Chapter 619: A Chat All Night With Wine (Ending Part 1)

　　“Father!”

　　While Pei San was laughing happily and excitedly, Pei Xuelian appeared. She leaped up the attic and approached with a bright smile on her face. “Father, what is making you so happy? Tell me!”

　　When the King of Beasts Wu Hou heard the question, he answered, “Junior Martial Sister, there is a mysterious man residing on the Wild Wolf Mountain in the region of Chu County, Yangzhou. This mysterious man was constantly encircled by swirls of mist. The locals called him god. He was called a god because he sat under a cassia tree and the cassia tree grew continuously, instantly sprouting new branches, leaves, and flowers; but then, the tree would wither quickly.”

　　When Pei Xuelian heard this, she was astonished.

　　Wu Hou laughed and said, “The members of the Xing Yi Sect had sealed off that area. We guessed that the mysterious man is Teng Qingshan.”

　　“Yes, it must be Teng Qingshan!” Pei San, who was at the side, laughed and said, “Only Teng Qingshan and I are capable of executing ‘the interchange of life and death’ within the blink of an eye! I can’t believe that Teng Qingshan made a breakthrough even before the 18th of December. He did not disappoint me! He never did!” Of course, saying that it happened within the blink of an eye was just an exaggeration.

　　“Father, congratulations.” Pei Xuelian said with a grin.

　　Pei San smiled back at her

　　“By the way, Father, is Teng Qingshan more powerful or is Qin Shiqi more powerful?” Pei Xuelian asked.

　　“Of course Teng Qingshan is more powerful!”

　　With a faint smile, Pei San explained, “Qin Shiqi was able to achieve a breakthrough while he was engaging a fight of life or death. However, during that time, his fusion of the Powers of Yin and Yang was not that impressive. As Qin Shiqi had achieved a breakthrough during the fight, he did not have enough time to comprehend and strengthen the newest knowledge he had just acquired. However, Teng Qingshan is different. He had achieved a breakthrough while he was cultivating arduously. Now, he is studying and trying to understand the Daos of Life and Death. He is also still trying to increase the fusion rate of the Dao of Life and the Dao of Death. Soon, he will be very familiar with this power. Soon, the fusion rate of his Dao of Death and Dao of Life will be even greater than that of Qin Shiqi! I knew it! Finally, he has shown himself to be a worthy opponent!”

　　Pei Xuelian was shocked. “Father, if Teng Qingshan becomes so powerful, are you sure you can manage a fight with him?”

　　During the previous duel, Qin Shiqi had managed to injure Pei San heavily. As a result, Pei San had to recuperate for several months. However, even so, Pei San had been confident during the duel with Qin Shiqi.

　　However—

　　Teng Qingshan would be even more powerful than Qin Shiqi. If it was a fight with Teng Qingshan, would Pei San still be confident?”

　　“I am not confident. I might be stronger than him now, but there are three months until the 18th of December. These three months might be enough for him to reach the level closest to the Omnipotent Realm and become as powerful as me!”

　　Pei San shook his head and walked to the balcony. He stood by the railing and looked at the endless horizon. His eyes twinkled brightly as he exclaimed, “An opponent! A worthy opponent! It is even better if I am not confident about this fight. If I am not confident, I won’t know if I will be able to survive. If I don’t know what will happen, there’s a higher chance that my physical and mental state will improve to the maximum level! There is a higher chance that I will reach the Omnipotent Realm!”

　　As Pei Xuelian stared at the tall figure, who was leaning on the railing and looking at the sky and the earth, she unconsciously bit her lip.

　　In her heart…

　　For as long as she could remember, her father Pei San had always been the majestic mountain that protected her from all danger. There was nothing her father could not do. She has always revered and admired her father. Even when her father decided to eliminate the Mani Temple, the number one sect in the Land of the Nine Prefectures, she was confident that her father could do it! And just as she had expected, her father did destroy the Mani Temple.

