Chapter 1: Rebirth

This son married a virtuous wife and had a daughter. He inherited some simple talismans and became the fire priest of Qingtian Village below, but perhaps he has exhausted his good fortune.

This is no longer the original Earth

This body is named Wang Cunyue, originally a disciple of Xie Cheng, the master of the Dayan Temple, and is now accompanied by a junior sister, who is called Xie Xiang

Yunyan Mountain is high and the water is clear, with a serene and unique landscape. However, being close to the deep mountains and secluded valleys, there are certainly many tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, which poses certain risks for residing here

Cold, dark, and painful, the soul, due to its thirst, shatters into fragments, drifting as remnants in the underworld; this is the fate of countless mortal souls

On a certain day, the underworld and hell could not withstand the endless descent of moonlight, as the realm of the dead continuously purified, and the rules and meanings accumulated over billions of years were reduced to ash and cloud.

In the haze, countless memories continuously reorganize, forming a new soul. After a moment, the orb of light has absorbed everything, and the turtle shell sinks into the center of the brow, causing consciousness to once again plunge into darkness

After a moment of astonishment, the young man smiled and said, "You must be Wang Cunye."

The Taoist temple is tranquil, with the body clad in flowing large sleeves and wooden clogs. He attempts to walk a few steps in the dappled light, the sound of the clogs crisp and clear. After centuries of accumulation, negative emotions have been largely overcome. At this moment, he feels only the joy of rebirth

Awakening in a state of confusion, wandering in the underworld, he finally achieved a sense of completeness in his soul, allowing him to break free from his obsession. To reach this point, he struggled for hundreds of years in the depths of the underworld.

Uncertain how many years have passed, he gropes and senses in the endless darkness, striving to reclaim his soul. Guided by the fragments of his spirit, he continuously gathers his soul within the shadows

Wang Cunye turned to look at the young girl, his eyes momentarily dazed, yet he involuntarily said, "It's fine, I'm awake now, aren't I!"

At this moment, the world is vast and desolate, with autumn rain falling incessantly. The fields are invisible, shrouded in a blanket of white. Only a small hill is visible, its slope covered with pine and cypress trees. Among them stands a temple, its surfaces adorned with lush moss, exuding an air of antiquity.

Seeing her cough repeatedly, with her snow-white face devoid of any color, Lu Ren couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth

At that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly approached, and there appeared Junior Sister Xie Xiang, carrying a bowl of soup. Upon seeing her Senior Brother standing at the door, his face pale but clearly conscious and awake, she couldn't help but tremble as she said, "Senior Brother, you... are awake!"

Suddenly, he stared blankly at himself, then turned to look at the ancient and serene house, at which point he finally came to a realization

The name "Dayan Temple" is quite nice, but it was actually built by a Taoist priest named Xie Cheng. It is said that Xie Cheng was enlightened by a true immortal and entered the realm of immortality. However, due to his limited fortune, he did not achieve immortality. He returned to establish this temple and married, having a son.

It is a bit cold! Upon waking up again, he felt this, his teeth chattering from the cold, and a splitting headache, his mind still somewhat muddled, leaving him momentarily unsure of where he was.

Decades of life in the mortal realm, centuries of struggle in the underworld, I thought I had forgotten the sensations of the living world. Yet upon returning to the present, I realized that this gentle breeze, this sunlight, this heartbeat, are deeply etched in my soul, never forgotten for a moment.

Strangely, thin black lines hung down, each accompanied by faint, mournful cries, transforming into clusters of light that approached the boy's motionless body

The radiant light descends from the heavens, enveloping the boundless earth, connecting the ancient and the modern, and the arriving divine illumination extinguishes all...

Uncertain of how much time had passed, the young man finally regained consciousness once again

Lu Renben was only middle-aged, yet at this moment his hair was graying at the temples, clearly a result of life's pressures

Two kinds of memories surged in like a tide, and his breathing became rapid all of a sudden, undergoing a rebirth once again, which was also the most important reorganization.

