Chapter 74: Buddha’s Palm
After bringing the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song back to the Third Peak, Hua Changxi began packing her belongings. Everything else was easy to handle; she could simply put it into the Shen Nong Cauldron.
The only thing that gave her a headache was the Buddha’s Hand; this item couldn’t be stored in the Shen Nong Cauldron.
Moreover, the Buddha’s Hand was covered in cracks, and she was very worried that a single bump would cause it to shatter.
Hua Changxi asked the Mountain Spirit to get her a piece of the sturdiest wood, planning to make a wooden box to store the Buddha’s Hand.
Xiao Song watched from the side and asked in confusion, “Master, why don’t you put the Buddha’s Hand into your Dantian?”
Hua Changxi paused her movements, “This item can be put into the Dantian?”
Xiao Song’s face was full of certainty, “Of course. My inheritance tells me that this Buddha’s Hand was broken off from the Dharma Image of a deity. A deity’s Dharma Image is an extremely precious Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, so it can naturally be stored in the Dantian.”
Sometimes, others don’t intend to harm you, but they do so without realizing it.
Looking at the Welcoming Pine’s earnest expression, Hua Changxi believed her and felt she had learned something new.
With her severe lack of cultivation common sense, she only thought that since her Dantian Qi Sea could accommodate the Five Finger Mountain Seal, it shouldn’t be a problem to store a shattered Buddha’s Hand.
What she didn’t know was how important the Dantian Qi Sea was to a cultivator and that one couldn’t casually store things in it. She didn’t consider whether the Buddha’s Hand posed any danger to her or if her Dantian Qi Sea could even hold it.
Hearing the Welcoming Pine’s suggestion, she felt it was feasible, so she broke a finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the Buddha’s Hand.
The blood seeped into the Buddha’s Hand, but there was no reaction.
Hua Changxi looked at Xiao Song, who also looked at her, “Perhaps… not enough blood?”
Thus, Hua Changxi dripped a few more drops. It wasn’t until the ninth drop that the Buddha’s Hand ‘whoosh’ed, transforming into Spiritual Light and entering Hua Changxi’s Dantian.
As soon as the Buddha’s Hand entered her Dantian, Hua Changxi’s consciousness was instantly pulled into it. Her body seemed to lose its soul and collapsed by the Fire Spirit Spring pool.
Seeing this, Xiao Song was greatly startled.
“Master!”
“Master, what’s wrong?”
“Mountain Spirit, where are you? Come back quickly, Master is in trouble!”
Xiao Song was so anxious she was about to cry. She carefully adjusted Hua Changxi’s body and then hurried off to find the Mountain Spirit.
At the same time, within the Dantian Qi Sea, the original location of the Inner Core was now occupied by the Buddha’s Hand.
The Qi Sea churned and boiled, piling up layers of massive waves, as if trying to shatter the Buddha’s Hand.
Instead, a Buddhist symbol appeared on each finger of the Buddha’s Hand, emitting a brilliant golden light that suppressed the surging waves.
It was amidst this golden light that Hua Changxi regained consciousness. She then realized she had transformed into a round Inner Core, but the Inner Core was not above the Qi Sea; it was within a giant palm.
This giant hand was undoubtedly the Buddha’s Hand.
Hua Changxi felt a pang of panic, and a thought arose in her mind: she needed to escape the Buddha’s Hand quickly.
The rosy Inner Core moved rapidly within the golden palm, passing through each finger. It was on the verge of reaching the palm’s edge, but she ultimately found that her range of movement was confined within the palm.
Hua Changxi flew around several more times, like hitting a ghost wall; she simply couldn’t fly out of the palm.
It was at this moment that she discovered the Black Flame.
The Black Flame had also entered the Buddha’s Hand with her, remaining steady beneath the Inner Core as before.
Within the Buddha’s Hand, Hua Changxi couldn’t perceive the passage of time, but her heart grew increasingly anxious and fearful. Because of her anxiety and fear, she couldn’t calm down and merely traversed between the fingers again and again.
