“Why haven’t you opened the door?!”

Upon the ancient, solemn altar hung a massive orb of surging chaos. At times, the chaos parted, revealing glimpses of soaring birds, roaming beasts, winding rivers, and towering peaks. At other times, it coalesced, giving birth to crackling green thunder and purple lightning, or consuming red fire and gray ash. Beneath this colossal sphere of tumultuous energy, an angry voice roared in a low growl. The suppressed pain within was like the pent-up fury of a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The one uttering this low growl was a monk with clear, defined features. A face that would ordinarily inspire reverence was, at this moment, contorted with agony. His countenance bore wounds inflicted by wind blades, particularly his left eyebrow, where a notch had been cleaved a third of the way through. He had arrived with such haste, tearing through the void, that a wisp of flowing wind had wounded him. Furthermore, this reckless arrival had nearly triggered the backlash of the myriad demons, threatening to erase his dharma body.

The one being questioned by him wore a conical hat, a straw raincoat, and straw sandals. He sat cross-legged on the ground, a sheathed saber resting across his knees. He was, of course, one of the three human race walkers currently guarding Sui Ming City, the True Monarch of Qin Country who had once contended with Shi Shanwen on the Southern Heaven battlefield – Qin Changsheng.

“Not opening?” he said faintly.

“You know what I’m saying!” the angry monk roared back.

“Which door do you wish to open?” Qin Changsheng inquired blandly.

“Of course, the door leading to the land of Shen Xiao!”

The monk exclaimed excitedly, “Our sect’s Zen Master Xing Nian is in there, already knocking at the door!”

Qin Changsheng’s reaction remained utterly calm. “As I understand it, the Myriad Demon Gate does not lead to the land of Shen Xiao. Zen Master Xing Nian opened the passage himself; he has not yet reached the threshold. Once he arrives at the door, and we confirm his safety, we will naturally receive him.”

“I want you to open the door now!” The monk suddenly moved closer, the scars on his shaven head glowing red like blood, like flickering faith incense. “I want to go welcome him!”

Qin Changsheng lifted his eyelids and simply looked at him. He spoke slowly, “Do you know what you are saying?”

It was the same question, yet it held a different weight.

The monk’s heart burned with anxiety, his eyes already streaked with blood vessels. “Zen Master Xing Nian is the foremost expert in the ‘Future Star Host Tribulation Sutra’ in this age. He is a Great Bodhisattva of Mount Sumeru, and also a True Monarch of the Yan Dao for our human race! True Monarch Qin, you Qin Changsheng, you Qin Country…”

“Zhao Wu, I ask you this!” Qin Changsheng’s hand rested on his long saber, his posture still cross-legged and unmoving. “If this were a trap, if the demon race were to burst forth, who would bear the responsibility?”

“I will bear it!” the monk Zhao Wu declared angrily. “If something happens because of this, I will pay with my head! You cannot bear it!”

Qin Changsheng’s voice turned frigidly cold. “What is your broken body, Zhao Wu? Even staking your entire Mount Sumeru could not compensate for the Myriad Demon Gate!”

Zhao Wu’s eyes were red. “Zen Master Xing Nian has made great contributions to the human race. Our Mount Sumeru has sacrificed life and limb for the human race, and his powers of calculation are unparalleled in the world. If we can save him, it will be of immense benefit to our human race!”

“Not to mention he has not borne fruit for five hundred years. Had you not come stirring today, I would have still thought him to be within the mountain.” Qin Changsheng said slowly, “I shall only speak of the rules. These rules were not set by me, Qin Changsheng, but have been established by our human race for the Myriad Demon Gate since ancient times. It is not aimed specifically at you, but you must abide by its constraints. Anyone entering or exiting the Myriad Demon Gate requires prior notification, verified both internally and externally. I do not know why Chu Country allowed you to come here so recklessly. But I have reason to believe they show no respect for the Myriad Demon Gate, nor for the larger picture of the two races’ struggle. The deputy gatekeeper responsible for the Myriad Demon Gate in Chu Country has severely neglected their duty! I should write to the Chu Court and demand an explanation.”

