Chapter 2: The Puzzle

The old monk didn't answer, but his gaze carefully scanned the two children. He couldn't help but look at Lin Jingyu a few more times and thought to himself, "What excellent aptitude, but why is his temperament so extreme?"

At this moment, Zhang Xiaofan took a step forward and asked, "Hey, who are you? I've never seen you before."

As Grass Temple Village was located near the Qingyun Sect, which mainly followed Taoism, Buddhist disciples were rare in the area. That's why Zhang Xiaofan had asked the question.

The old monk glanced at him, a hint of a smile on his lips, and asked back, "Little friend, just now your lives were on the line, why didn't you admit defeat? If it weren't for me, you might have lost your lives!"

Zhang Xiaofan was stunned. He felt that the old monk made a valid point, but he couldn't explain why he hadn't given up in the face of danger. He could only stand there, puzzled.

Lin Jingyu glared at the old monk, grabbed Zhang Xiaofan's hand, and said, "Xiaofan, this old monk is strange. Let's go." He then pulled him away, and the other children followed, clearly looking up to him.

Zhang Xiaofan subconsciously started walking with them. However, after walking a distance outside the temple's gate, he couldn't help but turn back to look inside. He saw that the sky was gradually darkening, and the old monk was still standing there, but his face had become indistinct.

Late at night,

A clap of thunder and the wind whips up the remnant clouds, black clouds roll on the horizon.

The atmosphere is tense and foreboding.

The old monk remains in the grass temple, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Looking up, he sees that the distant Qingyun Mountain has disappeared into the haze. There is no sound, only the roaring wind and thunder that pervade the sky and the earth.

What a fierce storm!

A bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating the small grass temple standing alone in the wind. The old monk suddenly appears at the temple door, with a stern expression, looking up at the sky, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

In the west of the village, a dense black mist has emerged, swirling and churning endlessly. The old monk stands in the grass temple, staring fixedly at the black mist.

Suddenly, the black mist curls up and spirals upward, heading straight towards the village, and directly towards the grass temple. It moves at an incredible speed and arrives in an instant. With his keen eyes, the old monk sees that there is a little boy trapped within the mist, and it is none other than Lin Jingyu whom he met during the day.

The old monk's face darkens, without hesitation, he doesn't even seem to make any movements, his withered body rises suddenly and dives straight into the black mist.

In the darkness, a surprised voice sounded from an unknown location, "Huh?"

Several muffled sounds were heard, and the black mist suddenly stopped hovering in the air above the grass temple. The old monk held Lin Jingyu under his ribcage and slowly descended, but a piece of his robe had been torn off.

In the dim light, Lin Jingyu's eyes were tightly closed, breathing steadily, and it was unclear whether he was asleep or unconscious.

The old monk did not let go of him, but looked up at the black mist in the sky and said, "Sir, your Daoist skills are profound, why would you lay hands on an ignorant child? Are you afraid of losing face?"

A hoarse voice came from the black mist, "Who are you? How dare you interfere in my business?"

The old monk did not answer, but said, "This place is under the Qingyun Mountain. If the Qingyun Sect knows that you are causing trouble here, I'm afraid you won't have an easy time in the future."

The person in the mist spat, speaking with disdain, "What is the Qingyun Sect? They only rely on their numbers. Old bald donkey, don't talk too much. Give me the child if you know what's good for you."

The old monk joined his palms together and said, "Amitabha Buddha. As a monk, I am full of compassion. I cannot stand by and watch this child fall victim to your evil hands."

The person in the mist angrily said, "You bald thief, you're asking for death."

As he spoke, a deep red glow flashed within the black mist that had been hovering around. In an instant, a cold wind started blowing and the ghostly aura intensified, enveloping the small grass temple.

"The Poisonous Blood Banner!" The old monk's face contorted with anger. "You wicked fiend, how dare you cultivate such an evil and malevolent artifact that harms the world! Today, I will not spare you."

The hoarse voice from the black mist sneered but didn't reply. Suddenly, a two-meter-long red banner with an overwhelming stench rose slowly from mid-air, and the wailing of ghosts became more mournful. Faint sounds of bones cracking could also be heard, sending shivers down one's spine.

"You bald thief, prepare to die!" The figure within the black mist shouted. Suddenly, four sinister ghostly faces with three eyes and sharp fangs appeared on the surface of the blood-red banner. The bones in the faces creaked as the four pairs of eyes opened wide. With a deafening roar, the ghostly faces solidified and charged towards the old monk, emanating an intense bloody aura.

The old monk's face grew even more enraged. He knew that the Poisonous Blood Banner's power was proportional to the number of innocent people it had killed during its cultivation. To reach the current level of power, it was likely that the banner had been nourished by the blood of at least three hundred people.

With his words, a deep red glow flickered among the lingering black mist. In an instant, a cold wind stirred around the small grass temple, and the ghostly aura grew stronger.

"The Poisonous Blood Banner!" The old monk's face twisted in anger. "You villain, how dare you practice such a depraved and evil thing that harms the world! Today, I will not spare you."