During this time, she didn’t notice that the Black Flame, which had been some distance from the Inner Core, was getting closer and closer, and even showing signs of growing larger.
When the Black Flame touched the Inner Core, a strong desire for destruction surged within Hua Changxi.
Looking at the Buddha’s Hand, only one thought occupied her mind: since she couldn’t fly out, she would destroy the Buddha’s Hand!
“Boom~”
A Fire Lotus flew out, and in an instant, the Buddha’s Hand was submerged in one Fire Lotus after another.
Hua Changxi watched the burning flames, her desire for destruction escalating. Fire Spiritual Energy continuously overflowed from her Inner Core and poured into the Fire Lotuses, making them burn brighter and hotter.
There was a resolve that she wouldn’t hesitate, even if all the Fire Spiritual Energy in her Inner Core was depleted!
The Buddha’s Hand was indeed left from a very, very long time ago. Its spiritual power had been largely depleted over countless years, and it had been severely injured by the giant monkey, leaving it covered in cracks. It couldn’t last much longer.
Now, after being burned by the Fire Lotuses, cracks began to appear on the palm.
As the flames climbed onto the fingers, the Buddhist symbols on them began to glow intensely. The Buddhist symbol on the thumb was the first to fly out, attacking Hua Changxi, as if to suppress her.
Just as the Buddhist symbol was about to cover the Inner Core, bird patterns appeared on the Inner Core.
As soon as the bird patterns emerged, the Buddhist symbol immediately became unstable and flew back shakily.
Seeing this, the Buddhist symbols on the other fingers flew out simultaneously. The five Buddhist symbols surrounded the Inner Core and then gradually closed in.
As the Buddhist symbols approached, the bird patterns on the Inner Core grew stronger and stronger.
“Screech~”
The bird patterns flew out, transforming into a Vermilion Bird. It circled the Inner Core once and directly shattered all five Buddhist symbols.
The Buddhist symbols turned into golden light spots and merged into the Inner Core. The Vermilion Bird followed a step behind and also flew back into the Inner Core.
On the Inner Core, the bird patterns flashed once and then faded again.
Without the Buddhist symbols, the cracks on the Buddha’s Hand grew larger and more numerous.
At this point, Hua Changxi could have simply let the Fire Lotuses burn, and the Buddha’s Hand would eventually be destroyed. However, her desire for destruction was too intense, preventing her from stopping there. Instead, she plunged headfirst into the Fire Lotuses.
The Inner Core entering the Sea of Fire was like pouring gasoline onto a fire; the Fire Lotuses burned even more fiercely. Of course, the speed at which the Inner Core dissipated Spiritual Energy also increased.
This was a clear stance of depleting all Spiritual Energy and dying together.
“Rumble~”
Under the burning of the Fire Lotuses, the Buddha’s Hand collapsed and melted.
The molten fragments of the Buddha’s Hand then became fuel for the Fire Lotuses, further increasing their power.
As a result, the Buddha’s Hand accelerated its collapse and fragmentation under the burning of the Fire Lotuses.
“Bang~”
The Buddha’s Hand finally shattered into pieces and was swallowed by the Fire Lotuses.
The Inner Core reappeared above the Qi Sea, but at this moment, it was dim and lusterless.
By the Fire Spirit Spring pool, the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song, who were surrounding Hua Changxi, saw her eyelashes tremble and became instantly excited.
“Is Master about to wake up?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Hua Changxi slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was initially dazed, but upon seeing the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song, her clarity fully returned.
Looking at the two little ones before her, Hua Changxi’s heart was simply overwhelmed.
“You two are such troublemakers!”
Because of the Mountain Spirit, she had moved the Buddha’s Hand and almost died under the giant monkey’s heavy blows; because of the Welcoming Pine, she had stored the Buddha’s Hand, nearly perishing with it.
They had caused her so much trouble!
The Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song exchanged glances, their faces full of innocence.
They hadn’t troublemakers for the Fairy （ Master ）!
