Ancient Dragon Elephant Technique

Chapter 1138: Chapter 52: Ruined Temple, Bodhi Seed, and the Headless Buddha Statue

The Ancient Temple flowed with divine radiance, shrouded in divine light, truly extraordinary.

Such an ancient temple appearing in the vast, endless desert was somewhat eerie.

”What kind of place was the Heavenly Pride Battlefield in the past?” Lin Feng murmured to himself.

”This small world is very mysterious. It’s said that the Eight Heroes of the Middle Ages found it in a hidden place and it was created as a small world by a Giant God,” Guanguan, who knew a little about it, told Lin Feng everything she knew.

”The Eight Heroes of the Middle Ages were already quite mysterious. They suddenly vanished without a trace, and now this temple has appeared in the desert, which is really too strange!” Lin Feng remarked.

Originally, he and Guanguan were very excited when they heard the bells, but now both of them had calmed down.

Because everything they saw before them was indeed a bit bizarre.

”The dilapidated ancient temple is worth a look.” Guanguan said.

Lin Feng nodded and he and Guanguan headed towards the ancient temple.

If they left just like that, it would leave a regret.

The bell sound had vanished. Until Lin Feng and Guanguan reached the ancient temple, the bells did not ring again.

It was only upon arriving at the ancient temple that they realized how dilapidated it was.

Many places were covered in green moss, the walls were riddled with cracks and seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

The temple’s courtyard gate was decayed, exuding a rotten smell.

Lin Feng pushed the gate open, and he and Guanguan entered the temple.

The courtyard was very simple, with a large furnace tripod that was apparently used for incense, but because it had been unused for so long, it was covered in verdigris.

The furnace tripod was quite ordinary, not some valuable treasure, so Lin Feng didn’t look at it much.

”An ancient tree...”

Guanguan looked in surprise at an ancient tree in the courtyard. Now this ancient tree had withered, it was about three meters tall, as thick as a bowl’s edge.

The trunk was bent, giving a strong sense of age, like the body of a coiled dragon, and the bark spread out like dragon scales.

There were still a dozen fruits hanging on the ancient tree. Lin Feng and Guanguan came to the tree, and he picked a fruit, but with a gentle squeeze, the fruit crumbled, having long since decayed.

”Time has been too long, enough to decay many things,” Lin Feng said.

But soon, Lin Feng noticed something odd.

Because even though this ancient tree had been dead for so many years, it still remained strong, without any signs of decay.

”This tree is not simple.” Lin Feng frowned.

”Could it be... a Bodhi Tree?” Guanguan said uncertainly.

Lin Feng was astonished. If it was a Bodhi Tree, it was truly astonishing.

Buddhism has such records.

In the Buddha’s land, the five-colored stem grows, one flower, one world, one leaf, one Tathagata.

The Sixth Patriarch said: The Bodhi has no tree, the Bodhi Tree is a convenient Dharma Gate. One leaf, one Bodhi, this leaf is that tree.

In fact, this passage is very easy to understand, meaning that the Bodhi Tree is the Holy Tree of Buddhism.

When the Bodhi blooms, one Bodhi flower can become a world, one Bodhi leaf can see through the fate of the future.

But unfortunately, the Bodhi Tree before them had already withered, without flowers or leaves. Of course, Lin Feng and Guanguan still couldn’t be sure if it was indeed a Bodhi Tree.

”Buddhism rarely plants other vegetation in temples, preferring the Bodhi Tree, which has historical significance. In Buddhist legend, there are the Past, Present, and Future Buddhas, with the Present Buddha being the most revered.”

Guanguan spoke of some Buddhist lore.

The Past Buddha is honored as ”Ran Deng”!

The Present Buddha is known as ”Shijia”!

The Future Buddha is called ”Maitreya”!

...

Legend has it that the Present Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, and since then cultivated an Undying Golden Body, becoming the head of all Buddhas.

Since then, Buddhism has revered the Bodhi Tree as the ”Holy Tree.”

Of course, the Bodhi Tree is extremely rare.

It’s unbelievable that a Bodhi Tree was planted in such a dilapidated ancient temple.

Lin Feng picked all the dozens of fruits, one after another, crushing them.

After crushing seven fruits in a row, the eighth fruit remained unaffected.

”Hmm, this fruit is not ordinary...” Lin Feng exclaimed in surprise. He examined the eighth fruit carefully; it was about ten centimeters long, elliptical, and dark brown, not looking very appealing.

”Is this? A Buddha’s imprint?” Lin Feng was shocked.

He saw something astonishing; on the fruit, the vague imprint of a Buddha was apparent, though Lin Feng wasn’t sure if it was indeed a Buddha.

But it certainly looked very similar.

He let Guanguan take a look, and she was equally shocked. She said, ”There’s a saying that appearance arises from the heart. It’s rumored that the Bodhi Tree has a spirit and listens to the Buddha’s teachings every day, and the Bodhi Seeds it bears all display Buddha’s imprints. By this reasoning, this could indeed be a withered Bodhi Tree, and what you’re holding might just be a Bodhi Seed. It’s a Holy Artifact of Buddhism, capable of driving away Evil Demons, nourishing the Primordial Spirit, and aiding cultivators in Enlightenment.”

The Bodhi Seed, such a Holy Artifact, defies imagination in value. If it’s indeed as Guanguan said, a Bodhi Seed, its value is astonishing.

Among the remaining fruits, Lin Feng checked them again and found another similar fruit that time had not decayed.

Lin Feng gave the second fruit to Guanguan.

They both headed toward the temple, which was entirely in ruins, with even the Buddha statue toppled. What puzzled Lin Feng was that the toppled Buddha statue in the temple was headless.

”How could the head be missing? It’s very peculiar. Could someone have taken it?” Lin Feng slightly frowned, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

”I wonder if there’s any treasure left inside?” Guanguan said.

”Let’s search and find out!”

Lin Feng and Guanguan searched inside the temple, but they couldn’t find anything.

”This lonely temple stands in the desert, with a headless Buddha statue. Does this foretell something?” Lin Feng muttered.

He vaguely felt something was amiss, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

”This temple is indeed quite ominous!” Guanguan said.

”This is not a place to linger, we should leave quickly!” Lin Feng said.

Guanguan nodded.

As they headed outside, Lin Feng and Guanguan’s expressions changed drastically.

They saw that the sky had completely darkened.

From all directions,

black mist rolled in.

Endless black mist.

Surging from afar, it was as if the end of the world was imminent.

In the darkness, it seemed like an ancient Evil Demon was awakening.

Lin Feng and Guanguan felt their souls trembling.

The endless darkness enveloped them, seeking to swallow this desolate small temple.