The sound of rushing wind roared in my ears. My eyes glowed gold, and two blood-red swastikas slowly rotated across the surface of my eyeballs as I dodged Blueflame Warden's relentless attacks.
Every day for the past few days, we battled in the plaza atop Universal Temple, fighting with our powers tightly contained. At first, it was incredibly difficult—not the slightest lapse could be allowed, or our powers would surge out uncontrollably and destroy everything nearby.
"You're improving fast, Ethan Zhang. Well done."
"Thanks to you, Blueflame Warden."
As I spoke, I tapped the ground lightly and leapt back, agilely dodging Blueflame Warden's claw strike. He lunged at me like an arrow; I twisted aside, grabbed his wrist with one hand, and hurled him away with all my strength.
With a whoosh, Blueflame Warden halted mid-air in a handstand, then dove at me again. I sprang upward, colliding with him with a resounding bang. We flew off in opposite directions, each quickly dispersing the force and impact, landing steadily. But I couldn't help stumbling back three steps.
"I lost again."
Blueflame Warden burst out laughing, flopped down, waving his hand and shaking his head.
"You need more practice. The higher the conversion between external and internal power, the greater the force. External power is easier for enemies to evade, but internal power is different—once it lands, the enemy can hardly escape."
"What do you want to eat today?"
I asked, and Blueflame Warden shook his head.
"I've already sent Eugenia out to hunt. Today I want some roasted meat. But are you really not going back to check? Maybe they've already discovered the Blood Jade is a fake."
I shook my head, smiling faintly as I replied.
"Not that soon."
I glanced around at the white sea of sand and the blue beast-light clusters hovering near the temple's sky. The outer defenses are nearly complete; unless a powerful beast comes, no one can enter Universal Temple. After we eat, I'm planning to set out in search of Mother Goddess Nuwa.
At that moment, I looked around, then beckoned to Blueflame Warden. He got up, puzzled, and I raised my hand.
"Let me show you something—something that appeared in my recent memories. It's actually possible to do."
A dazzling sphere of golden light appeared in my hand, entwined with black and white currents swirling around it. Blueflame Warden watched in fascination.
"Hey, what are you two doing?"
A breeze swept by. I stopped what I was doing, and Blueflame Warden glared at Eugenia, annoyed.
"Of all times, you just had to come back now."
But soon Blueflame Warden saw Zephyr carrying a load of processed beast meat on his back. Zephyr's two heads lifted slightly, as if the burden was heavy.
"Leave it to me."
I shot over with a whoosh. As soon as I moved, the chunks of meat on Eugenia's back floated into the air. I pointed to the white sand at the edge of the area.
"Let’s go over there. This is still a Buddhist temple, after all."
"Does it really matter?"
Blueflame Warden muttered.
Quickly, I took out some seasonings and marinated the meat chunks. Ten minutes was all it took. A massive, spinning furnace appeared.
"Let’s eat, then set out to find Mother Goddess Nuwa. Can we reach her directly?"
I asked, and Zephyr shook his heads.
"A few days ago, the wind blew straight through the illusion where Mother Goddess Nuwa is. Today, it won't work—we'll have to cross five or six illusions to reach her."
"Whose territory is the next illusion?"
I asked, and Eugenia shook her head.
"I'm not sure. I just go wherever the wind takes me. Most likely, it's the territory of the Serpent King, the Nine-Tailed Fox, or the Black Tortoise. Be careful—these three are all combative, and they hate humans, especially the Serpent King."
I hummed in response and began roasting the meat. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air. I hurried to mix the seasonings, while the two were already staring longingly at the roasted meat, unable to wait for a taste.
An hour later, the two finished all the meat.
"Let's go back to Universal Temple. I'll make some tea for you."
With that, I floated up and, with a thought, moved into Universal Temple. But I immediately sensed a strange aura atop the mountain. When I went up, I saw Abbot Fortune—his form was half-transparent, almost dazed.
"Abbot Fortune."
I greeted him. The meditating Abbot Fortune opened his eyes and smiled faintly.