Qin Changsheng’s gaze grew sharper, like the long saber across his knees, almost unable to remain sheathed. “The Myriad Demon Gate is the only portal in this world leading to the demon realm; it is absolutely not to be easily opened to outsiders. Even if Zen Master Xing Nian had reached the door, he would still need to wait for the full term, all risks cleared, before being allowed entry!”

With this gaze, he cut a look at Zhao Wu. “Who gave you the courage to open your mouth and demand the door be opened for welcome? When two armies are engaged in battle, one does not lightly open the city gates. When two countries are at war, one does not lightly open the border passes. Now, with two races at war, you wish to open the door to welcome someone? Zhao Wu, what do you think we are doing? What do you think I am sitting here for? Do you truly believe our human race is resting easy, and that the war with the demon race is just a trivial matter? If that were truly the case, how would your family’s Zhi Wen bell have been lost? Why would Zen Master Ming Zhi have died? Why is Zen Master Xing Nian now in danger, and why must you, Zhao Wu, cause trouble here? Has the blood battle of Spider Ridge faded from memory? That statue of the Yuan Jia Demon Emperor still stands in Taigu Imperial City; why don’t you look a little further?!”

These successive questions, like straight knives, struck Zhao Wu fiercely, their sharp edges cutting at his heart and leaving the monk disheveled and pale. This dignified True Monarch of the Yan Dao, who had once debated with Huang Wei Zhen in years past, now painfully closed his eyes, muttering, unable to articulate a complete sentence.

Of course, he knew what Qin Changsheng was saying! Of course, he knew no one would support him in opening the door. Why did he lower his voice and roar in anger? Because he knew he could not disregard everything. But he truly wanted to go save that person! The one who had hidden in the demon race for five hundred years, who had sworn to reclaim the Zhi Wen bell for the mountain gate and end generations of tragedy. Did he know there was someone waiting for him in this world? Did he know that there were always people who believed in him, many people who believed in him?

“If you truly wish to go to the rescue, that other path is always open.” Qin Changsheng’s voice was unusually cruel. “The Myriad Demon Gate will not open for this. But between the Civilization Basin and the demon race territory, there is no Myriad Demon Gate—originally, Zen Master Xing Nian went to the demon race territory precisely in this manner. But Zen Master Ming Zhi is gone, and Zen Master Xing Nian will also be gone. What use is it for you to go again?”

Zhao Wu loosened his tightly clenched fists, glanced in that direction, and, his soul lost, stumbled down the altar.

“You might as well think about it.” Qin Changsheng’s cold voice transmitted from behind. “Does Zen Master Xing Nian want you to go support him? Is he willing for the Myriad Demon Gate to bear the risk for him?”

The distraught Zhao Wu did not speak, continuing to walk outwards. For some inexplicable reason, blood began to seep from the broken part of his eyebrow. He extended a finger to wipe it, and his fingertip was red. Indeed, a Yan Dao body, an injury difficult to heal. But a broken eyebrow was not a significant injury; it could be casually smoothed over. Yet, he did nothing more.

Ninety thousand zhang, the peak of seeking the Dao, towering to the sky, invisible. The seemingly sickly macaque who knew its origins sat alone before a chessboard. White stones and black stones were ground into chess pieces and placed in two copper bowls. These copper bowls served as the chess containers. As pieces were dropped, the bowls resounded far and wide. Their sound was like striking a stone in an empty valley, possessing a quiet and profound Zen meaning. These were the bowls left behind five hundred years ago by Mount Sumeru’s Great Bodhisattva, Zen Master Ming Zhi.

Before the left Buddha bowl, several books were stacked. Before the right Buddha bowl, several books were also stacked. Five on the left, four on the right. The top one on the left was covered with Daoist text – 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters, Chapter Twenty-Seven》. The top one on the right was covered with Daoist text – 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters, Chapter Forty-Six》.

