Hearing this, my eyes couldn't help but light up.
But in the blink of an eye, I calmed down.
From Monk Miao Jue's words, he wanted me to enter the Spirit Lock Tower.
It seemed to be pointing out a clear path for me, but from his words, there seemed to be another meaning.
He seemed to know what I was thinking as he kept staring at me with a smile on his face. His kind expression made me feel uncomfortable.
After a long while, Monk Miao Jue retracted his gaze and looked at the Spirit Lock Tower, saying, "I think benefactor has already guessed that in order to open the Green Lamp Scroll, you have to enter the Spirit Lock Tower.
Before opening the Spirit Lock Tower, this poor monk would like to make a deal with benefactor. "
Sure enough, Monk Miao Jue and I were strangers who met by chance, so it was normal for him to have a request. It would be strange if he was willing to help me for free.
Moreover, although this monk looked kind, his cultivation wasn't ordinary. Moreover, this was his territory, so it wasn't easy to refuse.
Thus, I nodded and asked him what his conditions were.
After listening to my words, the monk also nodded and said with a smile, "The string of prayer beads that benefactor took out earlier was lost in the Spirit Lock Tower. The reason is related to this temple's secret, so forgive this poor monk for not being able to tell you.
As for the matter that this poor monk would like to ask benefactor, it is related to these prayer beads.
Benefactor only needs to go to the top of the Spirit Lock Tower and hang the prayer beads on the Buddha statue. "
Without waiting for me to speak, the fatty at the side seemed to find his words unbelievable and asked, "It's that simple?"
After hearing his words, I frowned.
What the monk said couldn't be so simple. Although I don't know what this Spirit Lock Pagoda is, from the black gas surrounding it, it should be extremely dangerous. If it was really as simple as he said, then he could have asked for the Buddhist beads from me and personally hung them on the top of the pagoda to show his loyalty to Buddha.
But he didn't do so, which proved that there was definitely danger inside.
If you want to gain something, you must give up something.
His condition was actually reasonable, but he didn't mention the danger and only mentioned the surface problem. This made me slightly unhappy and felt that this Monk Miao Jue was quite scheming.
Of course, this little bit of unhappiness wouldn't affect my decision.
The problem of the second half of the 《Death Scripture》 had accumulated in my heart for a long time. Even if it was a mountain of daggers or a sea of flames, I still had to go.
I took a deep breath and nodded, agreeing to his request.
Monk Miao Jue smiled and didn't say anything. He brought us to the front of the Spirit Lock Tower.
Previously, he had been standing quite far away, and the Spirit Lock Pagoda was shrouded in black gas, so he wasn't able to see its entire appearance.
When he got closer, he realized that the pagoda had a total of seven floors, and the surrounding black gas was mainly distributed in the top three floors.
The surroundings of the pagoda were the same, and there was no entrance. Presumably, some secret technique was needed to open it.
The black gas above the Spirit Lock Pagoda was like a huge black cloud, making people feel a little stifled. It added a bit of a strange atmosphere to the tilted Spirit Lock Pagoda.
The fatty on the side could tell that something was wrong with the situation, so he pulled on my sleeve and whispered into my ear, "Third Baby, this Spirit Lock Tower is very strange. How about we don't go in?"
After that, he looked at Miao Jue with a solemn expression.
I knew that Fatty wasn't afraid of any danger inside, but he thought Monk Miao Jue would give me some trouble.
Fatty's worries weren't unreasonable. After all, I didn't know much about Monk Miao Jue.
But then again, Monk Miao Jue had helped me in the past. This time, I entered the Spirit Lock Tower because I had something to ask of him. I shouldn't be so suspicious of Monk Miao Jue.
With that thought in mind, I whispered to the fatty, telling him not to worry and to guard the pagoda for me. I would enter the pagoda alone.
The reason why I said that was because I wanted him to guard Monk Miao Jue from the outside.
Secondly, there was definitely danger inside the pagoda. I wouldn't feel at ease if the fatty followed me inside.
If I had said that directly to the fatty, he definitely wouldn't have been happy, but the excuse to have him watch over Miao Jue was very suitable.
As expected, after hearing what I said, the fatty didn't doubt me. He turned to look at Monk Miao Jue vigilantly before nodding. "Third Baby, don't worry. I will definitely help you look after this bald donkey."
I patted his shoulder, then walked over and greeted Monk Miao Jue. "Master, please open the Spirit Lock Tower."
After listening to me, Monk Miao Jue clasped his hands together and said, "Very good." Then, he turned around and took off the Buddhist beads on his chest. He opened them with both hands and continuously chanted Buddhist scriptures.
I took advantage of the time when he was performing the Buddhist ritual to size up the Spirit Lock Tower to increase my confidence.
In Buddhism, there were five-layered pagoda, seven-layered pagoda, nine-layered pagoda, and even thirteen-layered pagoda.
