This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 186 Everyone is his own master

Seeing Xiao Xingchen shrink back, Miaowu began to speak eloquently.

"It is said that this man and the three demons fled here. They traveled westward all the way to the Flaming Mountain. The endless raging flames were like an insurmountable chasm, blocking their way. So they stopped here. One of them built a temple and named it the Silent Temple."

"What about the remaining three demons?" someone asked impatiently.

"After the Silent Temple was founded, one of the pig demons, named Zhu Ganglie, was enshrined on the incense and candle stand. It was said that as long as the locals devoutly worshipped this pig demon, the fire of the Flaming Mountain could be controlled at a temperature suitable for survival. Over time, the Silent Temple became famous and grew stronger, and the enshrined pig demon was revered as the Pig Saint."

"The Pig Saint's blessing is like a spring breeze, bringing new life to Burning City. More and more people come to worship him. After hundreds of years of trials and tribulations, Burning City has developed into its current size. Some say that the Pig Saint's strength is unfathomable, but he was severely injured when he arrived at Flaming Mountain and was unable to continue. Therefore, he used the power of human offerings to heal his wounds. One day, he will be reborn."

"As for the other one human and two demons, they seem to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. No one knows where they went. There are only a few words recorded, saying that they went to continue their war."

"This is the origin of the Silent Temple in Burning Ashes City. One city, one mountain, one saint, protecting the people of the Western Regions for hundreds of years. Today, the Silent Temple has become the foremost temple in the Western Regions, with over a million believers. The powerful incense offerings, like countless stars, converge into a vast galaxy, causing the Pig Saint to show signs of awakening. His first task after awakening is to have us search for other Silent Temples, as he wants to find the one human and two demons who abandoned him in the Western Regions back then."

"Why isn't the Silent Temple outside Yong'an City the temple you're looking for? I truly don't understand. What temple in the world has ever been used to worship demons and evil spirits? Demons and evil spirits are intolerable to heaven and earth, let alone anyone worshipping them. Do you people in the Western Regions really have the courage to face death?"

The Fourth Prince, his face full of suspicion, asked. Unbeknownst to anyone, Xiao Xingchen's body trembled involuntarily. It all matched! Everything matched! The ones in Burning Ashes City were Pigsy, the Great Sage, and Sandy, but Tang Sanzang was nowhere to be found.

The stories in "Journey to the West" are not just fantastical myths; the characters actually existed!

Outside the Burning City lies the Flaming Mountain, beside which stands the Silent Temple. However, the Silent Temple is used to suppress demons and evil spirits. Could it be that the three masters and disciples suppressed Pigsy here back then?

He was completely baffled as to what had happened, but the information provided by the young monk was enough to stir his emotions and make him unable to contain himself.

He had a premonition that the myths of his past life seemed to have taken on a concrete form in this world, and that as long as he persevered in his pursuit, he would surely find his way back.

"The Silent Temple is dedicated to demons and evil spirits, so the one outside the city must not be the same."

Miaowu categorically denied it.

"Is it possible that the evil spirits on the incense altar in the Silent Temple are not being worshipped, but being suppressed?"

Xiao Xingchen suddenly spoke, interrupting Miaowu's words like a thunderclap, and asked Miaowu with a hint of probing.

Upon hearing this, Miaowu's expression froze for a moment, then he shook his head.

"Absolutely impossible! We at the Silent Temple can communicate with the Pig Saint because it heals its wounds through the power of incense offerings. From its fragmentary words, we've deduced that many years ago, the three demons and one human were engaged in a fierce battle somewhere. The battle was far more brutal than imagined, forcing them to temporarily retreat from the battlefield. The Pig Saint was almost on the verge of death at that time, and the Silent Temple was built to prolong its life. If we follow your theory of suppression, why go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill the Pig Saint directly?"

"Do you know who they were fighting back then?"

"It's impossible to know. Time flies, and the past is like smoke, impossible to trace. This knowledge comes from the generations of local indigenous people. It seems that our Silent Temple suffered a great upheaval many years ago, and many of our records were lost. Therefore, we must seek out the sister temples of the Silent Temple, where there must be records of our Silent Temple, as well as everything about the Pig Saint. This is the purpose of my coming to the Great Qian Dynasty: to find the Silent Temple that worships demons. This is all I know."

Miao Wu's words caused everyone present to nod frequently, and it was clear from their expressions that this was the first time they had heard about the Western Regions.

Wu Xie then asked, "The little monk came to find the Silent Temple, so why did you set your sights on the Ancestral Temple?"

"It was only because of that mysterious guidance that the Pig Saint activated my demonic senses before I left. As long as there are demons he is familiar with nearby, I can sense them. This demonic sense, which comes from the demon race, had already reacted before I even stepped into Yong'an City, and the direction was precisely the Great Qian Ancestral Temple."

"I see. Your goal is the ancestral temple, and so is mine. It seems the Great Qian Ancestral Temple is hiding its true power!"

A wicked smile crept across Wu Xie's lips as he turned his gaze toward the Crown Prince.

