Chapter 979: Invitation

The boy sprinted wildly through the torrential downpour, several corpses strewn haphazardly behind him, their fresh blood mingling with the rain to stain the earth crimson.

He flung open the wooden door and, seeing his younger sister safe and sound, collapsed onto the threshold without a care for the muddy ground, bursting into uproarious laughter.

Yet as he laughed, tears began to flow; he stood up and held her in a death grip, refusing to let go, as if clinging to a priceless treasure lost and found again.

"Little sister, you are finally safe."

Confounded by his behavior, she wanted to say something but found herself at a loss for words, leaving her no choice but to pat his back gently.

Just as she thought of some comforting words to speak, she discovered that the boy had already fallen asleep against her shoulder.

The boy dreamed a very, very long dream.

He dreamed that his sister died right before his eyes, and then the murderer killed him too.

Yet he did not truly die; instead, he returned to the day before his sister's tragedy.

Thinking it was merely a dream, he thought nothing of it, but when he realized the dream was turning into reality, panic seized him—everything played out exactly like his previous experience, and his sister died before his eyes once more.

When he returned to the preceding day a second time, he desperately wanted to tell her everything he had experienced, but the moment he tried to speak, his vision went black, an endless darkness engulfed him, and he was returned to the starting point yet again.

Never reveal the bizarre occurrences happening to oneself; this was the unspoken revelation he had received from the ethereal void.

To save his sister, he endured many cycles of reincarnation, relying on the information gained in each cycle to orchestrate a hidden plan until finally, in the seventh cycle, he eliminated the murderer and his sister survived.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed, his muddy clothes removed and his body wiped clean by his sister; the sound of running water echoed from the adjacent room, likely his sister laundering his clothes.

Never before had the boy felt a bed to be such a warm place.

He raised his right hand, as if examining his fingers or staring at the ceiling, recalling those seven cycles of reincarnation that felt like a dream.

The boy murmured to himself, a trace of bewilderment flickering in his eyes: "What on earth is going on?"

Even in the storytelling chronicles that narrated the legends of cultivators, no such precedent existed.

......

The seven cycles were not the conclusion of the reincarnation phenomenon, but rather its inception.

Since then, Lu Yang had encountered hundreds of reincarnations, both large and small.

This made Lu Yang feel increasingly that it did not resemble the playful antics of a Dao Fruit of Time user, nor did it seem like a battle.

Furthermore, Lu Yang’s side had consistently failed to find any information regarding the user of the Dao Fruit of Time.

According to the Eldest Senior Sister, Jiang Ping'an had utilized the power of the national destiny during several cycles to observe the entire grand landscape of Great Xia, attempting to find any difference from the previous cycle, but no useful clues were discovered.

Lu Yang had visited the Immortal Palace to consult Ying Tian Xian, but even Ying Tian Xian was clueless, merely stating that perhaps the fateful opportunity had not yet arrived, and that they would eventually cross paths if destiny allowed.

Lu Yang mentally translated Ying Tian Xian's words: I don't know how to find the user of the Dao Fruit of Time either.

At the summit of Heavenly Gate Peak, Lu Yang retracted his sword qi, signaling the end of this particular cultivation session.

Lu Yang felt anxious during every cultivation session, terrified that he would encounter another time reversal, rendering his cultivation efforts entirely in vain.

Thanks to that user he had never met, Lu Yang had already seen six hundred double-hours of cultivation results vanish into thin air.

"Just take it as tempering my state of mind," Lu Yang comforted himself.

"Second-in-command, there is a letter for you," Yun Mengmeng ran over, waving a brownish-yellow envelope.

"A letter for me?"

Lu Yang had received quite a few letters; after all, his reputation preceded him. Not only did he possess high cultivation and rich experiences, but he also had a gentle temperament. Cultivators and mortals often sent him letters—some expressing a desire to meet him, some requesting autographs, some wishing to exchange insights, and some containing direct love confessions.

Lu Yang assumed this was just another missive from an admirer, but upon tearing it open, he realized otherwise.

