Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 512

The pavilion collapsed to both sides, and the Venerable Master Kongji, who had transformed into a golden statue, appeared as if a true Buddha had descended to earth.

He was clearly very powerful, but before, he just sat there, making one hand seal after another, killing time with Chen Xiyuan, watching his own people either die or betray him.

Li Zhuiyuan had been observing the monk and trying to understand his way of thinking.

To a certain extent, Master Kongji was indeed compassionate, and he had his own self-consistent logic.

In his eyes, Wei Suxin, Cao Buxiu, and even the little monk deserved to die because they helped him make mistakes. If they could die at the hands of others instead of him, it would put his mind at ease.

This idea sounds absurd, yet it has its own logic, because Master Kongji has his own purpose, and his purpose is not to live; he has no intention of turning the tables at all.

Although we couldn't see the battle between the True Demon and Runsheng here, the changes in the strength of their auras were still quite obvious. Yet, Master Kongji didn't seem to care, which shows that Li Zhuiyuan's understanding of the second stage was still wrong. The mage didn't need to entrust someone to take away the fruits of his evil deeds.

That guardian deity was probably his "mount." He was afraid that the deity would lose control after his death, so rather than being suppressed and tortured in the Demon Suppression Tower and adding to his burden, he decided to take it with him.

Realizing that the monk was capable, Li Zhuiyuan began to ponder how to interrupt his process and make the monk's efforts come to nothing.

It's pointless to waste energy thinking about how to kill someone who is already prepared to die; only by letting him witness the failure of his plan can he truly suffer a fate worse than death.

Perhaps this is the correct way to approach Table of Contents II.

Different choices lead to different results.

In the past, you had to actively catch the waves, or even dig ditches to divert water; now, the waves are like a series of knots, which you have to untangle one by one.

Cleaning up the overflowing demonic eye and not visiting Qilong King's dojo is a way of giving the first chapter a cold shoulder;

The decision not to encourage Liangliang to fight for that position is a temporary postponement of the third section of the catalog.

When you choose Qinglong Temple in the second section of the catalog, you are already part of the river itself.

If I had prioritized the greater good and the well-being of all people, understood and empathized with Master Kongji's actions, and allowed him to return the materials needed to repair the Demon Suppression Tower, then perhaps the Azure Dragon Calamity would not have occurred.

Category 2 will also disappear from the list.

We either need to add a new directory, or we have to choose between directory one and directory three, even if it's tough.

The right to choose one's own research topic is given to oneself, but whether one can successfully choose a topic depends on one's own abilities.

After realizing this, Li Zhuiyuan opened his backpack and placed the beverage cans and Ming family pills in front of him.

Then, the boy sat cross-legged, holding the Chen family dragon-patterned compass in his left hand, with a dragon shadow appearing, and a red thread wrapped around his right hand. He looked at the lotus pond and began to deduce the meaning.

Chen Xiyuan's resilience, Tan Wenbin's harassment, Lin Shuyou's sneak attack, and Cao Buxiu's insults did not elicit any reaction from the Void Mage in his golden form. However, the boy, who seemed to be isolated from his surroundings after sitting down, caused the light on the golden man's body to tremble violently.

The monk left his original position and rushed forward.

Chen Xiyuan was excited; the old monk was finally getting serious.

The originally open domain quickly contracted to enhance its resilience, but when the golden man rushed into her domain, although his speed decreased and his movements became sluggish, Chen Xiyuan found that she could not truly suppress him.

Sister Chen raised her jade flute and smashed it down.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several dull thuds struck, landing solidly, but only leaving slight dents on the golden figure's body.

As the golden light intensified, Chen Xiyuan's domain was pushed outwards, and she was also knocked away by a force, deviating from her original defensive position in front of her little brother.

Tan Wenbin pressed his index finger against his brow, his snake eyes opened, and the phantom of a two-headed python appeared behind him.

The golden man turned his head and glanced at him.

In an instant, the two-headed python behind Tan Wenbin let out a mournful howl, and a Buddhist light seemed to be burning in its mouth.

Tan Wenbin: "He's risking his life!"

This is not some secret technique; it is the beginning of a sacrifice, a final burning of life.

