Yichen?
The first among the three masters of Chanzong, the legendary “Heart Master,” Monk Yichen?!
It would have been fine if the crowd hadn’t heard, but upon hearing this monk announce his name, they all collectively drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Not only Jian Chou, but even the cultivators from the Yin and Yang sects on both sides also changed their expressions.
Even considering the entire Shijiu Zhou, the three masters of Chanzong were among the most important figures of all important figures.
What’s more, the one before them was the first among the three masters of Chanzong?
A great cultivator of the Void Refining stage, though only ranking last among the three masters, was still an unreachable realm for ordinary cultivators and even those old monsters at the Nascent Soul stage!
The scene instantly fell silent.
The relationship between the Yin and Yang sects and Chanzong had always been decent, not to mention there were originally disciples from Kunwu Yashan here, so they even less dared to act rashly, only watching from the sidelines.
However, Jian Chou turned her gaze to glance at the female demon standing behind Monk Yichen, slightly raising an eyebrow.
How strange.
It was understandable for others to show restraint upon seeing Monk Yichen, but this female demon, facing her own savior, why did her expression faintly reveal several traces of wariness?
Moreover, ever since Monk Yichen appeared, she had been standing in place, no longer attempting to escape.
Was it that she didn’t want to, or that she couldn’t?
This thought flashed lightly through Jian Chou’s mind. Her gaze circled the void between the female demon and Monk Yichen before falling back on Yichen.
This great monk’s intervention was truly astonishing, easily breaking through the Heaven-Overturning Seal with a simple flower-picking finger gesture—not to be underestimated.
However, his expression appeared kind, his speech was polite, and his eyes held compassionate intent, completely different from those monks in the snowy regions of Xinmi.
Because he had intervened to obstruct her, Jian Chou’s impression of him wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t bad either.
So, while observing him, she smiled and spoke: “I have long heard of the renowned Heart Master Yichen, the great monk of Chanzong. Seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved. Jian Chou has long admired you. However, Master’s words leave Jian Chou somewhat confused.”
This was also Monk Yichen’s first time meeting this Jian Chou, who at such a young age had already gained fame throughout Shijiu Zhou. Just from this first encounter, he had already praised her silently in his heart. However, upon closer observation, he couldn’t help but be startled by her current peculiar cultivation realm.
Truly worthy of being someone who could make all who see her be moved…
Kunwu Yashan indeed still stood at the very pinnacle of these Shijiu Zhou.
During these twenty years, Chanzong’s supreme treasure, the Sumeru Mustard Seed, had been missing, dragging down these two prodigies from both sects and causing them to lose their traces as well. Although the cause was Liao Kong’s desire to save someone, and Kunwu Yashan had never said anything about it, Yichen still felt somewhat guilty in his heart.
Today, he had been in meditation in his meditation room when he suddenly sensed a familiar aura—it was precisely Chanzong’s supreme treasure, the Sumeru Mustard Seed.
Upon investigating the direction, he discovered it was actually at the border between the Yin and Yang sects.
Thus, all his previous doubts were resolved. Yichen dared not delay too long. After hastily giving instructions to his disciples, he immediately used the Great Teleportation technique to come here, barely managing to stop Jian Chou in time.
“Amitabha.” Facing Jian Chou’s question at this moment, he chanted a Buddhist prayer and simply said, “This demon was indeed enlightened by this poor monk unintentionally, who would have thought it would lead to such karmic consequences. To say she has some connection with young friend Jian Chou is not false. However, this place and time are not suitable for explaining the full circumstances. I wonder, could you please move to Chanzong with me, young benefactors?”
This demon was actually enlightened unintentionally by Monk Yichen?
In other words, she existed originally, but only became this way because of Yichen’s enlightenment?
Jian Chou was somewhat surprised in her heart, only vaguely feeling that this matter was not ordinary, and for the moment had no reason to refuse. Moreover, with everyone watching, as the first among the three masters of Chanzong, Monk Yichen couldn’t possibly deceive her.
