Chapter 28: The Outrageous Heaven of Six Desires

"The internal organs of this young monk are shattered; unless he possesses heaven-sent treasures to heal him, he will not survive more than a few days."

Chen Xuan stood dumbfounded, staring at the young monk collapsed on the ground. The monk's complexion was ashen; he was grievously wounded, clearly on the verge of death.

"Cough..."

The young monk lay prone, coughing up a large amount of blood wreathed in white *qi*, mixed with fragments of his own viscera. Monk Kongming’s kick had carried the force of nearly ten thousand pounds, delivered without a shred of mercy, nearly crushing the youth’s entire chest.

Chen Xuan practiced the white *qi* himself; he understood the lethality of that kick and knew how poor the defenses of such practitioners were. The Twelve *Qi* of the Mountains and Seas each possessed miraculous properties. Those who practiced the Metal-Virtue White *Qi*, while possessing bodies as tough as metal and immense killing power, lacked the tenacity of life found in other paths.

For instance, a cultivator of the Fire-Virtue Red *Qi*, even if their body were destroyed, could still find a chance at rebirth as long as the three essences of their soul remained intact. Similarly, a cultivator of the Wood-Virtue Green *Qi* was the other extreme: their body was filled with boundless, inexhaustible vitality. Even if only a head remained, as long as the green *qi* was not depleted, the body would quickly regrow.

"Are the precepts and rules of the Hanging Temple truly so draconian? They cannot tolerate even the slightest mistake from their disciples—not even a slip of the tongue?"

Chen Xuan found it inconceivable. The other party had merely spoken rudely, showing barely any hostility, yet Monk Kongwen had moved directly to strike his own junior brother down, even forcing him to pay for his error with his life. It was no wonder that the senior monk he had encountered in Xiaohe Village, having overheard a secret technique, had been so terrified that he dared not return to the mountain gate.

Monk Kongwen pressed his palms together, first offering a deep apology to Chen Xuan for the misunderstanding caused by his junior brother's recklessness and insolence, before explaining:

"Do not be alarmed, Fellow Daoist. It is not that our temple’s discipline is overly strict or intolerant of vice, but that this junior brother of mine has an impure mind. If he were to encounter Yan Yushu later, I fear he would immediately lose his resolve—his life would be as good as forfeit. If he were to defect in the heat of battle, it would ruin the temple’s great undertaking."

He spoke of this without the slightest hesitation, making it clear that these temporarily assembled young monks were useless, or perhaps even a hindrance. Having discovered the flaw, he naturally had to remove them from the ranks immediately.

Chen Xuan frowned and asked, "What exactly is the 'Six Desires Heaven'?"

A "Huangliang Dream" referred to a reincarnated person. What, then, was the nature of this "Six Desires Heaven"? Why would simply seeing her mean one's life was effectively over?

Monk Kongwen glanced at his dying junior brother in the distance, his expression solemn as he explained: "Men in this world—nay, even women—once they lay eyes on Yan Yushu, immediately develop an affinity for her, subsequently losing their true nature. They willingly become her playthings, reduced to numb puppets from that moment on. Every person she has encountered on this journey has been no exception."

To spend the remainder of one's life in a daze was, naturally, to be a soul beyond saving.

Chen Xuan understood. In short, men and women alike would be seduced by Yan Yushu’s beauty, lose their sense of self, and become playthings beneath her feet, their lives manipulated at her whim. No wonder he had felt something strange when he first encountered Yan Yushu... she had been trying to seduce him!

"If it were merely that, it might be manageable."

Monk Kongwen paused, then revealed the truly terrifying aspect of the Six Desires Heaven: "Yan Yushu selects certain *qi* practitioners from among them, then devours their blood, secret techniques, and cultivation base, absorbing it all for her own use."

Devouring someone’s cultivation?

Chen Xuan was shocked. Was this not too much of a "cheat"? To devour cultivation directly and make it one's own—did that not effectively skip the entire process of cultivation? If Yan Yushu were to devour an enlightened immortal, would she become an immortal herself? It was absurd!

He found it unbelievable. Compared to this, what was Wang Chan’s "Huangliang Dream" but some crude, backwater trick? What was the benefit of having memories of a past life if one still had to risk their life to seize opportunities and cultivate slowly? She could simply seduce a great master, devour them, and have everything!

Monk Kongwen’s expression was grave as his golden-white lips parted to continue.

"Last night, an ascetic monk from our Hanging Temple who had undergone his second 'feathering' caught up with her, only to be devoured. Overnight, the cultivation that monk had spent years of hardship to attain became hers!"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan clicked his tongue in disbelief. He had seen similar records on the jade tablet of Lady Black Cat just last night, but he had not expected the hidden truth to be so staggering. He had endured countless hardships and spent over half a month just to complete his first feathering. He did not know when he would be able to attempt his second, but the time and the heaven-sent treasures required would be a staggering sum. Yet this Yan Yushu had gained the cultivation of a second-feathering master in a single night? It was beyond reason—it was monstrous.

