the little Taoist priest's head.

"It's just that Benefactor Chen said something that I couldn't quite understand."

"What did he say?"

"He said that as long as he didn't leave, you would never return. Once he left, you would immediately return. Now that I think about it, it's really like that. Benefactor Chen's prediction was really accurate."

The little Taoist priest repeated Chen Yuan's previous words.

The old temple master's hand froze, and he was stunned for a moment:

"He really said that?"

"That's pretty much it."

The old temple master narrowed his eyes, frowned slightly, looked in the direction Chen Yuan had left, and said in a low voice:

"This young man..."

He was surprised, very surprised.

Because based on Chen Yuan's cultivation, it was almost impossible for him to notice his existence. But he did, and he even came here specifically today.

Did he want to see him?

Should he meet him?

The old temple master looked solemn.

.....

.....

After leaving Qingyun Temple, Chen Yuan didn't linger and immediately returned to the Earl's Mansion, calming himself and digesting the information he had obtained today.

There was no need to say much about Gu Tianqiong. He still couldn't eat the pie he had drawn for him.

The only things that caught his attention were the matters of Monk Puxian specially visiting the harem and Qingyun Temple.

The latter wasn't too important. Since they didn't want to be involved, that was naturally for the best.

What made Chen Yuan feel solemn was that Jingtai might have also noticed the commotion in the harem earlier. But there was really no way to avoid causing that commotion at the time.

It was uncontrollable.

And if Jingtai specifically investigated who had entered and exited the harem that day, he could easily discover his existence, and then continue to investigate the concubines in the harem. In that case,

the scope would be greatly reduced.

After all, only the empress and a few noble concubines had the imperial permission to freely enter and exit the harem.

If Consort Yang couldn't hold out and exposed him, and then Jingtai noticed that he had left the ancestral hall for no reason that day, he would probably deduce his abnormality.

After pacing around in the backyard for a long time, Chen Yuan finally couldn't sit still.

He had originally planned to wait until his injuries had completely healed before leaving Kyoto, but judging from the current situation, he couldn't. Even if there was a very small chance that Jingtai would find out about him, it wouldn't do.

He wouldn't bet his life.

Especially not bet when that bet could bring huge benefits.

It was absolutely unacceptable to place his hopes on other people's stupidity!

Moro, heavily injured, was almost powerless to fight again.

And he was still recovering from his injuries. If Jingtai launched an encirclement attack, Senior Moro would definitely not be able to hold on.

He had to leave!!!

No sooner said than done.

Chen Yuan immediately ordered the servants in the mansion to send some gifts to Zhang Yan Tong, saying that he wanted to visit him.

If he wanted to leave, he couldn't do without Zhang Yan Tong's help.

Jingtai probably hadn't thought of this yet, so he couldn't panic.

Soon, the servant who had been sent out returned with a message, saying that the head steward of the Zhang Mansion already knew and had asked Chen Yuan to go in the evening.....

After being alone in the backyard for a long time, he didn't leave the Earl's Mansion alone until it was getting dark. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the Zhang Mansion.

After reporting, Chen Yuan was led by a servant of the Zhang Mansion directly to Zhang Yan Tong.

He was waiting for Chen Yuan in his study. Seeing him come in, he put down what he was holding and smiled:

"You've come?"

"This junior greets Uncle."

Chen Yuan cupped his hands.

"Sit."

Zhang Yan Tong waved his hand, and a cup of spiritual tea appeared in front of him.

"What did the Grand Commandant say to you?"

He asked with some curiosity.

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and basically recounted the scene at the time in detail.

"It seems that the Grand Commandant thinks highly of you. As long as there are vacancies for the Golden Envoys in each state, it is estimated that you will fill them. You must take advantage of this time to improve your strength a bit more.

Only then will you be able to deal with the complicated situation."

He suggested.

"That's also why this junior came to see Uncle."

Chen Yuan followed his words and quickly echoed.

"Oh? Tell me...."

Zhang Yan Tong raised his eyebrows and spoke softly.

