Chapter 567: ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk

Translator: GodBrandy Editor: Kurisu

Song Shuhang’s ghost spirit had already recovered and returned to being a middle-rank ghost spirit. In addition, there was a runic core inside its body, something that only high-rank ghost spirits could possess. Thanks to the runic core, there was a small chance that Song Shuhang’s ghost spirit could also evolve until finally becoming a high-rank ghost spirit in the future.

Middle-rank ghost spirits had already a pretty good intelligence. On the other hand, high-rank ghost spirits had a level of intelligence that wasn’t inferior to that of a human being. The speed of their cultivation was faster than ordinary cultivators’, and they could also learn certain ghost-type magical techniques.

After Song Shuhang completed the synchronization with the ghost spirit, the latter slowly started to transform into a high-rank ghost spirit.

Although its current rank was still that of a middle-rank ghost spirit, it already had an incredibly high level of intelligence.

??????

The western monk had yet to understand that his life was currently in danger and thus kept asking, "Benefactor, do you have any unsettled business?"

Since a powerful cultivator like the benefactor turned into a ghost, he must have some unfulfilled wish or enmity to take care of, right?

If his benefactor had some unfulfilled wish, the western monk felt that he had to complete it in his stead!

He had saved his life, and he had to absolutely repay him! As if that wasn’t enough, he had saved him twice now!

The ghost spirit was speechless.

After a short while, the western monk saw that the ’benefactor’ still had yet to reply. Therefore, he asked in puzzlement, "Benefactor, if you have any unfulfilled wish, you can tell it to me. I will try to fulfill it in your stead!"

The ghost spirit was speechless.

"Benefactor, please, speak!" the western monk said. Then, he was suddenly enlightened. Was it possible that his benefactor didn’t have any unfulfilled wish but was just waiting for someone to ferry his soul to heaven?

Actually, it was a rather common thing. It was very easy for the souls of powerful cultivators to turn into ghosts after their accidental death due to the large amount of mental energy they possessed, fluttering all around the world.

The soul of the benefactor traveled thousands of miles just to look for me... is it possible that he wants me to ferry his soul to a better place?

"Benefactor, I finally understand. I will hold the most solemn ceremony possible for you and successfully ferry your soul to the afterworld! I will silently recite 300 buddhist scriptures all at once as a warm-up. Afterward, we can descend to a quiet place and carry out the soul ferrying ritual!" the western monk said earnestly.

After saying this much, he started to silently recite from memory buddhist scriptures. It was unknown what type of buddhist scriptures he was carrying with him since there were several sentences of English and Sanskrit mixed within.

At this time, the ghost spirit really got the impulse to throw down the western monk.

It wasn’t that it didn’t want to speak... it simply couldn’t!

Very soon, the western monk finished reciting from memory the buddhist scriptures once. Then, after reciting the 300 buddhist scriptures, he prepared to hold the ceremony to ferry the ghost spirit to the afterworld.

The corner of the ghost spirit’s mouth twitched. Next, it flung its hand and threw the western monk high up in the sky.

"Eh? Benefactor!" the western monk called out. He was hovering midair at an altitude of hundreds of meters without any support!

He didn’t have a flying magical treasure and had no means to fly. Whether true qi was protecting their body or not, even a cultivator of the Second Stage would turn into meat sauce after falling from such a height!

In the air, the western monk said in panic, "Benefactor, did I say something inappropriate?! Aaaaah!"

At this time, the ghost spirit flew behind him and stretched out its hand, catching him.

"Benefactor!" The face of the western monk was full of tears.

But in the next moment, the ghost spirit flung him away once again. The aim was to reach the roof of a nearby 30-story building.

The ghost spirit wasn’t trying to intentionally retaliate against the western monk. The problem was that it was difficult for it to fly in the sky while carrying the cumbersome western monk along.

The physical strength of a ghost spirit of the Second Stage was limited.

After grabbing the western monk and flying in the sky with the speed of a cultivator of the Fourth Stage for so long, it had basically reached its limit.

If they couldn’t land in time, the western monk would fall and turn into meat sauce.

??????

"Bang!"

The western monk finally landed and broke out in a cold sweat due to the fright.

The ghost spirit fluttered and arrived in front of the western monk and offered him its hand.

The western monk looked in puzzlement at the hand of the ghost spirit. Afterward, it stretched out his own hand toward the ghost spirit.

Ultimately, the hands of the western monk and the ghost spirit touched.

In the next moment, a sound reverberated in the head of the western monk. My main body hasn’t died yet! I’m just a ghost spirit!

The western monk immediately felt awkward.

It was actually a ghost spirit!

Although he hadn’t seen a ghost spirit before, the western monk had heard about them. They were cheat-like existences that all cultivators dreamt of because even a low-rank ghost spirit could allow the cultivator to double their cultivation speed! Having a ghost spirit was similar to having an extra portable charger, and one didn’t have to worry about being out of energy during protracted battles.

