ATPnovel Chapter 114 Half of the Name Chen
Chapter 114 Half of the Name Chen
"We've found him."
The empty shell's bloodless face was facing Chen Fan.
The redness in his eyes burned brighter and brighter.
It's like they've set their sights on someone.
Red Boy was the first to shout: "Playing tricks! Who are you trying to fool?!"
He raised his hand and a ball of fire appeared.
The fireball hurtled towards it, but the empty shell didn't even flinch.
Flames passed right through his body.
Its chest only swayed slightly, without leaving even a black mark.
The Bull Demon King's face darkened, and he swept his iron cudgel across.
boom!
The blow made the tower wall resound.
The empty shell slid back three zhang, leaving a black trail behind it.
But it still managed to stand still.
The corners of his mouth slowly twitched open.
"Number one, the one who refused to perform."
"Traces were detected."
"Comparison passed."
Zong Wu stood by the machine, his face pale.
"It's over, it's over... It's not talking about your current identities, it's talking about the old files."
Chen Fan stared at the empty shell, his heart sinking.
Old files.
It's an old file again.
The case file was still hanging in mid-air.
The words "Chen Fan" on the first page are gone, as if someone had erased them, leaving only a black and gold pattern on the back.
Then, the second page turned on its own.
There are no words on it.
It was a cracked seal.
Underneath the seal, there was half a piece of old paper.
The edges of the paper were blackened, as if it had been burned.
The most striking thing is that only half a character remains on top.
List.
It's not complete.
Only the left half and a small tail stroke remain.
It's as if someone forcibly tore half of it away.
Chen Fan paused, his breath catching in his throat.
Tang Sanzang also saw it and whispered, "It's Chen again."
Wukong stepped in front of Chen Fan, his golden cudgel pointing diagonally at the empty shell.
"Is the number one in its mouth the owner of this half of the paper?"
Zong Wu swallowed hard.
"Most likely. There are files on those who refused to perform at the old construction site's main tower, but the first batch of complete sets was taken away long ago. I didn't expect there to be half a sheet left."
Red Boy didn't understand and stamped his feet in frustration.
Speak like a human being!
Zong Wu hurriedly said, "It was someone who didn't follow the scripture at first and forcibly altered the stable version of the Three Realms. That person failed and was removed from the archives. Now that the tower recognizes the marks on Brother Chen's body, it means... it means..."
His voice faltered.
The Bull Demon King spoke for him.
"This shows that Chen Fan and the first person to refuse the role are related."
As soon as he said that, everyone around him turned to look at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan himself was also staring at the half of the character "Chen".
The first thing that came to mind wasn't excitement.
It was the same sound that had just been shoved into his ears.
Don't believe the second Chen.
The second Chen.
Half of the character "陈".
The first person to refuse to perform.
These things are like a thread that suddenly twists together.
The empty shell opened again.
"Residue confirmed."
"Requesting access to the video footage."
As soon as he finished speaking, the half-page of old paper on the black and gold dossier suddenly trembled.
A ring of light spread out from the edge of the paper.
It's not soft lighting.
Like the reflection of an old body of water turned upside down.
Everyone inside the tower experienced a sudden, sudden blur before their eyes.
The next second, an image was projected directly into the air.
The main tower, the machine, and the files were all gone.
The place before me had become an even older place.
Like the predecessor of the same tower.
Higher, and colder.
All four sides were suspended black frames, covered with iron plaques.
There were two people standing in the middle.
A man wearing an old robe, his face obscured.
The hem of his robe was badly torn, as if he had just crawled out of a great battle.
Another one sat high up, neither like a human nor like a Buddha.
A rotating prayer wheel hangs behind it.
Turn the pages of scripture on the disc yourself.
With each page turned, the sky in that place changes a little.
Zong Wu's legs went weak when he saw that thing.
"The one who contemplates the sutra..."
Tang Sanzang's eyes darkened.
"Is this the 'contemplator of scriptures' you've been talking about?"
Zongwu nodded, his teeth chattering.
The person in the image, wearing a robe, is raising their head.
He looked injured; blood was still dripping from his shoulder.
You can stand perfectly straight.
The voices of the sutra contemplators descended from above.
"The stable version is finalized."
"If you refuse to perform again, the Three Realms will shatter once more."
The man in the robe laughed.
The laughter was hoarse.
"Your writing is so solid that it pins everyone to the grid."
"I don't accept this kind of stability."
Wukong's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"You've got guts."
The observer did not get angry; his tone remained calm.
You lost.
"It's time to settle your debts."
The man in the robe wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spat on the ground.
"My loss is my own problem."
"Do you dare to bet again?"
The person observing the sutra paused for two breaths.
"What else do you have to gamble on?"
The man in the robe raised his hand and pointed directly to a huge scroll of scripture below.
"In the future, if anyone can refuse to perform again within the stable three realms of scripts."
"Old debts, recalculate."
The moment those four words were uttered, the expressions of everyone inside the tower changed.
Old debts are recalculated.
Zong Wu's eyes nearly popped out.
"So that's what it was! So this is the condition the main tower has been waiting for!"
In the video, the prayer wheel behind the person observing the sutra rotates slowly.
A page of scripture has a tear in it.
It finally replied with two words.
"Can."
The robed figure seemed to have expected it to agree, and a smirk appeared on his lips.
"Remember, not everyone counts."
"It must be one clear and one reversed."
"One dares to disrupt the situation, the other dares to overturn the table."
Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
One is clear and the other is contrary.
Two names popped into his mind almost instantly.
Chen Fan. Wukong.
In the video, the spectator continues, "If no one does this, all traces of your lineage will be erased."
The man in the robe coughed twice, then laughed even harder.
"Apply it."
What you fear is that future generations will see the truth.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sutra disc above suddenly pressed down.
The video started to go haywire.
The frame collapsed, and metal plates flew everywhere.
The man in the robe turned around, as if he was about to walk away.
The moment he turned around, Chen Fan's pupils shrank sharply.
The man's sleeve was torn, revealing half of his wrist.
There is an old scar on my wrist.
The location and shape were almost identical to the scar on Chen Fan's own hand.
Not like.
They look so alike.
Chen Fan subconsciously looked down at his left wrist.
That scar has been there since I came across it.
He always regarded it as an old wound left by the original owner and didn't think much of it.
Looking at it now, my hair stands on end.
Wukong immediately noticed that something was wrong with him.
"What's wrong with you?"
Chen Fan didn't answer, his eyes still fixed on the image.
The screen flickered at the last moment.
The person in the robe still didn't reveal their face.
Only a broken sign was visible at his waist.
There are words on the sign as well.
It wasn't fully exposed either; only half of the character "陈" could be seen.
Then the entire video suddenly went out.
The tower returned to darkness.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Red Boy exploded first.
"Is there even a need to guess? That guy's probably surnamed Chen! And he even has the same scar as Chen Fan! Isn't that—"
"Shut up."
Chen Fan interrupted him directly.
Red Boy was taken aback.
Chen Fan stared at the half-sheet of old paper, his voice deep.
"It's not time to recognize people yet."
"The Tali's methods are best at using half-real, half-false shadows to deceive people."
He said that, but his mind was already in turmoil.
If the first person to refuse to perform is indeed related to him.
Was it really a coincidence that he came from here?
And then there's the saying, "Don't believe the second Chen."
Who is the second?
Is it him from the case file?
Is it still the same person from the past?
Tang Sanzang took two steps closer and whispered, "What did you think of?"
Chen Fan slowly exhaled.
"I've figured something out."
He looked up at the dossier hanging in mid-air.
"That bet wasn't for the dead."
"It's left for future generations."
Zongwu quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes. The main tower recognizes the conditions, not the name. As long as someone meets the criteria, a recalculation request can be triggered."
