office mobile

Chapter 648:If you give up on her, your heart will be gone

Everyone turned their attention to the Clay Bodhisattva.

"You\'re saying that the white jade statue has produced a heavenly demon, and it\'s harming Zhong Shan?" Bei Qingsi asked with a frown.

"Yes, it should be!" the Clay Bodhisattva replied, frowning in worry.

"It\'s fine. An elementary heavenly demon can\'t affect Zhong Shan\'s mind," Di Xuansha shook his head dismissively.

"No, it\'s more than that. The Hundred-World Cavern locks in the demon\'s intent, directing it all towards the person inside. This means that while His Majesty is facing an elementary heavenly demon, the effect is equivalent to facing an intermediate or even advanced heavenly demon!" the Clay Bodhisattva said with deep concern.

"I\'m going to wake up Zhong Shan!" Tian Ling\'er, the most anxious, almost cried as she spoke.

"Ling\'er, don\'t!" Bao\'er grabbed Tian Ling\'er.

"Sister, Zhong Shan is in danger, I have to save him!" Tian Ling\'er tried to break free from Bao\'er\'s grip.

Bao\'er\'s face was also grim, but she held Tian Ling\'er firmly and shook her head.

"Empress, you cannot. His Majesty is indeed facing a difficult challenge, but he hasn\'t encountered any accidents yet. He must not be disturbed. If he is, he will surely go mad," the Clay Bodhisattva quickly interjected.

"Then what should we do?" All three women looked at the Clay Bodhisattva.

"It\'s the ninety-fourth reincarnation. It\'s almost over. If His Majesty can endure until the hundredth reincarnation, he will be completely safe," the Clay Bodhisattva said helplessly.

"A hundred?" Di Xuansha raised an eyebrow.

Di Xuansha said nothing more, but he knew better than anyone how terrifying it was to endure more than ninety reincarnations. Each life was a trial, a heart-wrenching ordeal that could easily lead to eternal damnation with the slightest mistake.

Di Xuansha\'s will was incredibly strong, yet he had only managed to reach the ninety-fourth reincarnation. Surviving a hundred was nearly impossible.

Inside the Hundred-World Cavern, Zhong Shan sat cross-legged, his face pale, his expression constantly shifting, clearly enduring the agony of reincarnation. The unresolved emotional knot in Zhong Shan\'s heart made the ordeal even more excruciating.

Not far from Zhong Shan, a strange and ethereal shadow appeared.

This shadow was not the heavenly demon the Clay Bodhisattva mentioned, but a beautiful female phantom. The appearance of this phantom was identical to the white jade statue, also known as the "Heavenly Demon Pool," the foundation of the Hundred-World Cavern array.

The woman watched Zhong Shan, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. Every slight movement, every expression she made, exuded an endless illusion, both eerie and terrifying, surpassing even a heavenly demon\'s allure.

Despite her enchanting presence, her eyes remained pure, like those of a newborn, filled with curiosity as she gazed at Zhong Shan.

"Kui\'er? Is this the hurdle you can never overcome?" the phantom woman mused as she looked at Zhong Shan.

Inside Zhong Shan\'s world of reincarnation, the ninety-fourth life.

In this life, Zhong Shan was an orphan, abandoned in a wooden basin on a river, rescued by a water-fetching monk. Raised with Buddhist teachings, he became a novice monk with exceptional aptitude, possessing a photographic memory. By the age of ten, he had read all the scriptures in the temple. By twelve, he had fully comprehended them and dominated the temple\'s debates.

At thirteen, Zhong Shan began traveling the world, experiencing the myriad forms of life and understanding the concepts of heavenly hearts and the hearts of the people as taught in Buddhist scriptures. He stayed at various monasteries, debating Buddhism with monks and reading countless sutras, deepening his understanding of Buddhism.

At twenty-five, Zhong Shan was summoned to the capital to meet the emperor and participate in the grand Water and Land Dharma Assembly, where he gave public sermons. Monks from all over the country flocked to hear his teachings.

By twenty-six, the royal family had fully embraced Buddhism, and the entire nation followed suit, leading to a widespread devotion to Buddhism.

Under Zhong Shan\'s influence, Buddhism reached its peak.

By the age of thirty, millions of people across the nation were devout Buddhists, and Zhong Shan was known throughout the land.

At forty, Zhong Shan held another grand sermon, attracting hundreds of thousands of monks. During the sermon, heavenly flowers rained down, golden lotuses sprouted from the earth, and the air was filled with Buddhist chants, purifying the minds of all present.

He was revered as the foremost monk, the highest teacher of Buddhism.

At fifty, Zhong Shan founded his own sect, accepting ten disciples, each with extraordinary Buddhist qualities, capable of enlightening thousands. He shone with golden light, worshipped by countless people.

