As the final scene faded, Nan Yan felt as if she had fallen into an endless sea of ice. No matter how she reached out, she couldn’t grasp that desperate remnant of an image.
She knew that at this moment, Nan Rao shouldn’t have died yet. However, with the Vermilion Emperor’s demon heart tied to all her life force, losing it meant that even the life-sustaining phoenix feather could only be a temporary measure.
“This heart has been tested. You may leave now,” the ancient voice of the Heavenly Dao Stele seemed unusually lenient, reminding her after the second heart-questioning lightning strike.
She knew that if she stayed longer, the third strike would fall on her. Even Nan Rao had been unconscious for quite some time after enduring this lightning. Facing it with just Nascent Soul cultivation risked the destruction of her soul.
Yet, the light patterns on the Reverse Cycle Mirror in her palm were still active. If she retreated now, she might never know what happened to Nan Rao after falling into the depths of Huigu.
Purple heart-questioning lightning gradually coalesced in the darkness above her head. Each thunderclap made her tremble like a leaf in the wind. As the purple lightning expanded, all the elemental energy around her was frantically drawn into her palm.
A fragmented scene appeared before her left eye.
Just a little longer…
As the lightning in the sky transformed into an unknown thunder beast, its steel-like claws forming in an instant, Nan Yan steeled her resolve.
“I’ll accept heaven’s punishment. Come!”
She closed her eyes. As the thunder beast roared, a bolt of purple lightning streaked down. Strangely, she felt no pain. Puzzled, she looked back to hear the Heavenly Dao Stele’s cold voice:
“…The Way of Heaven has its laws, to eradicate all evil.”
Behind her, amidst churning clouds, Ji Yang’s semi-transparent figure appeared. The thunder beast’s attack fell entirely on him, destabilizing his form.
Lightning had always been effective against ghostly and evil entities.
“I knew you wouldn’t think of me first when facing danger,” Ji Yang’s apparition waved at her as she was about to stand up in shock. “If I couldn’t withstand mere lightning, how could I rescue you from others’ schemes? You’ve pursued this for years; don’t give up now. This ghost form that Yin Ya helped me create won’t last long. Continue.”
“Alright.”
Nan Yan hesitated only for a moment. Before immersing her consciousness in the Reverse Cycle Mirror, she bit her fingertip to draw three drops of essence blood, forcefully erecting a wall of Buddhist scripture behind her to shield Ji Yang. Then, closing her eyes, she shut out everything else.
The lightning struck the scripture wall. Though it couldn’t block everything, Ji Yang no longer felt pain. He lightly touched the wall, feeling a cold, murderous intent. He knew her Buddhist techniques were of two kinds: one gleaming with golden light, learned from the orthodox Buddhism of Qioushan Academy; the other blood-red, a killing technique born from her own heart’s understanding.
The Seven Buddhas’ Karma Scripture didn’t follow conventional precepts. Its creator had devised it to protect someone, and she practiced it for the same reason.
Knowing she couldn’t hear him, Ji Yang still whispered with a mix of secret joy and bitter smile: “Using a Buddha’s body to protect evil, with a Buddha’s heart that’s not righteous. You…”
…
Over thirty years ago, in Huigu.
Nan Rao awoke by a blood-red river. As the chaos in her mind settled, she opened her bloodshot eyes.
“Ying… Ze… Wei…”
Just uttering this name brought blood to her lips.
The last life-sustaining phoenix feather had kept her barely alive, but with the Vermilion Emperor’s demon heart linked to her life force now gone, she probably wouldn’t survive more than a year or two.
How pathetic.
As her senses returned, Nan Rao tried to stand but found her back, which should have had a hole, was now intact. She was also wearing a plain white monk’s robe.
Her spiritual sense was still in turmoil, unable to even perform a basic internal inspection. She sat on a stone by the river, staring at the robe for a long time before finally adjusting it and standing to walk along the blood river.
