Chapter 118: The Reincarnation Cauldron

So that is how the human-skin mask was made. This Third Master Mo is truly a monster; he did not even spare an infant. I knew he was despicable and shameless, but I never imagined he was so deranged. I should have finished him off when I had the chance! I have no idea where he is now, nor Zhang Lei. Ever since I returned from that era and came back to this one, I have not seen either of them; it is as if they evaporated into thin air. Only after hearing my master out did I realize I had misunderstood Zhang Lei; he was forced to cooperate with Third Master Mo out of necessity. The family of three chained up in that small hut are Zhang Lei’s parents and his younger brother. Mo used them to coerce Zhang into submission. In such a situation, most people would choose to compromise. Lei, I misunderstood you. When we meet again, we shall still be brothers.

By the time my master finished speaking, it was nearly noon. I suddenly remembered the purpose of my visit, so I hurriedly bid him farewell, intending to deal with the High Priest and destroy the Demon Spirit Sect before returning to strategize with him on suppressing the demonic entities. But before I could even step out, my master pulled me back. "Do not be so hasty. You say the members of the Demon Spirit Sect entered the Myriad Demon Grotto? They will never walk out of there alive. We shall stand guard here; if they manage to escape, we can annihilate them all at once. In the coming days, you will accompany me into the grotto to inspect the condition of the Samsara Cauldron. If we encounter this High Priest you speak of, we can subdue him right then and there."

"The Samsara Cauldron?" It was the first time I had heard such an obscure term. My master explained, "The Samsara Cauldron is the anchor point of the formation used to suppress the demonic entities, and it is connected to the terrestrial ley lines. Recently, it seems the entities have shown signs of breaking the seal, and I suspect it has to do with the cauldron. However, the Myriad Demon Grotto is home to many high-level exotic beasts. I have been inside before; near the cauldron dwells a Blood-Tailed Spotted Python. To approach the cauldron, we must first deal with that serpent."

A Blood-Tailed Spotted Python? The World Alliance’s archives did not seem to contain any information on such a creature. When I asked my master about its classification, it was clear he was unfamiliar with the new ranking system established by the Alliance. I decided it would be better to wait until I saw the creature myself before drawing any conclusions. My master asked about everything that had occurred during my time away, and I gave him a rough summary. To my surprise, having lived deep in the mountains for so long, he was completely ignorant of the outside world, unaware even that the planet Mingxu was about to descend upon the mortal realm. As I stepped out of the cave and looked up, it was true: the valley was surrounded by mountains that pierced the clouds, the lowest of which must have been over a thousand meters high. Even at high noon, only a sliver of sunlight managed to filter down. Haze clung to the distant hillsides, and occasionally a few towering trees could be seen upon the peaks, where exotic birds I had never seen before played in the branches. From the valley floor, it was impossible to see the planet Mingxu in the sky. I briefly explained the objectives of the World Alliance and Chu Jun to my master; though it was all hearsay, I wanted to hear his perspective. I did not expect his expression to turn so grave at the mention of Mingxu.

My master said that legends of Mingxu have existed for a millennium. It is rumored to be a planet in the cosmos brimming with immense energy. Unlike other planets, it is a world of burning heat—the only object in the universe besides the sun to possess such extreme temperatures. Its descent is certainly no coincidence.

Judging by his tone, it sounded as if someone had deliberately orchestrated the descent of Mingxu into the mortal realm. I found this notion difficult to accept—it was preposterous. Who could possess such power, and for what purpose? Setting Mingxu aside, I decided to focus on the Samsara Cauldron; after all, the planet’s arrival was still some days away, and the immediate issue was the Myriad Demon Grotto. My master explained that the Samsara Cauldron is a supreme Buddhist artifact. It has four legs, unlike ordinary cauldrons which have three. Each of the four legs is carved with the image of a divine beast. In Buddhist tradition, a four-legged cauldron can suppress evil; the beasts carved upon it are auspicious creatures from ancient times that protected the realm: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, each representing a cardinal direction to keep malevolence at bay.

Legend has it that the cauldron was consecrated and forged by a wandering monk named Ciyun. No one knows the process of its creation. One day, while traveling past Broken-Back Mountain, Master Ciyun noticed black mist swirling in the valley. Following the trail of the mist, he descended into the valley and heard the sounds of battle. He found the area in ruins, the ground littered with human remains and creatures from mythology locked in combat. Aside from the four divine beasts, Ciyun recognized only one monster: the Taotie, a gluttonous creature of infinite strength. The other monsters were things he had never seen or heard of in his life. Knowing he was outmatched, he hid in a fissure in the mountain.

The battle raged for a full day and night. Master Ciyun did not dare even blink. After twenty-four hours, the monsters were finally defeated by the divine beasts, though the four guardians were exhausted. As the black mist dissipated, the four divine beasts transformed into four white pearls, each fleeing to one of the four cardinal directions, while their physical bodies turned into stone statues standing at the corners of the valley to suppress the evil. Master Ciyun chanted a Buddhist prayer and left. Little did he know, a few days later, he heard rumors that monsters had appeared on Broken-Back Mountain. The local residents had suffered greatly; most had moved away, and only a few who were deeply attached to their homes remained, locking their doors and windows long before sunset.

Master Ciyun gathered his magical implements and decided to investigate Broken-Back Mountain again. At night, he lay in wait. Near midnight, he heard a piercing, mournful shriek. His "Dharma Eye" was already perfected, allowing him to see through all things in the world. Through it, he saw that the monster had gained significant power and that he would likely be defeated. The suppression by the four divine beasts had been broken, and he realized that to seal this creature, he would have to forge the Samsara Cauldron. The next day, he left the mountain and warned the villagers to relocate immediately. Over the next six months, the remaining residents moved away, and Master Ciyun vanished. Six months later, the bone-chilling screams from the mountain ceased. After several days of peace, a few brave villagers ventured into the mountain at high noon when the yang energy was strongest. The stone statues of the four divine beasts had been destroyed, but curiously, a cauldron now stood in their place. It had four legs, and each leg was carved with one of the four divine beasts: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

Later, people called it the Samsara Cauldron, a divine Buddhist artifact for suppressing demons, forged by Master Ciyun. From then on, Broken-Back Mountain was renamed the Myriad Demon Grotto as a warning to the world, and thus the legend of the Samsara Cauldron was born.