A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 115 Slaying Buddhas and Destroying Demons
After dealing with the two men, Yin Zhong searched their bodies and found nothing except a few talismans.

"That person just used this talisman to communicate with others," Yin Zhong said, holding a talisman. After thinking for a moment, he put it away. As for the two corpses, he threw them into the wilderness.

Having finally managed to get out of the house, and with his child about to be born, Yin Zhong decided to give his unborn child a gift and turned to head towards Three Fox Mountain.

Inside Sanquan Village, Gu Xu looked at the increasingly solidified image of his primordial spirit and was very satisfied. He estimated that in another two or three months, he would be able to re-condense and reunite his primordial spirit and physical body, achieving the state of yin and yang unity.

Looking at the fire crystal stone that had turned to powder beside him, Gu Xu thought to himself that he should collect more natural treasures with the power of the five elements in the future.

The next day, after having breakfast and taking Shi Tou's pulse, Gu Xu said to Liu Shan, "Old man, Shi Tou is fine now. For the next month, he only needs to eat some blood-nourishing and qi-tonifying foods; he doesn't need any medicine."

Liu Shan thanked him profusely and agreed.

"By the way, sir, do you know where those three wells are? This humble Taoist would like to go and take a look."

"Daoist Master, come with me," Liu Shan said, instructing his daughter-in-law to take care of his son before leading Gu Xu towards the village.

Along the way, villagers greeted Gu Xu from time to time, and he responded to each one. After a while, an old man pointed ahead and said, "Daoist, those are the three springs."

Looking out, Gu Xu saw three well platforms, each about half a person's height, built of bluestone and covered with moss. They looked ancient and charming, but to Gu Xu, they seemed rather sinister.

In his eyes, a black mist floated above the three springs, rising and falling. Whenever someone drew water, a wisp of black mist would sink down. The water that was drawn up looked very clear on the surface, but it was shrouded in black mist.

"Old man, there's something wrong with these three wells. We need to tell the village headman right away. The water in these three wells is undrinkable." Gu Xu pointed his finger, and a crimson light struck the black mist above the wells. Although the black mist was dispersed, it quickly gathered again.

"Alright, I'll go call Muramasa. Daoist, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan was startled. Seeing Gu Xu make a move, he knew that the other party was not making empty threats. He hurriedly went to find the village head, because if there was a problem with the water in the village, the entire village would be in danger.

Before he could even say he'd taken a few steps, he saw Wang Gan, the village head, leading the villagers towards him.

"Muramasa, the Taoist priest says there's something wrong with the well water."

"I understand. Let's go see what the Taoist priest has to say." Wang Gan was increasingly certain that Baifo Temple was behind this, since a Taoist priest had performed exorcisms here before.

The group arrived at the well. Wang Gan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "Daoist Master, is there something wrong with the well water?"

"This well water has been contaminated by sorcery, everyone, please take a look," Gu Xu said, taking out a talisman and throwing it into a bucket full of water. Everyone looked over, and within a breath or two, the water in the bucket began to boil as if it were boiling. Moreover, the originally clear well water turned black and emitted a fishy stench.

Some people couldn't stand it and vomited on the spot. Even Wang Gan looked terrified. If they drank the well water, they would definitely get sick. He also thought of the sorcery the Taoist priest had mentioned earlier. Could it be that they were being targeted by a monster?

"Taoist Master, this, this," Wang Gan said, his hand trembling as he pointed at the strange sight before him. The villagers were all pale-faced, and the thought of the large vat of water in their homes made them feel nauseous again, so they turned around and vomited.

“Wang Village Chief, this well water has been enchanted. The villagers have been told not to drink the water they drew before, and to fetch water from the nearby stream. Also, all the well water stored at home should be moved here.”

After speaking, Gu Xu took out a jade bottle and handed it to Wang Gan, saying, "Dissolve the pills in this bottle with the stream water, and every villager must drink a bowl."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Daoist Master," Wang Gan respectfully accepted the jade bottle and instructed the villagers to quickly bring over all the well water from their homes.

