Far-Sighted Plans Breed Near Worries

The demon monk Monkey Mind's furious voice interrupted the old monk.

"Go seek the evil arts of the Sin Sect? Master, are you trying to deceive me?"

As he spoke, the demon monk Monkey Mind, who had originally been kneeling reverently in the Ancient Chan Rite, prostrating himself in worship, looked as though he were about to rise in outrage.

Yet the old monk seemed not to have seen the demon monk's reaction at all. He merely shook his head calmly and said quietly.

"Those who have left the secular world do not speak falsehoods.

Do not let anger cloud the wisdom of your heart. You demons should know better than anyone the roots of the Demon Refining Mystic Sect.

That great sacred sect once stood tall in the North Sea, only to rise and perish abruptly. In truth, it was a grand scheme by people of a previous generation to covet the bloodline foundations of the Demon Race.

At that time, countless mighty figures from the various sects gathered there. Thus, when the Demon Refining Mystic Sect's various lineages were founded, they claimed to have opened up the Dao lineages of a hundred schools!

That may have been an exaggeration, but it revealed the true nature of the Demon Refining Mystic Sect's various lineages.

The cultivation arts of the Ghost Vine Lineage were altered beyond recognition, yet in essence, they had evolved from the Hundred Origin Alchemy Sect's secret lineage of alchemy arts.

Though they had lost the profundity of the Three Elements' cyclical generation, leaving only the Water and Wood Elements' cycle of drawing upon the blood and qi of demon beings to condense Elixir Fruit.

The advantage, however, was that the simpler it was, the easier it was to begin.

Using this art to open the door to the Hundred Origin Alchemy Sect's secret alchemy arts was the easiest path of all. Once one mastered the Three-Element Origin-Transforming Alchemy Art, one could use external alchemy and internally harmonize with the Bodhi Golden Body Art, condensing the Bodhi Heart Tree in but an instant.

Moreover... it was said that when the Demon Refining Mystic Sect still existed, inheritors of its Ghost Vine Lineage had once attempted to extend their cultivation art toward the Metal Element as well.

Whether they succeeded or not, this was the closest road to the secret alchemy arts, and to the Bodhi Golden Body Art.

This old monk can say no more. As for where one might find the Ghost Vine Lineage's cultivation arts of the Demon Refining Mystic Sect, and whether that lineage, scattered who knew where, can still be found—those are matters beyond this old monk's knowledge."

Having heard the old monk thoroughly explain the connection between the Bodhi Golden Body Art, the Three-Element Origin-Transforming Alchemy Art, and the Ghost Vine lineage.

The demon monk Monkey Mind, whose face had been twisted in fury and who had seemed ready to rise, settled back down and knelt in his original spot. Moreover, after the old monk finished speaking, he performed the Ancient Chan Rite once more, prostrating himself before the old monk in full-body worship.

He even uttered his first Buddhist invocation since entering the hall.

"Amitabha—today, this disciple has awakened and gained great wisdom. Only now do I understand the true essence of our Buddhist sect's wondrous Dharma."

Upon hearing this, the old monk said nothing. He merely continued shaking his head.

Monkey Mind, meanwhile, paid the old monk no further heed, as though his previous words had only been spoken to complete the formalities of the Ancient Chan Rite.

Before the echo of his final syllable had faded from the hall, he rose on his own. Without looking at the old monk or the golden images of the Tathagatas, he strode toward the hall doors with an arrogant expression.

Just as Monkey Mind was about to reach the doors, the old monk finally spoke and asked.

"May I ask... what fate awaits the fellow disciples of the Deliverance Lineage, in all the mountain temples of our Buddhist sect?"

Monkey Mind did not turn his head.

"Mind Horse, my Dao brother of the Heavenly Horse Clan, is gathering the foundations of every mountain temple belonging to the Deliverance Lineage. At the former site of Shakyamuni Mountain Temple, he is building the Sin-Suppressing Tower. Any sinful cultivators of the Deliverance Lineage sent into that tower will be imprisoned beneath the God-Suppressing Chains and forced to continuously circulate the cultivation arts they practiced.

There are also elders of the Heavenly Roc Clan, engraving one hundred and eight thousand Feather-Pattern Divine Restrictions. Day and night, they forcibly extract the heart-wisdom and divine sense of those sinful cultivators, receive the moonlight above, and refine it into Formless Spirit Nectar, to awaken the spiritual intelligence of my Demon Race and cleanse their hearts and minds.

