Chapter 57 – Joy City (3)

The small hall was filled with bright yellow meditation cushions, yet no one sat on them. Everyone stood about conversing and exchanging words, their gazes covertly sweeping over the newly arrived souls and the bald baby-faced monk who sat at the head of the hall, still as a mountain.

The bald baby-faced monk struck his wooden fish once. “Everyone, find a seat and sit down. Let this little monk chant scriptures for you.”

The little monk above lowered his eyes to chant, while the people below exchanged meaningful glances.

They had entered Ghost City around the hour of Zi, with only three hours left until dawn. How could they just sit here and listen to him chant on and on? Yet they feared his strange and supernatural methods enough not to act too recklessly.

Finally, one person could no longer restrain himself. “Master, monks are compassionate by nature — could you not tell us how to leave this place?”

His tone was still relatively respectful.

Once one person spoke up, the rest quickly followed, asking questions one after another. Even the dazed ghosts who had been sitting blankly became restless, frequently glancing over at the crowd.

The little monk had no choice but to stop and say, “Once I have finished chanting the scriptures, you may all leave.”

“And when will that be?”

“This little monk does not know.”

“What are we to do then?”

“Should we go outside and look? Perhaps there is another way out.”

The little monk paid no attention to the commotion below and simply sighed. “This little monk will have to start over again. Please, benefactors, listen carefully.”

“Namo ratna trayāya…”

His voice carried an immense compassion, as though it sought to draw out the wickedness in a person’s heart and then pluck it away bit by bit. Even the dark-faced man who had been making the most noise slowly quieted down and knelt upon a meditation cushion.

This round of chanting was far more extraordinary than the first. Even when Zhan Changfeng sealed off her sense of hearing, she could not stop his voice from resounding through her.

This sound entered the soul directly.

The Great Compassion Mantra, was it.

Zhan Changfeng circulated her heart cultivation method, mobilizing her soul power to seal off her sea of consciousness, and quietly guarded her heart.

While the others were immersed in the great radiance, one ghost suddenly rose, bowed to the little monk, and dissolved into specks of golden light that vanished.

Those who noticed this scene were greatly alarmed. Finally realizing what was happening, they fled in panic toward the door.

A second person also tried to flee, but the moment he reached the doorway, he saw the first person surrounded by a swarm of ghost cultivators, and in an instant, that person was torn to shreds, his soul dragged out and devoured among them.

Who would dare to move now!

Sun Xingyi shoved Gao Song beside him. “We need to think of something fast!”

Gao Song turned to look at him, two lines of clear tears running down his face. “I have killed too many people in my life, accumulated countless sins. It is time for me to turn back.”

Sun Xingyi was greatly alarmed. “What are you going to do?!”

Gao Song pressed his palms together, his gaze calm and almost pitying. “I shall take refuge in the Buddha.”

Sun Xingyi could indeed feel that this Sanskrit chanting was especially calming and soothing, purging the violence from his heart. Seeing the wandering souls being purified, he had feared that he too might abandon the martial path and enter Buddhism — and sure enough, the very thing he had dreaded came to pass, as even this illustrious Northern Flying Blade of Yan, leader of the martial world alliance, had converted!

He did not want to listen, yet he could not stop the Buddhist chanting from entering his heart.

“Young friend, young friend,” Sun Xingyi hurried to Zhan Changfeng’s side. “What are we to do?”

At the same time, he was observing Zhan Changfeng, and seeing her just as composed as when he had first met her, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Senior Sun is making a fuss over nothing. The Great Compassion Mantra can indeed cross people over, but if you do not cross yourself over, who can cross you? Simply hold fast to your martial heart and convictions.”

“And what should we do after that?” Sun Xingyi asked, feeling ashamed. Today’s events were truly beyond all comprehension, and he had no idea what to decide. He could only place his hopes in the child before him — after all, someone who came from Cangyun Ravine would surely know more.

“I don’t know. For now, let’s just listen until he finishes.”

Sun Xingyi had no better plan. “That’s all we can do, then.”

Nearby, He Yuntian’s eyes flickered. He had not even reached Postnatal realm perfection, his state of mind was not high, and he was far less seasoned than Gao Song, who had been in the Prenatal realm for a long time. He went over and over the desires in his heart, his consciousness unable to stop growing hazy as the Buddhist chanting grew ever more overwhelming.

At that moment, a force surged from his Wrist directly into his soul, scattering the Buddhist chanting. He Yuntian immediately snapped back to his senses, refreshed throughout his entire being, and laughed within his sea of consciousness: “Thank you, beautiful master.”

At that very same instant, both the little monk and Zhan Changfeng lifted their heads and glanced over at him. The two of them noticed that their gazes had landed in the same direction, exchanged a brief look with each other, and then turned away.

