I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 222 - 194: Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object (Bonus - for 1,000 Monthly Tickets)
When the Scorpion King brought Jiang Yuebai out from underground, she suddenly thought she had left the Quicksand Domain and arrived at some Immortal Mountain Blessed Land.
The courtyard walls were apricot yellow, with green-grey tiles, and a Bodhi Tree stood tall and verdant in the courtyard.
Ancient Buddha with a serene lamp, the Zen ambiance was tranquil, yet the main hall had most of its structure collapsed, with Buddha statues toppled, overgrown with weeds and cobwebs.
Ruosheng, clad in red, was holding a broom, sweeping away the dust in the hall like a mortal, and removing the cobwebs bit by bit.
Jiang Yuebai walked to the break in the wall and discovered that this temple stood on a low mountain. Below, the vast expanse of the Gobi Desert was filled with the ruined remains of large halls and houses, as well as fragmented and sand-buried steles.
The grandeur that Prajna Temple once had can still be felt from the scale of the current ruins.
Looking further away, Jiang Yuebai saw rows of tents standing at the edge of Prajna Temple’s ruins, with flags of various temples raised, forming a front line facing east, with a massive Barrier composed of Buddhist Golden Light shining in the air.
Thousands of Buddhist disciples patrolled the campgrounds like ants, the atmosphere was grim and fatalistic.
"Step back a bit, don’t let people find us here."
Ruosheng’s voice came from behind, and Jiang Yuebai stepped back into the courtyard.
Ruosheng leaned on the broom, his previously carefree and rebellious aura had withdrawn considerably. Except for that utterly ill-fitting red clothes, he resembled a wise monk.
"Over a hundred years ago, they gathered here, swords pointed at Prajna Temple. Now they camp here under the guise of guarding the last Buddhist land. How ironic."
"Why don’t they retreat into the ruins?" Jiang Yuebai asked in confusion.
Ruosheng raised a charming smile and said, "Because this place is haunted. Many people have come here to search for treasures over the years, but many vanished without a trace. Even Golden Core Masters and Nascent Soul Ancestors could not find any clues."
"As a result, no one dared to come for many years, until recently someone said a small Secret Realm had appeared here. Those who disappeared were trapped inside, prompting others to risk coming here to investigate, but they still frequently vanish."
Jiang Yuebai felt a chill on her scalp, "Aren’t you afraid?"
Ruosheng looked down to sweep the ground, casually saying, "It’s a trick of mine, why should I be afraid? The one who should be afraid is you."
Jiang Yuebai stepped back, "Why did you call me here? I have no grudge against you, right?"
Ruosheng raised his head and sighed, "If I could stop you, would you think I’d willingly call you? Originally, I wanted to stay quietly here watching them dog-eat-dog, but you repeatedly broke through the lines I set up, drawing attention from the Martial Sect. What on earth are you trying to do?"
Jiang Yuebai squinted at Ruosheng, closely noticing the subtle changes on his face, "I want to find a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object."
Ruosheng’s expression darkened slightly, he lowered his head and continued sweeping the ground.
"I’ve already told you that thing is no longer here. For the sake of you helping me before, leave through the back mountain and quickly out of No Return Sea, or else don’t blame me for being unkind."
Jiang Yuebai was certain Ruosheng knew about the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuebai simply steadied her mind, stayed silent, and helped Ruosheng clean the temple together.
Ruosheng looked surprised, raised an eyebrow, opened and closed his mouth.
The two of them, one sweeping the ground, the other weeding.
"You are a monk of Prajna Temple." Jiang Yuebai pulled out the weeds and rearranged the green bricks by the road.
Ruosheng swept the fallen leaves into a pile and did not deny it.
Jiang Yuebai glanced at him, "I can’t see through your cultivation, so it must be above mine. If you are from Prajna Temple, then you are at least over a hundred and twenty years old. I think when Prajna Temple was destroyed, you should have been a child."
"You told me that you were born a monk, so Prajna Temple is your home; it was the abbot who adopted you, yet you watched Prajna Temple get destroyed, you must have a deep-seated hatred in your heart. If I’m not mistaken, the struggles between the sects in the Quicksand Domain over the past years..."
