Chapter 1541: Blue Hair (4k)

Mortal Realm

The esteemed monks exchanged glances, their expressions turning cold.

As the debate progressed, their perception of Moonlight Bodhisattva had changed. This individual truly lived up to their reputation, possessing a profound and insightful understanding of Buddhist scriptures, offering lofty insights, and capable of forming coherent arguments.

They were prepared to lose the debate and respectfully hand over the scriptures. Having lost, they would no longer be qualified to strip the opponent of the 'Bodhisattva' title.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed!

"Is this your true objective?" Venerable Cheng Zhen stared at Moonlight Bodhisattva, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

Upon learning of the temple incident, their first reaction was to suspect Moonlight Bodhisattva's conspiracy. Moonlight Bodhisattva emerged from the depths of the Western Desert, mysterious in origin, and after gaining renown in Mount Xuelian and the Three Thousand Buddhist Kingdoms, gradually approached the Vast Ocean. The world watched with anticipation.

Throughout this process, Moonlight Bodhisattva sought out enlightened monks for debates, with a pure and unwavering purpose: their only condition was that the losing party hand over the precious scriptures from their monastic libraries. There had never been any malicious intent. Although Moonlight Bodhisattva had caused the Buddhist sect to lose face, their wariness towards him had paradoxically decreased. It was precisely for this reason that Zhulan Temple dispatched two venerable ones and masters from other temples to witness the extent of Moonlight Bodhisattva's abilities.

In the cultivation world, conspiracies spanning hundreds of years were not uncommon. Moonlight Bodhisattva's patient planning, drawing them out of the temple, was entirely plausible. Until today, his true intentions were revealed!

Moonlight Bodhisattva's origins were mysterious. The intruders who had infiltrated Zhulan Temple were also mysterious masters of unknown origin. Such numerous coincidences made it difficult not to be suspicious.

In the blink of an eye, the jade pendant at Venerable Guan Hui's waist also shattered, and the temple disciples finally had time to activate the communication array, sending a brief message. This message made the two venerable ones gasp in shock. In a short time, the temple's most precious treasures had been stolen, its protective spirit formation breached, and Venerable Cheng Yuan, despite using a twin-injury secret technique, was unable to stop the intruders.

"Crack!" A vein throbbed on Venerable Cheng Zhen's forehead as he crushed his prayer beads, wood splinters rustling from between his fingers.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The monks' figures flickered in quick succession, surrounding Moonlight Bodhisattva completely. The younger monks, who had been dazed by the debate, had long disliked Moonlight Bodhisattva. Upon receiving the signal, their spirits lifted, and they swiftly formed a battle array. Better to make a mistake by killing than to let an enemy escape!

It was too late to return to Zhulan Temple now. If Moonlight Bodhisattva was the mastermind, capturing him offered a chance to turn the tables.

Moonlight Bodhisattva sensed the anomaly, his laughter ceased, and the head beneath his straw hat subtly tilted upward. With Moonlight Bodhisattva's intellect, even without knowing the full details, he could infer the cause from Venerable Cheng Zhen's tone and the monks' behavior.

"A bunch of fools!" Surrounded by the monks, Moonlight Bodhisattva showed no fear, uttering words of mockery. Despite being so close, Moonlight Bodhisattva's voice still had an ethereal quality, making it impossible to distinguish gender, which aligned with the legend of bodhisattvas transcending male and female forms, manifesting in myriad ways.

"You arrogant demon, surrender now!" Venerable Cheng Zhen roared in extreme anger. He first labeled Moonlight Bodhisattva as a malevolent demon with ulterior motives.

"Surrender, demon!" The monks, with lowered gazes, chanted in unison. Their voices roared like lions, creating a grim atmosphere imbued with soul-shaking power.

In an instant, the monks moved in unison with extreme speed, like phantoms or lightning flashes; the naked eye could no longer distinguish whether there was one monk or a multitude beneath the Bodhi tree. Only Moonlight Bodhisattva remained, solitary and trapped within the airtight encirclement, with no escape.

The next moment, an astonishing scene unfolded: Moonlight Bodhisattva remained seated, yet without any discernible movement, suddenly vanished. He disappeared into thin air, right in the middle of the formation formed by the monks. Venerable Cheng Zhen knew that Moonlight Bodhisattva surely possessed means of escape and had prepared various divine powers and treasures to prevent him from fleeing, yet none of them were used. He couldn't perceive by what means Moonlight Bodhisattva had escaped.

"Overestimating yourselves! Do you truly think a few of you can keep this Bodhisattva here?" A mocking shout echoed through the void, reaching the monks' ears.

