Chapter 33: Actually, My Name Is Chen Yi

The Five Decay of Heaven and Man.

Filthy garments, withered floral garlands, sweat beneath the armpits, foul bodily odor, and dissatisfaction with one's seat.

Buddhist scriptures state that when a celestial being approaches the end of their lifespan, these five signs of decay manifest. Although the Asuras are not true celestial beings, they resemble them; thus, they too exhibit these five signs of decay when their end nears.

Moreover, compared to celestial beings, the fate of an Asura after decay is far more tragic. The vast majority, having been belligerent and sinful in life, fall into the ghost realm, becoming malevolent ghost kings who wreak havoc upon the land.

As for how Chen Yi knew all this Buddhist lore—it was simple: the game encyclopedia of *Heaven Beyond Heaven*.

To construct an authentic world, *Heaven Beyond Heaven* had meticulously researched and verified a vast array of materials. It covered not only the common schools of thought but also the Zoroastrianism and Nestorianism of the Western Regions, the heterodox "Six Masters" of ancient India, the Dangun myths of the Three Han, and even the Shinto and Pure Land traditions of the East. All this information was recorded in an encyclopedia as vast as an ocean.

After clearing the game for the first time, Chen Yi had begun reading through this complex encyclopedia to prepare for a new playthrough, reading the sections relevant to the early game two or three times over.

He still remembered his amazement after finishing the encyclopedia; the content was so detailed that it felt as if such a world truly existed. And now, the knowledge he had once read could be put to perfect use.

Chen Yi lifted his feet lightly and placed a hand on Yin Weiying’s shoulder, signaling that he was going to step forward.

Yin Weiying looked at him in bewilderment, clutching his sleeve and shaking her head repeatedly.

Chen Yi did not wish to explain further; he merely cast a glance at Min Ning.

Min Ning understood. She stepped forward and pulled Yin Weiying back, forcing her to let go, while Chen Yi walked straight toward the Asura in the throes of the Five Decays.

The Asura’s lifeless eyes stared directly at him. An indescribable, deathly chill permeated the alleyway.

"You look... very miserable." Chen Yi spoke slowly.

The Asura remained motionless, as if unresponsive.

Chen Yi continued calmly, "You are not a celestial being, yet you suffer the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. That is why you are in such agony."

The Asura’s eyes flickered, a trace of anger rising. The surrounding malevolent energy grew heavier; Yin Weiying felt as though her very breath were being stolen away.

The Asura’s three faces twitched, glaring at Chen Yi. "Mortal, why... do you say this? How could you possibly know?"

Chen Yi replied, "How I know is unimportant. What matters is that I know the root of your suffering."

As his voice fell, the chill intensified, turning the alley into a spectral abyss. An invisible pressure erupted, causing both Yin Weiying and Min Ning to break into a cold sweat that soaked their backs. It felt as if their heads might be severed at any moment.

Yet Chen Yi, as if he had anticipated this, remained unmoved.

"Your suffering lies in... ignorance of the mind."

The Asura stiffened, his gaze pausing as if to confirm, "What is... ignorance?"

Chen Yi smiled slightly. "The so-called ignorance is that as soon as one thought fades, another arises. You are an Asura. You know of the six realms of reincarnation, yet you fear your own decay. You cling endlessly to life and refuse to enter the cycle, unable to perceive the truth that all things arise and vanish. This desperate desire for life is precisely ignorance."

"Because you have ignorance in your heart, you cannot find liberation. The more you wish to avoid suffering, the more you suffer. The more you try to escape the sea of bitterness, the deeper you sink into it."

The Asura froze. The lips on all three heads trembled simultaneously, opening and closing as they repeated, like a madman: "Ignorance, ignorance, ignorance..."

Seeing this, Yin Weiying realized a turning point had arrived and felt a flicker of relief.

However, in the next second, a sudden change occurred, and her heart tightened once more, her skin crawling.

The Asura’s six arms lunged forward. Two gripped Chen Yi’s wrists, two seized his ankles, and the final two clamped tightly around his throat. With the frantic fury of the dying, he demanded, "Tell me, tell me! How do I escape the sea of bitterness? How do I escape it?!"

Chen Yi’s face turned blue and then pale. His throat felt as if it were being crushed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Seeing this, Min Ning fought down her terror and drew her blade an inch.

