Chapter 1080: Pure and Unworldly
Ye Fan’s heart trembled, his eyes wide open. Within the icy cold body in his arms, a soul imprint had appeared—she was actually reviving.
Lost and regained, a deceased beauty now had a spark of life. Though very weak, it was undeniably real.
“Miaoyi!”
Ye Fan called out, gripping her hand tightly, afraid that if he let go, he would lose her forever. One step to heaven, one step to hell—he had been utterly despairing, and now came this sudden joy.
It was a surge of emotions, from plummeting lows to soaring highs. He had felt he was about to lose her, yet the woman in his arms had revived from death, stirring his feelings intensely.
The peerless beauty had entered a death-seclusion, and had become a cold corpse. He thought they would be separated forever, never to meet again, leaving a great regret.
“You’re back... as long as you’re alive, that’s what matters,” he murmured softly.
An Miaoyi’s face lacked color, very pale. Her delicate features were like pure white suet jade carved to perfection. Her originally ethereal eyes now lacked luster, dim and hazy.
She slowly reached out her hand, wiping away the tears on his face. Her body was very weak; returning from the Bodhisattva Realm had been fraught with hardships and dangers, and she had nearly passed away.
Years had passed, but An Miaoyi’s beauty had not diminished in the slightest. Her immortal aura was more restrained, gaining a sense of tranquility and serenity while losing some of her enchanting allure. Stripped of worldly splendor, she was even more moving.
She smiled weakly. Reunited after many years, within this Western Land’s Lantuo Temple, there was an indescribable feeling. Her eyes shimmered with spiritual light as she said, “It really is you. I heard your call in the Bodhisattva Realm, emerged from my confusion, and struggled back.”
“You won’t be in danger. I’m here, and I can definitely protect you completely.” Ye Fan’s gaze was firm. He let out a soft shout, activated the Presence Secret, and his entire body overflowed with holy light, enveloping An Miaoyi.
Although his Presence Secret was incomplete, there were few in the world that could compare to it. Even the Phoenix Calamity Rebirth Art or the Nirvana Art were no better.
An Miaoyi’s main injury was to her divine soul; she had nearly been lost in the Bodhisattva Realm. The Presence Secret was excellent for repairing the physical body and healing the soul. Almost instantly, her condition improved greatly.
“I feel much better...” Before long, she was able to sit up.
In the distance, Great Master Kuci had returned. Though he was a Golden Body Arhat, usually with a heart as calm as an ancient well, he now showed a hint of surprise. She had clearly passed away—how could she revive?
“Could this be the Buddha’s protection? Was she chosen, and thus able to linger so long in the Bodhisattva Realm, making us all mistakenly think she had passed away?” he murmured to himself.
Then, he strode over to inquire about the situation, eager to know what had happened.
“I crossed the Sea of the Past and waded through the River of Future Lives. On the horizon, I saw two great Buddhas—one was Amitabha, the other was Shakyamuni. I had no way to choose, so I ultimately moved forward, passing between the two Buddhas... and then I became lost,” An Miaoyi said softly, recounting her experiences in the Bodhisattva Realm over these days.
“It’s good that you’re back!” Kuci said.
He had sealed her within the nine-layered stone pagoda, not out of malice, but believing she might one day attain the Bodhisattva fruit. A hundred years of bitter cultivation in the pagoda might be the key.
Kuci left, not wanting to disturb them further.
“You’ve returned...” An Miaoyi murmured, staring blankly at Ye Fan as she slowly stood up. Her divine soul had stabilized.
She seemed somewhat thinner, her black hair soft and smooth, her expression serene and unworldly. Though she stood right before him, it felt as if she might drift away at any moment, as distant as could be.
“I tried hard, struggled to go back, but it was too late. After settling my thoughts, I still couldn’t forget this shore, so I returned,” Ye Fan said softly.
“Fourteen years... I never thought we’d meet again,” An Miaoyi said quietly.
