My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chu Lengyu gazed quietly at the phantom of the "Buddha" before her.

Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, calm and undisturbed.

There was no fear or surprise, only calm and inquiry.

She could clearly feel the Buddhist power contained within this illusion. That power was like a warm spring breeze, gently caressing her mind and trying to subtly guide her to convert to Buddhism.

However, Chu Lengyu's mind remained as firm as a rock, unmoved.

Layer upon layer of chanting aloud filled her ears. At first listen, it was melodious and beautiful, like heavenly music, as if it contained the truth of the world and could cleanse the dust from people's hearts.

However, as the chanting continued, it gradually began to sound rather strange.

It seemed to transform into an invisible hand, attempting to drag people into the endless illusion of the eight sufferings of life and the eight difficulties of hell.

If an ordinary person were standing here, they would be immediately captivated by the chanting, abandoning everything and becoming one of the most devout Buddhists.

Or perhaps, unable to endure the torment of the eight sufferings and eight difficulties, they fall into madness, or even die on the spot.

However, Chu Lengyu's Dao heart is firm. She has her own understanding and pursuit of the path of cultivation and will not be easily swayed by external forces, nor will she lose her way due to temporary temptations.

Seeing that she remained unmoved, the phantom of the Buddha instinctively released even more power, making the golden light even brighter.

The Buddha, with a compassionate expression, extended his hand to her and said gently and kindly, "Come."

The golden lotus petals of Buddha's light danced in the air, like celestial maidens scattering flowers, dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.

Suddenly, another small and shallow Buddha image faintly appeared behind Chu Lengyu.

This power was strange; it penetrated deep into her mind and spirit, leaving her unable to stop it. The Wisdom Lamp Glazed Treasure, being of a similar origin, offered no protection.

As her most closely connected natal magic weapon, the Lone Sword immediately sensed something was wrong and flew out on its own, only to be surprised to find that it could not find the enemy.

It circled around Chu Lengyu in confusion, then poked the Buddha image behind her with the tip of its sword, which resembled a "spirit behind her."

The illusory image showed no reaction; it clasped its hands together, showing neither sorrow nor joy, as if it were devoutly worshipping Buddha.

After carefully savoring it, Chu Lengyu vaguely grasped the underlying meaning. She understood in her heart: "This is the reflection of my heart, the 'Buddha' in my heart."

"Man can become a Buddha, and I also have a Buddha in my heart. This illusory image is the manifestation of the Buddha in my heart."

This illusory image actually originated from a reflection of her inner self; it was her own understanding of "Buddha," which was now being drawn to the power of this "Buddha" and manifested.

The enormous phantom of "Buddha" spoke again, vast and boundless, advising: "Benefactor, your Buddha-nature is excellent, and you have an affinity with Buddha. Why not convert to Buddhism as soon as possible?"

"Heh." Chu Lengyu raised her sword and sneered, "Are you suggesting that I can become a Buddha with a single thought, as long as I want to?"

A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes, and the Lone Sword in her hand trembled slightly, emitting a crisp sword sound, as if responding to her will.

She retorted sarcastically, "To put it another way, if I wanted to become a Buddha, why would I need your guidance?"

The phantom of the Buddha seemed surprised that Chu Lengyu would refuse so resolutely. Its face remained compassionate, but its voice carried a hint of urgency: "Benefactor, if you do not take refuge, you will be forever trapped in the cycle of reincarnation and suffer all the hardships of the world."

The Buddha image behind Chu Lengyu had its hands clasped together, seemingly praying silently, but Chu Lengyu herself remained unmoved.

The illusions of the eight sufferings and eight difficulties flashed quickly before her eyes.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death; love, hate, and separation—life is a sea of ​​suffering, like falling into hell.

But Chu Lengyu knew that this illusion was just a Buddhist technique used to influence her mind.

But this level of power is still not as strong as the illusory lightning in the Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation. Even in the past, she could remain unmoved by it, let alone now.

"So what if it's reincarnation? So what if it's suffering?" Chu Lengyu was open-minded and fearless, and asked in return, "If I were afraid of suffering, I wouldn't have come this far."

Without hesitation, she swung her sword in her heart, cutting away all distracting thoughts. The illusory image that had formed behind her instantly disintegrated and vanished into nothingness.

At the same time, a crack suddenly appeared on the face of the Buddha's phantom, and the golden light it emitted began to flicker.

It seemed that it had not expected that Chu Lengyu's will was so firm, and that it could not sway her no matter what it tried.

"Benefactor, are you really unwilling to take refuge?" the phantom Buddha asked with a hint of helplessness, seemingly feeling sorry for her.

Chu Lengyu stared coldly at it, then slowly raised the Lone Sword in her hand, its tip pointing directly at the Buddha phantom: "I will walk my path of cultivation, you will chant your Rebirth Sutra. Our paths are different, so we will not work together!"

The Buddha phantom finally realized Chu Lengyu's determination.

After a moment of silence, it suddenly smiled, holding a flower in its hand, and praised, "Purify your mind and guard your will. You can attain the ultimate truth. How rare, how rare!" (Note)

As the words fell, its golden light gradually dissipated, eventually turning into starlight and disappearing into the night sky.

Only a small relic remained, still placed in the jade box, with nothing more mysterious about it.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, Master Huikong was already standing by the window, watching with anticipation the phantom of "Buddha" appearing outside the city.

If Chu Lengyu's resolve wavers and she converts to Buddhism, another illusory image of Buddha will appear from her.

If she remains steadfast and unmoved, the Buddha's phantom will dissipate once its power is exhausted.

Now, the moment the phantom vanished, he already knew the outcome.

The Buddha's image vanishes, but the resolve to follow the Way remains steadfast.

Master Huikong's expression remained calm, but his heart was filled with complex emotions. He had never expected that the miraculous Buddha relic would fail.

Originally, this extremely precious relic was unanimously decided by the elders of the Mahata Dharma Protectorate to be brought by him as a great gift to the emperor, empress, or high-ranking officials of the Great Xia Dynasty, in order to influence the Great Xia, open up new opportunities, and introduce Buddhism.

However, after witnessing Chu Lengyu's strength at Xinghua Tower, Master Huikong quietly changed his mind.

"Amitabha. This old monk still hasn't seen through it."

The next day, Master Huikong was found by his disciples to have passed away in his room.

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Note: Purify your mind and guard your will. You may attain the ultimate truth. It is like polishing a mirror; when the dirt is removed, the brightness remains. Cut off desires and have no wants, and you will attain knowledge of your past lives. — "On Asking About Destiny," from the "Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters Spoken by the Buddha."