Upon learning of the events in the Little Cang World following his Cultivation Ascension, and hearing that Qin Lingxiao and Daoist Yuanci had reincarnated with their True Spirits intertwined, Li Yuehua’s eyes clouded with complex emotions as she breathed a heavy sigh. "Such a fated connection... had I known it would lead to this moment, I would have forced her to sever those feelings back then, regardless of the pain."
Wang Ba found himself unable to respond.
While they conversed, an urgent call echoed from the distance.
Li Yuehua’s expression turned rigid.
"Why has she arrived so soon?"
Recognizing the voice, Wang Ba knew it belonged to the maid-in-waiting, Sister Cui, whom Li Yuehua had recently mentioned.
Without a moment to lose, Li Yuehua gave a few hurried commands to Wang Ba. Moving quickly, she grabbed a piece of cloth, draped it over the bamboo basket, and departed in a flurry.
Left in the quiet darkness, Wang Ba contemplated his precarious circumstances.
He held little interest in gathering opportunities; his primary goal remained returning to the Realm Sea to reclaim his physical form. As for the deeper conflicts within the Realm Sea of Origin, he was not yet concerned with such lofty matters.
However, the effects of the pill Li Yuehua had administered soon began to manifest. His senses grew sharp, his spirits lifted, and his memories clarity sharpened significantly.
Moments later, the sound of the door being flung open reached him again.
The cloth was hastily pulled back, revealing Li Yuehua’s anxious features. "I cannot fathom what they are thinking, demanding a thorough cleaning of every room at this hour," she whispered urgently. "Wang, I must relocate you to the Realm Sea of Origin immediately. Do not wander away; remain there until I settle matters here. Once it is safe, I will return for you. With the True Spirit Pill in your system, you should be secure within the origin."
Wang Ba felt a flicker of surprise, momentarily taken aback.
Before he could respond, she scooped up the bamboo basket and moved with great haste outside. Under the dark blue canopy of the heavens, which resembled the deep, eternal night, his increased vigor allowed him to perceive the world with newfound detail.
Peering through the narrow gaps in the basketry, he caught glimpses of a labyrinthine complex consisting of pavilions, walkways, and serene waterside structures. These buildings were anchored in an expansive, gray-blue body of water that stretched infinitely, merging with the dim horizon as if touching the very stars above.
After a rapid trek, Li Yuehua paused to scan her surroundings. Finding a hidden spot, she crouched down and gently lowered the basket into the pool.
Wang Ba felt a surge of movement as water rushed into his enclosure. Feeling the buoyancy support his frame, he wiggled free, slipping out of the basket and into the water.
Li Yuehua peered at the gray fish swimming in the pool, whispering softly: "Please, do not wander off. Stay here and wait; I will come back for you."
Wang Ba offered a slight flick of his body in acknowledgement.
Perhaps influenced by the potency of the True Spirit Pill, he felt substantially stronger than upon his arrival, and a sense of calm washed over him. As he glided through the water, he turned his eyes toward Li Yuehua to signal his understanding before she hurried away.
Wang Ba drifted slowly through the depths. He observed the microscopic dust motes swirling in the water—each one a residual soul from a fallen being. He also spotted mayflies drifting on the surface; these were undoubtedly True Spirits as well. Whenever he drifted close to them, he could sense the fragments of lives they had endured, gaining a profound feeling of enlightenment.
Though his instincts urged him to open his mouth and consume these mayflies and remnants, he suppressed the urge and spat them out. Nevertheless, countless visions flooded his consciousness, leaving a faint impression on his own memories.
In his trance, he felt as though he had inhabited these fallen lives, living through deaths and births alike. Some had been masters of Cultivation, others were Spirit Beasts who had found wisdom, and some were even sentient Spirit Plants. He witnessed fates ranging from peaceful departures to disastrous failures during Crossing Tribulation.
Many of these souls were linked to the Tianshang Buddha and the Supreme True Buddha, perhaps as casualties of mass campaigns that had forced their remnants into the Realm Sea of Origin.
These last echoes of life told their stories to Wang Ba. While they offered little to assist with the peak rules he had already mastered, they granted him a unique perspective on the six major doctrines of Buddhism.
"Karma, reincarnation, good and evil—all are born from causes and conditions."
"Karma is split into collective and individual forces; the actions of others influence my own, and thus my fruit is harvested."
"Reincarnation is an endless, aimless cycle for beings trapped within the Three Realms and Six Paths by ignorance."
"Regarding good and evil… is there truly a distinction? Is this why the Tianshang Buddha could shed blood without staining his own Buddha heart?"
Wang Ba felt a glimmer of understanding, yet a missing piece of the puzzle remained.
Suddenly, the sound of chirping broke his concentration.
He pulled his head above the water to look toward the shore. A group of young maidservants, laden with fruit and food, moved gracefully between the pavilions. As they walked toward a distant structure, their muffled laughter and chatter grated on his nerves.
Wang Ba realized with a jolt: "The feast has commenced!"
Through the thin, misty gauze of the distant pavilion, he could see shadows flickering in the light, accompanied by the faint, rhythmic sounds of a gathering.
