Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 492: Chapter 326: What Do You Smell? _2

Bao Chen might never have reflected on himself.

No! He only cared about whether he could successfully achieve rebirth, completely indifferent to what others thought.

An hour later, a group of people filed out of the building, after which they all dispersed.

After the recent meeting, Zhao Sheng had temporarily stabilized people’s hearts.

But where would the future trend go? The decision-making power was no longer in the hands of these juniors; it depended on the stance of the Prefecture Temple on this matter, on whether Bao Chen could turn things around, and on whether the various forces in Hufeng County would firmly support Bao Chen.

The next morning, under Qingyang Mountain, carriages gathered, and crowds swelled.

Today was clearly not a day for a grand opening of the mountain gates, yet one prominent figure after another appeared, all coming to climb the mountain and worship the gods, each with a bizarre reason.

The Guest Daoist had already received a hint, so he was not panicked at all, welcoming everyone into the quiet room and serving Spiritual Tea.

Zhao Sheng soon learned of the news, but he acted as if he had heard nothing, giving no orders. He entered the Earth Soul Altar and began his daily arduous cultivation.

These people were for Bao Chen to handle; there was no need for him to show his face.

As the dual suns gradually climbed to mid-sky, the sunlight turned scorching hot. The speakers of the major families in the county also each harbored their thoughts and gradually left the mountain.

That afternoon, Bao Chen consecutively secretly summoned the Hall Master, Transformative Master, Dean, and Fang Leader, among other confidants. One reason was to soothe their hearts, and the other was to secretly make numerous arrangements to deal with the forthcoming inspection from above.

That night, Bao Chen secretly left Qingyang Mountain and went straight to Lingchuan Temple.

Lingchuan Temple was the Prefecture Temple of Cangnan Prefecture.

At the great hall on the summit of Qingyang Mountain, Zhao Sheng stood on the corner of a lion’s head sculpture on the roof ridge, gazing into the distance at Bao Chen, his expression profound.

In an instant, his whole being turned into nothingness, disappearing from the lion’s head.

In the secret cave behind the mountain, the air trembled slightly, and Zhao Sheng emerged from the darkness.

The cave was empty and filled with a deathly silence; the fences and prison cells had all been destroyed.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng’s lips curled into a cold sneer, and with a flicker, he instantly moved away from this place.

…

Two days later, at the Soul Comforting Temple, morale was unsettled, Bao Chen was not back, but a piece of bad news had already arrived first.

The Capital Court was ambushed while transporting prisoners, and most of the captives died on the spot. However, the attackers escaped unscathed.

Upon hearing this news, the first thought in most people’s minds was that Temple Sacrificial Treasure Chen had taken action with the intent to kill the witnesses.

However, Zhao Sheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Bao Chen is finished!

Yuan Yang… or maybe the mastermind behind all this, demonstrated exceptional brilliance.

This move of framing someone combined with killing several birds with one stone, made even Zhao Sheng admire it.

Although Bao Chen did nothing, others insisted on pinning the murder on him.

What was more ingenious was that those who died were all managers from the major families of Hufeng County.

As the saying goes, “No witnesses, no proof!”

This move put the major families in a delicate position.

If they chose to defect willingly, Yuan Yang’s side would surely “forgive and forget” and generously accept them.

If they remained stubborn, the mere motive of “silencing the witnesses” was enough to torment the families involved endlessly.

Bao Chen had fallen from grace, whereas Yuan Yang clearly had bigger backers to rely on.

Thus, after this bad news spread, the situation in Hufeng County suddenly spiraled out of control, and the attitudes of the major families became ambiguously unclear.

At the same time, the direction of the wind in the temple rapidly changed. One-third of Zhao Sheng’s junior brothers and sisters ran off to Yuan Shen’s side.

Among the five masters and thirteen leaders, the majority also changed their stance, distancing themselves from Bao Chen.

Upon seeing this, Zou Qi and Fang Xing, Zhao Sheng’s loyal followers, were extremely angered and clamored to beat up those “traitors.”

Zhao Sheng, however, saw the bigger picture and thus advised them not to act impulsively.

As the saying goes, “When disaster strikes, each looks out for himself!” People gather for fame and fortune, and naturally, they will also leave because of it.

It’s just that the current situation hasn’t completely clarified yet, and Bao Chen still has one last chance.

Otherwise, even Zhao Sheng’s loyal followers might defect.

As the days passed, unrest in the temple increased, and the number of followers around Zhao Sheng dwindled daily. During this time, Bao Chen sent back several Sound Transmission Talismans, all bearing nothing but good news.