The Spirit Lock Tower in front of me belonged to the seven-layered pagoda.
It was said that these seven floors came from the seven treasures: gold, silver, colored glass, giant clam, agate, true pearl, and rose.
Gold's nature was to follow one's fate and not change. It represented firm wisdom.
Silver's nature was pure white. It represented tranquility and peace.
Colored glass's nature was transparent. It represented clear wisdom.
The giant clam's nature was to rotate. It represented grievance. Cultivators had to have a heart that could tolerate and yield.
Agate's nature was variegated. There were red, yellow, and white. Because there were many colors, it represented the wisdom of all things. It was the so-called 'Ten Thousand Virtues'.
The True Pearl was round and bright, representing perfect and unhindered wisdom.
Roses were jade stones that had a gentle nature and represented gentle wisdom.
Using these seven treasures to build a pagoda was called a pagoda.
Each level of the pagoda was clearly defined. According to the system of ancient Indian Buddhism, the number of levels of the pagoda was equal to the number of Xiang Chakras in the pagoda.
According to the Three Scriptures of Buddhism's Twelve Karma Sutra, the number of Xiang Chakras is one Chakra Chakra, two Chakra Chakra, three Chakra Chakra, four Chakra Chakra, five Arhat Chakra, six Chakra Chakra, seven Chakra Chakra, eight Chakra Chakra …
Therefore, the Spirit Lock Pagoda in front of them had seven levels and seven wheels. That meant that it was worshiping a Bodhisattva.
Previously, Monk Miaojue also mentioned that there was a Buddha statue at the top of the Spirit Lock Pagoda. Presumably, that Buddha statue belonged to a certain Bodhisattva.
The four sides of the pagoda symbolized the Four Noble Truths; the six sides symbolized the Six Paths of Reincarnation; the eight sides symbolized the Eight Phases of Dao; the twelve sides symbolized the Twelve Karma and so on. The odd levels of the pagoda represented purity and nobility in Buddhism. It seems that the seven sides of the Spirit Lock Pagoda symbolized the "Seven Floors Pagoda".
Seeing this, Monk Miaojue suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes emitted a Buddhist light and the Buddhist beads on his hands were shining brightly. They rotated continuously in the air above his fingertips.
This is the first time I've seen Monk Miaojue cast a spell. Previously, I've only seen him deal with Chen Yangting. But compared to that time, it was like heaven and earth.
At this moment, Monk Miaojue's body was emitting a golden light that enveloped a radius of a hundred meters. He looked like a majestic Buddha statue.
The black gas above the Spirit Lock Pagoda was stimulated by the golden light and actually became active. It revolved around the pagoda as if it was resisting.
In just a few seconds, the golden light on Monk Miaojue's body disappeared. Instead, the Buddhist beads on his fingertips became brighter.
I heard him shout, and the Buddhist beads flew towards the Spirit Lock Pagoda.
In the blink of an eye, the Buddhist beads landed less than five meters away from the Spirit Lock Pagoda. The Buddhist beads rotated rapidly in the air, and a golden door appeared below it.
Seeing this, Monk Miaojue turned around and nodded at me. "Benefactor, please come in."
After hearing that, I paused and prepared to move forward. At this moment, the fatty called out to me, "Third Child, be careful."
There was a trace of worry in the fatty's eyes, which warmed my heart.
I waved my hand and strode towards the location of the Buddhist beads. Then, I pushed the door with both hands and leaped over.
The place where I was standing should be the lowest level of the Spirit Lock Pagoda.
I couldn't see the golden door anymore. My surroundings were pitch-black. Fortunately, I could still see five or six meters around me.
The air on this level was mixed with a moldy smell that was slightly pungent.
The Spirit Lock Pagoda looked as if no one had ever been here before. There were no decorations, just an empty space with an endless darkness.
I had forgotten to ask Monk Miaojue for a map of this place. I didn't know how long it would take for me to go upstairs.
At this moment, I felt a wisp of Yin energy in the air. Instinctively, I stopped moving and scanned the surroundings. I was on guard against something that would suddenly appear.
If there was Yin energy, it meant that there was a ghost on this floor. A ghost that had been imprisoned in the Spirit Lock Pagoda and hadn't dissipated was definitely not weak.
This ghost was elusive, and it was hard for me to find its whereabouts. I was afraid that it would be difficult to deal with it.
However, it would be easy for Tong Tong to deal with it.
With that thought, I prepared to call Tong Tong out.
As soon as Tong Tong came out, she stared at me and asked, "What's wrong?"
Before I could answer, her face stiffened and she said in a low voice, "Brother, the Yin energy in this place is a little strange."
Of course, I believed her. However, I had only sensed that there was Yin energy here, and I didn't expect Tong Tong to say that. I asked, "Tong Tong, what did you sense?"