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Chapter 397: Chapter 397: My Son

"Amitabha," the two monks intoned, blocking Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse\'s path.

"Show them the tokens," Nian Youyou said.

Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse immediately produced their \'Eighty-One Tokens\' and handed them to the monks.

After a quick inspection, the monks returned the tokens and said, "Forgive us, please proceed."

"No need, I\'ll take them," Nian Youyou interjected.

The monks bowed slightly to Nian Youyou and then stepped back into a nearby building.

Following Nian Youyou, the three arrived at the central hall of the monastery. The hall was surrounded by formations to prevent spying and ward off external attacks. Outside the hall, two monks stood like guards on either side. Above the entrance was a plaque inscribed with four characters:

Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!

Looking inside from the entrance, Zhong Shan squinted. The interior of the hall was pitch black, utterly void of any light.

It looked like a black hole, as if it could swallow everything outside. There was nothing visible, just an endless darkness, as mysterious as the depths of space.

"Let\'s go," Nian Youyou said, stepping inside.

Zhong Shan glanced around, then followed, with Mr. Corpse close behind.

One step inside, the pitch-black environment suddenly transformed, becoming overwhelmingly bright. The intense light made Zhong Shan squint, needing a moment to adjust.

They were outside the hall?

Zhong Shan remembered clearly stepping into the hall, yet now it seemed as if they had just stepped out.

Behind them stood the hall with the \'Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss\' plaque, exactly as if they had just exited. In front of them, however, was no longer the monastery courtyard but an endless expanse.

An infinite stretch! Spatial teleportation?

Accepting this explanation, Zhong Shan took a deep breath, calming himself as he gazed at the boundless land before him.

In this world, the sky was filled with endless golden clouds. There were no sun, moon, or stars, only a pervasive light, as if descending from an unknown source. In some areas, the light was much more intense, casting blinding golden rays. Among these, the most radiant area was far ahead of Zhong Shan.

From a distance, he could see a vast range of golden mountains, stretching endlessly. At the center stood a massive rectangular golden mountain, with golden light not only shining down from above but also emanating upward from the valleys of the mountain.

In the high sky, numerous golden clouds appeared, some resembling human figures, albeit hazy. These figures seemed to represent special individuals, much like the auspicious clouds over the ancient Holy Capital that symbolized the gathered officials.

This was merit, boundless merit, condensed into the forms of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.

"Hu~~"

Zhong Shan exhaled deeply.

Nian Youyou watched the reactions of the two men as they entered, noting their calmness. Crossing into another world usually left people awestruck, but these two remained composed. Zhong Shan showed initial surprise but quickly regained his composure. Mr. Corpse, however, was completely unaffected, his face expressionless and undisturbed, without a hint of amazement.

Seeing their calm demeanor, Nian Youyou couldn\'t help but comment, "You two are really something. Most people would be utterly shocked at this sight, but you both barely reacted. Zhong Shan, what\'s your secret?"

Zhong Shan smiled faintly but didn\'t respond, his thoughts focused on the task ahead.

Zhong Shan let out a long breath.

"How is it?" Nian Youyou asked.

"This is exactly what I imagined the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to be," Zhong Shan said with a hint of admiration.

"Come, let me take you to our temporary residence. Everyone with an Eighty-One Token has been invited there to rest while we wait for the Grand Nirvana Festival in two months," Nian Youyou said.

"Two months?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at her.

"Yes! Come on, let me show you around," Nian Youyou said with a smile.

The two followed Nian Youyou across the land, passing numerous monasteries. Countless temples were built within the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, housing many monks. As they flew, they could hear the sound of wooden fish and chanting from within the temples.

There were also monks flying about, but none greeted Zhong Shan and his companions.

Soon, they arrived near a region bathed in intense light. A large mountain stood there, with a square plaza at its peak, surrounded by a cluster of courtyards. Around the mountain floated several small islands, each with a small pavilion for resting.

"Everyone with an Eighty-One Token is staying in the courtyards on the mountain. We\'re staying in the northern one," Nian Youyou said, leading Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse to a courtyard.

The courtyard had several rooms for resting, with formations isolating each room to ensure privacy. Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse each chose a room.

"After traveling for so many days, you should rest tonight," Nian Youyou said with a smile.

"Alright," Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse both nodded.

The next morning, Zhong Shan and Nian Youyou sat in a pavilion on one of the floating islands, drinking tea.

"Zhong Shan, do you know what that place is?" Nian Youyou asked, pointing to a forest bathed in golden light.

"It\'s my first time here, how would I know?" Zhong Shan replied with a smile.

"That is the Buddha\'s Tomb," Nian Youyou said.

"The Buddha\'s Tomb?" Zhong Shan asked curiously.