As if that wasn’t enough, the ghost spirit of his benefactor was very intelligent and didn’t seem to be any different than a human being in that field. Such being the case, it was at the very least a ghost spirit of the middle-rank.

"Ahahah... I see, it was actually a ghost spirit! Speaking of which, it totally makes sense. There is no way my benefactor would have pooped so easily given his strength! Ahahaha..." The western monk foolishly laughed to hide his embarrassment.

Then, he quickly shifted the topic of conversation. "Benefactor, do you need something from me since you were looking for me?"

The ghost spirit sat down and transmitted the following thought: ’I came here to ask you for advice on how to ferry the souls of the dead.’

"How to ferry the souls of the dead? Benefactor, are you also interested in this kind of matter?" The eyes of the western monk lit up. Then, he took out an old book with yellow pages from his monk’s robe.

Although the method to ferry the souls of the dead was very valuable, it was nothing compared to the kindness the benefactor had shown to him by saving his life twice.

The western monk cautiously handed the old book with yellow pages to the ghost spirit, saying, "Benefactor, here is the method to ferry the souls of the dead in my possession. I learned everything I know from this book. Now, I will entrust this secret method to you. Oh, right. There is also this."

After saying this much, the western monk took out the ?Ksitigarbha’s Soul Ferrying Scripture? and said, "If you combine these two manuals together, you can ferry all kinds of souls!"

The ghost spirit silently nodded. Then, it stretched out its hand and opened ?Ksitigarbha’s Soul Ferrying Scripture?.

On the first page, the western monk had written down the following remarks: ’I will not become a Buddha until I reach enlightenment and all living things are saved, with hell being emptied.’

The ghost spirit flipped through ?Ksitigarbha’s Soul Ferrying Scripture?. It seemed it was a religious text that some buddhist sect had handed down; its content was incredibly difficult to understand. Reading the text was enough to cause the spiritual energy of the world to fluctuate.

It was unknown how the western monk had gotten his hands on it.

Thereupon, the ghost spirit flipped through the book from start to end and firmly memorized the contents. Its guts were telling it that ?Ksitigarbha’s Soul Ferrying Scripture? could come in handy one day in the future.

After putting down ?Ksitigarbha’s Soul Ferrying Scripture?, the ghost spirit opened the old book with yellow pages the western monk had given it earlier.

Although it was called ’book’, it looked more like a very ordinary notebook.

After opening it, the ghost spirit noticed a few small characters written above it.

?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?.

The ghost spirit was speechless.

Then, it raised its head and looked at the western monk. Had that guy really learned the method to ferry the souls of the dead thanks to this ’book’?

The ghost spirit flipped through the diary with a doubtful expression on its face.

It wasn’t the ascetic senior monk that had written the diary. It seemed a bystander had recorded down the ascetic journey of a certain senior monk.

The senior monk in the diary was bald, wearing thin burlap clothes on his body and going around barefooted. Although his body was skinny, his eyes were bright and full of energy.

The diary was full of trivial details. Moreover, the description of the ascetic journey of the senior monk spanned across various chapters.

For example, the senior monk once traversed a land full of snow and ice, refusing to eat or drink for several days. This content covered five or six chapters.

For example, the senior monk was once traversing a forest with sharp rocks within barefooted, enduring the hardships of the arduous journey. This content likewise covered five chapters.

There was a passage about the senior monk meeting a monster beast and fighting against it. However, these interesting parts were just mentioned briefly in passing.

The author of the diary repeatedly described the hardships of the senior monk, describing his hunger, pain, thirst, and so on...

The ghost spirit was unsure whether it was just its misconception... but after reading it, it felt as though the author of the diary was rather happy while describing the whole process.

F*ck. The author of this diary must be a full-blown sadist. He seems very happy while describing the suffering of the senior monk.

Page after page, the ghost spirit had already flipped through half of the diary.

In the diary, the senior monk entered a fearsome forest. The forest was full of poisonous insects. After the first day in the forest, the senior monk had been poisoned and was almost on the verge of death.

The diary was using all types of fancy terms to describe in details the poisoned senior monk. His lips turned purple, his face blue, he gasped for breath and groaned in pain, desperately using his finger to hold onto the ground below.

As expected, the author of the diary was really happy to see the senior monk suffer.

Is this even a diary? The ghost spirit had already started to doubt whether he was really reading a diary.

It had started to wonder whether it was something similar to an ancient novel, with the author trying to satisfy the dark desires in their heart after describing in detail the suffering of the senior monk.

In addition, how exactly had the western monk learned the method to ferry the souls of the dead through this book?

The ghost spirit raised its head once more and looked at the western monk, only to see him looking at itself with an expectant look on his face.

Moreover, whenever the western monk was looking at the old diary, it felt as though he was looking at a priceless treasure, afraid that the ghost spirit would use too much strength and rip the yellow pages of the diary while flipping them.

