Winter is coming to an end and spring is getting chilly.
The Chigou Sect's main altar is located near Shafu in the northwest, facing the desert, and the weather is a bit worse than other places. Even though Wuxue Po has profound internal strength, she is willing to warm her hands with a bowl of soup.
She looked out the window at the dismal snow scene, fiddling with the copper pitcher from time to time, as if she were holding a living thing. The table was filled with snacks and hot tea, all of which remained untouched.
"Master, new news. Prince Rong and the Taiheng Sect have reached an agreement and exchanged map rubbings. Now both of them have eight copies, which is consistent with our sect."
A few days ago, the Chigou Sect had a bloody battle with the Ling Sect. The Ling Sect got angry from nowhere and fought back like a mad dog. The Chixie Foot was broken by one third, and only then did they get the Ling Sect's unique Buddhist beads rubbings.
As a result, the Chi Gou Sect obtained eight of the fourteen maps, and was far ahead. But King Rong made this move, and the three parties were tied again.
Wuxue Po was surprised: "Tai Heng has always been deeply involved with the imperial court. It's only a matter of time. Xu Jingming is very capable of hiding his ambitions. He is probably waiting to reap the fruits of Tai Heng... Tell the spies in Prince Rong's Mansion to withdraw and go to Jiang Youyue."
"Go and keep an eye on the Imperial Master?! Master, think twice. If the imperial court blames us, we..."
The old man interrupted coldly, "Forget about the meat, the emperor hasn't even tasted the immortal wine. If you want to intervene, why would we, the gangsters, jump in? Your Majesty is concerned, but Jiang Youyue, a charlatan, is just watching from the sidelines. There must be something hidden. Who knows, you might have set up a stake somewhere, just waiting to stab us in the back."
"But-"
"The only thing my Divine Cult won't touch is the Imperial Mausoleum. Even if Jiang Youyue is dead, I can dig up his grave. If he's still alive, I'd be even more offended."
"yes."
The subordinate digested the shocking order for a while, and then continued: "There is one more thing. Five days ago, Zheng Fengdao was killed by Shi Jingzhi of Kushan Sect in Qiwu City. Kushan Sect does not seem to have any plans to collect maps and is heading back to Lianshan."
"Zheng Fengdao is dead? This kid named Shi is really extraordinary."
Wuxue Po snorted and laughed. Zheng Fengdao was vicious and cautious, and never took things too seriously. Shi Jingzhi's killing was definitely not something that could be achieved by taking shortcuts.
"Master, don't we need to intervene in the Kushan Sect? That person—"
"Don't worry about it." Wuxue Po finally turned her head, "It must be someone from the Chigou Sect. They can run away anyway."
"I understand."
"I'm in a hurry to go back to Lianshan. I guess I found some clues. I haven't seen the Buddha's formation yet. If I were 20 years younger..."
Halfway through her words, she suddenly fell silent and looked out the window again.
Thousands of miles away, back to the foot of Lianshan Mountain.
The four members of the Kushan Sect were worried and deliberately bypassed Yongsheng, and finally moved to Huilian Mountain with great difficulty.
Sect Master Shi was really good at making medicine. Su Si had been clamoring and raging at first, but now his palms were scabby and he was fine. Shi Jingzhi himself was full of energy and was alive and kicking again.
This time when he entered the Buddha's formation, Shi Jingzhi remained calm.
Huilian Mountain is the home of a famous and upright sect. It is neither as gloomy as a ghost tomb nor as incongruous as Yuanxian Village. There is only a high mountain standing in a simple manner, covered with white snow, with the light blue sky behind it. The wind stops on the rocks, and the snow lies on the green pines. With just a glance from afar, the majestic momentum comes to you, which can suppress all your wandering thoughts.
Although it is covered with a Buddhist array, this mountain can give people an indescribable sense of security.
At that time, Sect Leader looked at this reassuring mountain, slowly opened his arms, and exhaled deeply, as if he wanted to embrace it.
Since joining Kushan Sect, Su Si has been worried about the mental state of the master and his apprentice: "… What is the master doing?"
Yin Ci glanced at his master's weathered back and couldn't help but smile: "He must be thanking God that he no longer has to see those evil things."
After passing through the ghost tomb and the forbidden area twice, Yin Ci wanted to change his mood.
Su Si had never seen the forbidden area of Yuanxian Village, and was unable to understand for a moment: "Really? I heard from people that Huilian Mountain is very large and is inhabited by many monsters. We have lost our internal strength, and if we are infected by monsters, we will definitely suffer less."