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately trembled and left. After a while, people brought back well water one after another. Gu Xu ordered them to pour the well water back into the well, bucket by bucket. Gu Xu noticed that the black mist above the well had thickened considerably.

After the last bucket of water was poured into the well, Wang Gan came over and said, "Master, all the remaining well water has been brought over. I've already sent someone to fetch water from the stream. Master, the water from the stream shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"No, that won't happen. That stream originates from a tributary of the Yuquan River; fresh water doesn't stay stagnant, so there won't be any problems."

"That's good, that's good," Wang Gan finally felt relieved after hearing this. Fortunately, the Taoist priest was here. If the whole village had been drinking well water for years, who knows what would have happened to them? Just thinking about it made Wang Gan shudder.

"These three springs are connected to underground water veins, so they should be considered flowing water and shouldn't be affected by evil magic. However, the evil energy is lingering and won't dissipate, so there must be something down there. It seems we have to go down and take a look."

As Gu Xu was thinking, a dozen or so strong young men came over carrying dozens of buckets of water and poured them into a large vat that had been prepared beforehand. Wang Gan put the pills in the vat, and after the medicinal effects spread, each villager had a bowl. Before long, some people were clutching their own throats, their faces turning red.

Seeing this, Gu Xu pushed with one palm, and the man's throat loosened, spitting out a black, lumpy substance that emitted a foul odor. Gu Xu waved his hand, and a scorching gust of wind swept past, and the filth disappeared.

In the following half hour, some people vomited, some felt dizzy, and others had their faces turn black. Wang Gan looked at the wounded in the village and broke out in a cold sweat. It was as if they were going to wipe out the entire Sanquan Village.

"Master, the evil spirits in the villagers' bodies should have been dispelled by now, right?" Wang Gan returned the jade bottle to Gu Xu and asked in a low voice.

"Hmm," Gu Xu replied, taking the jade bottle, and then said, "Village Chief Wang, I need a few people to go down the well tomorrow to investigate. Is that alright?"

"What are you saying, Taoist priest? Leave this little matter to me."

Wang Cunzheng immediately summoned three strong young men and brought them to Gu Xu.

"The three brave men have just cleared their bodies of evil energy, so it is not advisable for them to go down into the well immediately. We will have to trouble you three tomorrow at noon when the yang energy is abundant."

The three young men readily agreed. Seeing this, Wu Cunzheng told them to go back and rest to conserve their energy, and ordered someone to prepare some good food.

"Village Chief Wang, I'm going to seal this well temporarily in a bit. There might be some disturbance, so just in case, it's best to evacuate the villagers."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gan immediately nodded in agreement, went to the villagers, and whispered something to them. Soon after, the crowd dispersed.

"Taoist Master, what else do you think we need to prepare?" Wang Gan asked respectfully. He had seen people perform rituals before and prepare a lot of things.

"No need, I have my own methods."

Seeing that Gu Xu had nothing to instruct him, Wang Gan quickly left.

Gu Xu stared ahead, his fingers joined together, and a golden rune was drawn in the air. As the light flashed, golden threads wove into a golden net in the air, covering the three wells.

As soon as the net fell, it touched the black mist and hissed. The black mist seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, and it kept churning and swirling. In an instant, it transformed into a hideous evil Buddha, whose black vajra in its hand struck the net heavily.

Gu Xu pointed his sword and a golden beam flashed, instantly shattering the evil Buddha into pieces. The black aura weakened, and the net of law seized the opportunity to seal the three wells.

"Even foreign forces are trying to get a share of the pie?" Gu Xu had read in the bamboo slips that the evil Buddhist sect from the foreign regions was most adept at bewitching people. Now they were actually extending their reach here. If the Supreme Dao knew about this, it would probably be a fight to the death. The affairs of the Central Plains are not for outsiders to interfere in.

