SFS Chapter 218 The Martial World Shakes
Chapter 218 The Martial World Shakes
Although Mingkong has broken through to the Grandmaster realm, he is only at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm. Compared with Hui'an, who is already at the late stage of the Grandmaster realm, he is slightly inferior in terms of age, experience, and cultivation.
Moreover, as the previous abbot and now the most senior monk in Dafosi Temple, Hui'an's offer to enter Shifo Cave Heaven naturally left no room for objection from the others.
Soon, Hui'an entered the stone cave, watched by Mingkong and the others.
Watching Hui'an's figure slowly disappear into the darkness, Mingkong felt a sense of unease for some reason, just like Mingxin had felt before.
To calm himself down and stop his mind from wandering, Mingkong began to silently recite Buddhist scriptures.
Time quickly passed and night fell again, then dawn broke.
Neither Hui'an nor Zhishen, nor any of the other monks, made any move.
The monks waiting outside were all a little flustered.
"Abbot, what should we do? If Zen Master Hui'an is in danger inside, then won't no one else in our temple be able to go in?"
One of the monks said with a worried expression.
Since the passing of Zen Master Dao'an, Hui'an, who successfully broke through to the late stage of Grandmaster, is now the strongest person in Dafosi Temple.
Putting aside whether they can obtain the opportunities within the Stone Buddha Cave, the loss of Huian, Zhishen, and other masters is already a tremendous loss for their Great Buddha Temple.
Once this news gets out, the status and prestige of their Great Buddha Temple in the martial arts world will suffer a certain blow.
Mingkong had naturally thought of these things as well, so he was at a loss as to what to do next.
Sending more people in would obviously be unwise and would only result in wasted manpower; but if we just let it go, wouldn't Hui'an, Zhishen, and the other monks be in increasing danger?
In order to come up with a better solution, Mingkong immediately summoned all the core monks in the temple, briefly described what had happened, and discussed solutions with them.
After more than an hour of discussion, the final solution was to spread the news of the stone Buddha's appearance and seek help from various masters in the martial arts world.
Although this method carries some risk, it is the best they can think of at the moment.
The dangers or trials within the Stone Buddha Cave might only be effective for those who cultivate Buddhism, and have little impact or threat on other martial artists.
If other martial artists successfully rescue Hui'an and the others and bring out the hidden opportunity, they can exchange it for other things.
After all, the opportunities within the grotto-heaven are of little use to those who do not cultivate Buddhism or Taoism; it is far more worthwhile to use them to exchange for some practical benefits.
In order to attract more heroes from the martial arts world to enter the cave, some information can be appropriately concealed and exaggerated.
For example, the fact that Zen Master Hui'an disappeared inside the cave must absolutely not be spread. Once the martial artists in the Jianghu know that even a late-stage Grandmaster could not escape, the number of people they can attract will be greatly reduced.
Secondly, the opportunities within the cave need not be explained too clearly; they should be left ambiguous so that other martial artists can use their imagination.
Whatever treasures someone takes out, they belong to that person. The Great Buddha Temple may exchange them for other things, but it is absolutely forbidden to bully or rob them.
Finally, there should be a strength restriction for martial artists entering the cave; those who are not first-rate martial artists should not be allowed to enter. Furthermore, the potential dangers they might face after entering the cave should be stated in advance.
Entering the cave is entirely voluntary, and all consequences are borne by the individual.
After everything was settled, Mingxin was put in charge of spreading the news of the stone Buddha's appearance.
As one of the top three sects in the Great Qian Dynasty, the Great Buddha Temple can spread a message very quickly.
In less than ten days, the news that a giant stone Buddha had appeared on the back mountain of Dafosi Temple spread throughout the entire martial arts world.
For a time, the appearance of the Stone Buddha Cave became the hottest topic of discussion in the martial arts world.
From the major martial arts sects to the nameless rogue cultivators, everyone began to set off for Wuliang Mountain.
Jiang Yuchuan, who was strolling around a certain city, also became very interested after hearing this news.
Since he didn't have a specific destination in mind, he naturally wanted to join in the fun since such a grand event was happening at Wuliang Mountain.
The city where Jiang Yuchuan is currently located is not too far from Wuliang Mountain, less than three hundred miles away. Therefore, Jiang Yuchuan still does not plan to fly there directly, but wants to slowly enjoy the scenery along the way.
But just as Jiang Yuchuan had a sudden urge to buy a horse to ride to Wuliang Mountain, he discovered that all the horses in the hands of the horse dealers, regardless of their quality, had been sold out, leaving only a few donkeys and mules.
However, it doesn't matter what he rides, it's all the same to Jiang Yuchuan.
So Jiang Yuchuan randomly picked a mule and rode it on the road.
Jiang Yuchuan wasn't in a hurry like the others, so he didn't walk very fast and was soon overtaken by many martial artists who came from behind.
"This Great Buddha Temple truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier sect. The news has only just spread, yet so many people are already rushing to Wuliang Mountain day and night."
Jiang Yuchuan rode slowly forward on his mule, occasionally shaking the gourd in his hand and taking a sip of the spirit wine he had brewed himself.
At this moment, Jiang Yuchuan walked out of the official road and into a shady path.
As soon as Jiang Yuchuan stepped onto this path, he sensed something unusual.
He never expected that these mountain bandits would be so bold as to set up an ambush on the road leading to Wuliang Mountain, intending to rob martial arts practitioners passing by.
Just as Jiang Yuchuan discovered the bandits lying in ambush on both sides of the woods, the bandits also noticed Jiang Yuchuan.
"Damn it, I finally found someone lone and who looked easy to get my hands on, but it turns out he's a poor bastard riding a mule!"
One of the bandits looked at Jiang Yuchuan with a face full of disgust.
Another bandit immediately chimed in, "Who says otherwise! Judging by his appearance, this guy doesn't seem like a poor wretch."
"No matter what kind of goods it is, we must take it down this time!"
The bandit leader, his face stern, commanded, "Brothers, we've been lying in ambush in this forest for days. We've encountered people we can't afford to mess with. Today, we have to make a killing!"
Upon hearing their boss's words, the subordinates fell silent, poised to strike, dozens of eyes fixed intently on Jiang Yuchuan.
When Jiang Yuchuan approached them, the bandit leader immediately raised his arm, and all the bandits rushed out and surrounded Jiang Yuchuan.