Chapter 1010: Through the Ages in a Flash, All Worldly Matters Turn to Smoke

"It's New Year's Eve, how did I end up in the Western Paradise?" Lu Yang's expression was odd. Though he cultivated immortality, he wasn't superstitious, but the implication of this situation, no matter how he thought about it, didn't seem good.

Initially, Lu Yang was startled by the words "Western Paradise," but then he quickly realized that this was West Heaven City, managed by West Heaven Temple, a city whose status was comparable to that of the Great Xia Imperial City.

"Are the Nian Beasts really that fast? Did they bring me to West Heaven City in an instant?" Lu Yang felt he hadn't been riding the Nian Beast patriarch for very long.

It was New Year's Eve, a rare chance to visit West Heaven City. Lu Yang also recalled how he was treated in Kaihuang City and felt it wouldn't hurt to look around West Heaven Temple.

"Hello, enter the city." Although it was New Year's Eve, West Heaven City's gates remained wide open, guarded by monks.

Lu Yang handed his identification token to the guarding monk.

"Lu Yang?" The monk was initially stunned when he saw the name on the token. Then, seeing Lu Yang's familiar face, he was even more surprised. *This* was the legendary Lu Yang?

Lu Yang entered the city without any hindrance.

"It'll be a bit troublesome when leaving the Buddhist Nation; I'll have to sneak out." Lu Yang sighed. He couldn't *not* sneak out. How would he explain having no outbound travel record, only an inbound one? Even if he told Great Xia officials he was forcibly taken out of the country by Nian Beasts, probably no one except Jiang Ping'an would believe him.

"West Heaven City is quite lively," Lu Yang remarked, strolling leisurely and casually observing. The New Year atmosphere in West Heaven City was much livelier than at the Dao Seeking Sect; at the very least, firecrackers and fireworks here didn't kill people.

Children could be seen everywhere, squatting on the ground and lighting firecrackers with incense sticks. Lu Yang hadn't played with them in a long time and felt an itch to join in, so he squatted down with the children and played with firecrackers.

Alternatively, Lu Yang found small firecrackers that had fortunately not gone off among the cracker remnants. He collected them one by one, holding them in his palm. As he walked, he would light one with his Samadhi True Flame and toss it aside, finding it quite amusing.

A dull bell toll sounded. Thousands of fireworks soared into the sky, bursting simultaneously and scattering specks of golden light. Cheers and Buddhist chants rose and fell throughout the city. The New Year had arrived.

Lu Yang followed the sound of the bell with his gaze; it was the location of West Heaven Temple. The bell toll was indeed coming from West Heaven Temple.

His spiritual space was equally bustling. Gongs and drums roared, firecrackers popped, and amidst the din, the Immortal Fairy smiled and wished him a Happy New Year.

"Also, Second Boss, your whereabouts have been exposed. You should prepare to run," the Immortal Fairy kindly added.

"Huh? Fairy, what did you say? I can't hear you!" Lu Yang shouted loudly, as his spiritual space was incredibly noisy.

He vaguely heard the Immortal Fairy intermittently saying something like, "Boss, go."

In reality, a Buddhist light suddenly enveloped an area, then contracted, covering only Lu Yang.

A monk in a kasaya recited "Amitabha." It was he who had released the Buddhist light covering Lu Yang. "Patron Lu Yang, it is a great honor for you to visit. West Heaven Temple failed to properly welcome you from afar. Would you perhaps care to be our guest at West Heaven Temple?"

He had received news from the guarding monks that Lu Yang, the heavenly talent of the Dao Seeking Sect, had visited West Heaven City. As an elder of West Heaven Temple, he naturally had to welcome him personally.

Suddenly, another monk flew over, his expression unfriendly. "Senior Brother Kongchan, you arrived quickly."

"Junior Brother Kongxing, you flatter me."

Elder Kongxing snorted coldly. "Hmph, don't think I don't know you're trying to find Ye Zijing's whereabouts through Lu Yang."

Elder Kongchan said unhurriedly, "Junior Brother, are you also thinking the same thing?"

