Chapter 125 Secret of the Upper Realm
Ji Hongli gently brushed her sleeve, her gaze distant as she looked toward the horizon and slowly spoke, "The so-called Upper Realm is the other half of this great world."
"This world has another half?" Chen Chang'an asked in surprise.
Ji Hongli nodded slightly, then gathered a spark of spiritual light at her fingertip, sketching a phantom scene in the air. "In ancient times, the great world was one whole. Above were the Thirty-Three Heavens, and below the Four Great Continents. But after a world-shattering tribulation…"
The spiritual light suddenly burst apart into countless fragments. "The entire world collapsed, most of it scattered into the endless void."
Chen Chang'an watched the drifting fragments of light, deep in thought.
"The remnant world split in two," Ji Hongli continued. "The surviving fragments of the Four Great Continents merged together to form the present Xuan Ying Continent, known as the Lower Realm. As for the Thirty-Three Heavens and part of the world's fragments…" She turned her palm, and the light transformed into nineteen floating lands. "Because they were never connected, they became the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands of the Upper Realm."
She withdrew her power and looked at the monk's corpse on the ground. "I determined he came from the Upper Realm not only because of Great Zhou's destruction of Buddhism, but also because by chance I once learned some of their secrets."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she went on, "The Buddhist domain of the Upper Realm lies within the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, in the Pure Heaven. At its head stands Tianyin Palace, which rules all Buddhist kingdoms."
She tapped her finger, drawing the phantom of a towering Buddhist palace in the air. "The method of succession in Tianyin Palace is unique. Every ten thousand years, the current Palace Lord voluntarily disperses all cultivation, reincarnates as a mortal in the Lower Realm, and undergoes tribulations. Such a one is called a 'Buddha Child'."
The phantom shifted, revealing a coarse-clothed figure walking through the mortal world.
"These Buddha Children must endure the world's many trials, accumulating boundless merit. Only when fate ripens can they awaken memories of their past life and return to the Upper Realm," Ji Hongli said, her gaze falling on the monk's corpse. "This monk was known in Tianyin Palace as a 'Guiding Envoy'."
With a wave of her sleeve, a golden light flew from the monk's brow. "Their duty is to find and secretly protect the reincarnated Buddha Child. Only…"
Chen Chang'an noticed her pause. "Only what?"
"Only that these Guiding Envoys often act fanatically," Ji Hongli sneered. "To ensure the Buddha Child's smooth tribulation, they use any means necessary. This monk's twisted doctrines are likely part of Tianyin Palace's warped methods of salvation."
Chen Chang'an listened and nodded, then his expression hardened. "Wait… if a Guiding Envoy has already appeared in the Lower Realm, that means…"
The two exchanged a glance, both realizing the same possibility: at this very moment, somewhere on Xuan Ying Continent, a future Palace Lord of Tianyin Palace might be undergoing reincarnation!
Chen Chang'an rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If that's the case, does this Guiding Envoy's presence here mean the Buddha Child was born nearby?"
Ji Hongli first nodded slightly, then shook her head. "It's possible, but not certain." She traced a few more streaks of light in the air. "Tianyin Palace sends more than one Guiding Envoy. Several are scattered in different places to search for the Buddha Child's traces."
She paused, a grave look flashing in her eyes. "Moreover, it is said that each time a Buddha Child is born, it is amidst calamity. They descend where disaster strikes." The light shifted into a vision of raging wars. "Often, when the world faces ruin and the people suffer, the Buddha Child finally acts to save them, thereby gaining immeasurable merit."
When her voice fell, silence descended between them. Only the rustling of leaves in the night wind remained.
Suddenly, Chen Chang'an's brow twitched, and Ji Hongli's lashes trembled slightly. They both thought of the same possibility.
After all, before them stood a disaster star who had just destroyed half a city at first appearance!
"No matter what, Xing Cai must not fall into danger!"
"I must protect Xing Cai and those foolish boys!"
Their eyes met briefly in the air before quickly turning away.
"That's right! I must keep her (them) far from this man (woman) before me!" they both thought at the same time.
Then Ji Hongli flicked her sleeve and turned to leave.
Since this person was unharmed, she might as well return to seclusion and let a clone handle matters.
But as she looked at Chen Chang'an's calm face, seemingly unaware of what had happened, her heart burned hotter with frustration.
This time she had truly suffered a loss—had she known this fellow was so capable, why would she have interrupted her seclusion?
Decades of bitter cultivation had been ruined in an instant, and worse, she had even suffered Heaven's backlash, leaving her lightly injured!
Fortunately, she had always been a reasonable person, and most of her anger had already been vented on that bald monk.
Her steps halted, then she suddenly turned back and glared fiercely at Chen Chang'an. "You owe me one."
Without waiting for his reply, she turned into a streak of green light and disappeared into the sky.
"Huh?" Chen Chang'an stood frozen, utterly confused. "How do I owe you one?" He counted on his fingers. "I subdued the monk, I broke the barrier, and you only delivered the final strike… I haven't even blamed you for stealing my experience yet…"
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. He shouted into the empty night sky, "Hey! Make it clear! How is it that I owe you?"
The night wind carried a few fallen leaves across the air. There was no trace of Ji Hongli.
Chen Chang'an scratched his head, muttering toward the direction she vanished, "This woman… truly unreasonable…"
…
Inside the ruined temple, Chen Chang'an let out a quiet sigh.
Beneath the broken statue, Old Lu lay dying, his chest rising and falling so faintly it was barely perceptible.
Chen Chang'an crouched beside him and asked softly, "Old Lu, do you have any last wish?"
Old Lu's clouded eyes flickered. His thin, trembling finger pointed toward the direction of Xianling City, and his lips quivered. "Son… my son…"
Chen Chang'an followed the direction of his finger, as if he could see through the shattered walls of the temple to the prosperous and peaceful Xianling City.
He clasped Old Lu's hand and nodded solemnly. "Rest assured. In Xianling City, as long as he, like you, lives honestly and uprightly, he will surely be able to live safely."
Old Lu's eyes suddenly brightened, as though in a final flare of life. His lips curved faintly into a smile of release, and then his arm fell slowly, his breath ceasing forever.
Chen Chang'an was silent for a moment, then reached out to close Old Lu's eyes. Rising to his feet, he looked around—the ruined temple, the scattered scriptures, and the already cold corpse of Monk Miaohua.
"Dust to dust, earth to earth."
He raised his hand, and pure white flames ignited from nothingness, instantly engulfing the entire temple. Beams, statues, corpses—all turned to ash, leaving no trace behind.
The firelight reflected on Chen Chang'an's calm face. He cast one final glance at the purified ground, then turned and walked away.
The night wind swept past, scattering the ashes. It was as though there had never been a ruined temple here, nor had anything ever happened.
…
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