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Chapter 203 The Legend of Gufeng Temple
In the secluded and quiet secret room, the thick darkness seems to swallow everything.

There were only two figures emitting faint light standing facing each other.

Although the light was dim, it highlighted their blurry outlines and created a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

"I believe ghosts exist in this world."

Fang Cheng's tone of answer was full of confidence.

Seeing that the Smiling Demon was a little surprised, he spread out his hands that were glowing with flames and said:

"Aren't we two like ghosts now? We are in the world of consciousness, and outside of reality. What is the difference between this state and the ghosts in the legend?"

The Smiling Devil heard this and shook his head slightly:
"This is different."

He paused, as if thinking about how to phrase it, and explained after a moment:
"Our consciousness is only in this special mental space, while our body still exists in the real world. It is like having a lucid dream, and we are still the same after waking up."

"And ghosts, according to the commonly known concept, are completely separated from the physical body and are supernatural spirits."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly to show his approval.

In fact, what he really wanted to say was his identity as a time traveler. Of course, this secret was not suitable to be shared with others.

After thinking for a while, he continued in a calm tone:

"I have never seen a ghost myself, but I believe that after death, there should be a soul that continues to exist, waiting to enter reincarnation and be reborn into the world again."

"I don't know whether ordinary people's souls continue after death. As for the theory of reincarnation, I'm afraid no one can confirm this."

The Smiling Devil made a few comments on Fang Cheng's words, and then changed the subject:
"But I know that when a person's spiritual energy reaches a certain limit, his consciousness will not dissipate after death, but will seek something to rely on, just like a candle in the wind, stubbornly burning the last glimmer of light."

He raised his head with a deep gaze, as if staring into the endless void, and saw many twisted shadows hidden in the darkness.

"There is a legend over at Xishan that in ancient times, a great monk at Gufeng Temple passed away. After that, every full-moon night, the sound of chanting could be heard from the dry well in the temple. The villagers said that it was because the great monk was too obsessed with his thoughts, and his soul was attached to the water at the bottom of the well, unwilling to leave the world."

"In fact, there may be another possibility. The spirit in that well is not the deceased monk's soul, but some evil ghosts that have been trapped for a long time and are full of resentment."

"They slaughtered lives during their lifetime, their bodies were stained with blood, and after death they turned into evil creatures that were difficult to eliminate, lingering in the gap between yin and yang. Therefore, every full moon night, the monks recite scriptures collectively, hoping to dissolve their evil spirits and liberate their souls..."

The Smiling Demon said as he floated around the room.

The dim fluorescent light, like a ghost fire, followed his figure, drawing a series of illusory tracks.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered and he asked:
"What does this legend have to do with Jiang Chen?"

The Smiling Devil was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly in a storytelling tone:

"Do you know that as early as two thousand years ago, during the ancient Yu Dynasty, Gufeng Temple was just like its name, sitting like a lost pearl on the top of a steep mountain surrounded by clouds and mist?"

"At that time, a massive movement to destroy Buddhism and end worship suddenly arose in the imperial court. Gufeng Temple was well-known and had many believers, but it also became a thorn in the court's side."

"So, a certain general was ordered to lead an elite army to a temple in a remote mountain area to launch a conquest."

"The army is approaching, the temple gates are tightly closed, but the monks are unarmed but show no fear, and continue to chant sutras devoutly in front of the temple, as if they are using the sound of Sanskrit to resist the coming bloody storm."

"But this could not stop the general's determination to achieve great things. As his soldiers poured into the temple like a tide, shouts and screams were intertwined for a while."

"The soldiers brandished their sharp blades and chopped down anyone they saw. The monks' robes were instantly stained with blood. Buddha statues also fell to the ground and shattered in the chaos."

"At first, the general might have had a trace of compassion in his heart, but as the killing intensified, blood kept splattering on his armor amid the flashes of swords and sabers, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air, his character quietly changed."

"Every swing of the sword, every scream, seemed to numb his conscience, and an inexplicable fanaticism and hostility grew in his heart."

"The moment he stepped into the back hall of the temple, the smell of incense in the hall and the bloody smell outside collided with each other, which was very strange. In the dark, it seemed that a mysterious force was whispering and inspiring him."

