Chapter 1077: Goodbye An Miaoyi

## Chapter 1078: Reunited with An Miaoyi

A cauldron floated in the void, formed by the convergence of faith. Wisps of spiritual power flew in from all directions, entering the cauldron and causing it to seethe.

Forging the body in the human world and tempering the heart in the mortal realm can ultimately be undone by the burning of karma fire, potentially turning one into ash, rendering all previous efforts futile and lost forever. This was a common understanding among powerful cultivators.

Ye Fan's forehead bone was like a mirror, reflecting divine light. His skin, like that of a god, subtly moved, absorbing the fiery glow and refining his flesh and blood. His joints shifted, and his internal organs vibrated rhythmically. He was undergoing a thousand refinements, forging his own being and tempering his bones and muscles.

This was a human world cauldron, gathering mortal thoughts and transforming them into endless karma fire. It was calcining Ye Fan's body and primordial spirit. Both the cauldron and his physical body shone with crystal brilliance. The words 'furnace' and 'cauldron' are often linked, carrying a special significance.

Heaven and earth act as a bronze furnace, melting down all beings. Every individual within this cosmos undergoes refinement, eventually turning to ash. The mortal world is the fire, and spiritual power casts the cauldron. The human world cauldron formed now can also be called a furnace, burning the body to forge the Dao. Its intensity is hundreds, even thousands of times greater than the cosmic bronze furnace, making it a severe trial for cultivators. Refining the body in the cosmic bronze furnace and tempering the Dao in the great human world cauldron are experiences that many powerful cultivators must undergo in their later stages. Like true gold refined by fierce fire, those who endure shine brightly, while those who fail become ashes of calamity. Ye Fan had not yet reached that stage, but he was experiencing it ahead of time. His reliance, naturally, was on the essence of the Human Saint Body, which allowed him to survive such a tribulation.

Treasured light shimmered, and spiritual power within the cauldron boiled. Faith power transformed into glimmering light, as if steaming and enveloping him, his entire body being hammered and refined. Inside Lantuosi, the monks chanted scriptures, each appearing solemn and dignified. Their chants were unceasing, growing louder and reverberating through the mountains.

Ye Fan was fearless of the karma fire. His joints shifted with a continuous crackling sound, like popping beans. His internal organs vibrated, his whole body resonating with deafening sounds. Through the previous battle, he had gained profound insights and solidified his path. His mind was clear and empty, and a small golden figure sat cross-legged before his glabella, enduring the karma fire's scorching just like his physical body. This was no less than a Saint Body Tribulation, tempering his being, refining his bones, muscles, and primordial spirit. He remained calm and unmoving, enduring the ordeal.

Ye Fan's golden primordial spirit and fetal bones were simultaneously tempered. His cultivation progressed, and the various profound techniques within his mind reached a state of perfection. Over the years, his cultivation progress had been remarkably fast compared to others. Now, undergoing the baptism and tempering of karma fire, his foundation was consolidated. Generally, this was something only considered after achieving sainthood. Now, experiencing it in advance, his Dao foundation would henceforth be indestructible.

"Crack!"

For two full hours, Ye Fan's bones shifted back and forth. During this process, his body shortened by an inch. Subsequently, the essence from all directions, filtered by the karma fire, flowed into his body, further refining his fetal bones. His facial bones moved, and his flesh and blood were tempered. At his current stage of cultivation, it was extremely difficult to undergo a complete transformation unless an immortal medicine was found. The fact that he could achieve such a transformation of his fetal bones this time was truly defying the heavens.

"I might stand on the seventh small step at any time," Ye Fan murmured to himself. Originally, it took him ten years to reach the sixth small step of Dao Severing, and every half-step forward after that was incredibly difficult. Now, being tempered by the purest Buddhist spiritual power, he unexpectedly found a breakthrough.

Old Monk Ku Ci chanted 'Amitabha,' and the other monks found it unbelievable as they chanted scriptures. Who dared to trespass into Lantuosi? Even a Half-Saint entering would suffer greatly. With so much faith power, no one could oppose them. Yet, the Human Saint Body was able to withstand the karma fire and use it for body refinement.

The process lasted a total of three hours. Ye Fan emerged from the human world cauldron, full of vigor, his body radiating a soft glow, and his flesh and blood robust and powerful. Ye Fan felt his physical body was like an eternal divine furnace, carrying his primordial spirit. His vital energy surged, and his power reached an extreme. With every movement, he felt extraordinarily powerful. His Six Paths Reincarnation Fist surpassed its previous limits, and various profound techniques ascended, as if breaking through certain restraints. With an invincible belief in his heart and such a body, he longed to fight ancient princes like Huo Qilin and Huang Xudao to test his Dao fruit. Karma fire could barely harm his true form!