　　Then, her father challenged the other three most powerful cultivators in the Land of the Nine Prefectures. In Pei Xuelian’s opinion, her father would definitely win the other three powerful cultivators. In addition, her father had always been extremely confident. In the end, like what she had predicted, her father won. Huang Tianqin and Qin Shiqi both lost and died.

　　But… But…

　　Her father just said that he had no confidence! In the past, his father had always been extremely confident. His had faced every danger in a casual manner. And now, her father, who had always been very confident, actually said that he had no confidence that he could win Teng Qingshan.

　　Pei Xuelian recalled Teng Qingshan’s appearance. He was the guy who took her beloved disciple away. The legendary figure… Although Pei Xuelian never liked Teng Qingshan, she had to admit that Teng Qingshan was the most magnificent person in his generation of people.

　　However!!!

　　Pei Xuelian regarded her father as the most powerful guy in the Land of the Nine Prefectures!

　　“Father will be fine. He will definitely win! Definitely!” Pei Xuelian said repeatedly in her mind.

　　“Father!” Pei Xuelian suddenly shouted.

　　Pei San, who was leaning on the railing, turned and smiled at his daughter.

　　Pei Xuelian took a deep breath. She stared at her father and said in a serious manner, “Father, you have to win the fight on the 18th of December. You have to win!!!”

　　When Pei San saw the glistening teardrops in his daughter’s eyes, he felt his heart thump in his chest.

　　“Xuelian, come here.” Pei San said gently.

　　Pei Xuelian walked over.

　　Pei San stretched his hands out and held his daughter in his arms. Pei Xuelian held her father closely and hid her face in his chest. She couldn’t stop her tears from flowing. Pei San held his daughter and comforted softly, “Xuelian, I promise you I will win the duel on the 18th of December!”

　　“Mhm.” Pei Xuelian nodded gently as she hugged her father tightly.

　　The father and daughter remained in that position for a long time, becoming like a statue…

　　******

　　In the Gui Yuan Sect in Yongan County, Yangzhou:

　　Zhuge Yuanhong looked up at the soft, silky clouds floating in the sky.

　　“He sat under the cassia tree and controlled the growth and decline with the snap of his fingers… Qingshan achieved a breakthrough.” Zhuge Yuanhong muttered to himself, “It seems like he does not want to give up the fight on the 18th of December… Since he achieved a breakthrough, there is a high chance that he will fight against Pei San on the 18th of December! No one knows if he can survive a fight with Pei San…”

　　When the Gui Yuan Sect had been trying to destroy the Shooting Sun God Mountain, Zhuge Yuanhong took advantage of Teng Qingshan even when there was no evidence against Teng Qingshan.

　　Zhuge Yuanhong did it for the sake of the Gui Yuan Sect. However, he still felt sorry towards Teng Qingshan. After all, he had watched Teng Qingshan grow… Back then, when Teng Qingshan was still part of the sect, Zhuge Yuanhong invested even more in Teng Qingshan. He wanted to prepare Teng Qingshan for the position of Sovereign. He even wanted to marry off his daughter Zhuge Qing to Teng Qingshan.

　　A son-in-law is almost like a son.

　　Zhuge Yuanhong had always considered Teng Qingshan as his son, but life had been unpredictable.

　　“No one knows if he will survive…” Zhuge Yuanhong felt very worried.

　　In the Land of the Nine Prefectures, Pei San had always been the powerful and mysterious existence and Zhuge Yuanhong had always been afraid of Pei San. When Pei San killed Huang Tianqin and Qin Shiqi, Zhuge Yuanhong was amazed at how powerful Pei San was… And now, Teng Qingshan would soon fight against Pei San.

　　“I should visit Qingshan when his cultivation under the cassia tree ends.” Zhuge Yuanhong thought to himself.