Chen Xuan asked boldly, "Can this Yan Yushu continue to devour without limit? Is there no restriction?"

The ability of the Six Desires Heaven was too outrageous; he believed there must be constraints, perhaps even severe ones.

Monk Kongwen answered without reservation: "Firstly, she devours people to practice; does our Hanging Temple look like an easy target? We will naturally not let her go. Secondly, once she devours someone to practice, it produces severe side effects. She devoured a person’s cultivation last night, so she is bound to suffer the backlash today."

So that was it.

Chen Xuan understood. Every time Yan Yushu devoured someone’s cultivation, it came with significant side effects. "Pros and cons—that is at least somewhat acceptable."

Chen Xuan then scrutinized Monk Kongwen, choosing his words carefully. "Forgive my bluntness, but given your strength, I fear that even if you find Yan Yushu, it will be to no avail, won't it?"

This Monk Kongwen was also only at the second-feathering stage. Was this not like throwing sheep into a tiger's den, walking right into a trap?

Monk Kongwen shook his head. "It is not just the two of us. As long as I can maintain my resolve and stall her for a moment to signal, she will have no way to escape..."

The Hanging Temple had mobilized a large number of men to form a net. Once Yan Yushu’s tracks were discovered, they would quickly surround her.

In the distance, the heavily wounded young monk knelt up from the ground, muttering, "Senior Brother Kongwen, I... I understand. I will leave the Southern Wasteland immediately and stay far away from Yan Yushu. I will never ruin your plans."

With his immature disposition and hot-headed youth, he would likely have knelt at her feet and fought to the death to protect her the moment he saw her. Monk Kongwen did not reply, but he did not stop the young monk from leaving either.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan prepared to depart as well. Having learned this shocking information, he was even less likely to reveal the route Yan Yushu had taken. In fact, the mountain paths of the Southern Wasteland were so winding and complex that every mountain pass presented a fork in the road; even if he pointed out a direction now, it would be of no help to the Hanging Temple.

Moreover, only a lunatic would offend someone like Yan Yushu, a "destined immortal seed" who clearly had such a promising future.

However, Monk Kongwen was unwilling to let Chen Xuan just walk away.

Chen Xuan asked coldly, "Is the Master intending to force my hand?"

Monk Kongwen shook his head. "Not at all. It is just that you have already met Yan Yushu. If you leave alone, I fear an accident might occur... Please, accompany my junior brother to the temporary encampment of the Hanging Temple outside the mountains. Once Yan Yushu is captured, you will be free to leave."

He was worried that Chen Xuan had already been ensnared and might, against his own will, secretly help Yan Yushu escape. Yet, Monk Kongwen maintained a humble posture, repeatedly emphasizing that this was not malicious imprisonment.

At the encampment outside the mountains, monks were brewing precious tea using the "Earthly Treasure Tree" as the main ingredient, which would be provided to these "lost souls" as compensation. As long as they waited for a day, they would receive a day's supply of tea.

"There is such a good thing?"

Chen Xuan was startled. Was the Hanging Temple being too generous? The Earthly Treasure Tree was a treasure that ordinary cultivators dreamed of—they were just handing it out? From this, it was clear how determined they were to capture the Six Desires Heaven.

Monk Kongwen smiled slightly. "A desperate measure. The Hanging Temple has emptied its coffers of many years for this."

The Six Desires Heaven had fled all the way to the Southern Wasteland; how many millions of people had she encountered? Ordinary mortals who were ensnared were easy to deal with. But *qi* practitioners were much more troublesome. Some had significant backgrounds, and it was unrealistic for the Hanging Temple to treat them all with severe methods, killing everyone they encountered.

Chen Xuan blinked, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Does the temple have any senior monks who can read ancient seal script?"

Monk Kongwen replied that there were monks in the camp who specialized in such things. If Chen Xuan wished to learn, they would surely teach him everything they knew.

"Very well."

Chen Xuan agreed immediately. He had left the great mountains of the Southern Wasteland precisely to learn ancient seal script. Now that the opportunity was right before him, with free Earthly Treasure Tree tea as a bonus, he had no reason to refuse.

Where was it not cultivation? If he was falsely accused of being compromised, so be it—the innocent are self-cleansing, and they were paying him too well.

He almost hoped that Yan Yushu would be clever enough to escape for a few more days, so he could stay at the Hanging Temple's encampment a little longer.

But in truth, Chen Xuan had a faint intuition that these ascetic monks would not be able to capture Yan Yushu and would, in the end, return empty-handed.