It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about possibly encountering this remarkable “old friend” in the snowy region. But Jian Chou had never imagined it would be at this time, this moment, this place, under these circumstances.

He had truly come to the snowy region.

She just didn’t know whether he had found the answer he sought.

Jian Chou gazed at him from afar, feeling that the pale azure figure standing at the highest point of the Holy Temple gave off an extraordinarily deep and cold sensation.

Because she knew he was only a mayfly.

The distance was too great to see clearly, but she vaguely felt that the moment she directed her gaze toward him, Fu Chaosheng seemed to smile at her.

The next moment, that figure vanished.

On the spire of the ice-carved, snow-sculpted Holy Temple, except for the boundless pure blue snowy sky, no other existence could be seen, as if the Fu Chaosheng she had just witnessed was merely a wisp of illusion.

“It takes quite some time to get from the foot of the mountain to the Holy Temple, and since you’ve just arrived, we need to arrange accommodations—there are many things to attend to,” Mojia spoke up after quietly waiting for everyone to look for a while, reminding them they could continue their journey. “We should hurry up the mountain.”

Only then did everyone come to their senses, but when they withdrew their gazes, they all carried the lingering resonance of being overwhelmed, with a reluctant feeling.

As for those young girls, most were joyful, even filled with anticipation.

None of their faces showed any abnormality, as if besides Jian Chou, no one else had seen Fu Chaosheng.

Perhaps this was his ability?

The Holy Temple was already the core of the snowy region’s Tantric sect, yet he dared to stand directly on the Holy Temple’s spire, and apart from her, no one else discovered him. This immediately reminded Jian Chou of when he had appeared at Kunwu’s Nine-Head River Bay.

So she suddenly became curious about his strength.

But since he wasn’t present at this moment, there was no way to immediately inquire and satisfy her curiosity.

While Jian Chou was thinking this, Mojia and the others in front, along with Xie Buchen who was impersonating Huai Jie, had already walked toward the mountain path ahead, and naturally the young women behind followed along.

Probably because she saw Jian Chou still standing there motionless, Sang Yang, who was somewhat familiar with her, called out: “Sister?”

“Coming right away.”

Only then did Jian Chou respond, smiled, and walked to Sang Yang’s side, heading up the mountain path together with her.

Soon, the group disappeared onto the sacred mountain’s path.

Since the hour was already late, the believers who had come to worship would leave at this time, and new believers would come to pray tomorrow. So there weren’t many people left at the foot of the mountain, creating a cold, quiet atmosphere.

When Little Wise Monk Liao Kong quietly followed, he knew he was still too late.

Not to mention that senior sister from Yashan, he couldn’t even see many ordinary pilgrims!

“Sigh, I shouldn’t have hesitated when that senior sister saw me earlier. No wonder Buddha spoke of ‘no-thought’ and ‘no-form’—if I hadn’t given rise to hesitant thoughts, this little monk could have caught up…”

He couldn’t help but sigh, feeling very dejected.

Now that they had all gone up the sacred mountain to the Holy Temple, how could he find them to seek an opportunity to escape his predicament?

Although Buddha also spoke of “sacrificing oneself to feed tigers” and “cutting flesh to feed eagles,” but…

“This little monk admits he hasn’t reached that level of enlightenment yet. Moreover, these Tantric people are much more frightening than tigers and eagles. Sigh, perhaps I should think of other methods…”

Liao Kong thought this way and couldn’t help muttering again.

But unexpectedly, before he could mutter out any conclusions, a slender figure in moon-white suddenly appeared in the open space ahead.

Beautiful features, fair complexion.

Two delicate distant-mountain eyebrows, and narrow, elongated eye-tails drawn with a single stroke, creating a stunning feeling within the plainness.

Standing there motionless, she embodied a quiet, elegant demeanor.

Wasn’t this precisely the Senior Sister Jian Chou who had just left from here?

Upon seeing her, Liao Kong was first stunned, then extremely delighted. He immediately ran out from his hiding place and called out: “Senior Sister Jian Chou, Senior Sister Jian Chou! You actually came back. Well, I—I’m called Liao Kong—”

Before he could finish speaking, the “Jian Chou” standing in the open space heard his voice and seemed suddenly startled, immediately turning to look at him and stepping back!

In those gentle, clear eyes, there was actually full alertness.

“Senior Sister Jian Chou, I’m not…”

Liao Kong had thought that Jian Chou was being defensive because she hadn’t seen him before, so he was preparing to explain how he knew her, his identity, and what difficulties he had encountered.

But halfway through his words, his gaze suddenly froze, falling on her robes.

In that instant, an inexplicable chill rose from his feet—

The “returning” “Senior Sister Jian Chou” before him was wearing different clothes from what he had seen earlier!

The Senior Sister Jian Chou he had seen earlier wore a lake-blue dress in the snowy region’s style, bright in color and embroidered with half a peacock pattern; but the “Jian Chou” before him now wore pale moon-white, and the embroidered patterns and other details were all in central region style!