　　******

　　On the Wild Wolf Mountain in the region of Chu County, Yangzhou:

　　The muscular disciples of the Xing Yi Sect arranged themselves in organized rows and stood there like statues. They glared at the people who had traveled a long way here to satisfy their curiosity. Those who had heard about the miracle and found out about the arrival of the Undying Phoenix and the members of the Xing Yi Sect started discussing among themselves. They did not dare to offend or provoke the members of the Xing Yi Sect.

　　The many disciples of the Xing Yi Sect formed a circle, sealing off the area where Teng Qingshan was currently cultivating.

　　The strong fragrance of the cassia flowers filled the air. Li Jun, Honglin, Hongwu, Lei Xiaoru, Teng Yongfan, Yuan Lan, and the Undying Phoenix waited patiently on the sidelines.

　　“Father, when will grandpa wake up?” Asked a little girl, who stood beside Hongwu and wore a red jacket.

　　“Xiuxiu, do you want to go home?” Hongwu said with a smile.

　　“No.” The little girl hastily shook her head.

　　At this moment, the ground was covered with snow. Li Jun and the others have been waiting for a month. However, Teng Qingshan was still cultivating. Thus, Li Jun and the others could only wait silently. The cassia tree continued its many cycles of growth and decline. Every time the tree sprouted new branches, new leaves, and new flowers, they could smell the strong fragrance of the cassia flowers.

　　And now, the fragrance of the cassia flowers had spread one or two Li away. It is indeed a miracle to smell the fragrance of flowers during this cold winter.

　　“Live…”

　　“Die…”

　　The Power of Qingshan’s World had turned mostly gray, with only a small portion of the black and white left. Suddenly, the swirling mist moved rapidly towards Teng Qingshan. Within a second, all the grey, black, and white mist entered Teng Qingshan’s body. At this moment, the cassia tree behind Teng Qingshan stopped growing.

　　“Qingshan!”

　　“Father!”

　　“Teacher!”

　　Li Jun and the others immediately stood up. After waiting for over a month, they could finally see Teng Qingshan clearly. Currently, Teng Qingshan’s clothes looked worn out and dirty. He also grew out his facial hair. At a glance, Teng Qingshan looked just like a beggar.

　　The only unique feature was Teng Qingshan’s skin. His translucent and sparkling skin looked as beautiful as jade.

　　“Life and Death complement each other.”

　　“Without life, how can there be death?”

　　“Without death, how can there be life?”

　　Teng Qingshan opened his eyes. A strange, swirling light that seemed to be enchanted shone from his eyes. Li Jun, Hongwu, and the others, who had been very excited to see Teng Qingshan, were all affected by Teng Qingshan’s eyes and became slightly absent-minded. Realizing what was happening, Teng Qingshan regained his senses and his eyes became normal.

　　“Little Jun.” Teng Qingshan stood up.

　　“Qingshan.” Li Jun was very excited. She ran over and hugged Teng Qingshan tightly. Even before Li Jun hugged Teng Qingshan, Teng Qingshan had already shaken off all the dust from his clothes. The dust became this ball of dirt and tumbled to the ground.

　　“Grandpa!” A silvery voice sounded.

　　Teng Qingshan turned over and saw a little girl, dressed in a red jacket, staring at him with big, black eyes. The little girl looked at Teng Qingshan and commented, “Your eyes are so beautiful!”

　　Teng Qingshan was stunned.

　　His eldest disciple, Teng Shou, and the others immediately burst out in laughter.

　　“My eyes are beautiful?” Teng Qingshan has never heard such a compliment.

　　“You must be Xiuxiu. It’s been two years. I can’t believe you grew so much.” Teng Qingshan said with a smile. He walked over and held the little girl in his arms. Xiuxiu leaned against Teng Qingshan’s arm and stretched her hands out, pulling Teng Qingshan’s beard. She then said happily, “Grandpa, your beard is so long… Even father has never grown such a long beard.”

　　The people around them laughed again.

　　“Father, Mother…” Teng Qingshan looked over at his parents and asked, “What’s the date?”

