“This mountain path leads to the Path of Good and Evil of the Worrisome Mountain Sect. Disciples seeking to qualify for the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique trial must traverse this path before ascending the mountain and entering the Three Thousand Karma Pagoda to comprehend enlightenment. I’ll escort you this far. Please proceed carefully, Senior Sister Zhen Yuan.”
“Thank you for guiding me. Take care, Junior Brother,” Nan Yan replied, bidding farewell to the novice monk. She turned to gaze at the Brahma Sea Sect, partially obscured by mist below.
The Buddhist holy land of Worrisome Mountain and Brahma Sea was divided into two sects. The Brahma Sea Sect focused on “promoting goodness,” with disciples cultivating their hearts to enlighten the world, emphasizing non-violence and adherence to precepts.
In contrast, the Worrisome Mountain Sect took the opposite approach. They believed in eradicating all evil to purify the mortal realm. Thus, the Three Thousand Karma Pagoda within the sect was home to monks who practiced taking life.
The path of these life-taking monks was arduous. As long as evil persisted in the world, they could not attain enlightenment.
Nan Yan recalled the Treasure Light Tathagata’s advice: the Worrisome Mountain Sect currently lacked a leader, and most life-taking monks were ill-tempered. They could only rely on their strength to earn the right to cultivate in the Karma Pagoda.
Looking up, she saw that the Worrisome Mountain resembled half of a Buddha’s head. The Path of Good and Evil formed its bridge, the main entrance was at its root, and the three thousand pagodas crowned its top. Even from the mountain’s waist, one could feel the awe-inspiring Buddhist energy.
Steeling herself, Nan Yan approached a bronze bell by the roadside and rang it.
“Zhen Yuan, disciple of the Zhen generation from the Brahma Sea Sect, requests passage through the Path of Good and Evil!”
As the bell rang, the mist parted, revealing a stone stairway common to most cultivation sect entrances. Uniquely, stone lotus lamps stood every ten steps on both sides.
An ancient voice echoed from the Worrisome Mountain Sect above:
“From dawn to dusk, light ten lotus lamps to enter the Worrisome Mountain Sect, a hundred for the Three Tribulations Pagoda, and six hundred for the Six Tribulations Pagoda.”
With a day and night time limit, one could light a lamp every ten steps. Ten lamps meant ascending a hundred steps, granting entry to the Worrisome Mountain Sect for cultivation.
Aware of the path’s difficulty, Nan Yan clutched her prayer beads and took her first step. Immediately, she felt a jolt—as if a stone weighed down her legs. Her spiritual power was suppressed by 70%, though the stone felt no heavier than an egg to a cultivator.
By the tenth step, one lamp lit up, and Nan Yan’s expression changed slightly. The initial egg-sized weight on her feet had grown to over a hundred jin.
Sweat beaded on her brow as she discerned the pattern: each step doubled the weight. With her Core Formation cultivation and suppressed spiritual power, she could withstand at most five thousand jin before collapsing. To enter the sect, she needed to climb a hundred steps, which seemed impossible given this progression.
After careful consideration, she sat down to ponder her situation.
…
Within the Worrisome Mountain Sect, three thousand pagodas stood—some single-storied, others rising eight levels high. At the center, surrounded by a thousand pagodas, loomed the Nine Tribulations Pagoda. Its four sides were sealed, stretching into the clouds, its mere presence overwhelming one’s spiritual sense.
In an eight-level pagoda near the Nine Tribulations Pagoda, several elderly monks sipped tea while observing Nan Yan’s progress with their spiritual sense.
“Among the world’s most gifted Buddhist cultivators, Brother Treasure Light chose a disciple with a complicated background.”
“This child is clever. She realized early that the Path of Good and Evil grows heavier as one ascends. Most trial-takers only grasp this after reaching fifty or sixty steps.”
“The Worrisome Mountain is difficult to climb. Perhaps we should take this opportunity to have her return to secular life as a Daoist cultivator, sparing our sect from potential trouble.”
Treasure Light Tathagata, watching Nan Yan’s progress with affection, said, “The fortune or misfortune of Buddhism doesn’t hinge on whether one child can enter our gates but on the greater trends of the world.”
“This child carries burdens unsuitable for entering Buddhism. Even if she manages to light ten lamps, she’d only be fit for sweeping in our sect,” the long-browed elder monk, who had suggested rejecting Nan Yan, stated solemnly.
Treasure Light Tathagata smiled, “Don’t be angry, Dharma Seat. Let’s make a wager.”
“What kind of wager does Brother propose?” the Dharma Seat asked.
