Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Silent all night.

The next morning, Lin Yu met up with Shi Dun and Feng Yuzhe in the lobby of the inn.

"Witcher brothers, let's set off when we're ready. Little Stone Village isn't far; at our pace, we should arrive before noon." Stone Shield patted his shield, full of confidence.

The Wind Whisperer Next to Me

Lin Yu nodded, and the three of them left Jiangyuan City, heading west along the official road.

Once outside the city, the scenery along the official road gradually became desolate. Similar to Tieshu County, the barren land, sparse vegetation, and the eerie spiritual energy permeating the air seemed even more active than in the city.

As a person with a special ability to sense things, the Wind Whisperer took the initiative to assume the responsibility of reconnaissance, nimbly exploring the way ahead and occasionally sending back information that it was safe.

This is also an advantage of having teammates. Although Lin Yu has stronger perception, it is actually very tiring to focus on perception at all times. If he is alone, he has to be ready to fight at any time. With teammates, he can divide the work and cooperate, reducing the pressure.

Of course, even so, Lin Yu still prefers to take the lone wolf route, since trust is a rare commodity in the game world.

After traveling for about an hour, a dilapidated village surrounded by low hills came into view at the edge of the horizon.

A faint gray-black mist hung over the village, and even from a distance, one could feel an unsettling stillness and resentment.

"That's it, Little Stone Village." The Wind Whisperer stopped, pointed to the village, and said with a grave expression, "The energy reaction is very chaotic."

Shi Dun gripped his shield tightly and said in a deep voice, "According to the intelligence provided by the Prefectural Governor's Office, it was initially just a rogue cultivator practicing the 'Black Fiend Technique' who fled here. Now it seems that the situation may have worsened."

Lin Yu activated his [Heavenly Eye] and looked closely. In his vision, the entire village seemed to be shrouded in a large net woven from filthy energy.

Several twisted humanoid figures emanating bronze-level energy roamed the village, while in the center of the village, an even stronger and more chaotic silver-level aura lingered, mixed with a trace of an aura that he found somewhat familiar.

It feels like... the Black Buddha Temple.

This made Lin Yu frown.

"Be careful, there are silver-level monsters inside, and... they might be related to Black Buddha," Lin Yu warned.

Stone Shield and Wind Whisperer's expressions grew even more serious upon hearing this. They had heard Phantom mention the eeriness of Black Buddha when he introduced Lin Yu, and they hadn't expected to encounter something similar here.

This made them nervous, after all, according to Phantom at the time, Lin Yu had encountered a gold-level monster, a level of being that they were completely unable to deal with.

However, Lin Yu also mentioned that the monsters inside were only silver-level, which reassured them a little.

After all, if it were just a Silver-level opponent, the two of them could handle it, and with the addition of the powerful Lin Yu, there shouldn't be any unexpected problems.

The three concealed their presence and silently sneaked into the village.

The village was in a mess, with houses collapsed and dried, blackened bloodstains and some indescribable filth on the ground.

Several "farmers" with gray-black skin, twisted limbs, and empty eyes wandered among the ruins like zombies.

"Clean up these weaklings first." Stone Shield shouted, raised his giant shield, and activated a skill. A yellowish-brown halo spread out from him, attracting the attention of all the nearby monsters.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Wind Whisperer drew his bow and nocked an arrow. His arrows were wrapped in cyan wind element, and with a few whooshing sounds, they pierced the heads of several monsters, instantly shredding them with the cutting power of the arrows.

Lin Yu wasn't idle either. He used [Azure Rose] to fire bullets imbued with a weak lightning spell, easily tearing through the defenses of these low-level monsters.

These monsters were weak, and with the cooperation of the three, they were quickly wiped out.

"The core is over there." Lin Yu pointed to the center of the village, in the direction of the silver-level aura.

The three approached cautiously and eventually arrived at a relatively open space, which seemed to be the former village square. In the center of the square stood a rough and twisted black Buddha statue, about two people tall.

The Buddha statue bears some resemblance to the "Mother Buddha of All Bodies Returning to One" at the Black Buddha Temple, but it is more rudimentary and bizarre, as if it were haphazardly piled up with mud and the remains of some kind of creature, emitting a strong stench and eerie energy.