　　“Today is the 16th of October. We have two months left.” Teng Yongfan said.

　　“Two months…”

　　Teng Qingshan would be fighting Pei San of the Heavenly God Palace in two months.

　　However, because of what Teng Qingshan had learned through this cultivation, he was no longer afraid of Pei San.

　　Teng Qingshan nodded. He looked around and said with a smile, “Let’s go home!”

　　…

　　When Teng Qingshan and his family left the Wild Wolf Mountain, the members of the Xing Yi Sect who had been guarding the area naturally left as well. When they left, the people, who had been very curious, immediately rushed to the cassia tree. However, they were disappointed. The god had disappeared and the cassia tree had stopped growing and withering within seconds.

　　…

　　Teng Qingshan and the others left the Chu County and returned to the Xing Yi Sect on the Great Yan Mountain.

　　In the East Flower Garden:

　　During the evening, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun strolled quietly in the garden.

　　“Qingshan, do you really have to fight Pei San on the 18th of December?” Li Jun couldn’t help but ask.

　　“Yes.” Teng Qingshan nodded.

　　“How confident are you?” Li Jun hastily asked.

　　Teng Qingshan held his wife’s hand and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, LIttle Jun. Only the Omnipotent Experts can kill me now!”

　　When Teng Qingshan started cultivating under the cassia tree, he was as powerful as Qin Shiqi. After over a month of learning and consolidation, Teng Qingshan became almost as powerful as the Omnipotent Experts!

　　“I think I can even feel the power of the Omnipotent Expert…”

　　“The greatness of this power and the freedom from the restraints of this world.” As Teng Qingshan spoke, a gleam of hope dazzled in his eyes.

　　Li Jun couldn’t understand what Teng Qingshan was trying to say…

　　“However…” Teng Qingshan shook his head and said, “I can see it, but i can’t touch it. I can feel the power of the Omnipotent Realm, but I can’t reach the Omnipotent Realm. This is the final barrier! Pei San must be experiencing the same thing… The Northeastern King Hong Tian and many of the powerful Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts mentioned in history must have gotten stuck at this stage and they never stepped into the Omnipotent Realm.”

　　Li Jun said anxiously, “Qingshan, there are only two months left. Are you sure you can achieve a breakthrough within these two months?”

　　“Haha…”

　　“If I still can’t understand the Dao of the Omnipotent Realm, I will never be able to achieve a breakthrough. It will not happen even if I cultivated for two hundred years, not to mention two months. It really depends on my luck.” Teng Qingshan laughed and explained, “Tomorrow, I am going to create many sets of fist techniques that will contain the Dao I have just learned. These fist techniques will benefit our sect!”

　　*******

　　The origin of the Xing Yi Martial Art was the Three Postures.

　　Teng Qingshan had reached this cultivation level and had become extremely close to the Omnipotent Realm. He had also understood how life and death complemented each other and restricted each other. When he had comprehended the processes of Life and Death and reached this cultivation level, he finally understood the Three Postures! With the understanding of the Three Postures, the cultivation of the Xing Yi Martial Art became crystal clear to Teng Qingshan.

　　And so, he could easily create new techniques.

　　…

　　Time went by very quickly. Teng Qingshan ate with his family every day and had a lot of fun with them. He would laugh and chat with them. He would also spend time with his parents. When he was in his study room, he would practice his fist art or draw the fist techniques he had developed. As the proverb says, ‘one who reviewed the past would know the future.’ When Teng Qingshan was developing the techniques that contained the Dao that he had learned, he was basically reviewing what he had learned.

　　On the 1st of November…

　　In the study room in the East Flower Garden:

　　Teng Qingshan drew the move of the fist technique on the paper, adding annotations as well. Suddenly, he looked up and a glint of joy sparkled in his eyes. “Teacher is here?”

　　He has not seen his teacher for a long time.