At sixty, the golden light around Zhong Shan grew even more intense. By seventy, the light faded, returning to a state of purity, and his body emitted an ancient sandalwood fragrance.

Everyone knew that with his profound Buddhist nature, Zhong Shan was destined to enter the Great Thunderclap Temple of the Western Pure Land and attain Buddhahood in a golden body. Some even rumored that Zhong Shan was the reincarnation of a Buddha, given his extraordinary Buddhist nature.

Regardless of the truth, Zhong Shan was deeply respected as a living Buddha and the most revered person in the land.

At eighty, as an elderly monk, Zhong Shan had seen through the vicissitudes of life and was only one step away from attaining Buddhahood.

The ninety-fourth reincarnation would not be easy to pass.

At eighty, the revered old monk inexplicably fell in love with a sixteen-year-old pilgrim named Wei Kui\'er.

It seemed as though fate had arranged this, and the elderly monk, struggling on his path, fell deeply in love with Wei Kui\'er at first sight.

The first precept of Buddhism is to abstain from sensual desire!

An eighty-year-old falling in love with a sixteen-year-old girl? The world\'s most respected monk breaking his vows of celibacy? This stirred the hearts of people everywhere.

"Master, no, you\'re about to become a Buddha! You can\'t destroy your foundation for a woman!" One disciple knelt and cried, trying to stop him.

"Master, you are the exemplar of Buddhism in the world, a living Buddha. You can\'t destroy your reputation for a woman!"

"Master, your dreams can\'t be ruined here. This impossible situation can\'t ruin your legacy!"

Initially, only the ten disciples knew, but no matter how much they pleaded, they couldn\'t stop Zhong Shan.

"Get out, get out...!"

The elderly Zhong Shan, tears of heartbreak streaming down his face, shouted at his disciples. The ten disciples were unwilling, but Zhong Shan didn\'t hesitate to kick and beat them to clear his path.

The depth of his feelings made it impossible for Zhong Shan to let go.

The ten disciples couldn\'t stop him, and the news spread like wildfire.

Hearing that the revered monk was entangled by love, the world was shocked. It couldn\'t be true—who would dare slander the saintly monk? The world was in uproar, but once they understood the truth, everyone was stunned.

The saintly monk wanted to renounce his vows and marry a young girl?

As absurd as it seemed, it was a fact. Countless monks from all directions came to dissuade the saintly monk.

But Zhong Shan seemed possessed, refusing to continue his Buddhist practice.

The saintly monk renouncing his vows caused great sorrow across the land, with people spitting in disgust. No one wanted to accept the collapse of their idol, not even Wei Kui\'er\'s parents. They hired servants to beat Zhong Shan, trying to dissuade him from his decision.

The revered monk, once respected by all, had fallen to such a state, all for the sake of love. People\'s hearts ached, and the saintly monk Zhong Shan felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

"Give up, please, give up," Wei Kui\'er sobbed softly to Zhong Shan.

"No, I don\'t want to give up! I can\'t give up!" Zhong Shan insisted resolutely.

"Kill that wretched girl; she\'s a demon reincarnate here to ruin the saintly monk!" a sudden voice shouted.

Wei Kui\'er was beaten to death by the crowd surrounding her.

"No～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

Holding Wei Kui\'er\'s lifeless body, Zhong Shan wept bitterly. "Heavens, what have I done to deserve this?"

At that moment, a celestial-looking woman appeared before Saintly Monk Zhong Shan. The woman was extraordinarily beautiful, the phantom from the Heavenly Demon Pool.

"Give up. If you give up, you can return to how things were. You will regain everything. Just give up!" the phantom woman urged.

"No, I won\'t give up. I can\'t give up!" the saintly monk cried, tears streaming down his face as he held Wei Kui\'er.

In the end, the saintly monk did not let go of Wei Kui\'er\'s body. Instead, he carried her to the edge of a cliff, and in front of countless onlookers, he stubbornly clung to her as he leapt off the cliff.

With his beloved dead, Zhong Shan\'s heart and soul were shattered for the ninety-fourth time. His resentment soared to the heavens.

"What a fool. Would it kill you to give up once?" the phantom woman mused as she looked at Zhong Shan\'s body below, her eyes filled with curiosity.

This was the ninety-fourth time. Why? Why couldn\'t he let go?

The phantom woman grew more curious, more intrigued.

In the ninety-fifth cycle.

"Hmm? Finally, I\'ve uncovered his memories? Is this his own world?" the phantom woman said excitedly.

In the ninety-fifth cycle, it wasn\'t an illusory world but Zhong Shan\'s memories. From Earth, Zhong Shan came to this world, seeking immortality but being refused entry.

