Across the web, immortals and true beings, their thoughts and energy creating the heavens.

Chapter 111 True Symbols

【Enlightenment Diagram - Profound Ksitigarbha (Superior Grade - Blue)】

[With steadfast patience, one can bear all things; with profound stillness, one can conceal countless treasures. A poem on a painting.]

Durability: 1/10

Over the past month, Lin Zhuo has taken out this Enlightenment Chart every few days to observe and study it.

The reason for taking a break is to transform the knowledge gained into the foundation of the Dao of Talismans, and at the same time, to accumulate inspiration about the runes of heaven and earth in one's mind by observing nature.

This method can maximize the efficiency of the Enlightenment Diagram and extract as much of the hidden mysteries of the Dao of Talismans as possible.

Now, Lin Zhuo can no longer discern any talisman in this picture.

The last time I tried to comprehend it was before the final battle with the Demonic Sect. I stared at the scroll for a whole hour but still gained nothing. It was like looking at flowers through a fog. I could vaguely see many magical symbols swirling and flying, then gathering together, with the strokes sticking together and twisting, seemingly forming a new rune.

However, he couldn't make out the shape of the talisman. The talisman's power was too strong, instantly eroding and erasing his memory. Therefore, the more he stared at it, the more hazy and indistinct it became.

Lin Zhuo can assert that this is a genuine talisman, containing the most essential and precious secret knowledge of the Enlightenment Diagram.

Now there is only one last chance to observe it. If he misses it, he doesn't know when he will be able to get the same enlightenment diagram again. And buying "Deep Secret Ksitigarbha" online would cost tens of thousands of dollars, which would be a major blow to Lin Zhuo's wallet.

Logically speaking, Lin Zhuo should have waited until his injuries were fully healed and his body and mind were in perfect condition before attempting to challenge the True Talisman.

However, Lin Zhuo also knew that his compatibility with Yuan Qi would probably require several months or even years of accumulation before he could hope to decipher a true talisman. This was the difficult and obscure way for mortals to cultivate the Dao.

Secondly, as the saying goes, every mistake has its advantage. Lin Zhuo is now entangled with the fighting spirit and obsession of Dharma King Zanfeng. Although this extra spiritual power does not belong to him, it may share the pressure of the rune's power erosion, and it may even have the effect of drawing inferences from one another.

Zan Fengli still wanted to engage in a verbal battle with Lin Zhuo, but Lin Zhuo disdained such verbal sparring unless it yielded any real benefit. In most cases, it was more convincing to deliver a slap than to argue with someone, and arguing with a dead person was completely unnecessary.

[Network prompt: Consume 100 Disaster Coins to unfold the Enlightenment Diagram?]

"Yes."

Lin Zhuo unfurled the scroll, and an ancient image of Ksitigarbha came into view.

Zanfeng Licheng's skull curiously approached; it was Lin Zhuo's illusion, so it could naturally see the contents of the scroll.

"Ee! Ksitigarbha! Ksitigarbha! Om, Hehehe, Vismaye, Svaha————"

"Shut up, Dharma King! Stop chanting your fake mantras." Lin Zhuo frowned and glanced at it. The mantra chanted by this skull was nothing but nonsense literature developed by ancient monks. Apart from providing psychological comfort and self-hypnosis, it had no real magical power.

Zanfeng Licheng did not shut up. The white skeleton continued to mutter in Lin Zhuo's mind, as if it had seen some true knowledge and wisdom in the Enlightenment Diagram. It began to speak incoherently and incoherently.

Different people looking at the same painting will focus on different things and see different things.

Lin Zhuo came here to study the Dao of Talismans and didn't care about anything else, so all he saw were the principles of talismans.

The Dharma King was a highly professional monk both in life and after death. He knew nothing of talismans or esoteric practices, so when he saw Ksitigarbha, he naturally focused on the interpretation from the perspective of deities and Buddhas. These were precisely the kinds of details that Lin Zhuo had long overlooked, considering them trivial.

The essence of the "Entering Hell and Delivering from Suffering Sutra" practiced by Zanfeng Licheng is to regard oneself as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in hell, delivering sentient beings. Through punishment and torment, one gradually tempers one's mind and shapes self-awareness until one can resonate with the ghosts of hell and endure the suffering of all sentient beings. In this way, one's thoughts and energy can resonate and harmonize with the dark winds of hell.

It can be said that when the Dharma King saw the "Deep Secret Ksitigarbha" scroll, he felt as if he were looking at a self-portrait, and suddenly realized that he had discovered an image that was even closer to the true Bodhisattva than himself. The joy and amazement that welled up in his heart were unparalleled.

Lin Zhuo was forced to listen to Zan Feng Licheng's ramblings. Gradually, the Dharma King began to chant some strange incantations, causing the flames of the campfire to tremble in panic and the surrounding yin winds to swirl and whistle. It had comprehended some real talismans from the Enlightenment Diagram.

"Is it haunted?!" Shu Yuliu was startled by the sudden strange noise. She gently called out to Lin Zhuo, only to see him with his brows furrowed, lips pressed tightly together, and eyes fixed on the Enlightenment Diagram.

The flickering firelight cast his shadow, which fell on the boulder behind him. It was a seated black figure that did not move with the rise and fall of the firelight, like a painting on the stone with black lacquer.

Shu Yuliu was so scared that he wanted to run away, but he absolutely did not want to abandon Lin Zhuo. So he asked his senior brother for help while broadcasting live, and took out his weapon to be vigilant about his surroundings, ready to fight the unseen dirty thing at any time.