As she moved, she felt the wound in her heart healing unusually fast. Confused, she glanced at the river beside her and realized it wasn’t water flowing, but countless souls.
Birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, separation—all of life’s joys and sorrows were here. She quickly realized this was a branch of the Yellow Springs.
The Yellow Springs seemed endless. Just as Nan Rao thought she might lose her way, she heard a gentle Buddhist chant in the distance:
“First, the body does not tire,
Second, memories are not forgotten,
Third, the heart does not slack,
Fourth, the voice does not falter,
Fifth, the heavens rejoice.”
The voice seemed to guide her, so Nan Rao quickened her pace. As she passed through a blood-red mist, she realized she wasn’t the only audience.
Countless terrifying yin curses, like the most devout Buddhist disciples, bowed their heads around a withered Bodhi tree. They listened reverently to the Buddhist practitioner chanting sutras beneath the tree. Occasionally, a yin curse would lose its ferocious nature, its body emitting golden light as it entered the blood-colored Yellow Springs to be reincarnated.
Nan Rao felt a warmth flow from her heart. Unwilling to approach, she listened silently for a long time, the hatred and anger in her heart temporarily subsiding.
Ying Zewei was different from ordinary enemies. Anger meant defeat, and defeat meant becoming just another piece in his chess game.
She repeated this to herself several times, her gaze gradually becoming calm. As if dawn was breaking, the first ray of morning light fell on Ji Ming’s eyelashes. The yin curses slowly flew towards the source of the blood river. Soon, the bottom of Huigu valley fell silent.
Nan Rao seemed to want to say something, but she noticed Ji Ming had closed his eyes. His fingers, which had been moving prayer beads, had stopped. He appeared to have fallen asleep sitting up.
“…”
Nan Rao looked down at the monk’s robe in her hand, her eyebrow unconsciously raised. She stepped forward and said, “Thank you for saving me, Master. However, the Vermilion Emperor’s demon heart was connected to my life force. Losing it should have caused my spiritual power to gradually dissipate until death. Yet I feel no ill effects. May I ask what method you used to save me?”
Ji Ming remained silent and motionless, truly appearing as if he were asleep.
As Nan Rao approached Ji Ming again, she said, “If you’re uncomfortable sharing, I’ll remember this favor. Please show me the way out of Huigu. Once I gather resources from my realm, I’ll return to break the seal and rescue you.”
“…”
“Master?”
“…”
“Ji Ming?”
“…”
“Baldy… never mind, you’re not bald. I’m afraid by the time you wake up, you’ll see I’ve gone bald from frustration.”
Half a day passed with Ji Ming still appearing to be in deep meditation. Nan Rao finally lost patience. After wandering around unable to find a way out of Huigu, she returned irritably, “Old demon monk, if you don’t make a sound, I’ll forcibly dual cultivate with you to restore my powers.”
Ji Ming finally showed a reaction. A lock of hair slid from his shoulder to his face. Seemingly deliberately slow, he opened his eyes, clear as lake water, and said, “Is this how you should speak to your elder?”
Elder…
Nan Rao choked. Although Ji Ming was the youngest of the Six State-Breakers, his master was the Ancient Buddha Jialuo, and he was among the Six State-Breakers like her father. Calling him an elder wasn’t incorrect.
Nan Rao took a deep breath and said, “Ying Zewei cast me down here. I carry many secrets and must return to the Upper State promptly to reveal the truth. Please show me the way, Master.”
Ji Ming replied, “If you don’t return, the Upper State will remain peaceful.”
“What do you mean?” Nan Rao asked.
Ji Ming shook his head without explaining. As Nan Rao was about to press further, she noticed a strand of Ji Ming’s hair visibly turning frost-white.
Initially, Nan Rao thought it was due to his cultivation reaching its peak, but now sensing his weak aura, she realized something. She activated her spiritual power to check her heart and her expression changed dramatically.
“You… you gave me your heart?!”
