As Gu Junshi paused here for a moment, the airflow behind her stirred chaotically, and those who entered came wave after wave until all personnel had arrived.
“Why are there so many lights? Weren’t we told there were only seven Buddha lamps?”
Xiao Sizhun was placed on the ground. He tugged at a corner of his mother’s robe, muttering in confusion, “Why are there so many lights? Weren’t we told there were only seven Buddha lamps?”
Gu Junshi placed her hand on his head and gently stroked it. Her eyes were perceptive, her dark, calm pupils holding a ripple of veiled cunning. She said softly, “Only seven of these possess the power to purify demons and evil. The rest are merely its illusions.”
The radiant light illuminated a serene and quiet pool. As people entered this peaceful and tranquil environment, questions that had been suppressed earlier could now be asked openly and without reservation.
“Can the Demon-Breaking Arrow truly shatter this bloody, malevolent domain?”
Yan Tianjiao, clad in a crimson-robed dark robe that lent his face a somber handsomeness, possessed a pair of naturally aloof yet sharp, narrow eyes. With a slight lowering of his frosty aura, veiled by a hazy mist, he exuded an intense, piercing cold.
His words echoed the unspoken doubts in the hearts of others. They had never heard of a “Demon-Breaking Arrow” in Compassion City, nor did they know its specific divine efficacy to breach the spatial power of this Earth-tier artifact. However, since her proposal had gained the unanimous approval of the three abbesses, it indicated that this maiden named “Hua Rui,” or rather, this senior appearing as a young maiden, knew of the “Demon-Breaking Arrow.”
She hailed from Flower City, and by rights, should be considered a righteous individual. Yet, a figure who was too mysterious, unfathomable, and emanating a sense of danger, would always cause unease.
Gu Junshi felt numerous pairs of eyes scrutinizing and appraising her, but she was entirely unaffected by the pressure.
She replied, “Won’t we know if we try?”
“Try?” Fu Wanyan suppressed herself and asked in a heavy tone, “How can life be subjected to reckless trials? If your trial is merely a casual attempt, what will the consequences be, and what about the innocent people in this city?”
At this point, Li Sheng asked curiously, “If we don’t try, do you have any other ideas?”
“If everyone joins forces to break through this space, is there no possibility?” Fu Wanyan proposed.
Liu Jiang Fusheng said, “It is perhaps too late to speak of this now. Since we have decided to act, there is no need to retreat at this juncture.”
“Hua Tanyue, if the Demon-Breaking Arrow truly works, this humble monk can retrieve it for you,” Cheng Hong said in a clear, jade-like voice.
Hearing this, Gu Junshi stopped in her tracks. Recalling Cheng Hong’s peculiar behavior earlier, she realized he had guessed her identity.
He had always been perceptive, and with his cultivation having advanced over the years, his mastery of Buddhist Dharma, which was more difficult than spiritual cultivation, was indeed extraordinary.
“Since the Demon-Breaking Arrow was my suggestion, I will retrieve it. Furthermore, Master Cheng Hong, you likely do not know how to use the Demon-Breaking Arrow, do you?”
The others, hearing her implication, wondered if the “Demon-Breaking Arrow” could only be used by certain individuals?
Subsequently, Gu Junshi, unwilling to deal with their doubts and suspicion, shifted their attention with another matter. “Speaking of which, Master, your current body is an external manifestation, isn't it? An external manifestation's cultivation is not even a third of the main body's. If you were to use the Demon-Breaking Arrow, you would only be overwhelmed.”
Cheng Hong’s true nature had been exposed, leaving him momentarily silent. His moon-pale eyes, like scattered crow feathers, gazed at Gu Junshi.
As Gu Junshi had predicted, the others looked at Cheng Hong with expressions of surprise.
Lu Ziyin’s fan almost slipped from his grasp. He quickly approached Cheng Hong, examining him from head to toe, “Manifestation? You, you are not the main body?”
Yan Tianjiao’s chest heaved, his gaze tightening as he scrutinized him, “You can manifest an external body? Have you already—”
Cheng Hong knew what they were thinking, but he was not as exaggerated as they speculated. “I have just broken through to the Soul Transformation stage. It is only because of the cultivation technique and spiritual roots I practice that my original body has returned to the void and transformed into a clone.”
While he had not reached the Void Refining stage (with a lifespan of nearly five thousand years, where the Nascent Soul within transforms into the Primordial Spirit, returning to the void to form a clone or multiple clones), the Soul Transformation stage was still formidable.
“You, you’ve already reached Soul Transformation?!”
