Chapter 1909: Life Is Like a Lamp (Part 2)

The little novice raised his sabre, but this slash was aimed at Xima's neck; despite his young age, he had no pity for fragrance and jade, and he intended this strike to sever Xima's head from body.

Xima's hopes were all lost; "Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, it seems we can only meet again in the next life!" Just as she despaired, a huge hole burst open in the wall behind her, a cold wind whistling, accompanied by a deep roar; a figure flashed over her head and blocked the novice's lethal strike with a sword.

It was Hu Xiaotian who finally arrived at the critical moment, blocking the novice's attack with his Xuan Iron Sword; the novice stared in shock, not knowing where this person had come from—the walls of the Golden Summit Hall were extremely sturdy, its doors and windows cast of refined iron, yet this person cleaved them open with a single sword, the power of that strike truly shocking. Before the novice could see his opponent clearly, a tremendous force hurled him flying backward like riding clouds and mist, and he crashed heavily into the corner of the wall.

Hu Xiaotian did not pursue the child; he took off his outer robe, wrapped Xima in it, and led her out through the wall opening. At that moment he saw Xia Zhangming arriving overhead with the Snow Eagle, so he told Xia Zhangming to protect Xima and leave this dangerous place first, then he himself slipped back into the hole in the wall.

The novice had just climbed to his feet, his face covered in dust, his eyes filled with fear; though young, he knew that if the opponent wished, they could easily take his life.

Hu Xiaotian glanced at him, then strode inside without paying the novice any heed; the novice dared not pursue, anxiously watching Hu Xiaotian's direction, his small hands clenched into fists, not daring to breathe.

The flame of the Eternal Bright Lamp swayed in the strong wind, flickering on and off; Living Buddha Jialuo lightly sent out a palm, his hand as white as jade, the palm opening like a lotus blossoming, extremely slow, yet before Ji Feihua's eyes it transformed into the images of six lotus flowers.

Ji Feihua also met it with a palm; her hand was nearly translucent, her palm moving like an orchid swaying in the wind, so graceful that anyone seeing the scene would never guess they were engaged in a life‑and‑death duel, only be stunned by the exquisite sight.

The six lotus flowers encircled each other, gorgeous and splendid, yet each concealed immense killing intent; the lotus phantoms suddenly merged into one, Living Buddha Jialuo's fingertips turned blood‑red, while Ji Feihua's fingers became almost transparent.

Their palms crossed, silent and soundless, yet the Eternal Bright Lamps on the four walls rose and fell like wheat waves; as if the lotus‑like palm and Ji Feihua's palm collided and then suddenly retracted, turning palm into fist, a faint layer of blood mist seemed to surround the white fists.

Ji Feihua's also changed technique at the same time, a pale orchid‑colored radiance emanating from her near‑transparent fist.

At that moment the gold‑brick floor beneath their feet cracked open piece by piece, the sounds popping like firecrackers.

The blood mist and blue light met in the void, red and blue radiance surging; the swaying Eternal Bright Lamps all around were blown by the shockwave of their colliding fists, most of them extinguished, the rear hall grew ever darker, except for the butter lamp placed at the center, whose flame remained calm.

After clashing and separating, Living Buddha Jialuo did not rush to launch another attack; staring at Ji Feihua, his eyes filled with shock. Though in their several exchanges he seemed not to have lost any ground, only they themselves knew the true state: from beginning to end, Ji Feihua had been guarding that butter lamp, and Living Buddha Jialuo did not understand why she protected it, but from this alone one could see she had not exerted her full strength against him. Even more astonishing to Living Buddha Jialuo was his question: "What is your relation to Ling Jiazi?"

A faint smile touched Ji Feihua's lips; his question meant he had already acknowledged his entanglement with Ling Jiazi. She said nothing, merely stepping forward with her left foot, slightly bending her right leg, extending her left palm and raising her right palm overhead, arms encircling as if embracing the moon.

Seeing her movement, Living Buddha Jialuo's heart shook violently; he widened his eyes, no longer calm, and slowly nodded, saying: "It's you, Xiao Hua!"

Ji Feihua nodded: "Back then I suffered endless bullying; even at the Crown Princess's residence my situation hardly improved. One day, while hiding in the dark room and weeping, a kind‑hearted person gave me a lamp, and he told me..."

Living Buddha Jialuo said: "Life is like a lamp; if the lamp is not extinguished, the heart does not die! That child asked him, but what if the lamp oil runs dry? If the heart dies, isn't that just death for a person?"

Ji Feihua's gaze fell on the butter lamp: "He said there exists a kind of Eternal Bright Lamp in this world; even if a person dies, the lamp will still shine."

Living Buddha Jialuo's expression became kind and warm; he said in a deep voice: "I have not misjudged you—you are certainly no ordinary creature."

