Chapter 80: Pushing Open the Gate of Buddhism

Ning Zhuo immediately reviewed every instance in which the Buddha Heart Demon Seal had been activated, and from them drew out the common thread.

He soon discovered that each activation had come when his own mind was disturbed, his heart unsettled and out of balance.

When he had formally acted, using the Heart Seal to command the mechanism monkeys into revolt.

When Zhu Xuanji had saved Yuan Dasheng.

When Ning Zhuo had broken into the rear bedroom and seen Yuan Dasheng lying unconscious, he had nearly struck at once.

After successfully subduing Yuan Er, when Yuan Er refused to hand over Yuan Dasheng, Ning Zhuo had grown so restless that he had again nearly acted in haste.

“So that is what it means for fortunes to clash, leaving my heart unstable? My emotions nearly slipped beyond control. Had I made a mistake, I would surely have given Yuan Dasheng a new lease on life.”

“On one hand, I relied on reason and forced myself to stay calm. On the other, my Buddha Heart Demon Seal was secretly supporting me, carrying me through at least four times.”

To save another is to become a demon; to save oneself is to become a Buddha.

After uncovering this truth, Ning Zhuo once more broke out in a cold sweat.

So there were still many hidden dangers in this matter, dangers he had not perceived at all. If he had not learned the theory of fortune from Han Ming, he might never have understood it for a very long time to come.

“By this logic, my Buddha Heart Demon Seal ought to be a treasure that can stabilize fortune. By triggering the Buddha image to save myself, I can avoid the emotional disturbance brought on by clashing fortunes, and strictly guard against my own mistakes.”

Quietly delighted, Ning Zhuo discovered yet another function of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal through this affair.

“However, that means my natural talent is now uncertain.”

Before, he had estimated himself to possess superior aptitude. But now, he might only be of upper-grade aptitude. The reason he had been able to eliminate Yuan Dasheng this time was, on one hand, that Yuan Dasheng was burdened by Yuan Er; on the other, that Ning Zhuo himself was protected by the seal.

Sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat, Ning Zhuo cultivated the Mirror Platform Spirit-Nurturing Art.

“Clear mirror, free of doubt, the vessel by which the heart is nurtured. Seeing that the five aggregates are all empty, one crosses all suffering and calamity, Sariputra.”

“Contemplating the empty mark of all dharmas: neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor diminishing. Reflecting back upon one’s own nature. Keeping it ever in the heart: no form, no sensation, perception, formation, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharmas; no realm of eye, nor even realm of consciousness; no ignorance, and no ending of ignorance ...”

After the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, a faint look of pleasure on his face.

“Third level of spirit refinement.”

“I can push open that Buddhist gate and begin exploring.”

After learning of the theory of fortune, Ning Zhuo had pondered where his own opportunity might lie.

The greatest possibility was the Lava Immortal Palace.

He cultivated all three dantians in parallel. At present he was at third level in qi cultivation and third level in essence cultivation. His spirit cultivation had lagged somewhat, but now it had caught up.

Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo immediately responded to the mark of the Trial Disciple and sent his soul into the immortal palace.

Relying on a variety of arts, Ning Zhuo progressed smoothly and quickly arrived before the three gates.

The gates of the Dao and the Demon were highly difficult obstacles. Ning Zhuo was not without hope of passing them, but it would require a great expenditure of time and effort.

In addition, after Yuan Dasheng had previously brought a deadly crisis upon him, Ning Zhuo could only set that aside and deal with the crisis first.

“What will be behind the Buddhist gate?”

“I hope it brings me some favorable change.”

Ning Zhuo pushed the door open and entered.

The room beyond was filled with coffins.

Not only on the floor, but even within the walls there stood upright coffins, and from the ceiling hung several more, suspended by iron chains.

This sight was entirely beyond Ning Zhuo’s expectations.

“At least it is not the obstruction and puppets of the Dao gate or the Demon gate.”

At that very moment, the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Tortoise wore a grave and solemn expression, its gaze piercing the void as it fixed tightly on Ning Zhuo.

Though it very much did not want to provide any hint, it had no choice. It could only transmit the crucial information into Ning Zhuo’s heart through the thread of life and fate.

“Use the Mirror Platform Spirit-Nurturing Art to sense the spiritual nature within the coffin from outside it. Once successful, the lid may be pushed open.”