That year, when the Heaven Demon Pavilion’s 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters》 was stolen, twenty chapters were lost entirely. Later, the inner female spy was exposed, and the instigator behind it, Mount Sumeru’s Zen Master Ming Zhi, was also captured and beaten to death. Seven chapters of the sutras were retrieved, but thirteen chapters remained lost from then on. All were used by Zen Master Xing Nian, scattered throughout the world. Now, three chapters were used in the Shen Xiao gambit, with Xing Nian using them as notes, attempting to write the future. The pieces he had arranged in the gambit were forcibly halted. And within the remaining ten chapters, he had already calculated the location of five. Once Xing Nian appeared in the Shen Xiao gambit, traces would instantly emerge, and the other five chapters would have nowhere to hide. These last ten chapters of the lost sutras, nine chapters were gathered here, and one chapter was smashed by Yuan Xian Court. If one were to say that Zen Master Xing Nian still had a chance not to die, still could penetrate time and play chess with the Future Star Host Tribulation Sutra, these nine chapters of sutras were the only hope.

The macaque who knew its origins picked up one of the sutra books, flipping through it casually. “When you attain Bodhi, the world will have no karma or fruit, suffering and delusion will be innocent, and the ordinary heart will attain itself.” He recited Zen Master Xing Nian’s grand vow before his death, his tone relaxed. “When you attain Bodhi, there will be no evil outside the heavens.”

Rip!

Rip!

The nine chapters of sutras were torn clean, thoroughly reduced to fragments, not a single word could be pieced back together.

“Alright, they are gone.”

He lightly blew a breath, and these fragments became even more broken, scattering into the wind, rolling with fine dust, and falling to the ground. Only with the confrontation against Zen Master Xing Nian could this be considered the end. As for the transmission of Buddhist scriptures, the classics of the myriad worlds, what did they matter?

“Your master’s injury was caused by me.”

“Your master uncle’s death was led by me.”

“Your life will also be ended by me.”

As he spoke, he swept his hand across the chessboard, beginning another game. He smiled leisurely, “Good chess!”

Just as he was contemplating the situation of the next game, his right ear twitched slightly, as if hearing something.

“The Zhi Wen bell is lost?”

He let out a “Hey” sound. “What does that matter to me!”

The Everlasting Heavenly Barrier was already mended, and the distance between the land of Shen Xiao and the present world was once again vast and unknowable.

The 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters》 had turned into flying ash. He recited Zen Master Xing Nian’s grand vow before his death, his tone relaxed. “When you attain Bodhi, there will be no evil outside the heavens. The Everlasting Heavenly Barrier is already mended, and the distance between the land of Shen Xiao and the present world is once again vast and unknowable.”

Everything was already over, and everything seemed to have never happened.

The Zhi Wen ferry boat, huh?

In Mo Yun City, within the Chan Fa Yuan, his face was iron-blue. The Heaven Demons had successively intercepted the Tian He. At the moment Zen Master Xing Nian died, he had already prepared to seize the 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters》. Even if the 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters》 was burned out by the karma fire, it was acceptable, but the Zhi Wen bell could absolutely not be destroyed! I heard the bell is an enlightenment tool, seeking the Dao within, hence the saying ‘As I hear’. The Wide Hear bell is a tool for seeking the Dao, seeking the Dao externally, hence the saying ‘As I get wide hear’. The Zhi Wen bell is a tool for understanding the Dao, understanding the Dao externally, hence the saying ‘As I make know hear’. The ancient Southern Mountain worshipped the Zhi Wen bell for ten thousand years, producing generations of heavenly talents, precisely through the understanding of the Dao. Just as a Great Bodhisattva once said, ‘Make his heart know my heart, my Dao too, the world will be transmitted’. Obtaining this bell, the Yan Dao would also gain! Today, if the Zhi Wen bell is not recovered, his Chan Fa Yuan will be the eternal sinner of the ancient Southern Mountain! For this Zhi Wen bell, Mount Sumeru has sacrificed for generations. For this Zhi Wen bell, what extent can he reach?

“The bell, huh?” Chan Fa Yuan looked towards the gathering darkness, killing intent overflowing. He suspected that the Black Lotus Temple had a secret hand in this.

“Heh heh heh, you guessed right. Bodhisattva I have already sent the Zhi Wen bell back to where it should be!” In the darkness, Ji Xing Kong’s emotions were clearly much more stable. After all, he had never possessed it; what was there to lose?

“Where it should be?”

