Even so, the monk’s eyes remained bright as ever. He pressed his palms together and chanted in a voice devoid of sorrow or joy: "Namo Amitabha, may all beings be free from suffering and find happiness!"
With these words,
a hint of liberation appeared on his face. He nodded slightly at Xue An, and then his form shattered with a boom, transforming into countless beams of golden light that merged into the iron pillar beneath him.
Xue An watched quietly, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
Regardless of time or place, those who are willing to sacrifice everything, even their own lives, for their faith are worthy of respect.
Everything returned to tranquility once more.
Instead of heading towards the temples in the firmament, Xue An soared into the sky and flew towards the distant horizon.
This desert was so vast that even with Xue An’s speed, it took a full quarter of an hour before he saw any change in the scenery.
Suddenly!
A small town appeared in the distance.
Xue An slowed down, landed on the ground, and then walked into the small town at a leisurely pace.
This was a very dilapidated town, with thick odors emanating from the gutters by the street.
The houses on both sides of the road were crooked, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.
Yet in such conditions, many people lived here.
These people lay lazily on the ground. Even when Xue An walked among them, they only glanced at him briefly before resuming their previous positions.
Many others lay motionless on the ground, wearing oddly-shaped helmets, akin to corpses.
Xue An raised an eyebrow slightly.
Because he felt no vitality from these people, as if they were walking corpses.
This bizarre phenomenon left Xue An astonished, and he slowly walked toward the center of the town.
There, he found the town’s only bar.
A few fierce-looking brawny men stood in front of the door; they were the most vibrant beings Xue An had encountered on his journey here.
Upon seeing Xue An, they showed no surprise, merely rolling their eyes and saying blandly: "Are you here to buy a chip?"
Chip?
This term caused a slight stir in Xue An’s heart, but he soon nodded.
"That’s right!"
"Go on in then!"
Only then did Xue An step into the bar.
To his surprise, the bar was not the riot of lights and colors he had imagined.
On the contrary, it was very quiet here.
Many people lay on sofas, wearing helmets of various states of newness, with their eyes closed in slumber.
From time to time, they would show expressions of extreme comfort.
When Xue An entered, a brawny man approached him, "What kind of chip do you need?"
Xue An randomly pointed, "That one will do!"
The brawny man nodded, turned, and left. When he returned, he had a helmet in his hand, which he handed to Xue An.
"You can give it a try first."
Without hesitation, Xue An put it on.
Instantly, he felt his sea of consciousness enter a strange realm.
Then, on a soul level, he experienced intense pleasure.
It was a tranquility beyond words.
If not for Xue An’s firm Taoist heart, he might have instantly sunk into it, unable to extricate himself.
Only then did Xue An understand what the helmet-clad people in the town were doing.


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