　　Teng Qingshan placed his writing brush and paper down. At this moment, Zhuge Yuanhong had entered the East Flower Garden with his son Zhuge Yun and daughter-in-law Qingyu.

　　“Brother!” The moment Qingyu saw Teng Qingshan, she ran over.

　　“Little Yu.” Teng Qingshan looked at his sister with a smile. Qingyu had become very mature and elegant. Her son had gotten married as well.

　　“Brother, during the past two years, I would look for you whenever I am here to see our parents but you were never here.” Qingyu held her brother’s hand as she spoke. Suddenly, her voice sounded more serious. “Brother, are you really going to fight Pei San on the 18th of December?” Qingyu looked slightly worried as she asked.

　　“Girl.” Teng Qingshan smiled and patted his sister’s head. “Don’t worry. Trust me.”

　　“Okay.” Qingyu nodded.

　　“Little Jun, can you take Qingyu and Zhuge Yun inside for a seat first?” When Teng Qingshan saw Li Jun, he called her over and Li Jun immediately led Zhuge Yun and Qingyu into the living room. While Li Jun left with Qingyu and Zhuge Yun, Teng Qingshan stayed with his teacher Zhuge Yuanhong.

　　The relationship between this teacher and this disciple was quite peculiar.

　　Although they shared the relationship of a teacher and a student, Zhuge Yuanhong had never taught Teng Qingshan anything. Since that incident, the world no longer viewed Zhuge Yuanhong as Teng Qingshan’s teacher. However, because Teng Qingshan and Zhuge Yuanhong had already shared a deep bond, Zhuge Yuanhong still thought of Teng Qingshan as his disciple and son.

　　Naturally, Teng Qingshan held a deep respect for Zhuge Yuanhong.

　　“Are you confident?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked abruptly.

　　“I guess… I don’t think anyone can fight Pei San confidently.” Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

　　Zhuge Yuanhong turned and looked at Teng Qingshan. He then grinned and said sincerely, “Qingshan, I really do hope you succeed.”

　　“Mhm. Teacher, just watch from the side.” Teng Qingshan responded with a smile.

　　Just simple words…

　　They didn’t have to say a lot to each other. Zhuge Yuanhong stared at Teng Qingshan, who was charming and trustworthy. Teng Qingshan was now an existence who stood on the pinnacle of the Land of the Nine Prefectures. He was the miraculous existence. And now, only the mysterious and demonic Pei San could compete with Teng Qingshan.

　　As Zhuge Yuanhong stared at Teng Qingshan, he thought about the past. The memories of Teng Qingshan came flooding back…

　　When he first saw Teng Qingshan, Teng Qingshan was just an inexperienced teenager. At age sixteen, Teng Qingshan was the champion of the competition organized for the Black Armored Army. During that time, Zhuge Yuanhong said that Teng Qingshan has boundless prospects. Later on, Zhuge Yuanhong accepted Teng Qingshan as his direct disciple.

　　At that time, Teng Qingshan was just a novice cultivator. When Teng Qingshan showed the world his abilities, he was listed in the “Earthly Ranking.”

　　And now, Teng Qingshan became a cultivator who stood on the pinnacle of the Land of the Nine Prefectures!

　　“Qing Qing… If you saw Teng Qingshan today, I am sure you would be content.” Zhuge Yuanhong thought to himself.

　　“Teacher.” Teng Qingshan suddenly called out.

　　“Hm?” Zhuge Yuanhong looked over.

　　“I plan to pay my respects to Qing Qing before the fight.” Teng Qingshan said.

　　Zhuge Yuanhong froze for a second. Then, he responded with a nod.

　　Teng Qingshan’s eyes became misty. He had always felt so much guilt towards that beautiful girl who was as pure as a goddess. Even if thirty years had passed, Teng Qingshan still couldn’t forget the girl who smiled at him and died in his arms.

