Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 220 Hell Is Not Empty
The closer one gets to Twin Rivers City at this moment, the darker the darkness becomes.

Even though it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), there was still no sign of dawn. The sky seemed to be covered by a dark curtain, leaving only endless gloom.

This was outside Shuanghe City.

The men and horses fell silent, leaving only the crackling of torches.

—Today, there are only about two hundred people gathered here.

This is not unexpected.

After all, Lizhou was the stronghold of the Tantric sect, and the government was infiltrated from top to bottom like a sieve. Not to mention that the time for gathering was short, it was already quite good that they were able to gather these people in such a hurry.

The people in the Zhenxie Division were mostly calm, but the soldiers were filled with fear and unease, and some even had trouble holding their spears.

Even so, they still had to come.

Unlike Zhou You, most of these soldiers were born and raised here. Hundreds of miles away, their families, friends, parents, wives, and daughters might be with them, whom they hadn't had time to evacuate.

So even though they were trembling, they had to force themselves to stand there.

Cai Yuankui stood at the front of the group, quickly and clearly giving instructions on the final points to note.

"The Xuan Yuan Purification Talismans of the Yuan Qing Sect have been distributed to you, three for each person. These can help you resist erosion and miasma, but remember not to let them go easily. Replace one with a second one as soon as it turns black. Also, this attack will be carried out layer by layer. Our ultimate goal is only one: to safely send Master Zhou into the Dharma Realm of Bodhi Temple."

Following Cai Yuankui's instructions, everyone nodded silently in confirmation.

"Finally, due to the enemy's overwhelming numbers, in order to prevent being surrounded, it is necessary to leave a few people to guard each node. That's basically it, Daoist Master."

Zhou You gazed up at the towering Maitreya Buddha statue in the city, so tall it seemed like a mountain, until Cai Yuankui called out to him several times before he finally came to his senses.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Cai Yuankui gently patted Zhou You on the back.

"It's nothing, it's just that we're about to set off. As key figures on this trip, do you think we should say a few words to them, Daoist Master?"

Me? Shall I say a few words?
Zhou You looked around at the faces, some calm and some fearful.

Zhengde was not among them; he had already set off ahead to Ci'en Temple to prepare for inviting Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Lupin, that little guy, is inside. Due to the expansion of the erosion area, even the shelter is no longer safe. Rather than letting this guy sneak up here, it's better to keep him by your side from the beginning to save trouble.

The peasant woman I saw earlier was also in the group, still dressed in coarse linen clothes and carrying a black box, but her eyes were as bright as the morning star.

Thus, they are all different in various ways.

However, unlike the time he faced the pale-faced scholar, looking at this travel-worn group, he opened his mouth several times, but didn't know how to start speaking.

Faced with this group of people who are almost certainly going to die, what should I say?
In the end, he just smiled wryly.

—Anyway, I've never been good at public speaking, so I'll just go with the flow.

"I, the Taoist priest, will only say two things."

"First of all, this is a situation that I have experienced more than once. Every time, I can put this thing back in place. So you can trust me, I will make this Maitreya go back to where it came from."

The voice was calm and clear, gradually calming the slight fear in the crowd.

"The second thing... well, I don't want to say anything sentimental about good triumphing over evil, but the problem is that there are always some things in life that cannot be compromised. My uncle is like that, my master is like that, and so are you all—and behind this Twin Rivers City, you must cherish even more than I do—so now you are not just fighting for yourselves, but for all of this."

Zhou You raised the Broken Demon and pointed it straight ahead.

"If you don't want your parents to die a violent death, and you don't want your family to suffer forever, then I ask you, what exactly do you need to do?"

"Should I kneel down and pray to this god or Buddha, weeping and begging for forgiveness, to see if it will spare my life, or should I risk everything and make a final desperate gamble to tear this damned bodhisattva down from the sky?"

Zhou You didn't wait for a reply. He simply shook his robes, gripped the Broken Blade in his hand, and walked towards the city gate that resembled the mouth of hell.

Silence fell behind them, but soon Lu Ping followed without hesitation, then Cai Yuankui, and then everyone else.
The distant dawn's light struggled to pierce a corner of the night, yet the entire world remained shrouded in darkness. At the same time, at Ci'en Temple...

Or perhaps, it is on the ruins of the original site of Ci'en Temple.

Zhengde carried the Buddha statue on his back and walked with faltering steps along the mountain path.

Because every combatant is extremely valuable these days, no one accompanied him this time.

But there was no sign of complaint on his face.

The body, already eroded into an empty shell, was breathing heavily, like a candle that was about to burn out and would be completely extinguished with the slightest breeze.

But he persisted.

in this way.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally climbed to the place where the lecture hall used to be.

—Looking around, all that could be seen was a patch of charred black.

The karmic fire that Liao Chen had previously unleashed had already burned everything; the sea of ​​insects, the monks, and the surrounding buildings had all turned into a handful of black ash.

Even so, Zhengde still struggled to bend down and rummage through the ground.

Soon, his fair hands became covered in blood, but he seemed oblivious, continuing to dig through the charcoal and soil with all his might.

The moon's shadow slanted across the sky, silently casting its silvery light.

Finally, Zhengde's fingers touched something hard.

His expression froze for a moment, then he suddenly revealed a look of wild joy.

He quickly swept away the dust and mud, then squeezed out the last bit of strength from his body and gritted his teeth to carry something out.

—It is the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Despite being eroded by Red Tara and burned by karmic fire, this Buddha statue miraculously suffered little damage, with only a few scorch marks on its still wrathful face.

Zhengde straightened the statue, then bowed down and prostrated himself on the ground.

"Zhengde, the seventeenth abbot of Ci'en Temple, pays his respects to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

The statue was silent, simply gazing at him in silence.

However, Zhengde didn't expect any response, and simply continued respectfully.

"My unworthy master and senior brother caused the complete destruction of Ci'en Temple, and also caused the Bodhisattva's Dharma body to be injured. I do not ask for the Bodhisattva's forgiveness, but now, because of my master's selfishness, Lizhou is about to fall into that hellish place. Therefore, I earnestly request the Bodhisattva to descend to earth in Dharma body to help all righteous people save Lizhou from this great calamity."

The Bodhisattva remained silent.

Zhengde's body trembled more and more violently, but he forced himself to continue speaking.

"This humble monk knows that this may destroy the last trace of consciousness in this statue, but this humble monk is willing to offer up this body and soul in exchange, only asking the Bodhisattva."

However, a soft sigh suddenly came.

Zhengde raised his head and saw that the angry expression in the Buddha statue was gradually softening. In the darkness, it seemed that a voice was rising.

"If I don't go to hell, who will?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked down at Zhengde with the same compassion as when he looked at all living beings.

"—Then, let's go."

(End of this chapter)