Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Since there were so many people, they had to take the bus. When they arrived at the hotel where the meeting was being held, many people were already there. Fang Zhe had arrived before them, and many more were on their way from out of town.
Fang Zhe’s device was the result of research by so many descendants of Lu Ban. While it couldn’t be said to be 100% correct, everyone knew that the possibility was extremely high, hence their solemn demeanor.
After studying the device, everyone agreed that its accuracy was extremely high, and that the situation was indeed dangerous.
Worryingly, even if the Son of Youdu stood right in front of them, they probably wouldn’t recognize him. They only knew that the Son of Youdu was approaching, and he would likely target Baoyang Temple or the City God Temple first, followed by other places.
All they could do was defend aimlessly. After all, Fang Zhe and his team’s research couldn’t yet narrow down the scope to a smaller area. They met for an emergency discussion and decided to split into two groups: one would stay at a hotel near Baoyang Temple, and the other would go to the City God Temple, which, although not the provincial City God Temple, was still a government office in the underworld. If anyone arrived later, they would join either group, preparing for any eventuality.
After the meeting, everyone burned incense and prayed. The smoke curled upwards into the sky, below which stood Taoist priests on one side and Buddhist monks on the other, their eyes closed in worship of the countless gods and Buddhas, praying for peace and prosperity.
After their silent prayers, everyone left without saying a word.
After opening his eyes, Xie Lingya exchanged a glance with Shi Changxuan and left together.
So many monks and Taoists, carrying ritual implements, emerged from the hotel and headed off in two directions, attracting considerable attention. Xie Lingya and his companions, not wearing “uniforms,” blended in rather inconspicuously.
It was broad daylight, and as they crossed a street towards Baoyang Temple, the shadow cast by the adjacent shopping mall silently expanded.
Despite the bright sunshine, Xie Lingya spotted Ding Aima standing at a second-floor window, calling down, “Teacher Xie! Be careful!”
Xie Lingya’s gaze fell on the shadow on the ground, his expression turning cold, and he took several steps back.
But the shadow quickly spread outwards, climbing the walls, absorbing the sunlight, and finally closing in overhead like a semi-transparent black glass, covering the area in front of the mall, including the Taoists, monks, and innocent passersby.
The area immediately became chilling and oppressive, filled with a sense of unease and fear.
The passersby were panicked, unsure of what was happening.
But the Taoist priests and monks reacted quickly, suppressing them from running away.
Normally, seeing monks and Taoist priests might not have elicited a reaction, but at this moment, seeing them brought a sense of security, and they hid behind them.
At this moment, Xie Lingya saw Ding Aima tumble down from the second floor, his soul already somewhat blurred, so he told Shi Changxuan to use a willow wood tablet to collect him.
Then, a person dressed in a Taoist robe jumped down from the second floor, landing steadily on the ground.
Xie Lingya was certain he had never seen him before, but the evil aura emanating from this person felt strangely familiar. “Hongyang Taoist?”
The Taoist sneered, not answering.
It was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Xie Lingya exhaled a breath of stale air and said, “Fine, I also wanted to find you. You’ve caused me some trouble the last few times.”
Hongyang Taoist still didn’t answer, sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes in meditation. Yin energy condensed around his figure, gradually enveloping him. As the yin energy took shape, everyone could see clearly that it was a smiling Maitreya Buddha. However, it was pitch black and eerie, devoid of any Buddhist aura, filled only with evil.
Lian Tan glared angrily and blocked Xie Lingya’s way, “Mr. Xie, let me handle this.”
Xie Lingya replied, “No, no, no, he’s caused me trouble before, and he’s dressed as a Taoist priest.”
Lian Tan said, “We destroyed the Evil Buddha together before, and he’s still an Evil Buddha now.”
The others were speechless, finding it both funny and exasperating to hear the two vying to fight.