Ji Feihua replied: "I was mistaken; I thought you had died, but you have been alive and well all along. Should I now address you as Living Buddha or as Master Minghuai?"

Living Buddha Jialuo smiled: "Minghuai is long dead."

Ji Feihua gazed at the lamp: "Hearing the news of Minghuai's death, that child was heartbroken; after all, in her memory Master Minghuai was one of the few who cared for her, the one who lit hope in her life—of great significance to her destiny. Yet later she discovered that everything she had believed in, everything she felt grateful for, was all deceit and illusion."

Living Buddha Jialuo said nothing; he also gazed at the lamp, as if lost in thought, as if in meditation.

Ji Feihua said: "Ling Jiazi may be extraordinarily wise, but her nature is overly arrogant, looking down on everyone, regarding you all as simpletons she could push around at will—that is why she ended up being attacked by all of you. After her death, each of you gained something."

Living Buddha Jialuo sighed: "Why bring up the past? Moreover, Ling Jiazi never treated you well in life; I, the poor monk, can say with a clear conscience that I have done right by her."

Ji Feihua chuckled: "Clear conscience? Do you think you deserve those four words? Greed, hatred, delusion—the three poisons—you are full of them; a monastic actually harbors improper designs on the Crown Princess."

Living Buddha Jialuo replied coldly: "Between me and her there is nothing but purity, no relation to any outside rumors. Whether you believe it or not, I need not explain myself to you."

Ji Feihua snorted: "I naturally believe that someone like Ling Jiazi, who looks down on everything, would never deign to look at you."

Living Buddha Jialuo's eyes flashed with anger at Ji Feihua's words, then faded; despite his cultivation he could not avoid being provoked—every heart bears a scar, merely hidden deeper or shallower.

Ji Feihua said: "Back then, that dim‑witted emperor Long Xuan'en admired and promoted you without reserve, everyone thought you were a rare heavenly talent unseen for centuries at Tianlong Temple; even so, many in the temple possess deeper Buddhist teachings than you—why single you out? Only later did I discover: you are a meritorious person!"

The kindness on Living Buddha Jialuo's face had completely vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

Ji Feihua said: "In the Chu Yuanhai corruption case, Long Xuan'en's fundamental reason for exterminating the Chu clan lay behind the Xu clan of Jinling; yet the one who actually carried it out was you—you informed the court, exposing the connection between Chu Yuanhai and Chu Fufeng."

Living Buddha Jialuo laughed loudly; after the laughter faded, all the Eternal Bright Lamps around went out, yet the butter lamp beside Ji Feihua remained unmoved, calm as before. Living Buddha Jialuo looked at Ji Feihua and said: "You have gone through countless hardships to find me—is it merely to avenge the Chu clan?"

Ji Feihua replied: "I came this time to return a lamp to you." She lightly brushed her right palm; the butter lamp on the ground rose slowly, as if an invisible hand lifted it and drifted slowly toward Living Buddha Jialuo.

Living Buddha Jialuo gazed at the lamp and slowly nodded: "Have I ever said that the greatest pain in this world is not death, but having one's lamp extinguished by another?" He suddenly raised his right palm, abandoning his earlier gentle, slow motion; this palm was fierce and fierce, chopping down at the butter lamp.

Yet his palm had not swept far before encountering an invisible barrier; Living Buddha Jialuo frowned, only then realizing that what approached him was not merely a butter lamp but a vast, all‑encompassing space—or that the space he occupied was contracting toward its center, slowly and orderly, squeezing his existence bit by bit.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Living Buddha Jialuo immediately calmed; he placed his palms together, sat cross‑legged, his body not touching the ground but floating in the void, about three feet above it. The Void Zen technique—only a few senior monks of the Yuan generation in Tianlong Temple could master it, and the one who had researched it most deeply was Yuan Kong; Master Yuan Kong, however, fell into the demonic path through practicing the Void Great Law, and ultimately his internal energy was transferred to Hu Xiaotian. Living Buddha Jialuo was originally the monk Minghuai of Tianlong Temple; even though there were Tong‑generation seniors ahead of him, he stood out, surpassing his senior peers to become the strongest below the Yuan generation in the temple, showing his talent and insight.

Living Buddha Jialuo, seated in meditation, floated in the void; as Ji Feihua increased the pressure on him, his body began to turn slowly, and with the rotation the surrounding space started to expand without cease.

The butter lamp hovered between Living Buddha Jialuo and Ji Feihua; two opposing forces balanced it in the void, yet this balance was only temporary—soon the lamp began to revolve around Living Buddha Jialuo in reverse, like a satellite around a planet: they could neither draw near nor separate.

Living Buddha Jialuo slowly opened his eyes; his voice sounded illusory and distant, as if coming from another space: "How could you possibly know I am not dead?"

Ji Feihua said nothing, merely silently exerting her palm power, continually compressing the space in which Living Buddha Jialuo existed. (To be continued~^~)