Chapter 1122: Fa Hai

Ye Chen meditated all night.

In the morning, warm sunlight bathed the ancient star, but the place remained deathly silent, devoid of any life.

Huff!

Exhaling a turbid breath, Ye Chen opened his eyes, his gaze now deeper than before, like the vast starry universe encompassing heaven and earth.

This was thanks to his Yuan Shen. After absorbing the Yuan Shen power of the Yin Shi Wang, his Yuan Shen had advanced to the Huang Jing level, meaning he could now refine Qi Wen Dan.

Time to go home!

Ye Chen stretched vigorously and stepped into the void. He had delayed too long; Mu Xuan Gong was still trapped in the space black hole.

Returning to the starry sky, Ye Chen looked around with fresh curiosity. This time, no one was chasing him, so he could calmly observe and wander through the vast expanse, broadening his horizons.

Hmm?

As he gazed, Ye Chen suddenly let out a soft exclamation and instinctively turned to look behind him.

At the edge of the boundless starry sky, there was a speck of light, but upon closer inspection, it was a human figure.

Ye Chen stopped and watched quietly.

It was a Buddha, majestic and dignified, with a string of prayer beads around his neck, wearing a kasaya robe, holding a Zen staff in one hand and a begging bowl in the other. His eyebrows were extraordinarily long, his face kind and benevolent, radiating brilliant Buddha light.

Huang Jing peak!

Ye Chen murmured to himself, recognizing the Buddha's cultivation level. He could tell this was no ordinary Huang Jing peak expert; it was a transcendent figure with vast, ocean-like magical power surging within.

As he watched, Ye Chen couldn't help but stroke his chin.

For some reason, upon seeing the Buddha, two punchable faces popped into his mind: Long Yi and Long Two, both monks. Why was the difference so huge?

The Buddha approached, glanced Ye Chen up and down, then smiled peacefully and walked past slowly, a path of Buddha light under his feet.

Ye Chen smiled back and returned the courtesy, but his eyes sharply fixed on the begging bowl in the Buddha's hand—or more precisely, on the Buddha character engraved on it: Wan.

Dun Jia Tian Zi!

Ye Chen took a deep breath and followed the Buddha's steps, his eyes glued straight to the begging bowl.

And so, the Buddha walked at a steady pace, and Ye Chen followed at the same pace, the two strolling through the starry sky together.

After some time, the Buddha finally stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at Ye Chen with a kind and serene expression.

"This benefactor, why are you following this poor monk?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Ye Chen coughed lightly and pointed at the Buddha's begging bowl. "Your bowl is quite nice. How about selling it to me?"

The Buddha smiled slightly. "This is a Buddhist artifact; I cannot give it to you, benefactor."

"Come on! We can negotiate the price."

"It cannot be sold."

The Buddha shook his head with a smile.

"Then, holy monk, may I borrow it to take a look?"

"Of course." The Buddha smiled warmly and handed the begging bowl to Ye Chen.

"Good stuff." Ye Chen took it and examined it closely. The begging bowl was a Sheng Bing, quite extraordinary, and the Wan character engraved on it stood out the most, glowing with Buddha light and surrounded by Zen intent.

"This old monk is Fa Hai. I see that you, benefactor, have a connection with Buddhism. May I ask if you are willing to enter our Buddhist path?"

"I don't like shaving my head." Ye Chen replied casually while inspecting the bowl.

"Benefactor, you may cultivate with your hair."

"I've heard that Buddhists can't marry."

"Buddhism embraces the four noble truths and emptiness, so one cannot take a wife."

"Then I won't do it." Ye Chen said, and as he spoke, he couldn't resist blowing on the begging bowl and wiping it with his sleeve. For some reason, the more he handled it, the less he wanted to give it back.

"In that case, this old monk has intruded." Fa Hai bowed a Zen礼 to Ye Chen.

"No problem at all." Ye Chen grinned broadly, and as he smiled, he casually tucked the begging bowl into his sleeve.

