Lingzhou Buddhist Nation – Jiaye Monastery
A strange, blood-red full moon hung in a starless sky. Layers of thick, smoky black clouds shrouded the land, completely sealing off the greatest sacred site of the Buddhist sect. Even the usual calming sound of wooden fish used to cleanse impurity couldn't disperse the oppressive atmosphere, especially with all the hearts of the monastery disciples restless today.
Tonight would mark the end of Zen Master Zhikong's lifespan, and with it, a great catastrophe was about to befall Jiaye Monastery.
How could anyone stay calm?
The demonic cultivators of the Chaotic Demon Sea, who had long plotted to kill monks and steal their karma, were only waiting for Master Zhikong to pass. Then, without hesitation, they would attempt to seize the monastery's treasured artifact—the Nine-Turn Eternal Lotus Lamp.
This treasure, which had for tens of thousands of years prevented the demons from conquering the Central Heavenly Domain, was supposed to be passed on early by Master Zhikong to his successor, giving them ample time to learn to wield it.
Yet for unknown reasons, Zhikong had taken no such action. He hadn't even named a successor. He simply sat silently each day in the Hall of the Auspicious Form, eyes closed, neither speaking nor meditating—seemingly waiting for something.
"Senior Brother, the chaos in the Chaotic Demon Sea has reached its climax. Do you have a plan to resolve it?" Unable to wait any longer as his life neared its end, the three head monks came to ask him.
"Has something gone wrong with the Lotus Lamp?"
Zhikong remained unresponsive. Head Monk Zhihui from Prajna Hall grew more certain of his suspicion. If Zhikong were clinging to power and refusing to hand over the lamp, he would never believe it.
But if something had indeed gone wrong with the Buddhist treasure, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After Zhikong's passing, the highest cultivation level among them would be at the early Sarira stage, while every one of the Demon Lord's Twelve Commanders were at Nascent Soul stage or higher. The Demon Lord himself had reached peak Nascent Soul. Without the Lotus Lamp, Jiaye Monastery would be doomed.
Just as the three monks continued their anxious discussions through the night, Zen Master Zhikong finally opened his clear eyes.
He stared solemnly into the void of the night sky, then exhaled in relief:"Amitabha. He has finally come."
He? Who had come?
The three head monks followed his gaze and swept their divine sense across hundreds of meters around, yet found not even a bird.
Puzzled, they withdrew their senses—only to be startled by the sudden presence of a plain-robed man standing silently in the hall.
He had completely evaded the detection of three Sarira-stage monks and appeared without a sound. What kind of cultivation was that?
The man in the plain robe stood with his back to them, his aura so overpowering that their spiritual senses were forced down into their consciousness, unable to detect his face. But like them, he had shaved his head—he appeared to be a Buddhist cultivator.
Yet his energy felt strangely sharp—more like a sword cultivator.
Around him flickered a faint glow of white lotus light, a sign he had cultivated to the half-step Golden Body stage, at least at the Void Enlightenment realm, surpassing even the peak Nascent Soul Demon Lord.
Could he be…
Could he be Chanlingzi, the legendary Zen Sword Buddha, who five thousand years ago merged the path of the demonic sword with Buddhist cultivation?
The former mad demon from Demon Island, who bathed in blood until a sage led him to enlightenment?
"What was so urgent that you had to summon me?"
The plain-robed monk stood tall in the hall, as radiant as the moon, as gentle as the breeze. He bowed respectfully to the solemn Buddha statue before slowly turning to face the four men.
He was tall, with elegant, handsome features, looking no older than 18 or 19. His skin was pale—pure as the snow atop the sacred mountains.
While the three head monks stood in shocked silence, Zhikong rose and pressed his palms together in greeting, softly reciting in a secret voice:"Chanlingzi, Grandmaster-Uncle."
Chanlingzi didn't seem pleased and skipped the pleasantries."What exactly is wrong with the Lotus Lamp?"