Originally, the mountain temples conquered by my ape clan were not included in this plan. This poor monk had intended to see whether devouring all these sinful cultivators raw might ultimately refine a set of Buddhist bones.

But Master has, after all, pointed out to me the true essence of the Bodhi Golden Body Art.

I shall repay Master's karma at once.

These sinful cultivators shall be spared the death penalty, though they cannot escape living punishment. They shall be thrown into the Sin-Suppressing Tower, and my ape clan shall also go to Dao Brother Mind Horse and take a share of the spoils.

When they one day pass away in meditation, disperse all their sinful karma, and are reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, they will surely have an affinity with Buddha in their next lives."

The old monk opened his mouth, but did not know what to say. Nor did he know whether, after the fellow disciples of the Deliverance Lineage met such a fate, it was better for them to live or to die.

But in the brief moment of the old monk's daze.

Monkey Mind did not wait any longer. He stepped out through the hall doors and departed in arrogance.

A short while later.

The demon dust and bloody radiance filling the skies beyond the mountain gate vanished without a trace.

Only then did the little novice monk, who had faced the demon monk at the mountain gate, come scampering on his short little legs, climbing over the high threshold into the great hall and running toward the old monk in its emptiness.

At this moment.

The old monk was kneeling before the golden image of Wisdom Sword Tathagata, palms pressed together, continuously chanting Buddhist scriptures in repentance.

"Master? Master?"

The clear voice of a child seemed to pull the old monk's consciousness back from the eighteen layers of hell.

When the old monk raised his head, his face had become vastly older than it had been mere moments ago. In the span of only a few breaths, his hair and beard had turned mottled white.

He simply stared fixedly at the little novice monk who had called out to him.

Then, suddenly, the old monk broke into a smile.

"Good child, that call of yours saved half your master's life.

Now that you are of the proper age, come to your master's meditation chamber early every morning starting tomorrow. Your master will personally teach you the Glazed Golden Body True Dharma.

Though my Glazed Golden Body True Dharma follows only the Metal and Water Elements, it exhausts the wondrous mysteries of yin and yang, hardness and softness, the two principles. It is the mother foundation of all Golden Body arts in our Buddhist sect; its attainment does not lie beneath the Bodhi Golden Body!

Today, your master has committed boundless sins, sins that would not be cleansed even by dying ninety-nine times.

If I wish to redeem my sins through meritorious achievement, then I must raise a Buddhist Son for our Glazed Mountain Temple..."

The next day, at dawn.

Higher up Departure Peak, amid layer upon layer of cloud-veiled mountains.

Within a mountain cave dwelling so lavish it could be called magnificent, outside lay a vast and boundless sea of clouds. A single glance at it made one feel drenched in damp vapor and pierced by biting cold.

Yet at this moment, an untimely blaze of heat filled the cave dwelling, thick warmth suffusing every corner as though it were the scorching height of summer.

A faint set of footsteps broke the dwelling's silence.

A beautiful woman dressed in a loose Daoist robe emerged from a corner of the cave dwelling and walked straight toward its main hall.

As she slowly paced forward, the Fire Element spiritual qi filling the entire cave dwelling almost involuntarily gathered toward her.

At once.

A spot of crimson light bloomed between her brows. Then, nine layers of halos circled and overlapped, each one solid and tangible, flickering rhythmically with that point of red light.

It seemed that if she wished, she could step into the Foundation Establishment realm in an instant.

Yet this woman, whose cultivation was so solid, respectfully held several stacks of letters in both hands. Facing the young man seated cross-legged upon the cloud bed in the main hall, she lowered her head humbly.

The young man slowly opened his eyes and silently took the letters.

A moment later.

A soft laugh suddenly escaped the young man's lips.

"Little Seven left the mountain gate? Where did he go? Autumn Water Plateau? What did he do? He merely killed a group of mountain folk?"

"Mei Ran, do you believe such news, or not?"

As his words fell, before the woman could reply, the young man continued on his own.

"It no longer matters."

"Whether he did anything or not, I will assume he has already done something great."

"If he turns things around, would that not mean I have oppressed their branch for nothing all these years?"

"But the clan has its own set of rules."

"Before he truly emerges, it would not be good for me to do anything further."

"But just wait around like this? I will not accept that!"

"Right, Little Seven did not go alone, did he? This person is his right-hand man? Forget it. I will treat him as one..."