One day later, the group saw some corpses chewed up by wild beasts. There were also signs of a huge battle, a complete mess.
"Division Master, we might have reached a gathering place of natives!" Gao Xianzhi said with a slightly excited expression.
Gu Hai nodded.
"Ah! I recognize this place!" Xiaorou suddenly exclaimed.
"Oh?"
"That mountain! I recognize that mountain. After we cross that mountain, we will see the herb garden that I used to live in! Carefree Valley! "Xiaorou said as she pointed to a mountain peak.
"Let's go!" Gu Hai's group quickly rushed there.
Soon, the group reached the peak and looked behind.
They saw a huge, charred valley. It seemed like a huge fire had occurred here. There were some buildings at the bottom of the valley. However, they were on the verge of collapse. The herb garden that Xiaorou mentioned was now charred.
"This is the place. It was all burned?" Xiaorou exclaimed in shock.
"The things here should have been plundered already. There is nothing left!" Chen Tianshan said with some regret.
"Division Master, something is wrong. Where are the corpses? Xiaorou said that more than one thousand people lived here. Yet, there is not a single corpse? "Gao Xianzhi exclaimed in shock.
"Indeed!" Gu Hai narrowed his eyes as he looked around.
"Oh, right. Benefactor, there is actually another place here! There is something good in there that cannot be taken away, "Xiaorou suddenly said with a change of expression.
"Oh?"
"That is a spring that only the Valley Master can use. He can only use it once a year. I heard that if one bathes in this spring water, their cultivation will increase!" Xiaorou said.
"Spirit spring? There is a spirit spring here? "Chen Tianshan immediately goggled.
"What is a spirit spring?" Gu Hai asked out of curiosity.
"It is a naturally formed Spirit Gathering Formation that gathers boundless Spiritual Energy in the spring water. The Spiritual Energy will not leak out. However, as long as one bathes in it, all the Spiritual Energy will be compressed into one's body, aiding one's cultivation. Furthermore, the Spiritual Energy in the spirit spring is the most gentle Spiritual Energy. It will not cause any side effects!" Chen Tianshan said excitedly.
"Where is the spirit spring?" Gu Hai asked as he looked at Xiaorou.
"It is in the cave behind that palace. It is very hidden. I will bring Benefactor there!" Xiaorou felt very happy that she could finally help her benefactor.
The group quickly entered the valley.
The scorched black valley was full of collapsed ruins. The largest palace was also like this, with more than half of it collapsed.
"Branch Master, look!" Gao Xianzhi's expression suddenly changed.
In the dilapidated palace, hundreds of corpses were laid out. All of them were charred black. Some of the corpses had been torn apart, but all of them had been pieced together.
"All the corpses are gathered here?" Chen Tianshan revealed a hint of surprise.
Gu Hai narrowed his eyes and became alert. He quickly turned his head to check his surroundings.
"Branch Master, there's no one in the valley. We've already looked around the mountain!" Gao Xianzhi said with a frown.
"In that case, who collected these corpses?" Chen Tianshan asked, feeling confused.
Gu Hai frowned and took a deep breath. "Let's go to the Spirit Spring first!"
"En!" Everyone had mixed feelings as they nodded.
After circling around the palace ruins, they immediately saw a hidden cave with a pile of charred wood in the surroundings. It looked like the charred wood had blocked the entrance to prevent others from discovering it before the fire started. However, the charred wood had been moved away. Furthermore, there were some footprints on the ground.
"This is the place!" Xiaorou called out.
However, Gu Hai and Gao Xianzhi narrowed their eyes slightly, becoming alert as they stopped.
"Let's go!" Chen Tianshan called out.
"Someone went in. Or rather, someone is in there!" Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Someone?" Chen Tianshan's expression changed as he also became cautious.
Just as the three people and one snake became cautious, a voice suddenly came from the cave.
"Amitabha!"
The voice was quite loud, but to the ears of the crowd, there was a sense of calmness. It was as if when they heard the name of Buddha, their hearts instantly became tranquil.
However, Gu Hai's expression changed as he became even more alert.
