Chapter 7: Unforeseen Strife  

Dustfall Incense curled languidly around slender limbs.  

Su Han Sheng blinked in confusion. “A body-snatching ghost?”  

Chong Jue’s clear, penetrating gaze seemed to see through all the demons and devils of the world, as if reciting scriptures before the Buddha.  

“Reincarnation through corpse is taboo across the Three Realms. The Divine Soul in this life will meet no peaceful end, and the next life will be burdened with karmic debt. Why not enter the cycle of rebirth and ascend to paradise?”  

Su Han Sheng replied blankly, “I did not snatch this body.”  

This vessel had always belonged to him.  

The summer rain poured heavily, and muffled thunder rolled across the sky.  

A flash of stark silver light illuminated Chong Jue’s stern features, making him resemble a Buddha statue seated high above the clouds. With a casual gesture, the lingering smoke twisted like ethereal threads, weaving between his well-defined fingers, creating an allure born of icy detachment.  

Under Chong Jue’s control, wisps of white mist from the Dustfall Incense suddenly pierced through Su Han Sheng’s brow.  

Thinking he was about to be exorcised on the spot, Su Han Sheng immediately struggled.  

“Uncl—”  

Before he could finish, the amber light in his eyes dimmed abruptly. The Dustfall Incense carried a wisp of azure soul out of his body.  

The Lifebound Tree, confined outside the courtyard, sensed its master’s soul leaving his body. Amid the raging storm, it transformed into its true, monstrous form, claws outstretched as it lunged at the barrier Chong Jue had erected.  

“Boom—!”  

A thunderbolt struck. The rain-soaked withered branches of the Lifebound Tree shattered against the barrier, turning into splinters.  

Su Han Sheng’s soul drifted gently into Chong Jue’s palm.  

The dazed soul, forcibly expelled from its vessel, caught a familiar scent and instinctively nuzzled into Chong Jue’s palm like a sleeping kitten.  

The soul resembled pale jade, yet it was entwined with three strange crimson threads.  

Even the World Honored One of Mount Sumeru had never seen such an aberrant soul.  

Chong Jue flicked his finger.  

The soul unfurled like a sheet of paper, spinning wildly in midair. As the white mist dispersed, its true form was suddenly revealed.  

Chong Jue frowned slightly.  

The “body-snatching ghost” had manifested.  

A tiny, curled-up soul, its jet-black hair cascading to its ankles, draped over a slender frame as it slept soundly with closed eyes.  

—It was unmistakably Su Han Sheng’s likeness.  

Yet the eighteen Warding Bells above chimed incessantly, still signaling the presence of a stolen body.  

Bizarre and contradictory.  

Prolonged separation of the Divine Soul would severely damage the Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits. Chong Jue gazed at Su Han Sheng’s soul, which appeared slightly more mature, as the Dustfall Incense, guided by his will, gently guided it back into its vessel.  

Perhaps Su Xiao Xiao had his own destiny.  

Once the soul returned, the chains of smoke dissipated. Su Han Sheng fell into a deep slumber, stumbling weakly into Chong Jue’s arms.  

The youth, having just turned seventeen, had always been frail and sickly, light as a feather. His unstable soul struggled to leave his body, tormenting him until beads of sweat formed at his temples, his throat emitting muffled coughs.  

Chong Jue pressed two fingers to Su Han Sheng’s brow.  

A cultivation level comparable to Mahayana was more effective than any miracle cure. In an instant, Su Han Sheng’s soul, which had been unstable for days, was forcibly sealed perfectly within his body.  

A faint flush finally returned to Su Han Sheng’s pallid face.  

The eighteen Warding Bells merged into one and slipped into Chong Jue’s sleeve. His dark jade eyes lingered on the youth’s peaceful sleeping face.  

The boy’s features still carried traces of childish innocence, faintly recalling the adorable charm of his younger years.  

…Yet his Heart-Nature had undergone a complete transformation—his words and actions now carried a naive cruelty and unconscious ruthlessness, like an untamed thorny vine.  

Chong Jue seemed to sigh.

Just as the World Honored One was about to carry Su Han Sheng back to the inner chamber, the Lifebound Tree in Frosty Expanse Garden suddenly let out a hoarse shriek, writhing violently like a snake scorched by flames.  

Su Han Sheng, who had just fallen into a peaceful sleep, let out a pained moan.  

“Mmm…”  

The withered vines coiled around his wrist tightened uncontrollably, nearly crushing his slender wrist.  

