Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 226 Darkness
Huikong's mind went blank, leaving only that first temple rule...

"There is no girl named Nie Xiaoqian in this temple. If anyone claims to be Nie Xiaoqian, please immediately recite the first volume of the Diamond Sutra until you hear the sound of a neck breaking and the sound of a wooden fish. If the sound of the wooden fish comes from underground, please do not open your eyes."

We absolutely must start chanting scriptures immediately!
The instinct for survival overwhelmed the extreme fear, and Huikong almost screamed the opening lines of the Diamond Sutra in a distorted voice: "Thus have I heard! At one time the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove of Anathapindika's Park in Shravasti, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks..."

Although the scroll was in his trembling hands, the rules required him to "close his eyes"!
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, not daring to open them even a crack!
Because his eyes were closed, he couldn't see the scriptures and could only rely on his memory to recite them. The scriptures that he was usually quite familiar with became fragmented and he stumbled over them under the weight of his immense fear.

"At that time, when the World-Honored One was about to eat, he put on his robes, took his bowl, and entered the great city of Shravasti to beg for alms. After begging for alms in the city in due order, he returned to his dwelling place. After eating, he put away his robes and bowl, washed his feet, spread out his seat, and sat down..."

He struggled immensely to memorize it, his sentences frequently interrupted, and cold sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, soaking his monk's robe.

The surrounding air grew colder and colder, as if winter had arrived in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, Huikong heard a teeth-grinding "crack" sound, as if the neck of something had been snapped, one after another, coming from not far away and clearly reaching his ears.

It's the "neck breaking sound" mentioned in the rules! It happened!

But this didn't offer much comfort, because the rules also mentioned that the sound of the wooden fish drum needed to be heard!

Huikong recited even more desperately, almost screaming:

"At that time, the elder Subhuti... in the midst of the assembly... immediately rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms in reverence, and said to the Buddha: 'How wondrous! World Honored One!...'"

However, the crucial sound of the wooden fish was nowhere to be heard!
Only the chilling sound of a neck snapping rang out intermittently and regularly, each time intensifying the chill in the surroundings.

Huikong was terrified and instinctively wanted to retreat and run away, but he felt as if his feet were nailed to the cold stone floor, heavy, stiff and completely unable to move!
“No…no…” he cried out in despair in his heart, but his mouth dared not stop chanting the sutra, “‘The Tathagata well protects and cherishes all Bodhisattvas! He well entrusts all Bodhisattvas! World Honored One! Good men and good women…who have awakened the mind of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi! How should they abide? How should they subdue their minds?’”

Just then, he heard footsteps.

It was very light, very slow, yet exceptionally clear.

It didn't sound like human footsteps; it sounded more like something dragging and scraping the ground, moving step by step toward his location.

Fear began to grip his heart, tightening ever tighter. He recited faster, louder, almost hoarse, trying to dispel the approaching terror with the power of the scriptures:
The Buddha said, 'Excellent, excellent, Subhuti! As you have said! The Tathagata well protects and cherishes all Bodhisattvas! He well entrusts all Bodhisattvas with his teachings! Now listen attentively! I will explain it to you!...'

The footsteps grew closer and clearer... as if they had stopped right in front of him.

An indescribable chill began to blow onto his face.

Huikong's body stiffened, his blood almost stopped flowing. He desperately tried to memorize it, but extreme fear seemed to freeze his mind; the next sentence was right on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't utter it! He was stuck! He couldn't memorize it anymore!

"Yes...yes..." he stammered, his mind blank. "Yes what?! Yes what?!"

The icy aura seemed to draw even closer.

Huikong could sense that something was staring intently at him as he trembled with his eyes closed.

The shadow of death completely enveloped him.

At that critical moment, the sentence that had been stuck in his throat suddenly sprang back to his mind like a divine revelation! With all his might, he roared at the top of his lungs: 'Abiding thus! Subduing one's mind thus!'

"Yes, Venerable One! I am eager to hear!"

Almost at the same moment he shouted those words—

"Boom..."

A deep, resonant sound of a wooden fish suddenly rang out!

Immediately afterwards, the sound of the wooden fish rang out continuously, with a steady rhythm, carrying a strange power to soothe the soul and dispel some of the bone-chilling cold.

Huikong was so exhausted that he almost collapsed to the ground.

Only when he felt the chill around him completely disappear and his feet regain feeling did he dare to tremble and cautiously open one eye.

There was nothing in front of me.

The woman who called herself "Nie Xiaoqian" has vanished without a trace, as if she had never existed.