Ye Fan walked shoulder to shoulder with her as they left Lantuo Temple together. The evening glow dyed the western sky red, stretching their shadows long.
At Lantuo Temple, qilins lay beneath the cliffs, and ganoderma grew beside the paths. It was a place filled with fragrance, tranquility, and harmony, dense with Dao marks.
“It’s really good that you came to see me.” An Miaoyi smiled like a young woman, her bright eyes and white teeth showing some charm and warmth, but Ye Fan’s heart tightened, feeling a sense of distance.
Ye Fan helped smooth her black hair and accompanied her as they walked out, crossing a path paved with cobblestones, passing by halls and pavilions, walking side by side. In the afterglow of the setting sun, it seemed very warm.
“I chose the path of Buddhist cultivation, and now I have some fruits of the Dao,” An Miaoyi said.
“I know. Great Master Kuci said you could attain the Bodhisattva position; it shouldn’t be too difficult,” Ye Fan nodded.
“Walking this path requires a peaceful mind, free from desires and wants. In motion or stillness, sitting or speaking, all is emptiness. Even if a white blade is aimed at my head, it’s like a sharp sword cutting through the spring breeze,” An Miaoyi said softly.
Ye Fan’s expression froze. He finally understood why he felt An Miaoyi was distant—it wasn’t the physical distance between them, but the change in her state of mind.
“Everyone has Buddha nature. Buddha is also human. Why give up so much? I don’t want you to walk this path,” Ye Fan said.
“Everyone has Buddha nature, but not everyone becomes a Buddha,” An Miaoyi shook her head.
For a moment, neither spoke. They walked in silence, though it was warm, it felt as if an invisible distance had grown between them.
“Why cultivate Buddhism? There are many Dao methods in the world. If you’re willing, I can obtain the scriptures of the Human Clan’s Great Emperors for you to choose from,” Ye Fan said.
“I have an affinity with Buddhism; it suits me to cultivate it,” An Miaoyi shook her head.
Ye Fan wanted to say something, but An Miaoyi extended a jade hand to cover his lips, saying, “Don’t say anything. Let’s just walk this path together.”
After a long time, the sun had set. In the dim Lantuo Sacred Mountain, with tree shadows swaying and medicinal herbs wafting fragrance, Ye Fan finally couldn’t help but speak.
“Miaoyi, this path isn’t easy. You don’t have to take it. There are many choices. Why trap yourself in the Western Desert?”
“This is my path. When I entered the Sea of the Past and waded through the River of Future Lives, my heart was so peaceful, telling me how to choose,” An Miaoyi said.
“I... don’t want you to be like this,” Ye Fan looked at her.
A peerless beauty, yet she would spend her life with a green lamp and ancient Buddha, severing worldly ties—how cruel was that?
“What’s wrong with this? My heart is at peace, utterly fulfilled. Witnessing a Buddha flower bloom, bright and vivid—my path is all within this,” An Miaoyi said, her eyes shimmering with light.
“Come with me and leave the Western Desert,” Ye Fan said earnestly.
An Miaoyi sighed softly, looking at him. There was reluctance in her eyes, and attachment, but she shook her head.
Suddenly, she pressed her forehead, cold sweat trickling down, and a mist of tears in her eyes. “In the past, I severed the Dao... and forgot the past.”
“What?” Ye Fan grabbed her arm.
“Now, I remember it all. But fourteen years ago, when you left, I made a choice...” Two lines of crystal tears slid down An Miaoyi’s beautiful eyes.
“Severing the Dao to forget, yet remembering again—some imprints can’t be erased,” Ye Fan said, his gaze firm. “Buddhism speaks of future lives, but that’s just escape. Where is there any reincarnation? Where is there any rebirth? What we can exist and perceive is only this life.”
An Miaoyi calmed down and said softly, “Don’t be stubborn. This is my path.”
