Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chen Changsheng had only a superficial understanding of the Scripture of the Past. The profound mysteries of the Buddhist Dharma were not something he could easily decipher. In his early years, he had pondered over it, but it read like an incomprehensible heavenly tome. He had simply kept it tucked away in his sleeve ever since.

When he took out the Scripture of the Past, Ning Bufan suddenly froze, his gaze locking entirely onto it.

As if he were in a trance, the look in Ning Bufan's eyes shifted again and again.

Chen Changsheng sensed the change at once. It was as if the Ning Bufan standing before him... had become an entirely different person.

The Scripture of the Past landed in Ning Bufan's hands.

When he raised his head once more, Chen Changsheng met his gaze.

At that moment, it was as if they were gazing at each other across the long river of time.

Ning Bufan's gaze was like a tranquil lake. He looked at the azure-clad gentleman before him, pressed his palms together, and offered a bow.

Chen Changsheng watched him and heard him say, "This poor monk is Jiming. Greetings, Mister Chen."

Jiming raised his head. Seeing that the heavenly timing remained undisturbed, the slight unease in his heart finally settled.

"'A dark room of a thousand years is illuminated by a single lamp,'" Chen Changsheng mused. "Is that the origin of your Dharma name?"

Jiming gave a slight nod. Closing his eyes, he said, "To see Mister once again is truly a profound comfort."

Chen Changsheng sat up straighter and asked, "So, you truly came here by traveling upstream through time?"

Jiming offered a gentle smile. "What does Mister think?"

Chen Changsheng said, "Are all Buddhist practitioners like this? Always leaving your words half-spoken?"

Jiming chuckled and said, "Mister's reprimand is just."

Chen Changsheng replied, "Grandmaster Jiming overstates it. To see through the long river of time and travel upstream, your attainments must far surpass mine. How could This Chen presume to reprimand you?"

Jiming clarified, "It is Mister who overstates things. As the saying goes, 'a dark room of a thousand years is illuminated by a single lamp.' This poor monk is merely that solitary lamp sparking by chance in the dark room. Compared to Mister, who shines upon all living beings like the sun and moon above, I fall far, far short."

He wasn't merely being modest. After many years of Cultivation, he had only managed to comprehend the Scripture of the Past. Beyond that, his Dao Cultivation was not actually all that profound.

However, anyone capable of comprehending the Scripture of the Past was by no means an ordinary figure.

Chen Changsheng smiled. Setting the compliment aside, he asked, "May I ask what relationship you share with Ning Bufan?"

Jiming said, "He is my secular self. He and I are fundamentally the same person, but two of me cannot exist in the world at the same time."

Chen Changsheng understood immediately. It seemed the Rebirth Scripture had its restrictions as well. There were thousands of mystical arts in the world, but in the end, all practitioners remained beneath heaven and earth. Unless one transcended this heaven and earth entirely, they could never escape its watchful eyes.

"I see."

Chen Changsheng nodded and asked, "And why have you come back to this past?"

Jiming fell silent for a moment. Pressing his palms together, he spoke with absolute sincerity: "I came at the behest of the Buddhas of the West, to change the destined fate of the Buddhist Schools and fulfill the cosmic fortune of heaven and earth."

Chen Changsheng stared in surprise, then shook his head.

"Grandmaster Jiming is not telling the truth."

Jiming paused and said no more.

Chen Changsheng's gaze fell on the Scripture of the Past in Jiming's palm. "Since you were able to comprehend the Scripture of the Past, you should also know that the past cannot be changed."

Jiming raised his eyes. "How does Mister know the past cannot be changed?"

Chen Changsheng said, "Time is a rushing river. The waves it stirs up have long since flowed away with the current. Where those waves crest and where they strike resistance are matters already preordained. Merely traveling upstream through this long river of time is a heaven-defying feat. To further wish to churn the waters and sweep away the mud and stones... unless your power already transcends the heavens themselves, it cannot be done."

His tone shifted as he added, "And evidently, you do not possess such power. Otherwise, you wouldn't have just checked the heavens."

"It is only thanks to the current chaos of the world blinding the gaze of the Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, the moment you appeared, you would have faced far worse than the lightning tribulations of the Nine Heavens. You would likely have been reduced to ash in an instant."

A smile surfaced on Jiming's face. "Mister is truly worthy of being Mister."

Chen Changsheng was not wrong.

He really could not change a thing.

He should have understood this truth long before coming here.

The past could not be changed!

Jiming let out a breath and said, "I do indeed have another purpose for coming here."

Chen Changsheng did not pry.

Clearly, Jiming was unwilling to say. Or rather, perhaps he was unable to.

There were some things that, even with the Heavenly Dao obscured, he would never be permitted to voice. Uttering even half a word might result in his utter annihilation.

This was no joke.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered over Tianji Mountain.

Jiming paused slightly and looked up. He gave a helpless smile and said, "Mister, this poor monk cannot stay any longer."

Chen Changsheng waved his hand, and Jiming handed the Scripture of the Past back to him.

The moment the Scripture of the Past left his hands, Ning Bufan's eyes regained a brief moment of clarity. But a wave of dizziness immediately washed over him, and he collapsed straight down.

Chen Changsheng caught the unconscious Ning Bufan. When he looked up again, the dark clouds had already dissipated in the blink of an eye.

Ultimately, heaven and earth would not permit Jiming's existence here.

He had only appeared for a brief moment, yet his presence had already alarmed the origin of heaven and earth.

By the time Ning Bufan woke up, the horizon was a hazy gray.

It was not dusk, but the approach of dawn.

His mind was still groggy, as if he were suffering from a terrible hangover. When he sat up, his head pounded fiercely.

"How did I pass out..."

Ning Bufan could not recall a single thing.

Turning his head, he saw Mister Chen sitting cross-legged nearby, holding a handful of red beans in his palm.

Clatter.

He watched as Mister tossed the red beans onto the ground.

Instantly, a group of miniature men appeared on the ground, wearing armor and brandishing tiny weapons.

Startled, Ning Bufan took two steps forward and exclaimed, "Is this... Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers?"

Chen Changsheng signaled for him to be quiet.

Seeing this, Ning Bufan hurriedly snapped his mouth shut.

Chen Changsheng observed the little figures below. Before long, they began brawling with one another. Some simply spun in dizzy circles, seemingly having no idea what they were supposed to be doing.

Finally, Chen Changsheng let out a helpless sigh and swept his sleeve over them.

The tiny soldiers reverted into red beans.

Chen Changsheng began picking them up, one by one.

Ning Bufan asked, "Mister, this Divine Ability of Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers is truly incredible. Are these little guys alive?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "They are dead, of course. If they were alive, that would cause a major disaster."

Ning Bufan scratched his head. He just thought it was really impressive.

Slowly recovering his wits, he then asked, "By the way, Mister, how did I pass out? And why did I sleep for so long?"

"Most likely, you were just tired," Chen Changsheng said.

Ning Bufan's mouth twitched. "Mister, I'm not stupid, you know."

Chen Changsheng smiled but didn't offer any explanation, immediately going back to studying the art of Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!