Chapter 181 — The Wordless Jade Wall
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 9
In his astonishment, Ming Li felt that within him, besides the demonic power of the Blood-devouring Bead stirring restlessly, the Great Brahma Prajna of his own cultivation seemed, under the influence of the Buddha aura here, unwilling to yield, leaping up as if to try conclusions with the demonic power of the Blood-devouring Bead.
Before it had even begun, such vast changes had come over his own body—the earth-qi of this place was truly beyond comprehension. Astonished at heart, Ming Li for a moment forgot the strange figure he had seen in the mist, and only urged his own cultivation to guard his heart veins as he slowly descended.
Soon the mist grew thin, and the scene below at once grew clear: a small stone platform, rather smooth, some three zhang across, with sparse trees about it, and seated around it dozens of Fan Yin Temple monks. Their positions seemed neither near nor far, with no rule or order to them, yet something secret seemed to lie within—faint Buddha power flowed among them, and they had subtly formed an array.
Ming Li looked a few more times, and suddenly it seemed familiar; he thought carefully, and then recalled it—it was the shape of an ancient, clumsy script, the appearance of a Buddha's true word.
Ming Li soon touched the ground. Looking about, he saw that Fa Cheng and Fa Jing were already seated among the monks, palms pressed together in silence, eyes lowered, not glancing at him again. At the head of the monks sat none other than the abbot of Fan Yin Temple, Master Pu Cheng; and at his left hand below, Ming Li had seen before—it was the holy monk Pu Fang, who had that day shown such mighty power on Mount Cang Lan. But the monk seated at Master Pu Cheng's right hand below looked rather strange; Ming Li had never seen him before, yet his face was withered and his complexion sallow, as though he wore the hue of a dying man, and his aged look far surpassed Master Pu Cheng's. Ming Li did not know who he was, but to sit as an equal with the two holy monks Pu Cheng and Pu Fang, he was surely a personage of no small account in Fan Yin Temple.
Ming Li said no more, but bowed his head in salute to Master Pu Cheng. Master Pu Cheng returned the salute with palms pressed together and smiled, saying, "Young Benefactor has come."
Ming Li nodded and said, "Yes. But what would the Abbot have me do?"
Master Pu Cheng pointed to the platform and said, "Nothing else. Young Benefactor need only sit quietly upon that stone platform, regulate his breath and calm his heart, and sit for a few days."
Ming Li nodded, glanced back at the stone platform, then raised his head and looked around. Above, the mist was thick—where was the Wordless Jade Wall of legend? He could not help asking, "May I ask the Abbot, where is the Wordless Jade Wall?"
Master Pu Cheng smiled and said, "In a little while, young Benefactor will see it."
Ming Li started, nodded, and turned to take his seat on the stone platform, when all at once a shrill cry came faintly from the sky—wind, or the howl of some beast—piercing cloud and mist. Then a beam of dazzling radiance tore a rift through the dense fog and shot down, falling full upon Ming Li.
Ming Li fell back a step and looked up. Within the valley a strange rumbling rose, like rolling thunder, and the sea of dense fog suddenly heaved into waves, surging from a gentle drift into great billows. More and more fissures opened; the fog thinned, and beam upon beam, ray upon ray of radiance broke through.
Facing this prodigy of heaven and earth, Ming Li gazed a long while, until at last the fog scattered and the radiance poured down. In an instant all the world was a blaze of light so dazzling that no one could keep his eyes open. Only after a time did it slowly soften.
When Ming Li opened his eyes again, his body gave a jolt—he had caught sight of the legendary Wordless Jade Wall.