Chapter 100

In the Ri Yue Pavilion, Xin'er talked to Lu Zheng about the ten great spiritual masters in the cultivation world. The top five were: the first place was held by Shengzong, the second place was shared by Dixin Tian and Lianhua Zun, the third place was held by Xiangdixian from Mingyue Mountain, the fourth place was held by Mr. Le, and the fifth place was their teacher, Li Yi.

Lu Zheng asked, "Xin'er, you just said Dixin Tian and Lianhua Zun are second, but why not first? Is there someone even more powerful than them?"

Xin'er replied, "Little brother, do you know the predecessor of the Holy Sect?"

Lu Zheng said, "I've heard the great monk talk about him. He fought alone against ten great demons, stopping them from wreaking havoc on the human world. He also planted a fence to protect humanity for thousands of years. He is a great hero, and I respect him very much."

Xin'er nodded and said, "Yes, his abilities are so high that it is said only the Buddha and the Daoist ancestors are more powerful than him. Not only do you respect him, but Father and Mother also respect him, and so do I. Many others respect him as well, including those who ranked the ten great masters. When this ranking was first circulated, many people were puzzled that Dixin Tian and Lianhua Zun were not ranked first. But later, it was said that the person who ranked them felt that although the predecessor of the Holy Sect is no longer around, he was the only one in history to reach the realm of 'beyond all laws,' so he should always be given the first place. After that, no one had much to say about it."

Lu Zheng, upon hearing that the first place was actually the predecessor of the Holy Sect, nodded and said, "The person who made this ranking is really thoughtful. Xin'er, who are the other five? You mentioned that the great monk's teacher, Yunye Zunzhe, is one of them. What place is he in?"

Xin'er said, "Mother said that Yunye Zunzhe is a great monk in Foshan. He created the 'Indestructible Vajra' technique, which is praised as the most remarkable technique created in a thousand years within the Buddhist community. However, his cultivation has not yet reached the third realm, so he is ranked sixth. Mother also said that Yunye Zunzhe can be considered the best below the third realm!"

That night, the ascetic monk used the 'Indestructible Vajra Fist' and 'Vajra Demon-Subduing Chant' to defeat the snake demon and save Lu Zheng. However, Lu Zheng was unconscious at the time, and the ascetic monk did not mention what techniques he used when he later talked about the situation.

Lu Zheng asked, "Indestructible? Does that mean he will never die?"

Xin'er laughed and said, "Little brother, no one can live forever, even cultivators have a limited lifespan! 'Indestructible' means this technique is extremely powerful!"

"None can live forever." Xin'er said this without much thought. She was young and innocent, and did not find death terrifying. However, Lu Zheng was suddenly startled by these words and felt a chill run through his heart. A thought suddenly arose in his mind: since everyone will eventually die, why bother living so hard?

This thought quickly led to others. He thought of Tang Xiaojiu's death and his desire to avenge his brother. But if cultivators can die, then demons can also die. So even if he did not kill the snake demon, it would die eventually. Why should he bother to kill it if it will die anyway?

For a moment, Lu Zheng's mind was filled with these thoughts, and he felt a deep sense of emptiness. He suddenly remembered the song the ascetic monk sang on the Two Worlds Mountain.

"Human life spans a hundred years, past and future, but are just a grain of sand in the universe. Like bubbles and foam, lightning and bananas, the world is an illusion, and life is cold. The mortal world is such. Day and night, who does not look around in panic? Thinking deeply, it is all meaningless. When will it end, and will the spring breeze come again?"

When the ascetic monk sang this song, Lu Zheng felt a deep sense of sorrow and desolation. Now, he felt a sense of emptiness and disillusionment, realizing that everything he did was ultimately meaningless, like leaves that fall and cover the ground again and again. How could one compete with the vast universe? In the end, one would return to the earth, and the heart would fall into the netherworld, with no one knowing the other.

Thinking about this, Lu Zheng felt as if his heart had been hollowed out, and he was lost in thought. Suddenly, he felt someone patting his arm. He came back to his senses and saw Xin'er looking at him with surprise, calling his name. He said, "Xin'er, what's wrong?"

Xin'er said, "Little brother, why were you so distracted just now? You were muttering something. Did you not hear what I said?"

Lu Zheng apologized, "I'm sorry, Xin'er. I was thinking about the great monk when you mentioned Yunye Zunzhe, so I got distracted." He did not know how to express his feelings to Xin'er, so he brought up the ascetic monk.

Xin'er, who had heard him mention the ascetic monk many times and knew about his relationship with the Eight Sufferings Monk, said, "Oh, I see. So you were muttering the strange incantations the great monk taught you?"

Lu Zheng had never stopped reciting the 'Light Incantation' and 'Clear Heart Incantation' the ascetic monk taught him, not because he particularly liked them or found them useful, but because they were taught by the great monk, and he did not want to let them go. He always hoped that one day the ascetic monk would visit the Ri Yue Pavilion, and he could recite them for him.

