Chapter 14: The Great Thunderclap Monastery
At the end of the ruins, an ancient temple appeared, silent and still, extremely small in scale, far from magnificent. It was merely a single ancient hall, inside which stood a stone Buddha covered in thick dust, with a bronze ancient lamp beside it flickering with faint light.
Accompanying the ancient temple in front was a vigorous Bodhi tree, so thick that six or seven people could not wrap their arms around it. The ancient trunk was already hollow inside. If not for five or six leaves shimmering with green light still adorning it, the entire tree would have seemed withered and dead.
The ancient temple and the Bodhi tree complemented each other, full of antique charm, making people feel as if they could sense the hazy flow of time and the changes of the ages, bringing endless tranquility and antiquity.
Arriving here, everyone found it hard to hide their astonishment. The grand and vast palace complex behind them had long turned to ruins, yet this small ancient temple still stood, giving people a feeling of plainness returning to truth.
"How could there be such an ancient temple?"
"The few remaining leaves of that Bodhi tree actually shimmer with crystalline green light!"
The Bodhi tree could almost be called a Buddha tree, with a deep connection to Buddhism. According to legend, over two thousand five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni achieved great enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, attaining the fruit of Buddhahood.
The Bodhi tree before them, coexisting with the ancient temple, both displayed extraordinary signs, forcing people to marvel.
"Why do I feel as if a river of history is surging? Everything before me seems incredibly ancient, as if it has undergone the sedimentation of time."
The fifty-meter distance was short, and everyone soon arrived before it. A strange feeling surged in each person's heart. What they saw was like an old historical scroll, with the breath of time permeating the air.
"Could this be a temple inhabited by a deity?"
"Surely there can't really be a Buddha in this world? Although the ancient temple is dilapidated, it still makes one feel that plain and peaceful Zen state."
The ancient temple was silent, a place of utter tranquility.
"There's a bronze plaque there with inscriptions."
On the dilapidated ancient temple hung a rust-spotted bronze plaque, engraved with four ancient characters, coiled like dragons and snakes, full of Zen meaning. They were still complex, hard-to-identify bell-cauldron script, but the first character "Big" was easy to recognize. Even many who didn't understand bell-cauldron script could identify it.
"The last character is 'Temple'," Zhou Yi said, having some understanding of bell-cauldron script, recognizing the final character.
"These four characters are 'Great Thunderclap Monastery'," Ye Fan said at that moment, reading all four characters aloud.
Everyone present was shocked, all showing expressions of disbelief.
"Great Thunderclap Monastery... Did I hear that wrong?!"
"How can this be..."
According to legend, the Great Thunderclap Monastery was the dwelling place of the Buddha, the supreme sacred land of Buddhism. But this dilapidated ancient temple before them was so small, without any grandeur, just a single ancient hall—how could it also be named the Great Thunderclap Monastery?
Having already personally witnessed the nine dragon corpses pulling a coffin, everyone had long been mentally prepared and almost believed in the existence of deities. But they were still somewhat shocked now. An ancient temple on Mars named the Great Thunderclap Monastery—what did this mean? Perhaps many histories and legends would gain new interpretations, and the annihilated ancient history would have a corner of its mysterious veil lifted.
"The Buddha's voice in preaching is like thunder roaring." This was the Great Thunderclap Monastery!
Could the ancient temple before them really be that legendary temple?
If this speculation were true, it would undoubtedly be extremely shocking. On Mars, covered everywhere with reddish-brown soil and gravel, an ancient temple obscured by dust actually had such an astonishing origin.
The more everyone looked, the more extraordinary this ancient temple seemed.
Behind them, the heavenly palace of the past had been so majestic, vast, and magnificent, but it had ultimately been destroyed, leaving only a ground of rubble. Yet this ancient temple, seemingly dilapidated, still stood unyielding, forming a strange contrast.
Accompanied by the Bodhi tree, with the green lamp and ancient Buddha, a single lamp flame was as small as a bean.
Plain, simple, pure, and quiet—withstanding the grinding and testing of time, what remained was the "truth"; the extravagant was merely fleeting dust.
One lamp, one Buddha, one temple, one tree—seemingly eternal and unchanging, enduring in this world.
All of this was peaceful and tranquil, making people feel as if bathed in spring breeze, as if ethereal Zen chants were ringing out.
"If this really is the legendary Great Thunderclap Monastery, could the ancient tree accompanying the temple be the very Bodhi tree under which Shakyamuni attained enlightenment?"
"How can that be? That's just a religious legend. Do you really believe that two thousand five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni sat under an ancient tree on Mars for seven days and seven nights, finally achieving Buddhahood?"
"Given our encounters and experiences, nothing is impossible!"
Everything everyone present had experienced today felt like a dream, but it was an ironclad fact.
At this moment, Ye Fan suddenly walked forward. Pang Bo accompanied him, and the two directly stepped into the ancient temple. At the same time, Zhou Yi quickly followed, with Wang Ziwen right behind him, also entering the ancient temple.
Behind them, Liu Yunzhi, as if remembering something, changed expression and rushed over quickly. The others also woke up as if from a dream. If this was the Great Thunderclap Monastery, then inside was the dwelling place of a deity. Although it had long been dilapidated and covered with a thick layer of dust, it was still an extraordinary place.
The ancient temple was very small, just a single Buddha hall, empty and almost bare of anything. Ye Fan went straight to the stone Buddha and grabbed the bronze ancient lamp beside it.
The bronze lamp was ordinary and unremarkable, simple in style, but it felt warm and smooth in the hand, without the cold, hard feeling of metal—more like grasping a piece of warm jade. What was surprising was that the ancient temple was full of dust, but the bronze ancient lamp was spotless, as if it could repel dust.
This temple had definitely not been cleaned for many years, with dust accumulated in a thick layer, but the ancient lamp could avoid dust and still burn brightly. Ye Fan couldn't help but feel astonished—could it have been burning continuously from that distant ancient age until now?
"It's really clean. Nothing is left except the stone Buddha and the bronze lamp." Pang Bo scanned the surroundings, but unfortunately didn't see any other artifacts.
Just then, Zhou Yi, who had entered right behind them, stepped on the thick dust, making a "clang" sound as he kicked out a begging bowl.
At the same time, Liu Yunzhi and the others also entered the ancient temple. No one spoke; all silently searched.
At first, everyone hadn't broken free from their fixed mindset, still facing the ancient temple with doubt and uncertainty, thinking with the mentality of being on Earth. It wasn't until Ye Fan acted first that they suddenly realized they were now on another planet, facing what was very likely the legendary Great Thunderclap Monastery, the dwelling place of the Buddha—there might be artifacts left behind by deities!
Inside the ancient temple, Ye Fan held the spotless bronze lamp, its soft light scattering, with light flowing within the temple.
Suddenly, Ye Fan heard a faint, elusive Zen chant, as if coming from beyond the heavens. At first, he thought it was an illusion, but the Buddha's voice gradually grew louder, reverberating throughout the entire ancient temple, like a great bell and cauldron vibrating—solemn, grand, sublime, and profound.
Then, all the dust within the ancient temple receded, leaving it spotless and pure, as the six true words resounded: "Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum..."