At the foot of the Buddha statue, a figure sat cross-legged. He wore tattered monk's robes, and large areas of his exposed skin were festering, covered with proliferating tissue resembling tumors and tentacles.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he made unconscious hoarse noises. His body was shrouded in chaotic black evil energy and the eerie energy emanating from the Buddha statue.

Its aura has already reached the silver level.

Around the Buddha statue, seven or eight people dressed as villagers were kneeling. Their eyes were fanatical and their faces were ashen. They were constantly bowing to the Buddha statue and chanting incantations. Their life force was turning into wisps of blood energy and merging into the Buddha statue.

"As expected, they were lured by this evil Buddha statue, which accelerated their demonic transformation and even bewitched the remaining villagers," the Wind Whisperer said, frowning.

The demon-possessed silver-ranked cultivator sensed the presence of a living being, abruptly raised his head, let out a non-human roar, and his black aura surged, charging towards the leading stone shield like a cannonball.

"Flesh and blood... take refuge in... Buddha..."

The demonic cultivator's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of iron rubbing together, making it extremely unpleasant to listen to.

"I take refuge in Nima!" Stone Shield roared, slamming his giant shield heavily onto the ground. The shield's surface gleamed with a thick, earthy yellow light, like an indestructible wall.

"boom!"

The demon-possessed cultivator slammed into the shield with a dull thud.

Stone Shield grunted and swayed, but did not retreat a step, successfully blocking the impact.

Just as the demon-possessed cultivator was blocked, the Wind Whisperer's arrows shot out like a machine gun, accurately targeting his joints and eyes, among other vital points.

Lin Yu then flashed forward, using [Spatial Leap] to appear directly behind the demonic cultivator. His [Demon Sword], imbued with chilling moonlight and eerie ghostly energy, pierced straight into the cultivator's heart.

puff!

The blade easily pierced through the chaotic energy defenses and penetrated deeply into his body.

The Demon Sword's Soul Devouring effect activated, and the demon-possessed cultivator let out a shrill scream, his movements instantly freezing.

Lin Yu showed no mercy, lightning bursting from his left palm as he struck the man's head at close range!

boom!

The purest and most yang thunder magic is the nemesis of these filthy things.

The demonic cultivator's head exploded like a watermelon, his charred corpse convulsed and fell to the ground, the evil energy on his body began to dissipate rapidly.

"It's resolved." Stone Shield breathed a sigh of relief and put away his shield.

However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.

At the very moment the demonic cultivator died, the evil energy emanating from his corpse did not completely dissipate. Instead, as if drawn by something, it surged wildly toward the crude, evil Buddha statue.

At the same time, the villagers who were originally kneeling around the Buddha statue and were bewitched suddenly began to convulse violently. The fanaticism in their eyes turned into extreme pain and fear, and they let out mournful howls!

"What's going on?!" the Wind Whisperer exclaimed.

The villagers' bodies shriveled up at a visible speed, their flesh and souls seemingly forcibly extracted by an invisible force, turning into thick streams of blood and black energy that frantically poured into the Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue began to shake violently, its rough outer shell cracking and peeling away inch by inch, revealing a black, fleshy core inside that seemed to writhe like a living creature.

An aura of evil and chaos far exceeding anything seen before swept out like a storm, instantly engulfing the entire plaza!

"As expected, I knew it wouldn't end so easily," Lin Yu scoffed, quickly raising the Azure Rose and firing it wildly.

Stone Shield reacted extremely quickly, raising his giant shield again and attempting to charge at the Buddha statue. However, the erupting evil aura formed a powerful shockwave that forcefully pushed him back. The earthen-yellow light on the shield flickered violently, clearly indicating that it was under immense pressure.

Lin Yu's bullet was also affected by the shockwave and exploded halfway through its trajectory.

"Hehehe..."

Before the group could continue their attack, a chilling, eerie laugh emanated from inside the Buddha statue. The writhing, fleshy core rapidly expanded and deformed, vaguely coalescing into the nascent form of a monster with several twisted arms and a blurred face. The energy fluctuations it emitted had clearly reached the peak of the Silver level.

