This is the martial arts world, what are you cultivators interfering in?

Chapter 296 On Bodhidharma

"They didn't kill him?!"

Behind them, the three gods who had made the move were all astonished.

"Does he possess some kind of divine artifact?"

The Blood Serpent Granny spoke in a deep voice.

"There are no gods in this world, and no one in the divine realm will help him. Otherwise, we would have noticed, and perhaps he really did find a divine artifact to protect him!"

The Purple Star Patriarch also said.

They used the power of heaven and earth to attack remotely, so they couldn't directly track and locate Li Lan's position; at this moment, they could only guess.

"Even if he wields a divine weapon, he won't be able to hold out for more than a few rounds given his cultivation level!"

The black-faced monk shouted coldly, and the three immediately prepared to attack again!

……

And this moment.

Nestled amidst verdant mountains and clear waters, a unique temple with red bricks and white tiles stands out.

Li Lan and Cihang Saintess arrived quickly and landed in front of the temple. Li Lan's expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with killing intent. He told Cihang Saintess to knock on the door.

Li Lan's idea was simple: kill everyone here and then take over the temple!

--In this world, the only beings whose status can rival those three deities of the Ziwei Holy Land are other deities. The Ziwei Ancestor and others can use the power of heaven and earth, but they cannot cover this place.

Therefore, the temples of other gods were, in a sense, the only ones that could evade investigation.

Miao Wuyu immediately stepped forward, pulled on the copper ring on the vermilion gate, and gently knocked. But from inside the temple, an aged voice replied: "The door is unlocked, come in—"

Miao Wuyu became slightly wary and glanced back at Li Lan. Li Lan was also somewhat surprised, but after hesitating for a moment, he nodded. The two immediately pushed open the door and entered the temple.

The temple was not large. Upon entering, there was a small courtyard, behind which was the main hall where the gods were enshrined. In front of the main hall, an old man dressed in a gray robe was sweeping the floor.

"Once we're here, we can put away the filth so it won't be difficult to clean up later."

The old man slightly raised his eyes, looked at Li Lan and Miao Wuyu, and smiled slightly.

Miao Wuyu was shocked and instinctively wanted to make a move, but Li Lan stopped her!

"Senior knew we were coming all along?"

Li Lan asked a question, and at the same time he glanced into the main hall, only to see that the statues of the gods being worshipped were now covered with a black cloth!

That black cloth... seemed to have been soaked in filthy blood and other substances, which could deceive the gods' sight and hearing. In other words, Li Lan and Miao Wuyu did not need to worry about being discovered by the gods worshipped here!

That's why Li Lan also had doubts about the old man who guarded the temple.

It seems that the other party was already prepared to welcome them and help them through their difficulties.

"The world is dark, and the gods are descending. Who in the world does not know this? This old monk is merely doing human work and waiting for destiny. Now it seems that we are destined to meet."

The old monk smiled slightly and put his hands together in prayer: "Namo Amitabha Buddha."

With just these words, a look of surprise flashed in Li Lan's eyes, and he said:

"Senior...you're from the Imperial Star?!"

There's no other reason than that both the Ziwei Star Domain and the Beidou Star Domain worship the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas of the Divine Realm, while "Namo Amitabha Buddha" is the belief of the Brahma Sect of the Primordial Emperor Star, and only cultivators born from the Emperor Star will recite it.

The Holy Maiden Miao Wuyu was also an unexpected and extraordinary person.

The old monk smiled and nodded, gesturing with his hand, "Please, let's continue our tea session—"

Li Lan and the other man followed him into the tea room. The old monk calmly poured them some tea and said, "Please try this tea."

Li Lan solemnly picked up the tea, took a soft sip, and felt a fragrant aroma in his mouth. After the tea entered his stomach, it transformed into a gentle stream that flowed through his entire body. Li Lan had originally overused his soul power, resulting in severe damage to his physical body, but now it was repairing itself at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"This tea... can repair the soul?"

