Chapter Forty: Breaking Through the Sixth Layer of the Brahma Zen Sutra, the Monk Realm

Razan stood at Zhang Xiao’s side, staring at the bizarre scene before him, and for a moment he did not know what to say.

Zhang Xiao glanced at him and asked, “What is it, Master? Surely you do not mean to destroy this tree for real?”

Razan was no fool. He could see the situation clearly enough. This tree was their shelter; once it was gone, the zombie would surely not keep its word. Even if it did, Razan would never stake his life on another creature’s promise. But lingering beside this tree was no long-term solution either. As the zombie had said, there was no spiritual energy here, no way to cultivate, and no other exit. Were they truly meant to stay here and keep company with a zombie forever?

When he saw Zhang Xiao sitting there in leisurely meditation, Razan’s mind stirred. He stepped closer and smiled. “Heh, Fellow Daoist, you seem so calm and untroubled. I imagine you must already have some ingenious plan. Would you mind enlightening this humble monk?”

With those words, Razan had lowered himself to the absolute minimum. When he and Zhang Xiao had first fought, he had called himself “this old monk” and referred to Zhang Xiao as a monster. The second time, he had become “this humble monk,” and Zhang Xiao had been “Benefactor.” Now he directly addressed Zhang Xiao as Fellow Daoist and called himself “this humble monk.” His thick skin was truly beyond anything Zhang Xiao had ever seen.

Zhang Xiao lifted his head and feigned surprise. “Master, you are so wise and mighty, with great divine powers. I thought surely you had some excellent way to escape. Could it be that even you have no solution? If that is so, then we are truly in trouble.”

As he spoke, he even put on a look of alarm. Razan’s temper finally began to fray. Of course he did not believe Zhang Xiao’s nonsense, but he was indeed anxious. What if Zhang Xiao really did have a way out and was deliberately abandoning him? Then he would be the one in grave danger. After all, they were enemies, not allies.

Thinking of this, Razan’s face turned red and then pale in turn. Zhang Xiao saw this and thought he might be preparing some lethal secret technique, which put him on guard as well.

After a long while, Razan said coldly, “Fellow Daoist, I know very well that you must have a way to leave this place. Since you refuse to say it, I will not press you. Once I destroy this tree, we part ways and owe each other nothing.”

With that, he raised his monk’s staff, ready to strike the great tree. Yet Zhang Xiao remained seated off to the side, watching with a cool expression.

Sure enough, just as the staff came within an inch of the tree, Razan stopped. He turned and barked at Zhang Xiao, “Will you truly not say?”

Seeing the bloodshot glare in Razan’s eyes, Zhang Xiao knew that if he did not calm this foreign monk down, the man might well decide to fight to the death. Thinking quickly, Zhang Xiao could only smile and say, “Master, how can someone as enlightened as you be so agitated? Surely you know the teaching that all things are empty?”

Seeing Zhang Xiao soften his stance, Razan lowered the staff in his hand and said, “All things are empty? Hmph! That is all nonsense used to fool people.”

At that, Zhang Xiao’s eyes brightened. This foreign monk’s character might be poor, but he was after all a master who had reached the Monk Realm. If he could coax even a little insight from him, perhaps his own avatar might be able to push the Brahma Meditation Scripture to the sixth level.

At once, Zhang Xiao waved his hand and produced a tea set from his bone ring.

This tea set had of course been taken along with the Heavenly Son Cauldron from the secret chamber of Ise Shrine. It was itself a rare treasure, complete with excellent tea leaves and spring water.

With a flick of Zhang Xiao’s finger, the entire set began moving on its own: washing the leaves, rinsing the cups, brewing the tea, and pouring it out in one smooth sequence. Zhang Xiao lifted a cup and said, “Please sit, Master. Come drink a cup of tea with me.”

Though Razan was anxious to find a way out, Zhang Xiao was being so courteous in offering tea that it would have been difficult to turn hostile. As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Besides, Zhang Xiao was not someone he could simply bully at will.

At once, Razan sat down opposite Zhang Xiao. “Since you are so kind as to invite me to tea, Fellow Daoist, you must surely already know a way out. Would you please grant me some instruction?”

