Chapter 13: Ascending Beyond the Ordinary
Jiang Yan sat cross-legged in Room 401.
Although Pan’an County’s mountaintop had a pleasant night temperature, he felt as if he had just been pulled from water; his clothes were soaked with sweat.
“It’s so hot!” he thought to himself.
He furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth, as the world before his eyes underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
The entire room was engulfed in raging flames, scorching every inch of space, thinning the air and making breathing difficult, his throat burning with agony.
Sizzle, sizzle!
The fire spread relentlessly; soon, the room became a ruin, ashes swirling through the air like bizarre fire‐insects opening grotesque mandibles, clinging to Jiang Yan and flickering with sparks.
At that moment, Jiang Yan felt every inch of his flesh being roasted, as if thousands of ants crawled and gnawed on him, excruciating pain overwhelming him, and he could see his body carbonizing rapidly, turning pitch‑black.
He thought… could he be burned alive right here?
After an indeterminate length of time, Jiang Yan began to forget who he was; it was as if his memories had turned to ashes and dissipated.
Why was he here?
What… was he doing?
Where was this place?
He felt so exhausted, ready to let it all end.
The moment the thought of giving up arose, the world before his eyes suddenly became cool and soothing.
Buzz!
Deep within Jiang Yan’s soul, the Spell Spirit quivered, preparing to burst forth with brilliance.
“No… even life and grave illness didn’t make me bow in defeat, who are you to make me give up? I am… am… Jiang Yan!”
He murmured unclearly, then snapped back to reality, realizing his mind had nearly been consumed by the blazing inferno.
Alarmed, he resumed the Visualization Method.
The flames continued to burn, but the Spell Spirit began to act; light flared, rapidly suppressing the embers.
He thought a fierce struggle might ensue, but from the depths of his consciousness, the Dark God Embryo rooted in the Chaotic Sea released a wisp of aura.
Roar!
With overwhelming force, it extinguished the fire that had permeated the world, restoring everything to its original state.
However, the burning ashes did not disappear.
Now, Jiang Yan saw their true form: they were indeed a swarm of ash‐insects, merging into a cluster and rushing toward the space between his brows—known in Daoism as the Heavenly Eye or Upper Dantian—violently carving out a void, forming a dark, sprawling mass that scurried everywhere.
Buzz!
The Spell Spirit leapt in, ignited the ash‐insects, fused with them, and ultimately gave birth to an Ash Lamp, its faint grey flame flickering and resonating with his soul.
In that instant, Jiang Yan felt as if his nearsightedness had been cured; his vision became sharper and brighter, and his perception more acute.
Within a five‑meter radius, he could easily sense the rustle of wind, the crawling of insects, and the flow of air.
He faintly sensed that, if he continued refining, he might even be able to… influence reality with his mind!
“After consolidating the Ash Lamp, my soul power should have crossed into the Supernatural stage.”
Jiang Yan felt both joy and lingering fear—he had nearly failed despite the Spell Spirit’s assistance.
This kind of supreme supernatural knowledge, originating from the diseased river of history, was indeed perilous.
Fortunately, risk and reward were proportional.
In the process, the Lamp‑Igniting Hell Visualization Method jumped from entry‑level (1%) directly to (10%).
As for the Ash Lamp, it was the core of the Lamp‑Igniting Hell Visualization Method.
uddha viewed the world as a burning house; all afflictions, external things, attachments, and karmic consequences were flames. One needed to maintain calm within them to find the true self.
After the flames burned, the house remained a house.
You remained you.
Once you realized this, you passed the first fire tribulation.
During this process, one’s being would produce something called “karmic ashes”—beings resembling the insect creatures, whose corpses served as the raw material to consolidate the Ash Lamp.
Once the Ash Lamp was elevated to its peak, a new tribulation would arise.
There were four levels in total; the Spell Spirit did not know the details but knew that once passed, the Ash Lamp could evolve into the Stellar Treasure Lamp, Lunar Treasure Lamp, and Great Sun Treasure Lamp.
Each transformation would birth different abilities.
When the three lamps merged, they would become the Lamp of Divinity.
This "divinity" did not refer to mythical deities but to one’s own will.
To perceive one's true nature and see the self clearly—breaking through illusion.
However, upon reaching that stage, his soul's essence would likely not be inferior to that of immortals or gods.
After the Ash Lamp was born, it required adherence to three precepts: no lust, no foul speech, and no consumption of meat or fish.
Furthermore, the lamp’s flame must remain ever burning; if extinguished, it would invite unknown mutations.
But how was that even possible?
Even revered monks who had seen through worldly desires might break precepts.