"Sent from the Kaihuang Temple of the Buddhist Realm?"

Lu Yang had absolutely no recollection of this Kaihuang Temple, but after reading the contents, realization dawned upon him.

"So they are inviting me to bolster their prestige."

"Bolster their prestige?" Yun Mengmeng asked, puzzled.

"The letter from Kaihuang Temple states that when Junior Brother Shi Chan was debating Buddhist dharma there, he mentioned my deeds. It happens that they are hosting the Bathing Buddha Festival along with a cultivator martial tournament, so they hope I will grace them with my presence to serve as a judge."

"The Buddhist Realm operates under a system of unity between church and state, meaning Kaihuang Temple is not just a monastery; it also governs the local city, equivalent to our official government."

"However, Kaihuang Temple is not a major temple, nor do they govern a grand city. Their inviting me over is most likely to borrow my reputation to bolster their prestige."

If it were a grand city or a major temple, Lu Yang would certainly have had some impression of it.

"So that's how it is."

Although Yun Mengmeng did not truly understand, it did not stop her from nodding.

"Then are you going?"

Lu Yang tucked the envelope away: "Kaihuang Temple has no ill intentions, and it just so happens that I haven't been to the Buddhist Realm yet. It wouldn't hurt to make a trip."

Considering the reputation his master and Second Senior Brother held in the Buddhist Realm, Lu Yang had always hesitated to go there, wishing to avoid any man-made difficulties.

This time, he was finally being invited with a positive image; such an opportunity was rare, so he naturally had to go.

"Sister Mengmeng, do you want to come along?"

"Is there anything delicious in the Buddhist Realm?" Yun Mengmeng cared about this above all else.

Lu Yang recalled the local specialties of the Buddhist Realm: "Due to religious beliefs, there is basically no meat in the Buddhist Realm. Everyone eats vegetarian food, and their vegetarian cuisine is quite superb."

"Forget it then." Yun Mengmeng’s interest in the Buddhist Realm diminished drastically. "Second-in-command, just bring me back some local specialties from the Buddhist Realm when you return."

"Alright."

The Immortal Fairy popped out, recalling the Buddhist traditions with a look of utter perplexity: "Speaking of which, it really is strange. Back when the five of us fabricated Buddhism, this Immortal kept advocating that the Buddhist sect should not restrict meat or vegetarian food. Ying Tian Xian and the other three insisted that Buddhism must abstain from meat and foul foods, eat more vegetarian dishes, and even claimed that since I was the founder of Buddhism, I should follow Buddhist rules and prepare more vegetarian food when cooking in the future. Since all four of them said so, this Immortal could only agree to the Buddhist meat abstinence."

Lu Yang felt that it was probably because the toxicity of the Fairy's vegetarian cooking was slightly lower than that of her meat dishes.

"Then Fairy, did you only cook vegetarian food from then on?"

"Of course not. I was already the founder, so why would I follow any rules?"

"..."

Kaihuang Temple could not predict exactly when the envelope would arrive at the Single Dao Sect, so they had sent it many days in advance. At present, there was still some time before the Bathing Buddha Festival, allowing Lu Yang to prepare at his leisure.

For instance, inviting his close friend.

"Old Meng, do you want to go to the Buddhist Realm?" Lu Yang approached Meng Jingzhou with a mischievous grin, showing him the letter from Kaihuang Temple.

Meng Jingzhou silently produced a letter, which was also sent by Kaihuang Temple.

"You have one too?" Lu Yang was very surprised.

Meng Jingzhou gave Lu Yang an annoyed look: "It's only normal for a natural-born Buddhist son like me to receive an invitation, isn't it?"

The outside world rumored him to be a natural-born Buddhist son, and he had already resigned himself to this title.

"Then are you going or not?" Lu Yang asked.

He had heard that the Buddhist Realm was covered in endless yellow sands with harsh environments, so Meng Jingzhou felt there was nothing fun to do there and originally had no plans to go, which was why he hadn't invited Lu Yang.

"Since you are going, then I might as well make the trip too."