The Pure Land's Secrets

Swallows chirped beneath the eaves, hungry for their mothers' return. Snow-white willow fluff drifted from the riverbank trees like falling blossoms. The fragrance of flowers and herbs mingled with the earthy scent of the rustic village, weaving a tapestry of life so vivid that Xiao Chen felt as though he had stepped into a dream of the small settlement on the banks of the Yellow River.

Two months had passed. His body was slowly recovering. Though his life force had drained away grievously, the nine divinely transformed acupoints within him still harbored vast reserves of life essence. They had not erupted forth, but each day a thread of vital energy seeped out, moistening his aged organs and maintaining a fragile, delicate balance.

The flame of his life still flickered. His combat power remained. A fierce battle intent surged in his heart, and he longed to return to Heavenly Emperor City and exact vengeance.

But he knew that his strength was far from sufficient. After calm deliberation, his restless heart gradually settled.

Standing on the little arched stone bridge, he gazed at his reflection in the water—white as snow, utterly transformed. He was silent. This defeat had been thorough. In Heavenly Emperor City, he had lost too much, and his heart felt hollow.

What he had lost was his understanding of human nature. What were fame, profit, power, sentiment, love, hate, and enmity but a vast net? Every person in this world was caught in it. He needed tempering.

What he had lost was friendship. A friend like Hai Yuntian had drawn his sword and stabbed him in the back, facing him with cold indifference. What he had lost was kinship. Keke had perished, body destroyed, spirit extinguished. The beast's form had died, but it was the divine heart that had withered.

He had lost two hundred years of life—two lifetimes—yet not a single moment had been etched into an immortal memory. It was an empty symbol, a pale number, recording only the defeat of that single night.

He had fled Heavenly Emperor City in defeat.

Xiao Chen had lost much. A tearing pain gripped his heart. He did not want to utter childish vows or bellow bold declarations. The pain was his alone. In silence, he reflected; in calm, he examined himself.

Young and reckless, flamboyant by nature. His understanding of human nature had been too shallow. Fame, profit, power, sentiment, love, hate, enmity—they intertwined into a colossal net. No one in this world could escape it. He needed honing.

Did that mean he should endure and retreat? No! Youth soared—there was no need to suppress his nature. He was a free and unrestrained man. To bind himself with shackles would only strangle his spirit and life.

What he needed was reflection. He had to become more seasoned, even wizened, so that his former rawness would ripen into maturity, and his old edges would grow slightly smooth.

This was not compromise, not discouragement. It was transformation—for life to become more brilliant. He had to draw experience from bitter defeat.

Seasoned did not mean losing one's edge. He was in the prime of youth; passion would not die. His soaring spirit and determination to strive forward would only grow firmer.

Only the methods would change. The heart would never change.

Xiao Chen stood silently on the stone bridge, his thoughts scattering like windblown petals.

Qingqing's grandfather, Old Man Ye, ambled leisurely onto the bridge. The old man was always cheerful, kind and benevolent. "Thinking about something?"

"Just reflecting."

The old man chuckled. "Defeat is not terrible. The key is how you see it. A capable person who has never failed may remain only capable for life. A man needs constant tempering, walking through storms, to understand the true meaning. I too was reckless in my youth. Remember, a tall tree catches the wind. I have suffered many bitter lessons. Ability is one thing, but the key is how you wield it. You need not stoop to sway like a reed in the wind, but you must have means to face lightning and gale."

Xiao Chen smiled and said he was grateful for the advice. "Elder, may I invite you for a drink?"

"Ha! I almost forgot—my Qingqing brought back a wealthy man. You carry tens of thousands in gold notes. Even if you bought Grandma Wang's finest immortal brew, it would last for years."

The sixty thousand gold notes were Keke's prize for winning the Southern Wastes Beast King title. Every time Xiao Chen saw them, he thought of the little one, and a tearing pain seized him.

In fact, he was quite wealthy. The eighty thousand gold coins from selling the Basde Ancient Spear had not been spent either, though they were still in Fatty Zhuge's hands.

"I'm not being stingy, but I really don't want to touch those tens of thousands. They would make me ashamed. But don't worry—yesterday I found a Nine Dragon Leaf in the deep forest and took it to Grandma Wang's. It should be enough for about a dozen jars of the finest immortal brew."

