Three days had passed when Chen Kuang once again stood before the Bodhi Tree.
He raised his head to gaze at the lush canopy.
His eyes slid down to the trunk, where, astonishingly, the faint visage and silhouette of a woman had emerged. Blood seeped from the bark, now long since dried, but against the tree's once-vibrant green, the stains remained glaringly visible.
This strange phenomenon was only discovered after Xiuxin escaped from the Pure Land, by a passing True Pearl Disciple.
Just as Chen Kuang had predicted, the moment Xiuxin broke through the barrier, the Three Great Chan Masters immediately summoned both him and Xiuzhu back. Clearly, despite appearances, neither of them was fully trusted, not even Xiuzhu.
They quickly dispatched several Criminal Hall elders to leave the Pure Land and pursue Xiuxin, simultaneously spreading word that Xiuxin had been possessed by a heavenly demon and had betrayed the Buddha's path.
As for Chen Kuang, the Three Great Chan Masters undoubtedly harbored suspicions.
However, the anomaly that occurred that day had nothing to do with Chen Kuang or Xiuzhu.
The problem originated from the Bodhi Tree, beneath which the Buddha had once attained enlightenment.
Chen Kuang clearly sensed a trace of panic from the three demonic entities.
Which meant, the Bodhi Tree's awakening was both unexpected and beyond their control.
That, in turn, gave Chen Kuang a sliver of hope.
Whatever he had awakened with his sword that day, it was something even the heavenly demons feared.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have suddenly started monitoring even Xiuzhu.
Moreover...
From what happened that day, the Bodhi Tree clearly possessed its own will, and could even manipulate the Pure Land's barrier.
"But her consciousness... isn't stable. And she seems to be in a great deal of pain."
Chen Kuang looked up, eyes tracing the outline of the blurred female face.
Since that day, this courtyard had been assigned exclusively to him. All other disciples were relocated.
The True Pearl Disciple who had first discovered the anomaly and went to report it to the Three Great Chan Masters never walked out of that dim meditation chamber.
Another secret for Chen Kuang to carry alone.
Though no one understood how Xiuxin had escaped the Pure Land, with the departure of the one upright and principled true Buddha-child, and with the remaining two now firmly "on their side", control over the Pure Land had only become easier.
From here, all that remained was to further divide the Pure Land into factions, gradually erode resistance, and consume the opposition piece by piece.
The final outcome greatly satisfied the three heavenly demons.
And they now placed even greater trust in Chen Kuang.
Chen Kuang, for his part, had not asked them anything about the Bodhi Tree.
After all, not even Xiuzhu knew what it was. Asking now would only provoke suspicion.
However, after successfully orchestrating Xiuxin's escape, Xiuzhu seemed to have finally let down his guard, and privately confessed his true identity to Chen Kuang.
It turned out that Xiuzhu was nearly a thousand years old.
Naturally, not in his current body but his soul.
A thousand years ago, Xiuzhu was not the youthful Buddha-child he appeared to be now, but rather a Master Realm elder of the Pure Land, Dharma Name: Zhihe.
He had been both unfortunate and fortunate.
Unfortunate, because he had been targeted by a heavenly demon for possession.
Even the Three Great Chan Masters had no means to resist a heavenly Demon, let alone a mere Master Realm elder like him.
Yet Zhihe was also incredibly lucky.
At the time, while exploring an ancient secret realm, he had obtained a mysterious and divine Spiritual Treasure called the:
"Mirror of Good and Evil in the Bitter Sea"
This artifact was extraordinary in that it could circumvent reincarnation.
As everyone knows, only Saints are exempt from the cycle of reincarnation.
Everyone below that realm is merely trapped in the Bitter Sea, struggling against death and rebirth.
The Pure Land's reincarnated wisdom method merely transfers memories from one generation to the next, it does not achieve true transcendence of reincarnation.
Even one who inherits reincarnated wisdom is still an entirely new and separate person.
But the bearer of the Mirror of Good and Evil in the Bitter Sea could genuinely escape the cycle!
The mirror could separate a person's soul into two halves: good and evil.
But it didn't split them physically, it layered them, like yin and yang fish, one nested within the other, reflecting infinitely like mirrors within mirrors.
As long as the user remained alive, this would not affect them at all.
But once they suffered mortal injury to their soul, the Mirror would activate.
Because the soul had already been restructured into this nested duality, only the outermost layer would be destroyed.
Depending on the user's choice, either their good or evil aspect would be on the surface.
That layer would be shattered by reincarnation, while the inner hidden self would emerge intact.
The heavenly law would believe it had succeeded in obliterating the soul, and would no longer intervene.
Thus, the bearer would be completely free of reincarnation..
A smuggler across the Bitter Sea.
Able to reincarnate with memory, like a Saint.
To Zhihe, this was of course a great boon.