The venerable ones reacted swiftly, soaring into the sky and dispersing in all directions, but saw only a cloudless sky and endless yellow sand; Moonlight Bodhisattva had long since vanished. They looked at each other, their faces filled with helplessness. After a futile search, they could only lead the monks back to the temple in dejection.

After the monks had departed, Moonlight Bodhisattva emerged from the shadow of the Bodhi tree, gazing in the direction of the Vast Ocean Seven Stars. A displeased hum emanated from beneath the straw hat. "Dare to use this Bodhisattva as a pawn and ruin my plans? Be careful not to let me catch you!"

Before the words finished, Moonlight Bodhisattva stepped into the sand sea, secretly following the monks towards the Vast Ocean Seven Stars, his steps seemingly slow but actually swift, vanishing among the dunes in an instant.

Zhulan Temple.

Qin Sang and Liu Li finally burst out of the temple's protective spirit formation, no longer restricted as before, and no longer worried about being trapped like a turtle in a jar. Their gaze quickly swept around. Besides Venerable Kong Yu, there were several light spots in the distance, flying towards them; Nascent Soul Venerables from other temples were also arriving soon.

"Go!" Qin Sang whispered.

Liu Li nodded, and with a wave of her jade hand, retrieved the Four-Mounted Tengshe Seal. Disregarding everything else, her figure plummeted, and in a few blinks, she merged into the vast crowd, disappearing among the city's buildings. This was Qin Sang and Liu Li's pre-arranged plan. Liu Li was not skilled in evasion techniques, and wielding spirit treasures consumed a great deal of energy, so Qin Sang naturally took the rear.

Of course, before escaping, Liu Li didn't forget to unleash the remaining power of the Tengshe Seal, sending it lunging towards Venerable Kong Yu. Seeing the might of the spirit treasure, Venerable Kong Yu was inwardly terrified, but his reaction was swift. He inverted the alms bowl in his hand, holding it upside down to protect himself, and retreated repeatedly.

Venerable Kong Yu was not without means of retaliation. In his other hand, he secretly held a pair of iron shackles. His sleeve trembled slightly as he was about to throw them at Liu Li, but then he suddenly heard Venerable Cheng Yuan's urgent call and quickly redirected them towards Qin Sang. The iron shackles appeared extremely heavy. With a "clang," they split into two halves, and between the two pieces, chains formed from light possessed powerful binding force. They struck at Qin Sang with the force of thunder. Judging by the momentum, it was clear they intended to smash Qin Sang into a pulp rather than capture him.

Unfortunately, the external avatar had been keeping a close watch on Venerable Kong Yu. As soon as the iron shackles were unleashed, the Golden Sinking Sword whistled in, forcing Venerable Kong Yu to retreat again and preventing him from posing any further threat to Qin Sang. At the same time, a dazzling blue light erupted in the void between Qin Sang and Venerable Kong Yu, forming a thick ice wall.

"Boom!" A large hole was forcefully smashed through the ice wall, sending ice shards flying. The iron shackles were incredibly powerful, yet they were hindered, and the "chains" in the middle swung much more sluggishly, significantly weakening their binding force.

Qin Sang's escape light shifted, easily breaking free from the shackles' lock. Then, he felt a strong gust of wind from behind, knowing that Venerable Cheng Yuan had caught up. "Whoosh!" The demonic flames converged, transforming into a fiery dragon, and clashed directly with the precepts saber. Without the saber intent's enhancement, the precepts saber's power was greatly diminished and could not break through the demonic flames.

The external avatar forced Venerable Kong Yu back, then retrieved its sword. The second Nascent Soul merged back into the main body, and the physical body disappeared into the Corpse Puppet Bag. Qin Sang let out a hearty laugh and flew away. The two venerable ones pursued for a while, but alas, their speed was inferior, and they could only watch helplessly as Qin Sang escaped. By this time, other reinforcements arrived, but it was already useless.

Deep in the barren desert, far from any oasis, on an inconspicuous stretch of Gobi Desert, several rocky peaks merged to form a modest mountain range, traversing the landscape. The mountains were barren, devoid of any greenery, perfectly blending with the desert. The only signs of life were perhaps a few scattered Bodhi trees on the Gobi, their leaves yellowing and falling in late autumn, creating a desolate scene.

After shaking off the pursuers, Qin Sang flew directly to this location without stopping. Here was a hidden cave dwelling they had previously established, where they had agreed to meet. Shortly after he settled, a figure appeared in the desert: it was Liu Li. They looked at each other, both unharmed, and exchanged relieved smiles.

