Chapter 507: Turns out I had stumbled into the Realm of Wishes

As the sutras were recited, my heart began to slowly settle. The Buddhist calming mantra and the Daoist method of purifying the mind can empty one's heart, bringing tranquility.

When my heart had calmed and I slowly opened my eyes, everything went silent. But then Murong Jiaja stumbled and nearly fell into me.

I instinctively reached to catch her, but my hand met only emptiness, showing that Murong Jiaja had grown weak again, her spirit beginning to scatter.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault you got hurt." I bowed my head apologetically. Murong Jiaja must have sensed I was in danger, which is why she abandoned her retreat and rushed out.

Murong Jiaja slowly shook her head: "Don't say that anymore; right now the most important thing is for you to leave this illusion."

"An illusion? We already got out, didn't we?" I said, bewildered: "Everything here has vanished."

"No, it hasn't disappeared; we're still in this illusion." Murong Jiaja said weakly: "Listen to me, the one who created this illusion isn't some demon or heretic—it's a high Buddhist monk. This is the Buddhist Ruyi Realm, born from your inner demons. You already touched the mantra when you first entered this bronze tomb; to escape, you must rely on yourself."

Murong Jiaja's words startled me. "What joke is this? This is actually the Buddhist Ruyi Realm?" Legend says the Ruyi Realm is a phantom within the Buddhist intermediate state. Those trapped there follow their heart's whims, beautiful dreams come true, and they sink deep, unable to wake. The danger isn't external—it's inside the mind. For cultivators, the greatest enemy is oneself: an impure mind and deviant practices breed inner demons that rob reason, disturb it with greed, ignorance, and anger, leading one down a path that feels right but is utterly wrong.

"Remember, rely on yourself, let go of all attachments, and empty your heart." Murong Jiaja's silhouette faded, turning into a wisp of green smoke that drifted into the spirit‑gathering jade.

I took a deep breath, steadied my gaze on the empty bronze tomb, and waited quietly for the next trial. Money, power, beautiful women, the luxuries people crave, the deepest hidden **, and the emotions I most long for have all appeared. So what will show up next?

I began to understand what I had really experienced—it was **, yes, exactly. It is the deepest hidden ** in the human heart: the seven emotions and six desires, power and sexual temptation, and whatever the heart most yearns for. In the Ruyi Realm, these ** swell with the illusion. I am ultimately an ordinary person; my cultivation is insufficient, my willpower weak, my mind unstable, so all kinds of demons have arisen, bursting forth from the hidden depths of my heart.

I slowly, step by step, walked toward the exit of the bronze tomb. Just as I neared the exit, a whoosh sent a huge blaze igniting beneath my feet. In the sea of fire, countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants crawled about—centipedes, scorpions, venomous snakes, and disgusting maggots. Moreover, even the mountain spirits and the Five Stranglers' troops appeared.

Gazing at the sea of fire and the beasts that had appeared before me, my pupils began to dilate wildly; I already understood what would appear next.

It is fear—the deepest fear hidden within a person's heart. I am most terrified of disgusting insects, and yet, right before me appears exactly what I fear most. The Five Stranglers' troops are the bane of my own forces; I most dread encountering them, but now they have appeared again.

"This sea of fire is pretty much like the eighteenth level of hell," I said with a wry smile, closing my eyes and slowly walking toward the flames. Speaking of the Dao heart, my state of mind is not particularly high—indeed, it's not even as good as Fatty's. So I have to rely solely on my own will to get through this trial.

I tensed my spirit, stepping step by step toward the sea of fire; this is the only way out of the Ruyi Realm, and I have no other choice.

Finally, I was completely engulfed by the sea of fire; flames scorched my skin, venomous snakes tore at my body, maggots crawled up my arms into my nose and ears, and the Five Stranglers' troops devoured my soul. I wished I could tear open my arms, gouge out my eyes, and plunge a knife into my heart. At this moment I am a madman; without self‑harm I would feel suffocated.

