Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 8

Volume 6 Chapter 8: Undercurrent (Part 1)

Although he was unwilling in his heart, after congratulating Taoist Crane on his achievement, Xu Qingfan still followed a group of masters and Golden Core Stage experts to Master Jiuhuan’s bamboo hut to offer his congratulations.

Although he had already suspected that the news about Master Jiuhuan’s success wouldn’t be simple, he was still shocked by what he saw when he arrived at the bamboo hut.

All the monks from the "Mercy Cloud Temple" gathered around the bamboo hut, reciting the scriptures for rebirth. Their faces showed deep sorrow and heaviness. As the Buddha’s teachings echoed, countless sacred symbols floated and gently turned in the sky.

It was not Master Jiuhuan who broke through to Mahayana Stage, but rather Master Bo Guangyan, whom Xu Qingfan knew well. Master Jiuhuan passed away at the moment Master Bo Guangyan attained his enlightenment.

While it was natural to congratulate Master Bo Guangyan for becoming the new generation master, the death of Master Jiuhuan, the spiritual leader of "Mercy Cloud Temple," made everyone hesitant to express too much joy. As a result, every cultivator who congratulated Master Bo Guangyan spoke only a few hurried words before going inside the bamboo hut to pay their respects to Master Jiuhuan’s remains.

Bo Guangyan became the first second-generation disciple to reach Mahayana Stage in the cultivation world. However, even though he was called a second-generation disciple, he had practiced for much longer than most first-generation cultivators and had already reached the peak of the Golden Core Stage long ago. Therefore, his reaching the Mahayana Stage didn’t seem particularly shocking.

In a previous mission with Xu Qingfan, he had been defeated by "Ri," suffering severe mental damage and becoming controlled by endless internal demons. At that time, Xu Qingfan had taken him to seek help from various masters, who declared that although they could do nothing about Bo Guangyan being controlled by internal demons, once he overcame them, becoming a master would be just around the corner. Now, it seemed that was indeed the case.

During the brief time of congratulating Bo Guangyan, Xu Qingfan learned from him the reasons for his breakthrough to Mahayana Stage. It turned out that if relying solely on Bo Guangyan’s own strength, he would have taken a long time to overcome his internal demons. However, Master Jiuhuan used his incredible powers to enter Bo Guangyan’s heart and, after a scolding, helped Bo Guangyan reach enlightenment. Not only did he break through his internal demons, but he also became a master. Master Jiuhuan, however, passed away at the moment of Bo Guangyan’s enlightenment due to exhaustion of life force.

With mixed feelings, after congratulating Master Bo Guangyan on his achievement, Xu Qingfan stepped toward the bamboo hut.

Inside the bamboo hut, Master Tianhan and the leaders and elders of Mercy Cloud Temple were sitting calmly, quietly reciting scriptures at the place where Master Jiuhuan’s still body rested. Master Jiuhuan’s body was sitting on a bamboo bed, his skin still shining, with a peaceful expression, as if he were still alive.

Before meeting Master Jiuhuan, this old monk, who deeply aspired to the Heavenly Way, was undoubtedly one of the cultivators that Xu Qingfan respected the most, being the oldest cultivator in the cultivation world. However, after meeting him, he plotted against Xu Qingfan for reasons that Xu Qingfan still did not understand.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan felt more and more complicated emotions.

When he reached Master Jiuhuan’s body, Xu Qingfan slowly knelt down and bowed in tribute. No matter what Jiuhuan had done to him, Jiuhuan’s identity and status required Xu Qingfan to maintain a respectful attitude after his death.

Three bows.

Just as Xu Qingfan made his third bow, something unexpected happened.

"Bang!"

As Xu Qingfan’s forehead touched the ground, he heard a faint explosion sound, deep yet distant, as if it came from people’s hearts.

Then, Xu Qingfan heard the startled cries of everyone in the bamboo hut.

When he looked up, he found that Master Jiuhuan’s body had turned to ashes, scattering everywhere and disappearing in an instant.

The body that was originally on the bamboo bed was now just a shining golden relic, about the size of a fist, quietly floating in mid-air.

Since the distinguished cultivators entered the bamboo house alone to pay their respects, only Xu Qingfan and the monks from "Mercy Cloud Temple" were inside. After hearing the strange event, Master Bo Guangyan hurried into the room.

Upon seeing the relic, Bo Guangyan seemed to realize something, his eyes widened, and he looked more shocked than anyone else in the room.

Then, something even more unbelievable happened. The Sharira floated slowly towards Xu Qingfan, who was still kneeling on the ground, and when it reached him, it stopped quietly in front of him, as if it rightfully belonged to him.

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"The cause of tomorrow is the effect of today. I owe him a cause, so I must repay him with an effect. This is how fate is settled. Bo Guangyan, after I pass away, give my belongings to Xu Qingfan as my compensation to him."

