Killing Monks

"Underground!"

Haiyan Tian gave a low shout, strode forward, and bent down to examine the scene.

Beneath the bed, on the floor, lay a slightly darker wooden plank with obvious gaps along its edges, clearly a hidden door!

He carefully lifted the hidden door, and a mixture of dirt, mold, and... some indescribable fishy smell wafted out from the dark opening below!

A hidden tunnel entrance!

Hai Yantian immediately turned his head and looked at Guangyuan warily, signaling him to go first.

In such an unknown environment, sending a suspicious target ahead is both a precaution and a test.

Guangyuan now realized that he was probably taking the blame for that strange old monk.

Without saying a word, he crouched down and crawled into the tunnel.

The tunnel was narrow and damp, only wide enough for one person to pass by bending over. The stone walls were wet and covered with moss.

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Haiyantian followed closely behind, one hand on his knife, fully alert.

The tunnel was not long, extending downwards for about three zhang (approximately 13 meters) before reaching its end.

A dug-out cellar, about two zhang square!

The cellar was dimly lit, and nothing could be seen. At this moment, Hai Yantian, with his experience, took out a tinderbox, which emitted a flickering light.

But everything illuminated by the flickering firelight caused their expressions to change drastically and their stomachs to churn!

Bones!

A forest of white bones!

In the corner, human bones of varying sizes were piled up; some were relatively intact, while most were scattered and broken.

On one wall of the cellar, several pieces of dried and cured human tissue, dark red in color and with distinct textures, were hanging from rough iron hooks!

Judging from their shape, there are complete arms and ribs with the meat removed... just like the cured meat hanging in a farmer's house, processed and stored here!

The strong smell of fish, pickling, and the musty odor of the cellar combined to create a nauseating stench that almost filled their nostrils!

"brute!!!"

Guangyuan's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and an uncontrollable rage and nausea surged to his head!

He never imagined that the seemingly frail old monk with complex eyes, the "ordinary" old monk who took his money and let him stay, was actually such an inhuman and cannibalistic demon!

After the initial shock and anger, Hai Yantian's professional instincts immediately made him notice a half-open, simple wooden door on the other side of the cellar, leading to a deeper part!

Clearly, the old monk escaped from here!

"Chase!" Hai Yantian roared, about to charge forward.

But just as he was about to touch the wooden door...

"Click!"

With a slight click of a mechanism, an ordinary-looking stone slab above the wooden door suddenly sprang open, and several poisoned crossbow bolts shot out with a sharp whistling sound!

At the same time, the wooden door itself collapsed inward with a loud "bang," and a large amount of gravel and soil fell down, instantly blocking most of the passageway!

Haiyantian reacted extremely quickly, retreating rapidly and narrowly avoiding the poisoned arrow, but he was also choked by the dust that rose up and coughed incessantly.

He tried to push the blocking soil and rocks, but found them to be unusually heavy and solid, clearly an elaborate escape and enemy-blocking mechanism that would be difficult to break through in a short time.

"Damn it!"

Hai Yantian's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist into the earthen wall beside him, filled with frustration.

The fighting and standoff delayed things, allowing the cannibalistic old demon to slip away right under their noses!

Just as he was feeling gloomy and plotting how to track him down, he heard Guangyuan's cold, clear voice behind him:

"He can't escape."

Guangyuan stood in the center of the cellar, his gaze sweeping over the horrifying "collection" and then toward the blocked passage, his eyes filled with a chilling intensity.

"I have... memorized his 'scent'."

He gently raised his hand and placed it on his chest.

There, she kept the "Mirror of Observation" close to her body.

In an instant, a faint light flowed within the unseen depths of the mirror.

The old monk's deeply lined face, with its cloudy eyes that held a strange and complex emotion, flashed clearly in the mirror, as if it had been forcibly "reflected" and "locked" by some invisible force!

Immediately afterwards, Guangyuan felt a hazy yet real sense of direction, like a thin thread coming from the mirror, pointing in a certain direction.

The book "The Art of Guiding Demons by Observing the Mind" centers on the principle of "observing the mind as a guide and using it to control demons."

These are demonic cultivation techniques that use bizarre methods such as "closing delusions," "drawing dust," "planting shadows," "locking thoughts," "resonance," and "eroding spirits" to interfere with, influence, and ultimately control the minds of others.

The proper first step should be to deeply observe the target's thoughts, find their inner weaknesses and obsessions, and quietly plant the "seeds of inner demons" as a backup plan.

However, Guangyuan had no interest in this trick of "planting demons" and "manipulation," and was even quite disgusted by it.

He spent the last two days meditating at the Prajna Temple, focusing most of his attention on the mirror and the cultivation technique, except for adjusting his breathing.

Instead of practicing "shadow planting" and "spirit erosion" as described in the manual, he used his unique insights and understanding to reverse-analyze the parts about "contemplation" and "sensing" in the "Demonic Mind Contemplation Technique".

Others' techniques are their techniques; only your own techniques are truly your own.

He figured out a rather practical use for it.

The "self" reflected in the mirror can conjure up images of people one has met before. If the person is not too far away, one can vaguely sense their location.

At this moment, the cannibalistic old monk was fleeing in panic, and his mind must have been unsettled. Moreover, he had only just left, and his aura was still strong. This was the perfect opportunity to use this technique!

"Come with me."

Guangyuan spoke in a deep voice to Haiyantian, whose face was ashen and who was racking his brains for a plan to capture him.

Without saying another word, he turned around and quickly returned to the surface along the tunnel he had come from, rushing out of the dilapidated courtyard of Prajna Temple.

However, to Haiyantian's surprise, Guangyuan did not chase after the tunnel extending into the back mountain. Instead, he turned around and sped off towards the front mountain of the temple without hesitation!

He thought about it for a moment and immediately understood the key point!

That old monk was clearly extremely cunning, doing the opposite of what was expected!

He deliberately dug the tunnel into the mountains behind the temple and set up traps to block the enemy, creating the illusion that he was escaping into the deep mountains.

After discovering the tunnels and mechanisms, most people would instinctively assume that the old demon had fled into the depths of the mountains, thus directing their main search efforts in the wrong direction.

But this old monk dared to take the risk and, in a very short time, went in circles and chose a completely opposite path!

By exploiting people's fixed mindsets, we can create a time and direction difference!

"What a cunning old thief!" Hai Yantian cursed inwardly, while also being amazed by Guangyuan's accurate tracking and judgment.

Without further hesitation, he shouted "Chase!" and moved like the wind, closely following Guangyuan as he sped off towards the front of the mountain.

The two hadn't gone far when they saw an old monk slowly walking along a mountain path under the moonlight.