What’s more…
She had blocked this female demon because she indeed wanted to clarify the circumstances of the matter. Her intention to kill earlier was simply because this female demon showed no sign of submission, making her feel that keeping her alive would be useless. But now that Yichen had spoken, she naturally would have no further concerns.
Jian Chou only contemplated for a moment before replying: “If the Master invites, I dare not refuse. I’ll trouble you to lead the way.”
Xie Buchen at the side, however, did not speak.
When Monk Yichen had said “young benefactors,” he had obviously included him as well. However, at this moment, he neither agreed nor directly stated he wouldn’t go.
Those deep eyes merely swept over Jian Chou, the female demon, and Yichen in turn.
The female demon still stood behind Yichen, as if trapped there.
In fact, since Yichen had come, he naturally wouldn’t let this female demon escape again. So when he stood by the Two Extremes Pool, while resolving the danger of Jian Chou’s strike for this female demon, he had simultaneously cast the technique of drawing ground as prison, preventing her from leaving.
At this moment, since Xie Buchen didn’t answer, Yichen took it as his tacit agreement.
Thus, he smiled slightly: “In that case, please wait a moment, everyone.”
Jian Chou, Xie Buchen, and the others were all puzzled, not knowing what he needed them to wait for.
As thoughts flashed through their minds, they saw Yichen turn around.
The hand that had previously formed the flower-picking finger gesture now only slightly extended to form a half-open lotus mudra, pointing remotely toward the curved line where black and white intersected at the Two Extremes Pool below.
“Om…”
That curved line, which couldn’t be distinguished as black or white, faintly revealed a chaotic aura under the intersection of yin and yang energies, something human spiritual consciousness couldn’t easily penetrate.
However, the instant Yichen pointed his finger downward, a tiny speck of golden light like dust suddenly brightened from within!
A thread of chaos!
A mustard seed like dust!
It was none other than that Sumeru Mustard Seed, barely visible to the naked eye!
This familiar aura, though clearly minute, possessed a vastness and magnificence capable of containing Mount Sumeru and accommodating vast seas. Jian Chou and Xie Buchen sensed it almost immediately.
After they had escaped using the Great Five Elements Prohibition-Breaking Technique, they had not seen any trace of this supreme treasure, not expecting it to be hidden within the chaotic intersection of yin and yang.
In just a moment, the Sumeru Mustard Seed had returned to Yichen’s fingertip.
He gently closed his finger, and the mustard seed’s light dimmed, quietly disappearing without a trace. One could easily guess that Yichen had already stored it away.
This object was originally Chanzong’s supreme treasure and had always been kept by him, so he didn’t need to explain anything.
At this moment, he only turned around and bowed to the elders and disciples of the Yin and Yang sects who were waiting, his words carrying considerable apologetic intent: “This time, I mistakenly entered the forbidden area of your Two Extremes Pool with these young benefactors, disturbing everyone. Today this poor monk has urgent matters to attend to, but I will certainly visit to apologize another day. I hope for your understanding.”
“Master Yichen is too polite. This is a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.”
“If our sect master knew the Master had come, he would be delighted beyond measure. Moreover, you all merely entered the Two Extremes Pool by mistake without ill intent—how could we dare to mind?”
The elders of both sects were people with good judgment. Hearing Yichen’s words, they repeatedly expressed that it was no problem.
After all, Monk Yichen was of high virtue and prestige, secondly, they themselves had no malicious intent, and thirdly, even if there were malicious intent, with their abilities, how could they possibly stop a Void Refining stage great cultivator?
So rather than being pretentious, it was better to be straightforward.
Perhaps they could even earn a favor from Chanzong.
How could Yichen, known as the “Heart Master,” not understand these people’s thoughts? He just didn’t mind in his heart.
Since the matters here were temporarily settled, he expressed his thanks and turned back to Jian Chou and the others: “Then please, benefactors, follow this poor monk to Chanzong.”
As his words fell, he waved his monk’s sleeve, and the Buddha lotus beneath his feet suddenly expanded, swallowing Jian Chou and the others, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
Above the Two Extremes Pool, not a single figure could be seen.