"Peak Silver! We can't handle this!" Stone Shield's face turned pale; his defensive skills were already struggling under the pressure of the opponent's aura.

The Wind Whisperer's face paled even more; this was the first time she had faced a monster of this magnitude.

The resurrected Buddha monster brandished its twisted arms, made of flesh and resentment, and with a shrill shriek that tore through the air, it lunged at the nearest stone shield.

Before the arm even reached him, the foul and filthy evil aura already made Shi Dun feel dizzy.

The stone shield was about to be hit—

"snort!"

Lin Yu snorted coldly, knowing he could no longer hold back.

His figure blurred again, instantly closing the distance and blocking the stone shield.

At the same time, the [Demon Sword] in his hand hummed, the moonlight on the sword body shone brightly, and a large number of ghostly phantoms roared out from the sword, forming a ghost array, and fiercely crashed into the twisted arm that was grabbing at him.

boom!

The ghostly energy and the evil energy collided violently, emitting a piercing shriek. The ghostly formation successfully halted the monster's attack, but the monster was extremely powerful, and even the ghostly phantom dimmed somewhat in the collision.

"Ray is coming!"

Without hesitation, Lin Yu made a hand seal with his left hand and muttered incantations.

Suddenly, a small patch of dark cloud gathered in the sky above the square, with blinding white lightning flashing within it.

The next moment, several white lightning bolts, thicker than before, struck the Buddha monster's massive body like swords of divine punishment.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

The extremely yang and powerful force of thunder has a strong restraining effect on this evil creature.

The Buddha-like monster let out an extremely painful roar. The parts struck by the lightning arc instantly turned black and exploded. The writhing flesh became stiff, and the dense evil energy was largely purified.

But it had devoured the life force of the remaining villagers in the entire village. Its recovery ability was astonishing. The black energy surged from the wounds, and it began to slowly heal again.

"It's not over yet!" Lin Yu's eyes sharpened as he seized the moment when the opponent was severely injured by the lightning magic and his movements were stiff. He then frantically poured his mana into the [Demon Sword].

The sword spirit let out an excited howl, and the sword body shone with an unprecedentedly beautiful and desolate brilliance.

"cut!"

A massive, crescent-shaped sword aura, condensed to the point of being almost tangible, tore through the air with the shrieks of malevolent spirits, slashing toward the core of the Buddha monster at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Pfft—!

This time, the sword energy sliced ​​through the evil energy's defenses without any hindrance, embedding itself deeply into the writhing fleshy core.

The moonlight power and soul-devouring power contained within it erupted wildly, continuously destroying its internal structure.

The Buddha-like monster froze completely, letting out a final shriek filled with resentment and bitterness. Its massive body rapidly disintegrated and disintegrated from the point where the sword energy slashed in, turning into black ashes that filled the sky, and finally vanished completely into the air.

The crude Buddha statue that served as its vessel had long since been reduced to dust in the aftershocks of the thunder and sword energy.

The battle was over, leaving only a nauseating smell of burning and lingering evil energy in the square.

At the same time, the system notified the three of them that the task was completed and rewarded them with experience and game currency.

Stone Shield and Wind Whisperer looked at Lin Yu, their eyes filled with shock and lingering fear.

They were almost powerless against that peak Silver level monster, but Lin Yu was able to completely defeat it in a short time.

This strength far exceeded their expectations.

They were initially unsure of the level of strength the Phantom meant in being able to fight against a gold-level monster, but now they understood completely.

This is something that beings like them simply cannot contend with.

"Thank you so much, Witcher brothers, for saving us!" Stone Shield said, panting heavily, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

The Wind Whisperer nodded quickly.

Lin Yu waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite.

His attention was now elsewhere, in the area where the Buddha statue had been destroyed, where a dark relic and a card had appeared.

Lin Yu stepped forward to check.

The relic is the same as the one that appeared after the Buddha statue was destroyed last time; it's the [Black Buddha Relic], except this time it's silver-grade.

The other card is a silver-level skill card.

[Buddha's Mother's Whispers]

Category: Skills

Grade: Silver

Effect: Releases a murmur of the Buddha Mother. Enemies who hear it will be infected by a strange power. If their mental strength is insufficient, they will be completely infected and become unconscious Buddha corpses.