"His eyes gradually became blurred, and his steps uncontrollably moved towards a forbidden area behind the palace. There was an ancient and mysterious object sealed in the dust. It was said that it contained a shocking secret that could overthrow the entire Dayu Dynasty. However, for hundreds of years, it had been suppressed by a Buddha statue tens of meters high."

"The general was completely driven by the inexplicable power at this time. He ordered his soldiers to dig into the Buddha statue and destroy the seal."

"After a few days and nights, the seal glowed brightly, as if a door to the netherworld had been opened. A black mist of extreme coldness surged out. The mist seemed to be inhabited by evil spirits from the Avici Hell. It instantly entangled the generals and the surrounding soldiers, corroding their bodies and minds."

"The eyes of the strongest general seemed to be burning with will-o'-the-wisp fire, and his blood vessels bulged under his skin like earthworms. His body twisted and spasmed uncontrollably. In the blink of an eye, he was the first to transform into a horrific monster."

"The general who turned into a monster completely lost his mind and roared as he pounced on the soldiers beside him. His sharp teeth and claws instantly tore through the flesh, and blood splattered."

"The other soldiers who were swallowed by the black fog also mutated and became man-eating zombies. The remaining soldiers who did not mutate were terrified. They had never seen such a horrific scene. The morale of the army was immediately thrown into chaos and they fled in all directions. However, how could they escape the crazy pursuit of those monsters?"

"Then, just like the cycle of cause and effect, these soldiers who had just raised their butcher knives against the monks also suffered a devastating disaster, and the entire Gufeng Temple was completely reduced to a ghost town..."

Listening to him telling a thrilling secret that happened in history, Fang Cheng frowned slightly, a trace of thought flashed in his eyes, and then asked:
"What happened next? How did the court deal with these ghouls that were transformed from soldiers?"

"Later, the imperial court received a report and realized that ordinary soldiers could not deal with these monsters, so they gathered the strength of dozens of noble families at the time, killed these ghouls one by one, and dug up the underground palace and ancient tombs, sealing all the evil things inside. Then they ordered that the place be heavily sealed off and no one was allowed to approach."

The Smiling Devil spoke slowly, his voice a little hoarse, as if he was telling a long-lost dream.

"Time flies. Hundreds of years have passed. Dynasties have changed. New rulers have come to power. Folk Buddhism and Taoism have quietly risen again. Believers have raised funds to rebuild Gufeng Temple not far from the old site."

"After the new temple was built, it seemed that the bloody and bizarre past was only passed down by word of mouth by the local people, becoming a terrifying legend. Even as time passed, even the legend gradually changed and was completely forgotten."

After hearing this story, Fang Cheng vaguely guessed something and couldn't help asking:
"How do you know these things so clearly?"

"If I say that I dream about these scenes every night, would you still believe me? Do you think that this story is just my imagination in a state of mental disorder?"

The smiling devil stopped and looked at Fang Cheng with his head slightly tilted.

"I believe what you say."

Fang Cheng then replied calmly.

The Smiling Devil smiled when he heard this, and continued, "Historically, Gufeng Temple experienced wars, fires, and other causes, and was slightly damaged. It was moved and rebuilt from the original top of the mountain to the mountainside, and has long been far away from its original location."

"More than two months ago, the archaeological team excavated the place where the headless Buddha statue was located. They accidentally broke the seal and released all the evil things inside..."

Fang Cheng nodded in understanding and said in a deep voice:

"So, the source of the black rain is from the underground palace tomb in Xishan. Jiang Chen is the general who led the army to destroy Gufeng Temple. Two thousand years later, by chance, he escaped from the seal."

There seemed to be a cold light flashing in the eyes of the smiling demon, and a slightly mocking arc appeared at the corner of his mouth:

“Oh, after two thousand years, even the king of ghouls, his body has long since decayed into ashes, and now he is just a lonely ghost relying on his obsession to survive…”

Fang Cheng stared at the smiling devil, thinking something in his heart, but he said calmly:
"Even if it is just a lonely ghost, it can still maintain its consciousness for two thousand years, so it should not be underestimated...

When the Smiling Devil heard this, a fleeting look of fear appeared on his face.