Wukong grinned.
"Isn't that us?"
"You try to sabotage their plans, and I, Old Sun, will overturn their table."
Even the Bull Demon King was amused.
"That's a rough way of putting it, but the principle is sound."
Tang Sanzang nodded as well.
"The journey we've taken to this point truly embodies the saying 'one bright, one dark.'"
Chen Fan's eyes gradually brightened.
Correct.
This is the key.
It's not whether the person in the robe is his ancestor, nor whether he is another version of himself.
What's truly useful is that the terms of the bet have already been laid out.
In the realm of stable drafts, I will refuse to perform again.
Old debts can be recalculated.
That's exactly what they're doing right now.
No wonder the main tower's records recognized him.
No wonder empty shells appeared.
It's not about recognizing relatives.
They are inspecting the goods.
Just then, the empty shell suddenly moved again.
It didn't look at Chen Fan again.
Instead, he abruptly turned his head and looked deeper into the heart of the tower.
It's like someone is giving an order.
The next second, a crack appeared in its chest.
A black hand reached out from inside.
It wasn't hitting anyone.
It was about grabbing the case file.
Wukong was prepared and swung his staff down.
boom!
The black hand was smashed on the spot.
The empty shell twisted its entire body and let out a shrill laugh.
That laughter was clearly not its.
It sounds more like the voice of a cataloger.
"I see."
"So the recalculation conditions fall on you bunch of bastards."
On all four sides of the tower, rows of black characters instantly appeared.
The words "cataloger" flashed continuously.
Zong Wu's expression changed drastically.
"It projected its consciousness into the tower!"
Red Boy roared, "If you've got the guts, come out and say it!"
The voice was mocking.
"Enough files have been leaked."
"Then I won't play with you guys."
"I don't want the main tower anymore."
Chen Fan's eyes sharpened.
Don't want the main tower?
The catalogers went through so much trouble to secure the tower, how could they just give it up like that?
Unless... it has a more urgent goal.
Chen Fan suddenly realized what was happening.
"Stellar Core Fragment!"
The sound exploded almost simultaneously with the thought in his mind.
The cataloger's smile grew even colder.
"At least I was smart for once."
"Since old debts can be recalculated, I'll just focus on piecing together the real cores first."
"By the time you found the place, I had already obtained the other two pieces."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black characters on all four sides exploded open simultaneously.
The empty shell collapsed on the spot, scattering into dust.
A muffled thud came from the top of the main tower.
It looks like something is rising.
Zongwu rushed to the machine and frantically tried to pry open the broken copper rings.
"Oh no! It's abandoning the tower structure and activating the underlying star map!"
The Bull Demon King shouted, "What star map?"
"Eukaryotic coordinate graph!"
Zongwu roared until his throat cracked.
"Deep within the old construction site's main tower lies the location of the remaining fragments!"
Chen Fan rushed forward.
"Can it be intercepted?"
Zongwu was covered in sweat.
"I can't block it; it's already taken away most of my access permissions. I can only view it!"
The center of the machine exploded and cracked open.
A circular stone disc slowly rose up.
The stone slab is covered with old carvings.
Just as it rose halfway up, two sparks lit up in the engraving.
One left and one right.
Then, two lines of ancient characters slowly emerged.
Below that dot on the left, there are four characters written.
Lingshan Jinghai.
Below that dot on the right, there are also four characters written.
At the end of the Milky Way.
Red Boy stared wide-eyed.
"Just these two places?"
Zongwu stared intently at the star map, his voice trembling.
"That's right... the remaining two true core fragments are all here."
Wukong hoisted the golden cudgel onto his shoulder, his smile turning fierce.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"One sacred mountain, one celestial river."
"Whoever tries to grab it first, I'll smash them too."
Chen Fan stared at the two coordinates, about to speak, when a bloodline suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stone slab.
Not coordinates.
It's like a reminder that someone forcibly carved onto the wall before leaving.
It only has seven characters.
Go to the sea first, don't go to the sky.
When Tang Sanzang saw those words, his expression changed immediately.
"This character..."
Chen Fan turned to look at him.
"Do you recognize him?"
Tang Sanzang stared at the line of blood, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"I recognize a little bit."
"This is Jin Chan's old writing brush."
Chapter 186 Two Fragments
On the old construction site, gusts of wind blew into the broken walls.
The stone slab was still suspended in mid-air.
The two coordinates, one bright and one dark, were like two nails, firmly fixed in everyone's eyes.
One point points to the sacred mountain and the sea of scriptures.
One point points to the end of the Milky Way.
Everyone understands that this isn't a process of letting them choose at their leisure.
This is a death sentence.
Wukong slammed his golden cudgel on the ground, sending pebbles flying.
"What the hell are you thinking about?"
"Jin Chan has already written everything down. Let's go to the sea first. I'll also go to Mount Ling and smash open those bald monks' sea of scriptures. We'll grab the fragments first."
The Bull Demon King grinned and took a step forward, carrying his iron cudgel.
"I'm going too."
"Those bastards on Lingshan are the most cunning when it comes to hiding things. Smash them, and I'll just flip over the Scripture Sea while I'm at it."
Yang Jian didn't reply, but just stared at the Milky Way coordinates on the other side of the stone slab.
He spoke after two breaths.
"The Innate River".
Wukong turned to look at him, his eyes suddenly turning cold.
"You intend to protect Mount Ling?"
Yang Jian frowned.
"I'm protecting my ass."
"Look carefully. The instruction says to go to the sea first, not to go to the sky. The problem lies in those four words."
Tang Sanzang also stared at the line of blood-red words, his expression still not calm.
He's right.
"These characters are from Jin Chan's old brush. But an old brush doesn't mean the person who wrote them is the same person from back then."
Red Boy was taken aback.
"Speak human language."
Chen Fan hadn't even arrived yet, and the group in the room was already arguing so much they were almost about to come to blows.
Zong Wu, clutching the half-rolled black-gold scroll, huddled to one side, his voice weak and trembling.
"I...I think I know a little bit."
Everyone looked at him.
Zong Wu swallowed hard.
"The Black Gold Scroll is no ordinary thing. It records the whereabouts of the vessel and fragments of original sin. If someone leaves a note on it, there are only two purposes. One is a genuine warning. The other is to lure you into a trap."
The Bull Demon King glared.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Zongwu nearly dropped the dossier when he was glared at, and quickly shrank back.
"This is not nonsense, not nonsense at all. Both the Ling Mountain Scripture Sea and the End of the Heavenly River are places where fragments of documents can be suppressed. One is more literary, the other more martial. The Ling Mountain Scripture Sea hides old scripture fragments, while the End of the Heavenly River suppresses the marks of criminal charges."
"If you don't divide your forces and go to one side, the other side might make a move first."
The atmosphere grew even heavier after those words were spoken.
Wukong was the first to understand.
He looked up, sparks flying from his monkey eyes.
"Does that mean that as long as we go to Mount Ling, Tianhe can take the fragment first?"
Zongwu nodded vigorously.
"Very likely."
"The same applies to the reverse."
Yang Jian said coldly, "Therefore, we have no choice but to divide our forces."
"right."
After Zongwu finished speaking, as if afraid that people wouldn't believe him, he added another sentence.
"Moreover, the other side definitely knows we've seen the coordinates. Every second we delay increases the chances of the fragments becoming unpredictable."
Tang Sanzang slowly closed the file box in his hand.
"Dividing forces is the right way."
The question is, who goes where?
At this moment, everyone was stunned.
Lingshan Jinghai is clearly the old stronghold of Buddhism.
The end of the Milky Way is not a good place either; it is mostly connected to the old guard of the Heavenly Court.
Wherever you go, you have to work hard.
