White-Robed Chief

Chu Li told Xiao Shi and Xiao Qi that he would be focusing on his cultivation in the coming two months, so he might not be able to come back for visits during that period. Then, he returned to Small Light Peak.

He sat in the little thatched cottage on Small Light Peak. The wind was blowing violently outside but it felt warm as spring inside the cottage.

As his heart became inexplicably calm, he entered a Zen state once again.

This time, he intended to merge the Omniscient Mirror into the Great Light Scripture and Maha-Vairocana’s Immobility Scripture. Since he was now able to cultivate the two scriptures simultaneously, it would be a huge convenience if he managed to merge the Omniscient Mirror into them. This would also increase the formidable power of both scriptures.

The two huge Buddhas were sitting with their backs facing each other on the lotus seat. Then, a round mirror appeared between the backs of the two Buddhas’ heads.

The round mirror was pure and dazzling as it reflected the most minute details of everything in the world.

He had not expected this to be so easily accomplished. A hint of joy rose in his heart.

“Bang!” There was a thunderous rumble in his mind as a Heavenly Demon as huge as the other two Buddhas came crashing in all of a sudden.

The two Buddhas immediately moved their hands to switch from their original mudras to the Demon Vanquishing Mudra. As they continued to chant their respective scriptures, the lotuses they produced grew two times larger and were rapidly shooting toward the Heavenly Demon.

The enormous Heavenly Demon chanted the Heavenly Demon Scripture, its words turned into lotuses emitting dark gold rays that looked like flames. As these lotuses collided with the white and golden lotuses, both sides were equally matched in strength at one against two.

Instantly, none of the lotuses in his mind fell upon the Buddhas since the lotuses kept being used up. He began to have a bad feeling about the situation.

His mind had turned into their battlefield. The Great Light Scripture, Maha-Vairocana’s Immobility Scripture, and the Heavenly Demon Scripture were all powerful scriptures, but none of them showed any weakness against each other.

As time passed, the lotuses from the three scriptures became bigger and faster.

He could feel his spiritual force depleting rapidly. Every time the lotuses collided, the impact would send a tremor through the void of his mind and cause a sense of instability.

A hint of worry entered his heart. This was where the source of his consciousness had laid. Once it was damaged, he would have no idea how to fix it. If something were to go wrong, he might even become mentally deranged.

“Puff!” He spat out a mouthful of blood that splattered on the stone bed.

A moment later, Li Ruolan appeared in front of the little thatched cottage like a gust of wind. She pushed open the door and entered the cottage to find a sick-looking Chu Li. He was sitting motionless on the stone bed with his head drooping and was barely breathing.

This weak breathing was entirely different from the type of slow and deep breathing a person would have after entering a Zen state.

She hurriedly felt Chu Li’s wrist with a serious expression.

After letting go of Chu Li’s wrist, she took out a jade bottle from her inner pocket, poured out a white pill and put it into his mouth. Then, she lay him down and gently hit his precordium with her palm before feeling his wrist again. Over ten breaths later, he still showed no sign of improvement.

Li Ruolan glanced at Chu Li before turning around and gliding away.

A few moments later, the Saint’s spotless white figure appeared in the cottage.

She touched her jade-like hand to Chu Li’s forehead and remained motionless.

Li Ruolan soon appeared at the scene again and asked in a low voice, “Has he succumbed to internal demons?”

“Yes, it’s very possible.” The Saint nodded.

“How can this be!” Li Ruolan exclaimed with a frown. “… It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have encouraged him to advance so rapidly. I should’ve let him rest more.”

“What’s the use of saying all of this now!” The Saint cast her a sidelong glance and said calmly, “Don’t worry. He won’t die!”

“But he’s a genius. I’m just scared that I might’ve caused the ruin of such a genius…” Li Ruolan mumbled. “If that were to happen, I would be committing a great sin!”

The Saint muttered, “Shut up.”

Li Ruolan swallowed the rest of her speech.

The Saint suddenly vanished and then reappeared a moment later with a red sandalwood box that was no bigger than the size of her palm. She handed it to Li Ruolan. “Let him take this!”