“It’s not stubbornness—you really shouldn’t choose Buddhist cultivation,” Ye Fan suddenly became forceful, grabbing her hand and saying, “Come with me and leave the Western Desert.”
An Miaoyi suddenly smiled, her peerless beauty lighting up the entire dim sacred mountain. “Do you really not want me to cultivate Buddhism?”
“Yes,” Ye Fan nodded. He didn’t want An Miaoyi to spend her life with a green lamp and ancient Buddha, growing old alone in the Western Desert.
“Then wait until I attain the Bodhisattva position and can walk the world. Now, with all the ancient clans rising and saints from beyond the domain coming, how can I walk the world without becoming a Bodhisattva?”
“You’re not just humoring me, are you?” Ye Fan was stunned.
“No,” An Miaoyi smiled brilliantly, stunningly beautiful.
“It’s fine. If one day the Buddha truly blocks you, I’ll come to take you. As long as I’m invincible then, nothing can stop me!” Ye Fan said.
“A little man with some domineering spirit,” An Miaoyi’s smile spread like ripples, her body shimmering with light, her black hair dancing, her eyes like stars. “I’ll wait for you to come for me.”
Ye Fan nodded and walked with her across several spiritual veins, heading deeper into the sacred mountain.
“In the future, no matter what happens, you must believe in me, just as I believe in you,” An Miaoyi said.
The moonlight was pure white, falling like immortal feathers. The lake water sparkled with light, spiritual energy drifting.
Ye Fan used a jade ladle to scoop up clear water, sprinkling it over An Miaoyi’s hair, helping her wash it. Immortal light dotted the scene, ripples spreading across the lake.
An Miaoyi laughed softly, pushing him away, saying, “Let me do it myself.” She made him move away.
Soon, the sound of splashing water arose. She swam in the lake like a fish, her white body like ivory, gleaming with a crystal luster.
In the distance, Ye Fan sat by a fire, roasting some game. Somehow, he felt that An Miaoyi was truly distant, despite her saying they would meet again in the future.
Before long, the beauty emerged from the lake, walking lightly, wrapped in a feathered garment that outlined her white, crystal-clear body with perfect curves—a slender waist, long, straight jade legs, flawless.
Her wet, long hair dripped with water droplets. Her face, like suet jade, held a faint smile. Every move she made was peerless in grace, pure and unworldly, like a celestial maiden who had accidentally fallen to the mortal world.
“Let’s go,” An Miaoyi said, eating a spiritual root but not touching the game.
“Alright, I’ll take you back,” Ye Fan nodded, standing up.
“Back where?” An Miaoyi asked.
“Aren’t we going back to Lantuo Temple?” Ye Fan asked.
“The future is still far. I know you’re about to embark on a long journey. For the next half month, I’m not a Buddhist cultivator, and you’re not the Human Clan’s Sacred Body. We’re just an ordinary couple, living a simple life,” An Miaoyi said.
Ye Fan was first surprised, then took her hand and they left the sacred mountain, bidding farewell to Lantuo Temple.
In the following half month, they lived like an ordinary couple, staying together, watching the sunrise and sunset, crossing grasslands, entering deserts—simple and happy.
At night, they gazed at the starry sky together. Ye Fan pointed out to her the other shore of the stars, telling her what kind of world it was.
Time was short, passing so quickly. The sky was dotted with stars, the moonlight hazy.
“We’ll meet again,” An Miaoyi said, standing up with her back to him. Her white, perfect back shimmered with a snowy luster, like jade.
Ye Fan stepped forward, embracing her ivory-like body, unwilling to let go. If he could choose, he would rather be a mortal.
“Half a month has passed. You should go,” An Miaoyi gently pushed him away. Her feathered garment flashed, covering her flawless jade body. Her expression was serene, utterly pure and unworldly, as if she stood far away in the nine heavens.
“Chi!”
A green lamp appeared beside her. The lampwick flickered with Buddha light, suddenly leaping. The green lamp and ancient Buddha made her seem even more ethereal.