Qin Sang's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "The sarira has changed; I must refine it now..."

Liu Li nodded. "I'll stand guard."

They sealed the cave dwelling. Qin Sang sat cross-legged, finally having time to carefully examine the sarira. The power within it was almost impossible to suppress. He opened his palm, and the sarira shone brilliantly, forming rings of multicolored halos, truly like Buddha's light, illuminating the cave. The halos pulsed, as if breathing. Qin Sang gazed for a moment, then slightly closed his eyes, cautiously activating his divine sense to perceive the energy within the sarira.

Upon contact, Qin Sang's brows furrowed. What he sensed was not just chaotic energy, but also some indescribable, jumbled thoughts, as if he had entered the mind of a madman, filled with demonic thoughts. After a moment of hesitation, Qin Sang cautiously released his control, and a surge of energy frantically poured into his body. Immediately, Qin Sang felt a tearing pain from his nascent soul. Not only that, but he also experienced auditory hallucinations, as the lingering demonic thoughts continuously assaulted his primordial spirit.

These demonic thoughts naturally couldn't affect Qin Sang; he focused on stabilizing his nascent soul, feeling waves of pain surge through him. This sensation was somewhat similar to being in the Body Cleansing Pond, yet entirely different. Only the nascent soul was enduring the impact, while the physical body and meridians remained unaffected. The Body Cleansing Pond enhanced the talent for absorbing spiritual energy; to use a metaphor, it improved the structure of the nascent soul. Now, after the nascent soul integrated with this energy, it became more solidified than before, refined through pain, reminding Qin Sang of the Bodhi anointing described in Buddhist scriptures. This state clearly offered immense benefits for future breakthroughs.

At this point, Qin Sang roughly understood the full story. This energy, originating from the exotic treasure, was both an opportunity and a danger. Furthermore, it must have been even more turbulent initially than it was now. Venerable Hong Yi, in attempting to break through with this treasure, couldn't withstand the dual impact on his nascent soul and primordial spirit, and perished on the spot. In his dying moments, Venerable Hong Yi, by unknown means, integrated his essence into the exotic treasure, leaving a legacy for future generations. Unfortunately, he was unable to leave any information, causing the precious orb to gather dust.

Because of this change, with Venerable Hong Yi's 'seal' acting as a buffer, Xiaoxiangzi had judged that the risk of refining the sarira for future generations would be greatly reduced. However, the 'seal' had been eroded by time, and now that the sarira was on the verge of collapse, it had become dangerous again. Of course, it couldn't be compared to its initial state, as they could provide some guidance before the 'seal' completely vanished.

"Quickly seal the cave and let's refine this treasure together," Qin Sang called out, then quickly refocused on stabilizing his nascent soul.

Liu Li was slightly stunned, and after confirming there was nothing unusual outside the cave, she sat cross-legged before Qin Sang, raising her jade hand to touch the sarira. As their divine senses connected, Liu Li immediately understood the situation. Following Qin Sang's guidance, she took over a portion of the seal and guided a surge of energy into her body. The next moment, Liu Li groaned, her body trembling. She lacked the protection of a jade Buddha and hadn't undergone the baptism of the Body Cleansing Pond like Qin Sang. Facing a dual impact, she nearly collapsed from the intense pain but managed to endure it with her powerful will.

Inside the cave, Qin Sang and Liu Li sat with their palms touching, enveloped by the halos of light, appearing serene and peaceful. In reality, their bodies were constantly enduring a tempestuous onslaught.

After an incense stick's time, Liu Li reached her limit first and abruptly withdrew her hand. After slightly calming her rapid breathing, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze somewhat bewildered, still not fully recovering from the sarira's influence. The demonic thoughts remaining in the sarira were not entirely madness; there were also bits of information and fragments that flooded into their minds. They seemed to transform into another person, nearly immersing themselves in that other's world. Fortunately, these pieces of information were disjointed, allowing Liu Li to maintain her sense of self. Most of it was useless, but some information held significant value. Liu Li's bewilderment stemmed precisely from this.

Gradually, Liu Li's eyes regained clarity. Her gaze swept over Qin Sang, seeing that he was still refining the remaining energy of the sarira, showing no signs of weakness for the time being. Her eyelids trembled slightly as Liu Li slowly closed her eyes, remaining in the cave. Should Qin Sang encounter any mishap, she could offer timely assistance.