Wukong didn't even think about it.
"I'm going to Lingshan too."
"There are bald monks and old grudges over there. I know it best."
Yang Jian shook his head directly.
"No. You're making too much noise."
"The people of Lingshan are most afraid of you right now. If you go, they will immediately seal off the sea."
Wukong smirked.
"You think you can seal me off?"
Yang Jian looked at him.
"I can't seal you, but I can seal your fragments."
In short, that hit the nail on the head.
Wukong's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.
The Bull Demon King also frowned.
"Shall I go to Tianhe?"
Yang Jian said, "The battle over the Milky Way will most likely be a hard fight. You're suitable."
Red Boy immediately objected.
"I'm suitable too."
"When my Samadhi True Fire burns, even the most ridiculous Milky Way will bubble up."
Tang Sanzang raised his hand and pressed it down.
"Don't rush."
"Let's get everyone together before making a decision."
As soon as he finished speaking, the broken steel frame in the center of the old construction site suddenly made a humming sound.
The black gold dossier turned a page on its own.
A shadow was cast through the gap in the page.
First, there was a hand.
Then it's another face.
Finally, he stepped out of the projection in mid-air.
Chen Fan.
As soon as his foot touched the ground, the layer of old dust on the ground was swept outwards.
Wukong's eyes lit up.
"You've finally arrived."
Chen Fan glanced at everyone, first looking at the stone plate, then at the line of blood-red characters, and finally at the dossier in Zong Wu's hand.
"You know everything?"
Tang Sanzang nodded.
"We're just waiting for your decision."
Chen Fan didn't rush to speak.
He reached out and moved the two coordinates in mid-air forward.
The mark of Lingshan Jinghai immediately floated to the left.
The Milky Way ends and drifts to the right.
"Buddhism on one side, Heaven on the other."
Everyone wants to be the first to act.
"Then let's not make them comfortable."
Wukong wields his staff.
"explain."
Chen Fan looked at Zong Wu.
"You go first. Which side is harder to drive?"
Zong Wu was taken aback, not expecting Chen Fan to ask him first. He quickly replied, "The Spirit Mountain Scripture Sea is difficult to enter. There are many entrances to that place, but only one true gate. One wrong step, and you'll be swept into the false scripture layer, never to escape."
"What lies at the end of the Milky Way?"
"The end of the Milky Way is hard to guard. It's not like a secret realm, it's more like a battlefield. Once you go in, you can't hide."
After listening, Chen Fan understood.
One is a trap.
One is to kill.
He turned to look at the crowd.
"Then let's not argue."
"I will take Zongwu and Tang Sanzang to the Vulture Peak and the Sea of Scriptures."
Wukong's eyes darkened.
"Aren't you taking me?"
"I know Lingshan better than you do."
Chen Fan looked at him.
"They're wary of you precisely because you're familiar with them."
"The moment you show your face, Jinghai's door will be sealed shut. Do you believe me?"
Wukong gritted his teeth and didn't refute.
He knew Chen Fan was right.
The person those people in Lingshan want to kill most right now is him.
Chen Fan continued, "Go to Tianhe."
"Bull Demon King, Red Boy, Yang Jian, we're with you."
The Bull Demon King laughed heartily and brandished his iron rod.
"That's more like it."
"Over in Tianhe, Old Niu can have a good fight."
Red Boy was also excited.
"I'm going to burn the river too."
Yang Jian didn't waste any words, he just asked one question.
"Are you confident you can open the Scripture Sea?"
Chen Fan raised his hand and tapped the file in Zong Wu's arms.
"The key is right here."
Zong Wu's face turned pale.
"Me...me?"
Chen Fan patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be afraid. You're not just lucky to be alive."
"You recognized the underlying fire in the Black Tower, and you were the first to see the key when the case file was opened. You may not admit it yourself, but the case file has already confirmed it."
Zongwu was completely dumbfounded.
"Does the case file acknowledge me?"
Chen Fan said calmly, "Otherwise, why would it have ended up in your hands?"
Upon hearing this, Zongwu himself was stunned.
Tang Sanzang glanced at Chen Fan and understood.
This is not a consolation.
This is to first embolden Zongwu.
Right now, we really can't go to the Ling Mountain and the Sea of Scriptures without him.
Wukong was still unhappy, so he walked back and forth a couple of times with his staff in his hand.
"If you take Tang Sanzang, I have no objection to going too."
"What if Zongwu drops the ball halfway through?"
Zongwu's ears burned with embarrassment; he wanted to argue, but dared not.
Chen Fan smiled.
"If it breaks down, I'll use it as a doorstop."
Zong Wu's legs went weak.
Everyone laughed instead.
Once the laughter came out, the oppressive force that had been pressing down on people dissipated considerably.
Chen Fan seized the opportunity and completely crushed the arrangement.
"Time is running out."
"Now split up the forces."
"Wukong's team, head to the end of the Milky Way. Their goal is simple: seize the fragments. Smash them if you can, but don't linger in battle."
"My team will enter the Spirit Mountain Scripture Sea. First, we'll retrieve the fragments, then investigate who left behind the Golden Cicada Old Pen."
Tang Sanzang added a sentence.
"If that writing is truly from my old hand, I must see it with my own eyes."
Chen Fan nodded.
"So come with me."
The Bull Demon King looked at Yang Jian.
"Erlang, do you know the way to the other side of the Milky Way?"
Yang Jian sneered.
"Back then, I stormed the Milky Way, and I crossed it more than once."
Red Boy's eyes lit up.
"That makes things simple."
Yang Jian added another sentence.
"Simple my foot. At the end of the Milky Way lies the old execution platform. If there really are fragments there, the number of people guarding it is no less than those guarding Jinghai."
Upon hearing this, Wukong grinned.
"The more people, the better."
"I was just complaining that the stick was too light."
After he finished speaking, his fighting spirit surged forth.
The dust on the nearby broken walls was falling down in rustling sounds.
Chen Fan glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Wukong."
Wukong stopped.
Chen Fan stared at him.
"Don't get carried away over Tianhe's side. Shards first, killing second."
Wukong pouted.
"Know."
"You always say that."
"When have I ever really messed things up for you?"
Chen Fan didn't respond to that, but instead tossed over a black talisman.
Wukong raised his hand and caught it.
"What is this?"
"Lianxun Printing"
"If I crush it, I can see three breaths of your vision over there."
Chen Fan then took out three more coins and tossed them to the Bull Demon King, Red Boy, and Yang Jian respectively.
"Whoever finds the fragment first, report it immediately."
The Bull Demon King stuffed the talisman into his robes.
"middle."
After Yang Jian accepted it, his gaze fell on the black gold dossier.
"There's one more thing."
"The file is only half-open. Where's the other half?"
This question hits the nail on the head.
Everyone looked at the roll in Zong Wu's hand.
The case file was quiet and still.
Like an inanimate object.
It's like it might bite someone at any moment.
Chen Fan reached out and just as he touched the edge of the scroll, the entire black and gold file suddenly trembled.
next moment.
The dark gold patterns on the scroll lit up simultaneously.
It wasn't a beam of light reaching the sky.
They are thin lines that slowly creep out from the edge of the file.
It looks alive.
Zongwu was so startled that he cried out "Ah!" and almost flung his hand away.
Those few thin black and gold lines did not attack anyone.
Instead, they dispersed and split into seven strands.
A stream fell into Chen Fan's palm.
A gust of air flew towards Wukong.
A stream fell into Tang Sanzang's sleeve.
The remaining streams stopped in front of the Bull Demon King, Red Boy, Yang Jian, and Zongwu, respectively.
Each person now had an extra thin black page in their hand.
The size of a palm.
It feels cold to the touch.