　　*******

　　As the days passed by, the 18th of December was getting closer and closer. Almost everyone in the Land of the Nine Prefectures was talking about the final duel between the two strongest cultivators—the legendary Teng Qingshan and the mysterious and terrifying Pei San. Everyone was guessing who the winner might be and who might die in this fight!

　　While Teng Qingshan was with his family in the East Flower Garden, he could feel that his family was becoming more and more worried as the day drew near…

　　On the night of the 16th of December, Teng Qingshan stayed in his study room, drawing and writing about the techniques he had developed. As he developed new techniques, he found himself gaining a deeper understanding of the Internal Martial Art.

　　“Crackle~~”

　　In the study room, the only noises were the faint crackling of the wax candle and the sound of the writing brush rubbing against the paper.

　　“Teng Qingshan, are you free for a drink?” A voice sounded in Teng Qingshan’s ears.

　　“Pei San?” Teng Qingshan was surprised. Why would Pei san be here at this time of the night?

　　Nevertheless, he smiled and placed his writing brush down. He pushed the door open and walked out of the study room. Immediately, he saw Pei San nearby.

　　Wearing a yellow long cloak, Pei San was sitting under the pavilion in Teng Qingshan’s courtyard and drinking leisurely. He appeared so casual that it felt as though he was sitting in his own backyard.

　　Pei San looked over at Teng Qingshan with a smile.

　　“Sit.” Pei San pushed a jug of wine to Teng Qingshan.

　　Teng Qingshan held the jug of wine and poured a cup for himself.

　　“Pei San, we will be fighting in two days. Why are you here today?” Teng Qingshan asked with a grin.

　　Pei San held his wine cup up, lifted his head, and gulped his cup of wine down. He then exhaled deeply and looked over at Teng Qingshan, remaining silent for a long time. Eventually, he spoke, “Teng Qingshan, I challenged three people, including you. I only had faith in you and Qin Shiqi. Huang Tianqin was only needed because I used him to intimidate you and Qin Shiqi.”

　　“Unfortunately, Qin Shiqi was unable to unleash enough power that shocked me. He did manage to threaten me, but still, he was not powerful enough to kill me.”

　　“But you are different.”

　　“I have never seen anyone improve as fast as you do…” Pei San sighed and said with a smile, “When I was fighting Huang Tianqin and Qin Shiqi, I was very confident. I knew that there was no way they could kill me! However, as I thought about the fight with you in two days, I could only tell myself that it will be a tough fight. If I made the wrong move during the duel, I might die.”

　　Teng Qingshan was shocked.

　　Pei San continued saying, “I could guess how powerful you are right now. With a snap of your finger, you are able to perform the interchange of life and death. Your understanding of Dao is almost at the same level as mine. You are extremely close to the Omnipotent Realm! However, you are different because you chose the path of Internal Martial Art. You transform Dao into your fist techniques, and so, your understanding of Dao becomes unique.”

　　“And my understanding of Dao is special in its own way too.”

　　“But Teng Qingshan, you improve too quickly. You might achieve a breakthrough in the middle of the fight and reach the Omnipotent Realm.” Pei San said with a smile.

　　Teng Qingshan smiled and said, “Pei San, I am flattered. Why did you come today?”

　　“I came with a few requests today,” answered Pei San.

　　“Requests?” Teng Qingshan was a little surprised.

　　“Yes,” Pei San nodded and said, “None of us know who will survive this fight. If I die, I hope you can protect the Heavenly God Palace. It is okay if the Heavenly God Palace occupied a smaller area of land. I just don’t want the few branches of the sect I have created to disappear from the Land of the Nine Prefectures when I die.”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded.

　　He himself would want the same thing for the branch of the Internal Martial Art.

　　“Pei San, if I die, please protect the sect of the Internal Martial Art.” Teng Qingshan said.

　　They both knew that they were the only ones who could destroy each other’s sect.

　　The two are now the most powerful cultivators in the Land of the Nine Prefectures!

　　“Of course.” Pei San nodded with a smile.