Chong Jue frowned and brushed them away with a sweep of his hand.  

An eerie orange-red flame suddenly erupted across Su Han Sheng’s body. The exposed nape of his neck, limbs, and strikingly beautiful face were instantly covered in scorch marks of intertwined black and red, as if fire burned beneath his skin—both grotesque and chillingly mesmerizing.  

Chong Jue’s dark green eyes flickered slightly.  

“…Phoenix Bone?”  

The Phoenix Bone, housed within the frail body of the youth, seemed unwilling to submit, constantly seeking ways to achieve Nirvana. When it burned, it nearly reduced Su Han Sheng to ashes.  

Su Han Sheng trembled violently from the burning pain, jolting awake.  

His amber eyes seemed to blaze with fire as he blinked dazedly at the man before him.  

Still disoriented, unable to distinguish past from present, he instinctively reached for Chong Jue’s collar, pulling himself up as he had done in their intimate moments in Avici Hell.  

The cold gleam in Chong Jue’s eyes reflected the orange-red glow of the Phoenix Bone fire, lending them an almost mortal warmth.  

“Don’t be afraid.”  

Su Han Sheng stared at him blankly. “Your eyes… can you see now?”  

“Hmm?”  

Before Su Han Sheng could speak further, flames surged from his Dantian, exploding in agony. Tears streaked his face as blood trickled from the corner of his lips. He clutched Chong Jue’s neck, sobbing pitifully.  

“Ugh…”  

Before Chong Jue could react, Su Han Sheng, delirious with pain, suddenly lunged forward and bit down hard on his neck.  

Chong Jue: “…”  

The sacred and ascetic World Honored One stiffened.  

Tears streamed down Su Han Sheng’s face as he clawed at Chong Jue’s shoulders, crumpling the pristine white robes. He whimpered, “It hurts… I hate you so much.”  

Assuming the boy was babbling from pain, Chong Jue gently pressed a finger to Su Han Sheng’s brow.  

The vast spiritual power of a Mahayana cultivator surged like an ocean, flooding into his consciousness.  

The raging Phoenix Bone fire, which had been burning fiercely, recoiled like a flame doused with cold water upon sensing Chong Jue’s spiritual energy.  

Su Han Sheng’s vision blurred, and he collapsed limply into Chong Jue’s arms.  

The Phoenix Bone fire quieted—though only temporarily. It still smoldered beneath his skin, silently burning through his meridians, intent on reducing him to a hollow skeleton.  

Chong Jue carried the unconscious Su Han Sheng back to the bed in the inner chamber.  

The boy’s face remained streaked with tears, and even in sleep, he whimpered as if bearing some unbearable grievance.  

Chong Jue sat by the bedside for a long while before finally rising to draw the bed curtains. His form then dissolved into mist and vanished.  

***  

Denmo Shrine, Echoing Warmth Sect.  

Despite the late hour, the shrine remained brightly lit. Xie Shizhi lit incense and bowed three times before the memorial tablet of the Profound Advent Immortal Lord, sighing inwardly.  

Back when Su Xuan Lin was still alive, Echoing Warmth Sect had been the foremost sect of Magpie Mound, unrivaled in its glory. Countless sect leaders had clamored for even a glimpse of the Immortal Lord.  

But now, with the tree fallen and the monkeys scattered, those old foxes only coveted the Heavenly Dao Artifact that could elevate the sect to new heights. Hardly anyone had offered sincere congratulations for the Young Master’s birthday celebration today.  

And then there was the World Honored One…

At this thought, Xie Shizhi inserted the incense and couldn’t help muttering a low curse at the spirit tablet: “…What kind of worthless friends did you even make?”

The World Honored One had treated Su Han Sheng extremely well in his childhood, yet after just ten years, he’d grown so cold—even giving only a perfunctory Warding Bell of little use as a birthday gift…

Xie Shizhi felt indignant on Su Han Sheng’s behalf.

The spirit tablet endured the scolding without any means to defend itself.

Suddenly, “Xie Shizhi.”

The bold Xie Shizhi, who had just dared to curse an Immortal Lord, shuddered violently, nearly thinking Su Xuan Lin had manifested to strike him.

Xie Shizhi turned with feigned composure.

There stood the World Honored One, draped in plain robes, wisps of white mist curling around his brows—having appeared at some unknown moment—gazing at him impassively.