Lin Shuyou spun around, swinging his golden mace repeatedly, slamming it heavily onto the back of the golden man. However, that part of the golden man's body melted away, rendering Lin Shuyou's attack futile.

The blood-stained porcelain bottle condensed into the figure of the Corpse-Driving General. The moment it touched the golden man, it prepared to cast a trapping spell. However, the golden man's body transformed into golden light again and swept past the Corpse-Driving General. The Corpse-Driving General reached out his hands but found nothing. After passing through the general, the golden light condensed again behind him.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and gently patted A Li, who was standing in front of him.

Without the slightest hesitation, the girl stepped aside.

The boy formed a hand seal, and a total of thirteen ghost gates suddenly appeared. The golden man pierced through all thirteen of them, but the Buddhist light on his body dimmed considerably.

Because of the boy's deliberate alteration, the defense of each ghost gate was very weak, while the ghost fire on the gate was extremely dense. Li Zhuiyuan deliberately used these ghost fires to neutralize the Buddhist light on the golden man's body.

This golden figure was created by Master Kongji through burning away his own accumulated merit, with the aim of raising the Buddha's light as high as possible for future use.

The monk felt sorry for the boy because it would reduce his chances of success in his important mission.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!"

One after another, the gates of hell are summoned. These weak gates can be easily broken through. Once you break through them, you can get close and kill me.

The golden figure stopped, its golden eyes darting through the doors, seemingly meeting the gaze of the boy not far away.

The evil dragon hovered above the boy's head, its body wreathed in karmic fire; the boy seemed to be wearing a golden robe, its ghostly aura so dense it was almost dripping out.

Being able to discern the other party's true intentions allows you to act strategically and avoid finding yourself in a desperate and humiliating situation every time.

Li Zhuiyuan has now condensed all the karmic fire and ghost fire around himself, essentially turning himself into a powder keg.

Master Kongji had the opportunity to kill the boy, but once the boy died, the karmic fire and ghostly energy exploded, which severely weakened the Buddhist light on his body once again.

This is on another level: you can kill me, but I'll also splatter blood all over you.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, signaling to his companions that they didn't need to come over to protect him.

The monk doesn't even care about his own life, so why would he abandon his purpose to take mine?

Li Zhuiyuan: "Demon monk, let's move on to the next segment."

The golden blood in Master Kongji's body had completely drained away, and the golden light was adjusted to its previous peak. He sat cross-legged, reached out and gouged out his eyes, casually tossing his left eye onto the ground.

With a deep, resonant "ding-dong," it was a prosthetic eye.

Golden rays of light rose from the monk's body, converging in the air to form a giant Buddha face. The face was mostly blurred, except for the Buddha's eye in the left eye, which was as solid as a physical object.

Looking down from the Buddha's eyes, the lotus pond is bustling with life. In this vast scenic area, not only are there some empty shops, but even in the nooks and crannies, black lotuses of different sizes are blooming.

They vary in size and color, yet they are as dense as moss and spread like ivy.

Chen Jing rubbed his nose vigorously. He had been searching for them one by one, but unexpectedly, they were everywhere.

The Liang sisters were also dumbfounded by the scene.

Xu Ming retracted the vines he habitually stuck into the ground where he was sitting, only to find that they were all wilted and dehydrated, and this sense of decay was continuing upwards.

"Hurry, get out of here, or you'll die!"

Xu Ming didn't know what this was. He only knew that if he didn't hurry to leave the scenic area, he would become a withered branch and fallen leaves.

Looking at the black lotus flowers growing in the fountain pool, Sister Hua asked with a solemn expression:

"Xiaoyu, what is this?"

“Karmic force.” Luo Xiaoyu continued to manipulate the chess pieces. “This eminent monk from Qinglong Temple truly teaches without discrimination.”

A being like Xinghou of Siyuan Village, capable of transforming into an evil spirit and committing countless acts of slaughter, would surely be a large lotus flower in this place. However, here, small lotus flowers abound. This indicates that when Master Kongji was transmitting the Dharma here, he was completely indiscriminate, disregarding appearance and size, and actively using inferior materials to fill the void, seeking only a large quantity to satisfy everyone.

