Chapter 198: Dharmakaya

Amidst the misty waters, the mountains appeared ink-like.

Half an hour later, nearing midnight, a silver-black armored helicopter silently rose vertically from a forest, several kilometers away from the already departed Kunsan Village. With a spin, the helicopter headed southwest into the profound darkness, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

At the helm was Hai Xiao, the deputy leader of Dragon Team, while in the co-pilot seat sat the coordinator and liaison officer, also the only woman in the group, Ye Zi.

By now, Ye Zi had shed the red coat of a rural farm woman, donning a black night suit instead. She had reverted to her usual appearance, transforming from an innocent mountain girl into a beautiful and serious-looking Dragon Team operative.

In the rear cabin, Yang Chen leaned back in a chair, with Duan Ren narrating the details of the mission since they boarded the helicopter.

Behind them, the other members of the Dragon Team rested with closed eyes, while Tian Long from the Eight Departments snored, displaying an attitude of fearlessness, as if not even the heavens could disturb his slumber.

Despite the verbose explanations from Duan Ren, who occasionally inserted some cultural knowledge to make himself appear educated, Yang Chen roughly understood the purpose behind the Dragon Team's elaborate scheme to ensnare him.

The primary objective of this mission was to intercept a group attempting to smuggle the Dharmakaya of the Mahavairocana, a secret practice in Tibetan Buddhism, out of the Yanxia country.

According to the doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dharmakaya of the Mahavairocana held a significant place in their beliefs. Only the teachings passed down from the Mahavairocana's vajra summit were recognized as orthodox. If the golden statue, said to be imbued with the countless powers of the ancient Buddhas, were lost, it would cast doubts on the legitimacy of the rulers of the Tibetan region among the followers.

In such a fanatical region, lacking the fundamental belief would mean plunging the entire area into the danger of disintegration.

The significance of the territory was self-evident!

However, this situation was extremely peculiar. The one attempting to steal the Dharmakaya was none other than Danzuo Rinpoche, the elder responsible for enshrining the Dharmakaya.

Dan Zuo Rinpoche was not just an ordinary propagator of Buddhism or an ordinary living Buddha from the Tibetan region who practiced Zen and revered the Buddha. He inherited many esoteric martial arts and dharmas of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, making him a highly skilled martial monk of the Buddhist sect.

If it were just Dan Zuo Rinpoche, it could be manageable. Dragon Team could be dispatched to encircle and intercept him, and they would surely prevail and retrieve the Dharmakaya.

However, this betrayal involved the Four Kings of the Tantric sect, who had always had excellent relations with Dan Zuo Rinpoche. They were Da Bao, Da Cheng, Da Zhi, and Da Ci, each proficient in Tantric Buddhism and equally deep in cultivation as Dan Zuo Rinpoche.

With these five Tantric high monks planning to smuggle the Dharmakaya out of the country, if Dragon Team hadn't been monitoring them and noticed their suspicious activities, it might have been too late to stop them! Although these five individuals couldn't withstand modern weaponry and heavy artillery, the Dharmakaya of Mahavairocana they carried with them was absolutely invaluable. Moreover, if the military were to be deployed openly, it could become an internationally exposed incident.

Therefore, besides a small-scale assault operation to retrieve the Dharmakaya, there was no other way.

After listening to Duan Ren's explanation, Yang Chen asked in confusion, "These bald donkeys, with nothing better to do, are still thinking about looting cultural relics and smuggling them out of the country?"

Duan Ren snorted, "The Tibetan region has always been a thorn in the side of Yanxia. These heretical living Buddhas who deviate from the orthodox teachings are not a recent phenomenon. They simply want to lead the Tibetan region to break away and seize power. So, it's not surprising that they would resort to such actions."

"Where are they now?"

"They've been surrounded by our military in the Danjiang area and are currently residing in a small-scale ancient Buddhist temple. We've clashed with them before and managed to repel them, so they won't dare to leave for the time being. Although those border troops are not top-notch special forces, they are being guarded by Master Yunmiao and her disciples. It's essentially a bluff to deter them, but due to the treacherous terrain, they don't have transportation equipment, so there shouldn't be any issues for now. However, it won't be long before they're in trouble," Duan Ren explained.

Upon hearing the name "Master Yunmiao," Yang Chen felt it sounded familiar. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Is it the most senior Master Yunmiao among the Eight Departments?"

"Indeed, it seems that Your Majesty is quite familiar with the situation of the Flame Dragon Brigade," Duan Ren said with a hint of pride.

Yang Chen furrowed his brow. "Including Master Yunmiao, you have a total of nine people here. Are you still afraid of those five bald donkeys?"

"There are more than just five enemies," Big Foot, who had been sitting with closed eyes, interjected suddenly.

Duan Ren continued, "Your Majesty, do you know where they intend to transport the Dharmakaya?"

"Where?"

"To the United States."

Yang Chen's expression shifted, and he ran his fingers through his hair with a hint of distress. "You're not telling me that members of Bluestorm will also be coming, are you?"

