Shadowy creatures occasionally swooped overhead, but Yin Ya remained hidden in a patch of grass. Cloaked in four sheets of silver shark silk, his presence was disguised as seamlessly as the verdant foliage surrounding him. Initially tense, he soon grew bored as the creatures passed by without noticing him.
“Why am I even waiting here?” he mused. “What do these humans have to do with me?” After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “No, I can’t leave. The men can die for all I care, but I must protect that girl. Who knows when I’ll get another chance to find her?”
As Yin Ya fidgeted with the dry grass, plucking at it absently, he watched the hours tick by. The sun had nearly set on the following day when his patience finally wore thin.
“BAh men are all liars,” he muttered, preparing to rise and scavenge the inner regions of the Filthy Valley while the shadowy creatures returned to their nests. Suddenly, a strange noise caught his attention. A serpentine creature burst forth from the cliff below, carrying a person on its back.
The creature, a Yan Jia snake, seemed to exhaust its spiritual power just as it reached the cliff’s edge. It lunged forward a few times but, facing a slope and depleted of energy, began to slide back down. Yin Ya swiftly intervened, grabbing both the snake and its human passenger.
“Exactly six hours,” Yin Ya remarked, checking for signs of life beneath the woman’s nose. He sighed in relief.
With her consciousness sealed, it would take at least a day for her to awaken. However, Yin Ya couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for the young man named Ji. Recalling Ji’s decisive attack on Die Chan, Yin Ya noted its similarity to a technique used by someone in the small cloud vehicle, differing only in cultivation level. Weighing the complexities of the human cultivation world, he decided it was best not to linger and turned to leave.
Yin Ya thoroughly ransacked the stone forest maze, filling all his spatial pouches before descending Traceless Cliff. Upon reaching the outer entrance of Filthy Valley, he found it blocked. Countless sword-riding cultivators flew towards the inner valley, likely drawn by the unusual activity of the returning shadowy creatures.
Glancing at the woman on his back, Yin Ya hesitated. Suddenly, an elderly voice, tinged with amusement, whispered in his ear.
“Young friend, all things in excess lead to loss. You should come out now.”
The voice was gentle and warm. When Yin Ya came to his senses, he found himself outside Filthy Valley. Looking back, he saw seven or eight Core Formation cultivators fiercely guarding the entrance, allowing only their sect disciples to enter while other cultivators could only watch enviously.
Annoyed, Yin Ya turned to the one who had lured him out. “Old monk, why did you interfere with my opportunity?”
The old monk, dressed in tattered robes and carrying a cloth bag, grinned, revealing a mouthful of decaying teeth. “I was tasked with finding someone and was worried I couldn’t fulfill my duty. But you, kind sir, have brought her out yourself. I’m deeply grateful and wish to form a karmic bond with you.”
Realizing the monk’s target was the woman on his back, Yin Ya smirked. “I don’t believe in Buddha. Find someone else.”
Yin Ya turned to leave, carrying the woman. From the corner of his eye, he saw the old monk watching him with a smile, making no move to follow. Quickening his pace, Yin Ya left the vicinity of Filthy Valley. In a flash of purple fire, he transformed into a massive six-tailed snow fox, over thirty feet long. Activating an illusion, he ensured that even if other cultivators passed by, they wouldn’t see the great fox racing through the forest.
The six-tailed snow fox, moving at the speed of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, covered a hundred miles in a night. Only when he reached a remote village two States away did he stop. As dawn approached, he returned to human form and, still carrying the woman, sought refuge in a dilapidated temple to rest. However, as soon as he pushed open the door, he was startled so badly that his tail nearly burst into a duster of fox fur.
“You again!” he exclaimed.
The shabbily dressed old monk was inside, sweeping the temple floor. He looked up with a smile. “You’ve had a long journey, kind sir. I’ve prepared some vegetable buns and steamed buns. Are you hungry?”
Yin Ya placed the woman on a meditation mat, exasperated. “I’ve never offended the Buddhist sect. Why are you so persistent? What do you want?”