There are no words on it.
There was only a faint mark.
Like half a chain.
Zongwu was dumbfounded.
"It...it divided itself?"
Tang Sanzang looked down at the black-cornered page in his hand, his expression changing slightly.
"It's not about the score."
"It's a copy."
Chen Fan also frowned.
This is not something they can control.
The file was set up long ago.
When they split their forces, he split into seven points.
Wukong pinched the black horn page and grinned.
"That saves trouble."
"If a fight really breaks out, whoever dies, are the pages going to be burned too?"
"Shut up." Tang Sanzang gave him a cold look.
Wukong shrugged.
"Can't I even have something auspicious?"
Yang Jian, however, did not laugh.
He stared at the black page in his palm, his voice lowering.
"Something's coming out from up there."
Everyone immediately lowered their heads.
really.
The blank black corners of those pages are now gradually revealing words.
The characters are not written from top to bottom.
It seeps out of the paper.
The first row is the same for everyone.
Original sin revealed.
The second line has even smaller and colder text.
Countdown: 72 hours.
The old construction site suddenly became quiet.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped for a moment.
Red Boy was the first to explode.
"What the heck?"
What does it mean to publicly reveal original sin?
Zong Wu's face was deathly pale, and his lips were trembling.
"It's over..."
"This is truly the end..."
The Bull Demon King grabbed him.
"Explain yourself."
Zongwu was lifted off the ground with both feet off the ground, and his voice cracked.
"Once the original sins of the black gold dossier are made public, it's not just about killing one person, but about putting out the names of all those who have sinned, those who have been involved in sin, and those who have reformed their sins."
"The Heavenly Court can see it. Mount Ling can see it. The old subordinates can see it too."
"Seventy-two hours later, everyone will know who touched this file!"
As soon as he said that, a fierce glint appeared in Wukong's eyes.
"Isn't that perfect?"
"Whoever dares to come, I'll beat them up."
Chen Fan didn't laugh.
He stared down at the black corner of the page in his palm, and his heart tightened instantly.
Seventy-two hours.
This is not a warning.
This forces them to swallow both fragments within three days.
Otherwise, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect will suppress them together.
They didn't even have a chance to breathe.
Tang Sanzang slowly raised his head, his voice deep and resonant.
"Chen Fan".
"We have no way out."
Chen Fan folded the black pages and scanned the faces of everyone present.
"Then don't return it."
"Let's go now."
Wukong turned around with his staff in hand, and with a stomp of his foot, he soared into the air.
The Bull Demon King laughed and followed.
A spark flew from the sole of Red Boy's foot, and he darted out as well.
Yang Jian was the last to leave the ground, and he glanced back at Chen Fan.
"Get there alive."
Chen Fan raised his hand.
"You too."
The next moment, four figures simultaneously soared into the sky along the Milky Way.
On the old construction site, only Chen Fan, Tang Seng, and Zong Wu remained.
The coordinates of Lingshan Jinghai on the stone slab are gradually turning red.
It looks like someone is already looking over there.
Zongwu held the dossier, his hands still trembling.
"Master Chen... Master Chen."
"Shall we head out to sea now?"
Chen Fan looked up at the reddish coordinates and suddenly noticed a closed golden eye at the center of the coordinates.
It wasn't there just now.
That eyelid twitched.
He slowly opened his eyes a crack.
Chapter 187 The Scriptures of Mount Ling
The stone disc made a sound the moment the golden eye opened a crack.
Click.
Like someone on the other end chewed up a tooth.
Zong Wu's scalp tingled, and he took a half step back while holding the black gold dossier.
"Uncle Chen, it has seen us."
Chen Fan did not back down.
He stared at the eye in the center of the stone disc, ran his finger along the edge of the disc, and the system panel popped up.
[Detected as a Buddhist stronghold: Ling Shan Jing Hai]
[Field Characteristics: Scriptures are brought to life, faith and aspiration surge forth, and identity takes precedence over ability]
[Suggestion: Steal the identity first, then steal the items]
Chen Fan's lips twitched.
"Did you hear that? Even the director said to be an inside man first."
Tang Sanzang stood to the side, his eyes deep and serious.
The eye stared at him for a moment, and the red light on the stone slab brightened noticeably by half a fraction.
It was as if she recognized him.
Zong Wu swallowed hard.
"So...should we still go in?"
Chen Fan raised his hand and placed a palm on the stone plate.
"We've come this far, it would be foolish not to go in."
As soon as he finished speaking, the coordinates suddenly collapsed inward.
It's not opening the door.
The entire space is sinking.
The three of them suddenly lost their footing and fell straight down.
The sound of the wind hadn't been in my ears for long before I heard the sound of water beneath my feet.
Wow.
When Chen Fan landed, the soles of his shoes plunged into a layer of shimmering, damp water. The water wasn't deep, only reaching his feet; it was icy, sticky, and carried the smell of old, rotten paper.
He looked up and his eyelids twitched.
There is no seawater ahead.
This is a scripture scroll.
Countless scrolls floated in mid-air, one after another, spreading out like a sea. The edges of the scrolls turned on their own, the Buddhist characters seemed to float by themselves, and golden threads darted between the characters. In the distance, there were rows of tall cabinets, stretching from the sea all the way to the sky, their doors half-open, filled with scriptures, like mountains of books.
There were still figures floating on the sea.
It's not a real person.
It is the lingering tide of faith and vows.
There were old and young, monks and laypeople, all blurred together, only mouths remaining, whispering something. The sounds merged together, like a swarm of mosquitoes, drilling into people's ears.
Zongwu was stunned on the spot.
"This place is even more eerie than a cemetery."
Tang Sanzang did not respond.
As soon as he landed in the sea of scriptures, a circle of golden characters suddenly surged up beneath his feet.
"Abstinence", "Patience", "Transcendence", "Emptiness".
The four words, like iron hooks, wrapped around his ankles with the tide and climbed upwards.
Then, as if they smelled the aroma of meat, the old scriptures all around him flew towards him.
The first page was entirely about him.
Jin Chanzi.
Tripitaka.
The Holy Monk, the Imperial Brother.
The pilgrim on the pilgrimage.
One old identity after another was pasted onto his face, as if trying to recreate his entire persona.
Tang Sanzang's shoulders jolted, and he tore off a scroll. A second scroll was then pasted on. A third scroll wrapped directly around his arm.
Those scriptures are still being recited.
"Return to your place."
"Return to the archives."
"Re-record".
Zongwu's eyes widened in astonishment.
"They want to rewrite the master's work as it was originally!"
"nonsense."
Chen Fan rushed over, raised his hand and pressed down on Tang Seng's shoulder, and the "plot usurpation" message from the system was directly thrown down.
[Travel Points Consumed: 3000]
[Coothing template being generated]
Three streaks of gray-white light descended instantly, striking the three people on the head like stamps.
The next moment, Chen Fan's aura changed, and he held a red-edged bamboo scroll in his hand, with a plaque hanging from his waist.
Revised by the Maritime Bureau, No. 7, Class C.
There was also an extra sign on Tang Sanzang's side.
Textual error corrector, No. 3, Ding.
Zongwu suffered the most.
The sign was crooked and read: "Under-the-cabinet odd jobs".
Zongwu looked down and his face turned green.
"Why am I relegated to menial tasks?"
Chen Fan didn't turn his head back.
"You're playing yourself, that's the safest bet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old scriptures that were originally rushing towards Tang Sanzang suddenly stopped.
They circled the three of them twice, as if checking their information.
A moment later, the golden characters slowly dispersed and receded into the tide.
Tang Sanzang exhaled, his back already soaked with sweat.
He looked down at the back of his hand, where a faint line of characters remained.
"Before the journey to the west is completed, private thoughts must be eliminated."