Miao Wuyu was also surprised. Ever since she was injured by Li Lan in the battle of Crimson Blood Mountain, her soul injury had never been able to recover. But now, a cup of tea had nourished her soul, allowing her soul to recover three or five parts!

"The efficacy of this tea is comparable to that of the Supreme Bodhi Tree within the Cihang Sacred Land!"

She said, "Thank you, senior!"

Li Lan couldn't help but say, "I will never forget your great kindness, senior!"

"Both of you are deeply rooted in Buddhism and have long since transcended the obstacles of intellectual views. Why bother saying such things?"

The old monk smiled and said, "Young friend, you are in charge of reincarnation, so your knowledge must be extensive. Could you possibly guess the origin of this tea?"

Li Lan shook his head and said, "I really don't know."

"This tea actually comes from the Imperial Star."

The old monk sighed and said, "The Enlightenment Tea Tree of the Yellow Emperor was truly a treasure of the Great Dao. Unfortunately, it was completely destroyed in the great war. Fortunately, I still have a tea seed from the Enlightenment Tea Tree, so I planted it in this mountain. It took three thousand years to sprout, five thousand years to mature, and another ten thousand years to bloom... Up to now, tens of thousands of years have passed, and I have only been able to pick tea to drink three times."

Upon hearing this, Li Lan and Miao Wuyu were even more astonished!

This precious tea actually comes from the Enlightenment Tea Tree of the Yellow Emperor!

Moreover, the old monk's description is even more astonishing. He planted the Enlightenment Tea Tree, which has been around for tens of thousands of years.

He... was a survivor of the ancient war?!

"May I ask your name, senior?" Li Lan asked solemnly.

"Bodhidharma".

The old monk made no attempt to hide it.

Bodhidharma!

These two words stirred up waves in Li Lan's heart. In the history of Buddhism on Earth, these two words were of immense weight, representing true patriarch-level figures!

He was well-versed in Mahayana Buddhism, and the famous Zen school was founded by him. In fact, he is referred to as the "Martial Ancestor" in all the historical legends of the world, and there is a saying that all martial arts under heaven originated from Bodhidharma.

Unexpectedly, deep within the starry sky, he was still alive, having persevered for countless years!

“Zen Patriarch…”

Miao Wuyu also looked extremely solemn. Even though there were many eminent monks in the Cihang Holy Land who studied the teachings of Bodhidharma, she couldn't help but stand up and bow!

"It's truly rare to find a young lady with such a profound Buddhist nature!"

Bodhidharma accepted it calmly, looking at Miao Wuyu with considerable admiration in his eyes, and said, "It's just that you cultivate the evil magic of the divine realm... But it doesn't matter, now that you have cultivated the Zen mind of the mortal world, even if you cultivate evil magic, you can still attain enlightenment."

Cihang Saintess was taken aback. Divine Realm Evil Magic?

She suddenly realized that although Bodhidharma was a great sage of the Buddhist sect, he was, after all, a person from the Primordial Emperor Star, and a mortal enemy of the Cihang Holy Land where she was located...

However, this thought vanished in an instant. In the Buddhist community, there is only Zen; why bother with sectarian differences?

"Senior, did you already know we were coming?" Li Lan asked.

Bodhidharma shook his head: "I don't know, it's just a precaution."

"The cycle of reincarnation has reappeared, and the descent of the gods is inevitable. After the gods descend, they will thoroughly investigate the world, leaving no place to hide. Only this small temple in the deep mountains can hide from their investigation. The old monk has been waiting and waiting, and finally the Lord of Reincarnation has arrived."

He smiled and said, "It's not in vain that I've served the gods here for countless years. Hahaha, I've served Him for ten thousand years, and He has protected you for a while. It's a fair settlement of cause and effect!"

Bodhidharma was incredibly carefree, but Li Lan felt a lump in her throat and was deeply moved.

Who was Bodhidharma? Among the immortals of the Emperor Star, he was undoubtedly renowned and possessed unparalleled cultivation. Yet, he concealed his identity and even became a "servant of the gods" to his enemies. This was a great humiliation for such a master!

