The Thousand-Year-Old Monk

After speaking those words, the gray-templed old farmer slowly walked away, gradually fading from view. Even if they wanted to chase him, they could not—it seemed as though an endless starry sky stood before them, barring them from approaching.

"Xiao Chen... thank you." A Bing walked over, now calm after the false alarm.

"To say such things is to treat me like a stranger." Xiao Chen began to inquire about A Bing's family circumstances over the years.

As Dugu Shanshan had said, they had always lived in seclusion here. But Dugu Jianmo, in his pursuit of the sword, had gone from seclusion to the world and back into seclusion again, disappearing for many years—no one knew where he was now.

At the same time, Xiao Chen learned that there was an ancient temple on Mount Song, which had become a foothold for Otherworld cultivators. For several days, a group of them had been hiding there.

They had successfully brought the Seven Demon Diagram, their mission complete. The Otherworld Ancestral God had not yet descended, cowed by the pressure of this world's Ancestral Gods. These men did not dare to cause a major disturbance, but some impatient Otherworld cultivators had already begun to operate on a small scale nearby.

"A nest of Otherworld curs here? Let's wipe them out!" Jin Sanyi, exuding a heroic air, did not forget to blink his peach-blossom eyes and flash a brilliant smile at Dugu Shanshan.

A Bing warily positioned herself in front of Shanshan, while Dugu Shanshan herself smiled sweetly. "I look forward to Uncle Sanyi displaying his divine might."

The single 'uncle' froze the stammerer's smile. He sighed deeply in frustration and muttered quietly, "How could such a fine girl be the daughter of that iron block, Dugu? Not like him at all."

A Bing, graceful and poised, glared at him. Jin Sanyi immediately changed his tune: "Ahem—very much alike, indeed as beautiful as A Bing, enough to make my heart ache."

"Do you know how many half-ancestors there are, and what heavenly tier they've reached?" Xiao Chen wanted to go and eliminate the Otherworld experts in the ancient temple.

"From what the Otherworld cultivators who surrounded us earlier said, I think there are two or three half-ancestors. I don't know exactly what realm they've reached." A Bing could only offer this information.

With Keke's Paradise Lost at his side, Xiao Chen was not worried about danger. His companions flew toward the ancient temple ahead.

It was a massive temple, somewhat dilapidated, but one could imagine its former glory. Ancient trees surrounded it, and it was extraordinarily quiet.

"Why are there no bird calls?" A li from the temple, Xiao Chen felt something was wrong. It was too silent—the thick forest was utterly without sound.

"All of you, enter Paradise Lost." Xiao Chen had Keke protect everyone.

Xiao Chen himself did not enter the divine garden. He dragged a War Sword along the ground, striking sparks from the stone, and strode forward with large steps. The little beast Keke followed behind with the others.

The mountain path was paved with large blocks of bluestone, winding toward the majestic temple. Only when he neared the temple gate did Xiao Chen see where the problem lay.

Faint light rippled out. A powerful force had sealed the entire temple. Through the gap in the vermillion gate, whose lacquer had flaked away, he could clearly see Otherworld cultivators inside.

"Creak..."

Xiao Chen pushed open the temple gate and strode in. The force that sealed the temple did not stop him.

In the wide front courtyard stood over a dozen Otherworld cultivators, completely motionless, as if they had been frozen in place.

"Are these fellows possessed?"

Jin Sanyi did a stylish somersault out of Paradise Lost, sweeping his Doomsday Heavenly Halberd with great flair—pfft—severing the head of an Otherworld cultivator.

"They really can't move? Then I won't stand on ceremony." With that, Jin Sanyi chopped up all the Otherworld cultivators with a clatter, looking quite pleased with himself. "Nothing special."

The others ignored him.

They walked toward the main hall, encountering more Otherworld cultivators frozen in place along the way. All were dispatched by Xiao Chen and his group.

Only when they approached the main hall did a powerful aura become perceptible. Within the main hall, a secret battle was taking place!

Half-ancestors were clashing!

Though it appeared calm, once the conflict erupted, it would be earth-shattering—likely all the mountains within a hundred li would collapse.

They were definitely half-ancestors. Xiao Chen and the others sensed the dangerous spiritual fluctuations, but they were confined within the hall.

Xiao Chen dragged his War Sword forward step by step, while the others stayed in Paradise Lost, following behind.

Bang!

The front doors and decaying wooden windows of the main hall shattered, revealing everything inside.

Three Otherworld half-ancestors, clad in cold iron battle suits, exuded a sinister chill. They surrounded the towering Buddha statue at the center of the hall, using powerful divine consciousness to try to shatter everything there.

A battle of divine consciousness!

The three Otherworld half-ancestors were colliding with the enormous Buddha statue with their divine sense.

Everyone was astonished. In this decrepit temple, long abandoned by monks, a broken statue was causing three Otherworld half-ancestors to go to such lengths.

Moreover, they could tell that the three half-ancestors were already at a disadvantage, struggling merely to hold on.

This was utterly terrifying.

