One of my fairy-like friends

"Do you two still think you can leave?" The old monk's voice rang out from all around. Mingyan looked up but couldn't find his place.

Gu Hanshuang broke free from Ming Yan's embrace, took a few deep breaths, and somewhat weakly took the scabbard from Ming Yan's hand, put it behind her back, used the sword to brace herself against the ground, and stood up. "You talk as if you have any way to do anything to us."

"Let this old monk deliver you two benefactors from your suffering and pain, and lead your souls to the Pure Land." The old monk's voice seemed to come from all directions, and Mingyan frowned.

“His interference with the space tunnel must have restricted him in some way... or perhaps shattering the space tunnel also temporarily deprived him of the power to annihilate us, otherwise we would both be dead already.” Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan. “In any case, we need to leave here as soon as possible. If he gets out of his current state, we will probably both die here.”

“You cannot escape,” the old monk said calmly.

Mingyan ignored the old monk and left the temple with Gu Hanshuang.

“The area below the mountain is hidden by dead trees, and I feel that if we go in, we are very likely to get lost,” Mingyan said.

“This isn’t the normal world.” Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan. “If we enter the withered forest, we will indeed get lost here. This should be the place where some ancient being suppressed this demonic monk…”

“...That senior and I have the same constitution. I think the demonic monk's attack on the space tunnel was mostly because of me. I'm sorry to have implicated you.” Mingyan said with deep remorse.

Gu Hanshuang was somewhat surprised, "So, being with you actually puts me in danger."

"I'm sorry." Ming Yan sighed. Gu Han Shuang was alright now, but he wondered how the others who were implicated by him were doing...

"...There's no need to apologize; this is my choice." Gu Hanshuang shook her head. "Besides, finding a way to leave here is the most important thing."

Mingyan nodded. "Do you know anything about this demonic monk?"

“He’s definitely not a proper monk. Although Buddhism has always been mysterious, I’ve seen quite a few monks in the Southern Continent. This person is definitely an evil monk.” Gu Hanshuang frowned and said, “We fell into the space tunnel and ended up here. It’s most likely because of his interference. If he wanted to kill you because of your physique, he probably would have done so when he still had the power in the space tunnel. The fact that he brought you here is very likely because he has some ulterior motive.”

Mingyan recalled his recent experience, his mind racing. "It seems he just pulled my consciousness away... Could it be..."

"He wants to possess your body." Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan. "Your physique is extremely special, isn't it?"

Chapter Fourteen Saint-Level

Gu Hanshuang's beautiful eyes lost their original sharpness, and her hair, damp with sweat, clung to her forehead, making her appear somewhat fragile.

Mingyan nodded. "It is indeed very special..."

Seeing that Mingyan hadn't voiced his thoughts, Gu Hanshuang withdrew her gaze. "If it's really as you say, it seems that this demonic monk was terrified by some being with the same physique as you. Since he couldn't defeat him, he joined... He wants to take over your body. The Dark Ages are about to begin. If he succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Gu Hanshuang didn't know what special physique Ming Yan had, but if a highly skilled evil cultivator really occupied the body of someone with a special physique, it not only meant that they would likely lose a combatant who could fight on the front lines and participate in top-level battles, but the destruction he brought was already enough to give them a headache.

The two fell silent and began searching for a way to leave.

This is a small, independent world. Although you can see the scenery outside Zhenhuang Mountain, it is just an illusion. Gu Hanshuang told Mingyan that Zhenhuang Mountain may actually be only this small area. Once you step out of it, you may be lost in it forever and unable to return to the real world.

The sky was overcast, with occasional flashes of blood-red lightning illuminating the horizon, and deafening thunder echoing throughout the world.

Mingyan and Gu Hanshuang returned to the stone tablet at the foot of the mountain.

The characters above were activated by the blood of the King of Mingyan, and they are still as vivid as blood.

"Was this left behind by that being?" Gu Hanshuang asked, somewhat surprised. "Why is it so bright red? It looks like fresh blood."

Mingyan briefly explained how the font was activated by his blood, adding, "I wonder if he left any countermeasures..."

"That being suppressed the demonic monk here, but ultimately did not come to eliminate him personally," Gu Hanshuang said. "Either he lacked the ability to eliminate him, or he was delayed by something and it is unlikely that he left any countermeasures."

Upon hearing this, Mingyan frowned. It seemed that all Human King Physiques were born on the eve of the Dark Turmoil. The Human King Physique of that person, whether older or younger, was most likely delayed by the Dark Turmoil...

I wonder what level he was at back then...