Moreover, her cultivation was wrong too!

Liao Kong was currently at early Nascent Soul stage.

The recent return of Senior Sister Jian Chou from Yashan, making a great scene and gaining fame by fighting over Zuo Liu in Mingri Xinghai, had spread even to the Western Sea’s Chan Sect.

Not to mention the later “upheaval” on the Fourth Heaven Tablet.

Jian Chou’s name had replaced Wang Que’s at the time, forcibly imprinting itself in first place on the Fourth Heaven Tablet!

Everyone knew that this senior sister should now have late Nascent Soul cultivation. That is to say, Liao Kong, who was only at early Nascent Soul stage, shouldn’t be able to see through her cultivation.

Much less…

The cultivation he saw was neither late Nascent Soul, nor mid Nascent Soul, nor even Nascent Soul stage at all!

This “Senior Sister Jian Chou” before him actually only had early Golden Core cultivation!

How was this possible…

Liao Kong felt his brain wasn’t quite adequate, staring dumbfounded at this “Jian Chou” who looked identical to the Jian Chou he had just seen.

He suspected it was an illusion, but there were no traces of such;

He suspected it was a demon or spirit, but there wasn’t a trace of demonic energy.

“You, you…”

He couldn’t help but raise his hand, pointing at her, wanting to ask something.

But the other party still looked at him warily, deep wariness gradually growing in her eyes. She didn’t even wait for him to completely ask his question before directly retreating!

“Whoosh!”

A fierce mountain wind carrying cold swept across the ground, and she disappeared entirely, as if melding into the wind and being blown away with it.

—This was remarkably similar to that senior sister’s unique Dao seal, Riding the Wind!

Appearing strangely, disappearing mysteriously.

It was almost like an illusion…

Liao Kong almost doubted he had seen things incorrectly, but the cold sweat remaining on his back and the inconspicuous footprints left on the ground reminded him that the woman who looked exactly like Jian Chou had truly existed.

So, after standing rigidly for a long time, he finally belatedly remembered the words his master Yichen had said when he departed from the Chan Sect some time ago, and his delicate face immediately wrinkled up, looking half-distressed.

“No, no way I’m this unlucky to actually encounter it…”

Standing beneath the sacred mountain, Liao Kong suddenly felt that Buddha no longer favored him.

But Jian Chou, who had long since left the mountain’s base and ascended the sacred mountain, still didn’t know what strange situation had occurred behind her. She didn’t even realize that the strange monk she had seen on the road earlier was the little Chan Sect novice who had entered the Slaughter Red Small Realm with her before.

After all, she had never truly seen him, only heard his voice.

So at this moment, Jian Chou focused all her attention on what lay ahead.

As people about to become masters’ Ming Fei and Tantric monks who already belonged to the Holy Temple, their group didn’t need to climb the mountain path like ordinary pilgrims who came here.

They had only walked a short distance from the mountain’s base when they stood on a snow-white platform.

After Mojia took out his lotus tablet from his sleeve and pressed it into a certain depression on the platform, the entire platform rapidly rose, heading straight for the Holy Temple at the sacred mountain’s peak.

They arrived in less than half a quarter-hour.

At this time, the setting sun was slanting westward, almost having sunk to the ground.

Standing before this Holy Temple, at the sacred mountain’s peak, looking down from above, one felt that the entire world below was small, all submerged in the sunset’s nearly blood-red shadows.

Very beautiful, but also carrying an indescribable feeling.

Jian Chou frowned slightly, scanning the surroundings.

The entire Holy Temple wasn’t just a single great hall.

This was a vast architectural complex, with the highest and largest main hall as the axis, and the pavilions, chambers, and towers on both wings built symmetrically. Their delicacy and magnificence were vastly different from other places in the snowy region.

It was as if all the roughness and barrenness of the entire snowy region existed for the refinement and grandeur of this one Holy Temple.

The young girls couldn’t help but marvel at these ingeniously crafted halls, especially Sang Yang, who couldn’t resist grabbing Jian Chou’s arm and pointing to a small building on the west side: “That one, that one, it’s so beautiful!”

It was an exquisite small building, entirely white.

The material used to construct it seemed very special. From Jian Chou’s angle, it appeared to be a particularly comfortable ivory white, and even its texture resembled ivory.

Probably hearing Sang Yang’s exclamation, Mojia couldn’t help but snort coldly, seemingly finding Sang Yang’s amazement excessive, but he said: “That small building is made of ivory, called ‘White Banner,’ where the former Dakini Yangjin lived. If you’re fortunate enough to cultivate into dakinis in the future, you can also live there.”

When saying this, he glanced at Jian Chou.

Jian Chou naturally felt it and knew why he was looking over.

Because she was the only one among this group who had made the conch shell emit light, presumably in their view, she was the person most likely to become the legendary “Dakini.”

But she wasn’t interested in this.