Huikong gasped for breath, his entire body drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled from the water. A feeling of utter exhaustion, as if he had survived a catastrophe, washed over him.

But then, an even stranger feeling crept into my mind.

He tried hard to recall what the woman looked like... but found that no matter how hard he tried, his impression of that face was still very blurry!

He couldn't remember what she looked like at all! Was she beautiful or ugly? Was she square or round? Were her eyes big or small? Was her nose high or flat? Any specific features were completely erased from his memory as if by an eraser, leaving only the name "Nie Xiaoqian" and an extremely terrifying experience, as well as... the sound of a neck breaking and the sound of a wooden fish.

"Ahhh—!" Huikong could no longer hold back. The fear, confusion, anger, and strange feelings that had been building up for days erupted like a volcano.

He let out a low growl he couldn't suppress, and suddenly jumped up from the ground, rushing madly towards the kitchen like a frightened wild beast!

He burst through the kitchen door, his eyes swept over the knife rack, and he grabbed a kitchen knife!

He shoved the kitchen knife tightly into the wide sleeve of his monk's robe, then made up his mind and strode towards the Buddhist hall where the group chanting of sutras was held every night.

Inside the Buddhist hall, candlelight shone brightly and incense smoke swirled.

Most of the monks had already arrived and were quietly reciting the preparatory scriptures for the evening service, creating a very solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Huikong walked straight to the center of the Buddha Hall, his voice hoarse yet unusually loud: "Abbot! Your disciple Huikong! I have urgent business to discuss with you now!"

The monks were in an uproar. Brother Huiming immediately stood up to stop him: "Huikong! How dare you! It's evening prayer time..."

"Let him come over." A calm, aged voice came from in front of the Buddha statue. Master Mingxin slowly turned around, his face expressionless, as if he had already anticipated this moment.

He nodded to Huikong, "Come with me."

Master Mingxin led Huikong to a secluded meditation room next to the Buddhist hall.

The monk gestured for Huikong to sit down, then slowly began to brew tea, his unhurried movements a stark contrast to Huikong's reddened eyes.

“Huikong, you have only recently entered the temple and still lack concentration. What could have caused you to be so alarmed?” Master Mingxin pushed a cup of hot tea in front of Huikong.

Huikong didn't look at the cup of tea; his eyes were fixed on the abbot.

Screw your composure!

Suddenly, he swiftly pulled out the heavy kitchen knife and held it to Master Mingxin's neck!

Master Mingxin paused, but his face remained expressionless; he simply stared quietly at Huikong.

Huikong stared intently into the abbot's eyes, gripping the hilt of his knife tightly, and almost spat out each word through clenched teeth: "I suddenly remembered something very strange! Abbot!"

He breathed heavily, gritting his teeth as he said, “Why! Why did you send people down the mountain to distribute leaflets! To lure people here to be ordained as monks?! Why! During the seven days I was considering whether or not to become a monk! You never showed me those ten deadly temple rules! You only told me after I was ordained?! You did it on purpose! You deliberately lured people into the temple! To lead people to their deaths! What kind of monks are you? You're just a bunch of evil monks! Demons!”

His voice grew louder and louder: "What talk of demons! What talk of pollution! What talk of inner demons! I think you yourselves are the biggest demons!"

Facing the sharp blade at his neck, Master Mingxin remained calm, his eyelids slightly raised, and he chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha! Huikong, your cultivation is insufficient, your concentration is lacking, which is why you have been misled by heretical appearances, giving rise to delusional thoughts, and even committing such a mad act. It is not too late to lay down the butcher's knife."

"Bullshit!" Huikong exclaimed excitedly, straining his wrist to cut deeper, a tiny bead of blood seeping from Master Mingxin's neck. "Then tell me! What exactly is Nie Xiaoqian?! And what exactly is Grandma?! Speak!"

Master Mingxin slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with compassion yet unwavering determination: "There is no Nie Xiaoqian in the temple. All outward appearances are manifestations of inner demons. If you are not misled by external demonic appearances and remain pure and self-disciplined, you will not be targeted by 'Grandma'. Huikong, now put down your knife, calmly repent, and I guarantee with my life that you... can still be saved."

Is there any hope?
Is there really any hope?
"Rest assured, as long as you lay down your butcher's knife, I will not pursue the matter. But if you, Huikong, remain obstinate, then go ahead and send me to see the Buddha."

Yes...after all...he couldn't possibly have really killed the abbot.

