The First Demon of the Chan Sect

"Why?" Before Li Qingming could say anything, Long Xuhu began to complain noisily, "Why? Why should we help you?"

The rest of the people also looked towards Xuan Tian.

Xuan Tian smiled confidently and said, "Because I know what you want! And, only I can lead you to find what you desire!"

Li Qingming's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh? Fellow Daoist, please elaborate!"

Xuan Tian casually flicked his sleeve, gathering the Green Sun above, and said calmly, "My master is called Gongshu Ban, his Daoist name Gongshu Zi! He is the second Realm Master of the Puppet Spirit Domain!"

"What!"

Li Qingming and Yin Xi turned pale with astonishment upon hearing this.

"Is it the Gongshu Ban known as 'Lu Ban, Ancestor of Artisans for Eternities, Master of Artists for Generations'?"

"Is it the Gongshu Ban from the Eastern Zhou Lu Country of the First Epoch?"

Li Qingming and Yin Xi asked almost simultaneously.

"Exactly!" Xuan Tian nodded lightly, "Now, are you willing to help me?"

The rest were somewhat confused, but Li Qingming and Yin Xi wore expressions of sheer shock.

Li Qingming had lived in the technologically advanced 21st century, in a country that had inherited the 5000-year civilization of Hua Xia; the image of Lu Ban, the originator of carpentry, was deeply rooted in people's hearts. Among ten people, at least nine knew of Lu Ban and the remaining one would be a newly born baby...

Yin Xi lived during the First Epoch in Zhou Country. Although he was born earlier than Gongshu Ban, he was guarding the Wanling Pass then, where many great powers frequently traveled westward, all of whom were talented individuals who shone brightly during the 'Hundred Schools of Thought.'

From their words, Yin Xi naturally learned of a genius named Gongshu Ban in the Gongshu family of Zhou Country.

However, before Yin Xi departed, he had never seen Gongshu Ban travel through the Wanling Pass. Thus, he too was completely surprised now!

"Big brother, what? You know who Gongshu Ban is?" Li Qingquan tugged at Li Qingming's sleeve and asked softly.

"Ah, yes! This Gongshu Ban is a genius who lived in the First Epoch of Pangu's Great Thousand World and had quite a mastery in the art of mechanical techniques," Li Qingming said thoughtfully, stroking his chin with a somewhat serious expression.

"Before Old Tao left Wanling Pass, I heard of Gongshu Ban's exceptional talent; a once-in-an-era demon talent in the Cultivation World! To think, he not only arrived on the Path to Heaven but also inherited the position of Realm Master of the Puppet Spirit Domain! Unexpected, truly unexpected!" added Yin Xi, stroking his long beard and addressing the crowd.

"Oh? That doesn't make sense! If his master was the Realm Master of the Puppet Spirit Domain, how could he be so gravely injured that only his Primordial Spirit remains and even got refined into a puppet?" On hearing Li Qingming and Yin Xi's words, others might have been shocked internally. But the straightforward Long Xuhu, who didn't ponder too much, directly raised this critical issue.

The rest were also startled, thinking: "Right! If your master is so powerful, and you yourself are of the Saint Realm, you shouldn't have fallen into such a state! Could it be that you're deceiving us?"

Li Qingming was also full of doubts, pressing on: "Yes, Fellow Daoist! If your master is indeed the Realm Master of the Puppet Spirit Domain, how did you end up here and even get refined into a puppet?"

Xuan Tian gave a bitter smile and explained, "A Calamity ago, when my master attempted to break through to the Heavenly Dao Realm, unfortunately, he was attacked by the Heavenly Demon. In his dying moments, he passed on all his designs for mechanisms and puppet refining to me, and instructed me to inherit the Realm Master position. But..."

He continued, his features contorted with anger: "Besides me, my master had two other disciples named Xuan Kong and Xuan Luo! These ungrateful fiends, disregarding our master's final wishes, struck me from behind, severely injuring me to the point my Primordial Spirit almost perished. Later, they even turned me into a puppet..."

"Oh!"

Everyone listened, looking at Xuan Tian with sympathy, not expecting the ruthlessly fierce Saint before them to have such a tragic past.

The scene fell into silence for a moment.

After weighing the options, Yin Xi transmitted to Li Qingming: "Qingming, Gongshu Ban's mechanical techniques are incredibly unpredictable. During the First Epoch's Hundred Schools of Thought, many great powers died at the hands of his mechanical techniques! If what he says is true, we may really need to rely on his power!"

Li Qingming touched his smooth chin, pondering for a long while before speaking to Xuan Tian: "Alright, Fellow Daoist! We will help you secure the position of Realm Master of the Puppet Spirit Domain, but you must take a lifebinding oath that after obtaining the position, you will give me the Creation Items!"

"Take an oath?" Xuan Tian blinked, then quickly nodded, saying, "Good! By the Great Dao above, I, Xuan Tian, on my soul, swear... Realm Master... Creation Items... should I break this oath..."

"Boom!"

The Great Dao endorsed the oath, producing a thunderous sound.

Li Qingming nodded slightly at Xuan Tian, saying, "Fellow Daoist! After we deal with the matters in the Endless Buddha Realm, we shall accompany you to the Puppet Domain!"

At this point, Li Qingming nodded to Yang Jian.