Hua Changxi lay by the Fire Spirit Spring pool, motionless. At this moment, she glanced at the Vermilion Bird Breathing and Exhalation diagram in her mind, which had dimmed even further, and wanted to be left alone.
Having faced life-and-death crises twice in a row left her with lingering fear.
Not long ago, she had warned herself not to be reckless, yet she had foolishly repeated her mistake so quickly. How could she have so easily believed the Welcoming Pine and put the Buddha’s Hand into her Dantian?
Should she blame the Mountain Spirit and the Welcoming Pine?
But the decision was hers.
Hua Changxi suddenly recalled the scene from her previous life when her paternal uncles came to fight over her grandfather’s house. In reality, she could have prevented that situation from happening.
When her grandfather was close to death, a neighbor had reminded her to get her grandfather’s will notarized.
What had she thought then?
She thought her paternal uncles both had houses and were living well, so they wouldn’t fight her for the house, and thus she didn’t bother with such trivial matters.
The consequence was that she died during the fight over the house.
Ultimately, her ingrained wishful thinking and gambling nature were still too strong. Even though she deliberately avoided many things, this mentality still unconsciously influenced her at many decision-making moments.
This trip to Five Finger Mountain, although it involved a crisis when the Monkey King’s Domain was released, the final outcome was good. She didn’t pay much of a price and even gained Five Finger Mountain.
Coupled with her rapid cultivation improvement over the past two months, it gave her the illusion of being the chosen one.
The matter of the Buddha’s Hand was a resounding wake-up call.
She was not some chosen one. On the path of cultivation, a single misstep could lead to death.
Looking at the Vermilion Bird Breathing and Exhalation diagram, which had become so dim it was almost illusory, Hua Changxi gave a bitter smile. She had wasted such a life-saving method twice.
Would the Vermilion Bird reappear to save her the next time she encountered a crisis?
“Fairy, are you alright?”
Seeing Hua Changxi lying still, the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song became worried.
Hua Changxi glanced at the two of them, thinking of her Inner Core, which had become dim and lusterless due to excessive Spiritual Energy consumption, and felt a bit dejected, “How long was I unconscious?”
The Mountain Spirit held up three fingers, “Three days and three nights.”
Hua Changxi had originally planned to return to the Three Forked Medicine Valley immediately, but now she had to postpone it. “I’m fine now. You two go play.”
After the two left hand in hand, Hua Changxi took out the Fire Spirit Stone Bed from the Shen Nong Cauldron, lay down on it, and began to cultivate.
As soon as her consciousness entered the Dantian Qi Sea, it stood above the Inner Core.
Looking at the Black Flame burning beneath the Inner Core, Hua Changxi frowned. She wanted to move the Inner Core away from the Black Flame, but no matter where she controlled the Inner Core to float, the Black Flame followed closely, making it impossible to escape.
The outer flames of the Black Flame had already touched the bottom of the Inner Core. She felt that something particularly bad would happen if it continued to burn like this.
Especially thinking about her uncontrollable desire for destruction when burning the Buddha’s Hand, which drove her to destroy the Buddha’s Hand regardless of her own life, that kind of reckless fighting style truly filled her with dread.
This Black Flame could control people’s emotions, causing them to act excessively and uncontrollably. It was too terrifying.
“What exactly is this Black Flame?”
Hua Changxi looked at the Black Flame, which was much larger than when it first entered the Qi Sea, and was very worried.
Unable to escape the Black Flame, if she let the Inner Core continue to be burned by it, or if the Black Flame grew larger one day and its flames engulfed the Inner Core, would she be completely controlled by the Black Flame?
She needed to hurry and find the Asura Gate.
Hua Changxi suppressed the urgency in her heart and began to cultivate, deciding to replenish her depleted Spiritual Energy before returning to the Three Forked Medicine Valley. After reuniting with her family, she would go find the people of the Asura Gate.
The Spiritual Energy on Five Finger Mountain was abundant, and Hua Changxi absorbed it quickly. After a night passed, her Inner Core became radiant and dazzling once more.