Autumn has arrived, and the temperature is a bit cold; the body is dressed in a simple robe.

As she spoke, tears began to roll down her snow-white, pale face. After sobbing for a while, she turned around to wipe away the traces of her tears and then left. Before long, a voice reciting a prayer, occasionally interrupted by coughing, floated out from the main hall.

At that moment, the sound of young girls chanting scriptures came from the main hall. As the sound reached this place, my entire body trembled, and waves of memories surged into my soul, causing an immediate splitting headache

Suddenly, tears streamed down my face

Gasping for breath, I instinctively got up and pushed open the door, only to be immediately stunned.

She cast a glance and saw the stove on the steps, saying: "Ahem... Lu Bo, since Shixiong is so ill, we should still use the mountain vine essence to brew some soup to nourish his body"

Lu Ren was both the steward and cook of the Dayan Temple. The Dayan Temple once experienced a period of prosperity, but as Xie Cheng grew old, it gradually declined, and in the final years, its incense offerings became sparse.

After the rain, the sky clears up, and the sunlight shines brightly in the courtyard, casting dappled patterns on the corridor. Taking a deep breath, I feel the fresh air entering my lungs

Rain fell in a patter. In front of a statue, a middle-aged man took out three incense sticks, bowed several times, and placed the incense in the incense burner. He respectfully said, "O divine spirit, the current observer Wang Cunyue is injured and unconscious. I implore your protection, lest the incense be extinguished before the rites are completed, and he becomes a wandering soul..."

The path to enlightenment is fraught with difficulties, and although there is a yearning to perceive the truth of oneself and the universe, the journey is long and arduous, filled with thorns, seemingly leading to an endless horizon

This wave comes quickly and departs just as swiftly; in a mere moment, the pain, akin to the ebb and flow of the tide, dissipates, leaving a sense of great comfort

Each group of small light points, along with the books, will acquire some memories

The past was but a grand dream. After the recent excitement, I could not help but calm my mind and observe carefully a somewhat dilapidated room that came into view. According to its style, it should be a side hall of a grand temple.

The earthquake at the time of death, the reckless indulgence in university, the hometown of youth, and the childhood sweetheart, all ultimately freeze on the tear-streaked face of his mother. He wants to speak, but his mouth can no longer move

However, just a few minutes after the door was closed, suddenly, a faint black light appeared in the hall and swiftly shot into the young man's brow.

The young man smiled, but due to the pain, his smile turned from a cold grin to a spasm. He took a few steps back, leaned against the door, closed his eyes, and silently endured.

This power is immensely formidable, utterly unresistable. In the span of a moment, the thousand layers of hell and the myriad layers of the shadow city were largely purified, while the wheel of reincarnation shattered.

Before me lay a village, home to only two to three hundred households. The sunlight bathed the unevenly arranged rooftops, casting a serene and harmonious glow over the entire village

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then stood up and bowed again, letting out a sigh as he stepped outside. However, just as he exited, he encountered someone at the door. Lu Ren abruptly hit the brakes, steadied his legs, and his body swayed slightly, prompting a wave of lamentation; his physique could not withstand such turmoil.

Xie Xiang looked at Lu Bo in this manner, her eyes involuntarily reddening. She quickly turned around to prevent Lu Ren from seeing and said to him, "I will go back to check if my senior brother has woken up."

Struggling in the underworld for hundreds of years, the least feared is such a soul's counterattack. Once, his soul was completely shattered, yet it could coalesce again. What does this counterattack amount to?

Seizing this opportunity, he leaped into the impending shattering wheel of reincarnation; upon jumping in, he seemed to witness the final scene of that distant world.

In the distance, there is a small pond. Upon approaching, one can see a young man, approximately 1.7 meters tall, with a delicate appearance. At this moment, there is a faint red mark between his eyebrows.

