Chapter 32#

The Peerlessly Magnificent Great Serpent Demon, Ba#

The moon set and the sun rose.

When Lu Heng woke, he felt as though something was covering his eyes. He blinked a few times, and his vision slowly sharpened, only to discover that what rested over his eyes was a warm palm. As if sensing his awakening, the palm withdrew and came to rest atop his head. What met Lu Heng’s gaze was Shirong’s sharply defined jawline.

Lu Heng then realized that he had been lying with his head in Shirong’s lap. Shirong wore only his outer robe, baring his firm chest and sculpted abdominal muscles. Across his shoulders, several scratch marks were faintly visible.

Realizing those scratches were his own handiwork, Lu Heng shot upright. “You—why aren’t you wearing clothes!”

Only after asking did Lu Heng realize how foolish he sounded, for what had just fallen from his body was precisely Shirong’s inner garment.

“Do you feel well?” Shirong set down the prayer beads in his hand and reached over to smooth Lu Heng’s somewhat disheveled hair.

“Mm.” Lu Heng mumbled a reply, then felt once more how useless he was. He had done such bold things last night, yet now he was sitting here putting on an act of shyness.

“Break the precept of celibacy, you have,” Lu Heng said.

Hearing this, Shirong actually smiled faintly. It was the first time Lu Heng had seen him smile. On that face, as clear as a gentle breeze and bright moon, the smile bloomed like a lotus flower before the Buddha. Lu Heng simply stared, stupefied.

“There are also lay disciples within the sect. Once matters here are concluded, I will return to the sect and give up my monastic vows.”

“Then your cultivation…” Guilt surged once more in Lu Heng’s heart. Every cultivator had their own path. If Shirong renounced his monastic life, would that not mean tearing down everything upon which his path was built?

“Do not worry overmuch. With Buddha in the heart, all the rules and precepts imposed from without are nothing but illusion.” Seeing Lu Heng unsettled, Shirong gently tugged at a loose strand of his hair. “Come here, let me comb your hair for you.”

As Shirong combed his hair, Lu Heng recounted to him what had happened in the forbidden grounds the day before. Lu Heng intended to tell Shirong that he was not the Demon King, but rather someone from another world. In his view, since the two of them had already bared their hearts to one another, such a momentous truth should not be kept hidden. Yet when the words reached his lips, Lu Heng found he could not bring himself to speak them, as though some invisible force was preventing him.

Lu Heng could only tell Shirong that although his demon core had been restored, he still could not recall anything from before, and his strength was unworthy of the title Demon King.

“Do not trouble yourself over it. Perhaps it is the workings of heaven’s will. As for your strength, you need only cultivate patiently.” Shirong paused. “I will always stay by your side and protect your path of cultivation.”

When the two emerged together, the Fox Queen was still waiting outside. Seeing that Lu Heng had recovered, her face lit with joy. “Congratulations to Your Majesty on the restoration of your cultivation.”

Then, upon noticing that the auras of Lu Heng and Shirong were intermingled—coupled with the fact that the mating heat that occurred upon a snake demon’s coming of age was common knowledge among all demon tribes—the forthright Fox Queen bowed once more to Shirong. “Greetings, Your Consort.”

Lu Heng’s face burned with embarrassment, not knowing what to say. But he watched Shirong accept the bow with perfect composure. Then Lu Heng heard Shirong’s voice Sound transmission through divine sense: “It is merely a form of address. Think nothing of it.”

Lu Heng told Xi about Min’s final resting place, and also mentioned the faint, almost imagined words of “thank you” he had heard. Upon hearing this, Xi stood frozen for a long while before finally saying, “The spirits of our ancestors have accepted him. One day, Min will return to his people.”

Lu Heng and Shirong bid farewell to the Fox Queen, left the demon tribe’s homeland, and set out for Fanyin Temple.

Fanyin Temple.

The Karmic Disc was the supreme treasure of Fanyin Temple. With only a drop of blood essence from the person to be investigated, it could trace every individual who shared karma with them.

A life tablet lay silently upon the Karmic Disc. In the air above, an illusory image of Shirong seated in meditation appeared, with strands of thin, multicolored light radiating outward from his body. Yellow represented kin, green represented friends, black represented enemies, blue represented teachers, and red represented lovers. For an ordinary person, each strand of light would connect to someone, and for every color, there would never be just a single strand.

Shirong was born with a root of wisdom, and the karmic forces upon him were remarkably few. He was the person in ten thousand years most likely to achieve Buddhahood at Fanyin Temple. For a long time, the only light on Shirong’s body had been a single blue strand connecting him to his master, Master Yuanzhen, and even that light was dim, carrying only a light weight of karma.

Those who practiced Buddhism did not undergo thunder tribulations, but those who achieved Buddhahood were even rarer than those who ascended to immortality. For the tribulation one must pass to become a Buddha was none other than the Heart Demon Tribulation. At the moment of Buddhahood, one had to sever every karma with this world in order to overcome the heart demon tribulation. As long as there remained any attachment in the heart, the weight of karma would grow heavier. And yet, of all the people in the world, how many could sever every thread of karma?

It had been ten thousand years since anyone at Fanyin Temple had achieved Buddhahood, and their connection with the Upper Realm had nearly been severed. A sect that lost the Upper Realm’s protection was inevitably destined for decline. Therefore, all of Fanyin Temple’s hopes were placed squarely upon Shirong.

