Chapter Thirty-Five: The Banner of Bodhi’s Original Vow

On the rooftop directly opposite the inn, several figures stood side by side, their gazes fixed intently on the happenings inside.

“The Bodhi True Wish Banner!” The moment Mingzhen unfurled the small flag, the man in the center—dressed in azure Daoist robes and bearing the manner of a Taoist—could not help but cry out in astonishment.

To his left stood a young maiden clad in bright yellow gauze, her face veiled with a golden scarf. Her figure was refined and graceful, radiating a beguiling charm.

Upon hearing his exclamation, the maiden let out a silvery, tinkling laugh. “If he doesn’t use the Bodhi True Wish Banner, what else can he do? Do you really think he stands a chance against those two young men?”

“A chance?” The Taoist scoffed, a faint sneer curling his lips. “Not just him—even us. Perhaps the boy who stands might fight evenly, but the one seated... I have no confidence at all.”

“In fact, I sense a deadly threat from him!” The Taoist’s gaze grew unsettled, and as he looked at Zhou Yi, a barely perceptible flicker of fear crossed his eyes.

“Dangerous, you say?” The maiden pondered inwardly: Does he feel it too?

Her thoughts whirled as she studied Zhou Yi. What cards does he hold? Or how strong is he, to make this sky-high Taoist—and even myself—feel a sense of peril?

In the martial world, as one’s skills grow, so too do the senses; the ability to perceive danger becomes particularly sharp. After all, the martial world is no cradle of comfort.

“Huang Yue!” Suddenly, the Taoist called out.

“Hmm?” The maiden turned toward him, her eyes questioning.

“Do you not think that even with Mingzhen revealing the Bodhi True Wish Banner, he is not necessarily their equal—at least, certainly not the equal of the boy who sits?” The Taoist spoke lightly, yet his words carried earth-shattering weight.

“How could that be?” Huang Yue’s first reaction was incredulity. The small flag in Mingzhen’s hand—what was it? It was the treasured relic of the Bodhi Monastery, a legendary artifact of immortals. Though merely a branch flag, it was not something the mundane could withstand.

Such words sounded like a joke!

Artifacts left behind by immortals, such as the Bodhi True Wish Banner, though rare, were possessed by every major sect—how else could they subdue the turbulent martial world?

Of course, Peach Blossom Hermitage had its own. As the Saintess of Peach Blossom Hermitage, Huang Yue was entitled not only to knowledge of it, but to have witnessed it herself.

Their immortal relic was a single petal of peach blossom, plucked from some celestial bloom. It must have come from a tree of the immortals.

The peach blossom petal, untouched by any special treatment, had endured for thousands of years, yet remained as fresh as the moment it was first picked.

Huang Yue had seen its power firsthand, and she understood deeply the might of such immortal relics. Even a branch flag, she would never underestimate.

To say Zhou Yi could contend with such a flag—Huang Yue could not believe it in the slightest.

Even if it was not a complete relic, even if the bearer was only at the innate level, even if—

Wait, wait—a flood of reasons surfaced, yet Huang Yue still could not believe Zhou Yi could withstand it.

No unfavorable condition mattered; as long as there was one favorable, it sufficed. Immortal—the word itself was enough!

“Oh, you don’t believe?” Sensing Huang Yue’s tangled emotions, the Taoist smiled.

“Autumn Wind, Master Autumn Wind!” Huang Yue bit her lip, her limpid eyes sparkling beneath the sunlight—not angry, but somehow even more enchanting.

“This... how am I supposed to believe it?” Huang Yue glared, fixing her beautiful eyes on Master Autumn Wind.

“You really don’t believe?” Master Autumn Wind’s smile remained as he met her gaze. “Why not?”

“Do I need a reason?” Huang Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Master Autumn Wind as if she’d misheard. Something so obvious—did it need a reason?

This was plain as day! What reason could there be?

“Indeed, no reason is needed!” Looking at Huang Yue’s expression, Master Autumn Wind suddenly broke into a hearty laugh. “Seeing you like this, I thought he might be able to withstand it. Now, I’m certain he can!”

Gazing at Huang Yue’s adorable face, Master Autumn Wind laughed with delight. To see the usually serene Saintess of Peach Blossom Hermitage so flustered—whether Zhou Yi could resist Mingzhen’s Bodhi True Wish Banner or not, it was worth it!

Huang Yue’s small lips, hidden beneath her veil, pouted, a breath held in her cheeks, puffing them up adorably like a little bun.

“Hmph! You old rascal!” Huang Yue shot Master Autumn Wind a furious glare, cursing him inwardly.

Yet, after the playful banter, silence returned, and their attention shifted back to the inn.

Looking at the tranquil youth seated on the bench, Huang Yue’s mind stirred. Could he truly not withstand the Bodhi True Wish Banner?

It was only a branch flag! Was it truly impossible?

At this thought, Huang Yue suddenly recalled another matter.

Before today, she had never believed that anyone could use postnatal strength to defeat someone of the innate realm—let alone not merely contend, but utterly overwhelm.

Would she have ever believed such a thing before?

She asked herself, and the answer was clear: impossible.

The gulf between postnatal and innate was vast—as she herself had crossed into the innate, she understood it better than ever. They were worlds apart.

For instance, one innate true intent could suppress ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent of postnatal martial artists, reducing them to mere mortals. An innate master could defeat a crowd of ordinary people without exerting much effort.

And sixty years of cultivated internal strength! The difficulty of internal cultivation was immense. Even those with great backing struggled to reach sixty years of internal power at the postnatal stage; it was rare throughout history. Ordinary people, without connections, stood no chance.

Thus, the disparity became even more insurmountable.

Before today, she would never have believed that anyone at the postnatal stage could possess over a hundred years of internal strength. Yet now, she not only believed it, but had witnessed it—and more astonishing still, there were not one, but two such people!

This was beyond miraculous—it could only be explained by talent and fortune. Clearly, these two were the protagonists of some grand saga; how else could their circumstances be justified?

Children of miracles, favored of the goddess of destiny?

“Perhaps the two of them truly can create another miracle—who’s to say?” Thoughts swirled, chaotic and tangled, and gradually, Huang Yue found herself believing that perhaps Zhou Yi and his companion could indeed withstand the Bodhi True Wish Banner.