Half a year later, in Dinghui Prefecture of Da Li, outside a small city.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless yellow sand. This place was desolate, with a lone temple nestled in the green mountains.
The courtyard was locked in desolation, and the desolate paths lay empty, covered in moss and dust. The evening sun, as red as blood, cast a fading glow over the sky, filling the air with lancholy.
Three figures appeared at the foot of the mountain. Ti had been rciless, and the place had changed drastically. The Chan Yin Temple had lost its forr vitality, and only two figures remained.
The abbot sat inside, eyes half-closed, his lips tightly sealed, while his senior disciple stood outside the temple, his dull eyes filled with despair.
He held a dim lantern, its flickering light swaying in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any mont.
Chen Xun frowned slightly, having heard many disturbing rumors along the way.
The ten states of Da Li’s Buddhist domain were filled with an unusually strong scent of blood. This seed to be the last place of refuge.
"Moo~" Black Ox let out a low moo, glancing at Chen Xun.
Xiao Chi, perched on Black Ox’s back, kept silent, his eyes darting around. He sensed that Brother Xun wasn’t in the best mood.
They walked slowly, leaving a series of blurred shadows on the mountain path. Even the breeze seed to echo their steps.
Inside the temple, the wind still blew aimlessly, as if uncertain of its direction.
The abbot’s closed eyes slowly opened, now cloudy and lacking clarity, his entire being exuding a sense of decay.
He rose slowly, hands clasped together, and stepped out of the hall with a smile on his face. "Patron, I have disappointed you."
Chen Xun, standing so distance away, replied in a loud voice, "Abbot, it’s been years. You no longer possess the sa vigor as before."
Black Ox and Xiao Chi stood by his side, nodding silently. The abbot seed like a different person, the wisdom once visible in his eyes now gone.
"Hehe, please co in, patron." The abbot smiled, stepping aside with a serene expression. "It has been many years, yet the patron remains as spirited as ever."
Chen Xun laughed heartily and stepped forward, taking a mont to glance at the senior disciple. The latter remained motionless, his head bowed slightly, his cultivation level stuck at the late Golden Core stage.
Inside the main hall.
Chen Xun and the abbot sat facing each other, while Black Ox and Xiao Chi squatted nearby, just as they had done years ago. Their eyes held curiosity—what exactly was the Buddha Core?
"Abbot, we ca this ti with no other intention than to et this legendary talent of the Buddhist sects."
Chen Xun smiled warmly, appearing exceptionally relaxed. "I didn’t expect the abbot to have such courage, challenging the Buddhist Dao heart of the ten states of Da Li, opening a path for the Buddhist cultivators."
He was sowhat shaken. Along the way, he had heard many tales of the abbot’s extraordinary feats.
It was as if he stood against the entire cultivation world, right at the eye of the storm. It was sothing Chen Xun could never imagine doing himself.
"Patron, that is not the case," the abbot sighed and shook his head. "The world knows of my debate with Bodhisattva Qi Ji of the Pure Buddha Sect, but they don’t know the outco."
"Moo~" Black Ox blinked, intrigued by the Buddhist sects. He enjoyed listening to such stories.
"Oh?" Chen Xun was taken aback, montarily unsure of what to say.
"The outco was nothing," the abbot said, his cloudy eyes lost in thought. "Buddhist cultivators suffer deeply. I alone cannot change anything."
He seed to be talking to himself. "The path of becoming a deity through incense and worship exists outside of Da Li, but it has beco stagnant. Many have lost the heart of a cultivator; the path forward is blocked."
This was why so many powerful forces were concerned about whether Buddhism should remain within Da Li.
These Buddhist cultivators were peculiar, existing as a state within a state. They refused to train outside, isolating themselves within their ten domains.
"Incense becoming divinity…" Chen Xun exchanged a look with Black Ox. "Abbot, what does that an?"
"There is no thod in Da Li to cultivate divine sense. If a late Nascent Soul cultivator wishes to ascend to the Deity Transformation stage, they must face the Heavenly Gate, guarding and exploring our cultivation realm."