　　“Come. Drink up.” Teng Qingshan grinned and lifted his cup. The two then gulped down their wine.

　　“And my daughter…” Pei San suddenly said, “I know my daughter’s personality. If I die, Xuelian will hate you deeply. She might do some irrational things. If she does, I hope you can forgive her.”

　　Teng Qingshan smiled and said, “Considering that she is Little Jin’s teacher, I will not harm her.”

　　“Mhm.”

　　Pei San nodded.

　　The discussion about death ended. The two, who stood on the pinnacle of the Land of the Nine Prefectures, then started talking about life as they drank leisurely. Soon, Li Jun and Hongwu noticed the stranger—Pei San—under the pavilion. They saw Teng Qingshan drinking happily with Pei San.

　　“Mother, what is going on?” Hongwu asked as he stared at the pavilion with a puzzled expression.

　　Li Jun glanced over. She didn’t answer Hongwu’s question. Instead, she just said, “Let’s go back into the house.”

　　No one disturbed Teng Qingshan and Pei San.

　　…

　　When it was after midnight, Teng Qingshan suddenly asked a question in a casual manner. “Pei San, I have been very curious. I know you want to establish your own sect and develop different branches of cultivation and this is not weird at all. However, you do not seem like a person who contends for hegemony. You contended for the world because you wanted to destroy the Mani Temple. Why do you hate the Mani Temple so much that you were willing to invest so much to destroy them?

　　“Moreover, you even created a branch of Buddhist cultivation in the Heavenly God Palace so that the cultivation of the Mani Temple can be passed on to the next generation. Why did you do this?”

　　Pei San didn’t answer. He just sat there quietly for a long time.

　　Then, he looked up at the vast night sky and drank three cups of wine. After a long moment of silence, he said, “Teng Qingshan, I have kept this secret for a very long time.”

　　“Since you want to know, I will tell you.”

　　Pei San stared at Teng Qingshan and grinned before he said, “Teng Qingshan, you probably know this. Compared to all the cultivators over the past thousand years, you are the second-fastest cultivator to reach the Innate Realm.”

　　“Yes. The youngest Innate Expert was the Demonic Monk Xiang Fanchen.” Teng Qingshan said.

　　Pei San said slowly, “I…am…Xiang Fanchen.”

　　“What!”

　　Teng Qingshan was mind blown. He could hear the rumble of thunder in his mind. The legendary Demonic Monk, Xiang Fanchen is…actually Pei San?”

　　“You? Xiang Fanchen?” Teng Qingshan still couldn’t believe what he just heard.

　　“Is it weird?” Pei San stared into the west and explained, “The cultivation of the Buddhist Sect focus on the training of the Niwan Palace and the creation of the Sarira. It is different from the Daoist cultivation and the cultivation of the Internal Martial Art. Because the emphasis is on the cultivation of the Niwan Palace, the Mani Temple was bestowed this Method of Reincarnation! The cultivator starts a new life while still retaining the memories of the previous life.”

　　Teng Qingshan was shocked.

　　He had reincarnated into this world and he retained the memories of his previous life. However, he had come from the earth.

　　“The people who successfully reincarnated are called Reincarnated Living Buddha!” Pei San sighed and said, “The Method of Reincarnation is very dangerous. Only one in ten Grandmasters or Emptiness Realm Experts of the Buddhist Sect have successfully reincarnated! For the Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts, there is only a 50% chance of success.”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded. He understood that the Method of Reincarnation does not have a 100% success rate.

　　True. If anyone could easily reincarnate, then the Mani Temple would become terrifyingly powerful.

　　“Moreover, you can only reincarnate once. You will surely die if you tried the second time.” Pei San said with a sigh, “Maybe this is the limit set by the world.”

　　“Teng Qingshan, do you remember the only Emptiness Realm Expert who survived when I was destroying the Mani Temple? The one named Fankong.” Pei San stared at Teng Qingshan as he spoke, “He is a reincarnated living Buddha as well. Fankong is my junior martial brother and a very good friend of mine. Now you should know why…Fankong could live after the battle.

