Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 204 The Stone Golem Resurrected? Five Hundred Corpse Puppets!

"Master?"

Liu Sheng looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the elder of Shuiyue Nunnery was pale and had fear in his eyes.

This old nun was strong-willed, had a fiery temper, and would rather die than submit.

Liu Sheng had never seen her with such an expression before.

What is the origin of these four stone sculptures that makes her feel afraid and terrified?

"They are the guardians of the four directions under the six-armed Mahakala..."

Master Jingyue took a deep breath, her expression softening slightly. Seeing Liu Sheng's bewildered look, she explained:
"The six-armed Mahakala is the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva in Esoteric Buddhism. He is both compassionate and fierce, using killing to save people."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow, a suspicion arising in his heart.

Shuiyue Nunnery reveres Guanyin, and should be related to this so-called Four Directions Protector. So why is this old nun so afraid?
Unaware of his thoughts, Abbess Jingyue continued her introduction:
"The four guardians are the Dragon King, the Eastern Pure Karma Envoy, who commands aquatic creatures, purifies karmic obstacles, and is in charge of bringing rain to relieve disasters."

The Western Compassionate Messenger, the Myriad-Winged Bird, rescued those in sea distress and devoured the poisonous dragon (afflictions).

The Southern Wisdom Flame Goddess of Eloquence dispels ignorance, protects eloquence, and governs music and art.

The Northern Vajra Envoy Yaksha King was originally the Yaksha General Vaishravana. After being subdued by the Bodhisattva, he guarded the mountain gate, subdued demons and evil spirits, and protected children.

They were originally great demons and monsters, wreaking havoc in all directions, but were subdued by the Bodhisattva with compassion and brought to his side..."

As Liu Sheng listened and watched, they descended into the deep pit together. They saw that with their arrival, the four strangely shaped stone sculptures seemed to come alive.

They seemed to be breathing, their bodies radiating a glow.

Dragon King is azure, Winged Bird is gilded, Eloquent Heaven is crimson and orange, Yaksha King is black.

The four sides are four colors, dazzling and even reflecting in all directions, rendering the many stone warrior monks in four colors.

Liu Sheng felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but swallow.

If these four stone sculptures are the four guardians under Mahakala.

Mahakala is also the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. So, wouldn't that hundred-foot-tall treasure vase be the Jade Purification Vase?
Although it's just a symbol.

But what's inside should be mango pomelo sago.

Where else could it be?
It couldn't possibly be... among these stone warrior monks, or the four large stone sculptures, could it?

Liu Sheng withdrew his gaze, becoming even more certain of his earlier deduction.

But what about the severed hand under the vase?

Could it be that the being who stole the treasure bottle casually chopped off the hand of some creature?

He licked his lips, feeling a bit numb all over.

This Qingyuan Cave has too many strange things and involves many unsolved mysteries. Based on the information we have now, it is difficult to see the whole picture.

But this old nun, explaining this and that, why doesn't she mention that severed hand?
Does she not know his origins either, or...?

She couldn't see the severed hand at all.

Gan!
Liu Sheng's breath hitched, and he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

He was about to ask Abbess Jingyue for confirmation—

"Wow!"

Just then, a shattering sound came from not far away.

Cracks appeared on the stone figure of a martial monk wielding a long staff, and large pieces of stone fell off.

About two zhang in front of him was none other than the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin!

The Rakshasa Sect Master, Dugu Ba, lagged two steps behind him, standing tall like an iron tower, silent.

They landed on the island before Liu Sheng, but for some reason, they ended up lagging behind and have now also arrived in the pit.

"Wow~"

"Wow~"

The cracks on the stone figure multiplied, and the cracking sounds came one after another, dense and numerous, as fragments kept falling off, revealing what lay beneath...

warm bodies!
The stone warrior monks in this pit are actually living people, just sealed inside the stone skin, and have lived until now.

I don't know what kind of magic or supernatural power it was.

Liu Sheng gasped, feeling utterly bewildered.

If these stone warrior monks in front of us are indeed still alive today, wouldn't they be "ancient people," or what the nun called "remnants"?
"call out!"