"This junior has been feeling uneasy recently. I can't calm down when cultivating. After thinking about it, I should have encountered a bottleneck. I'm thinking of going out to travel for a while.

Perhaps I can get another opportunity to improve my cultivation."

Chen Yuan said softly.

Hearing these words, Zhang Yan Tong smiled faintly:

"Are you still using these words to prevaricate your uncle?"

It was possible that he had encountered a bottleneck.

But if he said that Chen Yuan could break through by traveling casually, that was basically impossible. If it was that easy, there wouldn't be so many warriors trapped in the Solid Core Realm.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Therefore, he only felt that Chen Yuan had unspeakable difficulties that he couldn't say.

"Uncle, I..."

Chen Yuan was about to say his next reason, but Zhang Yan Tong raised his hand before he could finish and smiled:

"Forget it. Since you don't want to say more, then I won't ask. Since you want to go out to travel for a while, I will naturally help you.

Well.... two months is the limit."

Zhang Yan Tong pondered for a moment and held out two fingers.

This time was relatively generous. After all, Chen Yuan held an important position. Leaving for too long would attract criticism, and there was a possibility that someone would impeach him and try to take his position.

Furthermore, if it was just traveling, two months was enough for Chen Yuan to travel through half of the Central Plains.

"Thank you for your help, Uncle!"

Chen Yuan bowed his hands.

As expected, it was easier to get things done when someone in the court was helping.

Otherwise, it would have been almost impossible to leave his post for two months.

"I will find someone to replace your current position for a while. If the opportunity arises, I will also try to fight for the opportunity to be an external Golden Envoy for you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle. This junior will remember it in his heart."

Zhang Yan Tong smiled with satisfaction and said:

"You and Xuan'er are close friends. In the court...."

"Knock, knock, knock..."

As he was speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the study.

Zhang Yan Tong's eyes flickered. He stared at Chen Yuan for a moment and smiled:

"Come in."

'Creak...'

The door was pushed open, and Zhang Xuan's beautiful second sister entered. She was wearing a cyan long dress, elegant and refined, with willow eyebrows, an oval face, a cherry mouth, and jade-like lips.

She glanced around the study and smiled:

"I was wondering who made Father wait specially in the study. It turns out to be Chen Qing Envoy."

"Second Sister."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

"What do you want with Father?" Zhang Yan Tong tapped the table with his fingers.

"It's getting late. Of course, I'm here to call Father to eat," Zhang's second sister said with a smile.

"I could have just asked a servant to do it. Why did you come personally?" Zhang Yan Tong's gaze was somewhat scrutinizing, and then he turned to Chen Yuan.

"I just happened to be free."

Zhang Yan Tong stroked his long beard and slowly shook his head:

"Daughters can't be kept at home."

"Father, what are you talking about? Chen Qing Envoy is still here,"

Zhang's second sister glanced at Zhang Yan Tong reproachfully.

"Forget it, forget it." Zhang Yan Tong sighed softly and said:

"Chen Yuan, let's eat together."

"This, this junior will not...."

Chen Yuan opened his mouth.

He really didn't want to be Zhang Xuan's brother-in-law!

"Are you not even listening to your uncle's request?"

"I will obey your orders respectfully."

Chen Yuan quickly said.

......

......

With Zhang Yan Tong's help, Chen Yuan's vacation was approved in just two days. The Sky Patrol Office also appointed a Solid Core Realm grandmaster to temporarily take Chen Yuan's place.

In fact, Chen Yuan even took him there when he took office.

Now the Eastern Imperial City Division was firmly under Chen Yuan's control. What he said was law. With him there, the grandmaster who took over easily controlled the situation.

Everything was safe.

With this matter settled, Chen Yuan could prepare for his departure from Kyoto.

The first thing he did was find Tao Qing Yuan to drink in the mansion, telling him to be stable for the next two months and try not to cause any trouble. If there was anything, he could use his name to find Zhang Yan Tong.

Tao Qing Yuan understood and nodded repeatedly.

Although he knew Envoy Zhang earlier, his status and potential were not valued at all. It was good enough to be able to get involved with Chen Yuan's connections.