Zhang Xiao glanced at the zombie seated far away and smiled. “Rest assured. I guarantee that Master will be able to leave this place. If you do not believe me, I can even make a vow to serve as your assurance.”

Razan was overjoyed. “There is no need for a vow, but could you first tell me how to get out of here?”

Seeing how eager he was, Zhang Xiao naturally would not miss the chance. He smiled and said, “No rush. I have another matter I wish to ask Master about. You said just now that ‘all things are empty’ is nonsense used to fool people. What, then, do you mean by emptiness?”

Hearing this, Razan understood Zhang Xiao’s intention at once. Zhang Xiao must have encountered many obscurities while cultivating the Buddhist arts and wanted to use this opportunity to seek his guidance. Thinking this, a smug smile rose on Razan’s face.

In terms of divine abilities, Zhang Xiao was no weaker than him. But in the end, was he not still asking for his guidance?

Razan did not hurry. He gently blew on the tea in his cup and said, “I was too hasty just now and did not make myself clear. The so-called four great elements of emptiness do not refer to the loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness spoken of in your Central Plains, nor to the four great prohibitions of greed, anger, delusion, and hatred. They refer to the four elements of water, fire, earth, and wind.

“That is the true meaning of the four great elements in Buddhism. As for emptiness, its meaning is manifold. But in my view, emptiness does not mean fleeing from all things. It means understanding all things, moving without worry or restraint, following one’s heart. Emptiness lies beyond the three realms and outside the five elements. Yet it is also right here.”

As he spoke, Razan tapped his own chest with a finger. It had to be said that he truly did have considerable insight into Buddhist doctrine.

After hearing these words, Zhang Xiao likewise felt he had gained much. At once, he sat cross-legged, his mind sinking entirely into his sea of consciousness as he entered a shared discussion with his avatar.

This process of comprehension lasted three days.

For three days, waves of Buddhist power repeatedly emanated from Zhang Xiao’s body. In his sea of consciousness, Zhang Xiao and his avatar sat together while scenes flashed before their eyes like a film reel.

From the very first day of Zhang Xiao’s rebirth to the present: the schemes and power struggles within the sect, the many stratagems of the Nine Sects Grand Tournament, then his expulsion from Mao Mountain and the various experiences of his nation-building mission.

It all unfolded before them like a finished scroll.

Then, at the end, the scene abruptly froze on the Red Blood Ridge: Zhang Xiao and the soldiers at the frontier singing the song of Qin together. Looking at the image of himself singing with unrestrained joy, Zhang Xiao and his avatar exchanged a smile.

Meanwhile, Razan, standing nearby, had not expected Zhang Xiao to actually break through here and was immediately thrown into confusion. If this had been anywhere else, he would never have let such an opportunity slip.

But now, if he killed Zhang Xiao, he himself would not be able to escape. This contradiction left Razan deeply troubled.

At that moment, the zombie seated across from them burst into laughter. “Hahaha! What all things are empty? It is all nonsense! If you ask me, anyone who stands in my way gets killed first, and the rest can be dealt with later!”

Hearing this, Razan could not help but become furious.

How could the Buddhist law he had painstakingly cultivated be slandered by this creature? Just as he was about to speak out in anger, Zhang Xiao, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and smiled.

“Heh. Correct. Emptiness is me, and I am emptiness. Heaven and earth are mine, yet my fate is not decided by Heaven.”

As he spoke, Buddhist light burst forth from Zhang Xiao’s entire body. Accompanied by waves of chanting, a golden Buddhist kingdom unfolded around him as its center.

Countless gods, Buddhas, and arhats sat within it in solemn stillness. Golden flowers appeared beneath Zhang Xiao, and those golden lotuses merged into a single enormous lotus bloom.

At the same time, those golden blossoms covered Zhang Xiao’s body and transformed into a set of golden monk’s robes. Sitting in the Buddhist kingdom, Zhang Xiao seemed no different from a Buddha himself.

With a resonant clang, the sound of a bell rang out above his head.

