Chapter 4: The World Honored One of Mount Sumeru  

Xu Nan Xian frowned deeply, using one hand to summon the fallen scroll back into his palm with a flick of his fingers. The Golden Pattern Announcement floated in the air.  

Su Han Sheng was still pinned down by his other hand, his cheek pressed against the couch as he flailed his limbs helplessly.  

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Senior Brother, it hurts!”  

Xu Nan Xian’s gaze landed on the words “Enlightenment Academy.” He froze for a long moment before lifting Su Han Sheng up like a cat, still somewhat disbelieving. “You actually chose the Enlightenment Academy?”  

Su Han Sheng’s dark hair was disheveled, and red marks streaked his face.  

Covering his cheek, he dared to glare at Xu Nan Xian.  

Xu Nan Xian shot him a look, and Su Han Sheng immediately cowered, lowering his eyes and pouting. “I told you earlier, but you didn’t believe me.”  

Only then did Xu Nan Xian realize his mistake. He reached out and perfunctorily rubbed the marks on Su Han Sheng’s face to placate him, then examined the announcement three times over.  

Su Han Sheng was easy to appease and could never stay angry at his senior brother for long. He tilted his head, nuzzling into Xu Nan Xian’s palm, and said sweetly, “Senior Brother, am I good? Am I obedient?”  

After triple-checking that the announcement was genuine, the weight in Xu Nan Xian’s heart finally lifted.  

He rolled up the scroll and glanced at Su Han Sheng, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, you’re just the best.”  

Su Han Sheng took it as praise and happily clung to Xu Nan Xian’s arm, refusing to let go. “Senior Brother, don’t worry—I’ll always be this good!”  

Xu Nan Xian tossed the scroll into the air and caught it smoothly with a smirk. “Tomorrow’s birthday banquet will have many esteemed guests. If you can behave like this then, I’ll believe you.”  

In his past life, Su Han Sheng had been too angry with Xu Nan Xian to attend the banquet, so he asked curiously, “Who’s coming tomorrow?”  

“Remember the Sect Master of Shangyuan Prefecture?” Xu Nan Xian said. “Tsk, she even checked your pulse when you were little. Her disciple is known as the Little Medicine Immortal—she used to clamor about marrying you when you were kids.”  

Su Han Sheng shook his head.  

He had heard of the “Little Medicine Immortal.” In the tragedy of the Enlightenment Rite in his past life, she had also perished in the Secret Realm.  

Xu Nan Xian rolled his eyes. “What about the World Honored One of Mount Sumeru?”  

Su Han Sheng thought for a moment. “That old, bald monk?”  

Xu Nan Xian: “…”  

Xu Nan Xian bit his tongue hard to keep from laughing.  

Keeping a straight face, he smacked Su Han Sheng’s head. “Don’t be rude—the World Honored One of Mount Sumeru is special. Though he hasn’t taken monastic vows yet, he has deep karmic ties to Buddhism.”  

The World Honored One’s status was unique. The Buddha of Mount Sumeru once prophesied that he would face a tribulation in his fate—only by overcoming it could he renounce the world and attain boundless virtue.  

Because of this prophecy, the World Honored One had observed ascetic practices and worshipped Buddha atop Mount Sumeru for a thousand years.  

At the summit, eighty-four thousand yojanas high, snow fell year-round, and breath turned to frost.  

Legends said the World Honored One was forged from frost and snow, his very bones exuding an untouchable chill. From afar, one could glimpse the ancient, enigmatic divine aura of the millennia-old mountain range.  

Compassionate and benevolent, the World Honored One resided above the clouds, delivering all living beings.  

Even the most unruly demons dared not defile his presence.  

…Yet here was Su Han Sheng, calling a monk a “bald thief.” Perhaps his resentment toward Su Xuan Lin had extended to the World Honored One, Su Xuan Lin’s closest friend in life.  

“Eldest Senior Brother told me that when you were just a little runt, you’d cling to the World Honored One the moment he visited Echoing Warmth Sect—not only burrowing into his robes but also gnawing on his prayer beads while teething.” Xu Nan Xian gestured a height about knee-high and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve forgotten all that?”

Su Han Sheng frowned. “No impression.”

In his previous life, he hadn’t heard much about the World Honored One of Mount Sumeru, only that he was on close terms with Immortal Lord Su Xuan Lin.

After Su Xuan Lin’s demise, the World Honored One left Mount Sumeru to undergo tribulation and rarely ventured out, often staying at the Daoist Academy.

Why would he suddenly come to the Echoing Warmth Sect in this life?

“If you don’t remember, forget it. Just don’t say anything wrong tomorrow and offend anyone.”

Hearing the morning bell chime, Xu Nan Xian didn’t linger to chat with Su Han Sheng. After a few more reminders, he took the scroll and strode away in high spirits.

Su Han Sheng watched Xu Nan Xian leave, then noticed Chang Kong trying to sneak off. He glared at him unhappily.

Chang Kong forced a laugh. “The—the medicine’s gone cold. I’ll go warm it up for the Young Master.”

With that, he bolted like a rabbit.

