The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 549: Venerable Karma Seeker’s Regret

Venerable Eyes of Destiny fell silent for a moment before letting out a long breath.

"Well, I can’t see anything," he said, which left Aldrian stunned.

"More precisely, I couldn’t see anything because what I saw was only blinding light. It hurt both my eyes and my soul. I didn’t expect it to have that kind of effect," he added.

Aldrian looked at Venerable Eyes of Destiny for a few moments and nodded in understanding.

"Alright, thank you for the information, Teacher," he said before returning to his seat.

As Aldrian walked back toward his mat, he thought about Venerable Eyes of Destiny’s words. He wondered what it was that the Venerable truly saw in him to react like that—because he knew the Venerable hadn’t shared everything about his vision.

There was no way that simply looking at his light could cause such a reaction—fear mixed with reverence, as if he wanted to kneel and kowtow. But there was nothing he could do if Venerable Eyes of Destiny chose not to speak further.

Venerable Eyes of Destiny looked at Aldrian’s back as he walked toward his mat and couldn’t help but think again about what he had seen. It was true that he saw blinding light, so intense that it made his eyes and soul ache just from looking at it. But there was something else—something that had nearly shattered his will when he saw it.

Amidst the blinding light, he caught a glimpse of a throne—a grand throne. The moment he laid eyes on it, it felt as if his soul and vision were about to burst. It was as if the throne was alive, warning him not to peer into Aldrian’s mystery or future. That was what truly injured him. The throne radiated an aura so overwhelming it made him want to prostrate himself before it. His soul screamed at him to kneel before he forcefully canceled his technique.

That vision lasted for only a second, yet it felt as if he had stared at it for a long time. It was carved into his memory, leaving a mark that made him look at Aldrian in a completely different light. Yes, Aldrian was the one prophesied by many—but the experience just now had completely overturned his understanding of him.

He was not just the prophesied one who would bear the weight of the continent’s destiny. He was something beyond that. This continent alone was not enough to contain his fate. It made Venerable Eyes of Destiny wonder—what had Aldrian been in his past life? There was no way the heavens would entrust such a destiny to someone without something extraordinary within them.

Aldrian had already taken his seat on the mat when Venerable Karma Seeker opened his lips again.

"Well, I know you’re still curious about Aldrian, but after what just happened, I hope you’ll restrain yourself. I’m afraid you’ll end up harming yourself instead," he said, and the others remained silent.

None of them spoke—they all understood that Venerable Karma Seeker’s words were true. For the Heavenly Buddha’s Eyes to be injured simply by peering into Aldrian’s mystery, it meant Aldrian was far more profound and unfathomable than they could imagine.

"Anyway, now that you’ve all met him, I’ll take Benefactor Aldrian to the Western Paradise Temple. You’re dismissed—continue with the preparations," Venerable Karma Seeker said as he stood and turned to Aldrian with a smile.

"Let’s go. I’ll bring you to the place I wanted you to see."

Aldrian nodded and rose to his feet. Together, they walked out of the temple, leaving the Seven Arhats behind as they silently watched them go.

Aldrian and Venerable Karma Seeker walked behind the main temple, passing through a beautiful bamboo forest. Aldrian raised an eyebrow the moment he stepped into it—he could sense the presence of a formation. It was an illusion array, likely a defensive measure meant to trap anyone who entered without permission, leaving them lost within the forest.

As they continued on their path, Venerable Karma Seeker suddenly spoke.

"Benefactor Aldrian, I have yet to properly thank you for what you did for me. So, please accept my most sincere gratitude." He stopped walking, looked at Aldrian with a gentle smile, and offered a slight bow with clasped hands before continuing on.

Aldrian glanced at Venerable Karma Seeker, puzzled by his words.

"Did I do something that warrants your gratitude, Teacher? Forgive me, but I don’t recall doing anything worthy of thanks," Aldrian replied.

And yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, Aldrian felt something unusual in this moment. Venerable Karma Seeker seemed... fragile. Not like a powerful cultivator, but like someone who simply needed comfort.

Venerable Karma Seeker fell silent for a moment before parting his lips to speak.

