Eternal Tale

”Hehe, we three need to go to Cangwu City. How many spirit stones will that cost?”

”Six thousand lower-grade spirit stones,” the middle-aged man replied firmly. He wondered why this senior wasn’t using a spirit beast pouch, as these two spirit beasts clearly weren’t large beasts meant for transporting goods. However, in front of this senior, he dared not say much and simply followed the rules.

That many?!

They all felt a bit tense at the amount, although Little Red had no concept of spirit stones and had never seen so many.

”My young friend, would four thousand spirit stones suffice?”

”Senior, I must be honest, this is the set price of the Lingshu Commerce Guild. I have no authority to change it,” the middle-aged man responded with a nervous sweat, thinking to himself that no one haggles over the price of a teleportation array. ”I hope you won’t make things difficult for me, Senior.”

”Of course,” Chen Xun frowned slightly as he handed over the lower-grade spirit stones into the man’s storage ring.

”Please, Senior.”

”Very well.”

Chen Xun nodded. The Big black ox looked curiously at the teleportation array underfoot, seemingly puzzled by the special materials it required, while Little Red was slightly sweating, wondering if the teleportation array was safe.

The middle-aged man formed hand seals rapidly, and soon, the teleportation array flickered with intense light. In the blink of an eye, the three figures vanished from the spot.

...

Cangwu City, the largest city in Huo Yuan Province, was renowned across the entire region, having produced many immensely powerful cultivators. The city’s bustling noise was deafening, and large auctions were frequently held.

Wherever one looked, the city was filled with cultivators. Around Cangwu City, there were several major secret realms, not to mention the entire Huo Yuan Province, where ancient secret realms occasionally emerged.

The Great Li Realm was rich in cultivation resources, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant. Even lower-level cultivators had opportunities to step onto the path of immortality, and the way forward was never entirely blocked.

Chen Xun and his group did not linger for long. With a plan in mind, they avoided wandering about.

He then paid an additional six hundred mid-grade spirit stones to travel to Ding Hui Province, one of the ten provinces governed by the Buddhist sects.

The Big black ox was visibly excited, its entire body trembling, while Little Red remained incredibly nervous, still unclear on what Buddhism entailed or how it differed from other cultivation practices.

Chen Xun, on the other hand, felt a weight in his heart. On the road, while spirit stones weren’t everything, traveling without them was impossible.

As they stood in the teleportation array, they clearly felt a pulling force from the space around them, as if their hearts were being tugged. In an instant, they left Huo Yuan Province behind.

In Ding Hui Province, monks were everywhere, and Buddhism flourished. The people were devout believers, with most households having a Buddha statue for worship.

There were many sacred mountains in the province, with grand Buddha statues erected atop them. From time to time, the Buddha’s light would shine down, manifesting in the world and bringing peace and joy to all who witnessed it.

Whether they were mortals or Buddhist cultivators, the people of the province made annual pilgrimages, displaying profound reverence. Buddhist halls and temples dotted the landscape, both within cities and in the countryside.

The three of them began a wandering journey, visiting temples, paying respects to various Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, and spending a considerable amount of spirit stones along the way.

Little Red grew increasingly relaxed, finding the monks to be quite kind. Unlike typical cultivators, they didn’t carry a murderous aura, though their words were often cryptic, and Little Red didn’t fully understand them.

A year later.

Chen Xun felt a headache coming on. Despite donating a large number of spirit stones for incense offerings, he had found that the Buddhist temples venerated hundreds of different Buddhas. His notes were filled with records of over a hundred.

For the first time, he realized that the Buddhists believed even more fervently than he did!

Their beliefs were so scattered and diverse, with no unified faith. Even the temples in various cities engaged in doctrinal debates, reminiscent of a ”hundred schools of thought” vying for supremacy.

Which Buddha is truly worth believing in? Is yours better than mine?

Even the common people participated in these debates, opening Chen Xun and his companions’ eyes to something completely different from what they had imagined about Buddhist cultivators.

The supreme power of Great Li, the Pure Buddha Sect, couldn’t do much to resolve this. Of course, they believed their own Buddha was the true ancestor of all Buddhas.

This resulted in the ten Buddhist provinces having fewer physical conflicts but plenty of doctrinal debates. If a cultivator’s Dao heart broke during a debate, it could sever their path to immortality, which was even more terrifying than spell duels.