Back then, Zhihe had intended to use the treasure to refine his Dao. He had noticed his many inner distractions and hoped to reach the Upper Third Rank by casting them off.
In fact, he succeeded. In under three months, he broke through to the Profound Realm, he was about to be named the new Buddha-child.
Until a wounded heavenly demon came to possess him.
A heavenly demon's possession is unlike that of a mortal cultivator.
A cultivator only briefly inhabits a dead shell.
A heavenly demon, on the other hand, consumes the mind, completely replacing the soul's identity.
But this time, the demon had chosen the wrong host.
For when it devoured one side of Zhihe's dual soul, it never realized another was hidden inside.
And, fatefully, because Zhihe had been wholly devoted to the Buddha, the outward-facing soul he presented was his "good" self.
The wounded demon, acting rashly, swallowed a truly pure Buddha.
As a result, it was reverse-converted, and the two entities fused... with the "good face" of Zhihe in control.
Thus was born a being half-man, half-demon.
Yet Zhihe was still a devout disciple of Buddhism. How could he allow himself to coexist with a heavenly demon?
He chose immediate suicide.
But then, the Mirror of Good and Evil in the Bitter Sea activated once more.
Zhihe was reincarnated as his "evil side", with the fused good-self and demon hidden inside.
Though he escaped the forge of reincarnation, he became ensnared in a cycle of his own good and evil, forever unable to break free.
"I knew I wouldn't be able to suppress that demon forever," Xiuzhu said, his face twisting into a strange smile. "In each lifetime, it tries to corrupt the inner 'good self'... to break free."
"So, I came up with a method."
"My 'good self' advances rapidly in Buddhist cultivation. Every time, I reach the Profound Realm in just decades. So I leave behind a relic and in the next life, I inherit my own reincarnated wisdom."
"I become my own successor."
"By imprinting the same memories over and over, I forced the heavenly demon to completely lose itself within the 'good side.'"
"But of course, the demon was unwilling to accept that. Before the last reincarnation, it actually tried to plant a heart-devil within my 'good face' and fuse my good and evil halves back together..."
"It succeeded, partially. What it didn't know was that the Mirror of Good and Evil in the Bitter Sea had another ability..."
"It can invert the good and evil aspects."
"Unfortunately, during the entanglement, I unintentionally drew Heaven's attention once more. I had no choice but to erase the 'good face's' memories and force it to reincarnate again."
"As for me, I used the heavenly demon's power to resurface."
"That relic, the śarīra, has nothing to do with me now. It was merely something those three devilish monsters concocted as a cover."
At this, Chen Kuang finally understood.
So that's why Xiuzhu inherited the relic, yet had no memories of his past!
There had been this entire tangled web of history behind it...
But Chen Kuang also realized: much of what Xiuzhu said was a mix of truth and falsehood.
Still, the critical information was mostly true and for his own purposes, that was enough.
So he didn't dig further.
Whether the one speaking now was Xiuzhu's good face, evil face, or even the demon itself, it didn't matter. As long as he truly wished to help destroy the heavenly demons, that was all that mattered.
What followed next, however, was the most important part.
The way to kill a heavenly demon.
Heavenly demons are beings outside the cycle of reincarnation.
They don't die like human souls, which return to the grand cycle of yin and yang upon death. No, their essence returns to the Desire Realm, the domain from which all heavenly demons originate.
Heavenly demons are not afraid of death.
What they fear, is losing themselves.
Specifically, becoming human.
Yes, even though their favorite activity is to replace humans, they fear nothing more than truly becoming one.
Even if the human body they possessed is destroyed, that doesn't kill the heavenly demon.
To kill one for real..
The only way is to go to the Desire Realm itself.
That was Xiuzhu's original plan. By approaching the Three Great Chan Masters as a fellow demon-in-disguise, he hoped to wait until their host bodies rotted away.
Ordinarily, bodies possessed by demons wouldn't exhibit physical rot. That these three were deteriorating was because the original Three Great Chan Masters had left behind a hidden safeguard.
These three demon overlords now had only one task: take over the Pure Land, and allow other heavenly demons to possess its monks.
Once complete, they would open the portal to the Desire Realm, allowing the others to flood in.
Xiuzhu planned to wait for that moment.
Then, using his identity as a half-demon, infiltrate the Desire Realm and destroy it from the inside.
Chen Kuang had to admit, it was a plan so audacious that it left him speechless.
While everyone else was busy thinking about how to hold the front lines against the Night Barbarians and their 72 tribes..
This guy was planning to sneak into the home of the devils and blow it up from the inside.
But... it was nearly impossible.
No one knew how many heavenly demons resided in the Desire Realm, or how powerful they truly were.
One person alone? Chen Kuang didn't think Xiuzhu had much chance.
Still... the fact that he had shared this meant he wanted Chen Kuang as a teammate.