At this moment, the other end of the red light strand on Shirong’s body connected to a man clad in a magnificent black robe. The red glow that burst forth from the light was blinding to behold—the sheer weight of that karmic force was plain to see.

“So this wicked disciple truly did have an affair with that demon king!” The one who spoke had eyes like bronze bells, a dark complexion, and a broad mouth—none other than Master Yuanjie, the Chief of the Discipline Hall at Fanyin Temple.

By a count of those present, the chiefs of every hall at Fanyin Temple were in attendance. This was no surprise. When it concerned the sect’s most important disciple, Shirong, the great figures of Fanyin Temple had never been remiss.

Some days prior, Qingkongzi, the sect master of Qingquan Sect, had paid a visit. Qingkongzi claimed that the Fanyin Temple disciple Shirong had consorted with demons, injured his sect’s disciples, and seized their sect’s precious treasure, presenting a Memory Pearl as proof. Fanyin Temple had always been known as just and impartial in the cultivation world. If a disciple committed evil, they never covered for him.

However, no one in the sect believed that Shirong had colluded with demons, let alone injured people or stolen treasures. To prove his innocence, Fanyin Temple brought forth the Karmic Disc. And yet no one had anticipated that the result would leave them all pale with shock.

Fanyin Temple descended into chaos, while the two who had caused it—Shirong and Lu Heng—were entirely at leisure.

Fanyin Temple was located at the northern edge of the continent. Traveling from the demon tribe’s homeland to Fanyin Temple meant crossing the entire continent. Lu Heng said he had been cultivating all this time and had never properly appreciated the customs and landscapes of this land. With no urgent matters before them, the two decided to imitate ordinary mortals—foregoing flight techniques and slowly crossing the entire continent on foot to reach Fanyin Temple.

Over a month passed, and the two arrived at the very forest where Shirong had first found Lu Heng. Upon seeing this familiar place and recalling the circumstances of their first meeting, Lu Heng impulsively decided to camp there for the night.

Since Lu Heng and Shirong had declared their feelings for each other, their dynamic had not changed much—they still focused primarily on cultivation. Only now, in the nights, when the two sat facing each other in cultivation, hearts and minds aligned, combined with the moon deity’s protective power, there was always that extra thread of tender affection woven in.

Perhaps it was revisiting the old place. Perhaps it was the beauty of the moonlight. In any case, Lu Heng had no heart for cultivation tonight. He glanced at Shirong, who sat with eyes closed in meditation. No matter where they were, Shirong could always settle his mind and enter cultivation quickly.

A mischievous thought struck Lu Heng. He plopped himself down beside Shirong and slung an arm around his shoulder. “The night is long, and I have no mind for sleep. Why not keep me company and talk by candlelight?”

Shirong opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness between his brows—but on closer inspection, it was nothing but indulgence. “What would you like to talk about?”

With Shirong being so cooperative, Lu Heng found himself at a loss for words.

After a moment of silence, he did recall something. “How did you find me back then?”

At the time, Lu Heng had been nothing but a snake as thin as a chopstick, his scales a dull, unremarkable black, hidden in the grass. Without specifically searching for him, one would never have discovered him.

Shirong did not answer Lu Heng’s question directly, instead saying: “From the moment I could remember, I was at Fanyin Temple. I do not know who my parents were, nor did I ever care. Everyone in the sect said I was born with a root of wisdom, destined to achieve Buddhahood. Before I had even become a Buddha, they already treated me as one.”

Surrounded by everyone who enshrined him like a deity, Lu Heng could not imagine what that felt like. If it were him, he would probably go mad.

As if reading Lu Heng’s thoughts, Shirong continued: “These ways of being treated, which would be unbearable to others—there was nothing extraordinary about them to me. Everything in this world, whether human, demon, plant, bird, or beast, is all the same in my eyes.”

“Until that day. I was merely passing by. In the midst of all those muted, colorless beings in my sight, a vividly colored creature suddenly appeared—like a lamp shining bright in the dark night.”

Though Shirong’s words held no trace of ambiguity, and his tone was even and untroubled, Lu Heng felt a prickle of unease. “Then why did you leave me on that desolate mountainside? I begged you so desperately with my eyes.”

“It was born of fear of the unknown. Human instinct is always to escape. I was no exception.”

“Was I really that terrifying?”

“The only thing in this world that could stir my heart and mind—naturally it was terrifying…” Shirong gently pinched the back of Lu Heng’s neck and pulled him over. The rest of his words were lost between their interlocking lips and teeth.

The next day, when Lu Heng woke, he spent a few moments in penance for his recent laxity in cultivation. He glanced at the handsome monk bathed in morning light beneath the tree and sighed inwardly—a beauty is my ruin.

A gentle breeze brushed the treetops, and the morning sunlight was intoxicatingly tender. Shirong seemed to sense that Lu Heng had awakened; he opened his eyes and looked over, his expression soft. Lu Heng returned his smile and was about to say something when he noticed Shirong’s expression sharpen.

Following his gaze, Lu Heng saw golden light flickering at the horizon—what appeared to be a large number of cultivators hurtling in their direction.

Shirong walked forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lu Heng. “Those are people from my sect. I do not know their purpose in coming. We should proceed with caution.”

Lu Heng nodded, holding his breath and focusing his spirit, quietly awaiting whatever fortune or misfortune was approaching. Yet a heavy unease rose within him. Recalling that a demon’s instincts had always been unerringly precise, Lu Heng quietly circulated his demonic energy, preparing himself thoroughly.