Above that chaotic intersection, only a golden Buddha lotus remained, its light gradually dimming and form gradually fading…
How had the cultivators of the Yin and Yang sects ever seen such methods? They were all amazed for a moment.
The three people within that Buddha lotus naturally felt even more secretly astonished.
In their perception, the Buddha lotus had merely rolled once before a heart-palpitating spatial fluctuation transmitted over, and their entire beings felt as if placed within some kind of torrent.
When they regained their senses, their eyes had already changed to a completely different world.
In their ears, the faint sound of waves could be heard.
The air carried a trace of extremely light moisture, tinged with the salty dampness of seawater.
A not-very-tall mountain range lay quietly ahead. At the foot of the mountain, a relatively wide mountain path was built toward the heights, with steps extending level by level all the way to the mountainside, where a temple stood.
Past the mountain gate, the Heavenly Kings Hall was in front, with bell and drum towers on both sides.
Behind were even more temple halls and pavilions layered upon each other. Though scattered, they didn’t appear crowded at all. At the corners of the yellow walls and glazed tiles, several ancient bodhi trees could often be seen, luxuriant and vigorous.
The entire Chan monastery was half-hidden and half-revealed among green mountains and azure trees, revealing a flavor between transcendence and worldliness.
“This place is the Western Sea, the ancestral court of our Chanzong.”
Yichen stood not far from them, nodding slightly, taking the lead to walk up the mountain steps from the foot of the mountain, guiding them ahead.
Upon seeing this Chan monastery, the female demon’s expression had already turned unpleasant.
However, at this moment she couldn’t utter a single word, and her feet couldn’t move of their own accord—she could only follow Yichen upward.
Jian Chou and Xie Buchen, however, felt tremendous waves rising from the bottom of their hearts: having already passed the Nascent Soul stage, they naturally knew where the limits of “teleportation” lay. No matter what, it would be impossible to come directly from the border between the Yin and Yang sects to the Western Sea Chanzong!
Such a terrifying distance…
It would have to be at least “spatial movement”!
People say: Foundation Establishment controls artifacts, Golden Core controls the sky, Nascent Soul teleports, Soul Separation performs spatial movement.
Monk Yichen ranked first on the seventh level of the Nine Heavens Tablet, being a genuine first-ranked person in the Void Refining stage. This ability to perform spatial movement while bringing three people along was definitely not ordinary.
This was what a true “great cultivator” was like?
Just from this seemingly simple detail, Jian Chou’s understanding of true “great cultivators” deepened by another layer.
She said nothing more, only followed Yichen’s footsteps.
The group walked upward, occasionally encountering a few pilgrims descending the mountain. Upon seeing Monk Yichen, they showed respect but not the slightest trace of fear, let alone revering him as a deity. They simply bowed respectfully and devoutly, greeted him politely, then continued down the mountain.
Such scenes were completely different from what they had witnessed in the snowy regions.
After reaching the mountain, they could see many monks either walking in meditation or busy with tasks.
They wore monk robes of different colors, and by observing their cultivation depths, one could easily distinguish their different statuses and seniority within Chanzong.
There were young novices who had just entered the sect, as well as great monks with considerable cultivation.
Seeing Monk Yichen returning with several outsiders, among whom were two identical female cultivators, they showed considerable curiosity. However, their gazes were mostly pure and harbored no ill intent, not appearing offensive.
There were also those who approached to pay their respects when meeting face to face.
Regardless of who came, Monk Yichen calmly returned their greetings, which raised Jian Chou’s opinion of him even higher.
When they reached the front of the Heavenly Kings Hall, Yichen’s steps paused slightly.
A monk with a stern and rigid expression emerged from inside. With thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, he appeared very strict at first glance. His gaze swept over Jian Chou and the others, and he also properly bowed.
However, his words were directed at Yichen: “Junior Brother Yichen, these are…”
“Amitabha, these two are benefactors Jian Chou from Yashan and Xie Buchen from Kunwu, and the other is the female demon I unintentionally enlightened that day.”
