Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 241 Mountain-Driving Whip, Wu Song's Whereabouts
"We met again not long ago?!"

This time, it was Liu Sheng's turn to remain silent.

He had not seen Abbess Jingyue since he fell into the Four Phases Tribulation Realm.

Of the thirty or so Qi cultivators and demons who went through the tribulation together, only Prince Jin, Dugu Ba, and Black Wind King survived.

He, Liu, was the first person to land on the stone platform and encounter the golden-patterned vase.

He had carefully examined the scene at the time and found no remains of Abbess Jingyue among the dead Qi cultivators and demons.

Furthermore, the black hand that only he could see also disappeared after Abbess Jingyue went missing.

Unexpectedly, she met Du Bingyan not long ago!
It's unclear whether this Master Jingyue is the real Master Jingyue, or a "Master Jingyue" who may have been possessed by some remnant species.

Liu Sheng's eyes flickered a few times, he exchanged a glance with Du Bingyan, and then, forcing a smile, said:
"She was...fully healthy at the time?"

The old nun was ambushed by the Frost Wolf Demon and two other three-headed monsters, and lost an arm.

"Of course, and his understanding of Buddhism has greatly improved, and he exudes a strong Zen aura."

Du Bingyan nodded, seemingly lost in memories, and continued:
"It feels like facing a Buddha statue in a temple, peaceful and serene, inspiring involuntary faith..."

As she said this, she suddenly shivered, and a terrifying light flashed in her eyes, as if it were tangible.

No, this sense of conviction is wrong; it carries a strong suggestive quality, almost like a spell.

That's not the right way!

“You… my master…”

She swallowed hard, hesitating to speak.

Liu Sheng nodded and voiced his guess:
"She might be possessed by some kind of remnant species..."

He recounted his experience of walking through the ancient temple complex after landing on the island, especially his descriptions of Jingyue's account of the Four Tribulations and the Four Guardian Envoys before and after passing the blank mural.

"The Four Guardian Deities... Dragon King, Eloquent Deity, Myriad-Winged Bird, Yaksha King?"

Du Bingyan frowned, a look of doubt on her face, as if she were hearing about it for the first time.

It shouldn’t be!

The names of these things are clearly related to Buddhism.

Bingyan's wife is a highly accomplished disciple of Shuiyue Nunnery. She has been copying and reciting Buddhist scriptures since childhood and should be well-versed in various Buddhist stories. Why would she not have heard of them?

"After ancient times, there was a dark and turbulent period in which all the sects of the world, such as Taoism and Buddhism, almost disappeared."

Today, all the sects in various countries, whether Taoist or Buddhist, originated from scriptures unearthed from ancient ruins, which were then interpreted, understood, and developed.

This differs significantly from the Taoist and Buddhist traditions of ancient times.

After a moment's thought, Du Bingyan revealed her guess:

"The four guardians you mentioned may be some kind of guardians from the ancient Buddhist lineage."

Liu Sheng nodded, agreeing with her statement, and then solemnly reminded her to be careful of Abbess Jingyue, and mentioned the black severed hand.

"A black severed hand?"

Du Bingyan racked her brains, but couldn't come up with any connection to any Buddhist story.

They only knew they would be more vigilant.

Then she recounted her experience after entering the ruins.

She likely crossed the wooden gate and fell into the mirage illusion. Relying on her cultivation of the "Water Moon Sword Heart," she broke the illusion and then fought against various demons and Qi cultivators along the way.

Later, he joined Xie Bao, the Five Elements Sect, the Seven Clouds Sect, the Fuhu Temple, and others.

Afterwards, he subdued many Qi cultivators and martial artists from the Prince of Jin's mansion, demons from the White Lotus Sect, and many monsters from Black Wind Mountain.

Including Tiger Demon Wu Song.

Finally, the group of over forty people, including demons, arrived at a towering mountain. "That Xie Bao harbored malicious intentions; taking advantage of his familiarity with the ruins, he tricked us into the mountain's magical formation..."

At this point, Du Bingyan's tone rose involuntarily, her face filled with resentment, clearly indicating that she had suffered a considerable loss before.

Humans and demons trapped in the formation cannot leave. They cannot attack each other while trapped inside. They will be resurrected upon death and have no sense of hunger or thirst, just like being in a prison.

Only by digging open that great mountain can we break free from the formation and regain our freedom.

"At first, we didn't believe it. We tried various methods and found that it was true. In the end, we had no choice but to dig the mountain together."

They dug for who knows how many years, losing track of time, becoming dull and sluggish, like tireless puppets…

As Du Bingyan said this, fear appeared in her eyes.

Clearly, the memory of "digging mountains" was extremely agonizing, making one immortal, thirstless, and unable to drink, and imprisoned for countless years—truly terrifying.

Fortunately, during the process of digging the mountain, they would occasionally unearth some rare and precious materials, spiritual fruits, spiritual weapons, and the like, which was some consolation.

Finally, after digging for countless years, they finally broke open the great mountain and discovered a bronze whip, a magical artifact.

At that time, the magic array that had imprisoned everyone had disappeared.

Dozens of Qi cultivators and demons engaged in a fierce battle, fighting to seize the loot.

The group of humans and demons hated Xie Bao to the bone and joined forces to attack him, but they were killed by the strange swordsman beside him, and their heads rolled, making it difficult for them to get close.

In the end, they could only watch helplessly as he took away the bronze whip artifact.

Du Bingyan was always cautious and did not rush forward at the time. Later, when she saw that the situation was not good, she withdrew on the spot, thus escaping disaster.

During their escape, they encountered Abbess Jingyue, who guided them to flee in this direction.

"My master fled in another direction, drawing away the mysterious swordsman, while Xie Bao chased after me with his mountain-driving whip..."

Then I met you.

She mentioned meeting Master Jingyue during her escape, her tone subtle.

"Could that old nun be a fortune teller who could predict where I would pass by?"

Liu Sheng's breath hitched, he was horrified, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

What exactly was that old nun, or rather, that remnant that possessed her, planning?
There's always a feeling of being schemed against!
Uncomfortable!

I hope she gets killed by that mysterious swordsman.

Liu Sheng's gaze shifted, recalling the scene of the mysterious swordsman who instantly killed his two avatars with a single strike, and he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Fortunately, Bingyan's wife is alright.

However, Xie Bao was always scheming and plotting. This time, he schemed against a large number of humans and demons, and the copper whip he obtained was no ordinary weapon.

Its grade is no lower than that of the Golden Pattern Pure Bottle. Could it have been a Dao artifact in the past?
"I overheard Xie Bao mention that the bronze whip is called the Mountain-Moving Whip, which has the power to move mountains and is indestructible..."

Du Bingyan paused here, glanced at Liu Sheng, and then whispered:
"Your master... was also injured by this copper whip."

Master was injured by this Mountain-Driving Whip?!
Liu Sheng frowned. With Xie Bao's strength, even with the Mountain-Moving Whip, it was impossible...

"Xie Bao seized the Mountain-Driving Whip and handed it to the mysterious swordsman. After a fierce battle of more than ten moves, he injured Wu Song. I only managed to escape during that chaos."

Du Bingyan's few words provided details of the situation, but also vividly depicted the perilous circumstances at the time.

Given Master Wu Song's temperament, he would definitely seek revenge after being framed.

As a result, he fell into Xie Bao's trap. In addition, he was already injured, and his opponent had the Mountain-Driving Whip...

I wonder where my master is now?
If we can meet up with him and give him a few drops of sweet dew to help him regenerate his severed arm and be reborn, then we will be safe.

"He was retreating in that direction at the time..."

(End of this chapter)