The hoarse voice sneered without answering. A whistle sounded, and the red glow grew brighter, accompanied by a foul stench. A two-meter red banner slowly rose from mid-air. At this moment, the cries of ghosts became even more piercing, as if countless vengeful spirits were wailing and the sound of bones creaking could be faintly heard, sending shivers down one's spine.

"You bald heretic, die!" The figure within the black mist shouted, and suddenly, from the blood-red banner emerged a hideous ghostly face, with three horns, four eyes, and sharp fangs. The bones rattled as the four eyes suddenly opened, and with a loud roar, they turned into entities and charged towards the old monk, carrying an indescribable bloody aura.

The old monk's anger deepened, knowing that the more powerful the Poisonous Blood Banner became, the more innocent people would die in the process of refining it. It probably required the blood sacrifice of more than three hundred people to reach the current level of power.

As the ghostly creature charged towards him, the old monk did not put down the child, Lin Jingyu, under his arm. Instead, he drew a circle in the air with his left hand holding the jade prayer beads and formed the Lion Seal of Buddhism with his right hand, his fingers slightly curled and emanating a faint golden light. In a flash, a golden shield appeared in front of him, shining brilliantly, and blocked the ghostly creature in mid-air.

"A small trick, but still trying to show off..." he muttered, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his right hand that was holding Lin Jingyu. It seemed that something had bitten his wrist, and a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body. Before he could react, his vision darkened, and the golden shield in front of him shattered into pieces as the ghostly creature's red eyes shone with even greater power. With a loud ghostly howl, the blood-red light flashed, and the creature smashed the golden shield to pieces before hitting the old monk's chest with great force.

The old monk was sent flying backward, and Lin Jingyu fell to the ground with several muffled sounds. Perhaps all of his ribs were broken along the way. After a moment, the old monk's emaciated body crashed into the wall of the grass temple with a loud bang, and dust and debris filled the air as an entire wall collapsed.

"Hahaha!" The figure within the black mist burst into mad laughter, feeling triumphant.

The old monk stood up tremblingly, his throat feeling hot as he couldn't help but spray a mouthful of hot blood, staining his monk robe red. He felt his vision blur with golden stars and his entire body in excruciating pain, while the tingling sensation was getting closer and closer to his heart.

He forced himself to calm his mind, his eyes scanning over Lin Jingyu who was still unconscious on the ground, only to see a colorful centipede slowly crawling out of his clothing, as big as a palm. The strangest thing about it was its tail, which split into seven forks, looking like it had seven tails. Each one was of a different color, and they were all brightly colored, but with a hint of horror.

"Seven-tailed centipede!" The old monk's words sounded like a groan.

The black qi on his face grew heavier, and blood kept flowing from the corners of his mouth. It seemed like he was struggling to hold on, but still refused to fall. He looked at the black qi in the air and said, "You put this poisonous creature on the child and deliberately hid your strength, waiting for the right moment to strike me. You came for me, right?"

The man in black qi gave a cold sneer and said, "Correct, I came specifically for you, Pu Zhi Bald Donkey. Without this, with your training in the Buddhist temple of Tianyin, it wouldn't be easy to deal with you. Alright, hand over the 'Blood-Devouring Pearl' quickly, and I'll give you the antidote for the seven-tailed centipede, sparing your life!"

With a bitter smile, Pu Zhi exclaimed, "It's a shame that my name includes the character 'zhi' (wisdom), yet I never imagined that you would craft this evil Poison Blood Banner. Of course, you covet the 'Blood-Devouring Bead.'" His expression turned serious as he decisively stated, "You're delusional if you think I'll give you the world's most sinister object."

The figure shrouded in black aura grew furious, "Then you can go see your Buddha!" With a flash of red light, the Poison Blood Banner fluttered in the wind, wailing ghosts filled the air, and a gigantic demon reappeared. It circled in the air before charging towards Pu Zhi once again.

Pu Zhi shouted out loud as his robes billowed without any wind. His thin body seemed to have grown larger. He exerted force with his left hand and the string of jade prayer beads he held snapped with a crisp sound. Over a dozen crystal-clear prayer beads did not fall, but instead revolved around him, emitting green light as they spun. Only the deep purple sphere fell straight down.

Pu Zhi flipped his palm and caught the purple bead. He formed the left and right water jar seals with his hands and opened his eyes wide. Golden light flickered all over his body as he chanted each syllable of the six-character Great Mantra, "Om Mani Padme Hum!"

"The Six-Character Great Mantra," the black aura figure spoke with a slightly more serious tone.

As Pu Zhi finished chanting the last syllable "Hum," all the jade prayer beads suddenly emitted a bright light. At the same time, the demon conjured by the evil figure rushed forward and the stench of blood permeated the air. But as soon as they touched the green light of the prayer beads, they disappeared into nothingness, unable to move forward. They were deadlocked in midair.

Despite his efforts, Pu Zhi's body still shook under the venomous attack of the Seven-tailed Centipede, known as the most poisonous creature in the world. Despite hundreds of years of cultivation, he struggled to resist its effects. However, a faint smile appeared on his face, covered in a hint of determination.

"Roar!"