The old monk sat cross-legged on a mat, his gaze benevolent. “I was entrusted to bring this young lady into the Buddhist sect for ten years of cultivation. I could have simply taken her, but your extraordinary background has inspired me to try and enlighten you as well.”
Yin Ya’s expression changed. He glanced furtively at the temple door, which creaked shut at that moment, plunging the interior into darkness.
“Is it necessary for your Buddhist conversions to take place in such darkness?” Yin Ya questioned.
The monk replied, “The eyes are a hindrance to color. By simply listening to me, you’ll find inner peace.”
Before Yin Ya could respond, the monk continued, “Long ago, the first human cultivator, the Red Emperor, led a northern expedition against the demon country. He subdued countless demons, confining them to Yin State. The demon race surrendered, offering their princess as a peace offering to gain the Red Emperor’s mercy. Later, Zi State proposed sealing the demon country north of Yin State in the Northern Sea Demon Vortex. Dao Sheng Tian unified all Dao lineages into a formation, combining forty-six great Daos to imprison the demons. For a thousand years since, the demons have been trapped in the Northern Sea Demon Vortex, only able to occasionally send low-level demons to test the sealing formation.”
A cold glint appeared in Yin Ya’s clear, handsome features. “Old monk, you seem to know quite a lot.”
“Dao Sheng Tian, originating from talisman crafting, developed an unparalleled formation system. The Northern Sea Demon Sealing Formation is the most impenetrable in the world. To break it, one must master all forty-six great Dao lineages. Alternatively, a renegade who has transcended the great Dao might have a slim chance of shattering the forty-six Daos and releasing the demons.”
“In the world of cultivation, mastering even one Dao makes one a formidable figure. No one can master all forty-six. Throughout history, only the peerless emperor of Dao Sheng Tian came close. At a young age, he grasped the rudiments of thirty-six lineages. Within a century, he could have reached the Nascent Soul realm. Once he mastered all forty-six Daos, breaking the demon-sealing formation would have been effortless.”
Yin Ya’s eyes suddenly blazed with ferocity. “But he died! Despite being Dao Sheng Tian’s prized pupil, he still died! The thousand-year confinement humans promised to demons has long passed. My people have visited Red Emperor’s Jade Palace, only to be told the palace lord was in seclusion. We couldn’t even enter Dao Sheng Tian’s gates! If we don’t find a renegade, should our entire race just wait for death?!”
As he spoke, purple flames engulfed his body, as if ready to devour anyone nearby.
“Amitabha,” the old monk sighed. “Dao Sheng Tian forbids the existence of renegades. Truthfully, unless another prodigy like the previous emperor emerges and fulfills the promise after reaching mastery, there’s no hope of releasing your people.”
Yin Ya sneered, “At least you’re honest.”
The old monk glanced at the unconscious Nan Yan. “With the Red Emperor’s ascension, Yin State is leaderless. Releasing all demons now would spell disaster for the cultivation world. I see you have a pure nature. If you abandoned the idea of breaking the seal and focused on pursuing immortality, I wouldn’t have persisted like this today.”
Yin Ya, still wary, pondered the monk’s words before exclaiming, “You mean this girl inherited a renegade legacy?”
The monk nodded, “Indeed. I came to guide her back to the right path.”
Yin Ya’s expression darkened. “Old monk, don’t push too far.”
The monk smiled softly. “Let’s make a wager. You and this young lady stay at our Buddhist temple for ten years of quiet cultivation. I won’t stop you from trying to persuade her. Let her choose freely whether to cultivate the renegade technique or return to orthodoxy. After ten years, you’re free to go.”
Yin Ya glanced at Nan Yan’s round face. “I won’t go. I think you’re trying to trap me.”
“Monks don’t lie. Also,” the old monk released his aura, instantly pinning Yin Ya to the ground, “I’m at the Nascent Soul stage.”
“…”
Three months later, two new disciples joined a temple called Bodhi Mountain in the southeastern part of Fan State.
