Wet viviparity

Chapter 708 Blind Nun, Cave Preface
On Danzhu Peak, the rocks are dark blue like splashed ink, interspersed with ancient pines that are gnarled and strong, their roots and claws gripping the rocks as if they want to rise up from the peak.

The cliffs rise steeply, with clouds and mist rising and falling among them, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing.

A stream murmurs through the peaks, cascading down from the rocks, its sound like shattered jade and flying snow upon hitting the stones. Its clear, melodious sound is like the gentle tapping of a Buddhist bell, cleansing the mind of worldly cares. At times, it seems to leap through the air like a monkey, clinging to vines and creepers, and suddenly disappear into the depths of the verdant hills, leaving only the echoing sound in the empty valley, adding to its profound mystery.

At one spot on the peak, there is a half-exposed eaves and brackets covered with damp moss, embedded outside the cave wall. Its top is covered with snow, which shines like a silver crown in the sunshine. Under the eaves, there are two figures, one sitting and one standing.

The standing figure had long arms that reached past his knees, and his body hair was so thick that his robes couldn't cover it. His eyebrows seemed to be connected, and he carried a sword and a knife on his back, looking like a wild man.

The man pulled out a fresh peach from somewhere, wiped it on the inside of his elbow a couple of times, and started eating it.

Just as he was enjoying his meal, a huge, winding crevice opened up in the belly of the Fanlang Mountain to the south, spewing out a large cloud of thick, murky black mist that hung high in the sky. The pungent, fishy smell carried for hundreds of miles, causing the man to gag.

"unlucky!"

The man cursed.

"Old Ape!"

The person sitting cross-legged, wearing an old kasaya and with his eyes covered by a veil, called out softly.

His hands formed a special mudra—his left hand formed a Vajra fist, placed flat on the outside of his left hip at his waist. His right hand naturally formed a palm, facing outward (forward), about shoulder height, with a faint light emanating from within the palm; this is the Great Illumination Mudra.

“You have already been reborn and attained human form, so why is it so difficult for you to change your past eccentric habits? In this case, you will be guided back by the master and begin to cultivate the true Dharma. As for your future attainment, it is truly difficult to know.”

The hairy Taoist priest looked somewhat unnatural and said with an embarrassed smile, "I originally thought that since it was not a matter of corpse liberation or tribulation, and there was no mystery in the womb, even if I borrowed a human body, I would be troubled by the obsessions of this body, but that would not be a big problem."

Who would have thought that my attachment to the human body would be so stubborn, almost causing me to lose my true self, cloud my senses, and become a completely different person living in the world? Thinking about it now still makes me a little scared.

“Misfortune and fortune depend on each other.”

The person sitting cross-legged said in a deep voice, "Where is there no opportunity? If you can break free from your attachments and delusions, even if a master were to pass away to guide you, you would still have another wonderful opportunity to enter the right path. From then on, your path would be much smoother than it is now."

Unfortunately, you were blinded by your obsession at that time, and a sliver of wishful thinking lingered in your original awareness, believing that you had the master as a backup plan. Therefore, you lived in a daze, willingly degrading yourself, and squandered the great opportunity for significant progress in your spiritual cultivation.

"Li Muru!"

The ape elder, now reborn as a human, shouted in somewhat humiliation and anger, then deflated, saying, "Don't call me Ape Elder anymore. I now have the Daoist name 'Stabilizing Ape,' given to me personally by the Master."

"Someone's coming."

Sitting cross-legged under the eaves of the cave, Li Muru changed the Great Brightness Hand Seal to the Demon Subduing Seal. As his blind eyes opened and closed, a faint, pure light flashed, instantly discerning the evil spirits and spiritual energy outside the peak, as well as the Buddhist aura of the magic treasures.

"It's him!"

"Who?"

Ding Yuanzi's body tensed up instantly, and a sword light and a saber light shot out from behind him, simultaneously forming a protective barrier around him.

Outside the peak, a strangely shaped, colorful figure suddenly appeared, disappearing along a certain trajectory amidst the mountain mist and gentle breeze ten feet outside the cave.