"According to reliable information I obtained from headquarters, Bluestorm has already dispatched more than three operatives to assist. There's currently no word of them breaking through our blockade, but if they do arrive, we might not detect them in time. Your Majesty should be well aware that in terms of technological prowess, Bluestorm is indisputably the best in the world. If they do come, despite our core team of nine, with Leaf and Tsunami being non-combat personnel, our chances of success are minimal," Duan Ren's tone grew heavier.

"Why not call in more people from Dragon Team since you have over a hundred members?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.

"You don't understand!" Fire Cannon barked. "We have just over a hundred members in Dragon Team, tasked with safeguarding the security of millions of square kilometers of national territory, not to mention those deployed abroad. We can't simply mobilize so many personnel at once!"

Night Wolf, with a stern expression, added, "Fire Cannon, show some respect for His Majesty."

"Respect my foot! He's just a fool who fell for our trickery! I can't understand why the organization even bothers to ask for his help. We might as well call in a squad of special forces; at least they can shoot some armor-piercing rounds!" Fire Cannon scoffed.

"Fire Cannon, are you missing a few screws in your brain from all those explosions? Bluestorm is known for its combination of superpowers, advanced technology, and heavy firepower. Sending in special forces with conventional weapons would just be like giving them snacks," Gale smirked.

"They're just a bunch of quacks who think they're superhumans because they've altered their genes. I'm not afraid of them at all when it comes to firepower. When it comes to shooting, Fire Cannon fears no one!"

The Dragon Team members argued about who was stronger and weaker, but Yang Chen found it uninteresting. He turned to Duan Ren and asked, "So, Team Leader Duan, did you go to all this trouble just to get me to help you deal with Bluestorm?"

Duan Ren, with a hint of satisfaction in discussing the plan, responded, "Please don't blame me too much, Your Majesty. I had no other choice. I submitted a series of proposals to the organization."

"Once this is all over, you'll provide me with the antidote, right? My wife and mother-in-law have been lying in bed at home this whole time, and I'm worried about them catching a cold," Yang Chen said gloomily.

Before leaving, Yang Chen tucked Mo Qian Ni and Ma Gui Fang into bed, locked the door, and then left with the members of the Dragon Team.

Duan Ren nodded, "That's natural. Once everything is settled, I won't bring any trouble to His Majesty the Underworld's family."

After flying in the helicopter for over two hours, they finally landed in a rocky gorge by the river. Here, four dark green military tents had been set up, with a dozen fully armed soldiers standing guard with guns, vigilantly scanning all directions.

Yang Chen followed the Dragon Group's team off the helicopter and entered the largest tent. Inside, the temperature was slightly warmer, and temporary white lights dispelled the darkness of the early morning.

Upon entering the camp, they saw two mats casually placed on the ground directly opposite them. Sitting on the mats were two women dressed as Taoist nuns in plain blue robes.

The woman sitting directly opposite appeared to be in her forties, with faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, yet still exuding an undiminished charm. Her face was beautiful, like a distant mountain shrouded in mist, with red lips and fair skin. Her calm and composed demeanor radiated the charm of an ancient Oriental beauty.

Next to her, a younger nun with her hands raised, fingers delicate like orchid petals, wore a nun's hat. Her face resembled a piece of white snow in early spring or a white lotus in a pond, clear as the blue waters of a cold pond, appearing like a younger version of the elder nun.

The older nun had already stood up, brushed off her already clean Taoist robe, and cast two graceful gazes over the newcomers before fixing her gaze squarely on Yang Chen. "Is this the King of the Underworld?"

The younger nun also patted her robe and stood up. She looked to be in her twenties, still curious about new things. Seeing her master asking such a serious question, she also gazed at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen secretly admired the women, both the elder and the younger nun, were remarkable. One was mature and graceful, while the other was youthful and beautiful. Both had exquisite features, and the Taoist robes accentuated their graceful figures, tempting to the eye!

Seeing Yang Chen only staring at the two women and not responding, a hint of displeasure flashed in the elder nun's eyes. "King of the Underworld, what are you looking at?"

"Huh?" Yang Chen chuckled awkwardly. "This must be Master Yun Miao, right? I was just looking at Master Yun and this junior sister here."

"What's there to look at for us and our junior sister?" Master Yun Miao asked, displeased.

Duan Ren and several other members of the Dragon Group were somewhat nervous. They knew that Master Yun Miao had a bad temper, while Tian Long was chuckling on the side.

Yang Chen wasn't too restrained. He joked, "Master Yun Miao, you take care of yourself so well. What kind of cosmetics do you usually use? Care to share? Or maybe give us a secret formula? You wouldn't know, but I work in a fashion company now. We produce cosmetics. If there's no good formula, looking at Master Yun's appearance, I'm sure you have a good skincare routine. How about we collaborate and launch a product? We can all make money from it."

Yang Chen just said it casually, but Master Yun Miao obviously thought Yang Chen was maliciously teasing her. She suddenly drew her personal sword from her side, its cold light shimmering like autumn water!

"Disrespectful disciple! You're so outspoken upon our first meeting! It seems that today I must teach you a lesson before we discuss serious matters!"

With a clear rebuke, Master Yun Miao actually swung her willow-leaf long sword, thrusting towards Yang Chen!