The ghost spirit was speechless.

Thereupon, it tried to endure and kept flipping through the diary.

In the diary, after he was poisoned, the senior monk’s chances of survival were slim. But by relying on his incredible willpower, he managed to overcome the poison and return between the living once again.

...Overcome your sister! Since when can you overcome something like poison through willpower? Was it too difficult to write about the detoxifying process?

The speed at which the ghost spirit was flipping the pages increased.

During his ascetic journey, the senior monk crossed mountains, swamps, deserts, and the seas. He endured storms, survived lightning, crossed sea of fire and was buried alive by sandstorms.

In other words, he went through all kinds and types of experiences!

After continuously flipping through the diary and almost reaching the end, the ghost spirit was somewhat moved.

It suddenly thought of the ?Virtuous Man’s Ten Thousand Mile Walk? footwork.

Although it was reluctant to admit it, the ascetic journey of the senior monk described in the diary somewhat reminded it of the ?Virtuous Man’s Ten Thousand Mile Walk? footwork the main body practiced.

One was a buddhist method that consisted in an ascetic journey, the other a scholarly method used to travel thousands of miles. There was indeed something common between the two.

Perhaps the main body should also go on a similar journey during his free time...

Crossing mountains and fording rivers with food and water just like the ascetic monk in the diary and enduring the hardships of the arduous journey... crossing hills, deserts, swamps, seas, and experiencing the storm, lightning, sandstorms, and tsunamis...

Then, after finishing the long journey, his whole body would strengthen just like that of the ascetic monk. It was a pretty good way to train, wasn’t it?

After thinking up to this point, the ghost spirit flipped through the last page of the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?.

The last page of the diary was very short.

In the end, he died...

Even his bones decomposed and merged with the earth.

He used his own life and treated it as the end of his ascetic journey.

Although his body perished, his soul managed to reach a completely new level! It was the most incredible ascetic journey that had ever taken place!

The ghost spirit was speechless.

At this time, it got the urge to tear the book to pieces.

What the f*ck did it mean with ’In the end, he died...’?

The monk actually died!

How could one not get depressed after such an ending?

But aside from that... how had the western monk learned the method to ferry the souls of the dead from this diary?!

The corner of the ghost spirit’s mouth twitched as it closed the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?, returning it to the western monk.

The western monk cautiously put away the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk? and asked expectantly, "Benefactor, what were your gains after reading the book?"

The ghost spirit went right to the point and asked, "...How did you exactly manage to learn the method to ferry the souls of the dead from this diary?"

"Eh? Benefactor, weren’t you moved after you finished reading the diary?" the western monk asked in amazement. "Benefactor, don’t you feel that that senior monk that went through all those hardships is someone worthy of respect? As soon as I saw the final part, I felt like giving my best wishes to the ascetic senior monk.

Afterward, as this thought crossed my mind, the whole life of the ascetic senior monk played in my head like a movie. Then, I finally managed to learn the method to ferry the souls of the dead through the life experiences of the ascetic senior monk," the western monk replied earnestly.

What the western monk said wasn’t that different from saying: ’Today, I was moved while I was solving problems of mathematics. Afterward, the Pythagorean Theorem flashed through my mind, and as I applied it to a triangle, I suddenly learned the legendary ’Triangular Godly Fist’ technique’.

The ghost spirit faintly sighed.

From the looks of it, it was unlikely that it would be able to grasp the method to ferry the souls of the dead from the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?.

It could only try to find another, possibly different, method.

Or perhaps it could make a trip back home and ask the seniors of the Nine Provinces Number One Group about it. Amongst the seniors, there must be someone that knew about the method to ferry the souls of the dead.

After thinking up to this point, the ghost spirit decided to say goodbye to the western monk. It was preparing to make a trip back home and contact Yu Jiaojiao while it was at it.

??????

In the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, inside the Time City.

Song Shuhang had been unconscious since the day the ghost spirit had left the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion up until now.

Five days had already passed in the Time City since Song Shuhang had fainted.

Just as the ghost spirit was reading the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?, ten wounds split open on the back of the unconscious Song Shuhang.

Fresh blood spurted out and dyed red his new clothes. Senior Sister Ye had changed his clothes while he was unconscious, giving him a new set.

The unconscious Song Shuhang opened his eyes and runes flashed out. In the next moment, the runes suddenly disappeared into the void.

After a short amount of time, they finally returned from the void to Song Shuhang’s eyes.

historical

The ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?. It’s a diary describing the ascetic journey of a senior monk, introducing the ’Soul Ferrying Technique’ of the World Saving Buddhist Sect. As long as someone with a compassionate heart reads the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?, they can grasp the essence of the ’Soul Ferrying Technique’. If someone with a compassionate heart reads aloud the ?Diary of the Ascetic Senior Monk?, they would have unexpected gains.