Chen Kuang fell silent for a moment, not answering. Xiuzhu still held a few cards close to his chest, he'd probably reveal them if Chen Kuang agreed.
But for now, their top priority was to confirm whether Xiuxin had survived the pursuit.
"Xiuxin was injured when she fled," Chen Kuang thought, "and pursued by several elders. It's dangerous... but she should be able to make it."
He narrowed his eyes and murmured in his heart.
After all, Xiuxin carried a seed Chen Kuang had left using his Void-Slicing Sword, and also a scale.
The seed was derived from the "Blooming Offering to the Lord" Divine Ability, obtained from the mysterious Flower Granny in the Wujian Between. One of its uses was to bloom using the bearer's own flesh, acting as a final protective measure.
It would guarantee Xiuxin's survival.
The scale, meanwhile, was from Chen Kuang's own merfolk form, a token of kinship.
If Xiuxin were to encounter the White Dragon, that token would ensure her safety.
Because of the Pure Land's towering reputation in Cangyuan, Xiuxin's predicament was far worse than when Chen Kuang had been hunted by the Martial Saint Pavilion.
After finishing his conversation with Xiuzhu, one more thought lingered in Chen Kuang's heart.
When he'd defeated Mu Zhao, he had activated the Glazed Image-Freezing Lamp, which revealed shadows of other individuals.
Besides Shen Meinan and Shen Xingzhu, the other two were Jiang Yunqing, and Xiuzhu.
The lamp's light erased all shadows.
Only those marked by fate would cast a shadow under its glow.
Now, Chen Kuang finally understood.
The Glazed Image-Freezing Lamp revealed Heaven's Destiny.
The Nine Shadows of the Heavenly Dao.
Chen Kuang had long been confused. These people shared no visible similarities, so why had they all appeared?
Now, with Xiuzhu's backstory in hand, he saw the connection.
Shen Meinan and Shen Xingzhu were two souls in one body, capable of swapping Dao paths and reforging their Dao Hearts.
Xiuzhu wielded the Mirror of Good and Evil in the Bitter Sea, entwined with a heavenly demon, breaking free from reincarnation.
Su Yu was fused with the Elixir of Immortality and the nation's fate, achieving immortality in a very real sense.
Chen Kuang himself was a walking mystery.
And as for Jiang Yunqing...
Chen Kuang recalled something strange.
Back in the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation, Jiang Yunqing had said Mu Zhao's "tyrannical intent" had already blanketed the entire battlefield, even the entrance gate.
In theory, no one should've been able to sense anything off.
Not even Chen Kuang, his Piercing Insight failed, until he saw traces of Wen Yao's Double Pupils Awakening.
But Jiang Yunqing..
Before entering, he had already handed over his sword to Chen Kuang.
Which meant, he already knew about Mu Zhao's plot.
There was no way someone had told him.
Only one conclusion remained:
Jiang Yunqing was immune to a Dao Domain's influence.
Chen Kuang exhaled, turning away from the Bodhi Tree.
He had finally discovered the common thread among all those marked by Heaven's Destiny.
They had all, in some form, violated one of Heaven's Laws.
"Those who rebel against Heaven's authority... are the lost fragments of the Heavenly Dao itself?"
The more Chen Kuang thought about it, the more intrigued, and burdened, he felt.
He fiddled with the Glazed Image-Freezing Lamp and sighed.
If his goal was to reclaim the nine fragments of the Heavenly Dao...
But those fragments were living people. How could he reclaim them?
...
Meanwhile...
"Huff... Huff..."
Xiuxin gasped, clutching her wound, hiding in the mountains, pale-faced and struggling to breathe.
She had changed into civilian clothes and covered her head with a ragged straw hat, it was a primitive disguise, traded from a local villager.
But now that she'd been branded as a traitor by the Pure Land, every pursuer sent after her was a master. Her disguise was all but useless.
She was a woman of upright faith and had never studied deceit. Her attempts at subterfuge were clumsy at best.
In just three days, she had fended off dozens of pursuit teams.
And many of them kept coming back..
Because she refused to kill them.
To Xiuxin, they were merely deceived by demons. The real culprits were elsewhere.
She believed it would be wrong to kill the innocent, even if they attacked her.
So she merely drove them off, again and again.
And they, knowing she wouldn't kill, grew bolder and more aggressive.
Now, she was surrounded, by over a dozen mid-third rank masters, most of them true martial masters.
"Xiuxin! Get out here now!"
"If you don't come out, these villagers will die because of you!"
Xiuxin froze, her expression darkening. She sprang to her feet and launched into the air.
The cultivators had formed a ring, with several terrified villagers huddled in the middle, including crying children.
Her pupils shrank, eyes fixed on the man in the lead.
That man laughed.
"You failed as a monk, and even worse as a traitor. You left such an obvious trail."
He lifted a strand of Buddhist prayer beads, the very ones Xiuxin had exchanged for the villagers' clothes.