Proud and ambitious, Zhong Shan started as a mortal, exploring the path to immortality from mortal cultivation techniques. He built a merchant association and adopted sons. Everything replayed from Zhong Shan\'s memories, everything starting anew.

As in his memories, Zhong Shan met the beautiful Wei Kui\'er and successfully made her his wife.

"Husband, the weather is so nice today. It\'s been a while since we went to Cuihu Lake for an outing. This time, I\'ll catch a big crab and make crab soup for you."

"Alright, catch a big crab. This time, let\'s go as a family. Bring your brother along."

"Yes, let\'s take the second brother. The third brother isn\'t around, otherwise, he\'s the best at catching crabs."

"Ha ha, ha ha, husband, husband, come quickly, there\'s a huge crab here!"

"I\'m coming, Kui\'er, wait for me. I\'ll get a big net."

By the lake, Kui\'er rolled up her trousers and used a fork to pin down a big crab. Zhong Shan ran over from a distance.

Suddenly, the scene changed. In the middle of them, a group of people descended from the sky.

"Ha ha, we found her, the girl born on a yin year, yin month, and yin day," laughed the leader, a man in golden robes. A seam on his forehead suggested the presence of a third eye.

The man extended his hand towards Kui\'er, grabbing at the air.

"Boom～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

Blood rained down, and Kui\'er\'s delicate body exploded into fragments, her flesh scattering. In the compression of the golden-robed man\'s energy, the remnants of Kui\'er coalesced into a blue phantom, which the man captured and stored in a black banner in his other hand.

"No～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

Zhong Shan\'s heart shattered, and he cried out in anguish, his deep resentment surging skyward.

At that moment, the scene abruptly changed. The group led by the Heavenly Prince of Rift vanished, leaving only fragments on the ground. It was as if the phantom woman could no longer bear to see Zhong Shan\'s torment, as if she too felt her heart shattering along with Zhong Shan\'s.

"Give up. If you give up, you can have everything. You can have the whole world, you can achieve immortality, you can possess..." the phantom woman tried to persuade Zhong Shan, simultaneously showing him visions of the unrivaled power of the future Lingxiao Heavenly Court.

Maybe this was the phantom woman\'s world. Although Zhong Shan had not awakened, it didn\'t negate the phantom woman\'s foresight into the future.

Despite everything, Zhong Shan shook his head. His body trembled as he picked up a fragment of Wei Kui\'er\'s clothing and pressed it to his chest.

"Why are you so stubborn? She\'s dead. Just give up. Must you let your heart be shattered each time? How strong is your heart? How many more times can it endure being broken?" the phantom woman cried out to Zhong Shan.

Seeing the phantom woman\'s genuine concern, Zhong Shan looked deeply at her and said, "I will never give up!"

"Never give up? Don\'t you realize that not giving up on her will be your greatest flaw? As long as you don\'t give up, your heart will keep hurting until you die. This flaw will be the easiest target for your enemies," the phantom woman continued to advise Zhong Shan.

"Thinking of her makes my heart ache, it really hurts. But if I give up on her, my heart will cease to exist," Zhong Shan said sorrowfully.

If I give up on her, my heart will cease to exist!

The phantom woman was stunned, contemplating the meaning of Zhong Shan\'s words. She didn\'t understand and couldn\'t see through it. Her feelings toward Zhong Shan grew more complex.

In that moment, Zhong Shan seemed to become much clearer, gaining increasing clarity. Suddenly, he comprehended the entirety of the hundred reincarnations, understanding all the causes and effects.

Gazing at the phantom woman before him, Zhong Shan took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for trying to help me. Thank you for constantly urging me to give up, trying to remove my flaw. But I truly can\'t give up. Thinking of her reminds me that I still exist. If I give up on her, I would no longer be myself. You\'ve helped me understand myself even better. Thank you!"

"No, no need to thank me. But if you don\'t give up, she will become your greatest inner demon and your biggest flaw. What will you do in the future?" the phantom woman asked.

"Inner demon? Flaw? If she is my inner demon, I am willing to let my heart harbor a demon. If she is my flaw, I am willing to live this flawed life. If my heart dies, everything ends. Flaw? So what if it\'s a flaw? I am willing to keep this greatest flaw!" Zhong Shan said, a smile of infatuation spreading across his face.

Ignoring the phantom woman, Zhong Shan stood up with a sorrowful heart and walked towards the exit of the Hundred-World Cavern.

"Where are you going?" the phantom woman called out.

But Zhong Shan kept walking, like a wooden man, continuing forward, seemingly deaf to any sound.

"You stubborn man!" the phantom woman stamped her foot and followed after him.