Xie Shizhi had just insulted two people in one sentence and felt inexplicably guilty, but long accustomed to concealing his emotions, he nodded with serene expression.

“World Honored One.”

Chong Jue stared at Su Xuan Lin’s spirit tablet for a long moment before speaking. “Does Xiao Xiao have a master to guide him?”

Xie Shizhi was puzzled, thinking: Wasn’t he indifferent just this afternoon? Why this sudden concern now?

Yet Elder Xie showed nothing on his face as he replied, “The Marrow Poison in the young master’s body is difficult to cure, forcing him to remain in Frosty Expanse Garden year-round with rare outings. He has yet to take a teacher.”

Chong Jue gave an acknowledging hum. “Tomorrow morning, have Xiao Xiao come to the Buddha Hall to listen to scripture lectures.”

With that, his form dissipated like mist once more.

Xie Shizhi stood stunned for a long while before finally regaining his senses, heart filled with shock.

The World Honored One, who never involved himself in worldly affairs…

Was he going to teach Su Han Sheng?

***

Early next morning.

Su Han Sheng had unusually passed the night without dreams. Waking blearily, he found his body unexpectedly free of the heaviness from previous days—even the discomfort preceding Phoenix Bone flare-ups had vanished completely.

The Lifebound Tree slipped through the bed curtains’ gap, deftly combing his unruly ink-black hair with practiced ease.

Su Han Sheng stared blankly for a long while before recalling yesterday’s absurd events.

His domineering lover from his past life was none other than the lofty, all-compassionate World Honored One.

Also his uncle.

Who had nearly exorcised him as a body-snatching ghost.

Su Han Sheng suddenly kicked away the withered branches, eyes reddening with anger, on the verge of tears.

“Vile creature!”

If Chong Jue’s cultivation were merely at Foundation Establishment like Qi Yuanshan’s, Su Han Sheng would have charged to kill him already. But the World Honored One’s power was boundless—rumored even surpassing his late father’s, let alone someone at Qi Refining Stage.

Furious yet helpless, Su Han Sheng could only angrily command the branches to sprout snow-white root tendrils, coalescing into a palm-sized ivory figurine—Chong Jue’s likeness.

“Smack!”

Clapping his hands like swatting a mosquito, he crushed the tiny figure to dust.

Watching the detestable “World Honored One” turn to powder, the self-deceiving young master finally felt appeased.

The faint whooshing of spear practice drifted from Frosty Expanse Garden’s courtyard.

Throwing on robes, Su Han Sheng went out and sure enough found Xu Nan Xian wielding his spear in the yard.

“Good morning, Senior Brother.”

Only after completing his routine did Xu Nan Xian smoothly sheathe the Black Gold Spear. Striding inside, he drained the already-cooled tea on the table in one gulp before tossing the cup aside lazily. “There are several outfits on the screen—pick one and change quickly.”

Su Han Sheng turned to see multiple Daoist robes with magpie-and-branch patterns hanging on the ink-wash screen—unlike the usual indigo, these were rare snow-white and sky-blue hues, strikingly elegant.

Puzzled, he asked, “Where are we going today?”

Xu Nan Xian sat with one leg arrogantly propped up on the couch, clicking his tongue repeatedly. “Naturally, to the World Honored One’s place.”

Su Han Sheng was taken aback and curled his lips. “What for?”

Could it be that the World Honored One hadn’t used enough spiritual power yesterday and wanted to drag this “body-snatching ghost” over for another round of deliverance?

“What kind of reaction is that?” Xu Nan Xian said. “Yesterday, the World Honored One asked Elder Xie if you had a master to guide you. Upon learning you hadn’t taken a teacher yet, he instructed you to attend his scripture lectures these next few days. You can find a master after entering Enlightenment Academy.”

Su Han Sheng sneered.

Scripture lectures?

Most likely, the lofty World Honored One from last night had confirmed his Divine Soul was indeed “Xiao Xiao” himself and was now scrambling to make amends.

Xu Nan Xian had been envious all morning. For the World Honored One to personally offer guidance—this was an opportunity countless beings across the Three Realms could only dream of.

“Hurry and change your robes—that blue one with lotus embroidery on the sleeves would be perfect for scripture listening.”

Su Han Sheng took a deep breath and said coldly, “I’m not going.”

“…The World Honored One has been waiting half the day. He even insisted we wait until you woke before going to the prayer hall.” Xu Nan Xian’s voice abruptly cut off as he exclaimed in shock, “Wait, what did you just say?”

Not going?