108: The Ice Phoenix's Lament

One monk, one mysterious figure—two experts of the Guiyi Realm stood in confrontation.

With different thoughts and different motives, a fierce conflict was about to erupt within this Forbidden Ground of the Ice and Snow Sect.

"amitabha buddha. Fellow Daoist Tianji usually does not involve himself in the Mortal World, yet today you have come to this Sect in the Snow Domain. May I ask what you seek?"

"And what brings Saint Monk Dingtian here, instead of chanting sutras in the Buddhist Domain?"

Their exchange of words, though seemingly ordinary, was actually filled with probing.

A cold wind blew, and the ice phoenix statue emitted a faint, ethereal luster, instantly making their figures appear somewhat translucent.

In that instant, both understood the other's situation.

"So, this is a Clone of Fellow Daoist Tianji."

"And is Saint Monk Dingtian not the same?"

Heaven Stabilizer pressed his palms together, recited a buddhist mantra, and lightly flicked his whisk, which then hung steadily on his right shoulder.

"Fellow Daoist Tianji, this Poor Monk implores you not to disturb this statue. The Karma involved here is immense, and I fear you cannot bear it."

Tianji: "Is the Saint Monk's purpose in coming here to stop me? It seems you had already divined what I would come here to do today."

Heaven Stabilizer: "amitabha buddha. Fellow Daoist Tianji's method of divination is unparalleled in the world; how could this Poor Monk's cultivation compare to yours? However, I stand by my words: the ice phoenix statue involves too much Karma. To recklessly destroy it would likely cause the suffering of all living beings."

Tianji: "Saint Monk, please understand. I am acting under the decree of the Heavenly Dao; I must break the Seal within the statue today."

Heaven Stabilizer narrowed his eyes: "How could the Heavenly Dao issue such a decree that brings heavenly wrath and human resentment? Fellow Daoist Tianji, please think deeply. At the very least, before taking action, probe the movements of this ice phoenix statue."

Old Man Tianji's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he immediately projected his Divine Sense toward the ice phoenix statue.

Just that single probe instantly broke him into a cold sweat.

"Such deep resentment! Who exactly is sealed in this place?"

Old Man Tianji's forehead beaded with a drop of cold sweat, his eyes filled with strange fear.

From the moment his Divine Sense probed, he felt a powerful resentment from the person sealed within the statue, threatening to break out of the body.

Had it not been for a magic array controlling it, his Divine Sense would certainly have been damaged by that surge of resentment.

"amitabha buddha."

Heaven Stabilizer's buddhist mantra finally calmed Old Man Tianji's emotions.

"Fellow Daoist Tianji, do you still intend to destroy this Seal?"

Old Man Tianji let out a long, turbid breath and asked Heaven Stabilizer: "Saint Monk, do you know who is sealed inside?"

Heaven Stabilizer pressed his palms together and flicked his whisk: "Fellow Daoist Tianji, you jest. If even you cannot divine who is sealed within, how could this Poor Monk know?"

Old Man Tianji: "Then may I ask, who entrusted the Saint Monk to come and stop me?"

Heaven Stabilizer closed his eyes and shook his head: "I was entrusted by a Female Devotee. However, her name cannot be mentioned, lest it cause further complications for the Primordial Continent."

Old Man Tianji: "I understand. Thank you for intervening today, Saint Monk; otherwise, I would have nearly committed a grave error. I have matters to attend to at Tianji Pavilion, so I shall take my leave."

"amitabha buddha!"

Heaven Stabilizer recited a buddhist mantra and watched as Old Man Tianji's Clone turned into light and vanished into the horizon.

Once Old Man Tianji had left, Heaven Stabilizer turned to the ice phoenix statue and sighed lightly: "Among all the laws in the world, only the tribulation of love is difficult to overcome. Devotee, why must you be so persistent?"

As soon as he spoke, the ice phoenix statue suddenly let out a shrill, mournful cry.

The sound of the Phoenix cry swept through the Ice and Snow Sect, shaking the peaks of the Snow Domain incessantly.

"Not good!"

