Chapter 970 - 694: Dragon-Slaying Immortal City

"Where is this?"

Chu Zheng’s consciousness was muddled. He slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a dazed whisper.

What met his eyes was an ancient Buddha hall, solemn and austere. Sandalwood incense curled along the four walls, suffused with Zen intent.

The hall was filled everywhere with standard Buddhist Sect furnishings, all dignified and sacred, tranquil and secluded.

On the high platform of the main hall, a burly figure draped in a dark red kasaya stood quietly, actually a black-faced, heavy-aura mendicant monk, his gaze lowered as he looked at the awakened Chu Zheng.

The instant he saw that face, the harrowing scene before his loss of consciousness abruptly flashed through Chu Zheng’s mind—the pair of beastly eyes brimming with savagery and majesty, faintly overlapping with the aura of the monk before him.

A Great Demon who has entered the Dao!

Stormy waves surged in Chu Zheng’s heart, cold sweat instantly soaking his clothes.

At this moment, Black Ebony’s deep voice sounded first:

"You’re awake? This place is Sandalwood Mountain under Tianlong Temple’s jurisdiction, and also this Zen master’s Cultivation Dojo."

He loosely folded his arms behind his back, posture unruly:

"You brat truly have too little courage. You barged straight into my Calm Heart bathing grounds and actually scared yourself into fainting on the spot, nearly making me break my no-killing vow."

Bitterness flickered through Chu Zheng’s heart.

It wasn’t that he was timid; he had clearly been cowed by the other’s aura. However, with the other speaking like this, he didn’t dare refute.

He had never heard Tianlong Temple’s illustrious name before. Now, carefully tasting the words, he had already noticed that though this Demon Race Great Demon was an outsider, he called himself a Zen master, belonging to the Buddhist lineage. There was no malice in his speech, and the heart he’d been holding up slightly settled.

Black Ebony continued:

"After you fainted, those two cultivators who’d been chasing you all the way have already been scared off by me."

"Counting it out, this Zen master can be said to have saved your life. Thus, between you and me, we owe each other nothing."

Chu Zheng had never imagined that such a Great Demon would be this reasonable. He hastily braced himself and sat up, attitude sincere:

"Zen master, those words are mistaken. This life-saving grace is a favor Chu Zheng owes the Zen master."

"If ever you have the slightest need in future, I will definitely go through fire and water without the least refusal."

Hearing this, a trace of a smile passed over Black Ebony’s dark face. He lightly nodded, finding Chu Zheng more and more pleasing to the eye.

He too possessed Dao Foundation Cultivation, and was versed in deducing destiny and peering into karma.

Just now, with a brief calculation, he had clearly grasped the causes and consequences of Chu Zheng’s journey, even his background, and could not help but feel some appreciation in his heart.

This was the reason he was so easy to talk to and willing to reason with him.

Otherwise, though he wore a kasaya and had entered the Buddhist Sect, he was by no means blindly soft in compassion.

The Buddhist Sect has both the kind heart of Bodhi and the wrathful Vajra that subdues demons.

Black Ebony carelessly waved his hand, looking completely free and easy: "This seat has no trivial errands needing your service."

Pausing slightly, his gaze turned to Chu Zheng as he calmly asked:

"I already know your past experiences. Now that you’ve awakened, do you have a place in mind—where do you intend to go for Cultivation?"

At this question, Chu Zheng instantly sank into bewilderment, staring blankly on the spot.

Ever since he had followed his master out of the mortal world and stepped into the vast territory of the Cultivation Realm, he had always stayed close to his master, living year-round in Jiyun Immortal Market.

Now, enemies who had killed his master still lurked within that Market; he could not return.

Moreover, with his master’s unfortunate death, for a time he truly did not know where on his path ahead he should settle down for Cultivation.

After pondering for a long time, Chu Zheng asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Zen master, how far is this place from Jiyun Immortal Market?"

"Not far," Black Ebony answered casually, "only about eight billion li, that’s all."

Chu Zheng silently smiled bitterly. Only such world-striding Great Demons would speak of such an unattainable distance so lightly.

Black Ebony immediately realized that such a distance, for Chu Zheng whose Cultivation was still shallow, was no different from a chasm. He spoke out readily:

"For you, the road is indeed far. If you truly wish to go back, in a few days this seat happens to pass by that area. I can take you along on the way."

Warmth flooded Chu Zheng’s heart. He quickly clasped his hands and politely declined:

"Many thanks for the Zen master’s kindness, but I currently have no intention of returning to the old place."