The abbot’s expression grew somber. "But for Buddhist cultivators, it’s different. The path of incense becoming divinity is a thod to cultivate divine sense, allowing them to reach the Deity Transformation stage."
"That is why Buddhist cultivators in Da Li never cross the Heavenly Gate. They remain confined within their ten states, worshiping the ancient Buddhas and practicing the power of incense."
"I see."
Chen Xun nodded, still sowhat puzzled. "Abbot, if I may, you are an exceptional talent. But for an average cultivator, reaching the Deity Transformation stage would already be a significant achievent."
"Moo~" Black Ox nodded as well. They had co from humble beginnings, with poor cultivation talents. For most people, reaching the Nascent Soul stage was already a blessing.
Their old friends had all fallen due to lack of talent or cultivation breakthroughs. If such a path truly existed, Chen Xun would definitely have urged them to follow it—it was a shortcut, after all.
"You don’t understand, patron. The path of incense becoming divinity can only be cultivated in the late Nascent Soul stage. If one fails, they beco a faceless Buddha statue, losing all consciousness. They call it 'attainnt,' but few succeed."
The abbot’s face grew somber. "Even if one breaks through to the Deity Transformation stage, they beco tainted by the power of incense during the tribulation, bound to the incense forever, unable to leave the range of Buddhist temples."
Cultivators pursued immortality for the endless path ahead, and even if their talents or fortunes were limited, they faced death without regret.
But these Buddhist prodigies were not faltering on the path ahead—they were walking a path with an end in sight, a dead-end contrary to the very essence of cultivation.
"What the—" Chen Xun was shocked. "Isn’t that losing one’s freedom? What’s the point of cultivating then?!"
Black Ox shuddered. If this was the case, what was the aning of life? Both he and his brother might prefer ending things themselves.
Xiao Chi, however, seed to have an epiphany, thinking it was quite good—safe, and ensuring a natural lifespan.
"And this thod has already taken root in the minds of these talented Buddhist cultivators. Their path has an end in sight, and as a fellow Buddhist, I cannot bear it."
The abbot’s serene expression grew sharp. "The path of Buddhism in Da Li is fundantally flawed. The path of incense becoming divinity is a dead-end. I don’t want to see these cultivators go further down this mistaken road."
"I have never cared about my own cultivation level, nor whether I can break through to gain a longer lifespan."
The abbot’s emotions were uncharacteristically intense, his eyes reflecting worry for the Buddhist sects of Da Li and sorrow for the fate of its cultivators. "Patron, do you understand?"
Chen Xun was taken aback. It was the first ti he had seen the abbot so agitated; the man had always been composed.
But then, Black Ox, with wide eyes, let out a sudden cry:
"Moo?"
"Hmm?"
Chen Xun and Black Ox furrowed their brows deeply. This conversation felt strangely familiar...
Xiao Chi looked at his two brothers in confusion. Sothing didn’t feel right.
"According to what you’re saying, this isn’t your heart’s true conviction," Chen Xun said, his expression becoming calm again. "It seems the abbot’s inner resolve is beyond what I imagined."
"Patron, the path lies beyond... at the Celestial River’s edge."
"Moo!!" Black Ox cried out in alarm.
Chen Xun’s eyes narrowed as he slowly stood up. "Abbot, I know of this path. Does it have to do with the ancient war? The Forbidden Sea’s lingering spirits are still fighting—what is this corrupted lifespan?"
Based on the information they had gathered, the abbot’s background was astonishing—so much so that even the Buddhist cultivators and Deity Transformation bodhisattvas across the ten states dared not act against him!
Xiao Chi felt a deep sense of dread; he sensed they were about to uncover a monuntal secret.
Silence.
As Chen Xun asked his question, the hall fell eerily quiet. Even the sound of breathing disappeared.
The abbot’s cloudy eyes began to change, and his robes billowed as his aura grew increasingly cold.
Chen Xun kept his gaze fixed on the abbot. These questions had been in his heart for a long ti, and they were closely tied to their future.
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