Seeing this, Heaven Stabilizer swept his whisk, formed a hand Seal, and suddenly, his body was filled with Buddha Power. Sanskrit sutras transformed into twinkling stars, forming a Barrier that covered and shrouded the mournful Phoenix cry.

But the moment the Sanskrit sutras overlapped with the mournful cry, they shattered.

Fortunately, the mournful cry ceased, the signs of the Snow Domain collapsing dissipated, and everything returned to calm.

"amitabha buddha! Sigh~"

Heaven Stabilizer sighed helplessly, and his Clone began to flicker.

Just now, to stop the mournful cry of the Phoenix, his Clone's spiritual power had been completely exhausted, and it was showing signs of collapse.

"Devotee, the past has already become smoke. Whether it is love or hate, why must you be so persistent?"

After speaking, he took off a string of buddhist prayer beads from his body and placed them in front of the ice phoenix statue.

"These spiritual buddhist prayer beads can help you dissolve the resentment in your heart. If one day you have the fate to reappear in the Mortal World, you may take these spiritual buddhist prayer beads to the Bodhi Temple in the Buddhist Domain. This Poor Monk is willing to reduce your Karmic Obstruction. amitabha buddha."

As the buddhist mantra faded, Heaven Stabilizer's Clone dissipated, turning into a ray of Buddha light that fled into the horizon.

The moment Heaven Stabilizer disappeared, the spiritual buddhist prayer beads placed in front of the ice phoenix statue suddenly shattered and scattered all over the ground...

"Where am I?"

Liu Yixue, who had been unconscious for who knows how long, slowly opened her eyes.

But all she saw was pitch blackness.

The air was filled with a foul stench of a rotting corpse.

She raised her hand and touched something cold.

"This is..."

In an instant, Liu Yixue suddenly remembered what Shen Lian had said to her—that he wanted her and Xie Chen to share the same grave.

Her pupils constricted instantly, and she immediately began to grope around.

By chance, when her hand reached below her waist, she touched a glowing stone.

She hurriedly channeled a small amount of spiritual power into it, and after the glowing stone emitted a brilliant light, she finally saw her surroundings.

"No!"

When Liu Yixue realized she was truly in a coffin, she had a mental breakdown.

"It can't be, you lied to me, this isn't real!"

Click—

Just as she was flailing about, she accidentally touched something unknown.

Liu Yixue's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly turned to look.

She saw a skeleton lying beside her.

Judging by the clothes on the body, it was still the clothes Xie Chen wore before he died.

"Xie Chen? No!"

In that instant, Liu Yixue felt a chill crawl up her spine and hurriedly used all her spiritual power to try to open the coffin lid.

However, the moment she moved, a powerful suction force instantly drained the spiritual power she had released.

"No, Shen Lian, you cannot treat me like this!"

Now, she was completely panicked and began to beat the coffin lid frantically like a resentful woman.

It wasn't until the glowing stone illuminated it that Liu Yixue saw the countless scratch marks on the bottom of the coffin lid.

It was clearly the despair of Xie Chen before he died.

"I don't want to die, I really don't want to die!"

At this moment, Liu Yixue cried in fear and began to slap the coffin lid frantically.

Just then, Shen Lian's voice came to her ears.

"Liu Yixue, I kept my promise, didn't I? I said I would let you share a grave with Xie Chen, and I certainly wouldn't break my word. You must be very happy right now, right? Hahahaha."

Liu Yixue hurriedly grabbed the sound transmission stone: "Shen Lian, let me out. I know I was wrong. Please let me go. I apologize to you, I repent, just please let me out quickly."

A moment later, Shen Lian's puzzled voice came from the sound transmission stone: "Oh? You regret it? Really?"

"Really, I really regret it. I shouldn't have treated you like that. Please forgive me this once, Senior Brother, please don't kill me."

Liu Yixue was truly terrified. Only at this moment did she truly understand that she didn't love Xie Chen at all; what she loved was merely his family background and his obedient, gentle demeanor.

The so-called burial in one grave was purely a remark made in the heat of the moment.

"Senior Brother, I really, really know I was wrong. From now on, I will never hurt you again. I am willing to marry you as your wife, please let me out quickly, it's so scary here!"