Could she find him?
Of course not.
The young monk was looking for her, but had sunk into the sea of suffering. Yet she, unaware, was still searching the immortal realm for the young monk.
This was destined to be a fruitless endeavor.
Fang Xiaoyu wanted to curse the Buddha as a scoundrel and all of Buddhism as dogs, but thinking of how the Buddha on earth was diligently helping Wan Lei with his treatment, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"This story must have a continuation, right? After all, you said the young monk and the Nether Flower Immortal are both in the Five Elements Hall now."
"Of course there's a continuation! After all, none of our stories are tragedies.
The Nether Flower Immortal searched for the young monk for two thousand years, scattering countless Nether Flower seeds throughout the immortal realm, hoping that one day when the young monk passed by, the seeds would sense him and relay the message to her.
Honestly, if the young monk hadn't been killed by that damned bald donkey, the Nether Flower Immortal's method would have been very effective and quite promising for finding him.
Later, Xia Dayu appeared. In the Southern Border, he was saved by the Nether Flower seeds left by the Nether Flower Immortal, but the seeds also invaded his soul.
It could be said to be a blessing in disguise. Although the Nether Flower seeds would try to possess him when he became an immortal, they also brought him the power of vegetation and immunity to all poisons.
From then on, Xia Dayu learned alchemy and slowly rose to prominence.
Later, Xia Dayu entered the Sea of Suffering, where he met Wan Yi, Han Xiaofeng, and Han Xiaoyu. Then, the three of them cultivated, and Xia Dayu gained insights.
Xia Dayu captured an evil spirit and asked the Ferryman Han Xiaoyu to help him access the evil spirit's memories.
That evil spirit was the young monk.
After witnessing the young monk's life, Xia Dayu felt compassion and used the Divine Soul Pill to restart the young monk's consciousness, and placed his soul in a bronze lamp to be nurtured.
Later, the young monk also saved Xia Dayu several times. Xia Dayu also grew along the way and got to know us.
Xia Dayu and his companions broke through to the Immortal Realm and encountered the Nether Flower Immortal, who was being pursued, in the starry sky.
Xia Dayu recognized her at a glance and rescued her.
Thus, the young monk and the Nether Flower Immortal were finally reunited after two thousand years.
The Nether Flower Immortal took the young monk's soul to the Western Desert Spirit Mountain to retrieve his physical body from his master. With the help of Xia Dayu's pills, the young monk was resurrected.
Fang Xiaoyu nodded upon hearing this. She and Wan Lei each possessed one of those pills, which could merge a deceased body and soul.
It was also refined by the Golden Immortal Venerable.
"The young monk's master is quite a decent person. He had been nurturing his physical body all these years, keeping it from decaying and preserving its vitality.
After the young monk's resurrection, he displayed astonishing cultivation talent, advancing by leaps and bounds. The Buddhist sects, seeing his strength, no longer held grudges and vigorously supported his development.
Don't you think Buddhism is hypocritical? When people are useless, they are casually killed; when they are useful, they are vigorously nurtured.
Pah! Disgusting, hypocritical, and sanctimonious."
Fang Xiaoyu glanced worriedly at the Buddha nearby. Li Mengran had deliberately not muted her voice, intending for the Buddha to hear. Fortunately, the Buddha remained impassive, continuing to chant Buddhist scriptures with his eyes closed.
"Later on, the war between Immortals and Gods broke out. Our major Holy Sects in the Immortal Realm all dispatched armies to resist, and we, the younger generation's prodigies, were also sent out.
During that period, we truly shone brightly. I from Great Tang, the young monk from the Western Desert, the Nether Flower Immortal, Donghuang Taiyi from the Heavenly Court, the Dream Team, disciples of Patriarch Bodhi, that is Xi Sha and her companions, Jian Sheng's disciple Wan Jianyi, Gu Sect's Daojun Qi, Han Sect's Hu Youzi, and the rogue cultivator Wan Qingyi, all became famous during that time.
We also grew rapidly during that period, most of us reaching the Golden Immortal Realm.
A hundred years later, Xia Dayu and his six companions returned, they were the Five Great Immortal Venerables and my husband Wang Xiaohang.
Originally, we prodigies were all arrogant and never yielded to each other, engaging in secret rivalries. As soon as Xia Dayu returned, we naturally vied to win him over, seeking to strengthen our own factions.
However, Xia Dayu waved his hand, declared his intention to establish the Five Elements Hall, and instead incorporated all of us.
At that time, we already knew each other and had good relations, so we agreed to his proposal, and thus the Five Elements Hall was established, with us, the founding members, forming its backbone.
When Xia Dayu proposed establishing the Five Elements Hall, the young monk was the first to agree to join.
Tsk tsk tsk. Buddhism nurtured him vigorously, only for him to be a stepping stone for others. If they had treated the young monk better back then, his heart would have remained with Buddhism.
But what happened? Now the young monk is a Double Yang Saint, and the Nether Flower Immortal is the only one in the Immortal Realm who has become a Saint through plants.
Alas, Buddhism has lost two Saints! Some people regret it deeply.
But what's the use of regret? There's no cure for regret in this world. A single thought at the time led to the current awkward situation."
Li Mengran sarcastically taunted the Buddha, and the Buddha finally couldn't help but retort.
"Li Tanyue, I am still here. These words should be spoken behind my back."
"What, you can do it, but others cannot speak of it?"
Li Mengran said fiercely.
"I have no regrets. The world now respects the Five Elements Hall. Whether Huiyu is in Buddhism or the Five Elements Hall makes no difference; both are working for the stability of the Immortal Realm."
"Hmph, hypocritical old monk."
The Buddha smiled slightly and said nothing more.
This was only because the Buddha had a good temper. If any other Saint were mocked by her like this, they would have already left in a huff.
The Buddha's Great Sun Golden Light continued to dispel the demonic ring's mental power for Wan Lei. After another month, the Buddha finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Dharma image behind him returned to his body, the golden light dissipated, and he opened his eyes.
"Buddha? Is it over?"
Fang Xiaoyu asked nervously.
The Buddha smiled and nodded.
"I have not failed my mission. The karmic obstruction has been completely expelled. In less than half an hour, Wan Lei Tanyue will awaken."
"Junior expresses gratitude to the Buddha for saving his life."
Saying this, Fang Xiaoyu was about to kneel to express her thanks, but the Buddha gently lifted her up.
"Tanyue need not be so formal. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Our Buddhist teachings advocate for the salvation of all beings without seeking reward."
At this moment, regardless of her previous poor impression of the Buddha, or how Li Mengran had belittled him, Fang Xiaoyu felt that the Buddha was exceptionally tall and majestic, and was extremely grateful to him.
A moment later, Wan Lei slowly opened his eyes. He first looked around in confusion and found Fang Xiaoyu and a monk in coarse clothes watching him.
"Xiaoyu, what's going on?"
"What's going on? You were corrupted by that demonic ring. Xuan Sheng invited the Buddha to save you."
Was this monk the Buddha?
"Junior expresses gratitude to the Buddha for saving his life."
The Buddha smiled with compassion and nodded.
"You need not be so polite, young Tanyue Wan Lei. Are you interested in joining Buddhism?"