Zhikong closed his eyes briefly. A phantom red lotus flickered at his brow."Grandmaster-Uncle, do you know that the Lotus Lamp's power comes not only from the treasure itself, but from a powerful divine soul sealed inside it? That soul, though damaged, has remained in deep sleep. The lamp seals it to help repair the fragmented soul…"
Chanlingzi frowned slightly after examining it."The Lotus Lamp's true master is about to undergo nirvana."
Zhikong sighed and chanted another "Amitabha.""The Lotus Lamp is bound to its master's essence and will reincarnate with him. Once we lose it, how can our Buddhist nation in Lingzhou resist the demonic invasion?"
Chanlingzi replied,"Jiaye Monastery has been kind to me, but you know I cannot stay long. My presence is… not simple."
"I understand, Grandmaster-Uncle. I ask only one favor."
"Speak."
"Soon, please use your power to locate where the Lotus Lamp's master is being reborn…"
"You want to bring him back to Jiaye Monastery?" Chanlingzi was surprised."This soul has protected Jiaye for tens of thousands of years. Now, finally granted reincarnation, you want to pull him back while he's still ignorant, sever his emotions, and cut off his worldly ties? Isn't that rather heartless?"
Zhikong shook his head:"No matter what kind of earth-shaking figure he once was, in this life, he's just a fragile mortal. With the Lotus Lamp within him, if the demons find out, how will he survive? Out of mercy, bringing him back to Jiaye is the only way to protect him."
Gently fingering the crystal prayer beads on his wrist, Chanlingzi muttered:"Truly, I must be old. What has the world come to?"
Zhikong felt the sting in those words and bowed his head in shame:"Grandmaster-Uncle…"
"But you're not wrong. With the Lotus Lamp inside him, peace in this life really is a foolish dream." Chanlingzi raised his hand and lightly inhaled.
The blooming red lotus—about the size of a fist—slowly floated from Zhikong's forehead into his palm.
Seemingly curious, he gently stroked its petals.
The lotus trembled softly in response, as if caressing his fingertips.
Chanlingzi blinked in mild surprise. A rare smile curved his lips. Holding the lotus in his palm, he slowly lifted it up.
"Go."
The Lotus Lamp made one slow circle through the hall, scattering red sparks like stars, then shot out into the night like a meteor, piercing the dark clouds—disappearing into the sky.
Chan Lingzi closed his eyes and stood silently before the others.
Because the two had been speaking in secret voice transmissions, the three temple heads had no idea what had transpired. When they saw that this revered Zen Sword Venerable had casually released the Lotus Lamp—a sacred treasure—they were all horrified, but none dared to speak a word.
"Eastern Immortal Cloud Continent, the southern seven cities. That is the smallest range I can estimate." About half an hour later, Chan Lingzi, looking weary, opened his eyes and instructed, "You and I are not suited to appear. Send a few inconspicuous junior disciples to search. Once they find him, they must bring him back without leaving a trace—do not attract the attention of the Immortal Nations or the demonic forces."
The three temple heads stared blankly. "Find who?"
"A baby boy, born at the third quarter of midnight tonight. If my calculations are correct, there should be a mark between his brows resembling a red lotus."
A soft white glow appeared in Chan Lingzi's palm, which then transformed into an exquisitely crafted bell. "I left a trace of my aura within the Lotus Lamp. When this child approaches, this tracking bell will respond."
After saying this, he turned calmly to Zhikong, "You may now pass on in peace. This child and I are now bound by karmic fate. I will remain at Jiaye Temple to await his return and take him as my personal disciple, gifting him a great fortune…"
Fifteen years later.
Cloud Continent, outskirts of Fuguang City.
In recent days, Fire Refining Sect had opened its gates to accept disciples. At the foot of the mountain outside the city, the area was packed with cultivators who had journeyed from various cities and continents to seek apprenticeship.