Chen Yi endured the agony and forced out the words: "Indra... the Three Refuges."

The Asura was stunned for a moment, and the hands on his throat loosened slightly. Chen Yi took a breath; though he was still constrained, he could at least speak.

"When Indra, the King of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, faced the Five Decays, he was filled with anxiety. He sought out the Buddha and took the Three Refuges. Even as he stood at the brink of death and falling into the realm of beasts, he bowed his head and took the Three Refuges. When he raised his head again, he had regained his celestial form and attained the fruit of enlightenment," Chen Yi stated, word by word.

"Indra had the Buddha to guide him through the sea of bitterness, but where is my Buddha?! I, too, have taken refuge in the Dharma. I, too, have chanted the scriptures and acted as a guardian deity for the Buddha. Yet the Buddha has never looked upon me!"

After hearing this, the Asura laughed in a rage. By nature a belligerent and violent being, he exerted force with all six arms, intending to tear the man limb from limb.

"But how do you know that I am not the Buddha?"

The man struck the final, decisive blow. "How do you know that I am not the one guiding you across the sea of bitterness right now?!"

The Asura in the state of the Five Decays stopped instantly. His wrists slowly released their grip as he muttered to himself, "You are... the Buddha... guiding me across the sea of bitterness... You know the root of my suffering, so you are the Buddha... guiding me across the sea of bitterness..."

Yin Weiying watched in astonishment, realizing that Chen Yi’s words were like the "shout of a master" in the Zen tradition. The Asura, once decaying, began to glow with a flickering, intermittent light of Buddha.

In that instant, a brilliant golden light erupted within the narrow alley, instantly sweeping away the dark, ghostly energy!

When the light faded, the Asura was gone. On the ground where he had stood, only a single, deep-gold relic remained, glowing with a mystical luster in the dark night.

Chen Yi’s eyes lit up, and he stooped to tuck the relic into his pouch.

A golden relic—this was one of the best rewards in the "Prayer Dojo" instance, ranking in the top five. In the early game, it was a powerful tool for subduing demons; in the late game, it was the key to enlightenment.

He turned back to meet the bewildered gazes of the two women. Min Ning was surprised but mostly confused, while the woman in the white Taoist robe looked utterly shaken, her hands trembling as if struck by lightning.

An Asura that even the accomplished masters of Mount Taihua could not subdue had been defeated so easily...

"The Heavenly Eye... are you truly possessed of the Heavenly Eye?!" Yin Weiying exclaimed.

Both Taoist and Buddhist traditions recorded the five supernatural powers of the immortals and Buddhas: the Heavenly Eye, the Divine Foot, the Heavenly Ear, the Heart-Reading Power, and the Power of Past Lives. If anyone were born with even one of these, they were destined to be an immortal or a Buddha.

Chen Yi looked at the stunned Yin Weiying and scratched his temple.

*The Heavenly Eye... I don't have any Heavenly Eye...*

But he couldn't very well say, "I've read the walkthrough," could he?

"I... I am not sure. In that moment, I simply saw his suffering," Chen Yi said vaguely.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener interpreted it with meaning. Yin Weiying calmed her expression, her mind racing.

*He saw... the suffering. It must be... the Heavenly Eye.*

For the thousand years since Mount Taihua was founded, a pair of "Golden Boy and Jade Girl" were sent up the mountain every sixty years to cultivate the Dao and seek immortality. Throughout history, the Golden Boy had always been a mere supplement to the Jade Girl, assisting in her cultivation.

Though they were a pair, the Jade Girl was the inheritor of the Taihua Goddess, possessing talent and insight far superior to the Golden Boy. Thus, there were often legends of the Jade Girl achieving eternal life while the Golden Boy withered away after a few cycles. Some heretical sects even slandered Mount Taihua, claiming they used the Golden Boys as mere sacrificial vessels.

However, after witnessing this event, Yin Weiying felt a premonition that this tradition might be about to be broken.

The Heavenly Eye, destined for immortality...

To have such a person as a cultivation partner was not his stroke of luck, but... her own!

She had been too reckless before, too... arrogant. Thinking back on her haughty demeanor, Yin Weiying felt her face flush. She quickly composed herself, looked at him, and asked with a calm smile:

"Min Yuechi, would you be willing to be my cultivation partner? I will overlook all those offensive words..."

"I'm sorry. Actually... my name is Chen Yi."