[The Hero Loves Noodles]: It's alright, he's chanting a spell. [Mingxiao Drum]: But Second Senior Brother's mouth didn't move!

[DaXiaAiChiNoodles]: My heart is moving. [MingXiaoGu]: What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying, Senior Brother. [DaXia]: I mean that for some reason, he silently cast a spell. I guess it's probably a hallucination in his mind that's chanting the spell. [MingXiaoGu]: Hallucinations can chant spells?

[Hero]: That's normal. Some psychics can split off a part of their mind to create a secondary personality, specifically for chanting spells for themselves. The hallucination in Second Brother's mind should be the Demonic Cult's Dharma King. [Mingxiao Drum]: Is it dangerous for Second Brother to continue like this? Will he be possessed? Oh dear, Second Brother is really something, knowing he's not in good condition but still insisting on being strong, making everyone worry about him to death. [Hero]: Don't worry, a dead person can't make any noise. Maybe Second Brother will benefit from this misfortune. Lin Zhuo is currently deeply trapped in the illusion.

Because the incantation chanted by Zanfeng Licheng resonated with the Ksitigarbha power contained in the Enlightenment Diagram, the residual divine will of the dead man received assistance. The original skeleton began to grow flesh and skin, and the Dharma King's memories swept across the world like a nighttime tidal wave, engulfing the scenery around Lin Zhuo and replacing it with a desolate and eerie stone cave.

This is the Cave of the Eerie Winds.

Many years ago, Zanfeng Licheng ordered this place to be sealed off, and from then on, no innocent people were sent here to be tortured. The monks of Dizang Ancient Temple were also ordered to destroy their own lineage's scriptures and had to switch to other practices.

The Dharma King's order was interpreted as his desire to prevent others from mastering the "Entering Hell" divine skill, lest it threaten his position.

But Zanfeng Licheng really didn't like this place, and Youfeng Cave was the first hell he was exorcising.

Now, the power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva summoned Lin Zhuo and the Dharma King, bringing them back to this place.

Zanfeng Licheng, having regained his physical body, was both saddened and overjoyed. He said to Lin Zhuo, "Thank you, Benefactor Lin. The Bodhisattva has shown me the true path to liberation. Next, I will pass through every level of hell and endure every kind of punishment. In the end, I will be able to depart cleanly."

Lin Zhuo watched coldly, then couldn't help but sigh, "You bastard, now we're of one mind but two, so I'll have to go through the same suffering you've endured. You're free now, but I'm just going to get a beating for nothing?"

"Hehe, it wasn't for nothing. At least once I'm completely dead, Benefactor Lin won't have to suffer this excruciating pain anymore. Besides, haven't you always been able to endure hardship? It's alright."

With a smile, Zan Fengli led Lin Zhuo into hell.

Next, it begins to receive various punishments for its sins in life: those who commit verbal sins have their tongues pulled out; those who commit greed, anger, and ignorance are burned, frozen, or have their hearts pierced; and those who commit sins such as killing, stealing, and other evil deeds are fried in oil, pounded into pieces, or cut in half at the waist.

The Dharma King was covered in wounds, but Lin Zhuo felt the same way. He felt that time was incredibly long in this place, and he was really unlucky.

Each time a punishment was completed, Zanfeng Licheng would show an expression of relief, and this immense joy would also appear in Lin Zhuo's heart, as if they had suffered in hell and thus gained redemption, becoming more holy than the general public.

Zanfeng Licheng's flesh and blood once again withered and decayed, like tattered clothes revealing the white bones beneath the skin. Yet it was happy, always saying, "I am suffering for those who have committed sins, so they won't have to go to hell. This is what the true Ksitigarbha said, there is no mistake."

When they finally reached the end of the Ghost Wind Cave, the end of hell, there was only a stone lotus throne, which was also the place where Zanfeng had completed his cultivation of divine skills and accepted the Ghost Wind of the Black Prison.

"Benefactor Lin, I am about to complete my great cultivation. Thank you for accompanying me along the way."

Zanfeng Licheng was reduced to a skeleton once more, even more broken and mangled, its Dharma King's robes shattered. It clasped its hands together, bowed respectfully to Lin Zhuo, and then sat on the lotus throne.

Lin Zhuo remained indifferent. He had always thought that the whole hell thing was bullshit, and of course he wouldn't feel any merit or nobility from suffering.

The Dharma King sat motionless, and the illusion lingered. A chilling wind blew, and Lin Zhuo was getting impatient waiting when Zanfeng Licheng suddenly spoke.

"Why? Why haven't I been liberated yet? Is there still some hell I haven't experienced?" It lamented, clutching its skull in frustration on its lotus throne.

Lin Zhu snorted, "It might be the deepest hell."

"The Avici Hell—eternal suffering without escape. How could such a thing exist? What punishment am I lacking? Whom have I not yet suffered for?"

"I think it's people like you who believe that suffering will bring blessings." Lin Zhuo reached out and pushed Zanfeng Licheng off the throne. "Forget it, I'll do it!"

The moment he sat cross-legged on the lotus throne, the relentless, biting wind suddenly stopped, and all was silent.

The stone throne slowly spread the rustic color of the stone onto Lin Zhuo, until he too was turned into a stone statue.

Thus, in this profound silence, in Lin Zhuo's pitch-black vision, numerous magical runes swirled and gathered, gradually transforming into a single true rune character.

Lin Zhuo never forgot its form and meaning, and also understood its pronunciation.

"(Mantra) Stone.

He, who did not believe in hell, obtained the deepest treasure of hell.

E