Immortal Travel of Longevity

A wave of helplessness washed over Xiao Dongxu. For years, he had endlessly searched for a way to restore Jiu Fengchun's sanity, yet whether he approached it through the mind or the divine sense, every effort had failed.

After a long silence, Xiao Dongxu suddenly spoke.

"There is one other place that might work."

Jiu Fengchun froze at the words.

"When it comes to the mind and divine sense, the Buddhist Dao holds profound insights. They abandon the physical body and cultivate only the spirit!"

...

Half a year later, Xiao Dongxu brought Jiu Fengchun to the Thousand Buddha Hall.

The site overlooked the water, built into a hollow carved between two mountains. Hidden beneath the hall itself was a giant Buddha spanning five stories, crisscrossed with countless beams and pillars that left the grand hall seemingly suspended in midair between the peaks.

"Gong!"

Jiu Fengchun sensed his own aura, and a faint thread of unease stirred within him.

Xiao Dongxu pressed a hand to his shoulder. "You carry an ominous aura. It is only natural that you feel uncomfortable entering a place like this. Ignore it. I will take you inside."

Stepping across the water, Xiao Dongxu led him into the Thousand Buddha Hall in the blink of an eye.

Inside, a white-browed monk stepped out to meet them.

Shizhen stepped forward and chanted a Buddhist invocation.

"Amitabha."

"Almsgiver, this poor monk has been expecting you for a long time."

Shizhen's gaze fell upon Jiu Fengchun.

A tremor ran through Jiu Fengchun's heart. An instant later, his thoughts drifted back to ages past. Fragmented images flickered before his eyes, and it took him a moment of dazed silence to snap back to reality.

"Please."

Shizhen extended a hand to lead the way. Still caught in a daze, Jiu Fengchun stepped forward, walking deeper inside.

Walking into the grand hall, he saw countless monks occupying the space. Some stood in place, while others sat cross-legged in meditation, tapping wooden fish with their lips sealed. Gazing further in, a towering Buddha statue stood in the hall. Its features were kind and serene, yet it seemed to be scrutinizing Jiu Fengchun, sending a sudden jolt through his heart.

"Zen Master..."

Shizhen raised a hand. "Go, Almsgiver. A prayer mat lies ahead. It has waited a hundred years for your arrival."

Jiu Fengchun paused, looking toward the prayer mat placed squarely in the center.

He turned back to Monk Shizhen. "Did you already know I was coming, Zen Master?"

"Indeed."

Monk Shizhen chanted an "Amitabha."

Xiao Dongxu eyed the monk, his thoughts churning.

This was somewhat unexpected.

He had thought it an act of desperation, but it seemed this unintentional visit had set certain things into motion.

"Please take a seat, Almsgiver."

Jiu Fengchun was wanting to speak yet holding back, but he ultimately heeded the monk's words and sat upon the prayer mat.

At that exact moment, every monk seated throughout the hall turned their gaze toward him.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The previously chaotic tapping of the wooden fish suddenly fell into a perfect, unified rhythm.

Their murmured scriptures simultaneously aligned into a single chant.

At this moment, radiant Buddhist light flooded the Main Hall.

Amidst the rhythmic strikes of the wooden fish and the echoing chants, Jiu Fengchun's violently trembling heart began to settle.

An unprecedented peace washed over him.

Seeing this, Shizhen breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to Xiao Dongxu.

"Almsgiver Xiao, let us step outside to speak."

Xiao Dongxu nodded and followed him out of the grand hall.

Gazing out at the rushing river waters below, Xiao Dongxu waited through a moment of silence before asking, "Zen Master Shizhen, how did you know of his existence?"

Shizhen replied, "Almsgiver, my Buddha speaks of the word 'affinity.' Each affinity has a thread, visible to anyone who simply lifts their eyes to look."

Xiao Dongxu gave a slight shake of his head, convinced the monk was just spouting nonsense.

"What do you know?"

Xiao Dongxu questioned him. "Others might not recognize you, but I do. Years ago, I took a keen interest in the Buddhist Schools and even found a brief historical record of your order. You are the very monk who escaped the Tribulation when the spirit cage shattered! According to that history, you are the buddha child who fell into the Spirit Realm to cultivate Reincarnation!"

Shizhen did not refute the claim. He only smiled warmly. "Coming from nothing, existing within nothing... where I came from and where I am going—why is any of it important?"

"Of course it matters."

Xiao Dongxu said, "Every Dao in this world carries its own intent, but your Buddhist Schools are the exception. What exactly is your Buddha plotting?"

Monk Shizhen smiled faintly. "Almsgiver, perhaps you have misunderstood something."

Xiao Dongxu scoffed. "Take my advice. There is no place for your Buddhist Schools in this world. You had better give up early."

Monk Shizhen did not reply, his gaze lingering on the river water.

Having no desire to speak further with this riddle-spouting monk, Xiao Dongxu soon walked back into the grand hall.

He cast his gaze over the assembly of monks. Their expressions were solemn, entirely devoid of joy, anger, sorrow, or delight. They chanted scriptures and recited the Buddha's name like dead men completely stripped of emotion.

To Xiao Dongxu, there was a peculiar oppressiveness here.

He agreed that the Buddha could quiet the mind, but this was far too quiet.

He opened his Dharma Eye. Through it, he saw these Buddhist cultivators spitting out scriptures, each character transforming into golden light that fell into Jiu Fengchun's ears. The scriptures rained down like a sky full of starlight, dazzling the eyes.

Slowly, Jiu Fengchun seemed to feel a wave of drowsiness.

He slowly lowered his head and actually fell into a deep slumber.

Xiao Dongxu frowned slightly at the sight, yet those monks did not stop; their scriptures continued to pour out.

After falling asleep, Jiu Fengchun entered a grand dream.

It was a place of harmony and peace, a pure Buddhist land. Scriptures echoed continuously in his mind, and the ancient toll of a Bell rang out time and again. Each strike hammered against his heart, as if helping him recover the sanity he had lost for so many years.

He was entirely intoxicated by this dream, and even more intoxicated by the Buddhist Dharma.

A long-lost serenity lingered in his ears.

But to Xiao Dongxu, this was not necessarily a good thing.

"Wake up!"

With that single word, Jiu Fengchun suddenly snapped awake.

At this moment, the gazes of all the Zen Masters and monks around them snapped toward Xiao Dongxu.

In that instant, a terrifying rage erupted in their eyes. They glared at him, their eyes furiously wide, looking as though they were ready to devour Xiao Dongxu alive in the next second.

Seeing this, Xiao Dongxu gave a cold scoff. The aura around him suddenly flared, and a yin and yang totem materialized beneath his feet.

"Put away your ugly expressions!"

In that split second, the entire Thousand Buddha Hall began to tremble.

Monk Shizhen walked over, raising a hand to sweep it past Xiao Dongxu's eyes.

The next moment, the scene before his eyes suddenly shifted.

At this moment, those furiously glaring monks entirely transformed back into faces of warm serenity. The seven emotions and six desires had all returned to their eyes.

Monk Shizhen said, "Almsgiver, you are clinging to appearances."

Xiao Dongxu froze slightly, staring at Monk Shizhen in disbelief.

He grew more and more convinced that there was something eerie about this Thousand Buddha Hall.

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