Breaking the Precept

"Disciple."

While Jian Xiaolou was lost in thought, Chan Lingzi swept away the soundproof barrier with a flick of his sleeve.

She replied, "Master."

Yiku Daojun asked, "In a moment, come with me alone to Fengmo Island. Are you afraid?"

"Fengmo Island?" Jian Xiaolou was taken aback. The words "Of course, I'm scared!" almost slipped out. But in front of Yiku Daojun, she couldn't afford to show cowardice and embarrass her master. Straightening her back, she said, "I am not afraid, senior."

Ouch, her tongue hurt.

"If you're afraid, just say so. It's alright."

Chan Lingzi frowned. He and Yiku Daojun were in a stalemate. Since Yiku Daojun had offered help, Chan Lingzi didn't want to push too hard. He decided to ask for her opinion, knowing that this disciple of his usually lacked shame and wasn't afraid to admit her fears. If she declined, Yiku Daojun likely wouldn't insist further.

In Chan Lingzi's world, "losing face" was not a concept.

Unfortunately, Jian Xiaolou's thoughts were on a completely different wavelength.

She thought quickly, wondering if this was some sort of test.

Understanding dawned on her, and with an air of piety, she pressed her palms together and said resolutely, "To save the world from suffering, if I don't enter hell, who will? What is there for me to fear?"

"..." Chan Lingzi was stunned.

"Not bad, not bad! Truly a worthy successor chosen by the Red Lotus Buddha Treasure," Yiku Daojun praised, stroking his beard. His gaze softened considerably as he looked at her. "Then come with me."

Without giving Chan Lingzi time to respond, he flicked his whisk, wrapped Jian Xiaolou in an aura of energy, and soared into the sky.

Wait, we're really going?!

Jian Xiaolou shuddered. In the blink of an eye, she was carried a thousand miles away.

They flew from the South Ling Continent coastline across the Chaotic Demon Sea to Fengmo Island.

It wasn't clear whether Yiku Daojun was incredibly fast or if the straight-line distance between the two locations was short, but they arrived in less than ten days.

Jian Xiaolou sat on a gourd and from a distance saw numerous floating islands.

These islands formed a circular pattern, hovering about fifty feet above sea level. In the center was a giant island, surrounded by twelve smaller ones. Beyond that lay an uncountable number of even smaller floating islands. A rough estimate suggested there were five to six thousand.

What was most peculiar was that, except for the central island, all the other floating islands were moving. They revolved slowly around the center.

The twelve larger islands moved sluggishly, while the smaller islands circled relatively faster.

"We are about to land on Fengmo Island. Can you withstand the demonic energy here?" Yiku Daojun asked, turning back.

"I'm fine, senior," Jian Xiaolou replied.

With the Red Lotus in her possession, she couldn't sense the demonic energy, but she refrained from boasting.

Yiku Daojun nodded, flicked his whisk, and the gourd accelerated. They pierced through Fengmo Island's protective barriers and landed on the central giant island.

He addressed the demonic guards, who were wide-eyed and visibly panicking at the sight of him. "Yiku of the Heavenly Dao Sect in the Northern Immortal Heavens has brought Chan Lingzi's first disciple, Jian Xiaolou of the Kasyapa Temple in the South Ling Continent, to visit the Demon Saint Lord."

Jian Xiaolou's legs trembled as she stood behind him.

The guards immediately went to report.

"Where is the Lord?"

"In the Undersea Death Prison."

Yutianjiao was sitting cross-legged in the Death Prison, a chessboard placed before her.

She played both sides of the board, controlling black and white pieces alike.

"Chu Fengchen, I've explained everything to you, step by step. Yet, you still refuse to believe that I'm your senior sister?" She turned her head slightly to look at the man in the water cage.

"The world knows that I, Chu Fengchen, am the senior disciple of the First Sword Sect. Even if Master once accepted you as a disciple, you're nothing more than an outcast!" Bound by chains at his hands and feet, Chu Fengchen was submerged in a cage filled with demonic energy. His originally bronzed skin had turned pale from prolonged exposure.

His mood was far from pleasant.

Initially, he had been recuperating peacefully at the Kasyapa Temple, only to be lured away and captured. Now, he spent every day facing this madwoman and her nonsensical ramblings.

Yutianjiao sneered. "Do you really think Gui Yuan was a virtuous man?"

"Say that again, I dare you!"

"He only took disciples to validate his own beliefs and to pass down his legacy. He never cared what his disciples truly thought!"

"Why would he take disciples if not to pass down his teachings? To eat and sleep with them?" Chu Fengchen shot back, his face equally stern. Bubbles rose as he spoke underwater, forcing him to resort to voice transmission. "If a disciple refuses to inherit their master's teachings, what's the point of becoming a disciple in the first place?"

Yutianjiao slammed a chess piece onto the board. "Are you an idiot? Don't you have any thoughts of your own? Do you never question anything? No wonder he took in a bunch of fools like you—to prove that even fools are better than me!"

"Master often said that fools don't realize their own foolishness, so they see everyone else as fools. Looks like he was right," Chu Fengchen replied, giving her a pitying glance. This woman was both crazy and foolish—it was no wonder Master had expelled her from the sect.

Veins throbbed on Yutianjiao's forehead. "Fools don't realize their own foolishness!"

Chu Fengchen nodded. "Good that you're realizing it now."

"You...!"

Yutianjiao was nearly choking on her fury.