“When you formed your Golden Core, you received guidance from our Master’s residual Buddhist intent, lighting nine hundred lamps at once and ascending to the Seven Tribulations Pagoda, equal to Nascent Soul cultivators. You’ve led our two sects ever since… As Zhen Yuan’s master, I’ll show some favoritism and bet that this child will light a thousand lamps.”
The Dharma Seat frowned, “Since Brother is so confident, I’ll accept the wager. A thousand lamps exist only in the legend of Supreme Master Jiming. This Path of Good and Evil has only nine hundred and ninety-nine. How about this: if this child passes six hundred lamps, I’ll allow her to cultivate in the Seven Tribulations Pagoda. After completing its trials, I’ll grant her a chance at the Mountain and Sea Forbidden Technique!”
…
On the Path of Good and Evil, Nan Yan sat cross-legged, trying to relax her mind, but the weight on her feet only increased.
As the sun climbed higher, Nan Yan knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She stood and pushed forward, reaching the seventh lamp before her feet sank as if a giant deity gripped them, pressing her against the stone steps.
Nan Yan pressed her hands to her knees, channeling all her spiritual power into her legs. As she took another step, the seventh lamp lit up, and she heard her bones creak in protest.
Buddhist cultivation emphasized defense, and among her four siblings, Nan Yan had thought her physique was decent. Yet here, on the Path of Good and Evil, it seemed to make little difference.
…How did the predecessors climb this?
Straining to look up, Nan Yan saw seven to eight hundred lamps within her sight. According to Buddhist tradition, there should be nine hundred and ninety-nine in total.
Sweat streamed down her face as her legs felt trapped between mountains. Another move, and she feared being ground to paste.
No, she had to climb. At the very least… she couldn’t become a burden to others.
Blood vessels appeared in her eyes as a resonant bell sounded within her body. The ethereal form of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin manifested, with over a hundred palms radiating Buddhist light that enveloped her.
This Buddhist power felt more majestic and unyielding than ordinary Buddhist energy. With a muffled grunt, Nan Yan seemed to temporarily transcend her physical pain. She advanced step by step towards the tenth lamp, ignoring her body’s impending collapse, forcefully traversing the path!
“…This child’s will rivals that of any man!” came an admiring voice from the Worrisome Mountain Sect.
“Though I’m well-versed in various ways, I don’t recognize her technique. It’s truly startling,” another commented.
Treasure Light Tathagata explained, “I can’t disclose the details of Zhen Yuan’s cultivation method to you all yet. However, her cultivation, especially before and after breakthroughs, involves extremely dangerous mental demons. When I took her in, she reached the peak of Qi Condensation in mere months, but she was stuck at Foundation Establishment for a full year, failing over ten times. Only after her Buddhist heart became resolute did she barely succeed in establishing her foundation.”
“Why?” one of the monks asked.
“She encountered hardships in her youth, unable to let go for a decade. That’s why I forbade her from attempting Core Formation after reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment and False Core. I sent her out to gain experience, hoping to weaken her inner demons before she tries to advance again,” another monk explained.
The other two elderly monks found this strange. Suddenly, one of them exclaimed, “She’s about to pass the tenth lotus lamp!”
The crushing pressure was no longer confined to her legs but now engulfed her entire body. As Nan Yan fiercely stepped past the tenth lamp, her internal organs were instantly damaged. She coughed up blood onto the nearby lamp, causing its flame to flicker.
The qualification for Chou Mountain Temple…
Half-kneeling on the cold, hard stone steps, Nan Yan opened her eyes and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
This Path of Good and Evil had a thousand lamps. Surely, previous cultivators had gone further. Having only passed ten, how could she give up?
Something must be amiss.
The setting sun cast a red glow on her cheeks as Nan Yan gritted her teeth, trying not to utter words of surrender. In her dazed state, she thought she heard the sound of sweeping.
As the nearby lotus lamp flickered, she caught a glimpse of an eight or nine-year-old novice monk. His robe was tucked into his belt, and a vermilion mark adorned his brow, making him look adorably pure. He was sweeping fallen leaves from the stone steps.
Nan Yan watched the young monk sweep, her gaze fixed on the leaves rising from beneath his broom. Suddenly, a realization struck her.
The weight on her body felt like a mountain, enough to crush anything. So why were the stone steps beneath her feet undamaged?
—Illusions are sometimes a weight of the mind and soul. The more you remember them, the stronger their presence becomes.
Nan Yan recalled what Yin Ya, an expert in illusions, had once told her. She placed her hands on the rough stone steps and focused on the stairs beneath her feet. Soon, she noticed that as the pressure increased, the sensation of weight became more pronounced.