Li Ruolan curiously opened the small box and found a beeswax pill wrapped in bright yellow silk inside it. There was only that one pill in the box and it was perfectly round like a dragon’s eye.

She carefully pinched on the sealing wax and asked, “What medicine is this?”

“The Unifying Pill,” the Saint replied. “It’s specially formulated to replenish the spirit.”

Li Ruolan had never heard of this pill before.

The Saint did not provide any further explanation. “I hope it’s effective enough.”

Li Ruolan could tell that this pill was extremely valuable.

Thus, she gingerly fed it to Chu Li and anxiously observed him.

The Saint was also standing some distance away while watching Chu Li with a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

Ten minutes later, Chu Li’s eyes slowly fluttered open; his eyes were bloodshot and dull. He seemed as though he had suffered from a serious illness and had almost died.

“Zhao Dahe, how are you feeling?” Li Ruolan quickly asked.

Chu Li took a long and deep breath as he finally regained full consciousness. He felt very lucky to have survived.

When the void of his mind had exploded and the Life and Death seemed to have lost its magical effects, he thought that he would have certainly died.

The Saint asked, “What happened?”

Chu Li smiled grimly. “I’m not sure how it happened, but a Heavenly Demon invaded my mind all of a sudden.”

He had to make the truth seem false and the false seem true since he could neither lie to her completely nor tell the entire truth. Otherwise, he might not be able to deceive the Saint.

He merely mentioned the Heavenly Demon but did not say that he had cultivated the Heavenly Demon Scripture. Since he had achieved quite a high level in his Heavenly Demon Scripture cultivation, others would not be able to tell anyway. He had become very confident in the Heavenly Demonic Power after having seen that it could be on an equal level with the Great Light Scripture.

“An intrusion by a Heavenly Demon!” The Saint let out a sigh. “I can’t believe you’ve advanced so fast!”

Chu Li asked, “What’s this about?”

“While deities and Buddhas are present in the void, Heavenly Demons can also be found there. The Heavenly Demons view the Buddhas as their natural enemy, so whenever they notice someone becoming successful in their Buddhist Austerities cultivation, they will do whatever they can to thwart them and undermine their boundary,” the Saint explained and shook her head. “At first, I thought that you’ll encounter this obstacle sometime later. I never expected your advancement to be so quick!”

Chu Li asked, “Is my cultivation progress fast?”

“Yes, it’s slightly faster than what I’ve expected,” the Saint calmly replied. “At your current boundary, you’ll need a guardian.”

Chu Li quickly said, “Who will be my guardian then? Will it be Miss Ruolan?”

“Ruolan is capable of that.” The Saint nodded.

Li Ruolan calmly replied, “Understood. I’ll become his guardian.”

“You’ll have to take some time to rest and recuperate,” the Saint said. “Spiritual damage is more troublesome to deal with compared to physical injury.”

“I can continue cultivating right away,” Chu Li insisted.

“Don’t force yourself too much,” the Saint responded. “If anything else happens, just come and find me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished from the cottage in a flash.

Chu Li said, “Miss Ruolan, how will you be guarding me then?”

“I will stay beside you and cultivate with you,” Li Ruolan replied.

“That’s awesome!” Chu Li rejoiced excitedly and then scratched his head. “But with you by my side, I might not be able to calm my heart.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Li Ruolan scolded with a huff. “Stop indulging in your fantasies!”

Chu Li quickly nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t be indulging in flights of fancy. I have to enter the Grandmaster’s Boundary as soon as possible and then become a Priest.”

If it had been some time ago, Li Ruolan would have expressed her disbelief and thought that he was boasting but now she did not dare to say so. Zhao Dahe might really be capable of becoming a Priest after all.

Chu Li said nothing more and resumed his cross-legged posture before returning to a Zen state.

When Li Ruolan saw how obsessed he was with his cultivation, she felt somewhat worried and happy at the same time. Such an ambitious man was admirable indeed but given that he had just succumbed to internal demons and had not yet fully recovered, it seemed rather suicidal of him to insist on carrying on with his cultivation.

After having entered a meditative state, Chu Li was shocked and pleasantly surprised at the scene in the void of his mind. This was not what he had expected to see at all.