Ding Yuanzi was stunned. This strange light was clearly passing through the key point of the "Pure Sand Brightness Precept Seal Array" outside Huangdeng Cave. How could this person be so familiar with the precept seal array outside Huangdeng Cave?

Following the dazzling light, a bat-shaped shadow followed.

However, this shadowy figure clearly did not know the location of the array gate. Like a moth drawn to a flame, it touched the killing intent within the array and fluttered wildly, causing the entire Discipline Seal Array to appear. Hundreds of acres of fine yellow crystal sand billowed in the air, and the radiant light on each grain of sand connected together, transforming the outside into a small, crystal-clear world.

Ma Wang Xiaoshen had not expected that there was a protective formation outside the peak, and he thought to himself that this formation must have been set up by the old nun Xinru.

The fine yellow crystal sand that swirled through the air within the great formation transformed into drizzles that brushed against his body. Each gust of sand washed away the malevolent spirits and demons from his "Secretly Refined Demonic Bone Armor," diminishing its power.

He simply unfurled the blood-stained human skin robe from his demonic armor, releasing over a thousand malevolent spirits and demons from within. Instantly, a speck of ink seemed to spread across the airspace that resembled a small, crystal-clear realm.

The evil spirits blew conch shells, beat drums, waved paper banners, and arranged themselves into a battle formation, practicing a secret underworld formation to resist the surrounding Pure Sand Light Precept Seal. At the same time, they all praised the Horse King Little God.

"This little god possesses boundless magical power."

"The Little God of Horse King has arrived at the Wanwang Cave in Ximang Mountain, Chixian Prefecture!"

"Descent! Descent!"

Before the Yellow Lantern Cave, Ding Yuanzi saw a strange, banner-like light fall in front of the cave and was about to raise his sword to meet the enemy, but was unexpectedly stopped by Li Muru.

"Excellent, excellent!" Li Muru clasped his hands together in front of the cave, his attitude friendly, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, you have escaped from the well and realized your past mistakes. I am willing to lend you a hand so that you can reach the realm of ultimate bliss as soon as possible."

Before the Yellow Lamp Cave, the extraordinary, radiant light slowly unfolded, transforming into a double-layered, auspicious Buddhist banner.

This structure consists of two concentric rings. The upper ring is like a lid that closes down, with a lotus flower supporting a flaming pearl at the top. Above the pearl is a large, ferocious demon with golden, fiery eyes, a serene and dignified expression, and black feathers with subtle iridescent patterns. The lower ring is a full circle larger than the upper one, and six tasseled banners hang from the edge of this larger ring.

On each of the six banners, there roam six different creatures: scorpions, geckos, centipedes, toads, spiders, and spirit snakes. These venomous creatures are usually ferocious, but now they are graceful and gentle, with golden light flowing within their forms and spirits, and rainbows appearing from time to time.

Beneath the jeweled banner, amidst layers of auspicious colors, a white lion with a green mane lay prone in the void.

On the white back of this majestic lion sits a monk, dressed in a brocade robe with shimmering gold, his eyes lowered, as if he has seen all the vicissitudes of life, holding a mudra in his hand, seated in the lotus position.

"Namo Longjia Venerable Buddha!"

Under the precious banner, Chi Shenzi clasped his hands and chanted a Buddhist mantra. Then he said, “They have persecuted me too much. My original intention was to cultivate in seclusion in the well and use the two breaths of Avici to deliver the demons and evil spirits in the well, thus aiding my practice of Zen and Buddhism.”

Unexpectedly, a treacherous villain coveted their destiny and, still unwilling to give up, plotted and schemed, causing immense harm.

To prevent my true form from falling into the hands of thieves and causing harm to the world in the future, I have no choice but to abandon this crippled body and perform the initiation ceremony to pass it on to those with the right affinity.

Now that the demonic bandits behind me are highly skilled, I need some time to perform the empowerment and transmission of my magic. If you are no match for them, fellow Daoist, you don't need to force yourself to protect me; you can easily escape on your own.

Hearing this from under the eaves of the cave, Li Muru had no doubt whatsoever.

Her unconditional trust was not solely due to the fact that Chi Shenzi was also a member of the Buddhist community.

