On the Ark.

At this moment, Skadi, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up: "Does that divine beast under the Kongo throne really exist?"

"The divine beast under the Vajra Throne?" The Iron-Eating Beast looked at Skadi with some surprise. "Are you referring to the Nian Beast?"

Skadi hummed in agreement. She wasn't interested in most things in Yan Kingdom, except for the Nian beast under the Vajra Throne.

“That kind of thing is just a legend,” the Iron-Eating Beast said with a laugh. “Such legends probably exist everywhere, right? Their authenticity is debatable. Like when I went abroad to film movies before, someone told me that the deep sea was full of monsters, and that a snowy country called Sherag even worshipped a true god. How could that be possible?”

Lin Ye couldn't help but glance at the Iron-Eating Beast.

He really wanted to tell the Iron Eater that those things were real, and that one of them was standing right next to him, smiling at him.

However, if the legends that the Iron-Eating Beasts believe to be true are real, then does the Nian Beast under the Vajra Throne, which they also believe to be true, also exist?

Lin Ye asked, "Could you tell me more about that Nian beast?"

"You can just listen to what the tour guide says," the Iron-Eating Beast stopped and pointed to the continuous mountain range. "According to legend, Nian is sleeping under these mountains. When the power of the Demon-Suppressing Vajra disappears, it will break out of the ground and continue to harm the area. But who would believe such a legend?"

Chapter 526 The Vajra Pestle is Broken! (3K5)

Lin Ye felt that the Iron-Eating Beast was setting a flag, especially after she used the deep sea and Kalan as examples, which made the feeling of déjà vu even stronger. Lin Ye even suspected that the legendary Nian Beast might burst out of the mountain at any moment, its blood-red maw gaping open, saying to them, "Ha, didn't expect that, did you!"

That would be incredibly stupid.

"What's with all those expressions?" the Iron-Eating Beast said. "Don't you believe me? Do you really think the Nian Beast exists?"

Lin Ye shook his head, not wanting to explain anything, and simply said, "How could that be? We're not children anymore."

"Yes, only children would be scared by monsters," the Iron-Eating Beast said with a laugh.

Please stop making predictions! I'm so afraid the Nian monster will pop out any second now!

Lin Ye thought to himself.

But even if it did emerge, it wouldn't seem to matter much; he still has Skadi and Messiah by his side. With those two teaming up, what monsters and demons couldn't they defeat? Just one... Stop! Don't think about such dangerous things!

Lin Ye shook his head repeatedly, shaking off those unrealistic thoughts, and then said, "Let's hurry up the mountain and talk at that temple."

Everyone agreed. They weren't far from the summit anymore; after walking for about ten more minutes, they saw the ancient temple. Just as the guide had said, compared to the temple halfway up the mountain, this temple at the summit was incredibly dilapidated and small. Its area was estimated to be less than a third the size of the Fubo Temple halfway up the mountain, consisting of only a few old houses and earthen walls that were almost half-collapsed.

"Is this the place?" Lin Ye asked. "Is there anyone else inside?"

“Of course I have it.” The Iron-Eating Beast took the lead and walked at the front. “Why would I have come all the way here if I didn’t have it?”

"So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Just trying to clear my head," the Iron-Eating Beast shrugged and said. "And maybe pray to the gods and Buddhas while I'm at it. What else can I do? The temple down there is just too noisy; there's no way to find peace and quiet. This is the only place I can come to."

"You knew about this place all along?"

“Yes, I know the abbot here.” The Iron-Eating Beast stood in front of the temple gate and pointed to the plaque above. “Look what this is?”

Everyone looked up and saw three large characters engraved on the old plaque.

Fubo Temple.

"This is also the Fubo Temple?" Grani asked in surprise. "What about the one below?"

A weathered voice slowly rang out: "That is nothing but a noisy place that has stolen our name. This is the true Fubo Temple."

Everyone turned around and saw an old man in a monk's robe slowly walk out, then stand in front of them, scan the crowd with his cloudy eyes, and then slowly speak.