The mighty reverberation shook the entire ancient dwelling, and even the zombie’s expression darkened as it struggled to resist.

“The Monk Realm? How can there be such a tremendous display?”

Razan stared at the many auspicious signs radiating from Zhang Xiao and was utterly shocked. He too was a master of the Monk Realm, yet when he had advanced, he had merely been bathed in a single beam of Buddhist light and transformed into an arhat. That was all, just the golden arhat he had summoned in battle against Zhang Xiao before.

But the phenomenon surrounding Zhang Xiao was dozens of times more magnificent than his own. Looking at Zhang Xiao seated within the Buddhist radiance, Razan even felt an urge to step forward and prostrate himself in worship.

The manifestation did not last long. With a single thought from Zhang Xiao, all the divine signs vanished like bubbles and dissipated without a trace.

“Congratulations, Master!”

At this point, Razan no longer dared underestimate Zhang Xiao. No matter where one went, strength was the foundation of speech.

Zhang Xiao had originally been no weaker than Razan, and now he had even cultivated the Brahma Meditation Scripture to the sixth level and entered the Monk Realm. His strength now far surpassed Razan’s. Though Razan had offered guidance, that favor was only a means to exchange for the method of leaving this place.

Zhang Xiao smiled. “Master is too kind. My breakthrough was due to your instruction. Since I have now advanced, I ought to send Master out of here.”

At those words, Razan’s expression changed and he quietly went on guard.

The method of sending him out was actually very simple: kill him.

Although this would cost him one soul and one spirit, after his resurrection he could use the true spirit energy in his possession to restore the missing portions. But such a method had drawbacks. Since the soul would be repaired afterward, it would fundamentally harm future breakthroughs. That was why both Razan and Zhang Xiao knew this method could work, yet neither had used it.

Originally Razan had not worried that Zhang Xiao would resort to such a method. But now the situation had turned. If Zhang Xiao truly made a move, Razan would not be his match.

However, Razan had badly underestimated Zhang Xiao.

With a smile, Zhang Xiao’s figure instantly appeared beside Razan. He lightly patted Razan’s shoulder, and before the monk could gather his thoughts, Zhang Xiao had already sent him a hidden transmission with a method for leaving.

Upon hearing it, Razan could hardly believe his own ears. But then he considered Zhang Xiao’s current strength. If Zhang Xiao had truly wanted to harm him, there was no need to go to such lengths.

Glancing at the zombie guarding the entrance, Razan gritted his teeth and said, “Very well, we shall use this method. But then you will not be able to leave, will you?”

Zhang Xiao smiled at that. “Rest assured. I have my own way.”

Suddenly, a fiery red crossbow appeared in Zhang Xiao’s hand.

The intense aura of flame immediately changed the zombie’s expression at the entrance. It roared, “What are you doing?”

This red crossbow was precisely Dragonfire Fury, the weapon Zhang Xiao had seized from Karochius.

At present, Dragonfire Fury had only one use left. Zhang Xiao had not failed to consider joining forces with Razan to defeat the zombie, but against a late Nascent Soul cultivator, even after his breakthrough, he was still by no means a match. After thinking it over and over, this was the only method Zhang Xiao could come up with.

One final note, and I will not count this toward the chapter length: today’s update came a little late, my apologies to everyone. Here, I want to clarify the issue of cultivation levels once again.

Cultivation ranks: Nurturing Spirit, Drawing Qi, Condensing Spirit, Refining Qi, Foundation Establishment, Forming the Core, Nascent Soul, Refining Spirit, Union of Body and Soul, Tribulation Crossing, Great Ascension.

Buddhist cultivation ranks: Shramana, Bhikkhu, Monk, Master, Great Virtue, Bodhisattva.

Overseas occupational ranks are divided into thirteen levels, with level one being the highest, such as a level one warrior or a level ten Sword Saint. This classification has nothing to do with personal cultivation level and is meant to keep things simpler. I ask for your understanding.

As for the island nation’s occupations, they will be divided into finer categories. I will write them out separately when the time comes, since the story has not yet reached that point.