Chapter 321

Chapter 321: "Slave, Massage Your Master’s Shoulders"

Tears washed away the dust and the wounds in her heart, as if cleansing the past itself.

All she saw was a hazy world, centered on that single flower everything else faded into obscurity.

She cried.

Then, she smiled.

She was no longer mad or anxious. Holy light surrounded her, smoothing her disheveled hair and restoring her tattered clothing to its former completeness. The dust on her body danced away with the wind.

Her tear-filled eyes became clear.

She stared at the stubborn little flower and murmured, “Mortal? Immortal?”

“Within the mundane, there lies immortality.”

“All sentient beings reveal the true meaning of martial arts, sharing the simplest yet most profound laws of the universe. Yet I obsessed over heights above, never sparing a glance at the bustling world below.”

She smiled, a pure, captivating smile.

Touching the little flower, her mind drifted, as if she had realized something. She murmured, “Did my heart move, or did the flower sway? If my heart remains still, does the flower also remain still? Then what is tribulation? I become troubled by tribulation; if my heart is undisturbed, then where is the tribulation? Tribulation is merely a sharpening stone.”

Zhang Yang’s mouth twitched. It seemed this woman’s comprehension was indeed extraordinary. In such a short time, not only had she grasped her situation, but she had also achieved a profound awakening, seeking to see through the essence of tribulation itself.

Yaoruoxian slowly stood, speaking to herself, “All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; they should be perceived as such.”

She understood.

Not only had she seen through the tribulation, but she had also deeply comprehended that Buddhist teaching, so much so that it enhanced her Saints’ laws in an almost surreal manner.

Zhang Yang marveled. Some people were simply exceptional. Give them just a sliver of opportunity, and they could soar to the skies.

Having undergone a transformation akin to rebirth, Yaoruoxian truly seemed like an immortal.

Yet something puzzled him.

Yaoruoxian’s Saints’ laws couldn’t have originated merely from the phrase, "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows."

As it turned out, in the Abyss of the Buried Immortals, they had encountered the headless monk and received more profound Buddhist teachings. After leaving the Abyss, they immediately faced the Nine Battles Tribulation, the most dangerous trial for Yaoruoxian.

It all felt predestined.

They met in the Falling Star Mountain Range.

Then entered the Abyss of the Buried Immortals.

They had weathered many storms together seeming like adversaries, yet forced to join forces.

It felt as if some invisible hand had made him the sharpening stone for Yaoruoxian, grinding her down with intensity, yet also allowing him to witness her most genuine and vulnerable self.

It was marvelous—profound and unshakable.

It defied words, yet it could be felt.

When a pair of bright, clear eyes pure as gemstones and washed by fresh rain gazed at him, something within him stirred and responded in kind.

Yaoruoxian now looked the part of an immortal, radiating grace. But she no longer bore the cold detachment she once did. Still, she couldn’t hide her pride, that was her confidence.

She said softly, “The tribulation arises from my heart and ends with me.”

Huh?!

Zhang Yang rolled his eyes and said, “What’s that supposed to mean? Am I just your sharpening stone now? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m a real person, not a figment you can wish away. Even if you tried to erase the memory of me, you’d never forget that in front of me, you were the one who lost. This is all real. Don’t lie to yourself with poetic nonsense.”

Yaoruoxian asked, “Why the Nine Battles Tribulation?”

Zhang Yang looked at her coldly.

Yaoruoxian calmly answered, “To become an immortal. Why stop at nine battles? Even a hundred or a thousand, if necessary, I’ll keep fighting. I will never give up; only battle matters.”

“Well said,” Zhang Yang clapped his hands. “Looks like you really get it. But don’t forget, the Nine Battles Tribulation is no illusion. Even if you see through it, it’s still a trial of fate. You’re already entangled in this tribulation. If you don’t face it, those nine battles will become your future Inner Demons.”

Yaoruoxian frowned slightly.

She was still in the Ascending to Heaven realm. The road ahead would require her to confront her true self in the Small Boundless realm, a realm that would inevitably stir up emotional turmoil. Even if she broke through into the Saints’ Ascending to Heaven realm, the internal conflict would only intensify.

A tribulation is still a tribulation. Understanding it doesn’t erase its impact. It is a real experience.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, “Let me show you the way.”

Yaoruoxian’s gemstone-like eyes sparkled as she looked at him, evoking the sense of a heart that was pure and untainted.

Truthfully, aside from being confidently self-absorbed, Yaoruoxian knew very little of the world. She had never been truly tainted pure like a three- or five-year-old child. And after this baptism, she became even purer.

Zhang Yang said, “I don’t need you to be my slave forever. If you want to become an immortal, you’ll have to stand against the Eternal Night. That cannot change—and it aligns with my goal. Perhaps in the future, you and I will join forces to shatter the Eternal Night.”

“Be my slave for one year, and I’ll grant you your freedom, along with a challenge to help you completely eliminate the Inner Demons left by this tribulation.”

Most importantly, he offered her a path to overcome the tribulation.

Yaoruoxian’s beautiful eyes gleamed. “One month!”

A year?

She would never accept that.

Even a month stirred restlessness in her otherwise tranquil heart.

But Zhang Yang laughed heartily. “Alright! I agree!”

Yaoruoxian frowned.

A year had turned into a month, and he actually agreed? How straightforward he was!

Zhang Yang laughed.

“If you can bow your head, then you’ll begin to taste the smoke of the human world. That is the true essence of an immortal. An immortal is simply a person climbing a mountain.”

Yaoruoxian trembled, looking at Zhang Yang in surprise.

He was actually guiding her, and the most astonishing part was that she had a revelation.

In her eyes, an immortal had always been a being above all, indifferent to the lives of sentient beings.

But now, Zhang Yang had told her: An immortal is merely a person climbing a high mountain.

Though the masses at the foot of the mountain still looked up in awe, the peak was no longer unreachable. There was now a path.

An immortal is still a person.

She realized she was overturning her former understanding.

Had she heard such words before her transformative fall, she would have dismissed them as laughable. But now she understood.

More than that, she had begun to comprehend Zhang Yang’s aspirations.

Everyone could be like a dragon.

In truth, could everyone not also become like an immortal?

He harbored grand ambitions.

For the first time, she felt her own aspirations were small and insignificant in the face of Zhang Yang’s dreams.

For the first time, she saw just how towering and magnificent he truly was as if he alone could hold up the heavens and the earth. His strength came not just from his power, but from his heart, and from the deep compassion he held for all living beings.

She had always been indifferent to the world.

He, however, cared no matter their starting point. His belief that anyone could become like a dragon or immortal profoundly moved her.

She would never give up. She would never yield.

But she now understood, surpassing him was not as simple as just defeating him.

Her comprehension deepened once more.

After a long silence, she exhaled a breath of long-held tension, feeling lighter and more joyful, as though the heavy chains that had once bound her heart had finally been cast aside.

She felt more at ease. And more confident.

Zhang Yang noticed, and chuckled.

“Slave, come massage your master’s shoulders.”