Xie Lingya ignored them and drew his Three Treasures Sword. Lian Tan, seeing this, also held a sword, then radiating light, revealed his sword-wielding immortal form.
The Evil Buddha’s hand moved as if plucking a flower, stretching several meters to snatch the swords from Xie Lingya and Lian Tan’s hands. The passersby behind them gasped in surprise.
Xie Lingya raised both hands, blocking the Evil Buddha’s hand, and spun the Three Treasures Sword to the right like a flower slicing, “When the decree arrives, thunder and fire follow!”
He rarely chanted incantations when using the Compassionate Sword, but this time he did, and the power was immense. The dazzling golden light dispelled the surrounding chill and sliced off three of the Evil Buddha’s fingers.
Lian Tan, standing beside him, slashed forward fiercely, his sword, glowing with white light, cleaving the evil Buddha’s hand in two, splitting it from the middle to the wrist.
The black evil Buddha screamed in agony, shouting, “Hum!”
The black aura around him intensified, and his previously smiling, chubby face instantly became ferocious, his lips turned down, and his eyes gleamed with malice.
The evil Buddha’s broken hands cupped before his chest, sprouting a black lotus flower, which he then pushed forward!
The black lotus split in two as it reached the two.
Lian Tan neither dodged nor evaded, standing with his hands clasped together. When the black lotus touched him, it seemed to hit glass, stopping abruptly. After a moment of stillness, Lian Tan softly murmured, “The fire of wisdom burns away the fuel of afflictions.”
Immediately, white light began to emanate from the edges of the petals, then spontaneously combusted, dissipating with a foul stench. A pleasant smile appeared on Lian Tan’s lips, and he seemed much more refreshed.
The monks watching their duel behind them all bowed with their hands clasped together in respect for Lian Tan.
Using evil laws as a source of wisdom not only did not harm them, but their spirits also grew. Lian Tan’s cultivation was truly astonishing.
Another black lotus flew over and landed on Xie Lingya’s head. It seemed Xie Lingya’s resolve wasn’t as firm as Lian Tan’s; he was immediately captivated.
The other Taoists glanced at Shi Changxuan— if anyone were to help, it would be Shi Changxuan, his senior brother.
But Shi Changxuan understood Xie Lingya and simply shook his head.
This wasn’t the first time Xie Lingya had encountered illusions. Unlike ascetic monks and Taoists, he was easily entangled by illusions. Before him appeared women holding incense and candles, their figures graceful and their appearances extremely beautiful, but their skin was black, like that of the evil Buddha.
They nestled against Xie Lingya, trying to rub against his body.
Xie Lingya was probably only bewitched by this illusion for a second before slicing off the beautiful heads of these women with a single sword stroke. “Sorry, I don’t mess with women!”
The crowd only saw Xie Lingya’s body stiffen, as if he were bewitched, but this lasted only a few seconds. He somehow awoke, stabbing his sword into the lotus’s heart, and the black lotus instantly vanished.
Xie Lingya’s sword energy didn’t dissipate; he threw it away.
The Three Treasures Sword, gleaming with golden light, transformed into a dazzling stream of light, instantly piercing the brow of the evil Buddha.
The two-meter-tall evil Buddha only had time to sigh before gradually becoming transparent and disappearing, revealing the Taoist priest beneath him, who coughed up blood.
Xie Lingya was about to step forward when the Hongyang Taoist picked up the Three Treasures Sword. His evil aura hadn’t dissipated; as soon as he grasped the sword, scorch marks appeared on his hand, but he seemed oblivious, plunging the sword into his own chest, blood splattering everywhere.
“Ah!!”
Amidst the scream, Xie Lingya heard the Hongyang Taoist say, “When I die, I will become a vengeful spirit, never to be reincarnated, to haunt you day and night.”
With that, he closed his eyes and breathed his last.
Xie Lingya hadn’t expected him to be so decisive. After a moment of stunned silence, Shi Changxuan stepped forward and pulled the sword out. The surrounding darkness had dissipated, revealing the sun again.