All the monks had to sigh in admiration. The power of the Human Saint Body was immeasurable and defied common sense. The human world cauldron dissipated, transforming back into a vast sea of spiritual power that shone brilliantly, enveloping the area above Lantuosi.

"Please, Divine Monk, open the stone pagoda and release Miaoyi," Ye Fan said peacefully.

Ku Ci nodded, keeping his word. "The myriad races are rising, and an age of chaos is upon us. The path to immortality will also open, and there might be shocking changes. I did not wish to confine you with a Sage's formation, especially since you are the Human Saint Body."

Ye Fan nodded, expressing his gratitude. However, he didn't truly believe he could be confined. He possessed unused saint artifacts and the 'Line' Secret Art to break formations, so confining him wouldn't necessarily succeed.

The nine-story stone pagoda was not grand or imposing, but its ancient simplicity subtly gave the illusion that the nine layers of high heavens had been condensed there, suppressing everything within Lantuosi. Ku Ci made no secret of it, stating that it was a holy artifact left by a Great Sage, unshaken for tens of thousands of years, and had suppressed this place since ancient times. Ye Fan nodded; even his Six Paths Reincarnation Fist couldn't shake it in the slightest, which showed how sturdy the pagoda was.

"We also bear no ill will. Confining her for a hundred years might not be a misfortune. If she gains something here, achieving the Bodhisattva rank is not impossible," Ku Ci added.

Ku Ci chanted an incantation, and the nine-story stone pagoda rumbled. Its tightly shut stone door emitted myriad Buddhist lights before swinging open with a resounding boom, unleashing surging Buddhist power. The stone pagoda was silent; no one emerged. Ye Fan paused, then extended his divine sense to look inside. Ku Ci showed slight surprise, then nodded.

Inside the fourth level of the stone pagoda, a woman sat cross-legged, a green lamp beside an ancient Buddha statue. She was motionless, in a deep state of meditation, comprehending the profound principles of Buddhist Zen. The stone pagoda's interior was very simple, almost bare. An Miaoyi was transcendent and serene, having shed all worldly splendor, like a lotus growing unseen in a stone chamber. In the past, she was peerlessly beautiful, one of the most stunning women in the world, exceptionally graceful. Now, she was so tranquil, stripped of all mortal glamour, her aura introverted. A green lamp flickered. She remained serene and silent, not uttering a sound, sitting cross-legged on a futon... beside a compassionate stone Buddha.

"Miaoyi!" Ye Fan called out.

After fourteen years, An Miaoyi appeared even more otherworldly, somewhat thinner, her beautiful eyes closed, motionless, as if she had attained nirvana there. That green lamp... was precisely the one he had given An Miaoyi... now its divine essence had revived, making it a rare Dao artifact. Lantuosi was quite open-minded; they hadn't confiscated the lamp. Instead, they had confined her here to help her transform 'devil' into 'Buddha'... overall, it seemed they genuinely wished to help her achieve her potential. Disputes over Buddhist doctrines were frequent and sometimes very sharp. Who could truly define what constituted orthodoxy?

"Rare indeed. For her to enter such a deep state of the Bodhisattva Realm at this age, she is truly a celestial blossom," Ku Ci the Arhat nodded.

"Miaoyi!" Ye Fan called out again.

"This is a spiritual nirvana, a transcendence of self. To become a Bodhisattva, one must pass this stage. It's hard to say when she will awaken," Ku Ci explained. His face showed a hint of sorrow... delving into Buddhist meditation and enlightenment was far from as easy as imagined. Divine monks often attained nirvana in their secluded meditation retreats. Buddhism, with its vast and profound doctrines, is like a boundless ocean. Yet, to achieve anything significant is extremely difficult... in certain specific realms, cultivation is very challenging. To put it nicely, it's nirvana; in reality, it means attaining nirvana by failing to achieve enlightenment and dying in cultivation. Throughout history, even saint monks, as powerful as true saints, often met such an end: attaining nirvana alone in a sealed stone chamber, passing away silently and without a trace.

Ye Fan waited there for a full half-month, but An Miaoyi remained motionless... her face thinner, seemingly merging with the dust, as if she were about to dissolve into the Dao. Even the green lamp before her dimmed... its wick's flame about to extinguish.

"Miaoyi, she'll be alright, won't she?"

"This... journeying into the Bodhisattva Realm is the most perilous... it concerns the future Dao fruit. Anything can happen. Many astonishing Buddhist disciples, upon whom great hopes were placed, including future successors of Mount Meru, have famously attained nirvana in this realm," Ku Ci frowned.