Murder? He'd never even killed a chicken in his life. His coming with a knife was more of a desperate outburst, a frantic act of resistance driven to the brink, than a genuine desire to take anyone's life.

Especially since... the other party is the abbot of this eerie temple, who seems to know everything yet also seems trapped within it. If I really do anything to him, will I even have a chance of survival?

"Dang Cang——"

A crisp metallic collision sound was heard.

The heavy kitchen knife slipped from Huikong's completely exhausted hand and fell to the ground. Huikong collapsed to the ground, utterly drained of strength.

Master Mingxin slowly raised his hand and wiped away the barely perceptible bloodstain on his neck, his eyes still filled with compassion and calm.

He bent down, picked up the cup of tea that had long since gone cold, and handed it to Huikong.

"Amitabha." The Dharma Master's voice was calm and still. "Huikong, all your delusions and madness today are due to insufficient cultivation and lack of understanding of Buddhist principles. Therefore, you are easily disturbed by heretical demons and your mind is not at peace. In the future, you should be diligent at all times, study the scriptures more, uphold the precepts and recite the Buddha's name. You will definitely be able to gradually eliminate demonic obstacles and realize your true nature."

These words sounded so reasonable and well-founded, full of the concern and guidance of a high-ranking Buddhist monk for a newly entered disciple.

But to Huikong at this moment, it sounded unusually hollow and awkward.

The abbot's every word was perfectly standard, and every tone was just right. Yet, when put together, it sounded like a carefully written and repeatedly memorized script, like a cold program, completely lacking in genuine emotion and warmth.

He even had a vague feeling that the abbot might suddenly stop talking or start repeating himself from the beginning.
But he was too tired, already exhausted both physically and mentally, and now completely powerless to question or resist.

At least, judging from the first temple rule, if he studies Buddhist principles deeply enough, can he really break through this "heretical and demonic appearance"? Then, there is only one way now: to cultivate diligently and at least memorize the Diamond Sutra thoroughly.

So, Huikong nodded silently and mechanically and accepted the cup of tea.

“Go on,” Master Mingxin closed his eyes and began to twirl his prayer beads again. “The time for evening prayers is approaching, don’t be late.”

Huikong struggled to his feet, and left the meditation room in a daze, heading back towards the brightly lit Buddhist hall.

He felt like a soulless puppet, being pulled by invisible strings to a predetermined place.

Inside the Buddhist hall, the sound of chanting had already begun, solemn and dignified. Huikong knelt on his prayer mat, his lips mechanically following the others in reciting the scriptures he already knew by heart.

But he was unaware that this seemingly peaceful Buddhist temple was now being watched by countless eyes.

In the shadows cast by the eaves of the Buddhist hall, tiny, almost invisible runes flickered; unnatural glints of light occasionally swept across the murals beside it; even the incense smoke rising from the censer contained extremely fine crystalline dust particles, carrying the power of voyeurism…

A large number of talismans, props, and even high-tech nanodetectors from different reincarnation teams with varying functions are transmitting all the scenes, sounds, and even abnormal changes in the pollution layer inside the temple to every hidden corner inside and outside the temple in real time with unprecedented density.

Outside the gate of Lanruo Temple, in the shade of a bamboo grove not far away, there is a well-camouflaged tent.

Inside the tent, Kim Suk-mi of the Bloody Team, wearing noise-canceling headphones, stared intently at the surveillance footage displayed on her laptop screen, which was divided into dozens of windows.

One of the main windows clearly displays Huikong's listless face, mechanically chanting scriptures.

She glanced at her watch, picked up her phone, and quickly dialed a number.

Meanwhile, in another terrifying instance far from the Lanruo Temple instance—the Nightmare Street instance.

At this moment, Blood Lord was strolling along this street called Elm Street.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He stopped, took it out, and pressed the answer button.

"explain."

"Commander," Jin Shumei's voice came through the communicator, with a slight static in the background, "Monk Huikong just went to find Venerable Monk Mingxin..."

Blood Lord listened quietly, his gaze unwavering: "Heretical appearance? Insufficient cultivation? That's nonsense. None of the ten major reincarnation professions are related to Buddhism. Aren't all our professional skills essentially derived from the resentment ashes we absorb and even the sacrifice of SAN points?"

"Right now, this bald monk is playing the riddle game. All the major teams are observing for the time being, and dare not be the first to make a move against the monks in the temple. After all, they don't know whether they are just ordinary monks or if they really have some ability..."

