Chapter 138: “A Paradise Beyond the World”

Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly, and the only thought echoing in his mind was, “What the hell does it have to do with me!”

However, he dared not be careless, because the young girl’s demonic aura was quite terrifying. Even more frightening was the elderly servant named “Wenbo,” who, although his demonic aura was faint, gave Meng Qi an extremely dangerous feeling, no less than Yuanmengzhi and Anguo Xie, perhaps even more so!

Meng Qi raised his Red Sun Demon-Slaying Saber with his right hand, calming his mind. He focused the most proficient and deeply mastered “Severing Purity” sword intent inwardly, ready to strike.

At the same time, watching the white-robed girl raise several fluffy crimson tails behind her back, they did not appear menacing but instead added an unusual allure. A sudden thought inexplicably flashed through Meng Qi’s mind: “Sure enough, a fox.”

However, this little fox seemed somewhat “pedantic.” Earlier, she had stopped Wenbo from “eating people” by invoking the principle of hospitality, and now she loudly announced the reason for attacking, clearly implying that not teaching before punishing is cruelty, thus demonstrating her openness and righteousness.

Quite a distinctive little fox indeed…

Gu Changqing unsheathed his sword, his body involuntarily trembling under the pressure of demonic aura. Zhen Hui wore a serene smile, holding a flower in his right hand, calm and undisturbed, although his recent breakthrough to the peak of Qi Accumulation offered no help in the current confrontation.

Five crimson tails gently swayed behind the white-clad girl. Her jade-like hands reached out, her figure like a phantom, her fingernails like swords. Wenbo merely took one step forward, appearing before her, his right palm striking out amidst swirling black winds. A series of human-faced vengeful spirits emerged. They showed no pain or resistance, instead rushing excitedly and joyfully toward Meng Qi and others.

“Helping a tiger as its ghostly servant? Is this a tiger demon?”

As Meng Qi was about to unleash “Severing Purity,” a sudden figure appeared before him. The young and mysterious monk Hong Neng stood between the two sides, his hands clasped in a Buddhist salute, solemnly intoning, “Amitabha Buddha, wrathful poison leads to endless suffering. I beg both of you to cease, let this humble monk mediate.”

He arrived so quickly that Meng Qi had to step aside to reposition himself, otherwise his strike would have hit Hong Neng directly. However, Wenbo and the little fox showed no sign of stopping, attacking from front and back, striking directly at Hong Neng.

“If I attain Bodhi, I shall bring peace to worldly disputes, freeing all sentient beings from suffering, enabling them all to transcend to the other shore…”

Hearing this ethereal voice, Meng Qi’s eyes widened in shock, his right hand freezing mid-motion on the saber hilt as he prepared to strike. The various ghostly apparitions pierced straight through Hong Neng’s form, rushing toward the Buddha statue without achieving anything. Wenbo’s right hand and the little fox’s claws struck at Hong Neng as if hitting mere illusions, passing through effortlessly!

Yet Hong Neng did not vanish like an illusion. He continued to chant sutras softly. Visually, audibly, and sensually, he was a living person!

Only now did Meng Qi realize his own state was peculiar too. He felt an indescribable sensation of being both in this world and not in this world. The universe and all things felt harmonious, as if he had become part of their functioning.

He slightly turned his head, glancing at Gu Changqing and Zhen Hui. They wore puzzled expressions, seemingly sharing similar realizations.

The little fox retracted her claws in a daze, staring at Hong Neng in bewilderment. Wenbo, both startled and wary, shielded her behind him, hesitating to strike. Zhen Guan watched in astonishment, initially intending to assist the demon race but even forgetting to stand up.

“You, you, you!” The little fox seemed to recall something, stammering while pointing at Hong Neng, “Chi-to-Ya, Chi-to-Ya, you have achieved Chi-to-Ya!”

Chi-to-Ya? Meng Qi looked at Hong Neng in astonishment. Could it be that he is the heir of the mysterious Lanke Temple? Chi-to-Ya, Ya-to-Chi?

Hong Neng gazed peacefully at the little fox: “Amitabha Buddha, if there is no affinity, even the closest becomes the farthest. May the layperson abandon murderous thoughts.”

“Hmph, don’t think I don’t know what trickery you’re showing off? Chi-to-Ya isn’t that profound a mystery!” The little fox pouted angrily, yet she refrained from attacking further, because once “Chi-to-Ya” was in effect, she couldn’t harm Hong Neng or those around him unless an External Scenery Peak expert or a Dharma Body-level demon forcibly disrupted the world’s operation.

Hong Neng showed no sign of anger, smiling and saying, “Indeed, indeed, it isn’t that profound a mystery.”

The little fox grew even angrier: “Hypocrite! Don’t think I’m just bluffing. Hmph, if you wanted to defeat me, could I not kill you in return?”

Hmm, could this shocking “Chi-to-Ya” depend on the absence of murderous intent and anger? Meng Qi thought while gripping his saber, realizing it contrasted sharply with “Severing Purity” and “Falling into the Mundane.”

“Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk will not oppose the layperson, only chant sutras to dissolve the layperson’s murderous intent,” Hong Neng’s smile was serene and detached.

“Hmph, I’d like to see how I can become an ‘affinitive’ person!” The little fox sulkily sat aside, and Wenbo also retreated.

Hong Neng turned, signaling Meng Qi and others to return to their seats, then sat cross-legged in place, chanting the Diamond Sutra: “Thus have I heard…”

The sutra’s voice was calm and distant, echoing within the small temple, dissolving murderous intent and neutralizing resentment.

Witnessing this, Meng Qi also sheathed his saber, quietly restoring his breath. Wenbo was extremely dangerous; if possible, who would want to fight to the death?