(The Buddha's corpse will attack all targets it can sense)

(The intensity of infection is related to the difference in mental attributes between the releaser and the recipient.)

Cost: 1% to 100% of mana (the more mana consumed, the stronger the range of the murmur)

Description: I take refuge in Buddha.

This is a very powerful area-of-effect attack skill. It can not only deal damage, but also cause the target to attack everyone indiscriminately. It may play a big role in group battles.

Seeing Lin Yu examining the skill card, Stone Shield and Wind Whisperer exchanged a glance, and then Stone Shield immediately said, "Brother Demon Hunter, we didn't contribute when we killed that monster, so all the loot it dropped is yours. We'll just split the rest."

The Wind Whisperer nodded.

This allocation method is reasonable, after all, if it weren't for Lin Yu, the two of them might already be dead.

"Okay, you can have everything else, I'll just take these two."

Lin Yu didn't stand on ceremony, nodded, and then put away the skill card and the relic.

Later, as Stone Shield and Wind Whisperer collected their loot, his gaze swept over the villagers in the square who had already turned into mummies, his brow furrowed.

He feels something is wrong now.

How long has it been since the Black Buddha Temple in Tieshu County was destroyed? In an ordinary village in Jiangshui County, which is not far away, something related to it has appeared. The Buddha statue is exactly the same as the Buddha Mother of All Bodies Returning to One in both appearance and power.

Lin Yu felt that this was definitely not a coincidence.

"This matter is probably not that simple," Lin Yu thought to himself.

The three quickly cleared the battlefield and, after confirming there was no further danger, left the desolate Little Stone Village.

After returning to Jiangyuan City, Shi Dun and Feng Yuzhe went to the government office to report the situation and receive their rewards.

Lin Yu returned to the inn and immediately contacted Mei Ying through his friends list, sharing his speculations with her.

"You mean... these Buddha statues might be found all over the world?" Phantom quickly understood Lin Yu's thoughts and asked.

"I can't be sure, but I have a feeling this is no coincidence," Lin Yu said definitively.

"In short, I think the Black Buddha Temple is definitely not simple. Perhaps the guild can investigate whether there are similar statues of the Buddha Mother of Ten Thousand Bodies Returning to One in other towns and villages within the Great Qian Kingdom, and whether similar strange events have occurred there."

This might reveal some hidden things, which could be helpful in our exploration of the world.

"I understand, I will report to the president," Phantom quickly replied to Lin Yu.

After sending the message, Lin Yu didn't pay much attention to it.

He knew that such cross-regional investigations would take time, and he had informed the union about this matter in order to use the union's power to investigate the situation of the Black Buddha Temple.

After all, he has now offended this organization twice in a row, so by any measure, they should be considered enemies.

As the old saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Since you have the channels, why not use them? Besides, his reasoning isn't entirely wrong. For an organization, this kind of world background intelligence is still very important.

……

After reporting the situation, Lin Yu went about his life in Jiangyuan City.

He found a safe place in the mountains not far from Jiangyuan City and moved his apartment again.

He then had his shadow clone continue its "adaptive training" inside the apartment.

While working with Stone Shield and Wind Whisperer, I accepted and completed several simple "Ghostwriter" quests, familiarized myself with the environment around Jiangyuan City, and accumulated some reputation.

About three days later, Phantom finally responded.

"Witcher, your guess... was actually true." Phantom sent over a compiled intelligence summary: "Based on feedback from the guild's investigation involving members from multiple regions."

Throughout the Great Qian Kingdom, there exist black-themed Buddhist statues with names such as "Mother Buddha of All Bodies Returning to One," "Great Black Nirvana Buddha," and "Eight-Armed Devouring Karma Venerable," which are found in various forms throughout the states and counties of the Great Qian Kingdom.

Some, like the Black Buddha Temple in Tieshu County, are large-scale temples with flourishing incense offerings, while others are hidden among the people, serving as objects of worship for certain secret societies. Similar Buddha statues have even been found in some remote wilderness areas and ancient tombs.

