Chapter 363: Jue Ming Venerable (Request Subscription)

'Ah!'

A scream suddenly echoed through the void.

It's Yu Xue, the Great True Lord!

His blood-dash technique was shattered; his demonic armor melted rapidly under the Great Sun True Fire, his dharma body reduced to a pile of ash.

Only a tall, jet-black Nascent Soul remained, pierced by countless golden swastika glyphs, transformed into a golden doll that landed in Fang Xing's palm.

'Huh?'

Fang Xing glanced toward Xu Yun, the Great True Lord, surprised: 'You managed to withstand two blows from a Transformation Realm expert. Your potential, strength, and fortune all surpass that demonic True Lord.'

Xu Yun revealed his true face—a sharply chiseled visage, blood trickling from his lips, clearly severely wounded.

Now seeing Fang Xing, he felt as if facing a Transformation Realm Venerable, his heart filled with despair.

Worse still, he had earlier used the 'Mountain-River Map' to seal the surrounding void, leaving him unable to escape via any space techniques—truly trapping himself.

After all, who could have imagined… this was supposed to be a simple case of catching a turtle in a jar, yet two Great True Lords were dispatched, only to encounter this utterly unbelievable situation?!

If the Yuan Shen Sword Sect still had another Transformation Realm combatant outside, they would have long since rebuilt their holy land, not suffered such miserable decline for so many years.

'I… agree to your terms.'

Driven by the desperate urge to survive, Xu Yun silently transmitted a message to some mysterious presence.

'Hm?'

Fang Xing raised an eyebrow as heavenly energy gathered before him, faintly forming a golden Arhat body.

A terrifying aura of dharma power surged forth.

'Disciple, show mercy where you can!'

From the golden face of the Arhat giant came an ancient voice.

'Channeling heavenly energy—a Transformation Realm cultivator?'

Fang Xing's martial will surged skyward, manifesting as the Great Sun Tathagata form, instantly sweeping away all spiritual pressure. He sneered: 'Looks like a Transformation Realm cultivator who didn't die properly—only a sliver of soul remains… What's this? A personal elder? No wonder Great True Lords are all protagonists in their time… Die!'

Today's Fang Xing would dare challenge a living Transformation Realm cultivator—he certainly wouldn't flee from a mere remnant soul.

He slapped forward, and behind him, the Great Sun Tathagata form transformed into the Wrathful Vajra, his massive hand descending.

Whoosh!

Crimson and azure heavenly energies surged like tides, colliding and raising towering waves.

Then…

The Arhat body was swallowed by crimson energy…

'Worse! This brat has no honor—we must flee!'

Hearing the residual soul of his Venerable's thought, Xu Yun was stunned.

This was his final trump card.

Yet it still proved useless against this body cultivator!

This 'Jue Ming Venerable' was a secret boon he obtained during his Golden Core formation, in an ancient ruin's cave chamber—kept hidden all these years.

Without his guidance, Xu Yun could never have condensed his Nascent Soul or reached Nascent Soul late stage.

Yet he never imagined—even Jue Ming Venerable couldn't subdue Fang Xing!

'I'll soon unleash a soul technique to shake this brat's spirit… miss this chance, and you'll die for sure.'

Fortunately, Jue Ming Venerable's voice came again, easing Xu Yun's dread: 'Venerable Jue Ming, if I escape death, I'll forge you a new body and live a second life!'

Then…

He heard the scream of 'Jue Ming Venerable!'

'Ah!'

Jue Ming Venerable's voice rang with shock and agony—then fell into silence.

Before Xu Yun could speak, he saw Fang Xing standing before him, his face twisting with despair…

…

Moments later.

Fang Xing collected both Nascent Souls of the Great True Lords, checking each storage bag one by one.

'Huh? No wonder Great True Lords are rich—plenty of supreme-grade spirit stones…'

'Oh? There's even a 'Strengthen Nascent Soul Pill'? My cultivation clone is lucky—it'll surely break through to Nascent Soul mid-stage…'

'And these vials of spirit herbs should further refine my dharma power…'

Suddenly, a flash of spirit light appeared in his hand—a jet-black wooden carving.

The carving depicted an Arhat seated on a lotus throne, gentle brows and kind eyes, lines soft and serene.

The entire carving was jet-black, faintly emitting a soothing sandalwood incense.

Fang Xing inhaled lightly and felt his spirit sharpen: 'This is… Yan Po sandalwood? The legendary treasure, ranked with the Soul-Nourishing Tree and Heavenly Heart Wood as the three supreme mind treasures?'

Judging by its quality, it's at least fifth-rank.

And within the Arhat statue, a faint, familiar soul resonance lingered. 'After a Transformation Realm cultivator dies, only a sliver of soul remains, clinging to Yan Po sandalwood to sustain life? Indeed, the higher the realm, the harder it is to die completely…'

Fang Xing shook the statue in his hand: 'Don't hide anymore…'

'Amitabha… this humble monk 'Jue Ming' greets you, disciple.' A faint mental voice emerged from the statue: 'Your cultivation talent is simply unbelievable—even the legendary Void-Refining masters of history fell far short of you at Nascent Soul late stage… Could you be a True Immortal reincarnated?'