"In the past, I had a disciple I was proud of. I met him while wandering through the Buddhist territories—as if fate had led us to cross paths. At that time, he was just an orphaned child, living off the mercy of others. When I saw that poor boy, I simply couldn’t walk away. So, I took him in."

"I didn’t think much of it at first, but as time passed, I realized he was a hidden gem buried in the dirt. He had the potential to become a remarkable cultivator. That’s when I decided to make him my disciple."

"For years, I trained him, and he never disappointed me—not even once. I was truly satisfied with him. I daresay he was one of my greatest disciples."

"I still remember the way he smiled each time he mastered a technique I taught him. I can still feel how proud I was—watching him, as if he were my own son."

"When he came of age, he expressed a desire to spread the Buddha’s enlightenment to the world. He was so passionate about it, eager to explore the world and share kindness wherever he went." freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Aldrian continued to listen in silence as they walked through the forest.

"A few years later, he finally left to venture into the world—to spread the Buddha’s enlightenment, to spread kindness." Venerable Karma Seeker paused, as if gathering his thoughts, before continuing.

"But one day, he changed. He returned from his travels... different. He began asking me about the ugliness of the world—how people could let such things exist. He asked why he couldn’t stop them, why it felt like he was the only one who even cared."

"I told him that as humans, we all have our limits. We cannot change the entire world by ourselves. Even the Buddha could not transform every living being into a creature of pure goodness. There is darkness in us too—that is the nature of living things, like yin and yang. The most we can do is create order, so that the darker nature in each of us does not run wild."

"But it seemed that wasn’t enough for him. Over time, those thoughts began to consume him. He grew envious of those who could look away—those who seemed free, unburdened by the weight he carried."

"That was the turning point—and one of the greatest regrets of my life. I didn’t stop him when I still had the chance. He ran away from the sect and disappeared for a long time. That alone saddened me deeply. But what truly shattered my heart was when I finally heard news of him—only, it wasn’t in a good way."

"He had become a devil cultivator. And not just any devil cultivator—"

"He became one of the Seven Deadly Sins—Envy."

Aldrian inwardly slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten that the Envy Devil was once a disciple of a Buddhist sect? He had also seen glimpses of his memories with a monk. Thinking back now, that monk had indeed resembled Venerable Karma Seeker but a younger version.

To think that the Envy Devil had been his disciple...

"I truly regret not being able to stop him. I couldn’t even bring myself to kill him. And with every one of his victims, I felt as if their blood was on my hands too."

"That’s why... when I sensed that my karmic tie with him had been completely severed—that he had died somewhere—it gave me peace."

"So truly, benefactor Aldrian... thank you." He stopped briefly and looked at Aldrian with a quiet smile before continuing on.

Aldrian sighed inwardly at Venerable Karma Seeker’s story. It was truly tragic. Now that he thought about it, the advice Venerable Karma Seeker had given him back then made more sense—it came from his own experience.

His disciple had become what he did because he could not bear the weight of his own righteous heart. He could not endure the ugliness of the world, felt powerless to change it, and was eventually consumed by his own negative feelings. Aldrian had already seen the memories of the Envy Devil and understood this deeply.

He continued following Venerable Karma Seeker until they finally emerged from the bamboo forest and arrived at a giant pond. At its center stood a structure.

Aldrian felt refreshed as he took in the serene beauty of the place. There was nothing lacking here—only calm and peace.

The structure in the middle of the pond was a small temple, enough to hold around ten people. But there was something else that stunned him—a divine energy exuding from the temple.

The source of the rich heaven-and-earth energy in this place also seemed to come from the temple itself, which made him wonder what was inside.

To reach the temple, they had to cross a lone bridge, the only path connecting their location to the temple.

"That place holds our most treasured treasure, even more precious than our legacy artifacts," Venerable Karma Seeker said as he continued walking toward the temple.

Aldrian followed, and as he got closer, he could sense that the temple was actually a place where faith gathered! With so much faith concentrated here, it must represent the entire Buddhist sect’s territory.

He felt surprised and happy inwardly about this development. If he built his domain here, then he would only lack the Everlasting Silent Forest and the Devil territory to make the entire continent his domain!

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