Upon hearing this, Shi Jingzhi turned around and said, "This master said that the Buddha's Array was created by monks. Even if it is weird, it must not be that weird. Besides, the inner demon is something that can't be seen or touched. At most, it only tortures the spirit and is useless."
These words were spoken with great emphasis, yet Yin Ci heard a hint of self-consolation in them.
The closer you get to the foot of the mountain, the more obvious it is that Jianchen Temple is closed to the elements. A row of half-human-high stone sculptures of Arhats are located around the mountain, looking very imposing. The stone sculptures are seven steps apart, with different shapes and vivid expressions, and there is no snow on them.
Colorful Buddhist flags were placed between the stone statues, swaying in the cold wind, making a rustling sound that made people sleepy.
The Arhat glared angrily, and the Buddhist banner flew out. The two complemented each other, turning into a fence full of rejection, enclosing the entire mountain.
The group did not cross the border rashly. Instead, they circled Huilian Mountain cautiously and finally found an entrance. The monks did not seal off the mountain, but instead erected two huge rocks in front of the dangerous area at the back of the mountain to create a conspicuous stone gate for the fence.
Two huge rocks stood majestically, with "No Bodhi Tree" written on the left and "A Bright Mirror Is Not a Stand" on the right. The fonts were very powerful, and the meaning of rejection was heavier than the Arhat Buddha banner - it was as if there was a visible huge rock hanging on the top, with the words "You're Seeking Death" written in large characters.
On the other side of the door, the mountain scenery is still magnificent.
When people were in the shadow of the mountain, the scene in the formation became clearer. The stone steps were covered with a thin layer of snow and led directly to the depths of the mountain. The pine and stone pavilions were all designed and placed just right. However, unlike usual ones, there were some headless stone statues standing in the mountains, with bright green moss growing on them, which was very inconsistent with the vast winter scenery and looked particularly abrupt.
The stone statues are beautifully carved, with both male and female figures. If it weren't for the missing heads, the movements would be quite festive.
The four members of Kushan Sect lingered in front of the huge rock entrance for a long time, and very ruthlessly pushed out their weakest member.
Bai Ye was driven by Shi Jingzhi with a flag, swaying over the huge rocks. Every two steps, he would turn his head and glare at the people to scare them.
When it first entered the Buddha's formation, Mr. Bai did not show any abnormality. However, after half an incense stick of time, the two antennae on its head slowly stood up. Suddenly, as if it had seen something extremely terrifying, the whole goose collapsed into the snow and began to play dead.
This may be the legendary demon.
The goose itself was unharmed and did not struggle hard to escape, so it was probably safe for the time being.
Yan Qing thought for a moment and said, "My experience is simple. I'll try it first."
Shi Jingzhi nodded and made way. Yan Qing glanced at the huge rocks on both sides and stepped into the formation carefully. As soon as he entered the formation, Yan Qing looked around and then looked at Master Bai, his expression gradually became strange.
Su Si raised a pill and said, "Third son, what did you see?"
Yan Qing: "This... I'll wait for a while and tell you."
Another half an incense stick passed, and Yan Qing suddenly looked at his hands and smiled bitterly. Then he took a step, walked out of the boulder entrance, and then walked back into the formation.
"I roughly know what's going on. You can only see the changes after entering the formation. It's hard to explain it all at once. Why don't you come in and take a look?"
Seeing that Yan Qing was in good condition and could move back and forth freely, Su Si followed him in, followed by Shi Jingzhi. Yin Ci watched from outside for a while before following in.
As soon as they entered the formation, the coldness caused by the loss of internal strength instantly exploded, as if a basin of ice water was poured over their heads. Unfortunately, everyone had no time to appreciate it, and their attention was attracted by the strange scene in front of them -
After a hundred years, the legendary Buddha formation was set up again, showing its full picture before the eyes of visitors.
The headless stone statue was still in the distance, covered with bright green moss. Near the stone statue, however, there were some strange "bald branches". They were dull gray-red, and the texture was like wood and flesh. They were so thick that three people couldn't hug them together. These foreign objects went straight into the depths of the sky, and the ends could only be seen. Everyone only knew that the higher they went, the thinner these things became, so thin that they could sway slowly in the wind.
There were tens of thousands of these "bare branches" stretching as far as the eye could see, seemingly covering the entire Huilian Mountain. Looking up at the sky, everyone seemed to be in a flesh-gray towering forest.
Yin Ci slowly repeated his master's words: "The Buddha Array was created by monks, so it can't be that evil."
Shi Jingzhi was sweating profusely: "... Let's explore the demon first."
Mr. Bai's condition is also quite eye-catching.
