Abbess Purple Bamboo of the Pure Heaven Convent

In a stretch of barren mountains not far from Boundless City.

Fang Ling sat cross-legged on the yellowing grass, veins bulging on his forehead, the cold sweat pouring off him soaking his clothes.

After leaving Boundless City, he had planned to head straight to Feather City.

Mister Mo's former forces in the Blood Marsh had been based in Feather City.

But he had barely traveled any distance before he could no longer endure it.

He had underestimated the power of the Death-Seeking Curse. It would gradually grow stronger with time.

He had already been suffering pain that felt as though his divine soul were splitting apart. Now that agony had more than doubled.

He dared not imagine how severe the pain would become. It truly could drive someone mad, leaving them desperate for death.

He abruptly opened his eyes, a trace of helplessness flashing through them.

He had tried every method available to him, but he still could not dispel the Death-Seeking Curse.

"Now I have no choice but to return to Cold Mountain Temple. Perhaps I can only ask my masters for help," he murmured.

He had originally intended to make a name for himself before returning to Cold Mountain Temple.

But now he had no other choice. He had no desire to endure this agony day and night.

In this condition, he could neither rest nor cultivate in peace.

He rose, about to return to the Southern Sun Kingdom alone.

But suddenly, he heard movement behind him.

Turning around, he saw a strange woman standing behind him.

The woman wore plain robes, without a trace of rouge or powder on her face, her bearing elegant and serene.

In her right hand, she held a white jade bottle containing several fresh, tender willow branches. He had no idea what sort of magical artifact it was.

Though plainly dressed, her face was exquisitely beautiful. Even without adornment, she was a peerless beauty.

"Amitabha!"

"My religious name is Purple Bamboo. I am the sixth elder of the Pure Heaven Convent."

"Some days ago, while observing the heavens at night, I saw that an ominous star had appeared in the lands of the Southern Barbarians."

"Thus, I left the Pure Bamboo Convent and traveled here, hoping to bring that ominous star to enlightenment and spare the world some sin."

"I came from Boundless City. Those million poor cultivators have all become dry bones, with no one to gather their remains..."

"Benefactor, the sea of suffering is boundless, but turn back, and you will find the shore."

"Let me lend you a hand, wash away your sins, and cleanse your heart..."

Abbess Purple Bamboo gazed at Fang Ling with a sincere expression, speaking gently and softly.

When Fang Ling heard that she was an elder of the Pure Heaven Convent, wariness sprang up in his heart.

There were countless Buddhist institutions in the Southern Dipper Domain, but only two stood at the height of prosperity.

One was the Universal Dragon Temple, which housed only monks.

The other was the Pure Heaven Convent, which housed only nuns.

The Universal Dragon Temple and the Pure Heaven Convent were evenly matched in strength, and the cultivators of the Southern Dipper Domain therefore regarded them as the two sacred grounds of Buddhism.

"Not interested. Right now, I just want to go home..." Fang Ling turned around and vanished in an instant.

Abbess Purple Bamboo exerted an intense pressure on him. Her strength had to be terrifying.

In his current condition, he was probably no match for her. He could only retreat for now.

But what unsettled him was that, although he had already fled a great distance using the Divine Movement Step, he still felt her right behind him.

No matter what he did, he could not shake off her aura.

"Amitabha!"

"Do not fear me, benefactor. Compassion guides my heart. I will not harm you!"

Suddenly, Abbess Purple Bamboo appeared ahead of him, gazing at him impassively.

Fang Ling stopped running. He knew that at his current speed, he could not possibly escape the woman before him.

"Abbess, how do you intend to help me?" Fang Ling asked.

Abbess Purple Bamboo said mildly, "Benefactor, your murderous nature and deeply rooted demonic tendencies are all the result of your demonic arts."

"Thus, I must abolish them. This is the only way to save you at the root."

"If your demonic arts are not removed, you will spend your entire life trapped in that abyss of despair, unable to free yourself."