After a peaceful night, at noon the next day, the villagers arrived at the well early, and Gu Xu handed three fire crystals engraved with runes to three young men.

"This will ensure your safety. If you find anything strange down there, be careful to bring it back up."

The three thanked him, accepted the item, and carefully put it away. They knew that the Taoist priest was incredibly powerful, and with this item protecting them, their lives were saved.

Wang Gan gave a few more instructions, and the three of them went down into the well. Some villagers nearby held their breath and waited. After a while, a man named Dazhuang made a sound.

"Quickly pull him up!" Wang Gan shouted, and several young men grabbed the rope and pulled Dazhuang up.

Dazhuang was soaked to the bone, and although his face was pale, he could not hide his excitement.

"Dazhuang, is there anything down there?" Wang Gan asked urgently.

"Yes, there is something," Da Zhuang said, stretching out his hand. In his palm lay a red crystalline object, its pure color somewhat eerie. Others only thought it was beautiful, but Gu Xu could tell its origin at a glance. It was clearly a relic of an evil Buddha.

"Dazhuang, what did you see down there? Tell the Taoist priest."

Wang Gan ordered his men to disperse, and Da Zhuang stood up, bowing to Gu Xu in gratitude.

"If it weren't for the fire crystal given to me by the Taoist priest, I would have been eaten by that black fish. This thing was taken out of the black fish's belly."

Da Zhuang recalled that as soon as he entered the water, he felt extremely cold. Wisps of cold air were rising from the well wall. Fortunately, he had the fire crystal on him, which automatically resisted the cold air; otherwise, his body would not have been able to withstand it.

"That black fish was about half a person's height, its mouth was full of teeth, and it had several bone spikes sticking out of its back. When it saw me, it lunged at me..."

As Dazhuang described it, everyone was filled with dread. How could such a monstrous creature have been born in this well? However, they were also very curious about the fire crystal, but unfortunately, Dazhuang said it was already broken.

"Master, this thing," Wang Gan looked at the relic, sincerely hoping that the master would destroy it. This kind of harmful thing should not be kept any longer.

Seemingly hearing Wang Gan's thoughts, Gu Xu poured his true energy into the relic, and the original red crystal was instantly purified, turning into a transparent object at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"The evil aura surrounding this thing has been completely cleansed, so Muramasa can rest assured. The other two strong men should be arriving soon as well."

As soon as Gu Xu finished speaking, the two ropes by the well began to sway. Wang Gan quickly sent people to pull them up. Unlike Da Zhuang, the other two brought back not only the relics but also the corpses of two black fish.

"What a huge fish! What did it eat to grow so big?"

"This fish looks really fierce."

The villagers chattered amongst themselves, but none dared to approach, only pointing and gesturing. "Master, please handle these two things," Wang Gan said, presenting the relic in his palm to Gu Xu. The latter waved his hand, and the relic was drawn to him.

After the three relics were purified, the black mist above the well began to dissipate. After two or three breaths, the black mist disappeared completely, and a gentle breeze blew by, making everyone feel refreshed and comfortable.

"Master, is this matter considered resolved?"

Wang Gan sensed something was different and was certain that this was the Taoist priest's doing.

"Although the evil spirit in the well has been removed, it would be best to wait another half month before drawing water."

As he spoke, Gu Xu activated a fire crystal and threw it into the well. Everyone saw a flash of red light in the well, and then all three wells shook at the same time, the ground trembled slightly, and it stopped after a while.

"Hmm, I feel like it's not so cold here anymore," a villager noticed.

Before, when I drew water from the well, my body was always chilly, but now it feels warm and cozy.

The villagers all looked at Gu Xu, whose skills far surpassed those of the monks at the Hundred Buddha Temple.

"Everyone, I have something to tell you all. These evil spirits were left behind by the monks of Baifo Temple, intending to harm us. If it weren't for the Taoist priest's intervention, we would all be dead without knowing why."

