Chapter 581
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Chapter 581: The Fated Buddha
Mount Jiuhua.
The sound of Buddhism lingers, and sandalwood incense wafts gently.
A figure draped in a dark red cloak, with a straight sword at his waist, ascends the straight stone steps, step by step, towards the temple at the summit, shrouded in the echoes of sacred chants.
He steps onto the last stone slab and slowly comes to a halt.
In front of the ancient and majestic temple, Ye Fan stands silently for a long time before finally taking a step forward and entering the temple.
“Ye Fan.”
Zuo Qing, who had been waiting in the temple for a long time, stood up from the steps in front of the main hall, his brow furrowed.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Ye Fan raised his hand to stop him and calmly asked, “Have you brought everything?”
Zuo Qing’s lips trembled slightly, and after a moment, he nodded, “I brought it…”
“My master should still be in seclusion, right?”
“Master Jinchuan is still repairing the source of the heavenly court and is not here.”
“Good.”
Ye Fan nodded, his gaze fixed on the Buddha statue in the main hall. Taking a deep breath, he slowly said, “Seal the mountain; no one… is allowed to enter.”
“Ye Fan, I think… even if you want to do this, you could wait a little longer!” Zuo Qing couldn’t help but say.
Ye Fan shook his head, “There’s no time to wait. After the transformation, the soul will be absorbed into the laws and merge with the laws of the world itself… It is estimated that from the moment the soul begins to merge with the laws to the point of complete entrapment, this process takes at most 24 hours.
Right now, Zhou Ping’s soul should have been devoured for nearly three-quarters; if we delay any longer, he will never return.”
Ye Fan turned his head to look at the center of the main hall, at the black heart quietly resting within the black coffin and the ancient Dragon Elephant Sword, determination flashing in his eyes.
“Guanzhong is right; I owe Zhou Ping too much. Now… it is time to repay that debt.”
Zuo Qing’s brow furrowed tightly. He knew he couldn’t stop Ye Fan today. After much internal struggle, he could only close his eyes and let out a helpless sigh.
“Zuo Qing, after today, you know what to do.” Ye Fan reached out and patted the troubled Zuo Qing on the shoulder, smiling slightly. “What I can do, you can do too… I believe in you.”
“I… will do my best.” Zuo Qing forced a bitter smile.
Ye Fan stepped forward, climbed the steps in front of the hall, crossed the threshold, and walked straight into the Buddha hall.
With a low creaking sound, the doors of the Buddha hall slowly closed. The dark red figure stood before the black coffin, raising his head to face the many magnificent Buddha statues in the hall, his silhouette gradually disappearing into the crack of the door…
Bang—!
With a dull thud, the Buddha hall was completely shut.
The temple atop Mount Jiuhua fell into a deep silence.
Zuo Qing stared at the tightly closed door for a long time, shook his head, and walked to the last stone step in front of the temple, slowly sitting down.
He gazed at the drifting white clouds before him and the towering mountains beneath his feet, lost in thought.
…
Inside the Buddha hall.
Ye Fan shifted his gaze from the many Buddha statues to the black coffin before him, where the heart wrapped in the night and the ancient Dragon Elephant Sword lay quietly.
On top of this coffin rested a string of dim, ancient prayer beads, the surface of which bore fine cracks. These patterns intertwined, hinting at some great path, shrouded in mystery.
Ye Fan did not know how Lin Qiye had preserved Zhou Ping’s heart, nor did he understand what Lin Qiye meant by giving Zhou Ping a chance to be reborn. If Lin Qiye were here, he would definitely ask him…
Unfortunately, the entire Fifth Special Team had already gone missing.
Ye Fan was unsure of the heart’s purpose, but that did not hinder him from executing the plan he had already set in motion…
At that moment, six streams of mysterious yellow energy coalesced from the void, transforming into six figures radiating a faint golden light, standing within the Buddha hall.
Seeing these six figures, Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback, then respectfully spoke, “I am Ye Fan, greetings to Lord Champion, Lord Gongyang, Commander Nie, Commander Li, Commander Tang, and Sister Wang.”
Noticing Wang Qing’s brow raise, Ye Fan quickly corrected himself to call her sister.
Upon hearing Ye Fan’s change of address, Wang Qing’s eyes immediately squinted into crescent moons. She turned to the others around her and said, “So, what do you think? My chosen junior is not bad, right?”
Wang Qing was the fourth Supreme Commander of the Night Watchers. When Ye Fan was still an ordinary Night Watcher, she was already at the pinnacle of humanity. Later, as Ye Fan rose through the ranks to become a high-ranking member of the Night Watchers, she became his direct superior, much like the current relationship between Ye Fan and Zuo Qing.
To her, Ye Fan was indeed a lovable junior.
The other heroic spirits recognized Ye Fan but had never met him before, as they had long been in slumber within the national fortune. If it weren’t for Ye Fan sending someone to awaken them, they would not have appeared in the mortal realm.
Huo Qubing gazed at Ye Fan for a moment, then nodded slightly, “Not bad.”
Gongyang Wan noticed the prayer beads on the coffin and narrowed her eyes slightly, “The Fate-Transferring Beads? You actually found this item?”
“I found it back then,” Tang Yusheng, who was standing nearby in a white shirt, suddenly said. “Over twenty years ago, when we explored a certain underground relic in the southern mountains, we discovered this legendary forbidden item. Since then, it has been sealed in the Night Watchers’ headquarters and has never been used.”
Wang Qing nodded, “I participated back then as well.”
Huo Qubing squinted at the prayer beads, puzzled, and asked, “What is this?”
“During the Ming Dynasty, a young monk appeared who possessed an unprecedented forbidden ruin known as the ‘Fate Buddha,’ capable of peering into, altering, distorting, or intertwining the threads of fate to a certain extent…” Gongyang Wan explained.
“In later generations, when we created the list of forbidden ruins, we classified it as Sequence 007, the Second Royal Ruin, ‘Fate Buddha,'” Tang Yusheng added.
“This monk was exceptionally gifted, but due to repeatedly altering the fates of others, his own fate fell into an uncontrollable vortex of destruction. For some unknown reason, he ultimately died.” Gongyang Wan continued, “After his death, his disciple cremated his body, and the power of the ‘Fate Buddha’ contained within him coalesced into beads, becoming this forbidden item, the ‘Fate-Transferring Beads.'”
Huo Qubing nodded after hearing this.
“Little Ye Fan, what do you intend to do with this item?” Wang Qing asked, puzzled.
Ye Fan remained silent for a moment, then replied, “To save someone.”
Gongyang Wan’s brow furrowed slightly, “This forbidden item, while powerful, cannot easily alter fate itself. The monk’s fate is the best illustration of this… Even with this forbidden item, altering fate will come at a cost.”
“I know.” Ye Fan raised his head, looking at them, and calmly said, “So, I will use my life… to exchange for his.”