Fang Cheng saw this kind of hypocritical behavior that was a mixture of contempt and fear, but he didn't point it out.

For some things, if the other party doesn't say it actively, there is no need to ask more questions.

However, at least a few points can now be confirmed.

First, when the explosion occurred in Xishan, this guy must have been at the scene or wandering nearby.

Secondly, after Jiang Chen escaped from trouble, he had already contacted him in some way, and the communication between the two sides was definitely not pleasant.

Thirdly, as Xu Fei and Chen Lei said, Jiang Chen indeed possessed extraordinary means. Even though his body was blown into pieces by missiles, his soul did not disappear.

The two of them didn't speak for a long while, and the chat room fell into silence again.

The Smiling Devil suddenly seemed to have thought of something, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he stared at Fang Cheng:

"I heard that the building you live in has been sealed off by the police for several days. Could it be that you were mistaken for Jiang Chen's accomplice and were visited by the special search team?"

Fang Cheng didn't answer, nor was he surprised.

This guy comes here to send me celebrity cards whenever he has nothing to do. He must be paying attention to his own situation.

He must have known about the unexpected changes in the tube building.

Seeing Fang Cheng's silent "unlucky" look, the smiling devil's mouth corners unconsciously raised, and he said with interest:

"How is it? It feels sour to be targeted by those hounds, right? You came to me specially tonight, do you need my help?"

Fang Cheng didn't want to pay attention to his sarcasm, but when he heard this, his heart moved, and he nodded sincerely:

"Besides the matter of Jiang Chen, I really want to know what methods the special search team uses to distinguish us from ordinary people and find the traces of monsters in the vast sea of people."

Upon hearing this, the Smiling Devil's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction.

"Haha, the way the special search team distinguishes between humans and non-humans is not too complicated. There are only three types..."

He had no intention of keeping the secret, for one thing, he knew Fang Cheng's temper, and for another, there would be no harm in telling the whole story.

So he raised his chin slightly, the evil aura emanating from his body became stronger, and he answered in a slightly hoarse voice:

"The first method is to observe the target's pupils."

"The pupil of a normal human being, when the light is stable, is basically constant in size and has a warm and uniform color."

"But for extraordinary humans like us, once we use our abilities, our pupils will change instantly, like the pupils of awakened beasts, expanding or contracting to an extreme, and the color will become strange. However..."

He paused, glanced at Fang Cheng, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"This method has significant limitations. As long as the target is alert, deliberately keeps his emotions calm, restrains his mind, and hides his own aura, it will be difficult for the other party to detect any abnormality."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

I have experienced this myself, and wearing glasses is like an extra layer of insurance.

"The second method is that the special search team raises some 'search dogs' to search for targets hiding in the crowd."

Then, he tilted his head slightly and continued with a somewhat disdainful tone:
"These are not hounds in the literal sense. They are actually the five types of predators I told you about. They were captured alive by the special search team, and then controlled and tamed through special means to be used as hounds."

"They are extremely sensitive to the unique scent of their own kind. As long as they get close, even if they have restrained all their abilities and disguise themselves as ordinary people, the search dogs can use their extraordinary sense of smell to sense the restlessness from a long distance and actively track the target, alerting the special search team members."

"As for the third method, it belongs to the medical field, which is to conduct a physical examination and a comprehensive investigation. The most important means is to draw blood samples to test whether the RC cell count in the blood is within the normal range..."

"RC cells?"

Fang Cheng couldn't help but ask.

I immediately recalled the conversation between the doctors that I overheard while lying outside the windowsill that night.

"Correct."

The smiling demon nodded and said solemnly: "Detecting the value of RC cells in the human body can be said to be the most accurate way to identify the degree of a person's mutation."

"For ordinary humans, this value is usually below 500. For special search team members who have been injected with strengthening drugs, it is between 500 and 1000. The children of noble families can maintain it at around 1000. For predators like us, it is basically above 1000, and there are many who even exceed 2000."

"The higher the RC cell value, the stronger the physical fitness, the stronger the recovery and regeneration ability, the higher the level as a predator, and the greater the chance of mental loss of control."

"It can be said that as long as the RC cell value in your body exceeds the limit, you will definitely change from a human to a non-human, and eventually become a complete monster."

(End of this chapter)