Jealousy caused Lu Ziyin to feel a sense of self-division. He had been smug that everyone’s cultivation seemed similar, at least he wasn’t too far behind the geniuses of his generation. But in such a short time, he finally saw the truth.
It wasn’t that he wasn't far behind; it was that someone else’s clone was comparable to his cultivation.
He had been proud that in just seven years, he had advanced from the peak of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage of Nascent Soul, but this person had reached Soul Transformation directly in seven years!
In fact, Lu Ziyin’s cultivation, if viewed by elite cultivators, would likely elicit a similar feeling of dashed hopes.
Yan Tianjiao had only recently broken through to the late stage of Nascent Soul, and the spiritual energy around him was not yet stable, lacking perfect control. This process might take him years or even decades, making it understandable how difficult it was to break through to the Soul Transformation stage.
Many had reached their limit here.
Cheng Hong had been second on the “Newcomer Ranking.” What about Liu Jiang Fusheng, the top-ranked newcomer? What would his cultivation be now?
The strength he displayed on stage was enough to crush all the other newcomers. Even the exceptionally gifted Master Cheng Hong, hailed as a Buddha Son by Buddhist cultivators, had been defeated by him.
Seven years had passed, and these individuals would not remain stagnant. They cultivated even more diligently than ordinary cultivators to increase their power, unwilling to fall behind anyone. Thus, he was likely even more formidable now…
After reuniting without recognizing each other, and then after he revealed his true identity by fighting with “Hua Mi,” and subsequently being unable to speak privately on multiple occasions due to various circumstances, Lu Ziyin finally couldn't hold back. He walked up to Liu Jiang Fusheng and looked at him.
The youth who once possessed the elegance of Lotus Islet, still carrying a touch of lush brightness, had now become hidden and reserved, like an immortal banished from the heavens, peerless and untamed. It seemed even his former immaturity and flaws had been perfected through growth over the years.
Lu Ziyin recalled the events in the “Dragon Island Secret Realm,” the complex and poignant emotions between him and Gu Junshi, and Gu Junshi… and her child.
“Liu Jiang Fusheng, there’s no one else here. Do you truly not recognize us, or are you pretending?”
Without further ado, a surge of anger rose within Lu Ziyin, and he asked directly and bluntly, “Back then, you and Gu Junshi disappeared together in the Dragon Island Secret Realm. Where have you been all these years?”
“And what about Lebao? Was he born to you and Gu Junshi?”
After posing several questions that had been pent up in his heart, Lu Ziyin’s expression suddenly turned grim. He didn’t know what he was feeling, as he somewhat dreaded hearing the obvious truth from him. “Then, is she…”
Perhaps the past was not meant to be revisited. Liu Jiang Fusheng’s expression shifted like melting ice from the heavens the moment he heard “Gu Junshi” mentioned, his face turning pale. “It’s not that I don’t recognize you, but the past is too complex to explain in a word. The current matter is of utmost importance, and past personal matters can be discussed if there is an opportunity later.”
As he spoke, he brushed past Lu Ziyin and walked forward. While they were talking, Gu Junshi had already taken the two children and Li Sheng and walked far away. She was neither friend nor companion to them, so she had no obligation to wait for them to finish their conversation and reminisce before moving together.
Fu Wanyan knew that Liu Jiang Fusheng had once married a mortal wife who had disappeared with him. But hearing Lu Ziyin mention it now, it seemed his wife had also entered the “Dragon Island Secret Realm” back then?
And… they had a child?!
Fu Wanyan’s expression was as if struck by lightning, her face ghastly pale.
She tightened her grip on her hands, her sharp fingernails piercing her flesh, yet the pain in her heart did not alleviate even slightly.
She had searched for him for so many years, waited for him for so many years. They were clearly a destined loving couple, so why had things turned out this way?
Yan Tianjiao had always been displeased with Liu Jiang Fusheng. They had no past connection but held a grudge. However, due to their experiences in the “Dragon Island Secret Realm,” where his wife had saved him, the animosity was now mixed with other sentiments, making it impure.
He actually wanted to ask Liu Jiang Fusheng about Gu Junshi, just like Lu Ziyin, and… the treasure-hunting rat. So, he brought up a topic, his eyes glinting with an ill-intentioned light. “After you left the Grand Evolution Sect, do you know what happened to it?”
Liu Jiang Fusheng showed little interest. His fair skin was flawless under the illumination of the surrounding lotus lamps. As they walked side by side, it neither hindered their progress nor prevented them from conversing due to their individual thoughts.
“I do not know.”