He sneered, reached out and wiped away the words, completely blacking them out.
"I'll beat your ancestors to a pulp."
Zongwu gasped as he listened.
This monk can now curse Buddha more easily than a demon.
Chen Fan glanced around and quickly lowered his voice.
"Don't just stand there. Find the unpublished sutra cabinet."
Zongwu immediately took out the question stone from his bosom.
As soon as the stone fell into the sea, a layer of fine lines appeared on its surface, like fish scales, each one shimmering. It spun three times, then its tip suddenly pointed into the depths of the sea.
"there!"
The three of them walked quickly forward in that direction.
The scriptures looked like water, but stepping on them felt like stepping on thick paper, making a crunching sound. Every now and then, some scripture-wielding cultivators would appear around them.
He is not a true monk.
It's as if Jing Hai himself created these employees.
Some had wooden faces and carried stacks of scrolls. Others were only upper-body, their lower half a cloud of words floating on the sea. Upon seeing the three, they merely glanced up and then went on with their own business.
Chen Fan felt more at ease.
This trick worked.
In Buddhist temples, people recognize signs, not faces.
After walking for about half an incense stick's time, a bell suddenly rang out from the horizon.
hum-
The entire Jinghai Sea trembled.
The floating scrolls all turned pages at once.
A golden platform rises from the middle of the sea.
On the platform sat a large, fat Buddha statue, about three zhang tall, with a hundred scrolls of scriptures floating behind it, unfurled like a peacock's tail. Each scroll depicted a human face, old and young, male and female, their lips moving in and out.
"Routine check."
The moment those two words were uttered, the entire sea fell silent.
Zong Wu's calves tensed up, and his voice became a thin line.
"Is this the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha?"
Tang Sanzang also narrowed his eyes.
Something's wrong with those hundred volumes of scriptures.
With each turn of the scroll, the surrounding tide of faith and aspiration changes accordingly.
On the left scroll was written "Good People," and the shadows of the people on the sea immediately knelt down in neat rows.
On the right, a scroll reads "Rebels," and several figures who were just chanting scriptures are suddenly bound by chains of words and dragged into the sea.
It is not guarding.
It's about dividing people.
One verse, one type of sentient being.
It decides which volume belongs to which character.
The Buddha with a hundred scrolls raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the sea like a brush.
"Today's random inspection of the revised registers."
"Any product with an incorrect number shall be placed in the sinking pool."
No sooner had these words been spoken than screams rang out from all over the sea.
The two minor officials' badges were smoking, and half of the words on their chests were scraped off. They were dragged away on the spot by several chains with black characters on them, without even having time to struggle.
Zongwu's lips turned white as he looked at it.
"Mr. Chen, can this fake one really hold up?"
Chen Fan remained expressionless.
"Even if you can't bear it, you have to pretend."
The golden platform slowly pressed in this direction.
The hundred scrolls of scriptures behind the Buddha kept turning their pages.
Each time it flips, the pressure on the sea surface increases.
The old gold mark between Tang Sanzang's eyebrows reappeared.
Clearly, this thing had been watching him.
Just when Jintai was only a hundred feet away from them, Chen Fan suddenly raised his hand and shouted at a wooden-faced clerk next to him.
"Who tampered with the unpublished sutra booklet? The T-junction reported damage last night; who signed off on that?"
The wooden-faced clerk was taken aback.
Zongwu was also stunned.
Tang Sanzang was the first to react, immediately picking up the act and replying with a stern face: "We're still conducting routine checks. How are you running your procedures? If bad papers flood the market, who will bear the burden of the entire sutra collection?"
This outburst froze several minor officials nearby.
They stood up straight, each holding a scroll, as if they had really done something wrong.
The Buddha of a Hundred Scrolls looked down and paused.
"Damage reported at the T-junction?"
Chen Fan's face was even uglier than its, and he slapped the waist token with his hand.
"Category 7. Temporary revision."
"Our superiors told us to first replenish the unpublished back shelves, and then proceed with the routine inspection."
"If we're late, will you take responsibility?"
This sentence is very aggressive.
Zongwu, listening from the side, felt his heart nearly stop.
Unfortunately, the hundred scrolls of Buddha did not immediately take effect.
Behind it, a scroll of "Career Manual" automatically opened, seemingly indicating a real review process.
After a moment, its voice deepened.
"Unpublished scriptures are not included in the order of precedence in the regular examination."
Chen Fan simply sneered.
"You were the ones who arranged the order. If the bottom cabinet is to explode, you'll be the first to die."
"Or should I report to the Great Thunder Temple's General Secretariat now, saying that the Hundred Volumes of Buddhist Precepts were suppressed and revised, deliberately leaving hidden dangers?"
Each sentence is more intense than the last.
The local officials in charge of the sea were all dumbfounded.
No one expected that a junior editor would dare to be so critical of the Hundred Volumes of Buddhist scriptures.
Even more outrageous, the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha remained silent for two breaths.
It seems to be calculating.
Is the routine inspection more important, or is the loss report at the T-junction greater?
Zong Wu glanced at it and almost burst out laughing.
The more Buddhist monks resemble officials, the more afraid they are of taking the blame.
A few breaths later, the Hundred Scrolls Buddha raised his hand.
"Access granted".
"Report back within half an hour."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sea parted on its own, leading directly to a row of dark, tall cabinets in the depths.
Zongwu almost shouted out loud, but quickly lowered his head to suppress it.
Tang Sanzang also pursed his lips.
Chen Fan didn't even thank him and led the two of them quickly inside.
Zong Wu finally let out a long breath after rushing all the way to the black cabinet.
"Mr. Chen, you really dare to curse."
Chen Fan reached out and pressed the cabinet door shut.
"To deal with these things, you have to be more like one of their own than they are."
The row of cabinets in front of me is older than the ones elsewhere.
The corners of the cabinet are all worn down.
At the very top hung four small, dark gold characters.
Unpublished sutra cabinet.
Tang Sanzang looked up and his hand started to go numb again.
"The things inside have probably never been made public before."
"That's what's valuable."
Chen Fan yanked open the cabinet door.
There wasn't much gold inside.
There were only layers upon layers of old, blackened books. The covers were untitled, like a pile of ledgers forbidden to be seen. The stone in Zongwu's hand trembled violently the moment it entered, almost slipping from his grasp.
"Below, at the very bottom!"
The three immediately began to overturn.
The first layer is entirely blank.
The second layer contains fragments of the scroll.
The third layer is even more ruthless; instead of scriptures, it's filled with various crossed-out names.
Demon King, Arhat, Heavenly General, Bodhisattva.
Some have a red cross marked on them, and some have a seal on them.
The more Tang Sanzang turned over, the sullen his face became.
"Lingshan has removed quite a few people over the years."
"Deleting people is not unusual."
Chen Fan tore open a stack of old leather envelopes, his voice cold.
"What's strange is that after deleting it, they still wanted to say it never happened."
The bottom layer has finally been revealed.
It was a narrow cabinet.
A brass lock hung on the counter, with a piece of gold paper stuffed inside the lock cylinder.
The stone was burning hot against the lock.
"This is it!"
Zongwu reached out to grab him.
Chen Fan grabbed him and pressed him down.
"Don't touch it."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the brass lock opened by itself.
A small eyeball suddenly appeared in the keyhole, staring intently at the three of them.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of pages turning came from inside the cabinet.
Not this cabinet.
It is the entire Jinghai Sea.
On the golden platform in the distance, the hundred scrolls of Buddha statues suddenly sensed something and abruptly looked up.
A black-sealed ancient scripture slid out from behind it and landed in its palm.
The four characters on the cover are so heavy they look dark.
Abnormal containment procedures.