"Senior Brother Kongchan, Junior Brother Kongxing, you've both arrived." Another West Heaven Temple elder flew over. Although he was speaking to Kongchan and Kongxing, his eyes kept glancing towards Lu Yang.

More and more elders flew from West Heaven Temple towards their location, making Lu Yang's eyelids twitch.

"Um, what if I said I don't know where my Second Senior Brother is, would you believe me?"

"Heh heh, if Patron Lu Yang would be our guest at West Heaven Temple, then we will believe you."

As soon as Lu Yang heard this, he took off running. This group of elders had clearly targeted his relationship with his Second Senior Brother and were determined to get something from him.

He could still handle one elder, but who could withstand a group? If he didn't run now, it would be too late!

"Pursue!" Seeing Lu Yang try to escape, the many elders were outraged. They displayed their various divine abilities: Buddhist light soared to the heavens, Arhats chanted scriptures, Guanyin delivered souls, the World Honored One attained enlightenment... Auspicious phenomena appeared frequently, instantly illuminating West Heaven City as if it were day. Even a ghost king here would be purified.

The bewildered common folk, seeing this scene, came out one after another to kowtow in worship. The commotion was even livelier than the New Year's bell ringing and fireworks display just moments before.

Lu Yang used his Shrinking Ground technique to burrow underground and fled in all directions, occasionally having to change direction to evade encirclement and interception.

"Is this New Year's Eve turning out a bit too eventful?" He had originally wanted to spend a peaceful New Year. Who would have thought he'd encounter Nian Beasts, enter the river of time, and then inexplicably arrive at West Heaven Temple to be "warmly welcomed" by a group of elders?

Among his peers, Lu Yang was absolutely considered to have extreme speed. Even the Kunpeng clan might not possess such speed.

But this was West Heaven Temple, and the sky was filled with Integration stage mighty figures. Even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn't escape.

"This can't go on; I need to think of a way." A thought suddenly struck Lu Yang. He flipped over a high wall, sent his Bodhi Wood clone to attract attention, and hid his true body within the Qingfeng Sword's small world, dropping it to the ground, disguised as an ordinary sword.

The Qingfeng Sword's appearance wasn't particularly ornate, and no one would be able to discern its grade.

As Lu Yang expected, the West Heaven Temple elders' spiritual senses swept over the area several times, but no one noticed the ordinary longsword lying on the ground, covered in dirt.

"Hmm, why is there a sword here?" A young novice monk, after finishing his duties, coincidentally noticed an ordinary longsword lying in the grass.

"There's no name on the sword either. Did some lay Buddhist drop it here? But did any lay Buddhists come to our chore courtyard today?"

The young novice monk was puzzled. He didn't know much about swords, but he knew the owner would be anxious about losing something.

"I'll hand it over to the deacon."

Lu Yang understood as soon as he heard this. When he had hidden earlier, he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings; he had simply flipped over a high wall and hidden inside the sword. So this was actually West Heaven Temple.

However, he couldn't let this young monk hand him over to a deacon.

"Heh heh, you're quite a kind young monk."

"Who's there!" The young novice monk was startled by the voice and grew nervous.

"Don't look around; it is this Venerable One speaking."

The young novice monk's pupils immediately constricted, and he was so scared he almost dropped the sword. The sword was speaking!

"You-who are you? I'll have you know, this is West Heaven Temple!"

"Heh heh, so what if it's West Heaven Temple? Can it do anything to this Venerable One?"

"You-who exactly are you?"

"This Venerable One is the Tofu Heavenly Venerate. Have you, young monk, heard of this Venerable One's name?"

The young novice monk looked bewildered.

The consciousness within the sword noticed the young novice monk's expression and felt a little dejected.

"Eternity rushes by in a snap of a finger, and all worldly affairs turn to smoke. To think this Venerable One once ruled over all heavens, soared freely through the nine skies, befriended heaven and earth, shone brighter than the sun and moon, and witnessed countless eons. And now, after waking up, does no one in later generations know of this Venerable One anymore?"