Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 46
>Chapter Title: Xin Hui
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“The Buddha…?” Li Huowang looked up, mouth agape in shock, at the enormous blob of living flesh towering at least twenty meters high before his eyes.
No matter what the old monk saw as the Buddha, the Buddha in Li Huowang’s eyes was nothing more than a gigantic mound of pink meat, its toad-like back covered in viscous blood plasma.
All sorts of organs protruded in and out from that nauseating skin, twisting endlessly with the writhing of its body.
This bizarre and repulsive thing was now crawling with equally wriggling monks from head to toe.
These monks were using their own flesh and blood to fill every gap on the “Buddha.”
Women, kin, beasts, and now this thing—the monks of Zhengde Temple seemed to be pushing the limits of their own bodies step by step.
“How about it! Impressive, right! This stone Buddha is the biggest one I’ve ever seen!” The oblivious old monk stood by, praising it enthusiastically.
Li Huowang’s body went rigid. He had always thought that villains like Danyangzi were the epitome of evil in this world, shunned by the mainstream.
Since the monks of Zhengde Temple had a grudge against Danyangzi, they might not be paragons of righteousness, but at the very least, they followed the rules.
But his assumption was fundamentally wrong! There was no such thing as righteous sects or evil cults! Maybe all the cultivation methods in the entire world were equally grotesque!
Danyangzi’s feud with these monks might not even be a clash of good and evil—it was probably just two factions fighting over territory!
Regardless of why they did what they did, one thing was certain: everything the old abbot had said before was a lie! He had been deceived by them!
“What Universal Salvation Feast! That old monk was definitely lying! No, I have to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible!”
Li Huowang turned his head toward the old monk, who hadn’t noticed anything amiss. He didn’t know why the monks’ illusion didn’t work on him.
But what was clear was that they hadn’t discovered him yet. He had to make good use of that if he wanted to escape.
Li Huowang forced himself to hold back any unusual movements, schooled his expression, and turned around. “It’s alright, nothing special. I’m heading back first.”
With that, Li Huowang strode out of the grand hall into the nauseating sculpture yard outside.
The surrounding mounds of flesh continued to writhe up and down, but he pretended not to see them and kept walking forward.
“Hey! Daoist, don’t go! It’s rare for you to visit—what’s the rush?”
The old monk ran out from the hall and hurried after him. “The food here’s pretty good too. How about we grab a meal together later? The fried tofu here is even better than meat.”
Li Huowang feigned a hint of impatience on his face and quickened his pace. The old monk kept chattering beside him.
Just as Li Huowang was about to pass the meat mounds, a tall figure blocked his path.
It was a stern-faced, burly monk even taller than Li Huowang by a full head, staring at him silently.
“Master, do you need something?” Li Huowang asked coldly, though his heart clenched instantly.
The tall monk leaned forward slowly, scrutinizing Li Huowang closely.
Then came the moment that made Li Huowang’s heart tremble: a soft, flexible black tentacle with suckers emerged from the scars on top of his shaved head, growing longer and longer.
The bizarre tentacle slithered through the air like a sea snake, slowly twisting around Li Huowang’s head as if sensing something.
“Amitabha, very good, very good. Patron, your heart is impure.”
At those words, the writhing mounds of flesh around them suddenly stopped, and all the monks turned to stare uniformly at Li Huowang.
“He knows I’ve seen through the illusion! No choice but to fight!” Seeing the situation spiraling irreversibly, Li Huowang steeled himself, drew his sword with one hand, and slashed fiercely at the tall monk before him.
With a ripping sound, the tall monk’s tentacle and robes were instantly severed, spraying yellow-green pus everywhere.
A pill flew into Li Huowang’s mouth with a plop. He kicked off the ground hard with both feet, launching himself three meters into the air toward the nearest earthen wall.
As soon as Li Huowang moved, everything around him changed dramatically. The monks on all the meat mounds leaped down, roaring as they chased after him.
But that wasn’t all—the ground trembled violently, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
Li Huowang, who had just leaped onto the wall, instinctively turned his head and saw the massive “Buddha” smashing through the hall’s wooden doors, rolling straight toward him!
“Run! Get out of this temple! They can’t let all the citizens of West Capital City see the ‘Buddha’s’ true face!”
Clinging to that conviction, Li Huowang dashed toward the main hall. The noises behind him grew increasingly chaotic, but he could no longer afford to care.
One man fleeing, a horde in pursuit—fueled by the pill, Li Huowang’s stamina was astonishing. Though he faced several close calls, he managed to avoid capture.
Just as Li Huowang rounded the next corner toward Zhengde Temple’s gates, a familiar face blocked his path. It was Abbot Xin Hui of Zhengde Temple.
Without hesitation, Li Huowang reached into his robes for the bell, but the next instant, his hand froze—the daoist bell that summoned the Wandering Lord was gone.
“Amitabha, Patron Xuanyang, were you looking for this?” Xin Hui held up the bell, his expression as calm and unhurried as ever.
Before Li Huowang could respond, Xin Hui walked slowly to his side and placed the bell back into his hand. “Patron, this item is inauspicious. You must use it with care.”
He didn’t question Li Huowang further but turned to the pursuing monks who had caught up, scolding them. “Quiet down, all of you. Are you not monks? What’s with all this panic and disorder?”
“Abbot! It’s not that we wanted to panic! This Xuanmen disciple suddenly attacked Senior Brother Jian Dun!!”
Hearing this, Abbot Xin Hui turned back, looking puzzled as he asked Li Huowang, “Patron Xuanyang, is this true? Why did you suddenly attack our temple’s disciple? Was his hospitality lacking?”
Looking at the crowd of bald heads before him and the bell now back in his hand, Li Huowang was momentarily baffled. What were they playing at?
They all knew he had seen everything—why keep up the act?
After a moment’s thought, Li Huowang decided to lay his cards on the table. “Abbot Xin Hui, you have a grudge against Danyangzi, and I killed him. Forget thanking me—at the very least, there’s no need to hunt me down relentlessly, right?”
“Rest assured, I’ll keep everything I saw in the temple locked tight. I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
“Besides, the word of one man alone can’t shake Zhengde Temple’s reputation.”
But at Li Huowang’s words, Xin Hui’s expression grew even more puzzled. “What did you see, Patron? This old monk has no idea what you’re talking about.”
Both sides froze in place, and the scene fell silent in an instant.
“Hm? What’s going on? Could the abbot not be with those things?” Doubts swirling in his mind, Li Huowang slowly recounted everything he had seen.
“Absurd! Utter nonsense!!” This was the first time Li Huowang had seen Xin Hui truly angry—his white mustache below his nose quivered like dragon whiskers, and his powerful presence instantly forced the monks behind him to bow their heads.
(End of chapter)