Covering the Sky: A Guide to Proving the Dao Without Cheats

Left with no other choice, Luo Heng, realizing the reality of the situation, had to lie and say that he was also a tourist visiting Mount Tai and didn't know how he had ended up in the bronze coffin.

After that, he followed closely behind Ye Fan, almost never leaving his side.

Upon arriving on Mars, Luo Heng rushed into the Great Thunder Temple without saying a word, seizing the initiative.

Not only did he take the forbidden artifact that should have belonged to Li Xiaoman, but he also grabbed a string of Buddhist prayer beads, along with six Bodhi leaves and the most important Bodhi seed, which he stuffed into his pocket as well.

His actions weren't meant to sever Ye Fan's chances.

Putting aside whether he could get past the Ruthless Great Emperor if he actually did that, just thinking about what would happen if Ye Fan lost the Bodhi Seed and caused the plot to fall apart, who would take care of the Dark Turmoil in the future?

Luo Heng didn't consider himself a saint; he wouldn't do things that harmed others without benefiting himself, but he didn't mind doing things that harmed others for his own benefit. But it also depended on whether the cost was worthwhile.

It's like having a button that, if you press it, gives you a billion dollars, but someone will die randomly, you'd press it until it's practically smoking. But if you only get ten dollars for pressing it, only a madman would touch it.

Similarly, if this were a Dao-harmonizing flower, he would definitely snatch it without hesitation, but this is just a Bodhi seed!

Even if he did obtain it, it would only allow him to cultivate faster, upgrading him from a weakling to a weakling, but the cost could be the extinction of billions of lives in the dark chaos of the entire universe. He felt he couldn't bear such a heavy burden.

His greatest strength is his self-awareness.

If he truly possessed the potential to become an emperor, he would definitely fight for it. The struggle for the Great Dao is inherently a matter of life and death; who cares about first come, first served? Unfortunately, he knows perfectly well that he's simply not cut out for it.

For him, who had read the original work, these Bodhi seeds were not only treasures, but also a heavy responsibility.

Besides, this thing isn't a disposable item; everyone can use it together!

However, if the original plot were followed and Ye Fan directly obtained the Bodhi Seed, it would be inconvenient for him to borrow it frequently for meditation, and it would seem somewhat presumptuous.

So why not try a different approach—own the Bodhi seeds yourself, but keep them with Ye Fan for safekeeping, and take them back to study when needed.

In this way, it won't interfere too much with the original plot, and Ye Fan can also use the Bodhi Seed to "cheat" his cultivation, while also incurring a favor from Ye Fan.

This can be described as killing three birds with one stone.

When Ye Fan attains enlightenment and becomes an emperor in the future, he can get the Bodhi Seed back. Maybe he can even live another lifetime because of it. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Before handing the Bodhi Seed over to Ye Fan for safekeeping, Luo Heng thought he might as well go to the little bronze coffin and borrow some Immortal Realm repair scriptures.

Anyway, these kinds of knowledge-based opportunities won't hurt you, so why not take advantage of them?

For the rest of the journey, Luo Heng followed Ye Fan and his group closely. They faced numerous dangers along the way, barely escaping with their lives before finally reaching the bronze coffin, and then dodging two more attacks from the Crocodile Ancestor and the baby crocodiles inside the coffin.

As soon as he escaped danger, Luo Heng immediately took out the Bodhi seed, approached the small bronze coffin, and began to close his eyes to comprehend it. However, he could only vaguely hear a few words.

Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Sometimes the difference between people is even greater than the difference between a person and a dog. With my level of understanding, even having Bodhi seeds is useless!"

With that thought in mind, he simply took out a Bodhi leaf and swallowed it.

The leaf melted in his mouth, and a cool sensation rushed into his mind. In an instant, he felt his mind was clearer than ever before, and he could take in all the details around him. Even his memories became exceptionally clear.

Even the plot of "Covering the Sky" that I read many years ago seemed to have been wiped clean of dust and gradually reappeared in my mind.

"Bodhi leaves are so potent... Well, bodhi seeds are even more powerful, but just holding them in your hand can't compare to actually eating them, right?"

With that thought in mind, Luo Heng steeled himself and stuffed four more Bodhi leaves into his mouth.

He suddenly remembered that in the original story, after Ye Fan and his companions arrived in Beidou, most of their Buddhist artifacts were confiscated by cultivation sects. Luo Heng didn't want to gamble with that luck. No matter how good something was, it had to truly belong to him.

As for the remaining Bodhi leaf, he planned to keep it as "seed capital." Perhaps in the future, if an opportunity arose, he could exchange it for something more useful to him.