　　Teng Qingshan finally understood everything.

　　Junior Martial Brother?

　　Fankong? Fanchen?

　　Everything made sense now.

　　“As for the monk I killed… The monk wearing the yellow robe is named Liaoyuan. He was my Martial Uncle.” Pei San said slowly, “I was Xiang Fanchen in my previous life. You know why I was called the demonic monk, right?”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded.

　　Xiang Fanchen was different from the typical monks that rarely kill people. He caused bloodshed and killed many people in the Mani Temple.

　　“I hated the members of the Mani Temple. I hated Liaoyuan the most.” A murderous glint flashed in Pei San’s eyes. “The Mani Temple suppress one’s true character and humanity. This type of Buddhist Sect is useless. Back then, when Martial Ancestor Shiga established the Mani Temple, there weren’t as many rules. The strict rules were only added by people later on. The Mani Temple had become something that should be destroyed.

　　“Unfortunately…”

　　“Back then, I cultivated the ‘Golden Buddha.’” Pei San shook his head and sighed. “‘This is a Godly Ranking secret codex, but this is the Dao that helped the Martial Ancestor Shiga reach the Omnipotent Expert. I am not the Martial Ancestor Shiga. The best cultivation method should be the one that suits the cultivator the most. But I forced myself to cultivate the Golden Buddha. Even though I reached the Insightful Emptiness Realm through the cultivation of the Golden Buddha, I could no longer make any more progress.”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded. As he had reached this level, he understood this very well.

　　No matter how well you understand a book, it is impossible to be better than the author of the book.

　　Therefore, writing your own book would be the best way! Choose your own path of cultivation!

　　“That’s why I told you not to learn the godly ranking secret codices and not to follow other people’s pathway. That will only cause harm.” Pei San shook his head as he said, “Unfortunately, during that time, I was too immersed in the cultivation of the Buddhist Sect and it was impossible to switch to the cultivation of the Daoist sect… And so, I had to do something to find my own path of cultivation.”

　　“And so… I created the Tantric Buddhist Sect.”

　　Pei San said with a smile, “The cultivation method of the Tantric Buddhism was derived from a combination of the cultivation of the Buddhist Sect and my own thoughts and ideas. The cultivation of the Buddhist Sect was called Zen Buddhism. Both the Zen Buddhist Sect and the Tantric Buddhist Sect are Buddhist sects.”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded.

　　Unfortunately, because I learned the Golden Buddha, I couldn’t create my own path to success. Even after I created the Tantric Buddhism cultivation, the influence of the Zen Buddhist cultivation was still too strong.” Pei San shook his head and sighed again. “At that time, I couldn’t win Liaoyuan. Therefore, I decided to take a bet. I decided to try reincarnation.”

　　Teng Qingshan nodded.

　　For the Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts, reincarnation has only a 50% success rate.

　　“I was lucky. I successfully reincarnated and became the third son of the Pei Family.” Pei San said with a smile, “During that time, I was only a baby. My Niwan Palace and Dantian were not cultivated at all. Therefore, I had the chance to choose if I wanted to pursue the Buddhist cultivation or the Daoist cultivation.”

　　“And I chose the Daoist cultivation.”

　　“I studied the ordinary cultivation methods of the Daoist sect and the cultivation methods for the Innate Experts of the Daoist Sect. I ignored all the Daoist cultivation techniques for the Emptiness Realm Experts and the Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts. I traveled the world and observed the birds, fish, plants, and beasts. As I learned more, I eventually created my own path of cultivation.” Pei San said with a smile, “I created myriad paths of cultivation. However, these paths of cultivation were all supposedly referred to as the Dao of Million Beasts!”

　　“And then, I. killed Liaoyuan and destroyed the Dao of the Mani Temple.” As Pei San spoke, his eyes lit up.