Yichen sighed and actively introduced their identities, then introduced this monk to them.
“Benefactors, this is my senior brother, our Chanzong’s abbot, with the dharma name Wugou.”
Abbot Wugou!
This was also one of the three masters of Chanzong!
Jian Chou had long heard of the three masters of Chanzong: Heart Master Monk Yichen, Precept Master Abbot Wugou, and Emotion Master Chan Master Xuelang. Among the three, Chan Master Xuelang had the highest cultivation, Abbot Wugou maintained the strictest precepts, and Monk Yichen had the most penetrating thoughts.
It could be said that elsewhere in Shijiu Zhou, such three great cultivators would normally be impossible to meet.
But in Chanzong, they were casually standing in front of this Heavenly Kings Hall, and if she hadn’t seen wrong, earlier he had been speaking with pilgrims who came to offer incense, showing not the slightest airs of a great cultivator.
“Greetings to Abbot Wugou.”
Though she felt Chanzong was very different from other places, Jian Chou hadn’t forgotten her manners and bowed respectfully.
The female demon watched but didn’t move.
Xie Buchen at the side, always meticulous, also paid his respects.
Wugou had always been an unsmiling person. Seeing the two pay their respects, his expression didn’t soften at all; his brows furrowed even tighter.
He glanced at the female demon following behind Yichen and asked: “This is the female demon you enlightened?”
“Precisely.” Yichen naturally didn’t deny it. Stepping aside, he said, “I’ll trouble senior brother to first confine her to the Thousand Buddha Hall. I still need to explain the origins and circumstances to these young friends.”
Wugou, though the abbot and supposedly managing Chanzong’s internal and external affairs, was rigid and stern by nature, making him unsuitable for handling many matters.
At such times, Yichen would often take care of things.
Over time, Chanzong’s affairs became divided: Wugou handled internal matters, Yichen handled external ones.
Therefore, regarding Yichen’s current words, Abbot Wugou expressed no objection. He only looked solemnly at the female demon and reached out to grab her—the female demon was already by his side.
She still possessed the exact same appearance as Jian Chou, showing no signs of revealing her true form in the presence of these masters.
At this moment, brought to Abbot Wugou’s side, her gaze fell directly on Jian Chou.
What a familiar gaze that was?
When Jian Chou used to look at herself in mirrors, she would often see such a gaze—her own gaze.
So at this moment, she clearly felt: “You seem to have something to say to me.”
“I do have something to say, but not to you, but to myself.” The female demon laughed, but the meaning in her expression was rather complex. Though she was laughing, it seemed more like a quiet sigh: “Even I can be abandoned—what matters or things in this world can’t be forsaken by you people?”
You people.
This term was used in a way that was far too subtly excessive.
Though her gaze remained fixed on her without the slightest deviation, Jian Chou inexplicably felt that this sentence was not only asking her, but also asking Xie Buchen.
Xie Buchen’s gaze also fell on this female demon.
The moment she asked this question, the various speculations that had surfaced in his mind were already confirmed. However, at this moment, he surprisingly felt none of the composure of someone who strategized and predicted events with divine accuracy—only a desolation that suddenly crept upward.
Because he already knew exactly what kind of existence she was.
However, after saying this, the female demon spoke no more. Only on that face identical to Jian Chou’s did some mockery appear.
Jian Chou vaguely had some thoughts but remained silent.
Monk Yichen naturally understood why the female demon spoke thus. With several traces of compassionate color, he sighed quietly and continued leading the way: “The wisdom of prajna has no size, but varies according to the delusion and enlightenment of all sentient beings’ own hearts. People have a thousand thoughts. A thousand thoughts in one body—this is humanity, this is dust. Sometimes one thought, sometimes one mistake, and one becomes a demon. In the end, it is this old monk’s fault…”
His words naturally carried Chan mysteries, but Jian Chou couldn’t fully comprehend them.
She didn’t respond.
Yichen didn’t need anyone to respond either. After reciting these two lines, he led them past the Heavenly Kings Hall and continued upward past the mountainside, quickly passing the Scripture Repository, the Standing in Snow Pavilion, reaching the base of a cliff face behind the mountain.