“Of course, the orthodox lineage of Buddhism, the transmission of ancient sutras, the ferry boat that saves the world, the Black Lotus treasure monastery!”

At this moment, Zen Master Xing Nian was already dead, and the mark of faith had been erased. The land of Shen Xiao and Mo Yun City, forcibly connected by the macaque who knew its origins, diverged once more. Chan Fa Yuan’s gaze fell towards the lost path of time. Since Ji Xing Kong spoke thus, the disappearance of the Zhi Wen bell should have no relation to the Black Lotus Temple. That wave of karma fire burning out the cause and effect had indeed dissolved too many traces. Even a cultivation through heaven like him could not see clearly for a time.

Then, before his death, did Zen Master Xing Nian push the Zhi Wen bell back into that secret passage? He couldn’t bring it back, so he would rather let the Zhi Wen bell be lost from then on? The secrets of the Shen Xiao gambit were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Where should one even begin to search?

Above the divine mountain, the group of demons remained silent. Although Zen Master Xing Nian was a great enemy of the demon race, this act of a ‘lonely boat crossing the Tian He, fighting alone against the crowd of Heaven Demons’, upon witnessing this scene, who could not feel a sigh of spirit, truly transcending the difference between enemy and self. The homesickness of seeking return even from a billion miles, the lonely courage of going alone even against a million enemies, could resonate in the hearts of all living beings, including all the demons surrounding the mountain! Their hometown people could not return.

Jiang Wang fell into the mirror world, surrounded by that silent white mist. Although he tightly gripped his…

Five hundred years ago, Zen Master Xing Nian watched with wide eyes as his master uncle, Zen Master Ming Zhi, was struck and killed by a demon race strongman. Now, he could only watch with wide eyes as Zen Master Xing Nian was struck and killed. Despair was even more profound! To fight alone against a crowd of Heaven Demons, yet still be able to hide in the demon realm for five hundred years, and enter this gambit…

What did he, Jiang Wang, have? What could he possibly do? He, Jiang Wang, had a sword, a body of divine power, yet he dared not leap out of the hiding treasure mirror, dared not board the ferry boat returning home. He watched a crowd of Heaven Demons intercept the Tian He, one after another, their offensive endless. They beat Zen Master Xing Nian alive until his oil was exhausted and his lamp dry, burning him in the karma fire.

Even someone as strong as Zen Master Xing Nian could not succeed. Even someone as strong as Zen Master Xing Nian died. A gambit plotted for five hundred years became empty in one morning. The peak of the Yan Dao was merely an illusion, a dream. A small, insignificant Shen Lin, what could he possibly do?

Jiang Wang gripped the sword hilt until his finger bones turned white. But he was silent, slowly loosening his grip once more. He loosened his grip on the sword hilt not because he gave up resistance, but because he no longer sought courage here. Life is a long journey. Zen Master Xing Nian’s journey ended, but he, Jiang Wang, was still on the road. Then, he would simply continue forward.

Was this a dead end? He was still alive. Then, it was not.

He slowly, with his hand supporting the ground, supported himself, about to stand up. His palm seemed to press against something foreign. He twisted his head, slowly moving his hand away, and thus saw a small copper bell. Upon it were inscriptions from Bitter Mountain, engravings from the Black Lotus Temple, mottled marks of axe, chisel, knife, and fire and smoke. Its name was Zhi Wen.

That one voice, “Master uncle, I hear.”

He looked clearly at the shore ahead. All that faced him were majestic waves crashing in, forming a vast, giant fist within the roaring turmoil. The face of the giant fist was precisely aimed at Zen Master Xing Nian. It did not want to knock him back to this shore, but rather to strike him dead directly! This was Hu Tai Sui’s fist! “Rule this world, those who oppose me die!”

The water of the Tian He seemed to have already soaked Zen Master Xing Nian’s monk robes. He wore simple clothes, and his sigh was also simple. He only sighed halfway before swallowing it back down. The three 《Buddha Says Fifty-Eight Chapters》 that had returned to his body and erased all words, one of them suddenly leaped out, rustling, fluttering without wind.

“You are that crashing accident, the one who escaped, the last possibility, perhaps there will be new hope.”

All within the calculation!