Since he and Xin'er talked about everything, she naturally knew about the incantations. Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "I wasn't reciting incantations, but a song the great monk taught me. I'll sing it for you." He then sang the song.

However, when Xin'er heard it, she frowned and said, "Little brother, I don't like this song. It makes me feel uncomfortable, sad, and miserable." She was innocent and did not understand the hardships of life, so she naturally felt repulsed by the song's heavy and gloomy tone.

Lu Zheng, who never went against her, laughed and said, "If you don't like it, I won't sing it. I didn't hear what you said just now, so I apologize. Can you say it again?"

Xin'er blinked and thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, but first, catch a butterfly king for me."

Lu Zheng smiled. Xin'er loved playing with butterfly kings more than anything else. He had caught them for her many times over the past year, and he was already very skilled at it. He took a net and searched the Jinbolo flower field, quickly catching three. Xin'er carefully examined them in her hands, played with them until she was satisfied, and then released them.

Lu Zheng said, "Can you tell me now?"

Xin'er smiled and said, "Little brother is the best and the most capable. I wonder why I can never catch them." Xin'er saw how easily Lu Zheng caught the butterfly kings, and it made her itchy to try. She had attempted several times but never succeeded. Since then, she never mentioned catching them herself. However, she never asked Lu Zheng to catch them directly. Instead, she used small favors to make Lu Zheng want to catch them for her, willingly serving her.

Xin'er said, "Little brother, thinking about the great monk was right. I mentioned that the great monk's teacher, Yunye Zunzhe, cultivated the 'Indestructible Vajra' technique. It is said that when fully cultivated, it forms an indestructible body. It is said to be even more powerful than the Daoist 'Purple Gold Jade Body,' which nothing can penetrate. However, the third-ranked Xiangdixian from Mingyue Mountain's most powerful technique is his sword energy, called 'Permit Life, Permit Death, Frenzied Sword.' It is said that this sword can penetrate anything in the world."

Lu Zheng, recalling the overwhelming power of that sword, agreed that it was indeed invincible. But he also remembered that Yunye Zunzhe's indestructible body was said to be unbreakable. He said, "So, if..."

Xin'er giggled and said, "If Xiangdixian's sword were to strike Yunye Zunzhe's indestructible body, what would happen?"

Lu Zheng asked, "What would happen?"

Xin'er laughed even more and playfully tapped Lu Zheng's head, saying, "Silly brother, how would I know? Would anyone dare to suggest that the two predecessors test each other?"

Lu Zheng, feeling the tap on his head and the scent of Xin'er, felt the sense of emptiness and disillusionment dissipate. Instead, he felt the flowers around him were fragrant, and Xin'er was adorable. The world seemed full of life.

Lu Zheng, influenced by her, laughed and said, "Yes, that would be a difficult match. If Xiangdixian won, Yunye Zunzhe would be in trouble. But if Yunye Zunzhe won, Xiangdixian would lose face. Whether the sword penetrates or not, it would be bad."

Xin'er said, "Who says it isn't? This has been discussed in the cultivation world, but no one can answer it. It will likely remain a mystery forever!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Xin'er, who are the next ones?"

Xin'er said, "The seventh place is held by the head of the Daoist Tianzong, Yuan Wujie. The eighth place is held by the abbot of Fayu Temple on Dulei Mountain, Dunwu Kongling. The ninth place is held by the abbot of Buzhong Temple on Yinyuan Mountain, Zhizhuan. The tenth place is held by the elder of the Daoist Dizong, Ren Daozhi. These are the ten great spiritual masters in the cultivation world. However, the ranking of these five is the most controversial, and they are all from the Daoist and Buddhist sects. Some people think that high-ranking individuals from noble families and independent cultivators should also be included. In short, some people take this ranking seriously, while others do not, and it is probably just a creation of some bored people."

Lu Zheng had heard the ascetic monk talk about the eleven Daoist sects and the eleven Buddhist mountains, and he knew there were also independent cultivators in the world. He thought, if someone really wanted to rank the top ten masters, wouldn't that person be even more powerful than these ten? But Xin'er also said that the ranking was unknown and likely a creation of bored people. Mr. Le had once told them that he was ranked ahead of their teacher, which was probably just a casual remark and not to be taken seriously.

However, he was interested in the ten great spiritual masters because he wanted to learn their techniques. He did not know these masters well, so he did not care about the ranking. Just hearing about these great masters in the cultivation world broadened his horizons. The fleeting thought of disillusionment made him feel that revenge was also an illusion, but his mindset changed, and he now eagerly anticipated learning the techniques and spells.

At that moment, a beam of light descended, and the two looked closely to see their teacher, Li Yi, who was ranked fifth among the ten great masters. They quickly bowed, but Li Yi ignored them and stormed into the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion. This left them puzzled, as Li Yi was usually calm and never showed anger. What had happened today?

Just then, another beam of light landed, and Le Zhongping returned. The two asked, "Mr. Le, what happened? Why does the teacher look so angry?"

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