Every hundred years, the ten provinces held a Great Debate on Buddhism, but the outcomes were often harsh. Some Buddhist cultivators had their Dao hearts shattered and fell into madness, their cultivation never advancing again. Others were carried off, passing peacefully.

The Big black ox visited many temples, growing more and more confused. The masters’ teachings were too abstract, and it was beginning to question itself.

One day.

The air was cool, and the sun was not yet high in the sky. The sky was calm, like a mirror reflecting the earth below.

Three figures walked along a small path outside the city, having completely lost their way and now wandering aimlessly.

”Brother Xun, Brother Ox, those monks had pretty good meals, all foundation-stage demonic beasts,” Little Red said, wagging its tail as it recalled their experiences at the large temples. ”Back when I was in the Tian Duan Plains, I wouldn’t have dared dream of it at the foundation stage.”

”Moo~” The Big black ox replied absently, deep in thought about the concept of merit.

Chen Xun poked Little Red with a stick, saying, ”They’re Buddhist cultivators, not ordinary people. If there’s an opportunity to improve their cultivation, of course, they’ll seize it.”

Little Red shrank back after being poked, then scurried to hide under the Big black ox’s belly.

”What do you think, Old Ox?”

”Moo~” The Big black ox shook its head, dissatisfied.

”We’ve donated plenty of incense money and appeased over a hundred Buddhas. Surely, they’ll all protect us!”

”Moo?!” The Big black ox nudged Chen Xun, looking surprised.

”Hehe, don’t you trust me, Ximen Black Ox?”

”Moo~~~”

The Big black ox exhaled a long breath through its nose and kicked up its hind leg. Now that it thought about it, Chen Xun’s reasoning made sense—he really was a smart one.

They continued walking for two days until they arrived at the foot of a mountain. Under the pale sky, the black mountains loomed solemn and imposing.

At the same time, they spotted an old, worn-down temple atop a scenic hill—Chan Yin Temple.

But that wasn’t what had made them stop. What caught Chen Xun’s attention when he spread his divine sense, was the fact that the temple had no Buddha statues, with only a handful of people inside.

”Oh? Interesting.”

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow. ”The abbot here is a Golden Core Stage cultivator. Why would he stay in such a place?”

”Moo moo?” The Big black ox opened its divine sense, scanning the temple. There were six people inside, and all of them were Golden Core Stage cultivators!

Aside from the abbot, who wore a tattered monk’s robe, only one other person was dressed in a simple blue monk’s garment with a shaved head.

The other four weren’t wearing monk’s robes. One was playing chess by himself, another was drawing water, and yet another was cultivating. They all seemed quite casual.

”Brother Xun, Brother Ox, something’s definitely off here!” Little Red’s eyes gleamed. Over the course of their journey, they gained quite a bit of experience. ”There’s no way Golden Core Stage Buddhist cultivators would be like this. I think this place is too dangerous.”

”Moo?” The Big black ox lowered its head to look at the serious expression on Little Red’s face.

”You’re right,” Chen Xun nodded.

”Haha, you think so too, Brother Xun,” Little Red said with a proud grin. ”So, we should head back to Tian Duan—Brother Ox!!!”

Before Little Red could finish, the Big black ox grabbed it by the mouth, causing it to struggle and yell in panic.

”Old Ox, are there any signs of formation arrays?”

”Moo~”

The Big black ox shook its head with a grin. It had already been checked—there were no traces of any formations, and this wasn’t some kind of sinister temple.

Ignoring Little Red’s desperate cries, the two of them continued their conversation.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Chen Xun smiled and said, ”Let’s go pay a visit. Golden Core Stage cultivators won’t be able to pose any real danger to us.”

”Moo~~” The Big black ox was also curious about why the temple lacked Buddha statues.

Little Red lay limp across the Big black ox’s back. It was truly afraid of Golden Core Stage human cultivators and worried they might see through its origins.

They slowly made their way up the mountain, the white mist drifting around them as the wind blew. The jagged rocks and lush He Ling trees gave the scenery a serene, majestic beauty.

In the temple, the man playing chess by himself held a black piece in his hand yet hadn’t placed it on the board for a long time. He softly hummed, ”Hmm?” and gently looked toward the foot of the mountain. However, his expression remained calm and gentle, like the drifting clouds in the sky.