Chapter 665: Escape from the Cycle of Reincarnation

Though Zhong Wuwang had said those words without thinking, they contained a profound truth and coincided with the mysteries of the divine ability contained in the Scripture of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities. Zhong Wuwang himself had failed to understand them, and even after more than ten years of contemplation, Chen Shi still had not fully grasped their meaning.

Chen Shi rose and walked out of the nest, standing on a leaf at the treetop.

His cultivation was now deeper than before, and his understanding of the mysterious yellow Dao patterns passed down by Houtu Huangdiqi had grown profound. His Wuji Dao Field had also become more complete.

His Dao Field had reached the state of Primordial Chaos and Infinite, enveloping the entire territory of Wotu Kingdom. With the Primordial Chaos and Formlessness of the Infinite Great Dao, he could sense any change in the world.

He was like a spider on a web, quietly waiting for the moment the Bright King’s divine ability touched it.

“Even if the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities is exceedingly powerful, it must leave traces.”

Beside him, Zhong Wuwang and the old monk sat cross-legged. Their Dao Fields spread out as well, overlapping with Chen Shi’s.

Zhong Wuwang’s cultivation had also recovered to its peak, and he was even somewhat stronger than before. The old monk’s cultivation was more astonishing still. He had reached the eighteenth heaven of the Dao Realm, one entire Dao Realm higher than he had been back then!

He had turned misfortune into fortune, receiving guidance from Chen Shi, an expert in yin and yang qi. His cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.

The old monk was a Great Roc Golden-Winged Peng. An immense quantity of yin and yang qi was naturally concealed within his body, and his bloodline contained hidden yin-yang Dao patterns. Once his bloodline awakened, he could comprehend yin-yang Dao techniques. That was why, upon reaching adulthood, he had been able to contend with the heroes of the world.

Yet what had made him had also undone him. Western Heaven’s Buddhist teachings emphasized the mind and nature, and did not study yin and yang or the Five Elements. The Three Purities lineage was the one that delved deeply into these arts. But he happened to be an expert from Western Heaven, whose Buddhist masters had little understanding of yin and yang.

He could only hope that the Yin Yang Qi Bottle would bring him an expert in the two ways of yin and yang.

Zhong Wuwang’s mastery of yin and yang was considerable, but compared with Chen Shi, he still fell far short.

For more than ten years, Chen Shi had devoted himself to guiding him in cultivation. Zhong Wuwang had surpassed his former self by far, and the yin and yang qi and Dao patterns within his body had been brought to their utmost potential. That was how he had managed to advance by an entire Dao Realm.

The only problem was that the old monk had entered the cycle of reincarnation, and was already caught within the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities. To this day, he had yet to awaken the memories of his former life.

He thought of himself as nothing more than a bird demon, and a female bird at that.

Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang were his children.

He had painstakingly raised the two of them. Though they didn’t look like him, they were still his children.

Their Dao Fields overlapped, and their Primordial Spirits each took up position in the void. They closed their eyes and carefully sensed the changes within the Dao Fields.

Whenever the Bright King’s divine ability operated, it was bound to stir the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. They would sense even the slightest disturbance!

This was Chen Shi’s arrangement. He hoped that by doing this, they might find traces of the divine ability and have a chance to escape.

“Your father’s a lousy bird.”

The old monk prattled on to Zhong Wuwang. “After he had his fun, he left the three of us here. I raised you two siblings all by myself, changing your diapers and feeding you!”

“Master, we’re not brother and sister. We’re two brothers,” Zhong Wuwang said.

“You are brother and sister.”

The old monk was quite certain. “You’re the younger sister. I remember. You’re nearly grown, and in a little while I’ll find you a mate. The feathers on your head are still so scraggly, so don’t go turning your beak up at the other birds for being ugly. Any male will do.”

Zhong Wuwang stood and came over to Chen Shi, whispering, “Can my master still wake up?”

“It’s hard to say.”

Chen Shi hesitated, then said, “I know little about the cycle of reincarnation. And the Bright King’s divine ability is far more than just reincarnation. It also encompasses methods like transferring calamity’s fate. If my guess is right, after this divine ability has run its course hundreds or thousands of times, every living being in the world will become like that Bright King, taking his calamities upon themselves and ultimately dying in vain.”

Zhong Wuwang frowned. “Will my master become like him too? My master is a Tai Yi Golden Immortal. He has cultivated to the eighteenth heaven of the Dao Realm, just one step away from Great Luo!”

“One step can be an impassable gulf!”

Chen Shi cut him off. “One strike from the other party’s divine ability is enough to kill Brother Yun Cheng. He won’t need a second.”

Zhong Wuwang fell silent for a moment, then asked, “If we still can’t find a flaw in this divine ability this time, is there any way for my master to return to his former self?”

Chen Shi shook his head. “He won’t be able to.”

Zhong Wuwang said, “Together, we were able to kill even the Celestial Venerable. We’ll definitely find a way! If we can’t do it in one cycle, we’ll try two. If two aren’t enough, then three or four. We’ll find a way eventually!”

