A young boy sprinted through a torrential downpour. Behind him lay several corpses scattered haphazardly, their blood mingling with the rain to stain the ground crimson.

He pushed open a wooden door. Seeing his younger sister safe and sound, he paid no heed to the muddy ground and sat down at the threshold, laughing out loud.

But his laughter soon turned to sobs. He rose and clutched his sister tightly, unwilling to let go, as if regaining a precious treasure he thought he had lost.

“Little sister, you’re finally safe.”

The girl was bewildered by the young boy’s behavior. She wanted to speak, but didn’t know what to say, so she simply patted him on the back.

Just as she was about to comfort him, she realized he had already fallen asleep on her shoulder.

The young boy had a very long dream.

He dreamed that his younger sister died before his eyes and that the killer then murdered him.

But he didn’t truly die. Instead, he returned to the day before his sister’s fateful accident.

He assumed it was a mere dream and didn’t dwell on it. However, when he realized the dream was becoming reality, panic gripped him. Everything unfolded just as before, and his sister died before his eyes.

When he returned to the previous day again, he desperately wanted to tell his sister everything he had experienced. Yet just as he was about to speak, his vision went black, and boundless darkness engulfed him.

He must not speak of the strange events that had befallen him—this was a revelation he had received from an unseen force.

To save his sister, he went through many loops, relying on the information gleaned in each one to lay his plans in secret. Finally, in the seventh loop, he eliminated the killer, and his sister survived.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed. His muddy clothes had been removed, his body wiped clean by his sister. From another room came the sound of water; she was likely washing his clothes.

Never before had the young boy felt that a bed could be such a warm place.

He raised his right hand, as if examining his fingers or gazing at the ceiling. Recalling the seven loops, he felt as though they were a dream.

The young boy murmured to himself, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “What exactly is going on?”

Even the storytelling performances that recounted the experiences of cultivators didn’t include anything like this.

~~~

The seven loops were not the end of the matter but rather its beginning.

Since then, Lu Yang encountered over a hundred loops, large and small. This made him increasingly convinced that the user of the Epoch Dao Fruit was neither playing a game nor fighting a battle.

In the meantime, no one on his side had found any information about the user yet.

According to Yun Zhi, Jiang Ping’an had employed the power of the national fortune in several loops to observe the entirety of Great Xia, attempting to spot the differences from previous loops, but that yielded no useful leads.

Lu Yang had gone to seek the Heaven Mandate Immortal, but he too had no clues. He simply said, “Perhaps the time for such a fortuitous opportunity has not yet come; if it is meant to be, fate will make an encounter possible.”

Lu Yang mentally translated the Heaven Mandate Immortal’s words: I don’t know how to find the Epoch Dao Fruit’s user either.

Atop Heaven’s Gate Peak, Lu Yang withdrew his sword qi, signaling the end of his cultivation session.

Each time he cultivated, he did so with trepidation, fearing a time reversal would render all his efforts wasted.

Thanks to that user he had never met, Lu Yang had already seen his fruits of 1200 hours of cultivation flushed down the drain.

“I’ll treat it as tempering my mental state,” he consoled himself.

“Second-in-Command, there’s a letter for you.” Yun Mengmeng came running, waving a brownish-yellow envelope.

“A letter for me?”

Lu Yang had received many letters over the years. After all, his reputation preceded him; not only did he have high cultivation and rich experiences, but his personality was also gentle. Cultivators and mortals often wrote to him: some wanted to meet, others asked for autographs, some hoped to exchange insights, and others confessed their love directly.

He assumed this was another letter from an admirer, but opening it revealed otherwise.

“From Kaihuang Temple of the Buddhist Kingdom?”

Lu Yang had no recollection of Kaihuang Temple. After reading the letter, understanding dawned upon him.

“So they want me to lend them some prestige.”

“Lend prestige?” Yun Mengmeng was perplexed.

“The letter says that when Junior Brother Shi Chan was debating Buddhist teachings at Kaihuang Temple, he mentioned my tales. Coincidentally, they are about to organize the Buddha Bathing Festival,[1], which includes a martial arts contest for cultivators. They hope I will honor them by serving as a judge.

“The Buddhist Kingdom operates under a theocratic system, with the union of religious and political rule. In other words, Kaihuang Temple is not just a monastery but also governs the local city, functioning like our municipal offices.

“However, Kaihuang Temple is not a major monastery, nor does it govern a large city. Most likely, they are inviting me to borrow my reputation to add prestige to their event.”

Had it been a large city or monastery, Lu Yang would have at least some impression of it.

“I see.” Although Yun Mengmeng hadn’t exactly grasped his explanation, it didn’t stop her from nodding. “So are you going?”

Lu Yang tucked away the envelope. “Kaihuang Temple bears no ill intent. Besides, I’ve never visited the Buddhist Kingdom; this is a good opportunity to make a trip there.”

Considering his shifu’s and his second senior brother’s reputations in the Buddhist Kingdom, Lu Yang had always been deterred from going there, lest he encounter some man-made difficulties.

This time, he was finally invited in a positive capacity—a rare chance. Of course, he had to go.

“Sister Mengmeng, would you like to go?”

“Is there any good food in the Buddhist Kingdom?” This was Yun Mengmeng’s primary concern.

Lu Yang recalled the Buddhist Kingdom’s specialties. “Due to their beliefs, the Buddhist Kingdom essentially has no meat; they’re mostly vegetarian. Their vegetarian cuisine is exceptional.”

“Never mind then.” Yun Mengmeng’s interest in the Buddhist Kingdom waned considerably. “Just bring me back some local specialties when you return, Second-in-Command.”

“Will do.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy popped out, her expression puzzled as she recalled the Buddhist traditions. “Come to think of it, it’s quite strange. Back when the five of us fabricated Buddhism, I always advocated that Buddhist practitioners should have no dietary restrictions. But the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the other three insisted that Buddhists should avoid meat and fish and eat more vegetables. They even said that, as the founder of Buddhism, I should follow its rules and cook more vegetarian meals. All four of them said that, so I had no choice but to agree that Buddhists should abstain from meat and fish.”

Lu Yang thought, Perhaps it’s because the toxicity of your vegetarian meals is lower than that of your meat dishes, Immortal Fairy.

“Immortal Fairy, so will you only cook vegetarian food from now on?”

“No. Why should I follow rules when I’m the founder?”

Lu Yang. “...”

Kaihuang Temple couldn’t be certain when their letter would reach the Dao-Seeking Sect, so they had sent it many days in advance. With the Buddha Bathing Festival still some time away, Lu Yang could prepare at his leisure.

Such as by inviting good friends.

“Old Meng, do you want to go to the Buddhist Kingdom?” Lu Yang sought out Meng Jingzhou with a mischievous grin, showing him the letter from Kaihuang Temple.

Meng Jingzhou silently produced a letter, also from Kaihuang Temple.

“You got one, too?” Lu Yang was surprised.

Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes at Lu Yang. “I’m a natural-born Buddha Scion. It’s perfectly normal for me to receive an invitation, isn’t it?”

The world called him the Innate Buddha Scion, and he had long since resigned himself to that title.

“So are you going?” Lu Yang asked.

He had heard that the Buddhist Kingdom was a harsh land of swirling yellow sand. Meng Jingzhou thought there was nothing fun there and hadn’t planned to go, so he didn’t invite Lu Yang.

“But if you’re going, I can make the trip, too.”

1. It is also called “Buddha Day” or “Buddha’s Birthday.” ☜