Ultimate True Lord

Unlike the villagers beside him whose eyes were vacant and seemed to have lost their souls, the old man's eyes were bloodshot but still somewhat bright. He occasionally bent over perfunctorily, but didn't actually pray.

Just then, a low chanting sound drifted from the entrance of the village.

A group of people dressed in gray-brown cloth walked into the open space with neat but stiff steps. There were quite a few of them, more than a dozen. The middle-aged man at the head was probably the leader of the Yuanzhen Sect in Lijiazhuang.

This man had a gentle face, lowered eyebrows and eyes, and always wore a gentle smile. He looked refined and kind, like a gentry doing good deeds in the countryside.

Only those eyes, deep within, were cold and indifferent, looking at the people of Lijiazhuang as if they were livestock.

The middle-aged man was dressed in a muddy yellow long robe that was neither Taoist nor Buddhist, with wide sleeves like a Taoist robe and a collar like a monk's robe, and the color was dark.

"Master Sun!"

"The monk has arrived!"

The villagers who were praying in the open space were immediately excited when they saw him appear, and their faces showed awe.

They consciously stepped aside to make way for him.

The setting sun sank into the clouds, its red light spreading across the sky and spilling onto the giant clay sculpture in the center. On the surface of the clay figure, there seemed to be a faint layer of dark red mycelium and moss, which gleamed eerily crimson in the afterglow.

There was an indescribable eeriness about it.

In the open space, the Yuanzhen Sect's group pushed two wooden porridge carts over.

Two large black iron pots were placed on the cart, and the charcoal fire underneath had not yet completely died down. Inside, white porridge with some meat and oil was being cooked, and there was a stack of wheat cakes next to it.

The leader of the Yuanzhen Sect raised his hand, and the followers behind him quickly dispersed. They gently invited the villagers to line up, saying that the sect had come to distribute alms again today, and everyone could receive hot porridge and dry food.

"Thank you for your compassion, Venerable Master!"

"The Dharma Master is truly a living Bodhisattva!"

"Thanks to the monk for remembering us poor souls!"

The villagers instantly perked up, their numb faces showing a hint of longing, and they all stood up to line up, afraid that if they were a step too late, they would miss out.

Jiang Ming stood in the shadows, watching the scene from afar.

Then, the middle-aged man called Master Sun slowly walked to the stone statue and took out a thin, bamboo-like knife from his waist.

His movements were stealthy and swift. He raised his hand, touched the surface of the clay sculpture, and scraped off a layer of reddish fragments that looked like fungi or moss.

The crumbs fell in a flurry and were scattered into the boiling porridge pot beside it.

Afterward, he put away the knife and let it hang at his side again, continuing to chant scriptures in a low voice, looking compassionately at the villagers queuing up for porridge.

Half an hour later, many villagers in Lijiazhuang had already eaten a bowl of hot porridge and a wheat cake. In the open space, Master Sun took out a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged, and began chanting scriptures facing the setting sun.

"The Great Dao is formless, and the primordial essence gives birth to spirit. The primordial energy gives birth to all forms."

"The common people turn to the truth and devoutly recite the scriptures. They take food as their guide and rely on their vital energy."

"Nourish my sacred embryo, so that my body may be healthy and my spirit clear. May I be forever free from suffering, and enjoy lasting joy and peace."

"The primordial truth shines universally, and all three realms hear it. Wherever the precious scripture reaches, evil spirits cannot invade..."

In a short time.

The chanting of scriptures echoed gently across the open space.

Many villagers who received the porridge held their bowls and chopsticks, lowered their heads, and echoed the text of a scripture called the Yuanzhen Life-Protecting Treasure Scripture.

The entire village was enveloped in the sound of chanting.

On the open ground, the members of the Yuanzhen Sect each performed their duties.

Some stayed by the porridge cart, continuing to distribute food to the remaining villagers. Others were scattered on both sides of the queue, maintaining order.

He appears gentle, but in reality, he keeps a close watch on everyone present.

In a corner, the one-armed old man, Li, mingled in the crowd. He held a bowl of hot porridge, his lips moving as if he were chanting scriptures, but his eyes were constantly scanning the surrounding village out of the corner of his eye.

