"Amitabha!" With a Buddhist chant, a figure appeared out of thin air before them.
He hadn't emerged from the mountains, nor had he teleported. He simply materialized before everyone's eyes, as if he had been there all along, his appearance incredibly abrupt.
Bai Ling'er, who had been on guard against anyone emerging from the mountains, was startled by the chant and the sudden appearance of the figure. Instinctively, she opened her mouth and spewed forth a blast of icy energy.
*Boom—*
An explosion sounded from the base of the mountain.
I blinked. The figure remained in front of Bai Ling'er, but the mountain's base bore the brunt of the attack. A vast expanse of glistening ice crystals encased the surrounding vegetation, which then turned to dust when the wind blew.
"No way? It missed?"
I found it hard to believe. Bai Ling'er was less than two meters away from the figure. At her speed, even a Ghost King couldn't dodge such an attack. Could this chanting monk be that powerful?
Failing to hit her mark, Bai Ling'er didn't press the attack. Instead, she retreated rapidly, stopping only when she felt she was safe. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was using me as a shield.
This was because she had retreated behind me. Her action made me both angry and amused. If she couldn't defeat him, did she think I could? She was supposed to be the peak of our combat strength!
I braced myself and got up from the ground. Following his example, I clasped my hands together and chanted, "Amitabha," while silently praying for forgiveness from my ancestors.
"Are you two from outside? What year is it? Have you come to replace this old monk in sealing it?" Judging by his voice, he was indeed a monk. However, his attire did not resemble that of a monk at all. Wasn't this the ancient corpse I had seen in the underground stone chamber earlier? How had he come back to life?
Seeing this, Zhang Dabiao, forgetting his nausea, scrambled to his feet and stood behind me. I could faintly hear the sound of him drawing his saber, indicating he was ready to strike at any moment.
Facing this old monk, who had likely been dead for countless years and had suddenly "come alive," I felt completely out of my depth. Even the peak of our combat strength was terrified of him. What chance did the two of us have against him? It would be like a pebble hitting a rock.
Seeing our silence, the old monk repeated his question, his voice still calm and unhurried, showing no signs of annoyance.
I felt he was quite approachable and showed no hostility towards us, so I told him the current year.
After hearing my words, the old monk fell into thought. He then murmured something in an unintelligible language, his tone peculiar, yet it evoked a sense of sorrow that made one want to weep.
Perhaps after reminiscing about his past, the old monk's eyes regained their clarity. Seeing our strange glances, he lowered his head, chuckled, and moved his body, causing dust to fall from him in a shower.
Once the dust had completely fallen, his true appearance was revealed.
The old monk looked to be in his sixties. His long beard reached his chest, and a string of prayer beads hung around his neck, emitting a faint starlight under the moonlight. Coupled with his gray robes, he didn't look like an enlightened master, but rather like a monk who swept the temple grounds.
Zhang Dabiao was so astonished by this transformation that his mouth fell open, and he naturally ended up with a mouthful of dirt.
"Two benefactors, why have you come to such a perilous place?"
Zhang Dabiao, with a mouthful of dirt, replied unhappily, "Do you think we wanted to come here! Some scoundrel set up this 'Town Evil Formation' in this forsaken place, and we stumbled in, unable to leave."
"Amitabha, good, good... So it was this old monk's fault. I have mistaken you two young benefactors." The old monk chanted a Buddhist phrase, then clasped his hands and bowed deeply towards us.
We dared not accept such a bow! For an ancient being, whose lifespan was unknown, to suddenly bow to us... the karmic implications were immense. If one's fate wasn't strong enough, they could be killed by such a bow.
"Master, what are you doing? This bow of yours is going to cost us our lives!" I complained with some displeasure.
"Heh heh... Young benefactor, you worry too much. This is merely my token of gratitude for releasing me from my prison. I am worthy of receiving it."
I blinked my eyes. I felt that this old monk's mind was not quite right. However, judging by his aura, he wasn't a ghost. After all, I had never heard of a ghost becoming a monk. Moreover, his aura was pure, and he lacked the distinctive miasma of spirits. He was likely alive.
But what kind of living person could sit motionless in an underground stone chamber until their body was covered in dust? Judging by the dust on him, it must have been at least several decades, if not a century. Even Sakyamuni, after his three years of asceticism, did not abstain from food and drink, merely consuming very little.
It was better to clarify some things first. I didn't want to fall into a pit dug for me by someone else.
"Master, there's no need for thanks. We didn't help much. If we've disturbed your secluded cultivation, then we can only apologize. Please continue your cultivation, and we shall take our leave!" With that, I turned to pull Zhang Dabiao away. I had a strange feeling that this old monk looked familiar, and it wasn't until a figure flashed by that I remembered who he was.
Zhang Dabiao looked confused but still asked in a low voice how we could leave this place, reminding me about the Buddhist 'Town Evil Formation.'
I replied in an equally low voice, "Let's deal with this old monk first. Don't you think he resembles someone? If he decides to hold us accountable, none of us will escape."
"Heh heh... Two young benefactors, this old monk will not prevent you from leaving. However, may I ask if you could help carry a message for me?" We thought our voices were as quiet as mosquitoes, but to our surprise, he still heard us.
This person made me feel both awkward and fearful. Awkward because speaking behind someone's back felt like being a villain, and fearful because this old monk was too powerful, capable of hearing even such faint voices. Fortunately, I hadn't been badmouthing him.
"May I ask what message Master wishes me to carry, and to whom should it be delivered?" I quickly bowed and asked respectfully.
"Ku Ye has honored his promise and remained confined for a hundred years. His time is undoubtedly short. Please have someone else come to guard this place. Deliver this message to Hu Er of the Hu family!"
I was about to ask more questions when I saw the old monk wave his sleeve. My vision blurred, and I found myself outside the boundaries of Beishan Mining Town, at the foot of the mountain we had entered.
Zhang Dabiao and I exchanged bewildered glances. It was he who spoke first, "Is this old monk a manifestation of Buddha? How did he make us leave like this, just throwing us out of the mountains?"
I shook my head, indicating I had no idea. This old monk gave me an indescribable feeling. But could a monk who could project his soul out of his body and cultivate it into a shadow ghost be an ordinary monk?