"Holy monk, you must be busy saving all beings, so I won't hold you up." Ye Chen performed a Buddhist salute very devoutly, then turned and walked away. As he went, his steps quickened, and eventually, he broke into a run, vanishing like smoke—and taking Fa Hai's begging bowl with him.

Behind him, Fa Hai smiled and did not pursue, instead turning to walk in another direction, his Buddha light illuminating the starry sky.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen sped through the stars, running faster than a rabbit.

It wasn't until he was eight thousand li away that he stopped, saw that Fa Hai wasn't chasing him, and pulled out the begging bowl.

Not bad at all!

Ye Chen chuckled, blew on it again, and wiped it with his sleeve. This was a Sheng Bing, and it bore the Dun Jia Tian Zi—truly an exceptional treasure.

However, as he examined it, the begging bowl began to hum and tremble, its Buddha light flaring brightly and dazzling his eyes.

In the next instant, the bowl broke free from Ye Chen's hand and shot away with a whoosh.

You old hag!

Ye Chen didn't hesitate and chased after it at once. How could he let a treasure slip away?

But he had underestimated the bowl. It seemed to have received some powerful summons, moving like a beam of Buddha light at incredible speed. Even as Ye Chen used his Shrinking Earth technique, he was left far behind.

I don't believe this!

Ye Chen surged with vital energy and picked up speed. He guessed that Fa Hai was summoning the bowl, which explained why he hadn't worried about Ye Chen taking it.

The two—one chasing, one fleeing—left two brilliant trails in the starry sky.

After chasing for miles, Ye Chen was getting frustrated. He had pursued for several thousand li without catching up; instead, the gap only widened.

Ahead, the begging bowl flashed like a meteor and entered an ancient star.

Ye Chen followed right after, entering the star and chasing it to the base of a spiritual mountain, where he stopped.

Jin Shan Si!

Ye Chen glanced at the stone tablet at the mountain's foot, then looked up. On the spiritual mountain stood a Buddhist temple, majestic like an old monk, bathed entirely in Buddha light.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

As Ye Chen watched, bells rang from the mountain, deep and resonant, carrying Buddhist chants and profound Zen intent that lingered over the ancient star, enlightening all beings.

Ye Chen stroked his chin, certain that Fa Hai was inside and that the begging bowl had returned to him.

Go snatch it back?

Ye Chen muttered to himself, but as he lifted his foot, he pulled it back. Snatching something from a monk's hands would look ridiculous, and it might even invite lightning strikes for such shamelessness.

Besides, Jin Shan Si held many hidden auras; there were plenty of powerful monks inside, and forcing a confrontation would likely leave him at a disadvantage.

"Damn it." Ye Chen scratched his head vigorously. If he'd known Fa Hai had such a divine ability to summon the bowl, he should have taken the Wan character for himself.

"Release me! I want to see my wife."

Just then, noisy voices erupted from the mountain gate.

The cries were so heartrending that Ye Chen turned to look, seeing two monks dragging out a scholar-like figure. No matter how the scholar shouted or struggled, it was futile.

Ye Chen was stunned, as the scholar was just an ordinary person. He was surprised that a mortal would dare shout like this at an immortal's spiritual mountain—in Da Chu, the scholar would have been kicked to death long ago.

Though the two monks had cultivation, they didn't show anger; they simply threw the scholar in front of the mountain gate.

"Fa Hai, come out! Release my wife."

The scholar got up and tried to rush in, but the monks blocked him.

"Xu Xian, humans and demons are not meant to be together. Do not entangle yourself further."

From the spiritual mountain, a ethereal voice echoed, carrying profound Zen intent. Ye Chen perked up his ears, recognizing it as Fa Hai's voice, and from his words, he understood why the scholar was making such a fuss.

"Breaking up couples one by one, huh!" Ye Chen sighed, no longer dwelling on the begging bowl, and turned to leave half-heartedly.

Hmm?

After just two steps, Ye Chen frowned and suddenly turned back, staring intently at the scholar named Xu Xian. "A reincarnated soul."