As soon as Wang finished speaking, the crowd was immediately agitated. So it turned out that those wicked people were the ones who caused all this. They had been so devout in offering incense and money, and in the end, they were the culprits.

"Muramasa, what should we do?" Although the slogans were shouted loudly, the villagers were not stupid. Those sorcerers were all highly skilled. Going to trouble would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

"Master, look..."

"Please rest assured, everyone. Since I have encountered this situation, I will naturally not ignore it. Please all act as usual, and I will handle the rest. Village Chief Wang, may I speak with you in private?"

"Daoist Master, come with me," Wang Gan waved his hand, dismissing the crowd, and then led Gu Xu to his home.

"Wang Cunzheng, you've mentioned that this Buddhist temple is very efficacious. Is that really true? Has no one noticed anything strange about it?"

"The Taoist priest is a highly skilled person, so naturally he can see the difference. How could we ordinary people understand these things? After those sorcerers performed a few rituals, several surrounding villages began to offer incense, and even the government offices sent people to invite them. They are very capable and have connections. Even if something seems a little strange, those monks will cover it up."

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this. People are not yet enlightened and are easily fooled. When they see a miracle, they will naturally worship sincerely.

After asking a few more questions, Gu Xuxin realized that this Buddhist temple, on the surface, was a place for praying for children, warding off disasters, and seeking guidance on one's future, but behind the scenes, it was a place where no one knew what kind of shady business it was engaged in.

"Is the Taoist priest here to rid us of harm?"

"Such a place that harms people, and such people who harm people, must not be allowed to remain."

"Then, Taoist priest, please be very careful. I've heard that strange cries often come from the back mountain of Baifo Temple. The monks there say it's a subdued demon beast."

Knowing that the Taoist priest possessed unfathomable supernatural powers, Wang Gan still mentioned it, giving Gu Xu a heads-up.

After leaving the village head's house, Gu Xu returned to Liu Shan's house, talked for a while, and then took his leave.

Following the directions given by the village head, Gu Xu headed south. The distance of a hundred miles or so was covered in no time. After asking around, he learned which mountain was Baifo Mountain.

"This mountain was originally a place of spiritual beauty, but its yin and yang have been forcibly reversed, turning this sacred land into a demonic realm. All the creatures on the mountain have become puppets. This Hundred Buddha Temple truly deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Looking at the towering mountain peaks before him, a thick layer of dark clouds shrouded the summit, invisible to ordinary people, from which various roars echoed, causing Gu Xu to frown deeply.

Along the way, there were many people going up the mountain to worship Buddha. Gu Xu concealed his figure and flew up to the temple. When he arrived at the temple gate, he saw a six-armed evil Buddha statue that was unusually conspicuous in the dark clouds inside the magnificent Buddhist temple. Only the heart was golden, and the rest of the statue was pitch black.

As incense continued to gather on the giant statue, one of its arms began to turn from black to gold.

"Evil ways," Gu Xu sneered, then drew a spirit-slaying talisman with a flick of his wrist. With a command, the talisman ignited and transformed into a golden light that struck the evil Buddha's heart.

The evil Buddha, severely injured, let out a miserable howl and suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, staring in the direction where Gu Xu was standing.

Just as its six arms were about to grab Gu Xu, a burst of golden light suddenly erupted from its body. The giant evil Buddha statue was shocked, and its body shattered inch by inch, starting from its heart, and soon it scattered into the sky and dust. Gu Xu waved his sleeve, and the temple was instantly cleaned up.

At the same moment the giant evil Buddha statue was destroyed, several old monks in the main hall of the Buddhist temple suddenly stopped breathing and then fell silent. The leading old monk, in shock, quickly took out a blood-red pill and swallowed it.

“The Buddha’s true form has been destroyed, and a great master has arrived here. This place is not suitable for us to stay long.” The old monk tried his best to suppress his injuries and hurriedly ran out of the main hall to a stone cave in the back mountain.

