Chapter 356: The Spirit Child Wu Jing, Lord of the Inner Demon

"Thank you."

He stood up and left the teahouse, concealing his aura and suppressing it to the Third Layer of the Emperor Realm before heading directly out of Quicksand City toward the west.

A distance of three hundred thousand miles was nothing to Zhou Chen.

He activated the xuanyuan ferry, transforming into a streak of azure light that streaked across the sky above the desert.

In just half an hour, he saw a massive complex of buildings in the distance.

It was a magnificent temple, covering a vast area with layer upon layer of halls and pavilions.

In the very center of the temple stood a golden Buddha statue a thousand zhang tall; the statue sat cross-legged on a lotus platform with its hands pressed together, possessing a benevolent and kind expression.

A faint golden Buddhist light enveloped the statue, illuminating the entire temple with a sacred and solemn glow.

"So this is the Great Thunder Sound Temple."

Zhou Chen put away the xuanyuan ferry and landed in front of the temple's mountain gate.

Two monks stood at the gate, both at the Emperor Realm level; upon seeing Zhou Chen, they pressed their palms together.

"Amitabha. What business does the benefactor have here?"

Zhou Chen said calmly, "I am Zhou Chen. I have come because of your temple's reputation, wishing to visit the Reincarnated Spirit Child."

The two monks exchanged glances, and one of them said, "Please wait a moment, benefactor. This humble monk will go and report your arrival."

Before long, an old monk walked out.

The old monk had white hair and a white beard, and his aura was profound—he was at the Sovereign Realm, Seventh Layer.

"Amitabha. I am Wu Fa. May I ask where the benefactor hails from?"

Zhou Chen cupped his hands and said, "I come from the Jixia Academy in the Central Continent. Having heard that the Great Thunder Sound Temple has produced a Reincarnated Spirit Child, I came specifically to visit."

A flash of surprise crossed Wu Fa's eyes.

The reputation of Jixia Academy was well-known even in the Western Desert.

"So it is an honored guest from Jixia Academy." Wu Fa pressed his palms together. "Please follow me."

Zhou Chen followed Wu Fa into the temple.

Along the way, he could feel the dense Buddhist aura within the temple.

A faint scent of sandalwood permeated the air, and the melodious sound of chanting echoed in his ears.

Many monks were cultivating in various places, some sitting in meditation and chanting, others practicing Buddhist martial arts.

The cultivation levels of these monks were not weak; most were above the Emperor Realm, and there were even several Sovereign Realm experts.

"The Great Thunder Sound Temple truly deserves its title as the number one Buddhist Holy Land in the Western Desert; its foundations are profound," Zhou Chen thought to himself.

Soon, the two arrived at a quiet little courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard was a Bodhi tree, and under the tree sat a young monk.

The young monk appeared to be only eight or nine years old, with a smooth shaven head and delicate features, sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat reading scriptures.

A faint golden Buddhist light radiated from him, making him appear ethereal and detached from the world.

This was indeed the Reincarnated Spirit Child—Wu Jing.

The Reincarnated Spirit Child?

He activated the opportunity panel and searched for nearby Children of Destiny.

A second later, a piece of information appeared on the panel.

[Name: Wu Jing]

[Realm: first layer of the emperor realm]

[fate: Ancient Buddha Reincarnation (Three-Colored), Buddha-Son Golden Body (Five-Colored)]

[Destiny: The Reincarnation of an ancient Buddha of the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Born with Buddhist wisdom, he awakened his past life memories at age eight, attained the Ancient Buddha True Body at eighteen, and spent his life delivering all sentient beings, eventually stopping at the sixth layer of the True Immortal Realm.]

[Recent Opportunity: In one month, at the sealed grounds beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, he will slay the Lord of the Inner Demon, obtain the Inner Demon's Origin power, awaken the Ancient Buddha Demonic Body, and his cultivation will break through to the Third Layer of the Emperor Realm.]

Zhou Chen's eyes lit up.

A Child of Destiny with a True Immortal Realm sixth layer potential!

And there was a major Opportunity a month from now—the Origin of the Lord of the Inner Demon.