Unknown how long passed, the sandstorm outside gradually subsided.

“All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew, like lightning; thus should one contemplate them…” Hong Neng’s chanting seemed to transform the small temple into a serene pure land.

The little fox kept her ears covered. When she noticed the apocalyptic scene outside had vanished, she exclaimed in surprise, stomping her feet cutely: “I don’t want to listen to your nagging, monk! It’s so annoying, like one, no, a hundred, no, five hundred mosquitoes buzzing!”

With that, she stormed out of the temple, Wenbo closely following. However, as he left, he turned back to give Meng Qi a deep look, making Meng Qi’s scalp tingle.

Zhen Guan hesitated, then hurriedly chased after.

“Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk’s momentary kindness has added some distress to my junior brother,” Hong Neng smiled at Meng Qi.

Meng Qi shook his head: “If there is affinity, we will inevitably meet. If I encountered a lost soul, I would also extend my hand.”

This was a ridiculous karmic entanglement, not even his own! Meng Qi inwardly grumbled.

Hong Neng’s expression brightened: “Brother Zhen Ding’s compassionate heart will surely lead him to the Bodhisattva path.”

“Brother Hong Neng, are you truly the heir of Lanke Temple?” Meng Qi, suppressing his concern for Wenbo, directly asked.

Hong Neng honestly nodded: “Since we have met, it must be due to affinity. Lanke Temple is not some forbidden place.”

He essentially confirmed it.

“Brother Hong Neng, the Chi-to-Ya just now was so profound, could that be the reason for Lanke Temple’s mystery?” Zhen Hui asked excitedly and curiously.

Good! Meng Qi inwardly praised. Some questions, as a mature person, he felt awkward asking, but with a younger brother present, he would naturally ask, allowing Meng Qi to simply smile and wait for the answer.

Hong Neng’s expression remained calm: “Lanke Temple isn’t particularly mysterious; it just follows another path to transcendence. If there is affinity, you all will know in the future.”

Meng Qi sensed Hong Neng’s reluctance to reveal more and merely nodded, refraining from further questions. However, he couldn’t help speculating about the transcendental method Lanke Temple followed.

A divine path? Yet there was no evidence of widespread incense offerings… A path of merit? A path of great vows? That seemed somewhat plausible. Earlier, Hong Neng mentioned making great vows before the Buddha to build a temple in desolate lands to accumulate merit. However, merit and great vows shouldn’t possess the profound mystery of “Chi-to-Ya.” The idea of being impervious to all laws didn’t fit…

Suddenly, Meng Qi felt his understanding of Buddhism and its classics was shallow, making him a pseudo-monk. Otherwise, perhaps he could have discerned the roots of Lanke Temple’s mysterious path from Buddhist scriptures.

After a moment of silence, Gu Changqing suddenly frowned: “These two demons should be from the Tahan perilous region. If we go there, the danger will be immense.”

This was exactly Meng Qi’s concern: “Not only is going to Tahan dangerous, I suspect that once we leave this temple, no matter which direction we take, we will soon ‘encounter’ Wenbo and the little fox.”

The mysterious demon saint’s decree! Meng Qi harbored resentment but could do nothing. After all, it was a decree from the dead—how could one blame a deceased person?

Indeed, it felt like karmic consequences from countless lifetimes had fallen upon him… Just as this thought arose, Meng Qi suddenly recalled the final and most terrifying move of Ananda’s Breaking Precepts Saber Technique—”Karmic Adhesion”! According to the Six Realms’ Lord, this was an “unsolvable” saber technique. Extremely mysterious, it could only be countered by a significantly higher realm or specific countermeasures. Otherwise, once struck, the enemy’s karmic threads would sever, ensuring their demise, embodying Buddhist causality in martial arts.

However, after the enemy’s death, the one who struck this blow would inherit the enemy’s greatest karmic burden. Without resolution or elimination, when the karma erupts, the person would perish without a grave!

“My saber hasn’t even figured this out, yet I’ve somehow gotten inexplicably entangled in this karmic thread…” Meng Qi sighed helplessly.

Hearing his senior brothers’ discussion, Zhen Hui blurted out: “Wenbo seems to be half-step External Scenery.”

Indeed… That was precisely what troubled Meng Qi the most. Did he have to stay in the Buddhist temple until a thunderstorm arrived or until his master or elders found them? Yet here was a desert oasis, not a large one. The former might take years, while the latter would undoubtedly result in him being “captured” and sent back to Shaolin.

Hong Neng intoned a Buddhist chant: “This humble monk caused this karmic entanglement, so naturally, this humble monk shall resolve it. Brother Zhen Ding, this humble monk shall escort you all to the Tahan Oasis. Now is not the era when demons overrun the land. The demons of ‘Tianhaiyuan’ won’t rashly attack human cities if they don’t wish to be besieged by major martial sects.”

“Thank you, senior brother,” Meng Qi straightforwardly replied, while eyeing Hong Neng curiously, “Tianhaiyuan?”

“After the demons overrun the land, the Human Emperor suppressed them, forcing them to retreat into various secret realms, calling themselves ‘paradises beyond the mundane world,’ hence places like ‘Tianhaiyuan,’ ‘Yaoshengyuan,’ ‘Jiudongyuan,’ ‘Qitianyuan,’ etc., demon gathering places. Among them, ‘Tianhaiyuan’ is mainly inhabited by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox clan, located within the perilous Tahan region, a mobile secret realm,” Hong Neng was well-informed, naturally, as a disciple on a normal pilgrimage.

Meng Qi nodded, gaining new knowledge: “Senior brother, shall we depart now?”

With Chi-to-Ya, there was no fear of demons.

“Alright,” Hong Neng slowly rose, fingers moving along his prayer beads.