If a mere Buddha statue possessed such power, then when the Buddha himself came, it would surely be beyond compare.

Xiao Chen and the others did not act. They watched the confrontation in silence. The clash of divine senses lasted an entire hour. The auras of the three Otherworld half-ancestors grew weaker and weaker; they, too, were frozen in place, unable to move or even escape.

Their divine consciousness seemed to have suffered a devastating blow!

In the span of a breath, the light of the three powerful Otherworld half-ancestors dimmed completely, their bodies growing cold.

"Monstrous..."

Even the unruly Bo Shi, from within Paradise Lost, let out such a sigh.

Another half-hour passed. The bodies of the three Otherworld half-ancestors had turned completely cold—their consciousness had been completely erased.

Clashes of divine consciousness were the most perilous. For the loser, ninety percent would be utterly destroyed, their souls annihilated.

Though the bodies of the three powerful Otherworld half-ancestors remained intact, their spiritual awareness had been shattered completely. In a word, their lives had been ended.

Xiao Chen stepped forward. With a sweep of his War Sword, the bodies of the three Otherworld half-ancestors split apart and then turned to ashes.

"Please, senior, come forth."

As Xiao Chen's words fell, the huge Buddha statue in the center of the main hall suddenly cracked open. Then the hollow statue shattered entirely, stunning everyone. Inside it sat a figure of mud—or rather, a man of earth.

The person seated within the Buddha statue was covered in a thick layer of dust, as if he had become a fossil. His long gray hair was a tangled mess, like a bird's nest.

He moved slightly, and the dust on his body fell away, revealing a corner of a tattered kasaya.

Though his hair was wild as weeds, everyone could see that this was an old monk. He had been seated here for who knew how many years.

It was this unremarkable, dirt-covered monk who had just refined three powerful Otherworld half-ancestors to death with sheer spiritual power.

Xiao Chen asked with a hint of doubt, "Senior, are you..."

"Bodhidharma." The old monk did not prevaricate; he spoke his identity directly. His voice was like the clang of metal, firm and weighty.

Hearing those two words, everyone drew in a cold breath. This was certainly one of the great men of a thousand ages. His reputation had been fearsome in ages past, his divine might incalculable.

But he had been missing for countless years; the world had all but forgotten him.

Bodhidharma was a great Chan Buddhist master, especially skilled in combat. In truth, his real strength was not much weaker than the Buddha's.

No one had expected this ancient luminary to be seated here all along. By the look of him, he had not moved for over a thousand years.

His awesome power was plain for all to see—they had just witnessed him refining three half-ancestors. One could not help but admire.

Truly, the great men of a thousand ages lived up to their reputation!

Dust fell from Bodhidharma's eyelids as he opened his eyes. He looked first at the huge relic that Bo Shi carried on his back, then fixed his gaze on Bo Shi. "You and I have a karmic connection. Would you be willing to stay?"

Though tall and powerfully built, with a face carved like a knife, Bo Shi looked very cool. But because his elder brother Yi Zhen had become a monk, he harbored a fondness for monks. He hesitated only slightly before nodding. He wanted to ask Bodhidharma if the relic could be returned to its original state.

"Good." Bodhidharma said only one word, then pointed at Bo Shi. Instantly, Bo Shi's black hair fell away, leaving a bare, gleaming scalp.

"You—" Bo Shi panicked, his brows shooting up and a fierce light appearing in his eyes. Even before this ancient luminary, he showed no weakness, shouting, "I don't want to become a monk!"

"I do not wish to make you a monk. I only wish to make you let go." Bodhidharma was as calm as an ancient well.

Bo Shi seemed to understand something. He set the relic on the ground.

"Let go." Bodhidharma said the same thing again.

"I cannot let go." Bo Shi was clearly in pain.

Only Xiao Chen understood: Yi Zhen had died to save Bo Shi back then. Bo Shi's heart was always filled with regret and self-blame; he could not let go of the obsession in his heart. This was what Bodhidharma wanted him to release.

"If you cannot let go, then stay." Bodhidharma pointed again, and Bo Shi vanished from the hall along with the huge relic.

Bodhidharma then looked toward Jin Sanyi. The stammerer instantly felt his scalp go numb. He quickly covered his head and scrambled out of the hall, shouting, "Second Baldy has truly lived up to his name! I don't want to become Third Baldy. Patriarch Bodhidharma, please show mercy—I have no connection with you."

"Red Gold True Suchness... you are a living Buddha walking in the world." Bodhidharma nodded at Jin Sanyi.

"Screw that!" Jin Sanyi leaped high and vanished from the temple. He was truly afraid, worried that Patriarch Bodhidharma would grab him and make him a monk. Then it would be too late to cry.

"Senior, do you know that the Otherworld cultivators are about to descend?"

"I know. You may go." In the blink of an eye, Bodhidharma turned back into a stone Buddha.

Xiao Chen and the others withdrew from the thousand-year-old temple. From then on, a new confidence filled their hearts. This world still had many experts. The thousand-year luminary Bodhidharma had stayed, and the mysterious old farmer was unfathomably deep. There must be many other reclusive masters.

