352: Chapter 352 Taking the Initiative, Buddhist Disciple Xuan Yin

Chu Sheng stood before the windowsill of the Wutong main trunk, having watched for a long time.

The sea of golden leaves in the distance rose and fell in the wind, like waves that would never cease.

He clutched a Jade Slip he had just finished reading, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing its edge, as if weighing something.

Jiuer sat on the meditation cushion behind him, holding a cup of spirit tea that had already gone half-cold.

She did not urge him, nor did she speak to interrupt his thoughts, simply sitting there quietly, waiting for him to speak.

After quite a while, Chu Sheng finally turned around, tucked the Jade Slip into his sleeve, his tone calm.

"It is time to go."

Jiuer looked up at him, as if she had long anticipated these words, and asked softly.

"When?"

Chu Sheng calmly spat out two words.

"Tomorrow."

He offered no further explanation; Jiuer already understood in her heart.

She had stayed with Chu Sheng in the Phoenix clan for many days and knew clearly that he had delayed his departure only to verify the clues recorded in the Jade Slip.

Now that everything was settled, leaving had become a certainty.

He no longer mentioned the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm or the fragmented token, walking alone toward the fissure at the base of the Wutong main trunk.

He stood quietly for a moment by the dark red glow of the earth lava, without stepping into the depths, as if bidding a solemn farewell to this land of molten fire.

A moment later, he turned and left.

The Phoenix King seemed to have been waiting for him to come and bid farewell.

Chu Sheng stepped into the tree-hollow palace, where the Phoenix King sat upright in the main seat, a Jade Slip spread out before him—it was the record Chu Sheng had previously left for the Phoenix clan.

The Phoenix King was in no hurry to look up, quietly flipping through several pages before slowly putting down the Jade Slip, his gaze falling upon Chu Sheng, his tone devoid of any attempt to persuade him to stay, merely confirming.

"Decided?"

Chu Sheng nodded slightly.

"Decided."

The Phoenix King did not ask for the reason, nor did he speak to ask him to stay.

After a brief silence, he collected his thoughts and spoke slowly.

"The Jade Slip you sent, this old man has already studied it together with several Elders in the clan.

The content is indeed credible, and the details of several key points can be mutually verified with some remaining records in the clan.

"The Phoenix clan will remember this favor of yours."

Chu Sheng stood quietly, not responding, listening in silence.

The Phoenix King continued to exhort him, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

"Since that is the case, this old man will not keep you any longer. Before you leave, I have one thing to say to you."

Chu Sheng cupped his fists: "I am all ears."

"Divine Ability is not that simple. You have polished your Foundation in the earth lava, which is a good thing."

"But the Dao Palace is merely the Foundation; Divine Ability is the path you truly need to walk."

"If you encounter a Bottleneck that is difficult to break through, do not be overly eager for success, nor try to force your way through those thresholds that seem within reach."

"Some paths are more stable when walked slowly."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

"This Junior will remember."

Bidding farewell to the Phoenix King and stepping out of the palace, Jiuer was already waiting on the Wutong branch.

She had changed into a light robe convenient for long journeys, with no cumbersome luggage on her, save for a simple Storage Pouch at her waist, clearly having prepared for departure long ago.

Chu Sheng looked at her, saying only a calm sentence.

"Let's go."

The two walked outward along the passage between the branches.

Along the way, several Phoenix clansmen were pruning spirit plants; seeing the two pass by, they stopped their work one after another and nodded in greeting, clearly having already heard they were about to embark on a long journey.

Chu Sheng caught a glimpse of the young Phoenix clansman who had previously commented on the lack of his Aura on the platform; the other party was standing not far away, and upon seeing him, hesitated for a moment, slightly averted his gaze, and said nothing.

The two did not look back, heading straight out of the Phoenix clan territory.

Leaving the Phoenix clan, the two traveled all the way west.

The landscape of the Western Region was completely different from the Northern Region; the vegetation was more lush, and the air was rich with moisture.

Large reed wetlands could be seen everywhere along the way, with several types of water birds whose names Chu Sheng could not identify floating on the water surface.