However, as long as he was not back at the sect’s gate, people’s hearts remained unsettled.

Half a month later, Bao Chen made a dramatic return fit for a king, instantly reversing the mood at the Soul Comforting Temple.

But the following day, nearly a hundred black-clothed Patrol Guards boldly stormed into the Soul Comforting Temple, led by a Vice Master from the Temple Inspection Institute and two Foundation Establishment Ministers.

Accompanying them was an old man with white hair and a kind, benevolent face.

This man was Yuan Yang. Despite his kindly appearance, he was truly merciless and ruthless.

The Vice Master had ostensibly come to investigate illegal transactions in the black market, but as soon as they entered the temple, the black-clothed Patrol Guards unceremoniously sealed off the storeroom, the accounting room, the Demon Suppression Hall, and other critical areas.

Bao Chen was quickly summoned by the Vice Master to talk, while Yuan Yang was exceptionally active; his residence was bustling with noise, as temple members hurried to visit him.

Zhao Sheng’s surroundings immediately grew desolate, with hardly anyone left.

However, he had anticipated this day, so he was not surprised and simply chose to stay indoors.

The day flew by, and as night fell, the Soul Comforting Temple rapidly quieted down, the atmosphere becoming oppressive and heavy, devoid of its usual vitality.

At nightfall, Bao Chen called Zhao Sheng over.

In a secret room, when Zhao Sheng saw his master again, he found Bao Chen sitting on a stone couch, looking stern and ominously gloomy.

As soon as his disciple arrived, Bao Chen unexpectedly began, “Sanbao, how have I treated you over these years?”

At these words, Zhao Sheng shivered and immediately replied respectfully, “Master, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain; it’s immensely difficult for me to repay!”

Bao Chen was greatly satisfied with his response, so he followed up with, “If I were to leave, would you come with me?”

“Wherever Master goes, I will naturally follow,” Zhao Sheng blurted out.

But no sooner had he spoken, than Zhao Sheng “Couldn’t help” changing color and asked anxiously, “Master, is the situation truly beyond salvage? The actions of the Temple Inspection Institute don’t they fear breaking ‘the rules’? Do they… do they intend to utterly destroy us?”

The “rules” Zhao Sheng mentioned were actually some unspoken rules that weren’t publicly acknowledged: in the Taoist Temple System, for those who lose power struggles, as long as they admit defeat and choose to retire voluntarily, their political rivals often wouldn’t pursue them to death, unless they had the potential to rise to a higher realm.

“Humph, I would like to retire voluntarily and let someone else take over, but they simply don’t leave me any way out! For now, the best strategy is to leave,” Master replied.

Bao Chen’s words were half-true, half-false. Zhao Sheng didn’t believe a single word.

Running away? That sounds easy!

Do you think the Taoist Jade Scroll of the Heavenly Dao Sect is fake?

That thing is like the soul lamp in the sect; once you are registered, it means you have left a Divine Soul Mark.

Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you will be found by the Shura Group within the sect using secret techniques, making it impossible to escape their pursuit.

Bao Chen thought his disciple was young and naive, unaware of such secrets. But what he didn’t know was that he was facing an old ancestor.

As Zhao Sheng’s mind raced, he said, “Master, there are a bunch of Black Dogs keeping watch in the temple; it might be really difficult to escape without making a noise.”

Bao Chen gave a confident smile and pressed his right hand several times on the stone couch.

Swipe!

Behind the stone couch, a wall suddenly and very abruptly moved sideways to the right, revealing a pitch-black passage.

“Quick, follow me!” Bao Chen waved to Zhao Sheng and then turned to enter the passage.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes flickered a few times, and then he quietly followed.

As soon as their figures disappeared, the stone wall quietly returned to its normal position, leaving the secret room empty.

About ten miles away from Qingyang Mountain, there was a Rocky Mountain with oddly shaped rocks and overgrown with wild grass, seldom visited by people.

In the still of the night, crickets chirped.

Beneath a huge green stone about the height of three men at Rocky Mountain, the ground suddenly and silently sank, and Bao Chen and Zhao Sheng emerged one after another from beneath.

Alas!

Bao Chen looked back at the distant Qingyang Mountain, sighed, and casually said, “Let’s go.”

But at that moment, he heard by his ear, “Wait! Do you smell that?”

“Smell what?”

Bao Chen instinctively asked back, while his nose actually caught a faint bitter scent.