"Ha ha... good! That will be more than enough for us," the old man laughed heartily.

Xiao Chen genuinely respected this cheerful, optimistic elder. The old man was very easygoing, yet his cultivation was unfathomable. Xiao Chen could not gauge his depth.

What astonished Xiao Chen most was that there were dozens of elders of this age in the village.

From Little Fatty Niu Ren, he had learned that this Pure Land was a retreat for renowned veterans of the Forest and Barbarian tribes. Their pasts were unknown to anyone. According to Niu Ren, even his grandmother, after escaping from Dragon Island, treated these people with great respect. In Little Fatty's words, everyone here was an 'extraordinary' figure.

Xiao Chen guessed that these elders might all have had gloriously brilliant pasts, and they had chosen to retire here together because they had grown indifferent to worldly fame.

Few people came to disturb these elders. Except by special permission, this was a true paradise for the Forest and Barbarian tribes.

Beyond the Pure Land lay the many tribes of the Barbarians and Forest Folk—a vast expanse stretching for thousands of miles, making it difficult to count how many ancient tribes existed.

Relative to Heavenly Emperor City in the Southern Wastes, this was northwest, but relative to the entire Eternal Continent, it was the southwestern border, already close to the vast Central Plains.

If one could fly, entering the Central Plains would take only a day's effort.

Grandma Wang's tavern was open-air, with only a few tables and chairs set up outside her wooden cabin. Every day, many elders would stop by. The intoxicating aroma of wine could be smelled from afar. This was no ordinary brew; Xiao Chen had experienced it himself—every cup was a celestial vintage that would intoxicate a person to the bone.

Though all the elders were kind and approachable, Xiao Chen dared not be careless. He greeted every elder with a smile and showed respect.

"Xiao Chen, your body is too weak. Your life essence is pitifully scarce. Today, I'll teach you a trick. Practice your body like this, and your essence will gradually gather back."

Turtle Patriarch was a Barbarian elder. Since his innate bestial soul was that of a turtle, Xiao Chen, like the others, called him Turtle Patriarch. But at their level of cultivation, there was no trace of beastly features left; they were indistinguishable from ordinary humans.

The pose Turtle Patriarch struck was—extremely awkward. He crouched in the air like a great turtle, his mouth opening and closing as threads of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy flowed into it like water.

Old Man Ye reminded him, "Xiao Chen, learn this quickly. This is a life-nourishing supreme technique that seizes the wonders of creation—a rare longevity art."

Xiao Chen hastened to thank him. He clumsily crouched in the air, listening attentively to Turtle Patriarch's patient instruction. After savoring it carefully, he could not help but marvel. A miraculous art! Indescribably wonderful.

"Hehe... Uncle, what are you doing?" Qingqing's voice was ethereal and airy. She walked out from the village with a chuckle, her brows like condensed mist, her eyes like autumn pools—a veritable sprite.

"Thump!"

Realizing his awkward posture, Xiao Chen was startled and fell to the ground.

"Hehe, don't be upset, Uncle. Actually, your form was quite standard. I could never learn it."

Turtle Patriarch stroked his white beard and laughed. "Little girl, don't tease him. Though the pose is unsightly, it is a life-saving art. I've tried to teach you, but you always run away."

Innocence did not mean simple-mindedness; Qingqing was exceptionally clever, with a crystalline, luminous heart. Such a girl, blessed with heaven's spiritual wisdom, was adored and doted on by all the elders in the village.

She smiled brilliantly. "That's true. Qingqing will come and learn from Turtle Grandpa another day." Then she turned to Xiao Chen. "Uncle, are you really going to the Saint Mountain with Little Fatty? It's very dangerous. You're too weak to take such a risk."

Hearing this, the elders in the tavern all looked at Xiao Chen. Old Man Ye said, "Those who go there face nine deaths and one life. Very few dare to take the risk. Too dangerous."

Turtle Patriarch also said, "Very dangerous. Back then, if I hadn't been pushed to the brink, I would never have gone there to seek fortune."

The Saint Mountain of the Barbarians was the most mysterious place. Legend had it that it was a 'Heaven-Earth Furnace' refined by the Ancestral God Suiren, capable of smelting all things in heaven and earth.