Instead, it was a premonition from the senior brother Jin Tong that the karmic connections of Chi Shenzi had been discovered by the immortals and gods, making it impossible for him to escape. Therefore, he was determined to sacrifice himself. After attaining the first stage of enlightenment, he would perform the initiation ceremony using the Buddhist ritual of passing away, and pass on his mantle to a destined person.

If Chi Shenzi dies in the well, it means he has passed away peacefully and attained enlightenment. However, if he escapes from the well, it must be because he was forced by evil forces, and she can offer him assistance.

"Fellow Daoist, there is no need to be alarmed; the Buddhist Dharma protects the cave."

Li Muru said.

Ding Yuanzi remained vigilant, somewhat puzzled by Li Muru's expression and words.

Li Muru has always hated evil and had a fiery temper. After avenging his blood feud decades ago, he was somewhat enlightened and began to follow the old nun Xinru to meditate and study the Dharma. His progress in Buddhism has been remarkable.

Even so, there are not many people he can trust.

Even if he were an old resident of the Fire Ruins Cave, he probably wouldn't be trusted by Li Mu. So how could a monk who was imprisoned in a well and had caused Jin Tong a great disaster gain Li Mu's trust?

He knew that the ape-like boy certainly recognized the monk and knew his past. After the ape-like boy was guided back to the cave and his delusions were broken, the first thing he did was not to meditate in the cave, but to spend a lot of effort inquiring about the Golden Boy.

He could not deny that the ape had always been driven by a utilitarian mindset.

Whether he was the old ape or now the child ape, his ambition remained largely unchanged. He understood the cruelty of the world and knew that simply becoming human wouldn't solve everything, and he had also erased his demonic nature in one fell swoop.

The road ahead is still thorny, and he needs the help of this utilitarian mindset to plan for his future, which is largely tied to Jin Tong.

"I understand."

The reason why the ape must have understood the root of this trust must be because the golden boy had something to explain.

Inside the formation, Ma Wang Xiaoshen's hair and beard stood on end, his body radiating a ghastly green light. He was enveloped in the blowing and swirling of yellow crystal sand. Although the thousand or so Yin ghosts and demons outside him had formed an array, the sand was all-pervasive, and the two forces clashed and harmed each other, resulting in a stalemate.

Eager to achieve great things, Ma Wang Xiaoshen assumed that his cultivation was truly unparalleled in the Five Realms, only below that of a Yang God Earth Immortal. Even with Li Muru, known as the Blind Nun with the Withered Lamp, presiding over the Yellow Lamp Cave on this peak, he wouldn't expend much of his magical power.

Who would have thought that this blind nun with the withered lamp, who was in charge of the formation, was well-versed in the secrets of the formation. Even when faced with a sudden attack from someone like him, she was able to handle the danger as if it were nothing. She truly deserves to be a famous figure whose reputation has spread from the south to the central lands in recent decades.

Seeing that Chi Shenzi had already passed through the formation and descended to the cave entrance to talk with the blind nun, and that his expression was not the same as when they first met, Ma Wang Xiaoshen knew that he could not delay any longer, otherwise things would inevitably change again.

Thinking of this, Ma Wang Xiaoshen shook his shoulders, and with a deafening roar, a crimson shadow flashed, tearing open a hole in the entire Glazed Crystal Sand World in front of the peak. Countless ghostly figures surrounded Ma Wang Xiaoshen as he poured out of the hole.

As soon as Ma Wang Xiaoshen made his move, he broke through the formation and smiled smugly.

“Chi Shenzi, no matter what your master’s intentions are, I have already promised to help him rescue you from your predicament. Whether you like it or not, I have to send you there. But don’t worry, with me here, even if he is your master, he can’t do anything reckless.”

"Squeak~"

As Ma Wang Xiaoshen was speaking, a flash of silver light streaked across the outside, like an electric arc leaping and darting about.

"Treasure Mouse!"

Remembering that Ku Ma had once mentioned the Buddha's true form, Ma Wang Xiaoshen, suddenly cried out in surprise. With the shout, his signature move, Divine Blood Thunder, rang out, and another earth-shaking sound resounded from the peak.

(End of this chapter)