To err was human.
But for a skill offspring... could it even lust? Would it start swearing?
And eating? That was out of the question.
It existed and didn’t exist.
It was emptiness, and emptiness was it.
Innately it possessed a Holy Buddhist Physique.
It bore the precepts; Jiang Yan wielded the power.
The Ash Lamp resided in the Upper Dantian and could help Jiang Yan see through illusions and glimpse the lamps of all beings.
Whether to turn those lamps into fuel or to nurture the lights of a thousand homes—was his choice to make.
The flame of the Ash Lamp had no heat, but it was lethally effective against spirits.
Another trump card in his arsenal.
As a man with no sense of security, Jiang Yan couldn't sleep at night without preparing hundreds of trump cards.
He sighed, glanced at the time on his phone, then prepared to take a shower and use meditation instead of sleep.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Thud!
Thud thud!
Jiang Yan asked, “Who is it?”
“I’m Chen Yu, the receptionist who checked you in today. I just watched a horror movie and got scared being alone... I wanted to chat a little,” came a soft voice.
Chat?
More like seeking scriptures!
But Jiang Yan peered through the peephole and saw a young, attractive girl standing outside, heavily made up but clearly the hotel receptionist.
“Forget it. It’s really not convenient right now...”
Just as he was about to refuse, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Burial Coffin had already slipped skillfully into his backpack, its blood threads forming a tiny hand giving an “OK” gesture.
As a good child, the Burial Coffin wouldn’t interrupt its master in the process of “birthing siblings.”
Jiang Yan was deeply moved.
He zipped the backpack shut, not wanting children to witness unspeakable scenes.
Chen Yu’s voice called again from outside, “Please, big brother, I’ll only stay a little while. It’s so boring at night...”
A young maiden of eighteen not only had a soft, delicate body but also a sweet, charming voice.
Late at night, a man and a woman alone—truly tempting.
Jiang Yan sighed and asked,
“One last chance—are you sure you want to come in? My temper’s fiery.”
“Mm-hmm,” came the soft reply.
Jiang Yan didn’t hesitate and opened the door. “Come in.”
With that,
He began taking off his clothes.
As his arms rose, they pulled on the feathered striations of his latissimus dorsi; the mermaid lines at his waist rose and fell with his breath.
Under the lights, sweat glistened on his collarbone, revealing a physique like that of an ancient Greek statue.
He truly achieved the body that looked muscular when bare and slim when dressed.
Gulp!
The sudden scene made Chen Yu unconsciously swallow.
Men liked beautiful women’s legs; women also liked handsome men’s physiques.
It was human nature to pursue beauty.
“Big brother, you’re really in a hurry…”
Chen Yu spoke shyly, her slender hand pressing the door shut, then quietly locking it with her right hand before walking toward Jiang Yan.
One step, two steps—
Her footsteps grew quicker.
Her gaze no longer held back, greedily roaming Jiang Yan’s body.
Her body suddenly swelled, and white fur began sprouting densely across her cheeks, arms, and legs, covering her entire figure in the blink of an eye.
What were once slender arms turned into sharp claws, slashing through the air as they reached for Jiang Yan, accompanied by a low chuckle:
“Cutie, let’s start the game right now!”
“Use your screams… to please me!”
But with a sudden ding, Chen Yu’s smile froze.
She stared blankly at the scene before her—her sharp claws had landed on Jiang Yan, but were blocked by a faint golden light.
Not only could she not touch his flesh, but her own hands were struck numb by a powerful force.
“What the hell is this!?”
Chen Yu turned pale with fright, and her first instinct was…
To run!
Boom!
But before she could move, the golden light surged forward, and a massive hand grasped her head.
Her skull creaked under the pressure.
“Ugh!”
Just as she tried to struggle, a fist slammed into her abdomen.
Her organs twisted as if tangled together, the taste of iron filled her throat, and she vomited blood violently.
Her body immediately went limp, and her feet lifted off the ground uncontrollably—like a baby chick, she was hoisted into the air.
“How is this possible!?”
She struggled to open her eyes and saw that the prey she had targeted—Jiang Yan—stood shirtless, boiling currents of air swirling around him.
His right arm, gripping her, was encased in a blood-red armguard.
From it, antlers grew and spread, golden light flowing over the surface, with dense Sanskrit characters appearing like golden eyes writhing silently, watching her.
There was no compassion of the Buddha—only…
Indifference.
In her ear, Jiang Yan’s deep voice rang out:
“I gave you a chance. You insisted on coming in to die.”
In that moment, Chen Yu could no longer tell…
Who the real monster was.