One month later, Zhang Yong quietly opened his eyes, looked at his hand, and came to a realization.
He had achieved the first level of the Law of Death and gained additional knowledge.
'Palm of Absorption... It can even absorb Death Qi from the air. Just as Yuni said, there are auxiliary abilities at every level of the Life and Death Structure. This is good,' Zhang Yong thought inwardly.
Upon activating the Palm of Absorption, the surrounding Death Qi began to be drawn toward his palm, coiling like a small vortex.
'Hmm, this feels like a bitter taste. I don't feel comfortable using it.'
(That's simply because it's not a part of your body. Demonic cultivators feel almost the same way. But you haven't felt it before because the Death Qi you used came from converting your life energy into Death Qi, meaning it wasn't something foreign to the body.)
Zhang Yong closed his eyes and began digesting this information. "It's like the body's immune system, but with higher and more lethal damage."
He thought deeply. By using Death Qi internally within his body, he would convert his life energy into Death Qi, and his lifespan would decrease noticeably. With the Palm of Absorption, external Qi would make him stronger but was also harmful.
Suddenly, he felt footsteps approaching.
"Have you finished meditating? That was quick."
It was Wu Ruoxian, standing beside him, with signs of fatigue on her face—it seemed she had guarded him throughout the month.
Zhang Yong slowly raised his gaze. His eyes were like a calm sea of blood. He stared at Wu Ruoxian without speaking.
Her face looked pale, with dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled, and her eyes carried exhaustion.
Zhang Yong sighed inwardly, then stood up. "Yes, I have a high understanding of laws." Then he quietly turned around. "Where did Yueliang go?"
"She said she would explore the surrounding area," Wu Ruoxian said quietly.
The wind was blowing slowly, and the world's funeral passed in silence. In the sky, a black cloud passed like an omen of what was to come.
Yet Zhang Yong's eyes widened in an instant.
'Father!' Koro's voice suddenly appeared on his body.
On the horizon, a purple light fell toward Zhang Yong, and he immediately threw it to the ground.
Above his head stood Koro, who began rubbing her beak against his face.
Zhang Yong smiled gently and patted her head. "Yes, I missed you too."
However, Koro raised her head and looked at Zhang Yong as if she were frowning, which stunned Zhang Yong for a moment. She had never looked at him like this before.
"Um... what's wrong?"
'Father is an idiot! Do you know I thought you were dead?' Her voice carried a tone of reproach.
Zhang Yong's eyelashes trembled for a moment. He reached out his hand and gently stroked her feathers, but she stubbornly moved her head away.
'This little one... it seems I worried her too much.' Zhang Yong smiled gently.
"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time." Quietly, Zhang Yong stood in the cold wind as his hair swayed with the air, his eyes shining with a strange brilliance.
Wu Ruoxian slowly approached him and asked, "This bird, isn't that the one that was with Sister Yan?"
Zhang Yong smiled lightly as he looked toward Koro, then said quietly without turning to Wu Ruoxian:
"Yes, she was with her for a while... but Koro is my family."
Wu Ruoxian's eyes widened slightly when she heard his words, then she looked toward Koro, who raised her head proudly as if saying, 'Yes, I am.'
It wasn't unusual for her, but she just didn't expect Zhang Yong to address his bird as family.
Wu Ruoxian smiled silently as she watched Zhang Yong and Koro, but before she could utter a word, the sound of light footsteps echoed from afar.
"Oh! Are you finally awake?!"
A soft voice appeared, carrying light joy, before Long Yueliang emerged from among the rocks, waving her hand, a bright smile on her face.
But that smile didn't last.
As soon as her eyes fell on the majestic purple bird in front of them, her lips trembled, and her steps suddenly froze.
"Husband! Get away!"
She shouted as she quickly raised her hand, and the heavy sword appeared in her hand, ready to attack.
"Stop, Yueliang."
Zhang Yong said hurriedly. This girl had never met Koro up close before, so she didn't know that Koro was Zhang Yong's spirit beast.
As soon as she heard him, the sword froze in her grip, then she quietly lowered it.
"But... this?"
She said, staring at Koro, who began puffing up her feathers proudly.
"My spirit beast. You haven't seen her before, so don't attack her," Zhang Yong said with a frown.
Long Yueliang stared at them in astonishment, then looked at Wu Ruoxian, who remained silent and observant, seemingly already knowing this relationship.
Yueliang sighed lightly, sheathed her sword, then lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry... I just thought it was a wild beast."
Zhang Yong looked at her for a moment, then nodded quietly without saying anything, then turned to Koro. "So, where is Xiao Hong?"
Koro raised her wing feathers and touched her beak with them in a moment of thought before answering. "They should be here any moment with the monk."
Zhang Yong looked at her in surprise. "Huh? A monk? What do you mean?"
Before Koro could reply, the faint sound of bells began to be heard from afar, echoing through the wind blowing among the gray rocks.
The sound of crawling echoed with low human chants, and before the shapes appeared clearly, the sound of the bells faded and complete silence prevailed.
A snake's shadow appeared in the forefront, and on its back sat a man wearing simple Buddhist monk's robes, his head shaved and his face carrying a smile as calm as a lake on a cold morning. He wore a robe of a chestnut color, a mixture of brown and gold, and around his neck was a long necklace made of brown beads.
And in front of him, on the snake's head, sat a small red cub with a yellow brick.
The snake approached quietly, and when it stopped, the monk rose from the snake's back, before the snake hissed and quickly rushed toward Zhang Yong with Xiao Hong on its head.
'Master!' Xiao Hong said happily.