Su Han Sheng didn’t mind him reporting to Xu Nan Xian, but hearing Chang Kong mention “medicine” reminded him that in his previous life, the Phoenix Bone had begun its violent eruption the day after his birthday.

That time, the bone flames had been especially fierce, nearly reducing him to ashes.

Now, the top priority was to find Chong Jue as soon as possible.

Impatient with how slowly the Lifebound Tree was searching, Su Han Sheng plucked a vine from his shoulder and closed his eyes, merging a wisp of his consciousness into the roots.

Due to the frequent eruptions of the Phoenix Bone, Su Han Sheng had rarely left Frosty Expanse Garden before turning seventeen in his past life.

But he loved excitement too much, so he devised a method to attach his consciousness to the roots and extend them outward, hiding underground to eavesdrop on conversations or sneak forbidden books from the library.

His consciousness swiftly spread along the familiar path, reaching its destination in moments.

The fourth floor of the library housed a massive Mount Sumeru Mustard. The core of the mountain’s protective formation lay within a colossal Jade Armillary Sphere, where constellations rotated and countless inscribed runes shimmered with golden light.

The World Map Records were kept here.

Because of its proximity to the protective formation, retrieving the World Map Records normally required permission from the sect’s elders and an escort of five or six elders.

Su Han Sheng found this too troublesome and always sneaked in instead.

The Lifebound Tree silently climbed the pavilion, its countless snow-white roots coalescing into a spectral human form.

Su Han Sheng floated to the massive Jade Armillary Sphere, where a jade slip carved with intricate runes hovered mid-air, surrounded by fluttering fireflies.

With a flick of his finger, the jade slip unfurled, revealing a miniature version of the World Map.

Yesterday, he hadn’t found the name “Chong Jue” among the Demon Race, so he searched through the Yao Race, Human Race, Merfolk, Ghost Race, and even the Ferocious Race.

After a long while, he found nothing.

Only Mount Sumeru remained unchecked on the World Map.

A Buddhist cultivator?

Su Han Sheng almost laughed.

Chong Jue, that bloodthirsty, lust-addicted demon, couldn’t possibly be a Buddhist.

He poured his consciousness into the World Map to investigate, and as expected, none of the Buddhist cultivators recorded under the “Chong” generation matched “Chong Jue.”

Except…

Su Han Sheng pulled out a ledger shimmering with golden patterns. At the top, where names were inscribed, only two words appeared:

World Honored One.

In all of Mount Sumeru, only the World Honored One lacked a Dharma name.

Su Han Sheng tossed the ledger back into the World Map, frowning as he withdrew his consciousness along the roots.

Chong Jue couldn’t possibly be a Buddhist cultivator. That left only one possibility—he had fallen into Avici Hell thousands of years ago.

Finding nothing, Su Han Sheng’s mood soured.

Just as his consciousness left the library, on the path back, he faintly sensed a familiar presence.

—It seemed to be Elder Xie from the Echoing Warmth Sect.

Su Han Sheng didn’t want to be caught and scolded by Xie Shizhi, so he slowed the movement of his roots.

Before long, the presence drew closer—Xie Shizhi seemed to be heading this way.

The voices gradually became clearer.

“…After the fall of Immortal Lord Su Xuan Lin, all his remaining possessions were stored in the Mount Sumeru Mustard of Denmo Shrine, guarded by his Soulbound Spirit. They will be handed over to the Young Lord once he comes of age.”

Elder Xie’s voice carried an unmistakable tone of reverence.

Su Han Sheng frowned.

Xie Shizhi was Su Xuan Lin’s most trusted confidant. Over the years, he had temporarily taken charge of all major and minor affairs of the Echoing Warmth Sect. His cultivation was profound and unfathomable, and his position was one of great authority. Who could make him respond with such deference?

“The Echoing Warmth Sect has the protective grand array left behind by Immortal Lord Su Xuan Lin. No evil spirits or heretical Dao practitioners could possibly intrude,” Elder Xie continued. “Your visit here is truly an honor. Xiao Xiao would surely be delighted if he knew—he used to cling to you all the time as a child.”

The person on the other side merely responded with a soft “Mm,” a single syllable as elegant as the chime of jade.

Su Han Sheng was puzzled.

Why were they talking about him?

His curiosity grew stronger. Silently, he extended a hair-thin root from the soft soil, gradually shifting his Divine Soul upward.

His Divine Soul broke through the darkness, and a sliver of light fell upon it.

But before Su Han Sheng could clearly see the person’s appearance, the man hidden amidst the lush foliage suddenly turned his head. His tranquil, ink-green eyes gazed directly at him.

Su Han Sheng was startled.

With just that one glance, an overwhelming pressure descended, filling the entire Echoing Warmth Sect. The roots spread throughout the sect withered like dehydrated moss in an instant, and his Divine Soul was shattered with a resounding force.

Su Han Sheng’s cultivation was too weak, and his Divine Soul was unstable. In the blink of an eye, he was knocked unconscious.

Elder Xie noticed the pause in his companion’s steps and asked respectfully, “World Honored One, is there anything amiss?”

Clad in white robes, the World Honored One exuded an air of Zen. He lowered his gaze to the withered root as thin as a strand of hair beside him and replied indifferently.

“Nothing at all.”