"Jian Xiaolou, from the Jian Family of Baiyun City. This is a letter of recommendation from the city lord of Baiyun." Jian Xiaolou presented her identity jade plaque to the guard watching the forested mountain path.
On her shoulder perched a pitch-black mynah bird, seemingly without any spiritual cultivation and with vacant eyes.
Due to its old age, the bird appeared a little dim-witted.
The guard awkwardly took the jade plaque and, like the others, repeatedly examined the green-robed girl standing before him: thick dark bangs on her forehead, large moist eyes like a startled deer, delicate nose and lips, fair and tender cheeks…
A sudden strong mountain wind swept by, lifting her bangs and revealing a dark red birthmark—the size of a walnut—above her left eyebrow.
The guard immediately looked as if he'd swallowed a fly, his face stiff.
What a pity, such a beauty ruined by that mark.
While the guard verified her identity, Jian Xiaolou looked up at Fuguang City, which seemed both close at hand and far away in the clouds, feeling a surge of emotion.
She had walked all the way from Baiyun City, a journey that had taken a full month, but she had finally made it in time.
This was her first long trip since arriving on the Crimson Sky Continent.
She knew this world was vast, but hadn't imagined it to be so absurdly enormous. Just Cloud Continent alone was roughly the size of Earth if laid flat. Yet even Cloud Continent was only one of the three Eastern Immortal continents, with the Central Celestial Domain also encompassing the Five Northern Immortal Continents, Two Western Immortal Continents, the Southern Spirit Continent—home to Buddhist nations—and Pingzhou, the Mortal Realm at the center.
Even the Central Celestial Domain was just one relatively whole and level section of the Crimson Sky Realm.
Jian Xiaolou wasn't sure whether to consider herself reincarnated. She had died of illness in the modern world, and afterward her soul had drifted unconsciously—until somehow, it landed in the Jian Family of Baiyun City on Cloud Continent.
Baiyun City was a Tier-3 Immortal City, while the Jian family was a Ninth-Rank clan.
Her parents and siblings were all cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. Especially her eldest brother, Jian Qingyu, who had been taken in by an elder from the Second-Rank Sect, Haoyi Sword Sect, at age ten. By fifteen, he had reached Foundation Establishment, and then advanced rapidly to be selected by the Heaven's Will Alliance, the governing power of the Three Eastern Immortal Continents.
To have a member of the Heaven's Will Alliance in the family meant one could essentially walk sideways through Baiyun City.
Jian Xiaolou herself, despite being a three-spirit-root wastrel who had barely reached the fifth level of Qi Refining at age fifteen, was still doted on by her parents as if she were a jewel. Naturally, her life was as sweet as honey.
Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Three months ago, on the day her older sister Jian Xiaochai was to be married, the Jian family waited anxiously with a house full of guests, only to receive a letter of withdrawal from the Liang family.
Her father went to seek an explanation, but not only was he humiliated and injured by the Liang family's patriarch, he also brought back devastating news:
—Her eldest brother, Jian Qingyu, had died half a month prior in the Heaven's Will Alliance.
Without the shining status of having a Heaven's Will Alliance member in the family, the prestigious Fifth-Rank Liang Clan naturally had no interest in maintaining any ties with the lowly Jian family.
Another half month passed, and sure enough, the Heaven's Will Alliance sent a messaging jade slip and twenty mid-grade spirit stones to the Jian family. The note contained just a few vague lines, merely stating that the person had perished—not even a word about the cause of death.
Her brother's life had been dismissed with just twenty mid-grade spirit stones.
Though her parents were devastated, they didn't dare approach the Heaven's Will Alliance to question Jian Qingyu's cause of death—let alone retrieve his remains.
If the Three Eastern Immortal Continents were likened to a country, then the Jian family was nothing more than a merchant household in a remote border town, while the Heaven's Will Alliance was the heavenly palace towering above the clouds.
