In the human world, April's blossoms had all faded; in the mountain temple, peach flowers were only beginning to bloom.
Cold Mountain Temple stood atop a lofty mountain, so even at this time of year, blooming peach blossoms could still be seen on its summit.
Before the temple gates, a woman in blue broke off a sprig and tucked it into the swaddling bundle in her arms.
The infant inside seemed a little livelier with the peach blossoms beside him. His left eyelid twitched faintly, as though he wanted to open it.
Seeing this, the woman in blue grieved inwardly. "In your next life, don't come to the human world again..."
"I heard from the nearby villagers that several enlightened monks live in Cold Mountain Temple."
"I'll let them... perform the rites to send you on."
Rather than knock, the woman gently laid the swaddling bundle before the temple gates.
Then a breeze swept past, and she quietly vanished, as though she had never been there.
Some time later, a powerfully built man dressed as a warrior monk emerged from Cold Mountain Temple.
He picked up the infant from the ground and returned to the temple.
"Hey! Come take a look! There's a kid here!" the burly warrior monk called out in the courtyard.
Not far away, a young man with a sinister charm chuckled. "I hate kids more than anything. Zhao Manzi, hurry up and eat him!"
The warrior monk called Zhao Manzi rubbed his gleaming bald head and muttered, "But I never eat children... children can grow into adults. They have more chew to them once they're grown."
"Fatty, how about taking him to feed your little darlings?" The sinister young man turned toward the kitchen and asked impatiently.
But the person working in the kitchen did not respond.
Just then, an extraordinarily handsome middle-aged man with the bearing of an immortal emerged from the main hall.
Even his gait was unlike an ordinary person's. His measured, stately steps made him seem like a celestial descending from the heavens.
He walked straight to the stone table and examined the infant carefully.
Then he shook his head gently and sighed. "What a pity. A perfectly good chaos saint body, ruined like this."
"A chaos saint body? I thought the little fellow had an immortal longevity body!" The sinister young man who had been clamoring to dispose of the child hurried over.
"That's a top-tier constitution!"
"People out there are growing more despicable by the day. Just look at what they've done to this child!"
"His heart was gouged out, and his right eyeball was plucked out too. They didn't even spare his bones-two are missing."
The person in the kitchen also came out, perhaps drawn by the words "chaos saint body."
He was an enormous fat man, and the heavy flesh on his face shook as he walked.
His swollen belly looked as though it might burst at any moment.
"I guessed it was a chaos saint body. An immortal longevity body couldn't keep someone this young alive without a heart," the fat man said, leaning in for a few looks.
"Amitabha! Blessed be, blessed be!"
Suddenly, an old monk appeared from who knew where.
His white eyebrows were so long that they hung all the way down to his shoulders.
"How pitiful. How very pitiful!"
"To save one life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda."
"Do any of you four have a way to save this little child?" the white-browed old monk asked.
The sinister young man laughed with his hands on his hips. "Master, a person can't live without a heart. There's simply no saving him."
The immortal-looking middle-aged man made a calculation on his fingers, then shook his head as well. "His heart was gouged out a month ago. It's been too long. Had he come sooner, perhaps we could have given him a few more years."
"I could keep him alive, but that's all I could do. The moment I stopped, he'd die!" Zhao Manzi said.
The fat man seemed rather gleeful at the misfortune. He grinned. "Let's agree now: once he dies, the corpse is mine."
"Venomous maggots raised on a chaos saint body should work very well."
Seeing that none of the four had a solution, the white-browed old monk sighed helplessly. "It seems this is his fate."
"What suffering! What sorrow!"
"Little benefactor, I shall now perform the rites to send you on."
"And spare you the torment of living!"
The white-browed old monk set down his prayer beads, raised his withered hand, and laid it over the infant's head.
Golden light appeared around him as he prepared to gently snuff out the infant's life.
But just then, a surge of evil energy poured out of the main hall.
The five, calm until that moment, all changed expression and hurried into the hall.
Together, they tried to suppress the thing sealed beneath the Buddha statue.
But this time seemed different. Its counterattack was so fierce that they could no longer hold it down.
"As expected of the Devil Ancestor. This heart has been suppressed for countless ages, yet it's still so powerful!"
The old monk's eyebrows flew upward, and his whole body looked strained.
"We've been fooled all along. It was still this strong..." the sinister young man said, his face contorted.
"That damn White Emperor even said the five of us were more than enough."
"Pah! He was just toying with us!"
The warrior monk said gravely, "Hurry and think of something! Once it escapes and triggers the Ten-Directions Annihilation Formation, we'll all die too!"
The fat man asked, "Sword Demon, why aren't you saying anything?"
The immortal-looking middle-aged man was none other than the Sword Demon the fat man had addressed.
His expression darkened. "I've thought of a way, but it's a little risky."
"Spit it out! If you don't, we're finished!" the sinister young man urged.
Sword Demon glanced back, his gaze settling on the swaddling bundle on the stone table.
"This infant has a chaos saint body, and his life force is nearly exhausted."
"We can let him absorb the energy of the Devil Ancestor's Heart and take some of the pressure off us."
"That way, we may be able to suppress the Devil Heart's rampage."
At his words, the others' eyes lit up.
"Good idea. I'll bring the child in right away!" the sinister young man said hurriedly.
"Zhao Manzi, you'll have to cover for me first. Can you hold on?"
Zhao Manzi nodded, then let out a furious roar.
In an instant, his body grew considerably larger.
His muscles bulged, his skin turned crimson, and black markings flowed across it.
Seeing this, the sinister young man immediately pulled away and left the main hall.
He brought the infant back and placed him before the Buddha statue.
Sure enough, some of the energy changed direction and poured straight into the infant's body.
The pressure on the five immediately eased, and delight spread across their faces.
"Quick! Suppress the Devil Heart while we have the chance!" the old monk shouted urgently.
But something none of them expected happened: the Devil Heart, which had been surging so fiercely, suddenly lowered its banners and stilled its drums!
It was as though nothing had ever happened. They could no longer sense any energy spilling out of the Devil Heart.
Silence. Deathly silence.
Yet amid that silence, a sound suddenly rang out.
Thump... thump... thump, thump, thump, thump!
A heartbeat. A heartbeat grew from faint to strong, echoing throughout the main hall!
"Oh no!" The white-browed old monk hurried forward and picked up the infant from the Buddha's altar.
"The Devil Heart... the Devil Heart transferred straight into him!"
"It's already connected to his heart vessels. They've fused into one!"
The others were dumbstruck as well. None had expected this outcome.