"Yes, that area holds the remains of over two hundred Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. When their lifespans end, they are buried there, hence it\'s called the Buddha\'s Tomb," Nian Youyou explained.

"Oh? Does the reincarnated spirit child have something to do with the Buddha\'s Tomb?" Zhong Shan asked, looking in that direction.

Nian Youyou looked at Zhong Shan in surprise. "How did you guess that?"

Zhong Shan just shook his head and smiled.

"I\'m not referring to the Buddha\'s Tomb, but the small courtyard next to it. Do you see it?" Nian Youyou pointed to a courtyard barely visible through the trees.

"What about it?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

"That\'s Fragrance Pavilion, where Fragrant Bodhisattva lives. She guards the tomb, and in her courtyard grows the unique \'Seven-Colored Rose,\' the king of roses. There are only three in the entire world, all in her courtyard. You see..." Nian Youyou said, looking at Zhong Shan with a smile.

Seeing her expression, Zhong Shan was speechless. She was reminding him about the roses he still owed. He still had about twenty species to fulfill his promise of three thousand types of roses.

"Is Fragrant Bodhisattva very protective of the Seven-Colored Roses?" Zhong Shan asked.

"They\'re practically her lifeblood. She spends her days facing the tomb and never speaks to anyone. Her temperament isn\'t the best either," Nian Youyou said with a smile.

Zhong Shan could only sigh in silence.

"When will you bring it to me?" Nian Youyou asked with a cunning smile.

"The time isn\'t right yet, but don\'t worry!" Zhong Shan responded evasively.

As Zhong Shan and Nian Youyou were chatting, a commotion erupted from the plaza below.

"Daming Temple? Hahaha, is this the \'master\' Daming Temple produced? A gust of wind would blow you away. What? You\'re not convinced? Want to kill me? Go ahead, kill me! Kill me if you can! Hahaha~~"

Zhong Shan turned his head and saw a man in black robes being held down by another man in yellow robes, pinned to the ground and unable to move.

"Daming Temple, huh? I kill Daming Temple people, so what? You don\'t like it? Think you\'re strong?" the man in yellow robes sneered and lifted a large cudgel, smashing it down on the arm of the black-robed man.

"Boom~~~"

"Ah~~~" the black-robed man screamed in pain.

Hearing the scream, Zhong Shan immediately stood up, looking down at the plaza with an uncertain expression. Nian Youyou followed his gaze with slight curiosity.

On the surrounding floating islands, people either watched coldly or with amusement, but no one intervened.

"Hahaha, does it hurt? One more hit and it\'ll be useless. But I\'m merciful. If you say Daming Temple is trash and call me grandpa, I\'ll let you go. How about it? Hahahaha," the yellow-robed man laughed arrogantly.

"In your dreams!" the black-robed man shouted stubbornly through his pain.

"Hmph, you asked for it!" the yellow-robed man\'s eyes widened as he swung his cudgel, now emitting a faint golden light, down towards the black-robed man\'s arm.

"Boom~~~"

There was a loud bang, but the cudgel did not hit the black-robed man\'s arm. Instead, someone had slashed at the cudgel, meeting it with a powerful collision. The yellow-robed man staggered back a few steps—it was Zhong Shan. Upon hearing the black-robed man\'s voice, Zhong Shan had rushed into the fray, delivering a full-force slash at the yellow-robed man.

Standing between the yellow-robed man and his victim, Zhong Shan coldly glared at the aggressor, his eyes filled with ferocity.

The yellow-robed man, bewildered by the sudden attack, looked at Zhong Shan with surprise and a strange expression.

The spectators on the surrounding floating islands were intrigued. The battle had taken an unexpected turn.

Nian Youyou watched Zhong Shan\'s intervention with a hint of confusion. What was he doing? Why was he getting involved in a fight that didn\'t concern him? Even if the black-robed man was killed, it wasn\'t Zhong Shan\'s business.

"Who are you?" the yellow-robed man asked, looking at Zhong Shan with a mix of shock and uncertainty.

"Who am I? I\'m his father! No one bullies my son in front of me!" Zhong Shan replied with a fierce glare.

Everyone had expected Zhong Shan to announce some impressive name or the name of his master, as the second-generation disciples here all had powerful backers. But upon hearing Zhong Shan\'s words, almost everyone was dumbfounded. It felt like a flock of crows had flown over their heads.

Your son? You\'re his father?

Nian Youyou was also stunned. She knew Zhong Shan did things differently, but this excuse was too outrageous. Was he helping the black-robed man just to take advantage of him? Calling him his son—would the black-robed man agree?

Everyone thought the same thing: would the black-robed man agree to be called his son? He had shown his pride and resilience just now, how could he let Zhong Shan take advantage of him?

"Father!" an excited shout came from behind Zhong Shan. It was the black-robed man.