Spirit Lord and Spirit Ruins

The story has concluded.

At this moment, Su Qingqiu stared blankly at Changmei. "Three hundred and sixty years ago, it seems that child didn't die. By chance, he still entered the Dragon-Raising Temple. And the Great Yellow Ox transformed into a demon, becoming a great devil that ravaged the world, and was eventually eliminated by you. Is that right, Master?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a trace of sympathy for the tragic fate of this person and ox. They were once inseparable, only to end up facing each other with swords, parting in life and death. It had to be said that fate was truly ironic.

Puzhi smiled, maintaining his usual demeanor of being neither pleased by external gains nor saddened by personal losses. He continued, "Actually, this story has another version. Does the Spirit Lord want to hear it?"

Spirit Lord?

This was no longer the first time Puzhi had called him that. Su Qingqiu searched his mind for memories but found no information about what a "Spirit Lord" was. This inevitably made him feel a bit agitated; his knowledge base was still too limited.

"Tell me!"

In the second version, the child indeed did not die but was kept by a kind monk. After seven years of careful nurturing, and completely eradicating the demonic energy from the child's body, the monk released the child to slay demons and eliminate devils.

"But that child's heart still yearned for the Great Yellow Ox he once depended on. Even after seven years, knowing it was impossible, he still wanted to find his only family member from back then."

"And heaven rewards the diligent. After a year of searching, he actually found the Great Yellow Ox. The moment the person and the demon recognized each other, perhaps that was the most beautiful moment for the child back then."

"It's a pity..."

"It's a pity that in the end, he discovered the Great Yellow Ox was the rampaging ox demon," Su Qingqiu finished Puzhi's sentence, continuing for him. "In the face of Buddhist principles and familial love, the child painfully eliminated his own kin, ultimately destroying the Great Yellow Ox and achieving the name of Holy Monk, is that correct?"

However, Puzhi shook his head and said, "No, it wasn't. Changmei's Buddhist cultivation back then was not yet proficient. Facing the only family member of this life, how could he bring himself to kill?"

"But the Great Yellow Ox did not want Changmei to be trapped in pain and self-reproach every day. In front of Changmei, it tore off its own muscles and skin, stripped its bones and flesh, and perished, to atone for its sins."

"After all, everything it did was merely to retaliate against the Dragon-Raising Temple for killing that child. And now, seeing the child he once depended on become a revered high monk and immortal master, it felt itself had fallen into demonhood, utterly defiled, and had no will to live on..."

Su Qingqiu was slightly moved upon hearing this.

Puzhi didn't need to say anything further. The subsequent events, whether it was why the ox demon's remains were in this layer of the Snake Abyss, or how Puzhi died, were all other stories. Perhaps Puzhi would tell him later, but they were no longer relevant to this story.

Su Qingqiu devoured the ox demon's remains, which was equivalent to completely liberating the ox demon, but he also inherited a karmic debt, which was why Puzhi's remnant soul sought him out. Before Puzhi's remnant soul's obsession dissipated, he needed to understand this karma with Puzhi.

At this moment, Puzhi, having finished the story, looked fixedly at Su Qingqiu and then asked, "It is said that spiritual beings cultivate for ten thousand years, spontaneously generating spiritual light, and the Spirit Lord will descend. Lord Spirit Lord, you were born of heaven and earth, with inherent spiritual wisdom, existing eternally through a thousand years, and achieving eternal freedom through myriad tribulations. Can you resolve the doubts in this humble monk's heart?"

Puzhi's expression grew increasingly confused, and faintly, the Buddhist light on his body carried wisps of black energy. This was an inner devil! It was obsession.

"Regarding the matter of the Yellow Ox, this humble monk did not stop it; I even suppressed it, allowing that only kin to die tragically before my eyes. Afterward, fearing its remains would cause further trouble, I cast them into the Snake Abyss, unable to even preserve its complete remains."

"You tell me, what difference is there between this monk and this demon?"

Su Qingqiu looked at the soul of the deceased before him again, his expression exceptionally solemn. He wasn't afraid of Puzhi turning into a devil, but he simply didn't want this enlightened eminent monk's final obsession to degenerate into a devil, to pass away uneasily.

The scene before him reminded him of a famous Buddhist saying from his previous life: "Master, you are mistaken."

"Since the Yellow Ox let go of its worldly attachments, it has already become Buddha. The Buddha says, 'Let go of the butcher's knife and become Buddha instantly.' Since the Yellow Ox has become Buddha, what use are its flesh and bones to it?"

"Moreover, killing is to protect karma, and eliminating karma is not eliminating people. Everything you did was to help the Yellow Ox wash away its sins, and it helped many people avoid the suffering of being reduced to livestock."

"The Yellow Ox letting go of the butcher's knife is merit, and Master killing to protect karma is merit. Both are immeasurable merits."

Upon hearing this, Puzhi's Buddhist light flickered, black energy and Buddhist energy alternating. Finally, the Buddhist light surged, shining brightly and illuminating everything, dispelling the coldness brought by the surrounding wandering souls.

"Let go of the butcher's knife and become Buddha instantly, killing is to protect karma. Amitabha... does not question the origin, does not question worldly affairs, does not question karma, acts naturally. Indeed, everything is within the guidance of the Buddha Ancestor."

"Amitabha... I was indeed attached to form."

"Spirit Lord's wisdom reaches the heavens, close to Buddhist principles. This obsession of this humble monk is finally liberated today. If there is a next life, this humble monk will surely repay this kindness by being a cow or a horse."

Puzhi clasped his hands together and performed a deep bow.

Su Qingqiu said, "Master overpraises me; I cannot accept such a gesture. Three hundred and sixty years ago, Master resolved the ox demon incident, protecting tens of thousands of people, which was already an act of immeasurable merit. Even without my reminder, Master would likely have realized it yourself."

What he said was indeed true. After all, Puzhi's soul obsession had persisted for so many years, yet he still used Buddhist dharma to suppress the evil qi and the devil within his heart. One could imagine how profound the Buddhist mind and nature of this monk, hailed as the Holy Monk of all ages, must have been. The sudden appearance of the inner devil's black energy was merely a reactive response upon seeing the ox demon's remains being dealt with by Su Qingqiu.

Puzhi shook his head and smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying. Instead, he asked, "Is it already three hundred and sixty years later? Such a long time."

"This humble monk is about to dissipate, and I observe that the Spirit Lord seems to have just emerged. Though I don't know how the Spirit Lord learned of me, it's likely through information left by those who came after."

"However, compared to those juniors, I might know more about this world. Especially this layer, the Snake Abyss, I have wandered here day and night for over a hundred years and understand it intimately. In return, if the Spirit Lord has any questions, I can temporarily answer them."

This old monk is truly shrewd. His perception is sharp. Su Qingqiu had tried his best to remain silent, yet the monk could still tell he was a newly emerged Spirit Lord.

Still, the old monk's offer was exactly what he needed. Compared to power, Su Qingqiu lacked basic knowledge more.

It didn't match his supposed identity as the Spirit Lord.

"Master, do you know what the Spirit Ruins are?"

After some thought, Su Qingqiu asked.

Since he obtained the Spirit Ruins token from the Demon Bull, perhaps the old monk before him knew what it was.

He decided to test the old monk's knowledge first.