At an unknown time, a fragment gained some fortuitous opportunity and awakened. Through the resonance between souls, it gathered three pieces, briefly restoring its consciousness. The days that followed are ones it prefers not to remember

The complete soul is merely the first step, the underworld is fraught with challenges, and the way home remains unknown, with how much distance yet to traverse.

Opposite me is a young girl, her beauty striking, with a simple hanging bun and dressed in a plain gown adorned only with a few embroidered plum blossoms. Before she even speaks, she lets out a soft gasp, followed by a few light coughs.

Three incense sticks emitted wisps of blue smoke. The middle-aged man prayed for a moment, sighed, and then said: "... Alas, it is merely a delay of a few days, the lord's decree!"

This is a young man named Wang Cunye, who comes from an ordinary farming family. Living in poverty, he began helping his parents with work at a very young age, and by the age of seven, he was entrusted to Xie Cheng.

During a medicinal herb gathering, an old tiger in the mountains attacked, resulting in a fatal bite. Xie Cheng arrived and fought the tiger, but his son and daughter-in-law were already dead. His granddaughter was left in shock and fear, causing Xie Cheng to weep bitterly, realizing he was gradually aging. Later, he took on a disciple, who passed away this year, leaving the position of the temple master to this disciple, who then encountered this unfortunate event.

Dai Dai looked around and then gazed down towards the foot of the mountain

In the side hall of the Dayan Pavilion, on a somewhat dilapidated bed, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen lies pale on the bed, his eyes tightly closed. His handsome face can be faintly seen. It is now late autumn, and the boy is wearing a long robe, covered by a quilt that has been patched many times.

Moments later, above the human body, a turtle shell appeared, emanating black mist, with fine threads hanging down like water dripping from an eave, continuously flowing. Inside, there were countless minute black characters, crashing down.

... ... ... intoxicated by wealth and luxury, in a myriad of worlds ...

Is this the final counterattack of the original master?

Then there is learning, literacy, and cultivation... Each memory is vivid, bearing distinct marks, yet with every one absorbed, my head aches intensely, as if it were about to split open...

The endless darkness before him had never dissipated, until a piercing ray of light shone through the crevice of Wang Cunye's eyes, reflecting the myriad experiences of his life.

The mountain vine essence is one of the few possessions of the Dayan Temple. The young lady is frail and needs to use this to improve her constitution. He generally hesitates to use it, but upon seeing her cough repeatedly, with a hint of blood color on her face, he truly feels heartbroken. After a moment of contemplation, he sighs: "Very well, I have watched you both grow up since childhood. I will use the mountain vine essence to make soup to nourish this young man. However, this substance diminishes with each use, and you will need it in the future."

I once thought that death was the end, but I did not expect it to be an endless darkness

The young girl before me is Xie Xiang, the granddaughter of Xie Cheng, who has been frail since childhood

In my memory, I can clearly feel the old Taoist's helpless sigh: "... ... barely qualified, with a low fate, but I cannot find anyone better."

Looking at the person in the water, listening to the heartbeat, only after a moment did I awaken

Yunyan Mountain · Dayan Temple

This is a fifteen-year-old body

Then came the long journey, the gray-black sky seemed endless. However, this memory, from this point on, had not yet been given the chance to be recalled extensively. The faint glimmers outside the body, like fireflies, gradually merged into the body.

Wang Cunye was originally an outer disciple of Chengping Dao. A few days ago, he felt that his cultivation had made progress and intended to venture into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs. However, he was unexpectedly swept away by a demon beast. The beast found his flesh and spiritual energy insufficient and did not consume him. After being thrown away, it returned to the deep mountains. After being retrieved by his junior sister, he ended up in this state.

The young man trembled all over, his expression one of agony. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out at all

Xie Xiang gently crouched beside the bed, tears staining her face, softly caressing the young man's cheek, murmuring, "Senior brother, you must hold on, what will I do without you"