This suffocating injustice had been bottled up in Jian Xiaolou's heart, leaving her restless, unable to eat or sleep.
When she was born, her eldest brother had already left home many years before. There wasn't much deep affection between them, and to be honest, Jian Xiaolou could hardly remember what he even looked like.
Yet every year on her birthday, her big brother had always sent her a gift.
As for the truth behind his death—she was determined to uncover it.
"Little fairy, would you like a map of the forested mountain path? Just two low-grade spirit stones."
The soft voice of another guard pulled Jian Xiaolou from her thoughts. She blinked, then reached into the storage pouch at her waist and took out two slender spirit stones, each about the length of a pinky finger. "Of course I want one."
The guard accepted the stones and handed her a jade slip. "Next!"
Jian Xiaolou thanked him, tucked the jade slip away, and passed through the checkpoint, ready to enter the forested mountain trail.
The Fire Refining Sect was located within Fuguang City, a mountain city built halfway up the mountain. The surrounding forested mountain paths were filled with countless forks and illusions, and innumerable spirit beasts lurked within.
This was the first trial for those seeking to become disciples of the Fire Refining Sect.
Jian Xiaolou glanced back at three young cultivators who had just passed the checkpoint behind her, debating whether or not to form a temporary alliance with them.
Judging by their clothing, they too seemed to be from noble families, and had even brought along attendants to serve them—though the attendants had been stopped outside the checkpoint.
Jian Xiaolou quickly seized the opportunity to step back and explained her intention to form a group with the three cultivators.
Among them, the blue-robed cultivator had already noticed Jian Xiaolou while waiting in line. Even now, he hadn't noticed the frightening red birthmark above her eyebrow. Struck by her beauty, he was secretly delighted at the chance—naturally eager to accept.
However, the purple-robed cultivator among them gave her a haughty glance and snorted coldly, saying,"A mere child of a ninth-rank family dares to dream of attaching herself to us? Truly shameless."
With that, he marched forward without so much as a backward glance.
The remaining blue- and yellow-robed cultivators looked at each other in embarrassment. Since the purple-robed one was clearly the leader among them, they didn't dare go against him and could only hurry to follow.
"Purple crown, purple robe, purple boots—looks like a damn eggplant. What's he being so smug about?" Jian Xiaolou grumbled inwardly, baring her teeth in a silent sneer. Then she drew a strand of her spiritual sense and sent it into the jade slip to study the map, selecting a narrow mountain path that avoided known spirit beast dens.
The route twisted and turned in a remote direction, but Jian Xiaolou much preferred taking detours over risking encounters with monsters.
It wasn't that she was cowardly—since arriving in this new world, Jian Xiaolou had discovered that her new body had some very peculiar traits.
For instance, she could only eat vegetarian food—even a small taste of meat or fish would give her relentless diarrhea. For someone who loved meat, this was a torment worse than death. At first, she thought it was just a constitutional issue. But then she discovered she couldn't even speak a single lie—if she did, she'd immediately bite her own tongue bloody.
Of course, those were still small matters. In a cultivation world crawling with monsters, the real problem was that she couldn't kill.
Whenever she so much as harbored the intent to kill, her arms would feel as heavy as iron.
Forget powerful spirit beasts—even the old rooster in the backyard kitchen could flap up and strut on her head.
So before Jian Qingyu's accident, she had honestly decided to lay low at home, eat and drink her days away, and wait out life quietly.
"A life like this is cursed—what's the point of living long anyway?" Holding the map in hand, Jian Xiaolou extended her spiritual sense to keep a constant watch on her surroundings. One hand clutched a beast-trapping talisman, while the other formed seals to dispel the thorny vines blocking her path. She carefully made her way deeper into the dense forest.
Perhaps feeling a little foolish for talking to herself, she casually asked,"Isn't that right, Xiao Hei?"
Perched on her shoulder, the old myna bird named Xiao Hei remained motionless, eyes dull and lifeless.