This was Master Jiuhuan’s last words to Bo Guangyan before he died. Since he did not specify what belongings he meant, Bo Guangyan kept his doubts to himself and did not mention them. However, in this scene, it was clear that the relic Master Jiuhuan spoke of was indeed his Sharira.

Although it was unclear what Master Jiuhuan owed Xu Qingfan, enough to use the Sharira formed from his Spirit Qi, consciousness, and understanding of the Heavenly Way as compensation, the monks from Mercy Cloud Temple could not go against Master Jiuhuan’s wishes. After a brief debate, they reluctantly gave the Sharira to Xu Qingfan, their faces full of unwillingness.

The moment Xu Qingfan held the Sharira in his hand, a wave of calm and peaceful energy, filled with endless majesty, spread throughout his body, making him feel incredibly comfortable. At the same time, Little Black on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder suddenly flew out of the bamboo house, its expression full of fear. That Buddhist power was the nemesis of the dead energy inside it.

However, strangely, the "Withered qi" within Xu Qingfan was not affected at all and continued to operate on its own.

Compared to the "Mercy Cloud Temple" monks who were filled with reluctance and sorrow, Xu Qingfan was even more confused. He seemed to understand Master Jiuhuan’s words. This Sharira was a repayment to Xu Qingfan for the way he had schemed against him. It was the essence of the Spirit Qi, consciousness, and understanding from his life, extremely precious. Although it meant that Xu Qingfan would only be able to predict the celestial secrets three times in his life, was this compensation too much?

Could it be that Master Jiuhuan had done something else wrong to Xu Qingfan?

More importantly, the Sharira was a Buddhist item, incredibly valuable, but even if it was given to Xu Qingfan, he would not be able to use it at all. Why did he give this Sharira to Xu Qingfan?

Xu Qingfan was filled with confusion.

Outside the house, Mr. Liu listened intently to the sounds inside the bamboo house but suddenly remembered something, letting out a cold smile, seemingly mocking someone’s hypocrisy.

When Xu Qingfan tucked the incredibly precious Sharira into his sleeve and stepped outside the bamboo house, the uproar caused by the simultaneous breakthrough of two quasi-masters and Master Jiuhuan’s passing, which had disturbed "Ronghua Mountain" for over a hundred days, finally returned to calm.

Although Xu Qingfan’s breakthrough from the initial stage of the Golden Core to the middle stage was insignificant compared to Taoist Crane and Bo Guangyan, and his small realm breakthrough could not be called "attaining the Dao," due to the timing of his breakthrough and the unusual occurrences that happened, some bored people referred to this hundred-day period as "the three attain the Dao." As this spread, it became established. So much so that a thousand years later, most people in the cultivation world began to believe that Xu Qingfan became a master around this time.

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"Interesting, good skill."

During these hundred days, Zhang Xusheng, who had already blended into "Ronghua Mountain" for an unknown amount of time, was just like all the cultivators on "Ronghua Mountain." He did not rest for a moment, standing in an unnoticeable spot, intently watching the various changes around "Ronghua Mountain," his eyes filled with admiration and respect.

In front of this refined fellow, there was actually a table, a chair, a teapot, and a cup, clearly showing that these days he had been enjoying tea while observing the bustling activity of "Ronghua Mountain."

Behind Zhang Xusheng, a man in black questioned with confusion, "Master, there are just two new masters, what is such a great skill?"

Zhang Xusheng smiled and said, "I am not talking about those newly promoted masters’ skills, but about the deceased Jiuhuan."

"The Heavenly Way is vast and impartial, with no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil. Sometimes good overcomes evil, and sometimes evil overcomes good; this is just a natural cycle. But now…" As he spoke, Zhang Xusheng suddenly pointed a finger and lightly touched the surface of the tea in front of him, causing ripples. "The heavenly secrets, which were slowly becoming traceable, are now like this tea water, disturbed. There are now countless variables. The righteous path may not necessarily decline, and the evil path may not necessarily flourish. But I wonder, who will be the one Jiuhuan uses to disrupt the Heavenly Way?"

The heavenly secrets were too ethereal, and the fixed and variable numbers were not something ordinary people could know. Many cultivators did not believe in the existence of heavenly secrets before reaching a higher level, and only a few in the world could glimpse their signs. The man in black, naturally, was not one of them, so his confusion only deepened after hearing Zhang Xusheng’s words.

"The fixed number of the Heavenly Way is forty-nine, and the variable is one. How can one grasp that? If you want someone to disrupt the trajectory of the Heavenly Way, how can that person withstand the inertia of the Heavenly Way and the backlash after it is changed? Moreover, although I cannot see the operation of the Heavenly Way as clearly as you do, I can soon counter the Heavenly Way. At that time, all your schemes will be in vain."

Zhang Xusheng murmured to himself.

"It’s fine if the world’s order is chaotic; it’s easier to catch fish when the waters are muddied before restoring order in the Heavenly Way."

With a wave of his sleeve, the table, chairs, and teapot in front of him disappeared. As he took the figure in black further away, he suddenly spoke again.