“I have been waiting for you for a long time,” the old man said. “This temple has also been waiting for you for a long time.”

At that moment, the aura of a highly accomplished monk swept over them, and Lin Ye immediately felt that they had come to the right place.

Before they could even speak, the old man said again, "Since you're here, come in with me."

After saying this, the old man turned and went into the temple. The others exchanged glances and followed him in.

After entering the temple, you can still hear the old man in front saying in a low voice, "My Buddhist name is Buxing. I am the eighteenth abbot of Fubo Temple. Like the seventeenth abbot before me, I am responsible for guarding the Nian beast."

Lin Ye looked surprised: "The Nian Beast? Does it really exist?"

“If the year does not exist, then what is the meaning of my existence?” Master Buxing asked.

Hmm... Although it feels like a rather pointless statement, it still feels quite philosophical.

Perhaps intimidated by the aura of the enlightened monk Master Buxing, none of them spoke, and they quietly followed him into the main hall. Upon entering the hall, everyone immediately noticed the statue of the Vajra Suppressing Demon in the center of the hall. It was basically the same as the Vajra Suppressing Demon statue in the Fubo Temple halfway up the mountain, but it was much more dilapidated, giving it a sense of vicissitudes of time.

The only difference is that the Demon-Suppressing Vajra statue here has an extra rusty copper rod compared to the one below.

Master Buxing stood before the statue of the Demon-Suppressing Vajra, facing the crowd.

"You've finally arrived," Master Buxing said slowly. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

At this point, Grani finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Did you expect us to come?"

"Of course," Master Bu said calmly. "Ah San, Ah Si, come out and greet our distinguished guests."

As soon as Master Buxing finished speaking, two more monks carrying brooms walked in and stood beside him.

Looking at the brooms in their hands, Lin Ye couldn't help but think of the Sweeping Monk from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

"How did you know?" Lin Ye couldn't help but ask.

"How do I know? It's simple," Master Cloth said slowly. "Which one is Miss Iron-Eating Beast?"

The iron-eating beast jumped out: "It's me."

"Yes, so you booked a week-long tour package to our Zhenfubo Temple online, right?" Master Buxing asked.

Ok?

Lin Ye frowned, suddenly realizing that things weren't so simple.

Did he just hear some strange words from this enlightened monk?

Online?! A week-long trip?! A package deal?!

“Yes, yes,” the Iron-Eating Beast nodded repeatedly. “I booked a deluxe room.”

A look of joy immediately appeared on the weathered face of the cloth merchant.

“No problem!” Master Buxing said with a smile. “The room has been prepared for you long ago. Ah, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you for many days, hoping for your arrival day and night. Don’t worry, I will definitely provide you with the best service… However, shouldn’t we pay part of the room fee first?”

“No problem,” the Iron-Eating Beast said. “I’ll pay in full… Hey, Lin Ye, your expression is weird.”

Lin Ye no longer wanted to speak.

What the hell is this? What "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"? What enlightened monks? What reclusive sects?

They even support online booking! And the abbot himself came to pick me up after I booked a room... Oh, so this is what the Iron Eater meant when he said "I know the abbot here"—it's just about booking a room online.

At this moment, Warfarin, who had been observing Lin Ye for a long time, also laughed without any conscience.

"Lin Ye, your expression is absolutely hilarious." Warfarin patted Lin Ye on the shoulder, her eyes almost squinting into slits. "Is this the reclusive sect you were talking about before? It's really quite funny."

Lin Ye didn't want to pay any attention to Hua Falin, who was kicking him while he was down. She had supported him going up the mountain before, so why was she only here to mock him now? That was utterly shameless! Of course, the most shameless thing was this dilapidated temple. Why did it have to be located here?! Since they'd already decided to open here, couldn't they at least be a little more sophisticated?! And what's with accepting online bookings?!

He didn't even want to complain anymore.

At this moment, the abbot turned his attention to them again: "Who are these people?"