Deep within the cave, there was a small lake with inky black water that exuded a chilling aura. As the air rose, the cold air condensed into ice pillars that plunged downwards. After a brief churning in the water, a large black fish, about ten feet long, leaped out of the surface. Its eyes were crimson, and it had long whiskers on either side of its mouth.

"Great Venerable Inkmark, a master has arrived outside. My Buddha's golden body has been destroyed. Please show yourself and help me," the old monk kowtowed.

A flash of dark light appeared, and a bald monk dressed in black robes appeared before the old monk.

"The person has arrived," Mohen said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on Gu Xu who was walking in from outside the cave.

The old monk was startled and turned around to look back, only to see Gu Xu standing behind him.

"So it was a black fish practicing Buddhism. No wonder its practice was so awkward and unorthodox."

Upon hearing Gu Xu's words, a sharp glint flashed in Mo Hen's eyes, followed by a light laugh.

"What brings you here, esteemed one?"

"You were the one who caused trouble in Sanquan Village, weren't you? Polluting the springs, disrupting the Yuquan River's waterway, and aiding in illicit activities—all underhanded tactics."

With a splash, Mohen leaped into the lake. The old monk, seeing the danger, had barely moved when Gu Xu annihilated his soul with a single finger.

Looking at the dark shadow in the lake, Gu Xu threw out four fire crystals, which were placed in four directions. A scorching heat spread out, trying to evaporate the lake water.

Sensing the temperature change, the black fish below immediately flicked its tail, and four infant skulls ignited with emerald green demonic flames, rushing towards the fire crystal.

"You wicked creature, die!" Gu Xu roared. With the help of true energy, the fire crystal's firepower increased dramatically. A ball of pure blue flame kept approaching the water's surface, and the lake water dried up at a visible speed. The black fish, unwilling to be trapped, stirred up waves, but they were quickly evaporated.

After a few breaths, the blackfish was exhausted and on the verge of death, revealing its scattered white bones on the dried-up bottom of the water.

Gu Xu came to the black fish, pointed his finger, and pulled out a piece of the black fish's essence.

"Master Taoist, spare my life! Master Taoist, spare my life!"

Regardless of the black fish's pleas for mercy, Gu Xu searched its soul and directly put it into the Soul Purification and Mind Cleansing Mirror as resources for its advancement.

"I never imagined that the evil Buddha from the outer realms would collude with both demons and monsters; the world is becoming increasingly chaotic."

Gu Xu inventoried the inside and outside of the cave and found some useful items, which he carefully collected. Gu Xu then sat by the lake and recited a Taoist scripture to pray for the souls of the unjustly killed.

As the scripture was finished being recited, tiny golden specks of light shone down on Gu Xu.

A fire burned the remains to ashes, and Gu Xu smashed the cave with a single palm strike, using it as their grave.

Supreme Dao Residence

After learning of Yin Zhong's news, Ning Dao immediately informed Dao Lord Qi Feng.

"Master, do you think Yin Zhong still has any value as a pawn?"

"Although Yin Zhong has amnesia, his skills are not to be underestimated. Just send a few clever disciples to keep an eye on him and we'll deal with him when the time is right. Besides, I suspect that because he has amnesia, someone might be secretly interfering. This pawn is a bit tricky to use."

Qi Feng's words startled Ning Dao. Who had such great ability to deceive the Dao Master? But he dared not ask further and simply replied, "Yes, disciple understands."

"Master, what do you think about the demonic and evil paths, and the evil Buddha's side..."

"Go ahead and do your thing. We'll take care of the rest. This little evil Buddha dares to covet the Central Plains? He's truly courting death."

Upon hearing this, Ning Dao said nothing more, bowed respectfully, and withdrew.

After Ning Dao left, Qi Feng guessed that the person who caused Yin Zhong's amnesia must be the expert who sealed the blood curse in Yin Feng's body. Now it seems that he is very concerned about the Yin family father and daughter.

We'll meet again someday.

(End of this chapter)