Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 455 Persistence

"Baohe Hall"

Fahai looked at the clinic with a long queue in front of him, a faint golden light gleaming in his eyes.

"Hmm? Why is there demonic energy here?!"

Fahai frowned, his grip on his staff tightening. In his divine sense, the two demonic energies entrenched in Baohe Hall were not weak; they had already condensed into two serpentine demonic clouds above the hall.

In particular, one of them possessed such immense demonic energy that even he had to take it seriously.

"This Baohe Hall is actually a monster's lair? Niu Guangyi really had ulterior motives. The so-called miracle of the medical ancestor was probably just a good show they put on!"

Fahai touched the relic in his arms, looked at the Baohe Hall in front of him with a determined look in his eyes, then picked up his staff and walked straight toward the Baohe Hall.

But before Fahai could take more than a few steps, he suddenly found that his surroundings had changed. He had suddenly appeared from the bustling street in a place with a dark sky and dim yellow flames burning all around him.

"who is it?!"

Fahai subconsciously channeled all his magical power, transforming it into a golden Buddha bell around his body, firmly protecting himself.

Fahai's staff trembled slightly, as if he were sensing something, but he couldn't detect anything amiss.

I didn't sense any spatial fluctuations just now. Was this an illusion?! No, those flames.
Fahai looked around at the silent, dim yellow flames with some apprehension. Although he didn't recognize the flames despite his knowledge, he inexplicably sensed a deadly threat.

"You've taken out all the Buddha's relics enshrined in Jinshan Temple. It seems you, the great monk, have brought them out specifically to deal with me."

When Fahai heard the clear voice suddenly coming from behind him, he was startled. He reached for his chest and quickly turned around, only to see Niu Yi standing behind him, playing with the golden pill in his hand.

"You! Return my Buddhist relics at once!"

Niu Yi glanced at Fahai, who was staring at him with wide eyes, but Fahai smiled, casually tossing the relic in his hand and laughing:
“Great monk, this thing is the most precious treasure of your Jinshan Temple. If a powerful demon attacks Jinshan Temple now and you lose this treasure, I think you might as well give up Jinshan Temple.”

As Niu Yi spoke, he shook the relic in his hand, and the relic immediately released a warm golden Buddhist light.

This scene shocked Fahai. How could he not see that the treasure of his own Jinshan Temple, the relic, had been activated by the other party!
This treasure, even though he had surpassed the abbots of Jinshan Temple throughout history, still required the use of a ritual passed down through generations to activate the relic. But the other party…
Niu Yi looked at the relic in his hand with a smile and said slowly:

"Go back, go back to Jinshan Temple."

As Niu Yi finished speaking, the golden relic shone brightly and then disappeared into the Hunyuan Furnace space in an instant.

Fahai looked solemn as he gazed at Niu Yi. Despite his initial confidence, he was once again overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

That empty, insecure feeling is not pleasant.
Since he began his cultivation, he has been subduing demons and monsters, and he has only encountered this situation three times, two of which were bestowed upon him by the person before him.
"Hmph, what exactly is your purpose?"

Niu Yi shook his head slightly as he looked at Fahai, who was like a stubborn leech across from him.

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. I was invited by several eminent people to visit Mount Ling. In my daily life, I have met many Buddhists and disciples, but those with such strong attachment as you are extremely rare.”

“But that makes sense. Now I can see what you went through,” Niu Yi said, a glint in his eyes. Fahai, however, felt that the surrounding environment had changed again. He didn’t know when he had returned to the village that was burning with flames back then.

In the dead of night, flames and thick smoke rose from all over the village, and piercing screams and howls, along with the roars of beasts, echoed in Fahai's ears.

People were constantly being pounced on, their throats bitten off, and their bodies gnawed away as they were chased by the rat demons.

Fahai watched this scene with trembling eyes, then quickly closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and silently chanted Amitabha Buddha.

Over the years, even though he had witnessed far more horrific scenes, none of them had moved him as deeply as the scene before him, leaving a lasting impression.

Niu Yi stared blankly at the burning village, even though he was a god, he couldn't change what had already happened. And it was all of this that made Fahai so persistent.

His master was the same. The previous abbot of Jinshan Temple saw that Fahai's talent for cultivation was unprecedented, and that his cultivation speed was even faster because of his obsession with eliminating demons and saving the common people, so he did not try to persuade him.

The old man was perhaps also thinking about the prosperity of Jinshan Temple, and Fahai, who took over the mantle from his master, also inherited the old man's obsession.

Fahai's long-term contact with nobles in the imperial court was for the prosperity of Jinshan Temple. This was Fahai's second obsession. Fortunately, these two thoughts did not conflict with each other, but rather complemented each other.

However, being too persistent is not a good thing.

Niu Yi looked at Fahai beside him. Even with Fahai's resilient nature, he had become like this after Niu Yi amplified his fear with magic.

Niu Yi shook his head, slowly turned around, and walked away.

Although he had already accepted the benefits from Guanyin Bodhisattva and promised to teach these children, this matter could not be rushed.

As Niu Yi walked away, the environment around Fahai gradually faded away.

Fahai felt the roars, screams, and wails of the beasts fading away, replaced by a series of reassuring noises.

Fahai slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the pedestrians before him, he suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world, and his forehead was now covered in beads of sweat.
“Great monk, you should go and cultivate diligently. When you see the Buddha one day, you can ask him yourself what demons look like in his eyes.”

"Furthermore, if you continue to consider me a demon, I will not spare you!"

As Niu Yi's voice resonated in Fahai's ears, Fahai suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

After a while, Fahai left in a somewhat disheveled state, but before he left, he glared at Baohe Hall, clearly still unwilling to give up.

He could believe that this person wasn't a demon, but the two demonic energies rising from Baohe Hall were absolutely undeniable. Even if he wasn't a demon, what kind of good person would associate with demons?!

Inside Baohe Hall, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, who had been watching this scene from the courtyard, looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Sister, that big monk's eyes look so fierce!"

"Well, after all, the Taoist priest also said that if we encounter Fahai, it's best to avoid him as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)