"The ancestral temple has always been a place of worship for the Great Qian Dynasty, and has nothing special about it. All the people of the Great Qian can attest to this; I have never heard of such an absurd thing, let alone other commoners. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other princes," the Crown Prince stated firmly.

"I've never heard of such a saying in the ancestral temple. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" The Fourth Prince, unusually calm, replied to Wu Xie.

"There's no mistake. The little monk's words are well-founded, and so am mine. It's been passed down through generations in the Wilderness that the relics of the gods are hidden in the Northern Region of the Great Qian. To find these relics, one must find a map, and that map is hidden deep within the Great Qian Ancestral Temple. This is absolutely true. We, the Wilderness, have fought against your Great Qian for many years, all for these relics of the gods. Your Northern Region is desolate; how can it compare to our Wilderness? Otherwise, why would you believe we would fight you so relentlessly?"

“What Wu Xie said is true. I have always had doubts in my heart. The Northern Region is barren and desolate, with nothing. Why would the Wilderness and the Great Qian be so eager to fight, and fight for hundreds of years? Now, I finally understand. It turns out that you were searching for the ruins of the gods. If it weren’t for this accident, you would probably have continued to hide for many more years. You are really clever, manipulating the people of the world at your fingertips.”

Li Jinxian of Dali sneered and retorted sarcastically.

"The Wilderness and Burning City's goal is the ancestral temple, so what about the rest of you?"

Yan Yi then spoke up and asked.

"Before asking this question, shouldn't you first talk about the Great Yan's plans?"

The eldest princess interrupted,

“That’s right. You’ve just revealed a Heavenly Sword right off the bat. If you say that Great Yan has no ambition, we won’t believe you. Yan Yi, since we’re all being honest with each other, you don’t need to hide anything. What exactly does Great Yan want?”

Li Jinxian pressed closer, while Yan Yi glanced around, her gaze lingering briefly on the Left Prime Minister and the Eldest Princess before she smiled sweetly.

"Since everyone is so sincere, I will naturally not hide anything. The purpose of bringing the Heavenly Sword into the world is simply to draw out another Heavenly Sword."

"What? There's actually a Heavenly Sword?"

"The Heavenly Sword is a broken sword. What I obtained was the front half of the blade; the part with the hilt is in the Great Qian Dynasty. I took out the Heavenly Sword to search for the other half. The Heavenly Swords resonate with each other; I can feel the tremor it felt when it arrived in Yong'an. The other broken Heavenly Sword is in this city of Yong'an. Are you all satisfied with this answer?"

"Good heavens, you are all hiding your true strength, yet you dare to come to the Great Qian Dynasty and stir up trouble. Aren't you afraid that the Martial Emperor will tear you to pieces?"

"So many secrets were hidden in places we never knew existed. Today has truly been an eye-opener!"

"But one question remains in my mind: the Heavenly Sword protected its master yesterday, could it mean..."

...Discussions rose and fell like a surging tide, and soon people turned their attention to Xiao Xingchen.

Yesterday, the broken Heavenly Sword automatically protected its master, and the person it protected was none other than him!

Yan Yi raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and said with a half-smile, "Yes, the Heavenly Sword protects its master. Does this mean that the other half of the Heavenly Sword is in your hands, Xiao Xingchen?"

Xiao Xingchen gave a wry smile, inwardly lamenting that the topic he had painstakingly brought up had bounced back to him like a boomerang.

He's only interested in making a fortune discreetly, so he absolutely cannot admit to this!

"No, no, no, please don't frame me. I have nothing on me, there's no Heavenly Sword. Who knows why that Heavenly Sword came to protect me? Besides, if I were truly its master, how could I allow it to leave?"

After all, that's the Heavenly Sword that carries the legacy of the Heavenly Sword. Do you really think I wouldn't want it?

He quickly denied it outright, saying he would absolutely not take the blame, otherwise it would definitely cause him a lot of trouble.

At the same time, he glanced sideways at Ruoxue, his eyes seeming to question: Where is my sword? Where did you put it?

Ruoxue looked up at the roof, whistling, looking completely nonchalant.

She has turned the Flower Language Pavilion upside down, but the broken sword is still nowhere to be found.

She was also very puzzled. She had clearly thrown it into the woodshed, so how could it have disappeared into thin air?

"Really not you?" Yan Yi asked suspiciously as she pressed on.

"Of course it wasn't me. If I truly possessed the Heavenly Sword, why would I be sitting here on pins and needles, talking to you like this? I would have beaten you into submission."

Xiao Xingchen's words are hardly convincing. The truth needs to be thoroughly investigated.

The purpose of being here today is simply to share information, so no one went into further detail.

Instead, all eyes turned to Li Jinxian.

"We have all stated our purposes. What about you? Is Dali really only here to attend that so-called Poet Immortal Gathering?"

Since everyone has their own ambitions, how could the ambitions of Dali, the number one rival of Daqian, be small?

For the first time, the Left Prime Minister and the War Commander also raised their eyes and looked at Li Jinxian. Li Jinxian's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.

"If I said I came here to post a missing person notice, would you believe me?"