Before long, the sarira's light gradually faded, its energy finally depleted. Qin Sang awoke from his meditation, letting out a long sigh. Just as he awoke, the information gained from the demonic thoughts surged into his mind like a tide. Qin Sang looked at Liu Li, a complicated expression in his eyes, and silently sighed. He then got up and went to another cave dwelling to meditate.

Suffering! Accumulation! Cessation! Path!

Four golden characters shone brightly in Liu Li's mind, seemingly containing infinite information, profoundly awakening her. While refining the sarira, they unexpectedly obtained a secret art that severed worldly attachments and cut off emotions with the Sword of Wisdom. What she valued was not how powerful this secret art was. To rid herself of the evil cultivation mark, Liu Li had successively used the Silver Needle to Lock Emotion and the Ice Soul to Seal Emotion techniques. For various reasons, they had all failed. She had once listened to Moonlight Bodhisattva debate with the monks at Mount Jiujia, gaining a deeper understanding of Buddhist principles. At that time, she was inspired to seek a way to resolve her predicament through Buddhism. She hadn't expected to obtain it so quickly.

However, to cultivate this method, one must enter the monastic life, sever all worldly ties, and purify the six senses to achieve success.

Liu Li opened her eyes at some point, a slight ripple appearing in her clear pupils. Before the Holy Land opened, although she had several interactions with Qin Sang, she didn't truly understand him, and most of what she knew about his deeds was hearsay. It wasn't until the Battle of the Holy Land that she fought almost entirely alongside Qin Sang. Against the formidable enemy Yin Changsheng, he unleashed numerous divine abilities, exerted his full strength, and never gave up. It was just like when he was trapped in the desperate situation by the Earl of Dongyang's schemes back then, fighting for every inch. When facing a host of demons, including two great cultivators, he brought her into the dragon's den and suppressed them all, displaying unparalleled courage. He never missed any opportunity, even traveling far to Central State to seek elusive opportunities. This kind of devotion to the Dao was something she deeply resonated with. And also, even though he could have easily gained a Nascent Soul stage servant, he maintained his integrity, minimizing his influence on her. The persistence and tenderness of carrying someone for thousands of miles, searching for a life-saving method.

But... when all these impressions of Qin Sang were overshadowed by the evil cultivation mark, they seemed to dim. The terrifying sensation when the mark was fully released, like a nightmare, caused Liu Li to tremble all over whenever she recalled it in her dreams.

Was it real? Or an illusion?

The restriction was triggered. Qin Sang awoke from his meditation, seemingly sensing something. His movements were a little slow as he gently pushed open the stone door. Liu Li stood outside, holding the Four-Mounted Tengshe Seal and a jade slip in her palm.

"Inside is the complete 'Universal Treasure Art'," Liu Li said softly.

Qin Sang gazed into Liu Li's eyes, taking the treasures with both hands. Although he understood what choice she would make given her resolve, he couldn't help but ask, "You've decided?"

Liu Li nodded. "Once I get news of the Ghost Mother, I'll send a message to Six States Hall."

Qin Sang opened his mouth, but a thousand words condensed into a single "Thank you."

Liu Li softly raised her eyes, letting her gaze linger on Qin Sang's face. "Fellow Daoist Qin, until we meet again!"

With that, Liu Li pressed her palms together, turned, and descended the mountain, stepping away with firm strides to seek her own path. The setting sun dipped, casting golden rays everywhere, and the sky was filled with golden evening clouds. She removed her cloak, having already changed into black robes and straw sandals.

The Sword of Wisdom severs the threads of emotion! Three thousand strands of black hair fell, and with every step, lotuses seemed to bloom. The radiant sunset glow fell upon her, like the universal illumination of Buddhist light, as if she had entered a pure land of enlightenment.

Qin Sang saw her off from the cave, leaning against the Bodhi tree, gazing silently at Liu Li's retreating back for a long time. Suddenly, a feeling came over him. He gently raised his right hand, and a strand of black hair, carrying a faint fragrance, drifted into his palm, coiling around his fingertip, dancing gently in the wind.

Standing there for a long time, Qin Sang released his fingers. The black hair, along with the scattered withered leaves, was swept into the boundless desert wind. Like a dancing butterfly's shadow, fluttering and dancing, drifting further and further away.

(End of Volume Four!)

1. Volume Five, "Carefree Journey," coming soon.2. I owe too many chapters and feel bad resting too much. I'll take a day off to sort out the outline.3. This volume was very difficult to write. Regardless of quality, at least I fully expressed what I wanted to write. As for their future, please wait as I slowly narrate it. The next volume will tie up previous clues and foreshadowing, and set the stage for what's to come. It will likely be even harder to write, so I can't promise extra updates, a warning in advance.

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