Pu Zhi let out a mighty roar, sounding like a lion's roar, shaking the surrounding area. The jade prayer beads in front of him were infused with Buddhist power, glowing even brighter. Suddenly, one of the beads shattered with a loud "pop," forming a "Buddha" character in midair and quickly charging forward, striking the demon's face.

"Wow~~~ah!" The demon let out a miserable scream, retreating several steps as the red light around it diminished, clearly injured. The figure in the black mist growled, "You bald donkey!"

Before he could take action, it was already too late. Within moments, seven or eight prayer beads transformed into Buddhist mantras and struck the demon. The demon continued to scream and retreat in fear until the ninth jade prayer bead hit it, causing it to let out a long howl. Its five eyes burst open, and its bones rattled as it fell to the ground with a loud bang. After struggling for a few moments, it stiffened and turned into blood, emitting a nauseating stench.

Meanwhile, Pu Zhi let out another "wow" and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"Ah!" A sharp scream came from the door of the grass temple at this crucial moment when the two powerful figures were fighting.

Despite their surprise, both Pu Zhi and the evil person looked up at the same time as the black mist in the sky shifted. Standing outside the grass temple, little Zhang Xiao Fan, whom they had seen during the day, had inexplicably appeared and was staring in astonishment at the strange scene inside the temple.

With a cold snort, the person shrouded in black mist didn't even move, but the seven-tailed centipede that had been crawling on Lin Jing Yu suddenly thrashed its tail and flew towards Zhang Xiao Fan like lightning.

Pu Zhi's eyebrows shot up, and he pointed his right hand, sending a jade prayer bead flying towards the centipede. The centipede seemed to possess intelligence, knowing how dangerous the situation was, and didn't dare to resist. With a flick of its tail, it turned into a blur and disappeared into the black mist, leaving no trace behind.

The person in the black mist sneered, "Hehe, no wonder you are one of the four great monk-sages of Tian Yin Temple. Despite your serious injuries, you managed to defeat my 'Bloodthirsty Corpse King.' But after taking down the Corpse King and getting poisoned by the seven-tailed centipede, how much longer can you hold on? Why don't you be a good boy and give me the 'Bloodthirsty Bead'?"

Pu Zhi's eyes started to bleed black blood, and he laughed bitterly. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Even if I perish here today, I will still take down this demon of yours."

As the words fell, all the jade prayer beads in front of him lit up at the same time. The man in the air immediately became alert. Suddenly, a whistle sounded, and a green light flashed as an object slammed into the black mist from behind. It was the jade prayer bead that had struck the seven-tailed centipede earlier, flying out for a while, manipulated by Pu Zhi, and suddenly attacking from behind.

A roar came from the black mist. Obviously, the man was caught off guard. With several loud bangs and flashes of blue light, the black mist scattered in all directions, ultimately dissolving into nothingness. A tall and thin man slowly descended from mid-air, his body wrapped tightly in a black robe, making it impossible to see his appearance or age, except for a pair of fierce eyes and a long sword bound to his back.

Pu Zhi whispered, "If you possess such skill, why don't you show yourself?"

The man's fierce eyes flickered as he sternly retorted, "You bald donkey, today I'll make sure you have no place to be buried!"

As he spoke, he drew the long sword from his back with a "swish". The sword was clear as autumn water, not dazzlingly bright, but with a faint radiance that enveloped it.

"Such a good sword," Pu Zhi couldn't help but exclaim.

The man in black snorted, holding the sword with one hand and stepping on the seven stars with his feet. He took seven steps forward, then thrust the sword towards the sky, chanting:

"Nine heavens and profound shrines, transform into divine thunder. The majestic might of the heavens, lead it with the sword!"

In just a moment, the dark clouds in the sky surged and thunder rolled. Electric lights flickered constantly on the edge of the black clouds, and the world was filled with an atmosphere of killing intent and a fierce gale.

"The Divine Sword Controls Thunder Technique!" In an instant, Pu Zhi's face turned pale as ashes, accompanied by a mixture of surprise, despair, and a hint of inexplicable fanaticism.

"You're actually from the Qingyun Sect!"

PS:

The words recited by Pu Zhi, "Yan, Ma, Ne, Ba, Mi, Mou!" are the famous "Six-Syllable Great Mantra," also known as the "Avalokitesvara's Spiritual Inspiration Mantra" in Buddhist classics. The Buddhist sutras state: this mantra encompasses the universe and all creation, and chanting it can release oneself from the dust of the world, purify the mind's mirror, and attain the ultimate happiness of the great joyous realm. It is one of the most famous mantras in Buddhism.

Here's the full text:

Yan, Ma, Ne, Ba, Mi, Mou, Ma, Ge, Ni, Ya, Na, Ji, Du, Te, Ba, Da, Ji, Te, Xie, Na, Wei, Da, Li, Ge, Sa, Er, Han, Er, Ta, Bu, Li, Xi, Ta, Ge, Na, Bu, Luo, Na, Na, Bu, Li, Diu, Er, Ban, Na, Na, Ma, Lu, Ji, Shuo, Luo, Ye, Sha, Ke.