The next moment, the stone monk suddenly opened his eyes, his body, which was over four zhang tall, shattered the stone skin covering his body.

He raised the long staff in his hand and swung it at the Prince of Jin's heir, shouting:
"Om Paradhi, Svaha!"

This strike was extremely powerful, tearing through the air and producing a tremendous sonic boom, creating rolling waves of air.

Fortunately, the Prince of Jin's heir was prepared. He brandished his folding fan, as if wielding a short hammer, and met the falling long staff head-on. "Clang, clang—"

Sparks flew everywhere, producing a piercing metallic clang.

The Prince of Jin's expression changed, and he retreated rapidly, leaving two deep marks on the ground, each about an inch long, before flipping over and leaping out of the pit.

The monk simply tapped his staff on the ground to stop his retreat, then with a quick movement, he appeared at the edge of the pit, growling repeatedly at the Prince of Jin.

But he didn't leap out of the deep pit even half a step!

Then, he turned and attacked Dugu Ba, who was standing next to him.

"Boom boom boom!"

In an instant, a deafening roar shook the earth, echoing incessantly and whipping up clouds of dust that obscured vision, making it impossible to see clearly.

But this stone monk... could he really fight Dugu Ba to a standstill?!

how can that be!

"Fortunately, these monks are restricted and cannot leave the pit."

Liu Sheng exhaled a breath of stale air, then his brows furrowed.

The previous exchange was swift and seemingly simple, but in reality, it lasted for over a hundred moves, so fast that it was dazzling.

The monk, with his large and small weapons, used powerful and heavy attacks to completely gain the upper hand.

This was originally the limit of his corpse puppet technique, but he never expected to be able to fight Dugu Ba to a standstill...

This is a Qi Refiner at the Yellow Court Realm, comparable to a great demon!

The pit was teeming with monks, nearly five hundred in number. If each of them possessed this level of strength—

That's nearly five hundred Yellow Court Qi Refining cultivators!

Not to mention, the last four guardians, who are dozens of feet tall, must be stronger than the martial monk stone man. Wouldn't that be above the level of a great demon?

How to fight this?
Forget it, let's turn back quickly, lest we lose our lives here.

I'll come again next time.

Liu Sheng's eyes flickered as he began to consider his escape route.

There must be other kinds of spiritual beings in this world that can prolong life and regenerate severed limbs.

Once we get out, we can try other methods.

He gained a lot from this trip to the ruins, deducing the incarnation of the Yin Water Dragon and accumulating more than 6,000 Spirit Points.

In addition, a considerable amount of weapons, armor, elixirs, secret manuals, demon bones and hides were also seized.

Don't say it's a pity, after all, life is the most precious thing.

"This is a corpse puppet, not a living person."

Just then, Abbess Jingyue spoke, her expression solemn:

"When they underwent the procedure, they must have been sealed alive inside the stone."

Over the long years, they eventually died one by one, but their souls were trapped in their bodies, unable to escape, and their resentment accumulated.

For many years, it has been trapped in the middle of the Weak Water, suffering from the yin energy of death, resentment, poison, and plague, and has long since become an immortal demon.

Similar to zombies in the mortal world, but more powerful and evil.

He possessed immense strength and was impervious to blades and spears; even if his head were severed and he were torn into eight pieces, he would still not die…

"You know so much!"

Liu Sheng glanced at her in surprise, realizing he had underestimated her before.

"It's as described in that previous mural..."

Master Jingyue shook her head, mentioned it briefly, and a look of doubt appeared on her face:

"But the corpse puppet's strength lies only in its physical body. With the Prince of Jin's cultivation at the Great Perfection of Dao, once he activates his true energy and controls the magic weapon, he should be able to win quickly."

Why engage in close combat?

"Brother, be careful! There's something strange in this pit that can imprison your true energy, making it impossible to activate!"

Just then, the Prince of Jin spoke up, reminding Dugu Ba, who was about to fall into the trap.

Is there something strange in this deep pit that can imprison true energy?
No wonder he could fight Dugu Ba to a standstill!

Liu Sheng and his companion suddenly realized what was happening, and then they heard a "whoosh" sound—

Cracks appeared on the bodies of the closest stone warrior monks!

(End of this chapter)