It was unclear what the little monk had perceived, but Zhan Changfeng, having cultivated the Nine-Cycle Rebirth Art, was exceptionally sensitive to soul power — so when she sensed a faint abnormal fluctuation in soul energy, she had instinctively looked over.

This He Yuntian was no simple figure.

Zhan Changfeng made a mental note of the name, then cast the thought aside and continued to guard her heart firmly.

The scriptures finally came to an end. The little monk said, “You may all leave now.”

The result was that a group of people resolutely remained behind. “We wish to stay here and serve the Buddha. From this day forth, we dedicate ourselves to the Buddhist path.”

“Blessed be, blessed be.” The little monk’s brows and eyes were serene. “The sea of suffering is boundless — it is good that you have found clarity.”

Zhan Changfeng realized that the Buddhist chanting had not dissipated but had instead condensed on the surface of her body, glimmering with golden light. She understood in an instant where it was the little monk meant when he said “leave.”

She immediately walked out of the Great Hall.

Sun Xingyi and He Yuntian followed close behind, but outside, there was already no trace of her.

A thought stirred in He Yuntian’s mind — could she have gone in search of the opportunity offered by that little vial?

The Transformative Netherwater would be of great use to his beautiful master. His beautiful master had treated him so well — he ought to repay her at least a little.

“Beautiful master, can you sense which direction she went?”

“I cannot. The laws here are far too restrictive.”

To ask where the Transformative Netherwater was — would that require casting a tracking spell? Would it require the little vial?

In any case, Zhan Changfeng needed none of that. She simply transformed into her earth soul form, dragged a ghost cultivator into a back alley, and the moment that ghost cultivator saw her eyes, he was so frightened he didn’t even dare to resist.

Good heavens — a newborn soul carried no sins, and even when they became ghost cultivators, there was a distinction between those on the good path and those on the evil path. Though this was the Hungry Ghost Path, they were all small-time ghost cultivators who had never taken a human life. How many people would she have had to kill for her eyes to be this red?!

“Fellow cultivator, spare me! I’m just a small cultivator!”

“Do you know of the Transformative Netherwater?”

“I do, I do!”

“Where is it, how do you get there — say it all at once, completely.”

The unfortunate ghost cultivator made a pained face. “It’s in the Central Lotus Court. As for how to get there — I’ve never left this street, so I don’t know either.”

“Is that all?” The Ink-Jade Archer’s Ring on Zhan Changfeng’s hand had already begun stripping away his Pure Yin power.

“At the hour of Mao today, the Central Lotus Court will open wide in accordance with the heavenly timing and earthly conditions!” the unfortunate ghost cultivator shrieked. “The entrance is on the Incense-Offering Path’s territory! Every ghost soul — even human cultivators who happened to stumble in by chance — will be able to enter!”

That last sentence saved his life. Otherwise, Zhan Changfeng might well have killed him to silence him. She released her grip, transformed back into her human form, and the golden light that had been suppressed by the yin chill regained its color.

The so-called Incense-Offering Path must be the place where the “virtuous ones” had stopped earlier. Zhan Changfeng followed her memory into the mist, and in a daze, she touched a barrier — the golden light grew ever more brilliant, drawing her through it, and in a blink she found herself on a lively bustling street.

The golden light then dissipated and was gone. The little monk was quite honest after all.

The sky here was suffused with a gentle radiance, and every ghost cultivator was serene, exuding an aura that drew others near.

Zhan Changfeng swept her gaze around casually, curious what they were buying and selling.

Vegetables, fruits, clothing — such mundane mortal goods could not possibly appear here, so what remained were magical implements and treasures suited for ghost cultivators. Well, apart from magical implements and treasures, there were still more magical implements and treasures.

Ghost cultivators had no use for other external things.

Zhan Changfeng saw people rushing to and fro with several bundles on their backs, their expressions utterly delighted — looking just like mortals who had gone to some shop to snag a bargain.

“Buy, buy, buy — I’ll take all of it!” A certain cultivator tossed a bundle onto the counter. When it was opened, it was filled with ingot-shaped silver paper and incense candles.

“Ah, the faith power on these offerings of yours isn’t very much. I can only exchange three items for you.”

“Really? Don’t cheat me — let me exchange four, won’t you?”

Despite how jubilantly they were buying things, they actually had no personal use for any of it — how could human cultivators use ghost cultivators’ goods?

But they could take the things from here to the pawnshop and exchange them for Arrow Tokens. The pawnshop had a connection to Cangyun Ravine — it seemed that the Cangyun Ravine side was purchasing ghost implements.

(End of Chapter)