"Amitabha, Ethan Zhang. Thank you for helping our Buddhist order safeguard the Blood Jade."
I shook my head, still hoping to learn something from Abbot Fortune, but he refused to tell me anything.
"Is that all you came here to say, Master?"
I asked, and Abbot Fortune nodded.
"From now on, the illusion has nothing to do with us. Ethan Zhang, don't be too anxious. Your mind has already entered the awakened state—just keep going. The moment you face the Buddhist path, you've already attained enlightenment. Everything in this world seems distant, but in truth, it's close. Just like you now—even if you learn about the past, it will only make your heart more restless and add to your worries. Don't rush. You've already broken free from your fate and transcended yourself. When the time is right, you'll know everything, because this world is still waiting for you."
Abbot Fortune smiled faintly as his form gradually faded into smoke and vanished. I wanted to speak, but he was already gone.
"The right time, huh!"
After sitting in a meditation room for over an hour, we decided to set out. The sky was darkening, night approaching, but I still planned to go directly—I didn't want to sit and wait for fate, or for the "right time." Maybe Mother Goddess Nuwa truly knows everything about me. I'm not sure, but she feels so familiar in my memories.
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We all stood atop Zephyr. Eugenia was already shimmering with pale blue light, ready to move.
In the blink of an eye, I was standing beside a pond, full of blooming lotuses. A fresh fragrance filled the air. A round, bright moon hung overhead. Looking around, I saw many such ponds, large and small, scattered across the land. The vast fields of lotuses seemed to breathe in the moonlight, their petals gently moving, with pale pink glowing particles drifting up from time to time.
Everything here radiated tranquility, like a fairyland. I sat down cross-legged, planning to wait for those two to find me. I didn't intend to wander—after all, I didn't want to run into the master of this illusion.
The exotic beasts in the illusion each had their own traits, with all sorts of bizarre attacks. Every creature living in the upper illusions was incredibly powerful. Thinking back, though I had the edge in my fight with Blueflame Warden, if it had been to the death, I wouldn't have stood a chance against him.
As for Eugenia, though I hadn't seen her power firsthand, I knew that beneath her seemingly gentle exterior lay incredible strength.
Far off, directly ahead of me, I saw a mountain range. Judging by past experience, Eugenia should find me within an hour or two. I decided to just enjoy the beauty of this moonlit scene while I waited.
With a splash, water droplets scattered in the pond before me. I looked over and saw many black fish in the moonlit waters, their plump bodies wriggling and occasionally leaping out of the water.
Then I noticed splashing sounds behind me. Curious, I turned around. About thirty meters away, it seemed someone was there. I stood up and walked over, getting closer and closer.
It was a woman, bathing in the pond. In the moonlight, I saw her long, white hair cascade like a waterfall. She was playing in the water, holding a lotus flower to her nose, breathing in its scent.
I was a bit stunned. The woman smiled, her profile radiating a fox-like allure. One slender arm raised, water droplets falling from her pointed chin. She laughed—a silver-bell sound, crisp and enchanting.
She was a beautiful woman, yet somehow familiar. Gradually, she turned to face me, lifting her head and smiling with fox-like charm. Her eyes were pitch-black and deep. She swam toward the edge of the pond, and the lotuses parted to make way for her.
For a moment, I felt awkward and quickly turned away, but I could still sense every movement of the woman behind me.
A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a seductive fragrance past my nose. I saw a piece of white gauze—the woman behind me wrapped herself in it and walked over to my side.
"Sorry, miss, you..."
A slender, slightly cool hand pressed against my neck.
"Come with me."
A soft voice, like the tinkling of bells, sounded in my ear. I turned my head—she had already taken my hand, and gently floated up, carrying me toward the distant mountains.
"Miss, who are you really?"
I asked, but the woman just laughed softly, saying nothing. She wasn't hostile toward me. Without realizing it, I followed her to a mountain covered with low peach trees, their crimson blossoms glowing faintly in the moonlight. Soft grass carpeted the ground. The woman sat down and quietly watched me.
"Is this the appearance of the person you long for?"
I stared in surprise as the woman suddenly placed both hands on my shoulders.