"Do you know? Actually, when I was a kid I also had a dream—I wanted to join the army, at least to reach the rank of lieutenant general. But I was too fat; the military has weight requirements. Later I wanted to be a pop star, but my voice is terrible; singing makes me sound like a duck. When real estate became popular, I tried to get a part‑job selling houses. Who knew the recruiter would say I'm too ugly‑looking, not knowing whether I'm supposed to show people houses or go feel around for a thief."

"So I've run out of options; I can only face this screwed‑up life with a careless attitude. When reality is stronger than I am, the weak me can only lie down and endure reality's rape, adopting whatever position it likes."

Struggling and in pain, the image of that dead fat guy appeared again in my mind. Those words were spoken when we sat on the roof of the old house; that night he had gotten drunk and returned to his true self.

"Yeah… since I can't fight this screwed‑up reality, I'll just lie down and enjoy its ravaging!" I felt a vague awakening in my heart and tried to slowly relax my body and mind. Maggots love to burrow into my body—let them have it; I'll offer my whole body as their home. Venomous snakes crave my flesh—I'll sacrifice myself, what's wrong with emulating the Buddha feeding the hawks? The Five Stranglers' troops crave my soul—take it. When my soul merges with heaven and earth, who could possibly find it then?

It turns out that when you face everything with an indifferent attitude, your heart becomes tranquil; letting go of attachments, the spirit no longer suffers. When all leaks out and the mind is empty, greed, ignorance, anger, fear, and hatred—these soul‑killers can no longer torment your body and mind.

Having understood everything, my heart also calmed. When I opened my eyes, everything had vanished—no sea of fire, no venomous snakes or beasts, and no Five Stranglers' troops.

However, my heart did not fully relax; on the contrary, it tightened again, because I saw that Yao Wenju had also gotten into trouble.

After entering the Ruyi Realm, I hadn't noticed Yao Wenju's presence. After regaining consciousness, however, I found him sitting cross‑legged beside me, but his condition was miserable—blood poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth; not only were his fists clenched, but even the veins on his forehead bulged.

Ye Qi had collapsed nearby, unconscious, while Yao Wenju looked as if he were about to erupt at any moment; he must have fallen into his own Ruyi Realm, his direction driven by inner demons.

"Ah… you used heart‑fire to save me; now let me use heart‑fire to save you once more—it's all karma, all predestined fate." I formed a hand seal, bit my tongue, spat out a mouthful of blood‑tinged saliva, and ignited the flame at my fingertip.

It is said that heart‑fire is not only the utmost yang fire but also a fire that stabilizes the spirit; if imprinted on a person's brow, it can settle their soul and spirit. I am outside, unable to enter Yao Wenju's Ruyi Realm, so the only thing I can do now is use heart‑fire to help him stabilize his spirit.

But what I never expected was that, just as the fingertip flame was about to touch Yao Wenju's brow, he suddenly clenched his lips tight, his whole body trembling. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and his clenched fists jerked violently.

"Chi…" I sped up, directing the heart‑fire toward him, and when it struck his brow squarely, he suddenly opened his eyes—his eyes glowed red like a beast's—and let out a low, deep roar, swinging his fist at my chest.

With a thud, his brutal punch sent me flying into the bronze tomb's wall, where I collapsed. After falling, I spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; my whole body ached miserably.

In order to break out of the Ruyi Realm, I was already weak enough. Then forcibly using heart‑fire to stabilize Yao Wenju's spirit was tantamount to draining my own life. Now, after being hit again, I was almost on the verge of collapsing into a corpse to meet the Yin Mountain patriarch.

After Yao Wenju's brow was struck by my heart‑fire, his ferocious expression gradually eased back to calm, the veins on his forehead fading away. Slowly, he unclenched his fists and opened his eyes.

"Hey, Hai Sheng, why are you lying on the ground?" Yao Wenju stared in astonishment at me, lying there like a corpse. Seeing the pool of blood I had spat out, he was startled.

"How did you get such a serious injury? Tell me who did it—was it that huge cockroach just now?" Yao Wenju rushed over, anxiously asking me.

Me: "..." Damn, the one who beat me up isn't you, is it?

------------。