The first page of the hundred-volume Buddhist scriptures has been turned.
For the first time, its usually expressionless face changed.
He seemed stunned.
Then, it slowly lowered its head and looked in the direction of the unprinted scripture cabinet.
At the same time, Chen Fan also saw the image reflected on that page.
There is a drawing of a person on the first page.
It is neither Buddha nor demon.
It's him.
The drawing is perfectly accurate.
Even the slight smile on his lips is exactly the same.
Chapter 188 Taking You In
As soon as the portrait on the first page appeared, the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha stood up.
Its presence caused the entire Jinghai Sea to tremble.
The golden pages turned simultaneously from all directions, rustling and whispering, like countless people reciting in hushed tones at the same moment. The sound wasn't loud, yet it seeped into one's very bones.
Zong Wu held the dossier, his face pale.
"Uncle Chen...it saw you."
"nonsense."
Chen Fan stared at Jin Tai, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"Not only did it see me, it also planned to give me a big job."
The Buddha with a hundred scrolls held the "Sutra of Abnormal Containment" in his hands, and the scriptures under his feet formed steps as he walked down the golden platform.
With each step it takes, a line of black text appears in front of it.
Abnormal sample confirmed.
Number missing.
Danger level: Extremely high.
It is recommended to permanently archive this.
It stopped halfway there and looked up at Chen Fan.
The Buddha's face still looked compassionate, but the words that came out of his mouth were chilling.
"Chen Fan".
"The most dangerous abnormal sample in the Lingshan records."
"Disrupting the meaning of the scriptures, rewriting the order of the scriptures, polluting the old commentary on the Golden Cicada, turning against the core of the Journey to the West, and inducing multiple deviations."
"You shouldn't exist."
Zongwu felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but take a half step back.
These few lines don't sound like a judgment.
Like iron nails, they were driven into a person's body one by one.
Chen Fan flicked his wrist and smiled.
"You guys at Lingshan are really generous in praising people."
The Buddha of a Hundred Scrolls Ignored This Saying.
It opened the "Anomalous Containment Manual," and its voice suddenly rose.
"According to the seventh closed loop of the Lingshan Containment Law, the abnormal sample Chen Fan is now to be recorded."
"To claim his name."
"Delete its lines."
"Seal its traces."
"Place it in a footnote, do not enter the main text, do not leave the scripture, and do not allow it to be read by the public."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Jinghai seemed to boil.
All the scriptures floating on the sea surface stood upright.
Page after page.
One layer after another.
They pressed down on Chen Fan from all directions.
It wasn't smashing.
Yes, it's received.
It was as if an invisible giant hand was trying to rip him off and stuff him into the pages of the "Anomalous Containment Manual".
Tang Sanzang stepped in front of Chen Fan first.
With a flick of his robe, he pointed directly at the old pen in his hand.
laugh.
He pierced through the first three pages of the Golden Sutra with a single stroke, causing the words to explode.
Bai Juanfo glanced at him.
"Those who change their original form of the Golden Cicada shall be punished with an additional degree of severity."
Tang Sanzang showed no fear whatsoever.
"Stop using these ridiculous rules to intimidate people."
"You're using scriptures as a lock? I'll pry the lock cylinder off for you today."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and wrote rapidly in mid-air.
The brushstrokes are very heavy.
Each stroke felt like a knife scraping against a copper wall.
Soon, five words hung over their heads.
Footnotes can also be part of the main text.
Upon hearing these five words, Jing Hai paused for a moment.
The next second, the entire sea exploded.
It was as if countless monks were chanting the wrong sutra at the same time.
The golden pages flew about, the order of the words broke down, and rows of scripture cabinets in the distance began to shift out of place. The cabinet doors opened and closed by themselves, banging loudly.
For the first time, Bai Juanfo's face darkened.
It stared at those five words, its voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between its teeth.
"False annotation".
Tang Sanzang raised his hand and wrote another stroke.
"If you can suppress me, then it's a winning bet."
This made even Chen Fan laugh.
"Master, you usually seem so gentle and refined, but you can be really ruthless when you scold a bald man."
The Buddha, with his hundred scrolls, lifted his eyelids.
The book "The Containment Manual of Anomalous Things" in the air suddenly turned a page.
The pages were turned very quickly.
Splash splash splash.
With each page turn, a black line flew out, heading straight for Chen Fan.
Chen Fan didn't take the hit head-on.
He shifted his feet, dodged to the side, and grabbed Zong Wu in the process.
The first black line grazed past Zongwu's ear, and the page of the golden scripture behind it was cut in half.
The second attack was aimed at Tang Sanzang's chest.
Tang Sanzang swung his brush horizontally with a backhand stroke, the ink colliding with the black line, exploding into a shower of golden and black characters.
The third one was the most poisonous; it took a detour and went straight for Chen Fan's shadow.
Chen Fan lowered his head and began to curse.
"They're still resorting to underhanded tactics."
He flipped his palm, and the black and gold dossier was slammed directly at his feet.
The file unfolded with a whoosh, and the name "Chen Fan" on the first page suddenly caught the eye.
boom.
The black line seemed to have hit a wall, breaking apart inch by inch.
The hundred scrolls of Buddha finally changed color.
"The case file is in your hands."
"I have a lot of things in my hands."
Chen Fan looked up, his smile turning cold.
"Do you still want to inspect each item individually?"
The Hundred-Scroll Buddha remained silent.
It put its hands together in prayer position.
As soon as the sound of clapping hands ended, a giant golden bookmark appeared in the sky above the sea.
The bookmark was covered with tiny, densely packed writing.
It's all names.
Chen Fan glanced at it, and his heart sank slightly.
There is Sun Wukong.
There is the Bull Demon King.
There is Ao Lie.
There was even a White Bone Lady.
People who had been involved in their activities along the way were all listed on it.
The Buddha of a Hundred Scrolls spoke in a low voice.
"Anomalies are linked; they should be contained together."
"Chen Fan, if you enter the sutra yourself, you'll save yourself from dragging others down with you."
"If you refuse to accept it, all those related to you will be listed as footnotes."
Upon hearing this, Zong Wu's eyes turned red.
"Bullshit!"
He grabbed the files and rushed forward.
"Come at me if you dare!"
As soon as he took two steps, the scriptures beneath his feet flipped, and more than a dozen golden chains emerged from the sea, instantly wrapping around his calves and waist.
Zongwu fell heavily to the ground, his face stinging from the impact.
He struggled twice, but couldn't break free; instead, the rope tightened around him.
The Buddha of a Hundred Scrolls didn't even glance at him.
"Those who have not established their own doctrines are not qualified to interrupt."
That's a really harsh statement.
Zongwu froze for a moment.
The smile on Chen Fan's face gradually disappeared.
He took a step forward.
Say it again.
The Buddha in the hundred scrolls had a straight gaze.
"Those who have not established a name for their scriptures, shall not—"
Before it could finish speaking, Chen Fan had already arrived.
It was so fast it was like it flashed past right next to my face.
One punch.
There were no fancy tricks.
It hit him right in the face.
boom!
Half of the Buddha's face was smashed and twisted, gold dust mixed with ink characters flew everywhere, and the whole person slid backward for more than ten feet, crashing into three scripture cabinets.
The group of Buddha figures guarding the counter in the distance were completely dumbfounded.
Even the sound of Jinghai turning the page paused for a beat.
Chen Fan clenched his fist and stared in that direction.
"With such a rude way of speaking, no wonder Mount Ling always gets vandalized."
Zongwu lay on the ground, his eyes wide open.
The slight numbness I felt just now completely disappeared.
"Master Chen... really fuck it hard."
The Buddha statue slowly rose from the abandoned cabinet, its face recovering.