"Were all due to something you did behind the scenes, leading up to this current great war. You don’t aim to help the Buddhist Sect nor the Martial Sect, but to make them all die in No Return Sea."
Ruosheng paused while sweeping the leaves, then continued again.
"Aren’t you truly afraid I might kill you?"
Jiang Yuebai honestly said, "I am afraid, but I speculate you cannot. In a hundred and twenty years, it is possible to cultivate to the Golden Core Realm, but from the first time I saw you, I’ve never seen you make a move. When facing two Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Fanx Monks, you used tactics to escape."
"If you had that ability, you would have killed Sha Yingjie yourself, why bother controlling the Yama Ants, using the Scorpion King to lure the enemy deep, and finally relying on me to deplete Sha Yingjie’s Spiritual Energy? So there must be some reason preventing you from taking action easily."
Ruosheng pressed the broom to the ground, turned around, and looked at Jiang Yuebai seriously, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Since you already know, why not go telling those people?"
Jiang Yuebai shook her head, "I don’t want to and there’s no need. No matter why you do it, whether or not those sects know you’re behind it, they aren’t fools. It must be because of sufficiently enticing benefits that they’ve started fighting."
"Including the Sha Clan, I simply don’t believe they got involved in this battle just for Sha Yingjie. It’s because the Buddhist Sect is weak and will soon be defeated by the Martial Sect, they want to reap the spoils, and you just happened to give them a good excuse. But in any case, this matter has nothing to do with me."
"I’m not saying this to threaten you or with any ulterior motive, nor will I hinder what you’re doing. I truly came to find the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object. It’s particularly important to me. If you know its whereabouts, feel free to name your terms, I am willing to do my best to exchange with you."
With genuine and unwavering eyes, Jiang Yuebai gazed at Ruosheng, who met her gaze momentarily, then lowered his eyes, looking away.
"First help me repair the Buddhist Hall."
"Alright."
Ruosheng said no more, silently cleaning the temple. Together, they quickly cleared the weeds in the courtyard, relaid the green bricks, put the fallen Buddha statues upright, swept away the dust, and set the offering table correctly.
The sunset’s afterglow spilled through the broken roof of the main hall, casting a layer of Golden Light over the worn, paint-peeled Buddha statue, radiating sacred brilliance.
Ruosheng stood in front of the Buddha statue, looking up at it, hands clasped together, and sincerely murmured a Buddhist mantra.
"Master, I still can’t let go."
Jiang Yuebai waited under the Bodhi Tree outside the hall, seeing Ruosheng approach slowly as if he had much to say, she took out a gourd of wine and handed it over.
"How can a monk drink wine?"
Jiang Yuebai opened her eyes wide, full of confusion. You didn’t say that last time!
"Do you know what kind of person the abbot of Prajna Temple was?" Ruosheng gazed at the Bodhi Tree and asked.
Jiang Yuebai shook her head, "Not very clear, perhaps a highly respected monk."
Ruosheng turned to Jiang Yuebai, "In fact, he wasn’t. He was better-looking than me, highly esteemed in public but totally unorthodox in private, didn’t resemble a monk at all."
"Ah?"
Ruosheng shook the red clothing on him, "This ’Kasaya’ was made for me by him. He said Prajna Temple lacked vivid colors. He said Buddha sits in the heart, no need to adhere to strict morals. He said that the greatest kindness knows no sentiment..."
"His behavior was eccentric, not following conventions, yet he insisted on being a monk, ultimately being expelled from the Vajra Platform, wandering alone to the Quicksand Domain, where he built Prajna Temple deep in the No Return Sea. Monks in the Quicksand Domain are all unruly, and the root of trouble lies with him."
Ruosheng turned to Jiang Yuebai, opening a hand, painstakingly cutting his palm with his fingertips.
Jiang Yuebai’s pupils contracted drastically, seeing what seeped from his palm was not blood, but...
Endless yellow sand!
With a grim smile at the corner of his mouth, Ruosheng said, "I am but a handful of yellow sand in the No Return Sea, listening to his scriptures beneath the Bodhi Tree for five hundred years, receiving a Buddha Seal to birth a Spiritual Sense. He named me Ruosheng, hoping I embody Prajna, but ultimately I brought about disaster for him and Prajna Temple."