Though small, Bodhi Mountain Temple was a branch of the world’s largest Buddhist sect, the Mao State Chou Mountain Sanskrit Sea. Unlike other secluded cultivation sects, it welcomed ordinary worshippers. However, its steep, sky-high stone steps deterred most visitors, with crowds only appearing during Qingming Festival or major holidays.
As a monk finished sweeping the temple entrance, he noticed a chubby girl climbing the steps, seemingly tireless compared to the adults around her. She carried a bamboo basket with incense, candles, and joss paper. Her round face, which should have been cheerful, bore a hint of sadness.
“Sister Nan Yan, it’s Qingming Festival. Did you go down the mountain to buy offerings?” the monk asked.
Nan Yan nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhen Ming.”
After she entered, another monk whispered to Zhen Ming, “She didn’t cry today? This morning, they said her pillow was still wet.”
“It’s better than her first month here when she wouldn’t eat, drink, or move. Master Chi Ku said all her relatives are gone, except for a brother who’s a fox spirit.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. That fox spirit was tricked into coming here. Within days, he was harassing female visitors, looking for women. If Master hadn’t temporarily sealed him in the Medicine Buddha Hall, who knows what trouble he’d cause.”
Nan Yan hadn’t heard the monks’ gossip. She’d been at Bodhi Mountain Temple for three months now. When she first woke up and heard Yin Ya explain what happened, she feared Qi Yang was likely dead. Unable to accept this reality, she remained in a daze for a month. Even her released Yan Jia butterfly couldn’t find its way, only circling her, so she gave up searching.
The core of Filthy Valley was the shadowy creatures’ lair. If lucky, one’s soul might escape their devouring and enter the underworld for reincarnation.
Everyone assumed they were dead, but Nan Yan clung to a sliver of hope.
“Are you stupid?” Yin Ya, bored in the Buddha Hall, mumbled around a chicken wing. “You set up an empty tablet insisting he’s not dead, yet you burn joss paper fearing he’s in the underworld without money. Do you want him alive or dead? Instead of climbing stairs, why not practice your technique? In time, we could join forces and crush the Divine Coffin Sect. How about it?”
Nan Yan finished bowing to the empty tablet and carefully burned the joss paper. “Can’t you be quiet? If I didn’t go down the mountain to buy offerings, where would you get meat to eat?”
“Hmph.” Yin Ya tore off a chunk of fragrant chicken leg, his cheeks bulging. “If it weren’t for the greater good, I wouldn’t suffer in this monk’s temple. If only you could find me a female cultivator… Well, any woman would do. Without a woman, I’ll surely die.”
Yin Ya didn’t want to do anything to women. His lineage of fox spirits, called Moon Foxes, included a variant known as Nightmare Foxes. Born with blood as pure as ancient sacred beasts, they had the potential to shatter space itself. However, their demonic nature made them easily enraged. Only a woman’s yin energy could soothe them. For Yin Ya, simply embracing a woman brought comfort and peace, alleviating his bloodthirsty nature.
“There are no women in the temple,” Nan Yan said expressionlessly. “Master Chi Ku says relying on women is like trying to quench a cart of fire with a cup of water. You must learn to control yourself. If you really can’t bear it, choose between the monks dressed as nuns or me.”
Yin Ya looked at Nan Yan’s robust figure and despaired. “…Let me die.”
So far, Yin Ya has remained steadfast in this aspect. Abstinence was impossible; he could never give up women in this lifetime.
Finishing the roast chicken Nan Yan brought him, he tried to negotiate. “I’ll give you some spirit stones. Tomorrow when you go down the mountain, can you trick a female cultivator to come here? Even a Qi Gathering stage one would do. Just let me hug her to ease my craving.”
Nan Yan looked at him as if he were a beast. “I’m busy tomorrow, and even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t find women for you. Control yourself.”
Yin Ya scratched the meditation mat irritably. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Nan Yan replied, “I’m entering the monastic life to become a demon-slaying Buddhist cultivator. I’m asking Master Chi Ku for permission to shave my head.”
“What?!”