West Mountain Range.

The Arhat Temple and the West Mountain Temple are not far apart; just a mountain ridge separates the two Buddhist sect temples.

The West Mountain Temple is on the main peak, Celestial Cloud Peak, while the Arhat Temple is on a side peak, Luoyun Peak.

It is precisely because the two temples are so close that the initial competition for followers and resources between the Arhat Temple and the West Mountain Temple eventually evolved into hatred and hostility.

When the protagonist arrived at the foot of Luoyun Peak, he looked up at the towering mountain range, and his face immediately turned solemn.

He didn't wait for Yao Qing to go to the Cultivation Conference together.

It's not that the protagonist suddenly became ambitious and decided not to retire but wanted to make a name for himself again.

Instead, he was suddenly filled with fear and unease, as if something terrible were about to happen.

If the protagonist had the Heaven-Reaching Eye, he would know that the moment he felt frightened was when a wisp of Su Qianqian's consciousness awakened in the Taotie.

Su Qianqian's soft murmur of "Brother Fajing," even though it was across half the city, nearly scared the protagonist out of his wits.

The protagonist barely endured a night, but the next day he couldn't withstand the pressure any longer. He sneakily avoided Yao Qing's sight and quietly left the Four Seas Restaurant, heading all the way to the Arhat Temple.

He couldn't wait any longer and was ready to begin his reclusive life ahead of schedule.

But before that, the protagonist planned to keep his agreement by returning the old monk to the Arhat Temple.

This was supposed to be the last thing he did in the Cultivation Realm.

Once he completed this task, he would retire completely.

The mountain path to Luoyun Peak was steep and treacherous, with numerous pilgrims coming and going. Worried about being recognized, the protagonist deliberately took a detour to climb the mountain from the rear side.

Halfway up, the protagonist suddenly realized that there was no need for him to hide!

He was here to escort someone, not to steal something, so why be afraid?

The protagonist had been so traumatized by being hunted by the Great Xia Court that he didn't dare meet people openly, and his first instinct was to hide and walk in the shadows.

"What a sin!"

When the protagonist came to his senses, he was stuck halfway up the mountain; below him was a steep cliff, and above him was a vast sea of clouds.

There was no way up, no way down.

A wave of frustration hit the protagonist, and he was left feeling despairing.

At this moment, a question that he's considered thousands of times resurfaced in the protagonist's mind once more.

How did he reach such a dire state?

Was it because he was born at the wrong time?

Was it because he was taken to a place he shouldn't have gone to?

Was it because he picked up a ring he shouldn't have picked up?

Or was it because he had that bowl of congee which he regretted for a lifetime?

No matter how hard he thought, the protagonist couldn't figure it out.

When exactly did the wheels of fate begin to turn?

The old monk in the ring sensed the protagonist's somber mood and asked in confusion, "Little monk, what's wrong with you?"

The old monk was in high spirits.

He had been away from the Arhat Temple for over a century.

Even though he was now returning in spirit form, it felt like coming home.

The protagonist took a deep breath, pressed down the frustration in his chest.

He shook his head slightly, looked at the cloud sea above, and said in a deep voice, "Nothing, let's keep going!"

After speaking, he didn't wait for a response from the old monk and continued up the mountain.

The old monk didn't say much either.

With the Arhat Temple almost within reach, he suddenly felt a sense of apprehension about coming home.

How was the Arhat Temple now?

Did anyone still remember him?

Would the Spirit Grass he once planted have withered away?

What about the disciples and fellow monks from back then?

At this moment, the old monk's emotions were as complex and unsettled as the protagonist's.

To prevent a sneak attack from the bald-headed monks of the West Mountain Temple from the back mountain, the people of Arhat Temple had set many restrictions on Luoyun Peak.

The protagonist, at the fourth tier of the Separation and Reunion Realm, couldn't use his cultivation and had to rely solely on physical strength to climb upwards.

After climbing for a quarter of an hour, the protagonist's strength was wearing thin.

Aiming for a protruding platform above, he thrust himself upward, intending to take a break on the platform.

As soon as he landed, the protagonist let out a light "huh."

The stone walls of the platform were carved with many sutras.

The protagonist was not unfamiliar with the practice of carving sutras on stone.

This is a form of Buddhist sect practice.

Some of the accomplished monks of the West Mountain Temple also employed this method of practice when they couldn't make progress in their study of Buddhist Dharma.

What puzzled the protagonist was who would choose to practice in this desolate and remote mid-mountain spot.

The environment here was harsh, sparsely populated, and once carved, no one would see it.

If there were no pilgrims to sing praises and acclaim, wouldn't it be carved in vain?

The protagonist couldn't figure it out, and the old monk was also baffled.

The old monk rarely came to the back mountains and didn't remember such a place for practice.

The protagonist reached out and touched the traces on the stone wall, feeling a bit amazed.

"The blade marks are old, the color of the cut matches the surrounding stone, suggesting these sutras are at least a few hundred years old."

The protagonist curiously asked, "Arhat Ancestor Master, do you know who practiced here?"

The old monk pondered and said, "The Arhat Temple boasts a profound heritage, proudly overlooking the West Mountain Range, with countless eminent monks in the temple. Perhaps some accomplished mage chose this inconspicuous place to practice in order not to draw attention."

The protagonist remained silent.

Although he had betrayed the West Mountain Temple, he had, after all, grown up there.

Listening to the old monk claiming the Arhat Temple as the foremost in the West Mountain made him feel uncomfortable.

Unwilling to say much, the protagonist, having rested, looked once more at the stone wall and prepared to climb further up.

The thought that, once he returned the old monk, he could then retire made him look forward to the future, invigorating his climb.

Just as he was about to leave, the corner of the protagonist's eye suddenly caught a hint of an orange-yellow glow in a crevice between the stones.

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