As her Spiritual Energy recovered, Hua Changxi thought of something. Golden light condensed in her hand, and five Buddhist symbols appeared on the five fingers of her right hand.
Spiritual Energy gathered in her right hand, and she struck a nearby small mountain.
Hua Changxi’s body didn’t move, and her right hand was only held high, but a giant hand formed from Spiritual Energy flew out, growing from small to large, and struck the small mountain.
With a loud “rumble,” the small mountain collapsed.
The formidable combat power brought Hua Changxi some comfort. She had almost lost her life, but at least she had obtained the essence of the Buddha’s Palm’s decree.
Although she couldn’t completely refine the five Buddhist symbols yet and couldn’t unleash the full power of the Buddha’s Palm, she had gained a powerful offensive technique.
“From now on, I must proceed steadily and surely.”
Hua Changxi admonished herself again in her heart.
Because the matter of the Black Flame still needed to be resolved, she didn’t linger on Five Finger Mountain.
On the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, after making arrangements with the Mountain Spirit and Xiao Song early in the morning, Hua Changxi mounted a cloud and flew towards the Capital City.
Although she hadn’t mastered the Somersault Cloud to perfection, her return speed was several times faster than when she had traveled by Lightness Skill.
The moment Hua Changxi left Five Finger Mountain, in a back room of an inn in Anyang Prefecture, the closest to Five Finger Mountain, Jiang Guanyun, who was meditating and healing, instantly opened his eyes.
“Finally out!”
Jiang Guanyun looked at the flashing talisman pendant at his waist, his eyes filled with killing intent.
That wild girl had become the master of Five Finger Mountain, so he couldn’t kill her there. Now that she was out, everything would be easier.
After he killed that wild girl, he would go back and re-refine the Mountain Spirit. At that time, Five Finger Mountain would still be his.
Jiang Guanyun left his room, summoned his natal sword, and stepped onto the sword, flying into the sky, chasing the flashing light spot on the talisman pendant.
As the end of the year approached, Hua Changxi flew on her cloud, observing the bustling cities she passed, adorned with lanterns and decorations, the joyous atmosphere of the New Year permeating everywhere. She was also infected by this cheerful mood and felt a desire to see her family quickly.
While passing through Daicheng, the capital of Qingzhou, Hua Changxi was hesitating whether to buy some gifts for her family in the city when she suddenly sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy behind her and turned her head sharply.
As she turned, she saw a giant sword, hundreds of meters long, formed from Spiritual Energy, slashing towards her.
Hua Changxi’s expression changed, and she dodged by mounting her cloud and flashing away.
She dodged the giant sword, but the giant sword was heading towards Daicheng below.
Seeing this, Hua Changxi’s right hand manifested a Buddhist symbol. Just before the giant sword could strike Daicheng, she swung out a giant hand formed from Spiritual Energy and grabbed the giant sword.
At this moment, the people of Daicheng saw the giant sword and the giant hand.
The aura of the giant sword was too sharp. Even though it hadn’t struck yet, the powerful air currents had already toppled several houses.
The giant hand crushed the giant sword. Before Hua Changxi could move away from Daicheng, a second sword strike came down.
At this moment, the people of Daicheng sensed the danger. The once joyous Daicheng instantly became panicked. In a flash, Daicheng descended into chaos.
Hua Changxi had already recognized the attacker as the old Daoist who had previously tried to refine the Mountain Spirit. Killing intent surged within her, and she almost lost control and engaged the old Daoist in a fight above Daicheng.
Fortunately, she still had a shred of reason. She used the giant hand to crush the giant sword again, then struck the old Daoist with a palm, sending him flying. She then mounted her cloud and pursued him, moving the battlefield away from Daicheng as quickly as possible.
“What kind of demon dares to cause trouble in Daicheng!”
Shortly after Hua Changxi left on her cloud, over a dozen Demon Suppressing Army soldiers wearing Kirin Masks flew out of the city and hovered in mid-air, clearly in a posture of protecting Daicheng.
Chu Junyi looked at the two rapidly receding figures with a grave expression, “This world is about to fall into chaos!”