A roast goose floated behind the listless Mr. Bai, its skin bright and translucent, gravy mixed with fat dripping down, and steam rising in the wind.
Can this be considered a demon? If it is really a demon in the heart, this demon looks quite delicious. No wonder Yan Qing hesitated to speak, it was a bit funny to describe it directly.
Seeing that everyone had put away their weapons, Yan Qing spoke calmly, "The Buddha Array can not only seal off the internal energy, but also make the demons transform. But the matter of 'the demons transforming' is hard to describe in words."
"It will take time for your demon to transform, so please look at me first. My mind is still clear, and I don't have any strange emotions. I just can... see these."
The orange-red roast goose was too eye-catching against the white snow and gray branches, and the other three people only then noticed Yan Qing.
Like those outside the formation, Yan Qing had many scars on his body. Those scars were not caused by sharp weapons, but more like being punched, kicked, beaten with sticks, or burned with fire.
Yan Qing noticed everyone's gaze and smiled knowingly, "My father is addicted to alcohol. It's just a trivial matter from childhood. Don't take it seriously."
Raise your wrist so that everyone can see the point.
A bloody pair of handcuffs hung on Yan Qing's wrists. The handcuffs seemed to have ripped someone's tendons, and they were twisted into a bloody strand. Eyeballs were hung on them in an orderly manner, like berries on a vine. The eyeballs all had red pupils, and they rotated from time to time and looked around.
Shi Jingzhi: “…”
He quickly exited the giant stone gate and took a few breaths outside the formation. When he came back, the headmaster's eyes had changed. He looked at Huilian Mountain with some resentment in his eyes, as if the mountain in front of him was not a dead mountain, but a traitor who had cheated him of his true love.
"Maybe it's just my demon." Yan Qing covered the eyeball handcuffs with his sleeves and comforted him. "Look, Su Si is not so exaggerated."
"Is this exaggerated?!" Su Si almost screamed.
Compared to the delicious roast goose and the eyeball handcuffs, Su Si's magic was quite ordinary, so ordinary that it was somewhat incomprehensible. Half an incense stick passed, and Su Si stood there, and fell to the snow with a thud. His lower body twisted together in front of everyone, turning into a thick black snake tail.
With her facial features and teardrop mole, she looked like a snake demon that had walked out of a storybook.
Poor Su Si, who had been a two-legged person for 21 years, had no idea how to walk like a snake. He collapsed beside Master Bai, with his tail stretched straight out, like a frozen dead snake.
So far, although the changes are strange, everyone can barely accept them.
According to the order of entering the formation, it was Shi Jingzhi's turn to "transform into a demonic form".
Shi Jingzhi stood still, his eyes tightly closed, not daring to move. After a while, he opened one eye and looked around - there were no floating foreign objects, no strange shackles, and his limbs were still the same, without any distortion.
After getting this result, Shi Jingzhi was shocked and out of character. He stuck the flag in his hand and felt around his body, but still couldn't find any changes.
… How can it be
His internal energy was sealed. How could a good Buddhist formation only work halfway
Shi Jingzhi's face was grim. He had long thought of using the Buddha's Formation. If this formation could really draw out the demon, he might be able to find the reason for his abnormality. But the Buddha's Formation did not respond at all, and Yan Qing's demon was even more terrifying than his.
In an instant, the cold wind around him seemed to lose its temperature. Shi Jingzhi placed a hand on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart.
Is that out-of-control desire just "nature"
First it was my father, then my elder brother. They were kept in captivity too successfully, like a wild beast with its fangs removed, fed on minced meat until now. Whether it was bitter or not, it can be said that they have truly lived.
I think so. How can a person who has never lived talk about demons
For some reason, Shi Jing subconsciously looked at Yin Ci, as if he wanted to catch something. However, seeing his apprentice for the first time, Shi Jing was shocked again, and his heart was almost filled with sadness.
Yin Ci was standing at the entrance of the boulder, looking vaguely into the depths of Huilian Mountain. Several translucent shadow arms embraced him from behind, just like the evil spirits in the story.
Those palms clasped together on Yin Ci's chest, and the ends of the arms twisted together behind him, forming an exceptionally thick "chain". The other end of the shadow chain disappeared into the edge of the formation, and its complete appearance had not yet been revealed.
Judging from Yin Ci's expression, he seemed to be unconcerned about his demon: "Brother Su, if you can still move, we might as well go a little deeper. There is a pavilion ahead, it would be better to rest there."
Yin Ci ignored the densely packed arms on his body and took a few steps forward. He was a little further away from the entrance, and part of the ghost chain was dragged out.
Su Si and Yan Qing took a breath almost at the same time. Shi Jingzhi said nothing, and his heart slowly cooled down.