Traveling for two days, there were no obstructions along the way, nor was anyone following or tracking them.

The two found a small town to stop and rest, and Chu Sheng took the suspicious Jade Slip from his sleeve to carefully read the records related to the Wanfo Sect again.

The origin of the Jade Slip was unknown; he could not find out who left it, and the Phoenix King had not mentioned a single word about it, yet the records were detailed and comprehensive, definitely not improvised.

When Chu Sheng and Jiuer had packed their gear and were ready to set off, a message falcon landed in front of the window, with a small Jade Slip tied to its claw.

Chu Sheng took off the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense; inside, it recorded information of unknown origin but was extremely detailed—

"Wanfo Sect, one of the four great Buddha Sons, is exactly that monk from the Dragon Palace birthday banquet, Xuan Yin. He possesses great authority within the Wanfo Sect."

After reading the Jade Slip, Chu Sheng looked at Jiuer beside him.

"That monk's background is indeed not small."

"But the strange thing is, why didn't that monk have a backup plan? Was he so easily defeated by me?"

Jiuer had already read the content of the Jade Slip earlier, and hearing this, she felt no surprise, asking a question in return.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

Chu Sheng pondered for a moment and tucked the Jade Slip back into his sleeve.

"Since I will be found sooner or later, it is better to go to them proactively."

Until the dusk of the third day, the silhouette of Golden Cicada Island finally appeared faintly at the edge of his vision.

Previously, the two had passed through rolling hills and crossed several mountain ranges; the terrain became increasingly flat, and the damp Aura brought by the Buddhist Dharma in the air became increasingly heavy.

Looking into the distance, the boundless water surface spread out under the twilight, shimmering with a soft light, and a layer of pale golden mist formed by years of Buddhist Dharma saturation hovered above the water.

Named Golden Cicada Island, it was actually a land of ten thousand li formed by years of Buddhist Dharma saturation and solidification.

With a territory of ten thousand li, it was enough to accommodate several cities and continuous spirit fields; on the island, pagodas and houses were arranged in a scattered manner, with orderly planning.

Chu Sheng observed from afar for a moment, realizing that this water area was not naturally formed, but that a powerful expert had set up a great formation to force back the seawater, leaving this low-lying land.

Walking to the shallows on the shore, ferries of various sizes were docked.

A largest ferry was docked on the water a little further away, with a wide deck that could accommodate dozens of people.

A monk in grey robes sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, his figure slightly plump, his fingertips twisting Bodhi prayer beads, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

Several traveling Cultivators were waiting on the shore, dressed in simple clothing, looking exhausted from the journey.

Among them, a young Cultivator, still young and with a cultivation of only the Spirit Spring Realm, bowed and pleaded with the monk in a low voice.

"Great Master, we really only have these Spirit Stones left. I beg you to make it convenient for us..."

The monk opened his eyelids a crack, his gaze sweeping over the crowd indifferently, his tone having been repeated thousands of times, flat but indisputable.

"Crossing the sea requires sincerity. One earth rank magic treasure, or several thousand Spirit Stones. If you cannot take it out, then walk yourself."

The young man and his group looked at each other, their faces bitter, and no one dared to argue another word.

The monk closed his eyes again, the prayer beads at his fingertips turning slowly, paying no more attention to the people on the shore.

Chu Sheng stood in the distance, watching the whole process, and did not step forward immediately.

He could see clearly that this monk's cultivation was only at the Spirit Sea Realm, yet he was full of confidence.

This confidence did not belong to his own cultivation, but originated from the Golden Cicada Island's Wanfo Sect.

Northern Region, Central Region, Heavenly Pool Dragon Palace—he had seen countless such scenes. The attitude of a Sect toward visiting Cultivators was enough to glimpse the overall atmosphere of a region.

Chu Sheng did not comment, simply keeping this scene silently in his heart, turning his head to look at Jiuer beside him.

Jiuer stood quietly to the side, also observing the monk at the bow of the boat, not urging Chu Sheng to make a decision.

Chu Sheng withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself: The Buddha Sect, indeed, is not that simple.

After saying this, he lifted his foot and walked toward the direction of the ferry.