But later, something happened, and the Heaven-Earth Furnace transformed into a Saint Mountain, becoming a resting place for divine souls from across the realm. After many powerful beings fell, their soul force would return there.

Of course, this was only a fraction of the known secrets. Legends said there were even more hidden ancient mysteries that even the shamans and prophets of the Barbarian tribes did not know.

"I truly want to go... I want to try if I can summon Keke's soul there."

Xiao Chen did not hide his purpose. All the elders knew why he had stumbled into the Pure Land.

Grandma Wang emerged from her wooden cabin. Though her hair was white as snow, her face was as beautiful as jade. It would be wrong to call her old, and calling her young was not quite right either. She said with a smile, "The Nine Dragon Leaf you brought yesterday is very potent—enough to brew fifty jars of immortal wine." Then she added with a hint of concern, "Since you insist on taking this risk, no one here will stop you. But we must warn you again: it is truly dangerous. Let me teach you a defensive art."

With that, Grandma Wang became solemn and sacred. She chanted, "The cosmos is void; the heart holds heaven and earth. Forms arise from the mind; seals are formed by the body..."

In that moment, she appeared divinely majestic. She spiraled into the sky and performed complex, profound movements. Her hands continuously formed seals, and a precious vase appeared above her head, suspended in midair, radiating billions of rays of light that no one could look at directly.

Old Man Ye said to Xiao Chen, "Quick, memorize this! This is the ultimate essence of all seal techniques—the Vase Seal!"

Xiao Chen's body moved with his mind. He listened to Grandma Wang's transmission, savored the wondrous state, and began to form the Vase Seal.

Grandma Wang was a Forest tribe elder, profoundly versed in natural seals. She could use body techniques to unleash the power of creation. The Vase Seal was the ultimate seal she had created by combining it with the Buddhist concept of the perfect vase.

Xiao Chen sank into a state of emptiness. He felt the Vase Seal's immense power. He sensed that at its peak, a single motion of the vase could swallow the sun and moon.

On the other side, Qingqing danced like a flower butterfly, her jade-like fingers continuously forming seals. A crystal vase appeared above her head, and she looked as sacred as a goddess. She murmured to herself, "Every time I watch Grandma Wang form seals, I feel something different. I wonder when I can create my own seal technique."

"Your talent is not bad." Grandma Wang gave this assessment after seeing Xiao Chen memorize the essentials.

Xiao Chen was extremely gifted in cultivation, but in the eyes of these elders, he had barely passed. This showed how powerful and unfathomable they were. Each of them had a hidden past and had seen countless talented cultivators. They themselves were undoubtedly among the best.

Qingqing was clever as always. She said to Xiao Chen with a grin, "Uncle, hurry up and buy some wine to treat everyone. If they drink a few cups of immortal brew, any one of them might teach you a trick that will benefit you for life."

Xiao Chen knew she meant well. He was not a log; he understood. He immediately bought wine and invited the elders to taste it.

With a whoosh, the doors of many wooden cabins were pushed open. At the news of a free drink, many elders came laughing without being called.

In truth, these elders had no intention of hoarding knowledge. Fixed mystic doctrines meant little to them anymore. Whenever young people from the Barbarian or Forest tribes came to the village, they would teach them wholeheartedly.

Though Xiao Chen already possessed the profound Heavenly Stele Ancient Method, when he saw the techniques occasionally displayed by these elders, he felt they were absolutely top-tier essence. If he could learn a few moves and cross-reference them, it would greatly benefit his cultivation.

Life in the Pure Land was simple, unadorned, and full of vitality. There was no scheming, no struggle for power. Compared to Heavenly Emperor City, this was truly a paradise on earth. It made Xiao Chen feel as if he had been reborn into another world.

In the following month, Xiao Chen learned several abstruse and difficult-to-understand mystic techniques from the elders. Whenever he truly delved into them, he would marvel at the thought: Could these elders be gods? How else could they create such marvelously peerless techniques? They truly seemed unweakened next to the Heavenly Stele Ancient Method.

Time flew. Four months had passed since Xiao Chen arrived in the Pure Land. His body functions had mostly recovered, maintaining a delicate balance. He decided to act. He would go with Little Fatty Niu Ren to the Barbarian Saint Mountain to summon Keke's soul.