"It can be said that the influence of Black Buddhism is like an invisible net that has permeated every aspect of Daqian, only its manifestations are sometimes overt and sometimes covert."

Lin Yu frowned upon seeing the intelligence sent by Phantom.

That's interesting.

Lin Yu thought for a moment and asked, "What is the official reaction of the Great Qian Dynasty to this?"

Phantom: "It's strange. According to the intelligence we've received, the authorities officially suppress these things as cults, but in reality, in most areas, the authorities don't pay much attention to the development of these sects."

As long as they don't cause any major trouble, like what happened in Iron Tree County, they won't be dealt with. This has led to the terrifyingly rapid growth of these sects.

Despite having anticipated it, Lin Yu still felt a chill when he heard the confirmation from Phantom.

It seems the Black Buddha Temple is more complex than he imagined.

Soon, Phantom sent another message: "Witcher, the information you provided is very interesting, so our guild leader would like to have a chat with you."

Lin Yu: "Okay, you can ask the president to add me as a friend."

Not long after Lin Yu sent the message, a friend request came in, the name of which was—【Xuan Cheng】.

Lin Yu's application was approved.

Xuan Cheng: "Demon Hunter? The information you provided about the Black Buddhism's infiltration is very valuable. Thank you for your hard work."

"You flatter me, Chairman. It's just my duty," Lin Yu replied.

President Xuancheng continued, "I and several vice presidents have already discussed this matter."

The Black Buddhism faction is deeply entrenched, even having a subtle connection to the Great Qian imperial family. The matters behind it are far more complex; this is a very deep pool.

Xuancheng: "The purpose of our Heroes' Gathering is to survive and thrive in this cruel game world."

The guild's core objective is to help members complete main quests, improve their strength, and acquire resources.

Getting involved in such a massive vortex affecting the entire world is beyond the guild's capacity to withstand, and it's also contrary to the interests of the vast majority of our members.

Lin Yu listened quietly, understanding the chairman's meaning.

It was simply a reminder to Lin Yu that he had gotten himself into trouble and shouldn't try to drag the guild down with him.

Xuancheng: "At present, our idea is to remain highly vigilant and pay close attention to this matter, collect relevant intelligence as a risk warning, but we will not take the initiative to intervene, provoke or attempt to subvert the Black Buddhism system."

Our focus remains on finding a safe way to complete the quest for enlightenment and on maximizing our gains in this world.

"I understand," Lin Yu replied.

Xuancheng's decision was within his expectations and also aligned with the interests of a rational organization.

Wasn't he the same? In fact, if Black Buddha Temple hadn't actively sought trouble with him, his primary goal would have been to complete the mission and become stronger while ensuring his own safety.

Xuancheng: "It's good that you understand. You have great potential and a sharp mind."

Remain vigilant and focus on self-improvement. Report any further significant discoveries regarding Black Buddhism-related incidents immediately.

The guild's intelligence pool and resources will be tilted towards you to a certain extent. Remember, staying alive and becoming stronger are the fundamental things.

"Thank you, Chairman, I'll remember that," Lin Yu replied casually.

After ending the call with the chairman, Lin Yu let out a long sigh of relief.

It now seems that the union is definitely not a viable option.

Hopefully, this Black Buddhist sect won't bother him anymore, otherwise he'll probably have a real headache.

……

Deep within a dark underground palace, the capital of the Qian Kingdom, protected by layers of arrays.

A gigantic black mass of flesh, hundreds of feet tall and composed of countless writhing limbs and faces, trembled slightly, and countless eyes opened simultaneously.

At the same time, deep within the palace, a figure dressed in a black dragon robe, his face hidden behind the tassels, slowly opened his eyes. In the depths of his eyes, a trace of dark light, the same as that of the Buddha Mother statue, flashed.

He muttered to himself, his voice like the clang of metal on metal: "An immaculate body? So that's how it is. No wonder the Buddha Mother took the initiative to act."

After the words were spoken, the palace fell silent.

After a while, a figure dressed in a bright red robe, with a pale face as if he had applied foundation, walked out of the palace.

Soon, an invisible command, carried by his will, spread to certain hidden corners throughout the country.

Lin Yu, completely unaware of this, was focused on his grand "cultivation" plan.