Jue Ming Venerable's voice carried a touch of flattery.

'If you can speak sweetly, say more…'

Fang Xing smiled at the carving, leaving Jue Ming Venerable momentarily speechless—he sensed this body cultivator was unlike any other cultivator he'd known.

Yet as a Buddhist Venerable, he excelled in eloquence: 'I was once bound by others, forced to stand against the tide—please forgive me, disciple…'

'You weren't so timid before—you dared launch a soul attack on me.' Fang Xing's smile didn't fade.

Jue Ming Venerable fell silent.

This was precisely what confused him most.

He was a Buddhist cultivator, a Transformation Realm Venerable—his mastery of soul techniques and their essence was supreme.

Yet he never imagined his full-power 'Golden Buddha Lion's Roar' had zero effect on this Great True Lord—worse, it backfired, nearly erasing the fragile soul he'd barely restored…

'Could he… truly be a True Immortal reincarnated?'

A suspicion arose in Jue Ming Venerable's mind.

'Jue Ming, you're a Transformation Realm Venerable. Though Buddhist cultivators are rare in the Hanhai Realm, how did you end up like this?'

Fang Xing was curious.

Transformation Realm Venerables were the pinnacle of the Hanhai Realm—by theory, they shouldn't be this unlucky.

Had he encountered a Transformation Heaven Lord?

'Alas… Cultivators in this realm follow the Immortal Dao, and they despise Buddhists. My monastery, the 'Vajra Prajna Temple,' was founded by a higher-realm Buddhist master during the last descent event… I had little innate Buddhist heart, yet after years of arduous cultivation, I finally reached Transformation Realm. I hoped to spread the Dharma, but then the Ancient Demon Uprising came!'

Jue Ming Venerable's voice trembled with fear: 'That Ancient Demon possessed astonishing power—likely a fallen Void-Refining master. For the sake of all sentient beings, I had no choice but to confront him… But my Buddhist cultivation was insufficient; my Arhat body was shattered, my soul nearly extinguished. Luckily, a sliver remained, clinging to this statue, barely clinging to life…'

'So another victim of the Ancient Demon Uprising.' Fang Xing sighed.

Countless great figures had died in the Ancient Demon's hands, their deaths kept secret.

'Nascent Soul True Lords live a thousand years; Transformation Realm cultivators live about two thousand. Only Void-Refining cultivators who ascend escape the burden of lifespan… This Jue Ming monk, by his timeline, is nearing his end—only a few centuries left…'

Fang Xing asked: 'What do you mean by "descent"?'

'You don't know… Our Hanhai Realm is attached to the 'Qian Yuan Great Realm.' In Buddhist teachings, there are 129,600 such mortal realms, countless cultivators and beings flourishing within them. Once one breaks through Void-Refining, one may ascend to a higher realm—but some of these higher realms, such as the 'Spirit Realm' where our cultivators ascend, the 'Demon Realm' where Ancient Demons dwell, and my ancestral realm, the 'Brahma Realm'… are unstable. The Great Void shifts unpredictably; ascending from a lower realm is already immensely difficult, let alone descending from a higher realm—nearly impossible. Unless by rare chance, the realm's power weakens ten thousandfold—that's the 'Descent Period,' which rarely lasts long. Inter-realm connections between lower realms, however, may endure longer.'

'So it's a spatial convergence?!'

Fang Xing immediately recalled the 'Boundary Zones' of the Great Xia world—essentially overlapping dimensions.

'I see. But why would higher-realm cultivators descend? Lower-realm cultivators strive to ascend—that makes sense.'

Fang Xing thought of a puzzle: 'Could the Qian Yuan Great Realm have some special quality?'

'Amitabha… Our Buddha sends disciples to descend to spread the Dharma…'

Jue Ming Venerable said: 'As for why the Ancient Demons descended, or what grudge they hold against the Yuan Shen Sword Sect—I truly know nothing.'

'I see.'

Fang Xing nodded, seemingly convinced.

Jue Ming Venerable pressed on: 'Though I am shallow in learning, I know this realm well—I know several ancient ruins and Buddhist treasures. I offer them all to you, only asking to remain by your side, to ease your troubles.'

'Hah… You've gotten used to being a personal elder, or are you afraid I'll just erase you?'

Fang Xing laughed, slightly tempted—but then dismissed the idea.

After all, he wasn't a true native—he had too many secrets.

What good was a personal elder?

Besides… this Transformation Venerable might not be telling the truth, and his 'Ten Thousand Hearts' technique still lacked the power to soul-search a Transformation Realm cultivator.

Fortunately… his methods weren't limited to the 'Ten Thousand Hearts' techniques.

'This humble monk… does have selfish motives. I offer all my accumulated treasures to you, only asking that you one day forge me a new body…'

Jue Ming's voice was earnest.

'Very well… then come into my mind sea, and be ready for consultation.'

Fang Xing seized the Arhat statue, his mental energy spilling out, locating the faint golden soul deep within.

Then…

He opened his mind sea and welcomed the other soul inside.

(End of Chapter)