Of course, he didn't want to become a member of the Zhang faction anymore.

He was now a member of the Chen faction!

After saying this, Chen Yuan also vaguely mentioned the matter of leaving the Imperial City that day, telling him not to reveal it to anyone, as it was the Emperor's will.

When Tao Qing Yuan heard that it was related to the Emperor, he also knew the seriousness of the matter and said that he wouldn't tell anyone, including Envoy Zhang.

Chen Yuan nodded with satisfaction and drank with him happily.

After giving Tao Qing Yuan some instructions, Chen Yuan sent letters to the First Prince Sima Qian and the Second Prince Sima You, saying that he would be leaving for two months.

He would meet them again when he returned.

Ever since Chen Yuan displayed his power in the Sumeru Illusion, they had wanted to befriend him. Now they could be considered friends and would often send gifts.

Even if he refused, they would still send them the next day.

Over time, Chen Yuan just let them be.

While Chen Yuan was planning to leave, there was indeed some movement in the harem. Consort Yang sent someone out of the palace, telling Chen Yuan that things had been uneasy recently.

Something seemed to have happened in the palace, and she had to return the imperial permit to her.

She would give it back to him after things had calmed down.

It was as if there was something really abnormal between them....

After thinking about it, Chen Yuan gave the permit to the palace maid. Perhaps Consort Yang had guessed some possibilities, so she was in a hurry to take back the permit.

Or perhaps she was just worried.

In short, they were currently on the same side. If something happened to Chen Yuan, Consort Yang would only be in a worse situation.

It was best if they both acted as if nothing had happened.

What Chen Yuan didn't know was that when the palace maid took back the harem permit, changed her clothes, and was preparing to return to the palace, she was captured by the Fourth Prince, who had been watching her.

After severe torture, he finally found out the purpose of the palace maid's departure from the palace.

Then he froze on the spot.

His guess was right. Chen Yuan had indeed been having an affair with his mother, and his mother had even given him the imperial permit to freely enter and exit the harem!

What did this mean?

They weren't even hiding it anymore?!

Taking a deep breath, Sima Ke thought for a long time and finally figured it out. He even eliminated the potential danger for Chen Yuan and Consort Yang, silently killing the palace maid.

This secret would no longer be known to outsiders.

What he hoped now was that Chen Yuan would treat his mother well and not get too involved with his imperial sister. Otherwise.... he really couldn't accept this kind of taboo.

If it was only related to his mother, perhaps he could even borrow Chen Yuan's power because of this.

Maybe he could even get back everything he had lost.

But if that was the case, wouldn't he become a petty person who sold his mother for glory?

Well,

what should he call Chen Yuan in this relationship?

After dealing with the palace maid, Sima Ke personally entered the palace and returned the permit to Consort Yang under her astonished gaze.

"You... how did you know?"

Consort Yang couldn't help but ask.

Sima Ke stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it. Mother, you still need to be careful about this kind of thing. If someone finds out, both you and Chen Yuan will be punished."

Consort Yang also misunderstood, thinking that he had guessed the deal between her and Chen Yuan. She absolutely couldn't let it spread out at this crucial time. She immediately said:

"Don't worry, my son. I will be careful and won't let anyone suspect us."

Hearing his mother's confession, Sima Ke clenched his hands under his sleeves and nodded:

"Don't have any accidents."

He didn't want to have a half-brother or half-sister.

That would really be the end!

"Don't worry. I've been in the harem for decades. What storms haven't I seen? There won't be any accidents."

Looking at his mother's confident and calm expression, Sima Ke suddenly felt a little strange.

Why didn't his mother have a trace of guilt?

Was this still the mother he knew?

Could it be... Chen's teaching?

Suddenly, Sima Ke felt a pain in his heart for no reason.

Pain, it hurt too much!

"My son, what's wrong?" Consort Yang asked in confusion.

"It's nothing. I just thought of a question that my father asked me before that I can't answer," he grabbed the pillar next to him, raised his head, and muttered:

"Can't answer!"

——————

Big chapter, asking for monthly tickets!

With this, the Imperial City arc is coming to a temporary end!