His gaze was firm as he slowly voiced the plan in his heart: to find a secluded region and devote himself to bitter Cultivation, then, when his Cultivation reached Great Success, return to the old place and personally avenge his master and wash away this hatred.

Hearing this, Black Ebony found him all the more to his liking. He simply decided to be a good man to the end and spoke frankly to point him the way:

"Since you intend to lie low and cultivate, this seat will point out a superb place for you—Dragon-Slaying Immortal City."

"That region is currently in the midst of pioneering and opening up land. Opportunities are plentiful, most suitable for cultivators like you to cultivate with focus and temper yourselves to grow."

"Junior thanks the Zen master for his careful guidance!" Chu Zheng was filled with gratitude and bent deeply in salute.

"Go."

Black Ebony said no more. With a light sweep of his wide sleeve, a gentle and mysterious power instantly wrapped around Chu Zheng’s entire body.

Chu Zheng only felt the world spin; the scenery around him flipped and flowed in an instant. In but a brief moment, his body had been shifted across empty space to tens of thousands of li away.

When his figure settled firmly on the ground, a clear breeze brushed his face. Lifting his eyes, he saw a majestic Immortal City, grand and cloud-wreathed, standing between heaven and earth, immortal qi vast, its spectacle boundless.

"This is...?"

He subconsciously raised his hand and found that in his palm there had quietly appeared an ancient Token carved with Buddhist Sect patterns. At the same time, Black Ebony’s bold and hearty laughter sounded at his ear, transmitted from afar:

"Enter the city with that Token, and you can go to the Tianlong Side Courtyard within the city to settle down, find a stable post to secure yourself and cultivate!"

Chu Zheng clenched the Token in his palm tightly, his heart surging with a hundred emotions and endless feelings.

The dearest friends who had once walked beside his master and him had actually coveted a Treasure for their own gain, launching a secret sneak attack and killing blow, then afterwards wanting to cut the weeds and pull up the roots, leaving no one alive.

By contrast, this Great Demon Zen master before him, with whom he had not the least connection, had repeatedly lent a hand, carefully pointed out his road, and given him a token, treating him with sincere kindness.

Such a contrast left him incredulous.

However, after crossing the threshold of life and death, Chu Zheng had long become cautious in mind, not daring to trust others easily. He immediately calmed his spirit and quietly communed with the Celestial Book in his sea of consciousness.

[I implore the Celestial Book to deduce karma—at present, is there anyone secretly plotting against me?]

After a brief silence, the Celestial Book sent back a calm response; there was no hidden killing intent or scheme of conspiracy.

A trace of guilt rose in Chu Zheng’s heart:

"It seems I used the heart of a petty man to judge the belly of a gentleman."

Yet the repeated bitter experiences had already let him see clearly the cold cruelty of the Cultivation Realm. He silently resolved:

"This favor I will certainly engrave in my heart, and in days to come repay it double."

"But my master’s blood-deep vendetta is yet unpaid, and the road ahead bristles with danger. In the future, I must still act with utmost caution, always holding vigilant guard in my heart."

Once he had sorted out his tangled emotions, Chu Zheng strode forward resolutely toward Dragon-Slaying Immortal City ahead. After entering the city, he began to inquire everywhere.

Listening along the way to all kinds of news, he finally gained a thorough grasp of the power dynamics of the Southern Border.

Tianlong Temple is the orthodox Buddhist Sect lineage of Spirit Mountain, steadily ranked among the five great powers of the Southern Border, its territory vast.

Within a radius of a billion li, all falls under its jurisdiction, forming a complete system of Cultivation. Its influence is deep-rooted; no one dares provoke it lightly.

Chu Zheng could not help but feel profound shock in his heart:

"Tianlong Temple, Purple Heaven Temple, Bamboo Mountain Sect, Witch God Sect, South Sea Demon Race..."

"Jiyun Immortal Market lies in a no-man’s land, established by a Dao Foundation Cultivator who is a Loose Cultivator. It’s merely a small, stable corner. We knew none of this information."

"Just the Southern Border alone, to minor cultivators like us, is already vast beyond measure..."

Only now did he thoroughly understand why Zen master Black Ebony, though of the Demon Race, bore a benevolent heart and acted openly.

It turned out this formidable Black Ebony mendicant was actually a personal-protector disciple under Wuchen Arhat, who currently sits in Tianlong Temple.