Above the Great Dao
Chapter 672 - 302 Lin She (Seeking Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2

Chapter 672: Chapter 302 Lin She (Seeking Votes at the Beginning of the Month)_2

The Left and Right Supervisors came together to see Yan Guzhi, pleading, "If we continue the search, it will lead to deaths! We beg your grace, my lord, allow them to rest for a few days before searching further!"

Yan Guzhi looked down and saw the officials of the Shanglin Garden exhausted, unable to persist, and thus said, "Rest for two days."

The Left Supervisor hesitated and said, "My lord, to be honest, I believe that even if we continue searching, it’s unlikely they are alive. The underworld is teeming with ghost monsters, extremely dangerous. The heavy yin energy corrodes their own cultivation, decaying their physical bodies. Even if we rescue them today, they might be crippled."

Yan Guzhi’s eye twitched, recalling Zhang Fuzheng’s stern face, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Alive or dead, we must see them!"

The Left and Right Supervisors had no choice but to withdraw.

Two days later, the officials of the Shanglin Garden recovered their spirits and continued the search.

Meanwhile, in the Xiexiu Hall, the Fuzheng Pavilion repeatedly dispatched people to the Shanglin Garden and Ministry of Rites to inquire whether the missing scholars had been found.

Information flowed in continuously, and the expressions on the faces of Shui Xuanzhi, Qin Su, and others gradually relaxed.

"The longer the time drags on, the lower the chances of survival."

Qin Su smiled and said, "It’s been half a month now, and those scholars in the underworld are probably reduced to mere bones. Alas, their families still don’t know they have perished in the underworld."

Other officials from the Fuzheng Pavilion sighed as well.

"With Chen Shi and Zhang You dead in the underworld, the young master’s success is almost certain." Secretary Tang laughed.

Shui Xuanzhi sternly said, "How can one gloat over others’ misfortunes? Such words must not be mentioned again!"

He paused and continued, "It won’t be long before the Ministry of Rites stops the rescue efforts, and the Imperial Examination results will be announced. The young master is bound to secure the top scorer title. In half a month, the Imperial Examination will just be a formality. The young master’s top position is not easily gained. Everyone, prepare to create a momentum for him early!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wine Master Dou Qi asked, "Shui Changshi, having been trapped in the underworld for so long, can they still return alive? What if they suddenly appear then..."

"It’s impossible for them to return alive."

Shui Xuanzhi replied indifferently, "Even for someone like me in the Mahayana Realm, it’s hard to endure long in the underworld. Filled with ghost gods and demons, bizarre and unpredictable, no one can survive in the underworld for a month, not even I! Moreover, the scholars trapped this time, most haven’t even completed their primordial spirits, let alone cut the Three Corpses."

He smiled faintly and said, "Their Three Corpse Gods will absorb the yin energy, growing stronger, ruining their path’s foundation. Even if someone returns alive, their foundation is ruined, making them a non-threat. The underworld is far more terrifying than you can imagine!"

In the underworld, a path of blue stone extended into the void, constantly stretching forward, with the Black Pot carrying Chen Tang swiftly below.

On the blue stone path, Granny Sha, appearing as a young woman, stood at the road’s end, with blue stones continuously paving the ground.

She had regained her youth, her qi-blood strong and vibrant, unlike before when it was depleted. Now she could afford to squander it, and her cultivation showed signs of breakthrough.

The duo and their canine had been traveling in the underworld for over ten days, with Granny Sha consistently aiding Chen Tang in determining direction.

The Black Pot helped them slay ghost gods and demons encountered en route, cutting through obstacles like a knife through butter.

The underworld was vast, making it hard to find someone. However, Granny Sha divided the underworld into nine districts to quickly determine positions.

However, when she summoned souls for Chen Shi, she found their positions not within the nine districts.

The time spent traversing the underworld aimed at locating Chen Shi’s position within the underworld’s space.

She suspected a second layer of space in the underworld, trying to ascertain its precise location.

Having offended many experts in the underworld, she attracted numerous Yin Messengers pursuing her. Yet, Chen Tang and the Black Pot defended her.

Strangely, the Yin Messenger pursuit diminished in recent days, eventually ceasing altogether.

Recently, the underworld they’ve traversed appeared devoid of ghosts or Yin Messengers, only carrying a desolate emptiness, with a pitch-black earth and gray sky void of other colors.

"Chen Tang, Black Pot, stop! We should be nearby!" Granny Sha suddenly said.

The Black Pot halted at once, scanning the surroundings, where everything appeared enveloped in deathly air, vast and barren, with massive withered trees everywhere.

Each massive tree needed over ten people to encircle, thick and robust.

Chen Tang jumped off the Black Pot’s head, examining the trees closely, "These are bodhi trees, associated with Buddhist enlightenment. The Buddha Shakyamuni, it’s said, attained enlightenment under a bodhi tree, becoming the Buddha."

Granny Sha’s path of blue stones continued forward, leading to an ancient majestically sprawling temple hidden amidst the dead forest.

Chen Tang and the Black Pot followed her forward. Upon reaching the temple, they saw the temple plaque hanging askew to one side, engraved with the words "Ksitigarbha Temple."

"This place should worship the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Buddhism."

Chen Tang said, "This Bodhisattva ventured deep into the Buddhist Hell, repeatedly rescuing his mother’s ghost, vowing to liberate all souls mired in hell."

The trio entered the temple, greeting a massive canine skeleton lying prostrate on the ground, which the Black Pot barked at twice.

Inside the temple, only a Divine Shrine remained, with no Divine Statue, as the statuary had been smashed to pieces.

"Chen Shi and those scholars, they’re nearby! But not in the same underworld as us."