He had been trapped in Li Family Village for a long time and had roughly figured out the rules of the Yuanzhen Sect. Usually, the village was surrounded by people, guarded in layers.

Only when the monks distribute porridge and chant sutras will some of the believers on guard outside gather in an open space in the village.

This weakened the security around the village, making it the only vulnerability in the entire village.

This was his only chance to escape.

Old Li felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He was old, his vitality had long since declined, and he had lost an arm, leaving him with only a tenth of his former skills.

If it were during their heyday, they definitely wouldn't have been trapped here for a whole month.

He suppressed his distracting thoughts and waited quietly.

When the chanting in the open space of the village reaches its noisiest and loudest moment.

Old Li's eyes suddenly narrowed, his waist slumped, and he casually tossed aside the porridge bowl. Like an arrow released from a bow, he suddenly charged towards the edge of the village!

He moved very quickly, running dozens of meters in an instant.

However, the commotion was quickly exposed.

At the foot of the village wall, two Yuanzhen Sect members on guard instantly noticed the unusual movement. Their eyes sharpened, and they immediately took off to give chase.

"You old codger! You still dare to think about running away?"

The two men spoke rapidly, their faces cold and stern, their eyes fixed on the fleeing old man ahead, closing in step by step.

Old Li is frail and elderly, and after being trapped here for a month, his energy and blood are completely depleted. He was just exerting all his strength to suddenly accelerate, but such a burst of speed cannot be sustained for long.

In just two or three breaths, his speed visibly slowed down.

When they were only a few steps away from the earthen wall with a large hole at the village entrance, the two believers behind them were already very close.

One of them, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, quickly raised the short knife in his hand, ready to slash down fiercely.

Just then, a dozen or so packages of oil paper shot out from one side of the hole like a shower of flowers from a fairy maiden.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

As if it had eyes, the oil paper package just barely missed the outline of the running old man Li, and struck the two believers directly.

"Bang bang bang!"

The paper package exploded on the spot, turning into plumes of lime powder that filled the sky.

The two followers were instantly struck, screaming in agony as they clutched their eyes and rolled on the ground, uttering cries of pain.

"this……"

Old Li suddenly stopped, startled.

Outside the wall, it seemed someone was helping him.

"Go over the wall, into the woods, and run to the left."

In the dim woods, a voice drifted erratically, seemingly coming from behind some shady tree.

Old Li didn't dare to delay. He immediately leaped over the hole in the earthen wall and plunged into the woods.

The forest was dimly lit, the trees were dense, and visibility was poor.

After running only a few dozen steps, the voice rang out again in the distance: "Turn to the right, go around the dead tree."

He was filled with doubt, but dared not hesitate. He turned around and quickly went around it.

Before Old Man Li could run a few more steps, the voice came again: "Go to the left, away from those two trees that are next to each other."

He was being directed around in circles, the route was all twists and turns, and he was completely confused. Old Man Li could only follow the instructions with all his might.

Behind him, the sound of hurried footsteps and shouts soon followed.

The dozen or so members of the Yuanzhen Sect noticed something amiss and rushed into the forest. With Old Man Li constantly taking detours, they quickly caught up with them aggressively.

The leader was a burly man with a rugged face and a face full of scars. He ran with the speed and power of a tiger, charging aggressively at the front. He looked at the thin old man fleeing in front of him, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

That reckless old fool, he actually dared to run away!

There are two hidden sentries in this forest; once they hear any commotion, they'll surround him, and he won't be able to escape. Even if he runs to the ends of the earth today, he won't be able to...

"Pfft!!!"

The burly man's foot suddenly tightened, and a piercing pain shot through his calf, causing him to instantly kneel on the ground.

He looked down and saw that his face was pale and contorted, and he let out a painful growl.

"Where did this bear trap come from?!"

"Damn it, who put this here?!"

The iron clamp, covered in jagged serrations, pierced deeply above his ankle, drawing blood and revealing glimpses of broken, scarlet muscle and white bone fragments.

After a roar, the burly man let out a heart-wrenching howl of pain: "Ugh... Ahhhhhh!"