“Choose one and send it to the furnace for cremation to obtain a spiritual mechanism creation.”

“You may also transmit a corpse from the outside world, deliver it to the furnace, and obtain the corresponding mechanism.”

“Note: this mechanism requires careful maintenance. It can be transported into and out of the Lava Immortal Palace!”

After receiving this information, Ning Zhuo immediately set to work testing it.

His Mirror Platform Spirit-Nurturing Art had indeed reached the third level, and communicating with some of the coffins on the ground was not difficult.

Before long, he had opened several coffins and found within them, respectively, a fire-riding serpent, a firefur mouse, and a flame-shadow flower.

All things possess spiritual nature.

Ning Zhuo then tried to contact the upright coffins embedded in the walls. Communication was difficult, but he could faintly sense that these were still wild beasts and spirit plants from Fire Persimmon Mountain. Only, in life they had possessed strength and foundation of a higher order.

“By the look of it, the corpses in the hanging coffins should be the highest grade of all.” Ning Zhuo tilted his head and used the hanging ring to lift himself upward.

With both hands touching the hanging coffin’s surface, he urged the Mirror Platform Spirit-Nurturing Art with all his strength. This time, he obtained only the slightest sensation, extremely vague and faint.

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Tortoise watched him the entire time, following every move, its dragon claws clenched tight, clearly extremely nervous.

After finishing his inspection, Ning Zhuo looked around once more, and finally fixed his gaze on an upright coffin in the wall.

“Based on my current spirit-refinement cultivation, the fire-riding serpent in this coffin is the best target.”

Thinking this, Ning Zhuo tilted his head, let out more line, lowered himself down, and walked to the upright coffin he had chosen.

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Tortoise gave a soft, eager grunt, itching to see Ning Zhuo sense this coffin.

But Ning Zhuo stopped moving and fell into hesitation.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit grew even more tense. With a low growl, it spat out a tongue of flame, as though urging Ning Zhuo onward.

Seeing Ning Zhuo lower his head in thought and stand still, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit sensed something amiss. It began raking the ground with its hind claws, its agitation plain to see.

What had caught Ning Zhuo’s attention was a line in the information: you may also transmit a corpse from the outside world, deliver it to the furnace, and obtain the corresponding mechanism.

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became.

“If I were to capture a golden core-stage demonic beast alive and bring it into the Lava Immortal Palace, would I be able to obtain a spiritual mechanism far beyond the standard?”

Of course he could not produce a golden core-stage demonic beast.

Ning Zhuo naturally thought of Yuan Dasheng.

Yuan Dasheng’s soul was attached to the Virtuous Bone of Gold and Iron, making it difficult to deal with. Ning Zhuo had planned to dig out the bones for use in crafting mechanisms.

But now, an opportunity stood right before his eyes.

He would not need to handle Yuan Dasheng’s corpse himself. He only had to bring it in and hand it over to the Lava Immortal Palace for processing, and he could obtain a corresponding mechanism.

The more Ning Zhuo thought about it, the more tempted he became.

On the one hand, it would save him an enormous amount of trouble and eliminate a great many hidden dangers. After all, the sooner Yuan Dasheng’s corpse was dealt with, the better.

On the other hand, Ning Zhuo had always believed his attainment in mechanism arts was not especially profound; he trusted more in the standards of the Masters of the Three Sects.

“Bring Yuan Dasheng’s corpse in!” Ning Zhuo made his decision.

But how was he to bring it in?

Ning Zhuo asked inwardly.

By rights, at a time like this, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit should have provided the answer.

But at this moment, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit clamped both paws over its own mouth. No matter how the fire whip lashed it, it endured in silence and refused to respond.

Ning Zhuo first exited the immortal palace and returned to the outside world.

He came to Yuan Dasheng’s corpse and, after thinking for a moment, poured back into the ape’s body the vital blood he had previously drawn out.

He then produced two storage bags, both filled with supplies, and placed them respectively upon and within the ape’s body.

Next, he lay down beside the corpse, touched the ape’s remains with one hand, and activated his sense of the Trial Disciple mark.

The next instant, he once again returned to the room beyond the Buddhist gate, with Yuan Dasheng’s corpse lying beside him.

It worked!