The black lotuses burst into flames, spreading a massive amount of malevolent energy, their decay resembling that of a faded old photograph, continuously expanding.

A large portion of them are converging upwards, flowing into that lofty Buddha eye.

However, in this environment where evil energy is boiling, whether you are a human or a ghost, as long as you don't leave in time, you will be tainted and entangled by evil energy.

Sister Hua: "Xiaoyu, we..."

Luo Xiaoyu looked down at the hem of his robe, which was visibly aging, and asked in return:
"What about us?"

Sister Hua: Aren't you leaving?

Luo Xiaoyu: "Brother Xiaoyuan didn't let me leave. Moreover, no matter how things develop next, I have to stay here to control the formation and lock the evil energy here so that it can't leak out."

Sister Hua: "Okay, then I won't leave either."

Luo Xiaoyu laughed and said, "Well, my set of formations alone is not safe. It can be leaked by evil energy at any time. I need Sister Hua to help me fix the leaks."

Xu Ming was loudly urging the Liang sisters and Chen Jing to leave, feeling like he was withering away.

Chen Jing said firmly, "Brother Yuan and the others are still up there in the thickest part. If they don't leave, I won't leave either. Brother Xu, if you want to leave, you can go alone."

The Liang sisters showed no worry whatsoever; instead, they smiled as they examined where the karmic force had affected them.

Previously, they were worried that they would have come for nothing and would only receive a consolation prize; now that they have been injured at work, their salary will definitely be more generous.

Zhao Yi believed Li Zhuiyuan, and the two of them believed Zhao Yi.

Before each trip to Nantong, Zhao Yi would give special instructions: whatever you are asked to do, do it well. Both Uncle Li and Young Master Li are very particular and never let anyone suffer a loss.

Xu Ming sighed helplessly. If they didn't leave, he couldn't leave either. It wasn't that he was reluctant to leave his companions and teammates, but if they all died here, even if he managed to leave alive, his boss would hunt him down all over the martial world.

The immense karmic power converged upwards, continuously being absorbed by the Buddha's eyes in the sky; this power became the raw material for repairing the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

Those who create such evil power will inevitably suffer the consequences. This is why Master Kongji decided to sacrifice himself early on; he was giving up his life for the temple.

The golden light on Master Kongji disappeared, and he looked like a dehydrated, one-eyed corpse. He was undoubtedly dead, but his death was delayed; he was still conscious.

This platform is a transit point where karmic forces converge, and everyone on the platform is immediately swept away by these forces.

Cao Buxiu howled loudly. He didn't want to die, but being hit by this evil force, even if he didn't die, he couldn't expect to have a peaceful old age.

In a fit of rage, he charged toward the desiccated corpse, intending to smash it to pieces.

Tan Wenbin raised his rusty sword and blocked Cao Buxiu.

The desiccated corpse of Master Kongji is no longer dangerous; it's just a decaying shell, so it makes no difference whether you smash it or not.

Having followed Brother Yuan for so long, Tan Wenbin knew Brother Yuan's habits well. He deliberately left Master Kongji here so that he could see the upcoming plot twist.

Although, Tan Wenbin didn't know how this reversal would happen.

But... if there were no possibility of a reversal, Brother Xiaoyuan would have taken everyone away long ago, instead of continuing to soak in this karmic energy together.

However, while Cao Buxiu was easy to stop, Runsheng, whose bowl was taken away halfway through his meal, was not so easy to stop. Runsheng went to the top of the platform, his angry gaze fixed on the empty, desiccated corpse, and then he rushed straight towards it.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Runsheng."

Runsheng stopped, standing still, the black in his eyes slowly fading.

Tongzi: "Spirit medium, I think we could try this once, where the person calls out to us and we wake up, to build trust?"

Lin Shuyou: "Are you going to lose control and affect me?"

Tongzi: "I... never mind, let's not do that."

Baihe Tongzi imagined the scene: if he lost control and affected Lin Shuyou, that person would never call him "Lord Baihe" or "Brother Tongzi," but would not hesitate to pull him out and send him to his doom.

Cao Buxiu pleaded, "Please let me leave and save my life!"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Tan Wenbin took out a calming talisman and handed it to Cao Buxiu: "Take this talisman, and the people below will let you leave."