"This demonic monk truly hates that being to the bone. Even with Empress Qingzi still around, he dares to stop you. But it's strange. Generally speaking, Empress Qingzi should have noticed these things. Does she not intend to interfere?" Gu Hanshuang muttered to herself.

Mingyan snapped out of his daze, his expression strange. Although his sister had said that Empress Qingzi was alright, in some ways it seemed as if Empress Qingzi truly no longer existed...

It's unclear what happened that prevented Empress Qingzi from appearing...

“If Empress Qingzi didn’t make a move, then it’s very likely that she didn’t need to,” Gu Hanshuang speculated. “But he wasn’t at his peak when he could interfere with the space-time tunnel… He was probably a Great Saint or even higher before he was suppressed. If a malevolent cultivator with such cultivation were to seize your body and truly come back to life… the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“He is trapped here now, but his power has already reached the outside world and the out-of-control tunnel, which means that he had at least exerted the strength of a saint before... If we can’t leave before he recovers some of his strength, then the two of us will surely die.” Gu Hanshuang looked at Ming Yan, “In that case, unless a strong person in the Human Realm comes to rescue him with an imperial artifact, I don’t see any possibility of survival.”

When the difference in cultivation level between cultivators becomes too great, they have no ability to resist.

A saint could crush both of them with a single hair... They were utterly powerless against him, even though both of them could kill enemies of higher levels.

Mingyan blinked, subconsciously touching his brow. He wondered if the slight cracking sensation he had felt earlier, or if it was the activation of a restriction left by his master... If so, his master should be on his way...

But Gu Hanshuang also said that she needed to bring an Emperor-level artifact... If her master didn't bring an Emperor-level artifact, she might also be in danger...

Mingyan looked down at the stone tablet and asked in a low voice, "Is there really an exit?"

"I don't know either, but we have to go and look for her. We can't just sit here and wait to die..." Gu Hanshuang's voice grew softer and softer. Ming Yan turned to look at her and saw that her face was pale and her lips were white. He asked in surprise, "Are you alright? You look very strange..."

"It's nothing..." Gu Hanshuang shook her head. "Let's go, let's look elsewhere..."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Hanshuang suddenly collapsed. Ming Yan reacted quickly and caught her, straightening her up, only to find that she had lost consciousness.

Mingyan used his spiritual energy to examine Gu Hanshuang's condition and found that her spiritual veins were dark blue, as if they had been contaminated. Mingyan frowned. He had noticed that something was wrong with Gu Hanshuang before. According to Gu Hanshuang's strength, she should have crushed the Buddha statue whose head he shot with an arrow, but she fought it for a long time. Thinking about it carefully, this was extremely abnormal.

Gu Hanshuang's strength was such that even the Queen Mother of the West, Ning Mengru, said it was best not to be her enemy.

At least in her view, Mingyan is no match for her now...

Afterwards, Gu Han Shuang seemed completely exhausted; now it seemed she had indeed been corrupted by this place...

This place was used to suppress the evil monk. It is unknown how long the evil monk has been here. This space has long been corroded, but the Human King Body is naturally able to resist these things, and Ming Yan was not affected.

Mingyan thought for a moment, then cut his finger and placed the wound on Gu Hanshuang's pale lips. At first, blood flowed into Gu Hanshuang's mouth, but later, Gu Hanshuang suddenly took Mingyan's finger into her mouth and began to suck on it.

Mingyan did not stop them; he was thinking about how they should leave this place.

This place might have originally been an independent space to suppress that evil monk, but after so many years, it may have long since become his territory...

Their chances of escaping are extremely slim...

Mingyan turned to look at the withered forest... Once he left Zhenhuang Mountain, he might get lost inside...

If there really is an exit, where would it be?

At the foot of the mountain? Or somewhere special?

However, he and Gu Hanshuang had previously searched for the peculiarities on Zhenhuang Mountain but found nothing.

Could it be in this withered forest?

Mingyan frowned. Or perhaps, inside that temple?

If he were the master of this place and wanted to trap someone, he naturally wouldn't let him near the exit...

But what kind of place would make someone who intrudes avoid it?

That must be the place where the evil monk resides.

In other words, if there really is an exit, the most likely place is the temple they left from, which they did not investigate thoroughly.

Chapter Fifteen: Master Has Arrived?

Mingyan lowered his head and found that Gu Hanshuang had stopped sucking. He withdrew his fingers and checked Gu Hanshuang's condition again. He found that there were no more signs of erosion in her spiritual meridians, and only then did Mingyan feel relieved.