Understanding the cue, Yang Jian swooped down from the clouds, swiftly lifting the unconscious Buddha and flying back.

Li Qingming summoned a handful of snow water and poured it onto the Buddha's face.

"…" Shivering from the cold snow water, the Buddha confusingly opened his eyes. When he saw the surrounding situation, he was so frightened that he lost his soul.

"Buddha, I am now here to fulfill my initial promise. Are you ready?" Li Qingming looked at the Buddha with a seemingly smiling expression, but his words were filled with murderous intent.

"Since I have fallen into your hands, I naturally have nothing to say! Go ahead!" The Buddha, frightened, turned pale but still spoke firmly.

"Very well! Those are your own words!" Li Qingming kicked the Buddha in the stomach, saying, "I'll give you another chance. Just hand over the Creation Items now, and I'll spare your soul for reincarnation! Otherwise, you've seen what just happened, I will make you end up just like your unfortunate fellow disciple, soul-searched and dispersed."

The Buddha, kicked by Li Qingming, sat dazedly in mid-air. Remembering the scene where the soul of Po Suo dissipated, he trembled inexplicably.

After a long while, the Buddha clenched his teeth and said, "I hope you keep your promise!"

Saying this, he suddenly struck his chest.

"Om!"

A brilliant Buddha Power burst forth from the top of the Buddha's head, and soon after, the crowd faintly heard a Zen Chant that seemed to come from a distant otherworldly place.

At first, they thought it was an illusion, but as the Buddha Light grew more fierce, the chant also grew louder, echoing throughout the void like the ringing of giant bells, immensely vast and profound.

The fluttering snowflakes gradually got coated with a layer of golden powder, shining brightly, sparkling brilliantly.

"Lipo Lipo Ti, Qiuhe Qiuhe Ti, Dharani Ti. Ni He Luo Ti, Pili..."

These were classic Buddhist curse words, the Seven Buddha's Sin Erasure Mantra, chanted by someone unknown, echoing across the vast universe.

When this mantra echoed through the Ancient Star, the golden light shined brightly, and a rust-stained copper tablet appeared above the Buddha's head.

The copper tablet was one zhang, six chi, six cun long, and nearly three chi, three cun tall, engraved with four Tao Runes. The runes, carved like dragons and snakes, were endlessly profound.

"Great Leiyin Temple!"

Li Qingming read it word by word, feeling quite emotional inside, "This tablet from the temple emits tremendous might, almost comparable to an Innate Treasure."

He even thought about whether to secretly visit the Great Leiyin Temple back in the Pangu Great Thousand World and steal the tablet back.

However, seeing Shakyamuni's expression, he immediately discarded the thought.

Shakyamuni was glaring at the copper tablet in mid-air, nearly grinding his teeth in anger.

"Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni..." Li Qingming felt something was off and hurriedly called out to Shakyamuni.

"Huh!" Realizing his own loss of composure, Shakyamuni took a deep breath and said, "Master Li, pardon my gaffe!"

Li Qingming shook his head and asked, "Fellow Daoist, why so perturbed?"

Shakyamuni looked nostalgically at the "Great Leiyin Temple" copper tablet floating in the air, "Back when my senior brother and I decided to establish the Buddha's domain, we burned all the refining materials and Spiritual Treasures we collected from birth until then, to forge a temple and a tablet. On the day the temple was completed, divine clouds descended, and myriad beasts paid homage! The day the tablet was forged, Tribulation Thunder descended, and myriad birds paid tribute."

"Are you talking about the Great Leiyin Temple on Mount Sumeru?" Li Qingquan seemed to understand something and asked.

"Correct!" Shakyamuni nodded and continued, "For some unknown reason that year, after the tablet went through its tribulation, a golden hand suddenly appeared in the sky and snatched the tablet right from our hands, disappearing without a trace. My senior brother and I searched all along the way but never found it. I did not expect to encounter it here; truly, fate mocks us, fate mocks us…"

"That's not right! Your Great Leiyin Temple clearly has its tablet!" Li Qingming interrupted.

Shakyamuni's face darkened and said, "That was later made from an Innate Jade Crystal. Compared to this one, it is much inferior!"

"According to what Fellow Daoist mentioned, hasn't it been just a little over one Calamity since this thing was forged?" Li Qingming suddenly realized something wrong and turned to look at the Buddha whose face turned pale, "Buddha, are you sure you didn't trick us with a fake?"

The Buddha nearly cried, his face troubled, "You are being excessive! Now that things have come this far, what use is there for me to deceive you?"

Li Qingming saw his expression and believed it was not a pretense, "It seems this matter still needs to be discussed! Let's do this, seal his Cultivation and put him into the Treasure Space first. When we figure out the key points, it's not too late to kill him then! What do you Fellow Daoists think?"

"Amitabha Buddha, let's follow Master Li!" Shakyamuni, eager to unravel the mystery, readily agreed.

"Big brother, we will follow you!" "Damn, he got off easy!" Li Qingquan and Long Xuhu, always following Li Qingming's lead, naturally agreed.

"Let's follow the elder!" Although the Ga She brothers were reluctant, they also understood that it was not the right time to kill the Buddha.

Thus, the twists and turns of the endless conflict in the Endless Buddha Realm came to an end here. (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), and to cast a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)