Chapter 140: Life and Death, the Cycle Continues (Part Two)

As Bai Qi stepped onto the final stair of the altar, he felt as though a shove from behind sent him tumbling directly inside.

Upon entering the altar, a profanity-laced frustration welled up in Bai Qi's heart.

This altar was a miniature world unto itself; the sky was dim and crimson, and heavy, oppressive clouds hung thick in the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Bai Qi raised his head to gaze into the distance. A towering figure stood there, possessing a remarkably imposing stature, yet surrounded by fine, drifting quicksand that fluttered like ribbons. Divine lights flashed all around, and the profound, resonant chants of myriad Buddhas echoed through the void, enveloping the massive body as if attempting to purify and cleanse it. However, that giant figure wielded a weapon in its hands. Obscured by the swirling quicksand, the shape of the weapon remained hidden, and only the sweeping motions of its strikes could be discerned.

This colossal figure seemed locked in a continuous cycle of attack and defense, while behind those seemingly sacred and holy phenomena lurked countless shadows, like dark entities manipulating these facade-like sanctities from the unseen depths.

Bai Qi picked up his pace, crouching slightly as he moved forward cautiously, wanting to get a closer look.

Just as the wind howling past his ears made them sting and vibrate, the giant—which had previously remained in place merely trading blows—suddenly let out a roar toward the heavens. Though he had drawn somewhat closer, the facial features of the giant remained obscured. Yet, he could see the creature's mouth stretch wide like a cavern, exhaling successive torrents of dark yellow sand that blasted outward in all directions with immense force.

Do not mistake those torrents of sand for ordinary, mundane particles. These were grains of Heavenly Firmament Sand, forged in the primeval era when the waters of the Celestial River surged seasonally, churning up the densest and most unyielding minerals from the riverbed. A single grain weighed as heavy as a thousand-pound boulder; an ordinary cultivator would likely find themselves unable to lift even one. Yet this entity swallowed them like a whale gulping water, absorbing them into his belly and deploying them at will. This demonstrated not only a terrifying level of cultivation but also the mastery to refine the providence of the heavens into his own possession, wielding it according to his heart's desire.

Targeting their marks, these grains of sand pierced through the floating "holy" masks. This was not merely physical penetration, but an assault that struck deep into the soul, acting like a massive iron lock that clamped down upon those entities akin to souls or wandering thoughts, completely imprisoning them.

True enough, as expected, those bizarre entities that had been chanting the grand, sacred Daoist hymns crumbled under the piercing and locking assault of the sand. They simply could not withstand the sand's innate, instinctive suppression of spiritual consciousness and souls. This power functioned much like the mutual restraint of the Five Elements, utterly defying any rational explanation.

In mid-air, those grotesque faces shrank and dissipated under the onslaught of the sand. Half the time it takes to burn half an incense stick later, those faces vanished like wind-blown clouds, taking the majority with them. Yet, the dark entities within the shadows remained, seemingly unaffected. However, dragging those dark shadows out into the open was tantamount to exposing them to the light, and from within them came a harsh, piercing shriek: "Squeak, squeak!" At that moment, the colossal figure swung its weapon, unleashing an explosive blow directly into the dense concentration of dark shadows.

Boom! Boom!

A series of deafening explosions surged outward in all directions like shockwaves.

As the dust and smoke settled, Bai Qi shook his head, brushing the grime from his face, slapping the dirt off his clothes, and spitting out stray grains of sand from his mouth. In his heart, he couldn't help but complain that this giant was entirely too violent.

Yet, when he looked up again, neither the giant nor the bizarre spiritual entities were anywhere to be found. The entire scene had vanished in this brief span of time, leaving Bai Qi utterly astonished. Could it be that what he had witnessed just moments ago was merely an illusion?

Just as Bai Qi hesitated, a hoarse voice, full of age and vicissitudes, suddenly sounded from behind him.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing here?"

The sudden appearance of this voice startled Bai Qi so badly that he let out a sharp yelp and, scrambling like a dog digging in the dirt, frantically flung handfuls of sand and earth behind him.

After a long moment, he finally regained his wits. Raising his head to look, he received a genuine scare.

Standing right behind him was a ragged old man—well, strictly speaking, an old grandfather. The "ragged" part was entirely the result of his own panicked, rough sand-throwing earlier.

Bai Qi quickly scrambled to his feet, bowing apologetically as he said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was so engrossed in what I was watching just now, and your silent approach really gave me a fright. Um... are you alright?"

"Cough, cough! You brat, you're practically a lunatic, that attack was really—" The old man choked on the sand Bai Qi had kicked up, coughing incessantly. Not a single spot on him was clean, and his originally neat beard was now a chaotic, unsightly mess.

Bai Qi reached out, intending to brush the dust off the old man, but just as his hand lifted, he saw the old man spin three hundred and sixty degrees on the spot. A sudden burst of light erupted from beneath the old man's feet, resembling a holy angel receiving purification.

The very next moment, the "ragged old man" became spotlessly clean, looking like a lotus rising unstained from the mud, instantly giving Bai Qi an ethereal, immortal demeanor.

Bai Qi withdrew his hand, hesitated for a moment, and asked the old man, "Esteemed senior, how... how did you end up here? Weren't you aware of what just happened?" In truth, Bai Qi harbored a nine-tenths suspicion that this "ragged old man" was intimately connected to the sand-churning giant from earlier; otherwise, how could he have appeared before him completely unscathed?

The old man seemed to see right through Bai Qi's thoughts. He stroked his beard, chuckled, and said leisurely, "Where do you think I should be? Why aren't you asking yourself why *you* are here?"

Stunned by the old man's counter-question, Bai Qi found himself suddenly put on the defensive, completely at a loss for how to reply.

Deciding to drop the beating around the bush, he asked directly, "Elder, do you know what place this is? I humbly ask you to enlighten this junior." As he spoke, Bai Qi bowed again to express his apology for his earlier foolish question.

"Heh, here?" The old man pointed his right index finger down at the ground and continued, "This is the Land of Life and Death, the place where life intersects with death. I never imagined that someone with cultivation as weak as yours would wander in here. Was it sent here by someone?"

Hearing the old man's rhetorical question and response, Bai Qi didn't try to hide anything. With utmost sincerity, he said, "Ah, Senior, I stumbled in here by mistake and was simply looking for a way back. I never expected the very first person I'd meet would be you, Senior."

"Heh, what makes you so sure I'm a person and not something else?"

The old man's laughter carried a rather strange tone, arousing Bai Qi's curiosity. He carefully scrutinized the old man's gaze.

The pupils in those eyes seemed entirely motionless, locked in a perpetual state of expansion—widening and widening. Terror gripped Bai Qi's heart. Could... could this old man not be human?! Was he a ghost? Haunted by this fearful thought, his feet began to inch backward little by little.

"This old man is neither living nor dead, but rather a life form teetering on the boundary between life and death." The old man's eyes lacked even a shred of vitality, yet his expression was as vivid and lifelike as that of any living person. He continued, "Life and death flow in an endless cycle; some people live yet are no different from the dead, while others die yet live on eternally."

The old man's words were terribly profound, completely baffling Bai Qi and sounding like celestial scriptures. He could only crack a dry, foolish grin and nod along blankly.