“The current sect leader of the Grand Evolution Sect is no longer Wei Li, but your senior brother Dan Ya. Back then, the four of you participated in the Newcomer Ranking, with one failing and three in the top ten. However, you and Ghost Infant disappeared for seven years, so all your influence and lost reputation have been replaced by him. Even if you wish to return now, the Grand Evolution Sect is no longer a place for you to reside.”
Like kicking a drowning dog, the Grand Evolution Sect was no longer the same Grand Evolution Sect. It had become a formidable new sect, especially after Dan Ya became its leader. Even sects from twenty-eight days dared not underestimate its momentum.
The rift between Dan Ya and Liu Jiang Fusheng back then was evident to anyone. The relationship between these two senior brothers was quite superficial.
“When I left seven years ago, I had no intention of returning to the Grand Evolution Sect.”
“Why? What exactly happened seven years ago?” Lu Ziyin, still unwilling to give up, asked again.
He wasn’t someone ignorant of worldly affairs, but he was still haunted by what happened after they left the “Dragon Island Secret Realm” seven years ago. More accurately, he couldn't let go of matters concerning Gu Junshi.
He dared not imagine that if she had insisted on protecting the child back then, would she have perished long ago?
The thought sent a suffocating feeling of unresolvable regret through him.
Liu Jiang Fusheng’s attitude towards them remained peaceful and gentle, not pushing them away. This indicated his willingness to foster a connection with them, or perhaps with the forces behind them.
However, matters concerning Gu Junshi were a taboo for him, deeply concealed.
Seeing him evade the question again, Lu Ziyin could only feel dejected. But he thought that time was on his side. Once their relationship improved, it wouldn’t be difficult to extract the truth later. Thus, he didn’t dwell on the matter and continued the previous topic. “Seven years ago, the founding sect leader of the Grand Evolution Sect, Wei Li, was exposed as a fox spirit. His reputation was ruined, and he was even rumored to be involved in the demon race’s plot to invade the cultivation world. This led him to entrust the Grand Evolution Sect to Dan Ya. Who knew that this Dan Ya was a ruthless individual? To completely sever the Grand Evolution Sect’s ties with the fox demon, he set up a trap using the fox demon’s trust in him, severing two of its tails, thus ensuring it would never again have a chance at the immortal path and would only be relegated to the beastly realm for life.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiang Fusheng’s lips curved slightly, but a tickle in his throat caused him to cough lightly. His pure, clear eyes were lowered, “Is the fate of a wild, untamed, lustful fox demon, arrogant and indifferent to human nature, yet attempting to disguise itself as a human to establish a sect and recruit cultivators for its own use, not what it deserved?”
He had known who that fox demon in the “Dragon Island Secret Realm” was from the start. The thought of it disguising itself as a spirit fox and lurking in Gu Junshi’s room, interacting intimately with her, made him feel that severing its two tails was rather merciful.
Seeing his fair and just view of the fox demon, it seemed he had been engaged in righteous deeds all these years.
Fu Wanyan mustered her courage and asked, “Senior Brother Fusheng, since you are not returning to the Grand Evolution Sect, will you continue to live in anonymity, detached from worldly affairs?”
Liu Jiang Fusheng’s attitude towards her was the same as towards the others: polite and indifferent. “Leaving back then was unavoidable. In the future, everything will follow my heart.”
Hearing his response, Fu Wanyan’s nervous and fluttering heart relaxed slightly. She wanted to proceed with him step by step, believing that with enough time to understand him and feel her presence, she would make him fall in love with her.
“Lebao is your son, but why does he call Hua Mi… Mother?” Fu Wanyan finally voiced the question that had been pricking her heart like a needle.
Honestly, Lu Ziyin and Yan Tianjiao were also perplexed by this question.
Liu Jiang Fusheng paused for a moment, seemingly considering how to answer. Finally, he said, perhaps truthfully, perhaps not, “Because he lost a mother… so, he wants to find himself a satisfactory mother.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Wanyan’s entire body stiffened, almost blurted out, “Then, do you also acknowledge the ‘mother’ you found from outside?”
But asking this question abruptly now was clearly inappropriate, especially since they shouldn’t be discussing such trivial matters at this moment. The pressing concern was how to leave this place.
Walking forward from the tranquil lake’s Buddha lotus lamps to the end, five stone arch bridges appeared, leading to the other shore. The group stopped. They saw that the early-arrived Gu Junshi had already made a decision. She gently placed the two children she was holding and whispered a few words to them before stepping onto a bridge alone, leaving Lebao, Gu Sizhun, and Li Sheng behind.
“There seem to be words carved on this bridge?”
They stepped forward to look.
“Cross the bridge. The lover, the hater, the resentful, the jealous, the angry – please choose the correct bridge to take.”