"Furthermore, the baleful aura upon you is too heavy. You must remain by my side so that I can slowly dispel it with supreme Buddhist teachings."

"Then, once you study some Buddhist scriptures, you will be able to leave this endless abyss behind completely."

"You want to cripple me?" Fang Ling's expression darkened.

He had only just made some progress with the Blood Sword and the Taotie Divine Art. Besides, his two masters had taught them to him. How could he willingly discard them?

Abbess Purple Bamboo put away the white jade bottle in her hand, then pressed her palms together and murmured, "Amitabha! I am doing this only to save you."

Fang Ling said, "I'm perfectly fine. I don't need you fussing over me."

"If you have so much time on your hands, go deliver salvation somewhere else. Leave me alone!"

Abbess Purple Bamboo smiled. "Benefactor, if you persist in your obstinacy, do not blame me for being discourteous!"

"For the sake of all living beings, and to save you as well, I can only resort to force."

"Abbess, you keep saying that compassion guides your heart. Since I'm suffering right now, could you first help relieve some of it?" Fang Ling asked solemnly.

At his words, Abbess Purple Bamboo's eyelashes stirred, and she blinked.

Then a strange blue light surfaced over her eyes.

A trace of startled doubt crossed her previously composed face. "A Witch Curse?"

Fang Ling nodded. "This is the Death-Seeking Curse. Anyone afflicted by it suffers torment worse than death."

"Every moment, I endure the agony of my divine soul being torn apart, and that agony will only grow more severe..."

"The Death-Seeking Curse!" Abbess Purple Bamboo's eyes widened. Clearly, she knew of this Witch Curse.

"Amitabha! Yet the root of all this likely lies with you yourself, benefactor."

"The causes planted in the past have borne their fruit today."

"Though you have been cursed and suffer terribly, the soul of the one who cast it has already scattered beyond the heavens..."

"Abbess, you seem to know a great deal about ancient Witch Curses. Could you first save me from this sea of suffering?" Fang Ling asked again.

Abbess Purple Bamboo closed her eyes, seeming somewhat hesitant.

But just then, Fang Ling suddenly struck.

"Sarami Realm!" He unleashed the divine ability, trapping Abbess Purple Bamboo.

The Sarami Realm was not merely useful for killing. It was also exceptional for escaping.

Since he only needed to trap her alone, the barrier he constructed this time was not large, nor did it require much spiritual energy.

It would be enough for him to flee a considerable distance and shake off this nun.

"Abbess, I'll take my leave!" With that, he immediately vanished.

Within the Sarami Realm, Abbess Purple Bamboo stared at the surrounding barrier in shock.

Who exactly is this man? Why does he know a supreme divine ability of our Buddhist tradition?

The Sarami Realm is counted among the ten great Buddhist divine abilities. Cultivated to its deepest level, it can even directly manifest a Buddhist kingdom.

Neither our Pure Heaven Convent nor the Universal Dragon Temple possesses such a divine ability. Where did he learn it?

She quietly steadied her breath and looked up in the direction Fang Ling had disappeared.

Initially, she had only wanted to bring Fang Ling to enlightenment.

But now, she wanted even more to obtain this supreme Buddhist divine ability from him.

Fang Ling forced himself to endure the pain as he darted through the clouds.

"If only I'd brought the Netherworld Beast with me. Riding that fellow would make the journey faster..." he murmured.

"Although Abbess Purple Bamboo's cultivation is far above mine, as long as she's still within the Martial Dao Realm, she can't break through the Sarami Realm!"

"Huh? What's going on?" But an instant later, he was dumbfounded.

"The Sarami Realm is clearly still intact. It hasn't been broken. How did she..."

Abbess Purple Bamboo had caught up, suddenly appearing before him.

She looked at Fang Ling and said mildly, "Amitabha! The version of me you trapped, benefactor, was merely a manifestation of the lotus pedestal."

"I truly never expected you to know a divine ability of our Buddhist tradition, benefactor. Where did you learn it?"