Slowly, an old monk wearing a kasaya walked out of the cave. The old monk's face was filled with compassion. When he walked out, he was carrying a corpse in one hand. The corpse seemed to have been dead for a long time. There were many wounds on the corpse. Based on the corpse's face, it should have suffocated to death.
"So, it is Division Master Gu. Sorry for the lack of manners," the old monk said with a faint smile.
"Venerable knows me?" Gu Hai's expression changed.
The old monk looked at Xiaorou, who was in Gu Hai's embrace. Then, he smiled faintly and said, "Heaven is benevolent. Division Master Gu is willing to punish evil and promote good for an unrelated snake. How can this humble monk not remember? "
Gao Xianzhi and Chen Tianshan exchanged glances. When they first entered this independent world, a group of people surrounded and tried to kill Xiaorou. Was this old monk among them?
"Might I ask for Venerable's Buddhist name?" Gu Hai asked with a solemn expression.
"This humble monk is Lian Sheng!" the old monk said with a smile.
"Greetings, Venerable Lian Sheng. May I ask if Venerable Lian Sheng is the one who collected the corpses here? "Gu Hai asked, feeling curious.
"That's right. Everyone, please wait for a moment. Let me collect the last two corpses and bury them," Venerable Lian Sheng said with a smile.
"Alright!" Gu Hai nodded.
Then, Venerable Lian Sheng slowly walked to the palace and laid the two corpses there.
"Division Master?" Chen Tianshan looked at the cave somewhat anxiously.
However, Gu Hai shook his head and gestured for Chen Tianshan to calm down.
Then, the old monk suddenly took out a Buddhist staff with a flip of his hand and stabbed it into the ground.
Boom!
The Buddhist staff landed on the ground with a loud sound. A golden light spread out from the Buddhist staff, encasing the surroundings.
Rumble …!
The ground slowly caved in toward the center, and the palace where the corpses were placed sank into the ground. The surrounding ground churned toward the center, slowly burying the palace and forming a large grave.
"That's impossible. Who is this person? This … what kind of treasure is this? "Chen Tianshan exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Gu Hai looked at Chen Tianshan.
"Division Master, this independent world compresses one's cultivation to the Innate Realm. However, using that Buddhist staff as an Innate Realm cultivator … Even my Clear River Sect Master cannot do that! "Chen Tianshan said with an unsightly expression.
"Do you mean that this person is even more incredible than the Clear River Sect Master? Or that his treasure is even more incredible than the Clear River Sect Master's? "Gao Xianzhi asked.
Chen Tianshan nodded with a complicated expression.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Everyone, please rest in peace here. Amitabha! "Venerable Lian Sheng put down his Buddhist staff and pressed his palms together.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew in the surroundings.
"Venerable Lian Sheng, what are you doing?" Gu Hai asked out of curiosity.
Venerable Lian Sheng turned his head to look at Gu Hai. He seemed to have a good impression of Gu Hai, so he did not mind. He said, "I'm going to collect their corpses and build a tomb for them, establishing a place for them to rest in."
"Venerable, I heard that after the people here die, they reincarnate. Many people do not care about their lives. Why does Venerable care so much? "Gu Hai asked, feeling curious.
"They do not care because they do not understand. By the time they understand, it will be too late. "Venerable Lian Sheng shook his head.
"I am willing to listen to Venerable's explanation!" Gu Hai said, feeling curious.
"You cannot see it, but I can. There are eight hundred and thirty-one souls standing here bowing to me. They are grateful to me. Every bit of gratitude is a part of my beneficence, "Venerable Lian Sheng said with a smile.
"Eight hundred and thirty-one souls? Here? "Gu Hai showed a shocked expression as he looked at this huge tomb.
"There is a soul standing at each tomb. They are incredibly lonely, looking at the people around them, waiting to pay their respects. This is because they will feel like they exist only when they pay their respects. Can you understand the loneliness of not being able to see yourself?" Venerable Lian Sheng explained.
"Don't people reincarnate after they die? Why is there a soul standing at each tomb? What do you mean? "Gu Hai asked, feeling curious.