"thanks, thanks."

Cao Buxiu gripped the talisman and ran downhill as fast as he could.

He had wondered why these people wouldn't let him smash the empty space, and he had also questioned why they were still lingering there. The longer they stayed, the greater the negative impact would be, and these people couldn't possibly not understand that.

He wondered if these people had some other method.
However, Cao Buxiu had just been deceived by Kong Ji, and the old man did not blindly worship the Li family head. After quickly weighing the options, he decided to leave first.

Even if, after leaving this place, one finds that there is no way to suppress the evil power within one's body, and one does not want to experience the suffering of being entangled by evil power, one can still find a scenic place and die with dignity.

The empty, single eye turned, looking at the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are you wondering why I haven't left yet, as if I'm determined to stay here and die with you?"

Kongji nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You just tried to stop me, which means you sensed that I saw through your methods. What you're really curious about is what methods I could use to disrupt the situation you've set up."

Kongji blinked.

Li Zhuiyuan: "So, you knew."

His empty, single eye revealed a deep sense of doubt.

At the same time, all the pagodas in Qinglong Temple emitted a collective stream of Buddhist light, which then converged on the pagoda closest to the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

At the top of the pagoda, a monk opened a box containing a fresh, bloody eye that could even turn.

After opening the box, the monk quickly ran down, but as a surge of evil energy was released from the eye, the monk still couldn't escape in time, and his body was washed away by the evil energy.

The monk sat slumped on the ground with a mournful face, his hands clasped together, tears streaming down his face.

The pagoda was bathed in golden light, but at its top, a heavy, malevolent force was pouring into the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda in front of it.

The Demon-Suppressing Tower trembled slightly.

The cracks that had been impossible to find began to heal themselves.

On the ground floor of the tower, the evil power that had been continuously flowing into Yayoi's body was now flowing out in reverse.

The monk Yayoi opened his mouth and clenched his fists. He was unwilling to fail like this. Before entering the tower, he had thought that he would start by absorbing from the first floor, and then go to the second and third floors after the next wave...

He was unwilling to give up. The weakest masters on the ground floor hadn't even finished inhaling before they were forced to stop and had to vomit it all back up.

"Why can you use evil spirits, but I can't?"

Is it because Heaven is unjust, favoring you above all others?

Yayoi's demonic half-face scanned the surroundings, muttering:
"Or is it that our temple is too crowded?"

……

The desolate, mummified corpse was puzzled by what the boy meant when he said, "So you knew all along."

But soon, the boy answered his question with his actions.

The boy, who had previously been engulfed in karmic flames and exuded a ghostly aura, suddenly shone with a great light of Buddha.

The empty, single eye stared open.

He couldn't understand how such extreme subversion of positive and negative aspects could appear so smoothly in one person.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the giant Buddha face in the sky.

That Buddha face was the manifestation of the Buddha-nature of the Void in this lifetime. When it was successfully displayed, it was like fireworks being set ablaze in the sky. There was no way to stop it; one could only wait for it to dissipate on its own.

However, instead of stopping them, you can actively integrate and eventually... control them.

Kongji is still sitting on the ground. That Buddha face is an unclaimed object; it will be obtained by the one who possesses it.

Li Zhuiyuan chanted Buddhist scriptures, attempting to sense the Buddha's face.

Sensing successful.

The Buddha's face clearly underwent a subtle change due to Li Zhuiyuan's actions.

Kongji opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. Then, he closed his mouth again, his eyes softening. Although he didn't know why the boy in front of him could cultivate such opposing methods, even though the boy's Buddhist nature was astonishing for his age, it was still far from being comparable to his own.

Li Zhuiyuan also noticed this, and he looked at A Li.

Ah Li opened her schoolbag and took out a prefabricated small altar.

The shelves on both sides are opened, a small offering table is placed, the sealing film is torn off, and the offerings, water, wine, paper money are burned and candles are lit, all in one go.

On the small altar stand, there are several scrolls with interlocking rings, all of which were painted by Ah Li herself.

The girl selected a picture with her fingertip, inserted her fingertip into the ring, and pulled it down. The image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stood on the altar.