For the strong, death is not frightening; it often takes more courage to live a life of ignominy and to endure humiliation!

It can be said that his meeting with Bodhidharma today was by no means accidental:

After leaving Taiyuan City, Li Lan had to stay away from the core city and bustling areas for safety, just as Bodhidharma chose to hide in a small temple deep in the mountains back then.

To avoid being tracked down by the gods, Li Lan had no choice but to head towards the temple. Bodhidharma had been keeping a close eye on things ever since the Lord of Reincarnation appeared, and now that the gods had descended, he had covered the divine body in the temple with a black cloth beforehand.

All the coincidences were actually preordained in the dark.

“Those gods won’t give up easily. You should rest here for a few days.”

Bodhidharma smiled and said, "It just so happens that this old monk has been bored for many years while guarding the deep mountains. I would like to discuss the Dao with the Lord of Reincarnation for a few days. I wonder if that would be of any use?"

Li Lan said, "It is my great honor to hear the profound teachings of a senior!"

The two settled down in the temple deep in the mountains. Bodhidharma had not seen the Emperor Star for many years and was very happy. He discussed Taoist teachings with Li Lan day and night.

……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

"How could it be missing?!"

The three deities, including the Purple Star Ancestor and the Blood Serpent Granny, had extremely grim expressions.

He mobilized the power of the rules of heaven and earth and activated the eyes of all living beings, but Li Lan seemed to have completely disappeared from this world, and there was nowhere to find him.

How can this be?

"Could it be that he's no longer in the Ziwei Star Region?!"

The Blood Serpent Granny spoke in a deep voice.

This is the only possibility.

"But the routes out of the Ziwei Star Region are controlled by the major Emperor-level forces. How could he possibly manage that?"

The black-faced monk asked a question.

"Don't forget, this kid once hid inside the Dao Palace. It's not surprising that such a cunning person would have a backup plan to leave."

The Ziwei Ancestor sighed and said, "This defeat will surely make this child a frightened bird, and it will be really difficult to find him again."

"Fellow Daoists, it's time for us to go back."

They couldn't stay in the Ziwei Star Region for too long to begin with, and now they've made a series of moves, using the power of heaven and earth and the eyes of all living beings, which has severely depleted their faith and incense offerings!

"The forces in the Ziwei Star Region have indeed been too lazy in recent years!"

Granny Blood Serpent was extremely dissatisfied. In her opinion, the reason why Li Lan was able to escape repeatedly was due to the various forces in the Ziwei Star Region.

"All forces will be punished with blood donations, or this crime will be unforgivable!"

She spoke directly, and both the Purple Star Ancestor and the Black-Faced Monk nodded in agreement.

Immediately, the three figures vanished from their spot.

As soon as the three of them left, the sky burst into light, and the obscured sunlight returned to the earth, bringing light back to life.

"The gods have left?"

"Has Li Lan been caught?"

"Nonsense, the gods went to great lengths this time. If they hadn't captured Li Lan, why would they have left so easily?"

For a time, everyone was paying attention, and almost everyone believed that Li Lan must have been captured.

However, news soon broke:

"The gods are enraged! The Ziwei Holy Land and all Emperor-level forces are required to pay three years' worth of blood tribute as atonement!"

The news spread rapidly from the inside story, and within just a few days, it was known to everyone!

"What? Really? Three years of blood service... Isn't that punishment too severe?"

"The so-called blood offering is the highest level of offering to the gods. Cultivators need to offer their own blood essence every day to show their utmost sincerity... This offering can please the gods, but it will have a great impact on the cultivators themselves!"

"All cultivators from all factions must be punished!"

Everyone is talking about it.

Moreover, what's most bizarre is that, faced with such a cacophony of rumors, the Ziwei Holy Land, the Dao Palace, the Taiye Sect, and others all fell silent, and no one came out to "refute the rumors"!