Those who had passed by earlier hadn’t seen what was happening, but now someone noticed a Taoist priest suddenly lying on the ground covered in blood, and chaos erupted at the scene.
“Teacher Xie, please go back first. A few of us will stay here to wait for the police,” several Taoist priests said voluntarily. Of course, they couldn’t just leave. Besides, there were still those innocent bystanders who had been detained with them earlier, who were still confused, and they probably needed to reassure them.
Xie Lingya nodded heavily, “Okay.”
….
Xie Lingya was in a bad mood, and Lian Tan comforted him, “Those who harm others will ultimately harm themselves. Is Mr. Xie upset because of his death?”
Tan Qing also chimed in, “To hold a grudge against Heaven, to blame Earth, to be an enemy of gentlemen— he deserved to die.”
Xie Lingya paused, then suddenly smiled, “You think I’m a gentleman?”
Tan Qing probably hadn’t expected anyone to be so unsure of their own character, “…Yes.”
“Thank you, I feel much better.” Xie Lingya rubbed his chest, “Actually, I just think this person’s religious beliefs have made him go mad, even cursing himself to never be reborn.”
Shi Changxuan patted Xie Lingya’s shoulder reassuringly and said, “Everyone, please come to Baoyang Temple and sit for a while. Let’s report what happened to our superiors. These are special times, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
A death in the street would definitely require intervention from higher authorities.
Lian Tan nodded and went back to Baoyang Temple with them.
As soon as Xie Lingya entered, he summoned Zhang Daoting and ordered him to ask all the worshippers to leave, as the temple would be closed for the day. Zhang Daoting’s heart tightened, knowing the situation was tense. He quickly asked the worshippers to leave. It was morning, and there weren’t many tourists; most of those who came were worshippers from Baoyang Temple, so they were easy to talk to. So before long, Baoyang Temple was empty. When the last worshipper left, Xie Lingya closed the door and locked it. Looking up, he saw Song Jing on the small building, holding Sisi and looking down. He felt a pang of regret for keeping them there.
Times had changed…
The people inside the temple were somewhat confused. Why lock the main gate?
Shi Changxuan also came out of the room, holding the automatic exorcism robot that Fang Zhe had made before. Xie Lingya stuck the Three Treasures Sword into it.
This action caused the expressions of everyone in Baoyang Temple to change, while outsiders were still somewhat puzzled.
Xie Lingya said, “I’m sorry, to avoid alerting the enemy, I couldn’t send you all out.”
Not everyone present was cultivating. He glanced at the exorcism robot, unsure if it could hold the group safe inside the small building. Fortunately, the Sazu Temple was right next to the building, and with two True Lords present, they should be safe.
Lian Tan frowned, sensing something was amiss but still confused. “Mr. Xie, what does this mean?”
Xie Lingya stared at the bewildered Tan Qing. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m not exactly a gentleman, so I had to trick you into coming here to trap you.”
Lian Tan looked at Xie Lingya in shock, then glanced incredulously at his little disciple. His mind went blank, then suddenly he remembered— indeed, they had entered the city this morning.
Tan Qing asked blankly, “Mr. Xie, what are you saying?”
“To hold a grudge against Heaven, to blame Earth…” Xie Lingya sighed, “If I didn’t have a photographic memory for scriptures, I almost wouldn’t have recognized it. Little Master, have you learned too much, confusing Taoism with Buddhism? Do you remember which Taoist scripture this sentence comes from?”
….
Except for Shi Changxuan, who had already grasped the meaning, everyone else’s hearts pounded. Xie Lingya’s words were undeniably true.
Tan Qing stared at Xie Lingya, a smile suddenly appearing on her innocent face, without malice but chilling to the bone, “I thought I could hide it longer… Mr. Xie, I really like you, but unfortunately, you seem a bit difficult to kill.”
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