"Oh, they're my friends." The Iron-Eating Beast turned to Lin Ye and asked, "Would you like to stay for a few nights? I can treat you."

"No need," Lin Ye said irritably. "Let's go back to the Fubo Temple down there and stay there. I think it's better there."

Lin Ye's words immediately displeased Master Buxing: "This benefactor, please do not compare us with them; they are not qualified."

"Why aren't they qualified?" Warfarin said with a smile. "At least their environment is better."

"Environment? How can their environment compare to ours?" Master Buxing said. "Our place is where the Immortal Fubo suppressed the Nian beast thousands of years ago! Even now, it still shoulders the mission of sealing the Nian beast. The Immortal Fubo's magic power protects the entire temple. How could those imposters down there compare?"

Grani didn't really want the master to say that the Fubo Temple below was a scam, because she had bought the most expensive incense. So she said somewhat unhappily, "Anyway, that Nian beast is all fictional, you can say whatever you want."

Master Bu stared at Grani: "How could the Nian beast be fictional?!"

"Then where is it?"

"It's right here in these mountains!"

“The temple down there said something similar,” Lin Ye added, speaking up for Grani. “Even if both the Nian Beast and the True Man Fubo exist, who knows which one is real and which one is fake?”

Master Cloth Shop snorted coldly: "You've hit the nail on the head."

He took a step back, revealing the entire statue of the Demon-Suppressing Vajra to everyone. Then, pointing to the bronze staff in front of the statue, he said, "This is the magical artifact used by Master Fubo to suppress the Nian beast, called the Demon-Subduing Pestle! The Demon-Subduing Pestle still retains the power of Master Fubo. This is a true divine artifact, enough to prove the authenticity of our temple."

Lin Ye really wanted to say, "Isn't this just a broken stick?" But then he suddenly felt something was off, because Skadi and Messiah seemed to have been silent for a while. So he turned his head and looked over, and found that Skadi and Messiah were both looking at the Vajra pestle, and then he realized something.

No way.

He also looked at the Vajra Pestle, though he still couldn't see anything about it.

At this moment, Grani was still arguing with Master Bu Xing: "Isn't that just an ordinary stick?"

"How could it be just an ordinary stick?!" Master Buxing was truly furious. He turned around, picked up the vajra from the statue, and handed it to Grani. "Feel it and see if it's just an ordinary stick!"

"Fine, I'll touch it then." Grani had wanted to touch it for a while, and since Master Buxing had said so, she took the vajra directly. A few seconds later, she showed a surprised expression, "What, what's going on?"

Lin Ye was also itching to try it out. He had originally wanted to ask Messiah first, but then thought better of it and went straight over to ask, "Can I give it a try?"

Master Bu glanced at Lin Ye and sneered, "Originally, only distinguished guests like the Iron-Eating Beast were allowed to touch the Vajra Pestle."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself, "Isn't this just spending money? What a tasteless gadget!"

"However, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you touch it," Master Buxing said with a touch of pride. "Let you feel the presence of Master Fubo. Maybe it will help you understand some things. This can be considered education. Go ahead and touch it."

Although Lin Ye was somewhat annoyed by Master Bu Xing's tone, he was still quite pleased to be able to touch the artifact for free, so he held back.

"Come, come, let me see." Lin Ye stretched out his hand to Grani, who handed him the Vajra Pestle.

He caught the vajra firmly, then held it in his hand and weighed it, feeling nothing unusual at all.

"There's nothing special about this..."

Halfway through his sentence, a crisp sound rang out.

The Vajra Pestle suddenly broke in two in Lin Ye's hand and fell to the ground.

Everyone lowered their heads, watching as the broken Vajra Pestle slid down the uneven floor and rolled to the corner of the wall, without any reaction.

Until the cloth shop master slowly raised his hand, covered his chest, stared wide-eyed, and parted his lips slightly.

"Subdue, subdue, subdue the demon pestle..." He couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Uh." Lin Ye scratched his head, completely at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, "This stick seems to be of poor quality, huh?"