"So... she might be in great danger?" Ye Fan asked.

"Buddhist Dharma is boundless and its power immeasurable, but its cultivation involves many perils. In the past, some who were believed to be reincarnations of ancient Buddhas have also attained nirvana midway," Ku Ci answered indirectly.

Ye Fan frowned, and after waiting another half-month, he noticed An Miaoyi's aura had weakened considerably. The green lamp flickered unsteadily, and her peerless beauty grew even thinner, as if she were about to detach from the mortal world.

"No, this won't do. I must pull her back. What Bodhisattva Realm, what Ancient Buddha Heaven? Tell me how to enter?!" Ye Fan felt he couldn't wait any longer; he was extremely worried.

"You do not cultivate Buddhist Dharma. Even if I told you, it would be impossible for you to enter the Bodhisattva Realm, and there would be no way to retrieve her primordial spirit," Ku Ci shook his head.

Ye Fan paced anxiously.

"Benefactor, it would be best to learn to let go," Ku Ci sighed softly.

"Why should I let go?" Ye Fan asked.

"Her heart is devoted to Buddha. Before entering Lantuosi, she smiled calmly and let go of everything in the mortal world. Even if you enter the Bodhisattva Realm, you might not be able to bring her back."

Ye Fan remained silent.

Over a dozen days later, An Miaoyi became even thinner and more ethereal. In the stone chamber, she seemed to lose all vitality, facing the danger of perishing in desolate meditation.

"Miaoyi, wake up!" Ye Fan, worried, called out softly, yet An Miaoyi seemed to be drifting away from the mortal world, unable to awaken.

Ye Fan was determined to journey into the Bodhisattva Realm!

"Who says I don't understand Buddhist Dharma? Haven't I countered divine monks with the Om character heavenly sound before?" He insisted on journeying into the Bodhisattva domain to bring An Miaoyi back.

Ku Ci was startled and said, "Alright, you may try, but if you fail, please return immediately, or your spirit might perish, leaving only an empty shell."

Ye Fan roared the Om character heavenly sound, envisioning the universe's dawn, the beginning of heaven and earth, the birth of all things. He intended to forcefully enter the mysterious spiritual domain of the Bodhisattvas. Behind him, a tall figure appeared, radiating divine light, yet it was not a Buddha statue, leaving Ku Ci and the other old monks speechless.

"When others use the Om character heavenly sound, a Buddha appears behind them, representing reverence and obedience. But behind him, it's himself."

"Is he too self-centered, or does he disrespect heaven and earth, with only his own Dao in his heart?"

Even the old monks couldn't help but inwardly grumble. Such a Dao was too dominant, and the path to immortality he was about to embark on was destined to be overbearing, likely incurring divine retribution in the future. The cosmic heavenly sound resonated with the Buddha, and the figure behind Ye Fan resembled a demon god, with sharp eyes and wild black hair. He then forcefully tore open a spiritual domain and stepped inside. This was a special spiritual domain of Buddhism, difficult for outsiders to enter. Only divine monks who had achieved enlightenment could journey into it with their spirits.

As soon as Ye Fan entered, he felt a sense of sanctity and peace. Some divine monks, Arhats, and others sat cross-legged on stone cliffs, while others walked through ancient temples in deep mountains. All the figures were blurry, yet they felt very real, and ceaseless Zen chants drifted serenely. Ye Fan passed by ancient temples, traversed an ancient battlefield, searching for An Miaoyi in this spiritual domain. Soon, he saw a group of monks sitting on the ground, chanting scriptures.

Ahead, there were great Buddha imprints, requiring prostration. Ye Fan's arrival seemed out of place. He only chanted his own true name, not the Buddha's title, showing no reverence for anything here.

"Who dares to intrude upon this Pure Land, profane the Bodhisattva Realm, and refuse to bow to the Bodhisattvas of all heavens, disrespecting the ancient Buddhas?"

"Why should I bow?" Ye Fan retorted. "Buddha himself said that everyone possesses Buddha-nature, and anyone can become a Buddha. Respecting oneself is enough. A true Buddha needs no one's worship."

"Are you questioning the divine, saying that the predecessors were false Buddhas?" a majestic voice descended from high above, accompanied by immense pressure.

Ye Fan said nothing, directly unleashing a punch upwards. He began to chant his own 'scriptures,' intending to convert the imprints of various Bodhisattvas and divine monks here.

"Who is this person? He doesn't bow to Bodhisattvas, doesn't revere Buddhas, and only reveres himself?" The divine senses of several Arhats simultaneously swept over him.