Venerable Lian Sheng looked at Gu Hai and remained silent for a while. Then, he said, "Never mind. Since Division Master Gu has a compassionate heart, I can help clear up Division Master Gu's doubts. Humans have three spiritual souls and seven physical souls. Have you heard of that?"
"Yes, I have heard of the three spiritual souls and seven physical souls."
"The three spiritual souls are the heavenly soul, earthly soul, and human soul. After a person dies, the three spiritual souls separate. The heavenly soul returns to heaven, which is what people call the spirit of the dead in heaven.
The earthly soul enters the earth, which is the netherworld. After entering the netherworld, it finally reincarnates.
As for the human soul, it stays at the corpse and guards it, absorbing the surrounding Qi to benefit the later generations. If one is buried in a place with Spiritual Energy and good fortune, the later generations will be blessed with good fortune, possessing extraordinary luck. If one is buried in a place with bad Qi and foul Qi, the later generations will be blessed with bad Qi as well, "Venerable Lian Sheng explained.
"Venerable, the three spiritual souls and seven physical souls do not reincarnate together?" Gu Hai asked, feeling surprised.
All along, Gu Hai thought that when one reincarnated, the three spiritual souls and seven physical souls would be together.
"When one dies, the soul scatters. Does Division Master Gu not know this?" Venerable Lian Sheng smiled.
"Huh? When one dies, the soul scatters? "
"That's right. The three spiritual souls are Yin, and the seven physical souls are Yang. The seven physical souls are the physical body. When the physical body disappears, the physical souls scatter. The three spiritual souls are the three spiritual souls of heaven, earth, and man. The earthly soul allows one to reincarnate. The human soul is bestowed by one's parents, obtained through one's bloodline, and connected to the human soul of one's descendants. The heavenly soul is bestowed by heaven. After one dies, one has to return to heaven. Hence, it is called the heavenly soul, "Venerable Lian Sheng explained.
"That means that when one reincarnates, only the earthly soul is the same as the previous life. The two spiritual souls and seven physical souls are already new. After one reincarnates, they will not be their original selves?" Gu Hai asked, his expression changing.
Venerable Lian Sheng nodded.
"That's right! I finally understand why the First Elder does not allow people to commit suicide to reincarnate and cultivate again. It turns out that the memories of the previous life are just the earthly soul's memories. After one dies, they are gone. Everyone is unique! "Xiaorou revealed a shocked expression.
However, Gu Hai's expression suddenly changed. Then, he asked, "Venerable, what if you want to revive a person after they die? Is that possible? "
"In theory, it is possible. However, it is too difficult to revive a dead person. The seven physical souls can be reforged, but the three spiritual souls are too difficult, "Venerable Lian Sheng said while shaking his head.
"Oh? What do you mean? "
"The human soul is easy. It keeps guarding the grave. What about the earthly soul? It might have already reincarnated. What about the heavenly soul? The soul goes to heaven, and you try to snatch the soul from heaven? Back then, Old Man Guanqi wanted to snatch his beloved heavenly soul from heaven. Unfortunately, as you saw, even the Old Man Guanqi fell in the end, "Venerable Lian Sheng explained.
However, Gu Hai remained silent for a while. His eyes flickered with uncertainty. He wanted to say something several times, but he held himself back.
"Venerable, will the human soul keep guarding the corpse?" Gao Xianzhi asked.
Venerable Lian Sheng looked at the grave at the side. Then, he took a deep breath and said, "The human soul is the weakest. Many things can cause it to wither away, leaving the corpse in the wilderness to be eaten by wild beasts. Without a physical body, the human soul quickly dissipates. After being buried, the human soul can stay in the grave for a long time. However, there are also all sorts of accidents. Perhaps one day, it will be extinguished like a candle flame. There are many possibilities that even I cannot explain clearly. "
"The human soul can wither away?" Gu Hai's expression changed.
"It depends on luck. Everything is possible. The heavens are virtuous. However, sometimes, it is not up to the heavens to decide," Venerable Lian Sheng said while shaking his head.
"Many thanks for Venerable's explanation!" Gu Hai said after taking a deep breath. Solemnly, he bowed.
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