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Chapter 179 Haze
In an instant, all sounds fell silent.

The order was so perfect, it was as if someone had pressed the mute button at the same time.

half an hour.

There was a coughing sound just now.

As if suffering from a severe lung disease, the person coughed abnormally hard, and in the dark hall, only his heart-wrenching cries could be heard.

It took quite a while for the sound to finally stop. After catching his breath for a while, the man spoke in a hoarse voice.

"There's no point in discussing the reasons now. Ci'en Temple has been destroyed, and the blockade has been broken. Zhengde can use the power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to open the path to the underworld, bypass all obstacles, and reach here directly. Does anyone have any countermeasures?"

A few seconds later, an old voice spoke.

"How about we intercept and kill them halfway?"

As before, someone immediately responded as soon as he finished speaking.

"Ambush? Are you kidding me? Putting aside that swordsman whose strength is unknown, Zhengde has mastered three of the Six Paths of Daoist arts, and he may even have gotten his hands on the Arhat Relic. With his body restored and his strength skyrocketing, how are you going to ambush him?"

Immediately, another person added.

"Moreover, we don't have much fighting force outside anymore—in order to deal with the Daoist cavalry of the Zhenxie Division, the Kagyu sect, along with the last remaining lamas outside, have all died, and the high-ranking lamas Zhaba and Dorje have also died at the hands of that swordsman and Zhengde. Unless we transfer more from Bodhi Temple, it's impossible to have any more fighting force to intercept them—but the problem is, given the current situation, who among us can go out?"

The continuous questioning and answering finally paused for a short while, and after a long pause, the old voice spoke.

"Indeed, that's something we forgot about."

But soon after, he added...

"But what about those shady characters who have gathered here? They're just cannon fodder to be sacrificed anyway, so why not let them hold them off?"

"That's a good idea, but unfortunately, there might not be enough time."

The discussion grew louder again, but then a soft cough silenced everything.

The voice that was called the Dharma King, like that of a tuberculosis demon, spoke again.

"Although Zhengde cannot shake the grand plan, he is an unexpected factor. If we don't want any trouble to arise, it's best not to let him come. However, what you all said is true. Although our Tantric sect still has many masters, there is no one to send now. In that case, how about I ask the charnel ground master to intervene one more time?"

There was a moment of silence in the room before someone spoke.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Your current condition is already poor; if you were to summon the Lord of the charnel ground again..."

However, he was interrupted by a violent cough as soon as he started speaking.

This coughing fit lasted exceptionally long, and it was only after a long while that the man known as the Dharma King spoke again.

"It's alright. Anyway, the Dharma assembly is about to begin, and everyone can attain Buddhahood together. I might as well give up this crippled body. So, that's settled then. Does anyone have anything else to say?"

No one answered.

The moonlight outside had already slanted, and perhaps because of years of disrepair, a little light finally shone through the window lattice, illuminating the small space.

However, despite the lively discussion beforehand, the room was completely empty.

Only one hunched figure sat before the Buddha statue, turning the prayer beads and softly chanting a phrase.

"Amitabha."
-
the other side.

The group of escorts were moving forward timidly and slowly.

It's no wonder they look so distressed; so much has happened in just one day—first, Abbot Liaochen abruptly betrayed them, then Zheng Sandan in the group transformed into a demon and was slain by Daoist Zhou, then the entire temple turned into a realm of insects, and by the time everyone came to their senses, they were surrounded by raging flames.
And now...
Lu Xiuyuan cautiously raised his head and looked around.

All that could be seen was a ruin, with countless towering, massive stones piled up around it. Even from the smallest traces, one could tell how magnificent and spectacular this city had once been—yet now, only scattered remnants remained.

But this was not the reason why Lu Xiuyuan was so terrified.

He had traveled all over the country for more than ten years and had seen at least a dozen ruined cities, though not many—some destroyed by war, some by demons, so he was used to them. But this one was different.
Lu Xiuyuan glanced sideways, his heart pounding with fear.

Occasionally, figures would appear amidst the ruins, seemingly refugees who lived there, but...
Among these 'people,' not a single one looks human!
The person squatting on the left was tall with a hunched back. His head was three zhang tall, but his legs were less than two and a half chi long. He walked crookedly, like a strange doll.

The creature with three arms and three legs, its joints all growing backwards, and its face covered with dense compound eyes, was crawling on the ground like a spider.

The smiling woman in the attic seemed normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could see that her lower body had disappeared, replaced by a huge hand. When Lu Xiuyuan looked over, the hand was waving gently, as if greeting him.

There was also the little girl tossing her head around like a ball, the man whose body was covered in bone spurs, and the fat man writhing on the ground like a leech.
And most importantly, at this very moment, all these freaks are watching their group.

Lu Xiuyuan was very familiar with the look in those eyes.

It was pure, unadulterated appetite.

If it weren't for this layer of Buddha's light protecting us, we would probably have been torn to shreds long ago.
He looked up and glanced around.

At this moment, everyone in the group was enveloped in a faint golden light—a blessing from the monk Zhengde—which is why the monsters hesitated to approach them.

Even so, Lu Xiuyuan was still somewhat uneasy.

the reason is simple.

They had only met this monk once, unlike Master Zhou, with whom they had known each other for a long time. Who knew if this guy might be like Liao Chen, a scoundrel with a beast in human form?
—Ever since his experience at Ci'en Temple, he has developed a deep distrust of anyone who shaves their head.

However, seeing Zhengde chatting happily with Master Zhou, he felt too embarrassed to disturb him. After his eyes darted around for a while, he suddenly caught sight of someone.

Lupin.

So he immediately called out in a low voice.

"Ping'er, Ping'er, go ask Master Zhou when we can get out of this place. This scenery is too creepy."

however.

For some reason, his nephew, who always obeyed him, ignored him completely and stared blankly at the wildflowers and weeds growing around him.

(End of this chapter)