Moreover, it didn’t seem to come from the steps below, but from within herself.
With this realization, Nan Yan gritted her teeth and began to disperse her spiritual energy. Her heart leaped with joy as she confirmed that it was indeed her uncontrolled, diminished spiritual energy causing the problem.
Her spiritual energy was several times higher than that of ordinary people, making this Path of Good and Evil several times more difficult for her!
“She’s found the key!” The observing monk raised an eyebrow. “Faster than I expected, but the Path of Good and Evil isn’t just about crushing people for fun.”
After dispersing her spiritual energy, Nan Yan felt the pressure recede like the tide. With her energy completely gone and no spiritual protection, she began to feel the scorching sun beating down on her.
…Being mortal isn’t easy.
Fortunately, her physical recovery abilities were formidable. Soon, she regained some strength and began to climb upward.
Surprisingly, the next thousand steps posed no difficulty, which made her feel uneasy. This unease suddenly intensified after the hundredth lotus lamp.
Nan Yan again felt pressure, but this time it wasn’t physical. Instead, voices began to clamor in her ears.
“Thank you for saving my child.”
“Bodhisattva, in your great compassion. If not for you, my daughter would have been taken as a furnace.”
“Well done, benefactor! Those demonic cultivators deserve no burial!”
These voices came from mortals and cultivators she had saved before, all expressing gratitude.
But gradually, the tone of these grateful voices changed.
“Why didn’t you arrive sooner? If you had, my father wouldn’t have died!”
“Aren’t you immortal cultivators supposed to be all-powerful? Why can’t you bring my son back to life?”
“You enjoy the incense and offerings from our hard work. Shouldn’t you do this little bit for us?”
“Because you killed that demonic cultivator, his disciples took my dao partner. Why don’t you just die!”
…The Path of Good and Evil, so this is what it means.
Nan Yan clasped her hands and silently recited the Heart Sutra. But as she passed more lotus lamps, her steps grew heavier, forcing her to divert her attention to resist these disturbances.
At one point, Nan Yan opened her eyes to find a strange young girl standing before her.
“Do you know who I am?” The girl, in tattered clothes, smiled eerily. Her sleeves revealed hands of bare bone with rotting flesh hanging from them.
“You…”
“I’m the daughter of the demonic cultivator you killed. After you killed my father, I was left alone. The fleeing disciples sold me as a furnace. I was tortured to death before I turned fourteen… I hate you so much…”
Nan Yan uttered “Amitabha” and didn’t deny it. She watched the girl die screaming and murmuring,
“Those children your father refined into pills didn’t even live to see fourteen…”
Even as she said this, she touched her face and found blood tears streaming from her eyes. Looking at the remaining seven hundred lotus lamps ahead, her heart grew heavy.
As expected, the illusions became increasingly real. At first, it was just sounds, but then visual hallucinations appeared. Even the smell of blood and decay seemed to linger.
With her five senses hijacked by the illusions, Nan Yan still gritted her teeth and pressed on, until…
“A’Yan.”
Nan Yan quickly closed her eyes. She felt as if a young man’s voice sounded behind her, gently embracing her from behind and whispering in her ear.
“…When I was being torn apart by countless ghosts in the Forgotten River, I kept thinking it would be better to just die. But… why did you call me back?”
His fingers lightly traced her back, finally stopping at her heart. His voice carried a hint of aggrieved yet tender trailing notes.
“Won’t you look at me? Won’t you see… what I’ve become now?”
Those deadly words, seeming both real and false, tempted her to open her eyes and confirm whether he had truly returned from hell.
Nan Yan felt as if her body was no longer her own. Just as she stiffly opened her eyes, a soft sigh sounded nearby, and all the illusions of good and evil instantly vanished.
She opened her eyes to find herself lying numbly on the steps of the six-hundredth lamp. She turned her head toward the source of the sigh.
It was a Buddhist cultivator with uncut hair, sitting beside her and looking down at a sutra in his hands. His age was between that of a youth and a young man, with fair skin and serene features. At first glance, he appeared ordinary, but when Nan Yan blinked and looked closer, she realized he was extremely handsome.
Most strangely, this Buddhist cultivator looked just like the young novice monk who had appeared and disappeared earlier, complete with the vermilion mark on his brow.
“…Fellow Daoist, are you also here to cross the Path of Good and Evil?”
The Buddhist cultivator lifted his gaze from the sutra, looking at her with incredibly soft eyes, and gently shook his head.
“This poor monk is here to slack off,” he said.