However, Gu Hanshuang showed no signs of waking up yet.

Mingyan slipped his hand under her knees and pulled her into his arms. He was worried about leaving her there alone.

Gu Hanshuang was caught up in his mess, and he couldn't let her get hurt anymore.

Mingyan led Gu Hanshuang to the temple gate, which was still half-open. The old monk reappeared at the entrance, his hands clasped together in a mudra. "Have you two come to your senses?"

Mingyan ignored the old monk, walked past him, and entered the temple.

Inside the temple, golden Buddha statues gleamed all around, and at the very front stood a large Buddha statue, but its head was nowhere to be seen, which seemed quite eerie.

Are all the things here real? Mingyan pondered this question.

This is another small world, its purpose is to suppress that evil monk.

This temple is probably just an illusion. Mingyan, carrying Gu Hanshuang, strolled through the temple.

Behind the temple, Mingyan saw a skeleton sitting cross-legged on a futon, its surface shimmering with a faint blue light, like an old monk sitting there.

Could this be the true form of that demonic monk?

Ming Yan's eyes flickered slightly. He put Gu Han Shuang down, drew the long sword from her back, and slashed down.

"Ding!"

A crisp sound came from above, and not a single crack was left on the dry bones.

“Benefactor, to use force against the deceased is extremely disrespectful.” The old monk reappeared beside them, his spirit lingering. Although his face was kind, it also exuded a chilling aura.

Mingyan looked at him and saw that he was calm and indifferent, looking at him as if... he was looking at a dead man.

“My sister or brother, I don’t know, must be someone you hate to the core, right?” Mingyan sheathed his sword, looked at the old monk, and said, “Suppressing you here, never to rise again, is more painful than killing you directly.”

The old monk clasped his hands in a mudra, his tone calm, "Why say more, benefactor? Let go of your attachments, and let me take you to the Western Paradise. The suffering of flesh and blood..."

"You just want to possess my body, why make it sound so noble?" Mingyan interrupted him, sneering.

The old monk looked at Mingyan with a slightly manic smile. "Don't worry, benefactor. After you reach the Western Paradise, I will live on in your place, with your memories. Your family and friends will be my family and friends. The human world is hell. After I send you to the Western Paradise, I will go to hell in your place. If I don't go to hell, who will?"

Mingyan sighed, "You really think you can take over my body?"

“Benefactor, you cannot escape…” The old monk suddenly paused, the manic smile on his face disappeared, and his expression gradually calmed down. “You cannot escape.”

The skeleton, who had been sitting cross-legged on the futon, slowly stood up. The old monk transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the skeleton. Soon, flesh and blood actually grew out of thin air on the skeleton. Ming Yan quickly picked up Gu Han Shuang and stepped back a little.

Soon, the skeleton transformed into the old monk from before. He calmly looked at Ming Yan and said, "I didn't want to take action, but it seems that your obsession is too strong, so I have no choice but to do it myself."

Having said that, the old monk stretched out his hand and appeared in front of Mingyan like a ghost in the blink of an eye. His large hand was outstretched, as if he intended to grab Mingyan's head. Mingyan's heart tightened, and he immediately created distance by stepping on the star gap. The space under his feet shortened, and he took a step that covered an extremely long distance!

"Hmm? This speed?" The old monk was somewhat surprised, then laughed and said, "Very good, very good. It seems you have quite a bit of luck."

Ming Yan frowned, feeling a deep disgust at the other party's "what's yours is mine" attitude.

He couldn't sense any overwhelming power; the opponent hadn't recovered to that level. So why did they suddenly attack? Mingyan recalled the old monk pausing abruptly while speaking earlier and immediately came to his senses. Had someone already arrived? Could it be his master?

The old monk, with a calm expression, stepped out, his body tinged with crimson, causing the surrounding space to tremble and become even heavier!

However, Mingyan, being a human king, was naturally immune to restrictions. When he saw the old monk approaching again, a faint blue light appeared around him, and he slapped him directly with a blue palm.

The old monk's face was as black as ink. He was about to easily create distance when suddenly his body felt heavy. He looked up sharply and saw the sun and moon rising simultaneously, their light intertwined. An ancient aura permeated the air, and ancient laws imprisoned him in place.

"Slap!" Ming Yan slapped the old monk across the face. He felt a sharp pain in his hand. The old man's body was too tough; he couldn't hit him at all!

In other words, Mingyan possesses the Human King Body, making his physical body extremely powerful. If it were anyone else, a single slap from him would probably shatter them into pieces!