Meanwhile, the snake wrapped itself around Zhang Yong's body happily and began to squeeze him, and Xiao Hong began licking his face.
"Yes.... glad to see you guys again." Zhang Yong smiled gently while almost losing his ability to breathe.
Then Zhang Yong turned his gaze toward the Buddhist monk standing afar with a calm smile.
Then Wu Ruoxian sent him a telepathic message. 'Don't worry, he seems to be from the Buddhist sect. They don't care much about fighting and conflicts.'
Upon hearing that, he signaled to the snake, which released Zhang Yong and walked quietly toward the Buddhist monk.
He stood before him and clasped his hands together. "Thank you for taking care of my beasts during this period."
"You are their master, aren't you?" the monk said in a soft tone.
Zhang Yong nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's right."
The monk nodded his head as if he had heard what he expected, then his eyes narrowed slightly when he focused a little. "I didn't expect to meet her here."
Wu Ruoxian's eyes narrowed for a moment. 'It seems this person has noticed Zhang Yong's structure.... It would be bad to keep him alive, even if I know he won't harm him.'
Zhang Yong seemed surprised for a moment when he heard this. "What do you mean?"
The monk smiled calmly. "My Buddhist name is Monk of Silent Dew, but my name is Huai Xin. Nice to meet you."
"What?!" Long Yueliang couldn't help but be shocked. "You're a Bodhisattva candidate, reached Buddhist truth at the age of twenty, Huai Xin. Even your appearance attracted the Emperor's attention a few years ago."
Zhang Yong smiled calmly as he looked at the monk before him. "So you're the Monk of Silent Dew, Huai Xin... I've heard of you. I am Zhang Yong."
Zhang Yong had lied and acted as if it were natural to know about him, but he didn't really care about him as a person, but more about the Buddhist path.
The Buddhist path wasn't really an official path but rather like a side faction.
The Righteous Faction, the Devil Faction, and the Buddhist Faction.
The Buddhist Faction could also be described as the truly righteous faction, compared to the Righteous Faction, which competes for positions and power and where betrayals are plentiful.
The Buddhist Faction cares about reaching the peak of the Buddhist path, and that is enough for them. They have no interest in power or anything else, only in achieving the goal of transcendence. This is their only concern, and therefore, as long as you have a true Buddhist companion, you can always rest easy.
The monk did not reply immediately, but kept staring at Zhang Yong for long seconds, but it wasn't a possessive gaze, but rather like he had found an old friend. "This is an honor, genius Zhang Yong. I heard about the Pill Competition. I thought you were lucky, but.... it seems I was mistaken, even to win in your condition."
Zhang Yong's eyes narrowed upon hearing his words. 'Is it possible that he noticed... no, even elders at the Venerable rank had to examine my body to realize my condition, but Buddhists train their mental energy and spirit more, so...'
Zhang Yong began to secretly suspect.
When the monk noticed his gaze, he immediately waved his hand reassuringly. "Ah, sorry if this seemed inappropriate to say, but I have noticed your problem, and I think fate has brought us together. So, after this event, I offer you to come to the Dao Discussion event that my sect holds every year." The monk put his hand in his clothes and brought out a wooden talisman and gave it to Zhang Yong.
"Accompany me for a while on my way to Ling Jin Mountain, where our main temple is located. There, you may find comfort, and perhaps... some answers."
Zhang Yong smiled calmly as he took the talisman from the monk's hand, then nodded. "I'll keep it, and perhaps I'll visit you if the opportunity arises. But I have a question: how did you know about my condition?"
The monk smiled calmly as he answered. "That's because I practice the Path of Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Reading the hearts of living beings is what I excel at, and even the Heart Devils within you are something I can read."
The monk took one step closer and continued. "Your Heart Devils are not something that can be removed overnight. The reason for them is that everything in you is contradictory: your actions contradict your thinking, your thinking contradicts your heart, and your heart contradicts your desire. Because these simple things contradict each other, and each of them decides something on its own."
Zhang Yong did not reply, but his heart shook a little. There was some truth in the monk's words.
His actions... were brutal and sometimes emotional, they were unstable.
His thinking... at times constant and at times led him to commit the same mistake.
His heart... was hanging with heavy guilt, hundreds of souls clinging to his body, desiring to bring him down to the depths of hell.
His desire... was to become like someone important to him.
Each of these things was not stable at all, but they were also what allowed him to reach what he is.
The monk bowed slightly, then turned and began walking away, with the sound of bells fading once more.
After his departure, silence remained for a while, until Koro's voice broke it in a low tone.
'Father... is he dangerous?'
Zhang Yong shook his head quietly. This monk was very still, but his words carried part of the truth.
'No, not currently. Perhaps.... this person is right. Perhaps it's time for me to stop—'
'Go to hell with your thoughts!' A voice screamed in Zhang Yong's mind, making his heart constrict violently.
He focused his thoughts and closed his eyes slightly before calming himself and opening them again. "That was close."
Zhang Yong smiled gently as he passed his hand over Xiao Hong's head, then turned his gaze toward the snake. "Boy, from today you will accompany me."
Zhang Yong walked toward him and bought a pet tag and patted his head, granting him the tag.
'Honor.... Master.'
The snake's voice reached Zhang Yong's mind, and he smiled quietly. "Your name will be Xiao Bai."
"Heh, congratulations on obtaining a fourth-rank beast," Wu Ruoxian said with a smile.
Long Yueliang also smiled. "Congratulations."
Zhang Yong nodded and returned his beasts to the pet space. "Thank you, but we need to move now. Let's look for the territorial wall and meet the others."
The two girls nodded, and the group began to move among the misty rocks.