The only thing in Mojia’s words that made her pay attention was the dakini’s name—Yangjin.

In recent years, the Tantric sect had only produced one dakini, rumored to originally be the Buddha Mother beside Dharma King Baojing, but during the recent conflicts, she had turned to the old Tantric sect and stabbed Dharma King Baojing in the back.

Presumably, this was that person.

Seeing Jian Chou’s lack of reaction, Mojia cursed silently in his heart.

But when he glanced and saw the “Huai Jie” standing beside him, he couldn’t say anything more. In his heart, he thought that once Dharma King Baojing had his way with her, she would regret it!

“All of you follow me. After recording your names in the hall, I’ll take you to your lodgings.”

Impatiently waving his hand, Mojia finally stopped wasting words with Jian Chou and the others, directly leading them to a side hall of a large hall on the west side, handing the parchment scroll recording the Ming Fei’s vital information to a new Tantric disciple responsible for such miscellaneous affairs, asking him to arrange proper accommodations.

In these trivial matters, every sect was the same—truly unremarkable.

Before it was Jian Chou’s turn, she stood aside with her hands clasped, watching.

But unexpectedly, during this brief waiting time, that phantom-like figure that had disappeared from the Holy Temple’s spire quietly appeared again at the side hall’s entrance.

In that instant, Jian Chou truly hadn’t expected it and was almost startled.

Fortunately, she had also cultivated considerable skill in concealing her emotions, so she quickly controlled her expression and didn’t reveal too obvious a flaw.

But her gaze involuntarily fell on him.

Fu Chaosheng stood at the hall’s entrance. Seeing Jian Chou looking at him with undisguised amazement in her eyes, he smiled slightly at her, then raised his slender index finger and gently placed it vertically before his lips.

This was telling her not to speak.

Jian Chou’s gaze toward him became strange, and she glanced left and right. It was still the same as when they were at the mountain’s base—at such a close distance, not a single person noticed Fu Chaosheng’s presence.

Except for her.

What kind of transcendent feeling was this?

Jian Chou stood still without moving or making a sound, just watching him walk in from the side hall’s entrance.

His steps were as light and slow as if treading on clouds in a dream, and the ancient patterns on his pale azure robes still carried that strange dusty feeling.

Probably because the sunset outside was setting and the light was good, his complexion didn’t look as pale as before.

In his pair of eyes, that sense of vicissitudes and naivety interwoven was slightly reduced, rarely containing some mischievous amusement from toying with others.

Fu Chaosheng hadn’t left the Holy Temple these past few days.

Since he had used his cosmic eyes to discover traces of this old friend within the snowy region and knew she was coming to the Holy Temple, he had been waiting here.

Until today, when he finally saw her arrive.

Originally, the waiting days were somewhat boring for him, and he had wanted to go directly to find Jian Chou. But that salted fish kun, for some unknown reason, stubbornly blocked him from going, repeatedly telling him something about “you need to be reserved.”

Fu Chaosheng knew the word “reserved.”

But when the kun told him “you need to be reserved,” he couldn’t understand it.

But in the end, he was annoyed by this kun’s nagging from day to night, and thinking that his old friend was traveling with these Tantric people, making conversation indeed inconvenient, so he waited here.

At this moment, he heard the carp pendant hanging at his waist start chattering incessantly again: “Truly not of our kind. Mayflies are too small, their brains are also small, really insufficient…”

Fu Chaosheng didn’t want to pay attention.

He had already entered the hall directly and was preparing to go toward Jian Chou. But when he was still seven or eight steps away from Jian Chou, he suddenly discovered that besides Jian Chou, there was another person looking at him.

To be precise, not looking at him, but looking in the direction where he currently stood.

Although he had changed into deep red monk robes and had been tonsured, losing his hair, he recognized him immediately: this person seemed to be the cultivator who had traveled with Jian Chou this time…

Apparently from Kunwu.

As for what his name was, he had no impression.

Fu Chaosheng, whose head contained the memories of the entire mayfly clan, had a very good memory, but he rarely bothered to remember cultivators’ names. Because most people seemed similar to him.

Except for Jian Chou.

Things related to her, he might pay more attention to because of her, but as for unrelated matters, it was difficult to remember even if he wanted to.

Golden Core peak…

By all logic, he should be completely unable to perceive his existence.

Fu Chaosheng stood still, gazing back directly like this. In his pair of ink-green eyes that were almost deep black, a hint of demonic malice quietly surfaced.

At this moment, Xie Buchen inexplicably felt a sense of palpitation.

The space not far ahead was clearly empty, but when he followed Jian Chou’s gaze, he vaguely felt that something was standing there.

This wasn’t spiritual consciousness perception, but pure intuition…

He looked in that direction without moving.

This scene, falling into Jian Chou’s eyes, revealed a strange and sinister atmosphere—

In others’ eyes, Xie Buchen was merely gazing at that empty space; but in her eyes, Xie Buchen was truly staring directly at Fu Chaosheng!