Chen Shi shook his head again. “I’m afraid we only have one chance.”

Zhong Wuwang looked at him in confusion.

“From the moment we entered Wu Fang World, we were already caught up in this divine ability,” Chen Shi said. “This is our first cycle of reincarnation. Because we didn’t give in to greed or absorb merit, we were able to retain our self-awareness. Yun Cheng was stronger than us, but he entered the cycle after absorbing merit and lost his self-awareness. Now, in order to cultivate, we’ve absorbed the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth in Wu Fang World. We’ve already sunk deep into the cycle of reincarnation. When the next cycle begins, we’ll lose our self-awareness too.”

Zhong Wuwang shivered.

Just then, Monk Zheng Nian and Arhat Tianyan passed beneath the tree once more. Chen Shi suddenly called out with a smile, “Zheng Nian! Tianyan! Please wait!”

The two stopped and looked up into the tree.

Arhat Tianyan smiled. “So you’re the Three Sages of the Crow’s Nest. I’ve heard much about you.”

Chen Shi dropped down and smiled. “Venerable Tianyan, have you and your disciple come to make the thirteen-year pact with the ruler of Wotu Kingdom? You’ll perform three thousand good deeds, and in return he’ll let you turn Wotu Kingdom into a Buddhist Kingdom?”

Tianyan and Zheng Nian’s expressions changed slightly. They exchanged a glance and said nothing.

Chen Shi smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t take any of your merit. But I’m afraid you don’t know that Wotu Kingdom has long been without the living. Even if you go to its capital, it’ll be pointless.”

“Thank you for the guidance, fellow daoist.”

Arhat Tianyan bowed and smiled. “If the whole kingdom is filled with ghosts, then our merit will be even greater.”

With that, he and Monk Zheng Nian left together.

Zhong Wuwang charged out, murder in his eyes, and shouted, “Mother, help me!”

The old monk spread his wings and flew out. Master and disciple pounced on Tianyan and Zheng Nian, killing them both within a few leaps.

The old monk and Zhong Wuwang returned.

Chen Shi shook his head. “Even if you do this, it’s useless. You can’t change anything.”

Zhong Wuwang said, “How will we know if we don’t try?”

They waited several days, yet more monks came to Wotu Kingdom to hold a Water and Land ritual.

Zhong Wuwang frowned. Even after they had killed Tianyan and Zheng Nian, they had still failed to stop the ritual.

“We’ll go and watch,” Chen Shi said.

They returned to the capital of Wotu Kingdom to attend the ceremony. Everything was just as it had been before, with almost no changes. The only difference was that Tianyan and Zheng Nian were no longer there.

Zhong Wuwang felt uneasy. What if this wasn’t a cycle of reincarnation? Would that mean he had killed two of his fellow disciples?

Chen Shi scanned the crowd and said to Zhong Wuwang, “Er Niu, look at those people’s faces.”

Zhong Wuwang followed the direction of his pointing finger and saw several faces that were exactly alike!

His gaze swept over the crowd. He saw many more people with nearly identical faces!

“These people have already been taken over by calamity’s fate. They’ve become copies of that Bright King,” Chen Shi said. “Everyone here will turn into his likeness and die in his place.”

The corner of Zhong Wuwang’s eye twitched. His voice was hoarse as he asked, “If we can’t find any trace of his divine ability this time, will we become like him too?”

Chen Shi nodded.

Zhong Wuwang laughed aloud. “If we find a trace, we’ll definitely be able to break his divine ability, right?”

He looked at Chen Shi, a feverish light in his eyes. “You’re Child Prodigy, the peerless Child Prodigy! You’re the only one like you in Western Ox New Continent in six thousand years! You’re sure you can break his divine ability, aren’t you?”

Chen Shi thought of how he had tried to break the divine ability in the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection, and his heart sank.

From beginning to end, he had never managed to break that divine ability.

“I definitely can,” Chen Shi said with a smile.

Zhong Wuwang seemed to have swallowed a calming pill. He smiled. “I knew you could. I’ve never been willing to admit it out loud, but in my heart, you’ve always been the smartest person under Heaven! Even after reaching the Earth Immortal Realm, you’re still the smartest person!”

Chen Shi’s heart felt heavy. He truly had no confidence that he could break the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities!

If he could find traces of the divine ability and keep searching for its flaws, perhaps he could break it.

But he had only one chance.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, every citizen in Wotu Kingdom turned into vengeful ghosts and lunged at the food.

Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang’s spirits surged. This was the moment the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities took effect!

They concentrated fully, sensing the changes in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

There was nothing unusual!

Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang both frowned. Zhong Wuwang shouted, “Mother, sense the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth! Has anything changed?”

The Golden-Winged Peng that the old monk had become was even more powerful. At his words, he sensed carefully, then suddenly said, “Something has changed.”

Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang’s eyes lit up. They asked in unison, “What changed?”

