Embers of Sword

Chapter 714 Petals, Stamens

I have no intention of arguing with you!

Lu Yuzhen waved her sleeve to recall the white paper, and the paper snow surged back to the top of the sky, the gold and white colors clearly dividing the world once again.

The Dao Lord took a deep breath, regained his composure, and slowly said, "This river of destiny is so vast... You are willing to burn your life here, I cannot stop you, nor do I want to... I only ask that you not stop me!"

Hear the words.

The young monk simply shook his head and smiled, saying, "Benefactor, you wish to manipulate destiny and reverse cause and effect. How can anyone not stop you?"

"Those cicadas are born in the morning and die in the evening."

Lu Yuzhen said coldly, "What can be done to save these people? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for them?"

"It's not a bad idea."

The Zen master continued to smile.

next moment.

Countless golden cicadas swarmed up, rising from the surface of the North Sea, transforming into a vast, golden wave that encircled and attacked Lu Yuzhen!

Rumble!
The paper snow swept back, forming a four-sided barrier.

Lu Yuzhen, who was in the center of the array, had a gloomy expression. He was forced to shrink his "Dao Domain" in order to resist the Zen Master's Dao Origin!
Without making a sound, the young monk took a step forward, his robe billowing in the wind and obscuring Xie Xuanyi and Jiang Miaoyin.

"withdraw."

The Zen master turned around, spoke softly, and uttered only one word.

Due to the power of the Great Dao Brush, the cause and effect of the long river have changed!
At this moment, a crack has been torn open in the river of fate, making it the perfect time to leave!
Xie Xuanyi stood up, holding Jiang Miaoyin. The North Sea tide was rising and falling. In the distance within the range of his divine sense, it seemed that many figures were rushing towards this place... Too many things had happened today. As the "instigator", he would inevitably be watched by countless eyes. After leaving the Northern Territory, many people would definitely follow him.

Among these people were the Law Master, Ye Zu, the Palace Master of Qian Tian Palace, and the Sect Master of the Martial Sect...

It won't be long.

They will arrive at the North Sea, at this battlefield.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Xie Xuanyi couldn't help but ask with concern.

"I?"

The Zen master saw through Xie Xuanyi's thoughts at a glance and said gently, "Are you worried about me? Don't worry, those people won't have a chance to touch 'me'... It won't be long before Lu Yuzhen and I change battlefields."

He has been harassing Lu Yuzhen for a long time.

Their true battlefield was not the North Sea, but an entire river of destiny!

"I am naturally aware of your methods, senior..."

Xie Xuanyi sighed softly, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He had met the Zen master several times, and each time they met, the Zen master's "appearance" would change slightly.

This is probably the result of daydreaming.

This great Buddhist sage voluntarily dedicated his soul to the river of destiny, and with each journey, he would change his age within the river... This is somewhat similar to "Lu Yuzhen".

It was precisely because of this long spiritual journey.

The Zen master lost his physical body.

Therefore, from the outside perspective, the Zen master was "dead".

“When you go to the outside world, you don’t need to mention the truth to the Brahma Temple.”

The Zen master's voice remained gentle: "Do not change cause and effect. In a sense... I am indeed 'dead.' Our meeting today is nothing more than a coincidence, a dream."

"...Dream?"

Xie Xuanyi was somewhat moved.

He looked at the woman in his arms, at her beautiful face that was gradually turning frosty.

Countless golden cicadas overflowed from the North Sea, surrounding him. The Zen master was using his "supernatural powers" to pull him away from this world.

Xie Xuanyi had already felt the mysterious "power of cause and effect" surging around his body.

He looked at the Zen master, wanting to speak again.

He wondered if his meeting with the Zen master was a dream, then was his five-year journey through this world of spiritual wandering also a dream? He also wondered if these "worlds of spiritual wandering," which branched out and existed independently along this long river of destiny, were real or illusory.

If I were to leave like this...

Will this world be destroyed, or will it continue to function?

Unfortunately.

There was simply no time to ask these questions.

Countless golden rays enveloped Xie Xuanyi, the seawater shattered, and he fell downwards with Jiang Miaoyin in his arms. This scene... was very similar to the fall into the sea five years ago, or the scene before his "death" back then.

Xie Xuanyi did not close his eyes this time.

He stared intently at the end of the surging golden light.

The young monk who was also looking at him extended his palm, and a faint golden light seemed to pass through the gap between his palms.

hum.

It was a golden cicada.

The cicada crossed the North Sea, crossed the cold current, and crossed time and space...

It landed in Xie Xuanyi's outstretched palm.

A warm divine feeling slowly spread.

"Thank you, benefactor. I know you must have many questions..."

The Zen master's thoughts arrived as the cicada fluttered its delicate wings, gentle and continuous: "Every 'world' in this river of destiny is like a petal. Petals grow, wither, and decay... These countless petals come together to form a complete flower. Tell me, are these petals real?"

Xie Xuanyi was taken aback.

"If the flower is real, then these petals... are probably real too."

The divine sense within the golden cicada sighed softly, saying meaningfully, "If one day... this flower loses all its petals, it shouldn't immediately 'die.' But if it loses its 'stamen,' then it will truly perish."

"!"

Although this sentence was cryptic, it revealed Xie Xuanyi's greatest confusion.

The Zen master sat in meditation and passed away amidst the river of destiny, abandoning his physical body and using only a wisp of his soul to measure this boundless river on foot... What was he after?
If.

These fantastical worlds are all flower petals.

So where is the single stamen located?

In the blink of an eye.

Xie Xuanyi then understood the answer.

Clearly, the world I live in is the "center of the flower" in this long river of destiny!
The petals can all wither away.

But the pistil must be "alive." Only if the pistil survives can the flower continue to grow branches and leaves, and continue to produce petals...

This is why Lu Yuzhen stepped into this river of destiny.

He didn't care about the life or death of the "Petal World," but wanted to use the [Great Dao Brush] to find a smooth path that could change the cause and effect of the "Petal World"!
What the Zen master did was to stop Lu Yuzhen from letting these "petals" die too quickly.

As for the "stamen"...

The Zen master was already in a state of spiritual travel, and he could not interfere with what was happening in the world of the flower buds.

"Thank you, benefactor."

After the golden cicada landed in Xie Xuanyi's palm, it folded its thin wings and gradually faded into oblivion.

It was as if it were dead.

After folding its wings, the withered cicada's abdomen bulged out its last faint divine thought.

"If fate allows... we will meet again..."

"See you again..."

……

……

(PS: Today's update is a bit short, so there will be another update tomorrow morning. I will make up for it before 12 noon tomorrow.)
(End of this chapter)