It straightened the crooked Buddha face inch by inch, but the corner of its mouth was slightly cracked.
It looks like a smile.
"confirm."
"The danger level has been raised further."
"Execute forced containment."
With a loud bang.
Suddenly, the oldest prayer cabinet in the Jinghai Center opened a crack.
The inside of the cabinet door is not the scripture page.
It's black.
Pure black.
There wasn't a single ray of light.
Chen Fan glanced at it once, and the system panel flashed red in his mind.
[WARNING: Closed-loop deep containment compartment 7 detected]
[WARNING: Once entered, there is a risk of permanent loss of contact]
"Disconnected my ass."
Chen Fan cursed and raised his hand to press down on the file.
With a swipe of Buddha's hands, the black slit widened instantly.
The suction power surged instantly.
Dozens of pages of scriptures nearby, along with broken cabinets and broken tables, were all dragged inside.
Tang Sanzang's cassock was torn and fluttered loudly, and the ink characters he stepped on cracked in three layers.
Zongwu fared even worse; he was dragged so far that he was practically sliding on the ground.
"Master Chen!"
"Stop howling, get up!"
Chen Fan resisted the suction while letting out a low shout.
Zong Wu gritted his teeth and tried to tear off the gold chain from his leg, his hands were worn raw, but it was no use.
Tang Sanzang's eyes hardened, and he suddenly bit his fingertip, smearing the blood on the tip of his pen.
He didn't write those five words again.
This time I only wrote one character.
open.
As soon as the blood-written characters were completed, the row of unpublished scripture cabinets that had been locked all lit up.
*Slap.* *Slap.* *Slap.*
Seven or eight cabinet doors popped open in a row.
What rushed out wasn't scripture, but clumps of unformed words, like sentences yet to be written, crashing around aimlessly in the air.
Finally, Bai Juanfo lost his temper and shouted angrily.
"Close the cabinet!"
But it was too late.
The order at sea was completely disrupted.
Those unpublished manuscripts would bump into anything they saw; if they bumped into an old scripture, they would change the characters; if they bumped into a Buddha image, they would wipe its face. Several Buddha images guarding the counter didn't even have time to finish their screams before the scripture characters on their faces disappeared, turning into a pile of shredded pages on the spot.
Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
The opportunity is here.
"Zongwu, go inside!"
Zongwu is still on the ground.
"Where to go?"
"Unpublished scripture shelving! Go find the fragments!"
"What fragments?"
"Stop talking nonsense, touch it first!"
As Chen Fan spoke, he kicked the golden chain off Zong Wu's leg.
Zongwu scrambled out of the way.
He's usually a chatterbox, but when it really came down to it, he wasn't scared at all. He grabbed the black and gold dossier and rushed toward the nearest open unpublished book cabinet.
Hundred Scrolls Buddha's face darkened completely.
It raised its hand as if to seal the cabinet.
Chen Fan stood directly in the middle, raised his hand and flicked it, sending the black and gold dossier flying towards the "Abnormal Containment Manual".
The two scriptures collided in mid-air.
boom!
First page to first page.
The two characters "Chen Fan" and the four characters "abnormal sample" are fiercely combined.
The impact created a wave of words that shook the hundred scrolls of Buddhist texts back two steps.
Chen Fan seized the opportunity to press close and whispered:
"You want to take me in?"
"Take a look first, see if your lousy scripture is worthy of having my name on it."
A flash of light appeared from the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha, and a black nail emerged from his palm, pressing it towards Chen Fan's brow.
"Editing, begin."
Just as Chen Fan was about to raise his hand to block, Tang Seng suddenly appeared from the side, slashing horizontally and knocking the black nail off course.
The black nail grazed past Chen Fan's ear and pierced into his scalp.
The next instant, the pages of the scripture, covering an area of a hundred feet, all froze in place.
Chen Fan turned around and glanced at Tang Seng.
"Master, that was impressive today."
Tang Sanzang took a breath.
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."
On the other side, Zongwu had already rushed into the unpublished sutra cabinet.
The inside of the cabinet is much larger than the outside.
As soon as he entered, it was like rushing into a library without walls.
All four sides are filled with incomplete characters, fragments, broken titles, and obsolete annotations.
He didn't even bother to look, and started grabbing randomly.
"Where are the fragments? Where are the fragments?"
He first touched a hard corner.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't fragments, but rather half a rotten scripture.
There are only two broken characters above, which are useless.
He tossed it aside, then grabbed it again.
The second time I touched a wet, cold blob of ink.
The ink actually climbed up his hand, which startled him so much that he quickly shook it off.
The third time, his fingers touched a very thin book.
It is lighter than other scriptures.
The cover is blank.
Not a single word.
Zongwu was taken aback.
"No questions?"
As soon as he pulled out the untitled sutra, the entire unpublished sutra cabinet suddenly fell silent.
The sounds of impact, shouts, and the churning of the sea outside all seemed distant.
There was only one voice in his ears.
Very close.
It was like the book was whispering in his ear.
"Zongwu".
Zongwu's back tensed up immediately.
"Who?"
The Untitled Sutra turned to its first page on its own.
The page is still blank.
The sound, however, was crystal clear.
Do you want to know who you are?
Zong Wu's hand trembled, and he froze on the spot.
Outside, Chen Fan had just forced Bai Juanfo back with a punch when he suddenly turned around.
He saw a sliver of white light slowly illuminate the unpublished sutra cabinet.
Zongwu stood motionless in the center of the cabinet door.
Chapter 189 Untitled Sutra
The white light inside the unpublished sutra cabinet grew brighter and brighter.
Zongwu stood in the center of the cabinet door, as if nailed to the spot.
Chen Fan punched away the incoming wave of energy, then with a jolt, he charged forward.
The Buddha of a Hundred Scrolls raised his hand and pressed down.
Hundreds of volumes of scriptures were turned at the same time.
A loud crashing sound followed.
The papers didn't fall to the ground; instead, they piled up layer upon layer, like a wall or a net, trapping themselves around Chen Fan.
"Target to be contained must not approach the unpublished section."
The voice of the Hundred Scrolls Buddha remained calm.
The flatter the better.
Chen Fan sneered and slammed the black and gold dossier forward.
"Screw your containment."
boom!
The black and gold dossier slammed against the wall, scattering pages everywhere.
Taking advantage of the opening, Chen Fan took three more steps forward.
In just those three steps, the white light from the cabinet had already enveloped Zong Wu completely.
Zongwu couldn't see anything clearly.
He only heard the sound again.
Very close.
It was like it popped out of his head.
"You've always wanted to know who you are."
"I'll tell you."
The Untitled Sutra turned to the second page by itself.
Still blank.
It was blindingly white.
Zongwu's throat tightened, and his voice changed.
"What exactly are you?"
The pages of the book trembled.
A line of small text slowly appeared above.
It wasn't written down.
It's like it's seeping out of the paper.
—The anonymous will not leave a question.
The next moment, even more words came out.
Zongwu stared at those few lines of text, his breathing growing heavier and heavier.
"Before the scriptures were established on Mount Ling, there were those who asked questions."
"Those who ask questions do not practice the Dharma, do not preach the Way, and do not erect statues."
"Just one question: Is this feasible?"
"If it is not understood, the scriptures cannot be established, the affairs cannot be carried out, and the people cannot be enfeoffed."
Zong Wu's mind went blank for a moment.
The stone in his hand suddenly became hot.
It was so hot that he almost threw it out.
Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the stone.
It doesn't contain a stone core.
It was a tiny white flame.
The voice continued speaking.
"The questioner is part of the same group and is responsible for reviewing the self-consistency of the story."
"It has a beginning but no end; you should ask."
"A collision from both sides, you should ask."