Ji Ming remained calm, saying, “As a descendant of Dao Friend Nan, this poor monk should do his utmost to protect you.”
His words were casual, but they immediately angered Nan Rao.
“Though Nan Rao has been unfaithful many times, she never owed anyone her life. My constitution is greatly damaged; only the Vermilion Emperor’s demon heart with its undying phoenix flame could sustain me. You use your Buddha-bone Zen heart to save me, shortening your lifespan. Have you gone mad?!”
Ji Ming lowered his gaze, slowly fingering his prayer beads. “Mistress Fang need not worry. My lifespan can support you for over twenty years.”
“Is that what I’m worried about?” Nan Rao’s anger caused her blood to surge. “Take back your Buddha-bone Zen heart now!”
“It can’t be taken back,” Ji Ming stood up, stepping back. “When Buddha cut his flesh to feed the eagle, the flesh had already nourished the eagle’s life. It can’t be reclaimed.”
“You!!”
Nan Rao laughed bitterly. She could feel that Ji Ming had placed numerous Buddhist restraints on the Buddha-bone Zen heart, connecting it to her meridians. Even if she cut open her chest, this heart couldn’t be removed.
Ji Ming continued, “The Dao Master said that obtaining the Vermilion Emperor’s demon heart, the Six Harmonies Dao heart and the Buddha-bone Zen heart would allow him to break through realms and ascend. Before that, he could usurp the cycle of reincarnation with a half-step ascension realm, making Daosheng Heaven eternal… I know the Lord of Yin State has many matters to attend to, but if you return, Daosheng Heaven will surely start a war to obtain the Buddha-bone Zen heart. Please consider carefully.”
Nan Rao said, “But you had another choice.”
Ji Ming: “Please speak.”
Nan Rao: “You could have let me die.”
Ji Ming: “…”
Nan Rao clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and said, “Hundreds of years have passed. I don’t even remember how much I liked you back then. Why are you such a fool? What if I had a change of heart and promised myself to someone else? What would you gain?”
“…Peace of mind,” he said.
He had never thought too much about it, nor had he expected any outcome. As a Buddhist, worldly desires were faint to him. A moment of remembering old times, a drop of mortal tears – it was enough for the rest of his life.
For the next month, Nan Rao dared not use any spiritual power, fearing to drain Ji Ming excessively. Yet his originally raven-black hair continued to whiten daily. Despite this, he never ceased his daily sutra chanting and soul-guiding.
At the beginning of the second month, Ji Ming told her he might need to seclude himself for a while to refine the accumulated ghost energy, asking her not to disturb him.
Nan Rao sat quietly for several days, her mind full of worries. Suddenly, at dusk one day, she saw the yin curses in the sky scattering in panic, as if encountering some world-ending demon god.
“Ji Ming…”
With the Buddha-bone Zen heart, he should have been impervious to all demons. But having given that heart to her, he now had to bear the endless ghostly power of Huigu with his constantly weakening body.
When Nan Rao burst into his secluded area, his originally pure Buddhist aura was tainted by ghostly energy. The scriptures had turned into ominous blood-red marks, and his gaze was chaotic.
As the violent ghostly and Buddhist powers dispersed around him, Ji Ming used his last bit of consciousness to tell Nan Rao to leave. Then, his hand gripping the prayer beads reached out towards the panicking yin curses in the sky, uncontrollably beginning to absorb the ghostly power.
— If I fall due to ghostly energy corruption, you can use the Buddha-bone Zen heart to coerce the yin curses and escape Huigu.
Before he could utter these words, a flash of fire-red appeared in his darkening vision. Then, soft lips covered his own, which had long been used only for chanting pure Buddhist scriptures.
“You…”
Nan Rao pushed him down under the Bodhi tree, biting off a strip of gauze to cover his eyes.
“I want to see if you don’t hold grudges. Remember, it’s me who owes you my life, and it’s also me… who’s ruining your cultivation.”