As Jin Shumei was reporting, her tone suddenly shifted, tinged with a hint of teasing: "By the way, guild leader, the world of your instance is based on 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' and I heard that those beautiful female characters in the movie... like Nancy, are quite famous. Would you... consider exchanging for a Reincarnator's Watch and bringing a few characters from the story out for a 'fun'?"

Blood Lord snorted coldly, his voice filled with icy sarcasm: "Jin Shumei, in your eyes, am I on the same level as that old ghost Mo from the Yongmeng team who only knows how to indulge in lust and waste SAN points?"

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare." Although Jin Shumei had toned down her joking tone, Blood Lord could easily tell that she meant, "Aren't you the one?"

"Focus on the mission," Blood Lord said coldly. "I'm here mainly to seek an opportunity to advance to LV5."

For the current Blood Lord, nothing is more important than advancing in rank.

"Are there still no signs of the people from the insect nest appearing?"

"It hasn't appeared yet."

The Blood Lord was silent for a few seconds before conveying an unquestionable order: "No matter what, Jin Shumei, keep a close eye on her. If the insect nest, especially Bai Miya, really dares to appear near Lanruo Temple... you must lock onto her immediately."

"Captured alive?" Kim Suk-mi confirmed.

"She must be captured alive." Blood Lord's tone was resolute. "Bring her to me."

Jin Shumei seemed to take a soft breath on the other end: "Commander, if I may be so bold... please don't be soft-hearted. After all, what happened to Bai Miya back then..."

"That is my shame." The Blood Lord abruptly interrupted her, his voice suddenly turning icy cold, even revealing a hint of barely suppressed violence. "A shame that must be completely erased! Do you understand?"

“…I understand.” Kim Suk-mi’s voice lowered. “It’s good that you can stay conscious.”

Communication ends.

Blood Lord stood still, and the distorted scene of the Nightmare Street around him seemed to become even more active. In the distance, there seemed to be the ear-piercing sound of iron claws scraping against metal, and the faint, terrifying lullaby of children.

His thoughts, however, drifted back to a long time ago.

At that time, the Insect Nest team had just been established in Muxu City, and he, with his talent in the Soul Stealer profession, was once very close to becoming the vice-captain. But that woman—Madam Pustules—firmly disagreed.

Later, Lady Pussy spared no expense in recruiting the then-renowned spiritual medium reincarnator, Lady Bai Yewei, who was directly appointed as the vice leader of the Insect Cave team.

Bai Yewei's daughter, Bai Miya, naturally joined the team as well.

For him, it was the biggest setback in his career as a reincarnator, and... the beginning of humiliation and tragedy. Looking back on those memories with Bai Mia now, all that remains is the stinging pain and disgust of being used and betrayed.

Inside the tent outside the mountain gate, Jin Shumei ended her call with the team leader and rubbed her throbbing temples. Even with her Reincarnated physique, the long hours of intense monitoring of multiple screens had left her feeling somewhat exhausted.

She yawned and waved to a team member in the corner of the tent who was wiping his weapons: "Alan, come and relieve me for a bit. Call me immediately if anything happens."

The player named Allen nodded, took the headset and seat, and sat down in front of the laptop.

Kim Suk-mi walked to the folding bed next to her, lay down, and closed her eyes to rest.

Time passed quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, Allen's gaze suddenly froze on a corner of the screen.

The footage appeared to be a surveillance view of a secluded courtyard inside the temple, where a huge old locust tree stood.

Under the locust tree, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Hmm?" Allen frowned, subconsciously adjusting the clarity and contrast of the surveillance footage to get a clear look at the person's face.

"Hmm?" After recognizing the other person's face, Allen became suspicious. "This person is standing here now, is he going to..."

Just then, something terrifying happened—

On the laptop screen, the surveillance feed showing the locust tree seemed to come alive from the darkness!

The dense darkness, like thick ink, began to overflow from that split screen!
They spread rapidly, devouring other nearby monitoring windows, computer desktop icons, and all light!
"What...what is this?!" Allen tried to scream in terror, but found himself unable to make a sound. He tried to back away, but his body was completely frozen.

The thick darkness not only covered the screen, but also surged out of it as if it were a tangible substance! It instantly filled Allen's entire field of vision!

The next second, Jin Shumei seemed to sense something was wrong and suddenly sat up from the folding bed: "Alan? What's wrong?"

All she saw was Allen, the substitute player, with his head bowed low, his forehead almost touching the now completely black laptop screen, motionless.

"You actually fell asleep?"

However, before Jin Shumei could make a move, she saw that Alan was being pulled into the laptop screen by some invisible force!
(End of this chapter)