Besides, there's only one piece, so even if someone targets it and takes it, it won't be too painful.

After swallowing five Bodhi leaves in succession, Luo Heng felt his mind clear and his whole being seemed to have been enlightened. He dared not waste any time and immediately calmed down to begin recording the ancient characters that had appeared in the small bronze coffin.

After memorizing everything, Luo Heng found that the mystical state was still there, so he quickly reviewed the entire plot of "Covering the Sky" in his mind. In just about fifteen minutes, the plot of the whole novel was crystal clear in his mind.

At this moment, Luo Heng opened his eyes with a very strange expression. He suddenly felt that he seemed to be able to compete for the position of Great Emperor, and even the position of Immortal, Immortal King, or Quasi-Immortal Emperor did not seem to be entirely without a chance.

Suddenly, that strange state disappeared.

He carefully examined himself and found no physical discomfort. His memory and thinking speed seemed to have improved, and his comprehension and mental strength should also have increased, but he no longer had that enlightening feeling from before.

Even so, Luo Heng was overwhelmed with excitement. He felt that recalling the complete storyline would be of greater help to him than the Immortal Realm Repair Scriptures in the ancient coffin.

Although he can't yet achieve photographic memory, and the plot details in his mind will gradually fade over time, what he just experienced was essentially like rereading the novel "Covering the Sky" on the spot. To him, this is more precious than any immortal gold or divine medicine.

After calming his excitement, Luo Heng approached Ye Fan, pretending to be thirsty, and asked for some water. As expected, Ye Fan handed him a bottle of mineral water.

Taking the water, Luo Heng pretended to be very moved and looked at Ye Fan earnestly, saying, "Buddy, your name is Ye Fan, right? My grandfather taught me since I was a child that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. I, Luo Heng, will remember this kindness of your water."

Ye Fan, who was talking to Pang Bo, was a little embarrassed by these words. Pang Bo couldn't help but interject, "No, buddy, it's just a bottle of mineral water, it's not that serious, really not!"

Luo Heng pretended to hesitate for a moment, then called Ye Fan and Pang Bo, and the three of them quietly walked to the side of the small bronze coffin.

He took out the Bodhi seed and lowered his voice, saying, "This is a Bodhi seed I found at the Great Thunderclap Temple. It feels very mystical. Just now, I held it close to the small bronze coffin and seemed to hear a mysterious scripture. It might be the legendary cultivation method. You helped me once, so I'll repay you once. You guys should also try holding it and see if you can hear it too."

Ye Fan and Pang Bo assumed this was a case of good deeds being rewarded, so they didn't suspect anything, only exchanging a surprised glance. Then, Ye Fan took the Bodhi seed and tried it, and sure enough, he heard the scriptures.

Seeing Ye Fan meditating with his eyes closed, Luo Heng and Pang Bo didn't disturb him. Until the ancient coffin shook violently and landed in the desolate forbidden land of the Big Dipper.

Luo Heng hurriedly asked Ye Fan, who had been startled awake, how he was doing. Hearing that Ye Fan had memorized the entire scripture, he breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Pang Bo also wanted to give it a try.

Luo Heng was startled and quickly stopped him: "The ancient coffin has stopped; it seems we've arrived at our destination. Why don't we go out and take a look first? We can still listen to the scriptures later, or if all else fails, Ye Fan and I can transcribe them for you from memory."

Seeing this, Pang Bo stopped insisting. Just as they stepped out of the bronze coffin, not having gone far, they heard a deafening crash behind them—the massive coffin had fallen off the cliff of the desolate forbidden land, and the sound of it hitting the ground lingered for a long time.

Pang Bo felt a chill run down his spine at the sight, thinking to himself how lucky he was that Luo Heng had stopped him in time, otherwise he would probably be smashed into a pulp by now.

He turned around, still shaken, to thank Luo Heng, only to find that Luo Heng had vanished. After a while, Luo Heng emerged from the side and waved to Ye Fan and Pang Bo.

As the two approached, Luo Heng led them to the Nine-Headed Immortal Elixir and said, "These fruits seem quite unusual to me; they might be some kind of rare and precious treasure. Let's divide them among the three of us."

Ye Fan and Pang Bo naturally had no objections. The group picked all the fruit, counted them, and there were 13 in total.

Luo Heng spoke first: "I remember your kindness, I'll eat three, and you can each eat five!" After saying that, he stuffed the sacred fruit into his mouth.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were speechless at Luo Heng's words, after all, it was just a bottle of mineral water, but seeing that Luo Heng had already started eating, they didn't say anything more and each ate five.

Afterwards, the three of them drank a lot more of the divine spring water before returning to the edge of the cliff.

……