The cliff face was smooth as a mirror, reflecting several traces of the westward-slanting sunlight.
Below the cliff was a lotus pond about seven or eight zhang in circumference. The lotus in the pond had no leaves but bloomed, with only faint clear light, shadowy and indistinct, wondrous in myriad ways.
What was even more noteworthy was the water in this lotus pond.
Though clearly having no living water flowing in, it continuously circulated within.
The pond water was neither transparent and colorless nor divided into distinct black and white like the Two Extremes Pool of the Yin and Yang sects. This pond water—one couldn’t call it clean, but it absolutely couldn’t be called filthy either. Each stream of water actually carried wisps of smoky black ash!
Looking toward the pond bottom, it was completely black, as if accumulated from countless ashes.
The entire lotus pond conveyed an indescribable sense of illusion. The ash-laden water flowed within the pond, yet mist rose from the surface, floating around the lotus flowers blooming in the pond.
Jian Chou’s spiritual consciousness instinctively probed over.
In that instant, myriad forms and phenomena rushed toward her. From the misty vapor above and the flowing water below, she actually saw countless human figures and countless scenes—some sad, some joyful, some angry, some sorrowful…
She even felt that the moment she “saw” them, they also turned to “look” at her.
However, this phantom only lasted for a moment before disappearing again.
What reappeared in her ears, besides the wind sounds from this mountain height, was Monk Yichen’s voice carried in the wind, full of penetrating thoughts and compassionate intent.
“Benefactor Jian Chou must have already seen—this place is the ‘Cinder Pool.'”
“All existence in Shijiu Zhou that has awakened spiritual intelligence, whether ordinary mortals or great cultivators who reach heaven and earth, whatever they have forgotten or abandoned from their past will gather in this pool.”
“The scattered fragments are like dust, disappearing over time and sinking to the pool bottom; the integrated ones form water streams, gathering and difficult to disperse, floating on the water surface.”
Monk Yichen spoke while pointing forward: “Everything is as the benefactor just witnessed.”
Upon hearing the words “Cinder Pool,” Jian Chou’s heart had already formed expectations.
After hearing Yichen’s brief explanation, she understood. However, when recalling, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat dazed: it was indeed related to the “past” she had severed within the Gate of Cause and Effect that day.
However, this Cinder Pool could actually contain such virtually mindlike past experiences—truly wondrous.
She slightly lowered her brows and didn’t mention a single word about her own involvement. She only tentatively spoke: “Your meaning is…”
“This Cinder Pool existed before our Chanzong’s northern migration—it’s a wondrous place naturally formed by heaven and earth.”
“For over ten cycles of sixty years, our sect’s monks have rarely set foot here. Only this poor monk enjoys coming here to observe the sorrows and joys of all spiritual beings in heaven and earth, tempering a heart of the mortal world.”
“Only I never expected…”
Yichen stood by the pool’s edge, gazing at those water streams in the pool that hadn’t dispersed for years, smiling with a sigh. In that gaze were several traces of the amazement he’d felt upon first meeting Jian Chou, as well as a kind of resignation that karma had arrived and fate was thus determined.
“Decades ago, this poor monk was meditating here as usual.”
“Unexpectedly, a water stream carrying ash in the pool suddenly floated up, still in a state of ignorance, not yet possessing spirit. However, its thoughts were extremely firm and its intent extremely persistent. For decades it never dissipated, instead absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, bathing in compassionate Buddha light. Over time, it gained spirit and opened its wisdom. One day, it actually took form and emerged, asking about its troubles.”
“This poor monk couldn’t bear to harm its life and originally intended to resolve its doubts and deliver it to salvation…”
At this point, there was really no need to say more.
Yichen turned back to look at Jian Chou, shaking his head with some helplessness: “In the end, it was a moment of benevolence. She actually gained enlightenment from it—a single thought from the past, transforming into a demon. From then on, she escaped from Chanzong and nearly caused great disaster.”