Jue Ming rose to his feet at once, face darkening as he addressed Ampei and Matsushita.
"You had better pray to the Buddha that Mingfa Temple remains unharmed. Otherwise..."
Matsushita slammed the table, scattering the vegetarian meal across the floor. "What do you mean by that? What does this quake have to do with us?"
Jue Ming waved over two monks and issued instructions. "You, keep an eye on them. Do not let them leave the dining hall. You, come with me. We need to investigate."
Ampei frowned and spoke up. "Master, is this not a bit inappropriate?"
Though the tremors were growing more violent, Jue Ming still maintained some semblance of decorum. He pressed his palms together and offered a brief Buddhist salute.
"Your attendant never returned. It seems he went somewhere he should not have."
Only then did Ampei realize what had happened. He turned to Matsushita, who reluctantly admitted, "I only told Honda to scout out the rear mountain. I didn't tell him to do anything reckless."
A chill ran through Ampei's chest, and he made to leave and investigate, but the monks would not let them move.
Seeing Ampei's expression, Matsushita realized things were serious. He drew his sword, ready to fight, but the monks surrounding them raised their staves, silently warning that any aggression would be met with force. The standoff froze.
Meanwhile, deep in the rear mountain of Mingfa Temple, the crimson maple forest lay twisted and broken. The earth had split wide open, and the tip of a tower was slowly pushing its way out of the ground.
When Ming Jing arrived, this was the scene he beheld. Nearby, a warrior with bloodshot eyes was fighting the monks with ferocious speed and deadly strikes, aiming for vital points.
Ming Jing flicked a prayer bead from his hand, striking Honda squarely and knocking him unconscious.
Then he tossed the entire string of prayer beads onto the emerging tower tip and sat cross-legged, beginning to chant the Pu'an Mantra.
More and more accomplished monks arrived at the rear mountain. As they joined in chanting, the tower's rise slowed and trembled, as if two opposing forces were locked in struggle. The quake also began to ease.
Monks evacuated the devotees from the temple and shut the gates, activating the protective barrier.
Back in the imperial palace, Xuande Emperor received word and immediately ordered elite Inner and Shadow Guards to surround the foreign ship docked at the harbor. He also sent agents to gather information from Mingfa Temple.
In his meditation room, Abbot Hui ming had sensed the tremor at once. He rose with a grave expression.
"So it really came to pass," he muttered. He had suspected Mingfa Temple would be the epicenter of trouble, and now his fears were confirmed.
"Jie Kong, bring me my kasaya and staff."
"Yes, Abbot!"
Jie Kong, sensing the urgency in Hui Ming's tone, ran to fetch the red kasaya and golden staff from a sandalwood chest. He handed them over with great care.
Hui Ming donned the robe solemnly, gripped the staff, and addressed the monks.
"The Eight Arhats will come with me to investigate Mingfa Temple. The rest of you, open the defensive array of the Royal Temple and remain on alert. If anything changes, prioritize protecting the people."
"Yes, Abbot!"
The monks saluted, then dispersed to their assigned tasks. Huiming led eight weapon-wielding Arhats straight toward Mingfa Temple.
At the exact moment Honda tore off the sealing talisman, Jian Dan had already sent her spiritual sense forward. She saw the tower emerging and found it vaguely familiar.
Cotton Candy, who had been drifting lazily over Lotus Lake, sensed the surge of energy and instantly zipped to Jian Dan's side.
"Master, master, something's happening! Let's go check it out!"
"Cotton Candy, you've really gone stir-crazy over these fifty years. Shouldn't you at least find out what's happening before rushing into chaos?"
Cotton Candy nuzzled her cheek, pleading. "But master, I want to help! Come on, let's go see!"
"Alright, alright. We are powerful cultivators now. We need to make an entrance with style, understand?"
"Okay! I'll follow your lead."
As they spoke, the spirit inhabiting Jian Dan's Obsidian Bracelet, Liu Chuan, peeked out and sent a mental message.
"Be careful. Something about this feels off."
Jian Dan's expression didn't change, but she replied calmly. "I know."
—At Mingfa Temple—
Ming Jing's 108 prayer beads glowed gold. As he chanted the Pu'an Mantra, the emerging tower began to sink again, its force suppressed. However, Ming Jing's own spiritual merit was depleting rapidly.
More monks joined in, their voices rising. The quake nearly ceased, and the tower tip had almost retreated underground.
Then a loud boom split the air. The fissure that had nearly sealed split wide open again, and the tower erupted from below with increased speed.
Caught unprepared, Ming Jing coughed blood and was flung backward. A monk caught him just in time.
Turning their gaze, they saw the figure who now stood atop two towering Buddha-shaped shikigami. It was Ampei.
Expressionless, Ampei commanded the shikigami to keep breaking through the earth, aiding the tower's rise.
"Stop! Do you even know what you're doing?" Ming Jing shouted, clutching his chest.
Ampei offered no reply, his face blank as he continued directing the shikigami.
Abbot Hui Ming arrived just then, saw the injured Ming Jing, and joined the fray with a solemn Buddhist chant.
"Amitabha. You will pay for what you've done."
He thrust his staff into the ground and leapt onto it, palms pressed together as he began chanting the Demon-Sealing Imprint.
The Eight Arhats encircled the tower and plunged their weapons into the earth to bolster the seal.
Ming Jing wiped the blood from his lips and led a group of monks to intercept Ampei's shikigami.
Ampei jumped from the shoulders of his shikigami, releasing another—Kaguya-hime—midair.
One human and one shikigami attacked from opposite flanks. Kaguya-hime raised her scythe, slashing waves of silver light at the Arhats.
The Arhats continued chanting as they crossed their wrists, activating the prayer beads bound to them. A burst of golden light repelled the initial strike.
Ampei's gaze flickered, his will seemingly wavering, but in the end he expressionlessly summoned a third shikigami—Sakura Yao.
She appeared in a kimono of cherry blossoms. Instantly, the air filled with petals and fragrance.
"Hold your breath!" Ming Jing warned, but it was too late. One of the Arhats, the weakest among them, turned bright red and fell from his artifact, breaking the formation. Their combined power dropped drastically.
With a thunderous roar, the tower finally broke free from the earth.
Jian Dan watched it rise, her eyes narrowing.
"No wonder it looked familiar. That's the Lock-Sealing Tower. This is bad."