The old monk stammered, “I can’t put it into words…”

Just then, the vengeful ghosts entered the monks’ Six Paths of Reincarnation, and the six paths began to collapse.

Zhong Wuwang hurriedly said, “You can sense a change. Can you sense where the flaw is? Hurry and take us out!”

The old monk said, “I can’t see where the flaw is.”

Zhong Wuwang paced around frantically, like an ant on a hot pan.

Chen Shi calmed down and continued straining to sense the changes in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth around him, but still couldn’t detect the slightest change.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He thought, “When I unified with the Dao, it was the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth that unified with me. Why should I try to detect changes in the other party’s Great Dao of Heaven and Earth? Why not insert my Dao techniques between the Great Dao and disrupt the other party’s techniques?”

As soon as he thought of this, he acted.

None of his other Dao techniques, not even the mysterious yellow Dao patterns passed down by Empress of Earth, could interfere much with this divine ability. But one kind of Dao pattern had come from the external Dao of Western Ox New Continent!

Chen Shi’s mind stirred. The First Law flew in every direction, spreading across Heaven and Earth and opening cracks in the sky and ground.

This was the external Dao he had comprehended in Western Ox New Continent: Disintegration!

“Let’s see if the pollution of the external Dao can corrupt your divine ability too!”

The First Law spread over more and more territory, gradually covering all of Wotu Kingdom.

Then Chen Shi suddenly sensed the First Law being struck by an invisible, intangible force. It trembled slightly. The impact was faint, yet everywhere!

The First Law was an external Dao, and its intense pollution immediately clashed with that invisible, intangible force, eroding it!

Chen Shi’s body shuddered. He felt the pressure transmitted through the First Law, and it was almost more than he could bear.

Though the First Law possessed powerful pollution, its master’s cultivation was far inferior to that of the Bright King.

But in that brief instant of contact, it was as if he had grown countless eyes, all observing a part of the other party’s Dao techniques at once!

The First Law shattered one after another.

Chen Shi immediately pieced together the other party’s Dao techniques that the First Law had touched. The outline of a cultivation method gradually took shape in his mind.

At the same time, the dazzling divine ability that covered Heaven and Earth finally revealed itself.

It swept across all of Wu Fang World and swallowed the entire world!

Chen Shi suddenly understood. He called out to Zhong Wuwang and the old monk, “The Bright King’s divine ability is the cultivation method in the Scripture of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities. The cultivation method itself is the divine ability!”

Zhong Wuwang was shaken, then showed delight. “You comprehended it? Did you find the flaw?”

Chen Shi shook his head.

Just then, the Golden-Winged Peng that the old monk had become beat his wings, seized the two of them, and flew toward Beyond the Heavens. Panicked, he cried, “Something terrible is about to happen!”

Sensing danger, he beat his wings and flew through the air, relying on his incomparably keen senses to try to evade the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities. A glimmer of hope rose in Chen Shi and Zhong Wuwang’s hearts.

Perhaps the old monk could carry them out after all. He had already cultivated to the eighteenth heaven of the Dao Realm, and his cultivation had improved tremendously.

But in the next moment, the Golden-Winged Peng was struck by that invisible divine ability. It dragged him, together with the entire Wu Fang World, down into the void.

The old monk flapped his wings with all his strength, sending the two of them outward. He shouted, “Little brother, get your big brother out of here!”

Zhong Wuwang and Chen Shi were flung toward Beyond the Heavens by his wings.

Using the last of his strength, Zhong Wuwang activated his divine ability and sent Chen Shi farther toward Beyond the Heavens. He shouted, “Child Prodigy! Top Scholar Chen! Remember to come back and save us!”

Chen Shi activated the cultivation method of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities. Though he had only assembled a crude framework of the method, he could now see the Bright King’s divine ability.

Zhong Wuwang’s power sent him to the edge of the Bright King’s divine ability. It seemed as if he could escape, but he remained within the bounds of that divine ability.

“Buzz!”

The world around him twisted beyond recognition. When Chen Shi opened his eyes, he found himself back in the nest, with Zhong Wuwang sitting beside him.

Bird down covered Zhong Wuwang’s body, still soft and fluffy rather than full feathers. His mouth had also turned into a beak, and his feet had become talons.

He looked more like a Golden-Winged Peng than a human.

“Er Niu, do you still remember me?” Chen Shi asked.

“Chirp, chirp,” Zhong Wuwang replied.

He had completely fallen into the cycle of life and death.

Chen Shi was able to retain his previous memories thanks to the crude framework of the cultivation method he had comprehended. Though he had failed to find the flaw and had not escaped, that framework was still enough to protect him.

His cultivation had also remained intact. He walked out of the nest and waved his hand again, spreading the First Law across Heaven and Earth as he carefully sensed the changes in the divine ability of Eternal Freedom Through a Thousand Calamities.

“This time, I escaped the cycle of reincarnation. Next time, I’ll fully work out your cultivation method and find your flaw!”