This was good stuff.

The Lord of the Inner Demon specialized in attacking a Cultivator's Dao Heart; its Origin power was extremely unique, capable of tempering the Divine Soul and improving control over one's state of mind.

If he could intercept this Opportunity…

A smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Chen's mouth.

"Wu Jing, you have a visitor," Wu Fa said softly.

Wu Jing opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Zhou Chen.

Those eyes were clear as water, yet they seemed to contain endless wisdom.

"Amitabha." Wu Jing pressed his palms together, his voice crisp. "The benefactor has come from afar; please forgive my lack of a proper welcome."

Zhou Chen sized up the young monk, inwardly surprised.

Though only eight years old, Wu Jing's aura was extremely stable—he was clearly a genuine first layer of the emperor realm.

Furthermore, his Buddhist cultivation was unfathomable; that faint, intangible pressure actually made even Zhou Chen feel a hint of stress.

"I am Zhou Chen. I have long heard of the Spirit Child's great name," Zhou Chen said, cupping his hands. "I have come today specifically to seek guidance on the Dharma."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Wu Jing's eyes.

"The aura on the benefactor's body is very unique."

Wu Jing spoke slowly, "It possesses both the sharpness to sever all laws and the breadth to encompass all things; it actually has some commonalities with the Dharma."

Zhou Chen's heart stirred.

This young monk was indeed not simple; he had seen through the characteristics of his Severing Dao cultivation at a single glance.

"May I ask what the benefactor wishes to inquire about?" Wu Jing asked.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment and said, "I would like to ask, what exactly is the 'Emptiness' spoken of in the Dharma?"

Wu Jing was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. All laws are empty, only the heart is not empty."

"Then what is the heart?" Zhou Chen pressed.

"The heart is Buddha, and Buddha is the heart," Wu Jing replied.

"Then what is Buddha?"

"Buddha is the Dao, and the Dao is Buddha."

The two of them went back and forth, beginning a debate on the scriptures.

Zhou Chen used the concepts of the Severing Dao to constantly pose questions, attempting to find loopholes in the Dharma.

Wu Jing, however, used his profound Buddhist cultivation to resolve Zhou Chen's difficult queries one by one.

Wu Fa, standing to the side, listened in dumbfounded amazement.

He hadn't expected that this young man, who appeared to be only at the Third Layer of the Emperor Realm, would have such a profound understanding of the Dharma.

There were even some questions that he, an old monk who had cultivated for hundreds of years, could not answer.

And what shocked him even more was that Wu Jing was actually able to respond with composure.

This debate lasted for three full hours.

Finally, both Zhou Chen and Wu Jing stopped.

The two looked at each other, a hint of admiration flashing in both their eyes.

"The benefactor's Severing Dao indeed shares commonalities with the Dharma," Wu Jing said seriously. "Today's discussion has benefited this humble monk greatly."

Zhou Chen also nodded. "The Spirit Child's Buddhist cultivation is indeed unfathomable; I am impressed."

This was not mere politeness.

Through this debate, Zhou Chen had indeed gained a deeper understanding of the Dharma.

Furthermore, he faintly felt that certain concepts within the Dharma seemed capable of being cross-referenced with his Severing Dao.

If he could integrate them, it might allow his Severing Dao to progress even further.

Wu Jing stood up and walked over to Zhou Chen.

"Benefactor, this humble monk has a request."

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow. "Please, speak."

Wu Jing was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "The spiritual power in the benefactor's body seems to have the ability to purify Devilish Qi."

Zhou Chen's heart stirred.

This young monk was indeed sharp, having actually sensed the characteristics of his Azure Lotus Creation Body.

"I wonder what the Spirit Child means by that?" Zhou Chen asked noncommittally.

Wu Jing took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, a terrifying Lord of the Inner Demon is suppressed."

"This demon is formless and nameless, specializing in attacking a Cultivator's Dao Heart. For generations, it has been suppressed by the high monks of the Great Thunder Sound Temple using their own Buddhist cultivation."

"But now the Seal is loosening, and the monks of the temple are beginning to feel the strain."