"Aci, come here. Your belt is a little crooked. Let me straighten it for you." Shi Jingzhi said softly, suppressing the trembling in his voice.
Sect Master Shi stared at Yin Ci with his eyes fixed, and retreated as he spoke, getting farther and farther away from the entrance of the formation. Yin Ci seemed to be used to Shi Jingzhi's impulses. He was too lazy to refuse and walked calmly to Shi Jingzhi's side.
As Yin Ci approached, Su Si hugged Bai Ye and struggled to roll away, and even Yan Qing took a few steps back.
Shi Jingzhi stopped retreating.
When Yin Ci stopped in front of him, Shi Jingzhi lifted up the black hair on his apprentice's temples and looked into the other's dim pupils.
This was the first time Shi Jingzhi had such a feeling—he should have focused on his own nothingness, but when he saw the scene in front of him, he wanted to hold Yin Ci down and force him to reveal his disciple's past on the spot.
A heart was torn between itself and others, and was almost torn in two.
I don't know how long it took before Shi Jingzhi spoke again. I was surprised to find that when things got so strange, his voice calmed down on its own.
Shi Jingzhi carefully adjusted his white jade belt, his words filled with sadness: "Ah Ci... you saw it with your own eyes, why didn't you say it?"
This person had a calm expression and walked as usual, perhaps knowing how to use the air currents to identify the road. There was only one flaw in Yin Ci's performance, and this flaw was really fatal, and no matter how he disguised himself, he could not cover it up.
Yin Ci's demons are not just those chain-like ghost hands.
They only saw them at first because the demons were too huge—so huge that Yin Ci had to go ten feet deep into them before their full appearance was revealed.
The ghost hands connected, forming a shadow chain. The more translucent shadow hands there were at the back end, they eventually intertwined into a slug-like sliding belly, showing an opaque ebony black. Looking up, an extremely large, half-rotten human head came into view.
Counting the base of the ghost hand, the incomplete head alone was about nine feet tall, comparable to three city walls stacked together. The head was upside down, without a jaw, and all the facial features had rotted into huge holes, revealing an empty interior.
Overall, the huge inner demon looks like a weird eternal lamp, or the kind of creepy stuff dug out from a ghost tomb.
There was indeed a fire in half of the head.
The flame was the opposite of all other fires in the world, pure black and extremely cold. It swayed gently, absorbing all the light around it. The "bare branches" nearby seemed to respond to it, swaying even more obviously.
Perhaps this thing shouldn't be called an "eternally bright lamp", an "eternally dimmed lamp" would be more appropriate. Su Si and Yan Qing felt their hair stand on end, and they hid further and further away - just being close to this huge thing was enough to make people feel uncomfortable.
In comparison, the ghost hand shadow chain was like a thread. As Yin Ci moved, the shadow chain dragged the headlight little by little. Yin Ci was like dragging a hill with his own body, which looked a bit funny at first glance.
Under such a demonic situation, Yin Ci still maintained a calm expression. The only possibility was that he was "blind".
Shi Jingzhi repeated the question again, his throat dry and sore: "You saw it, didn't you?"
Everyone's reaction was strange. Even if Yin Ci guessed 100%, he could guess 60% or 70%. He lowered his eyelids and said "hmm" after a while. His answer was still very formal: "I did see it. I think it was the interference of the Buddha's formation. Anyway, it won't hinder the action. I will be able to see again after leaving the formation... That's all. I don't want to trouble Master."
He paused and said, "It seems that my disciple's magic is more conspicuous than others."
It was more than conspicuous, this demon was really unusual. Just considering its size, the Jianchen Temple could see it from the top of the mountain. If the monks hadn't been away from the formation, they would have probably defeated it by now.
Shi Jingzhi looked at the apprentice in front of him, with thousands of words in his heart. He had always been good at communication, but at this moment he couldn't say a word.
Yan Qing and Su Si were both 21 years old. Let's talk about Yan Qing first. Su Si had experienced a lot of hardships. Even so, he only grew a snake's tail.
His disciple was only twenty years old. Could it be that Yin Ci had been living in the eighteen levels of hell since he was old enough to understand things? Shi Jingzhi looked at the huge headlight again. For a moment, he felt no fear, only a cold trance.
What kind of things does a person have to go through to give birth to such a demon
Shi Jingzhi had always believed that as long as they had a good relationship, Yin Ci would always open up to him - between a master and a disciple, they would definitely open up to each other, it was just a matter of time.
Now I can be sure.
For a moment, Shi Jingzhi had a cold intuition.
What appeared before him was not a human being, but a lightless abyss.