Pre-made offerings are not only made up of the offerings themselves, but also, to improve efficiency, the objects to be offered to can also be pre-made, so that only the ones that are needed can be added, allowing for multiple offerings to one table.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Namo Amitabha Buddha, please listen to the Bodhisattva's wonderful Dharma!"

The Buddha's light emanated from the boy and intensified.

The empty, desiccated corpse opened its single eye again, not only because the boy's Buddhist nature had suddenly become more intense, but also because it saw two Bodhisattva images vying for power on the boy's face, competing to enhance his Buddhist nature.

Li Zhuiyuan tried to influence the Buddha's face above again. This time, the influence was stronger, and he could control the Buddha's face to make some changes in expression. However, when the boy tried to control the Buddha's face to close its eyes to interrupt the transmission, the Buddha's face eyelids trembled but could not close.

The silent, mummified corpse silently recited Buddhist scriptures, and the emotions in its single eye gradually dissipated.

It seemed to be saying in silence:
"No matter how many wonders you possess, you still underestimate the depth of this humble monk's lifelong Buddhist practice!"

Li Zhuiyuan had to admit that the Buddhist nature of the eminent monks of the Kong generation was indeed unattainable.

However, the boy was not discouraged.

At this moment, he was in a state of vying for favor with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, like Sun Baishen. His Buddha-nature was indeed abundant, but it was mottled and chaotic, far less pure than that of the eminent monk.

Now, I need not only greater growth, but also higher quality.

"Ali."

The girl understood, put away the Bodhisattva portrait of Sun Baishen, and pulled down another one, which was a traditional image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Since Sun Baishen was a competitor, he was not a true Bodhisattva. Therefore, in order to achieve his goal, Li Zhuiyuan had to ask the real Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for help.

Moreover, after the Great Emperor intervened and liberated several levels of hell last time, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was able to recover much of his suppressed power.

After being chosen by a single person, Li Zhuiyuan's Buddhist nature became pure.

Witnessing all this, Master Kongji had no doubt that, given the boy's age and the Buddhist nature he was currently displaying, if he were willing to enter Qinglong Temple, he would be revered as a contemporary Buddhist disciple. He would not only be a successor but also the designated candidate for the next abbot.

Master Kongji finally understood why the young man had been entrusted with the position of head of the Twin Dragon Kings Clan by the old lady Liu. Such a genius would be sought after and recommended by any power.

However, even so, you are not enough!
Li Zhuiyuan tried closing his eyes again, but the skin on the Buddha face above his head pulled down by half before stopping. The transmission of evil energy only slowed down a bit, but it was far from being interrupted.

This seems to be my limit. Even if I try to force things to grow faster using all sorts of unorthodox methods, I still can't compare to someone who has accumulated a lifetime of experience.

The mummy made a faint, barely audible sound from its mouth, but fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan had good hearing and heard it.

"Go to Qinglong Temple... to resolve the grudges... Qinglong will be your... assistant in suppressing the martial world."

Li Zhuiyuan thought this high monk was really shameless.

They were the ones in debt, but he not only wanted to personally visit them to burn the IOU and forgive them for what they had done, but also promised to support Qinglong Temple.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Master, do you really think you've won?"

The desiccated corpse stood silently, its gaze gentle, as if looking at the future of Qinglong Temple and even the entire Buddhist community.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell on the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in front of him.

Previously, it was only his own limit, not the limit of a Bodhisattva.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Please help me, Bodhisattva. If this is accomplished, I will grant you salvation in two levels of hell!"

The promise was made, but the Buddha-nature within the boy remained unchanged.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was not because the Bodhisattva was unmoved, but because the one who was stepping on Him would not allow it.

"Ali."

The girl retrieved the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and pulled down the image of the Emperor of Fengdu.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and wrote a line of text on a piece of yellow paper:

"Master, do you know about the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda of Qinglong Temple?"

After writing, the boy picked up the yellow paper with his fingertips and threw it into the brazier.

"boom!"

Flames erupted, instantly engulfing the yellow paper.

Ah Li put away the portrait of the Emperor of Fengdu. Before she could even pull up the second one, the portrait of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva fell down on its own with a "hum".

next moment,
The Buddha-nature within Li Zhuiyuan surged skyward!

(End of this chapter)