As the old farmer had said, there was no need for despair.

Xiao Chen and the others left the area, with A Bing's family accompanying them.

Chen Fang had not yet arrived at the Dead City. Xiao Chen guessed that he had probably followed the Pure Lady Qingyun back overseas, not yet aware that the Otherworld Ancestral God was about to descend.

When they passed over Dragon Island on the way overseas, Xiao Chen and Keke stopped.

The Dragon Clan was an extremely powerful race, an indispensable combat force. Xiao Chen wondered whether their strongest members had all left on the Ancestral Dragon Ship.

They went directly to the Dragon Clan's Sacred Mountain. Instantly, the Dragon Clan's War God King manifested.

"Ya ya..." Keke flew over happily. This Dragon Clan War God could be considered family to the little beast.

Even the Asura Half-Ancestor trembled before the Dragon Clan War God King. So he had not been chosen to leave?

"I did not wish to leave, but I sent away some promising clansmen." The towering Dragon Clan War God spoke, then looked at the Inverse Dragon King. "You stayed as well..."

"I can only grow through battle!" The Little Defiant Dragon said little, speaking only to the key point.

"Good, you have spirit." The Dragon Clan War God nodded. He suddenly turned, glanced at Xiao Chen and the others, then looked at Keke. "There is something I should give you. The old Ancestral Dragon entrusted it to me for safekeeping. I meant to send it onto the Ancestral Dragon Ship, but since I saw you fly out, I held onto it."

"What is it?" Keke asked curiously.

"It is something your mother left behind. I had intended to wait until you reached the ninth heaven of half-ancestor, but now I have no choice—I fear I will not have another chance."

"Mama..." Hearing this, Keke's big eyes filled with tears.

The others were even more astonished. Keke's race was far too mysterious. Not long ago, Xiao Chen had seen the spirit imprint of Keke's father, but he still knew nothing about Keke's mother.

On the Dragon Clan's Sacred Mountain, a magnificent Dragon Clan castle loomed, shaped like an Ancestral Dragon coiled in wait, exuding an imposing aura.

Everyone followed the Dragon Clan War God into the castle. He quickly emerged from a secret chamber and gravely handed a palm-sized box to Keke.

"Mama..." The snow-white little beast wept in grievance. She had never seen her parents after birth, only to discover their remains in Paradise Lost in the end. Now, seeing something her mother left her, she could not help sobbing.

"I don't know if you can open it. According to the old Ancestral Dragon, you need to reach the ninth heaven of half-ancestor to unlock it," the Dragon Clan War God warned.

Keke clutched the wooden box with reverence, murmuring "Mama" over and over. Her childish voice was thick with emotion, and tears kept streaming down.

The snow-white little beast tried to open the box, but found it difficult. As strong as she was—already at the half-ancestor realm—she tried more than a dozen times without success.

"Ya ya..." Frustrated, Keke activated Paradise Lost, using the divine garden's power to open the small box.

The box still did not budge even a hair, but it shot out a multicolored light, dazzling and brilliant, soaring into the sky.

Looking from afar, Dragon Island looked like a rainbow volcano erupting. Even the dragon-shaped castle was pierced through.

Everyone was stunned. Keke was startled and quickly closed Paradise Lost.

But the rainbow light that had shot into the sky did not dissipate. Instead, it condensed and then flew straight toward the Nine Provinces.

"Eh?!"

Everyone was shocked.

"Let's go see." The Dragon Clan War God was the first to soar into the sky.

Keke, even more anxious, turned into a streak of white light and shot across the sky. Everyone followed closely. The brilliant rainbow light swept across the sky, plunged into the Nine Provinces, and headed straight for the Ancestral Dragon Village.

Xiao Chen's heart tightened. He vaguely guessed what was happening.

"Ah, look—the rainbow light is charging into the Primordial Ancient Village!" Jin Sanyi yelled.

He did not need to say it; everyone could already see. The dazzling rainbow divine light shot across the sky, arriving above the Ancestral Dragon Village.

With a violent crash, it collided with the Seven Demon Diagram that covered the ancient village.

Boom!

Heaven and earth shook. The two forces seemed incompatible, like fire and water.

Everyone was deeply shocked. The rainbow divine light was shaking the Seven Demon Diagram. Why?

Was it trying to break through the Seven Demon Diagram?!

At the same time, in the distant sky, the pitch-black divine gate that the Otherworld Ancestral God had opened was spewing out countless meteors.

An overwhelming pressure surged forth—the Otherworld Ancestral God was about to descend!

Then, countless starlight burst forth. A miniature starry sky materialized in the void before the black divine gate.

The Otherworld Ancestral God had used the supernatural power of 'a mustard seed containing a mountain' to teleport an entire starry sky here!

Next moment, divine might swept across thirty thousand li!

A gray-haired man struggled to poke his head out of the black divine gate, his wild hair streaming. The Otherworld Ancestral God had descended! Divine might surged, shaking the entire Nine Provinces and many mountains and rivers.