"Borrowing names and making things up, you should ask questions."
"Even if we force a conclusion, we still need to ask questions."
"If asked that it's not round, the scroll is discarded, and the name is cut off."
Zong Wu's pupils contracted.
He finally understood why he had always felt that something was wrong all these years.
Others listened to the sutra with great enthusiasm.
He wanted to frown as soon as he heard that.
Others see the Buddha's teachings as self-evident and righteous.
He immediately wanted to ask a question.
On what grounds?
It turns out he wasn't mentally ill.
That's his lineage; they've always done this kind of work.
Zongwu's voice was hoarse.
"Then my home..."
Turn to page three of the Untitled Sutra.
Several broken black lines appeared on the paper.
Like a torn family tree.
"The questioner's faction had previously questioned the arrangement of the Great Calamity, but their work was later deleted."
"His name was completely erased."
"Not recorded in the scriptures."
"Nothing is left in the image."
"Blood vessels are scattered."
"Only one simplified reviewer remains, named Wen Shi."
Zong Wu's hand trembled.
The stone almost fell to the ground.
This isn't some old junk passed down from my ancestors.
It's a censorship tool left by the questioner.
He had been using it to test the scriptures and distinguish between true and false ones, but it turned out he had only used the superficial aspects.
The voice paused for a moment, then dropped another sentence.
"You're not a scavenger."
"You are the descendant of the deleted questioner."
Outside the counter, Chen Fan also heard half of it.
His eyes flashed.
It turned out to be the case.
The connection with Zongwu has finally been established.
No wonder this kid can spot problems so easily.
No wonder even the Ling Shan Jing Hai (a sacred mountain and its associated scriptures) reacted to him.
He didn't wander in by mistake.
He was a natural fit.
The Hundred-Scroll Buddha had clearly sensed something as well.
For the first time, the blankness on its face faltered.
"error message."
"Unauthorized release of prohibited books is strictly prohibited."
It suddenly stepped down from the golden platform.
The sea suddenly churned.
A wave several tens of feet high swept towards the scripture cabinet.
"Reading terminated."
"Erase the abnormal questioner's residual pulse."
Chen Fan raised his hand to stop him.
"Show me how you apply it."
He smashed the front of the wave with his fist and then braced himself against it.
boom!
A page of scripture slapped onto his shoulder, causing him to slide half a meter away.
The hundred-scroll Buddha statue had already reached out and pressed its hand against the scripture cabinet.
A golden seal emerged from its palm.
It was printed with only volume titles.
It was like hundreds of scriptures being pressed down at once.
"A total of one hundred volumes were judged."
"This pulse is harmful."
"Dangzhen".
Zongwu suddenly looked up.
The panic in his eyes had disappeared.
Instead, there was a strange calmness.
Like a rusty knife, wiped clean.
Turn to page four of the Untitled Sutra.
This time, finally, the words are no longer just explanations.
Only two words.
Forced.
Next line.
Questioning.
As soon as the words appeared, the entire Untitled Sutra was stuck directly onto Zongwu's chest.
It wasn't a crash.
It's about blending in.
Zongwu was startled.
It felt like hundreds of voices had appeared in my head.
It's not arguing.
That's the question.
One sentence after another.
Where did it come from?
Who decided that?
On what grounds?
How to prove it?
Zongwu looked down at his hands.
A white line slowly appeared on the back of my hand.
Like a pen.
The golden seal of the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha was already pressing down on his head.
Chen Fan was about to risk his injury and go back to fight.
Zongwu suddenly took a step forward.
He looked up at the hundred scrolls of Buddha and asked only one question.
"By what right do you represent all the scriptures?"
The sound wasn't loud.
Jinghai suddenly fell silent.
It felt like someone was choking me.
The golden seal in mid-air suddenly stopped.
Even the hundreds of volumes stopped.
The movements of the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha were frozen.
A string of golden words flashed quickly in its eyes.
"Permissions verification in progress."
"Source verification in progress."
"Under review of representativeness."
"The authorized coverage of the scriptures is abnormal."
Zongwu took another step forward.
The stone turned white in his palm.
"You said that all one hundred volumes were judged together."
"Which hundred volumes?"
"Does an unpublished volume count as a volume?"
Does deleting a volume count as a volume?
"Does a banned book count as a book?"
Do you have their tickets?
When the last sentence came out, Chen Fan almost laughed.
ruthless.
It's too cruel.
This hits right in the heart.
The Hundred Scrolls of Buddha is not the Buddha.
It's just a manager in the ocean.
It can intimidate people by relying on scriptures.
Zongwu's question was tantamount to pulling out all the benches behind him.
really.
The golden characters in the hundred scrolls of Buddhist scriptures were in complete disarray.
"Unpublished volumes...not included."
"Deleted volume... Record missing."
"Forbidden book... Insufficient permissions."
"Representing all scriptures...the condition is not met."
Its raised hand is still suspended in mid-air.
It can't fall any further.
Zongwu stared at it and continued to chase.
"Since you cannot represent all the scriptures."
"So, what you just said about a joint verdict, didn't that count as using public opinion as a pretext?"
"Does this count as issuing an order under someone else's name?"
"Does this constitute forgery of the overall intent?"
Three questions in a row.
Each sentence was harsher than the last.
The wood grain on the face of the Buddha statue had cracked.
Click.
Click click.
It opened its mouth several times, but only produced broken sounds.
"Judging in progress..."
"In the midst of conflict..."
"Higher-level logic..."
"mistake……"
The sea is in complete chaos.
The waves that were originally heading towards Chen Fan all shrank back.
Hundreds of scrolls of scriptures floated in mid-air, as if they had no head.
They circled around the Jintai Terrace.
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
It became.
Zongwu's abilities are a perfect counter to this place.
This is not a fight.
This means you'll be asked to write a self-criticism on the spot, and if you can't, the computer will crash.
Despite the chaos outside, a crack was visible beneath the unpublished sutra cabinet.
It's very narrow.
Just enough for one person to get in.
Chen Fan had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
He turned around and shouted something to Zongwu.
"Hold on to it."
Zongwu stared intently at the Hundred Scrolls of Buddha, his lips taut.
"you go."
"It can't answer that now."
Without wasting words, Chen Fan ducked down and crawled into the hidden compartment at the bottom of the cabinet.
As soon as I went inside, the sounds outside seemed to be muffled by a layer of skin.
It was eerily quiet.
There is only one downward wooden ladder here.
not long.
But it's very old.
Every step I took felt like stepping on someone's bone.
Chen Fan held the black and gold dossier in his hand as he walked down the path.
At the end of the ladder was a very low Tibetan room.
The room was surrounded by small, sealed cabinets on all four sides.
Each cabinet door had no name, only a black dot.
It's like writing something halfway through and then abruptly erasing it.
Chen Fan glanced at it and immediately understood.
What's placed here isn't an unfinished scripture.
It's something that's been written but isn't allowed to see the light of day.
He took a few steps forward.
There was dust on the ground.
There were footprints in the ash.
It's very new.
It's not his.
It's not from Zongwu either.
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
Someone came down first.
He followed the footprints.
In the deepest part of the Tibetan chamber, there is a Buddha statue.
Not big.
The sitting posture is normal.
There was no gold paint or scriptures engraved on his body.
It's like a half-finished product.
But Chen Fan stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw it.
It's not because of the Buddha statue.
It's because of the little bit of light on its forehead.
The thing was embedded between his eyebrows.
Like a shattered star.
There were familiar fluctuations inside.
They are exactly the same as the two fragments in the stone slab.
The second star core fragment.
It's really here.
Chen Fan's breath hitched, and he was about to step forward.
The Buddha statue, which had been keeping its eyes closed, suddenly twitched its eyelids slightly.