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Chapter 38 Where is Buddha?
After the first seal was broken, the sky did not improve; instead, it became even darker.

The bright moon had vanished without a trace sometime ago, and the entire sky seemed to be shrouded in a deep black curtain, from which no light could be seen anymore.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to stop.

“Benefactor, time is running out.” The old monk looked up at the sky, his voice hoarse and rusty. “The Bodhisattva has seen you and me. It seems that He does not intend to wait for the full number of days, but is preparing to break the seal ahead of schedule.”

After saying that, he turned his head, his eyes as still as a deep well.

"This old monk is about to speed up, please keep up with me."

Zhou You nodded in agreement.

After giving the female ghost another mask, the two sides arrived at the crossroads again.

"Monk, shall we walk in the middle from here on out?"

To everyone's surprise, the other party shook their head and rejected the idea outright.

"No, the one in the middle has the most resentment. Even after using incense, this old monk still has to use his magic to suppress it, otherwise you will definitely not return. So this time we will go to the right."

"The eyeball is strange?" Zhou You frowned. "But monk, I've already used the cursed item for this path, how are you going to get through?"

The old monk raised his head, revealing a face covered with deep red veins.

"Don't worry, benefactor, this humble monk has a way."

So someone could only shrug and follow him.

As soon as he stepped into the intersection, the feeling of being 'watched' by something immediately came over him, and this time it was especially severe. Zhou You felt goosebumps instantly crawl all over his back—it was as if that thing was already close at hand, even though he had only just stepped into the road!
However, seeing the old monk's steady steps, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

After walking for about four or five minutes, the old monk suddenly stopped.

The eerie creature in the fog was restless, seemingly ready to strike at any moment. The surrounding lights flickered on and off, and if one peeked into them, one would find that what was inside were no longer light bulbs, but one bloody eyeball after another.

The old monk didn't look at those things. He gently touched his face, his withered fingers digging into his eye sockets, and then...
With a sudden force!

He actually gouged those eyes out himself!

There were no screams, no wails, and none of the convulsions that a normal person would experience when severely injured. The old monk simply held the moist eyeballs and began chanting scriptures rapidly.

"Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, preaching the Dharma to his mother. At that time, in countless worlds throughout the ten directions..."

Under this scripture, the eyes quickly solidified and hardened, becoming like real artificial eyes.

Then, just like Zhou You did at the beginning, the old monk crushed his two eyeballs without hesitation!

*Smack!*
Blood and mucus splattered everywhere!

Suddenly, a joyful voice came from the mist behind them. At the same time, the old monk turned around, his empty eye sockets open, and 'looked' at Zhou You.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
-
With hurried steps, Zhou You returned to the temple of the Vajrapani statue.

But this time, after hesitating for a long time, he looked at the old monk's empty eye sockets and said to him.

"Monk, is this the method you mentioned for 'bypassing the strange creature'?"

The old monk nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. These three monsters were all raised using the ‘stripping’ method. So, to get through them, we must deceive them with something imbued with yin energy, making them believe that this is what they are missing. And in this place, besides the old hag’s possession, all that’s left is this humble monk’s body that has passed through the hungry ghost realm.”

The old monk remained calm, as if losing both eyes was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Of course, this move can only be used once. If it weren't for the two magical items you brought, I could only break open one temple even if I risked my life."

After explaining to Zhou You, the old monk walked step by step to the Buddha statue, bowed devoutly as usual, and then bowed to it again.

Blood and filth surged in, causing the body to swell, then deflate as if punctured. This time, however, it didn't return to its original shape; instead, it appeared as if the person had gained weight. The sound of the liquid sloshing around could be heard as the person moved.

The old monk still didn't pay any attention.

He faced Zhou You with his blind eyes, his face remaining calm and composed.

"I'm sorry, benefactor, this humble monk is now blind. Please guide me on the way ahead."
-
The third road is much calmer than the previous two.

This time, however, the positions of the two sides have been reversed.

Zhou You was in front, and the old monk was behind.

Just as they were about to arrive at their destination, the old monk suddenly spoke.

“Benefactor, you can light incense here. That monster will die upon seeing it. You and I need to block its senses before we can pass.”

Zhou You agreed, took out a lighter, and was about to light it when the old monk suddenly said something.

“This old monk knows very well that you have been doubting me since just now, but now we have reached the most critical moment, and this humble monk only has one thing to say.”

"Please believe me, at the very least, this humble monk has no intention of harming you."

Zhou You smiled but did not reply. Instead, he lit the incense.

Then he spoke.

"Okay, I believe you."

Smoke swirled around the words, wisps of blue smoke rising gently as they spoke, then moving on their own as if manipulated by something, dispersing into the very front of the road.

Zhou You held up the burning incense stick, with the silent old monk following behind him. But just as he reached the devout ghost, the incense suddenly burned faster!

Just like that candle in Building 4, this thing will burn rapidly as long as you get close to the eerie object!
But at this moment, the old monk stepped forward.

“Benefactor, let me do it here.”

Without waiting for Zhou You's reply, he used his fingernails to cut open his wrist, from which dark black blood gushed out. However, when it was poured onto the incense, it did not extinguish the faint flame, but only slowed down the burning speed.

But correspondingly, the old monk's hand also turned into white bones!
"This incense will last for at least half an hour now, please continue, benefactor."

Soon, the thin old man reappeared, but this time he did not look at Zhou You. Instead, he stared ahead with a bewildered look. Although he had become a vengeful ghost, his expression was extremely infatuated. He just stared at the smoke without moving or uttering a word.

Although the old monk had lost his sight, he seemed to be able to sense the scene, so he explained from the side, "Using infant bones to make incense is a common practice in the XZ Tantric sect. It allows people and ghosts to see the scenery they miss the most. At this moment, this person must be reuniting with their family in a dream."

Then, he sighed softly.

"The girl who loves beauty most has her face peeled off, the child who loves to look up to his father most has his eyeballs gouged out, and the man who cherishes his family most has everything taken away. The Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva is such a being. She only likes to take away people's precious things, and will even deliberately make people destroy them with their own hands. Once she comes out, this city will surely become a living hell. This is the last one, benefactor, hurry up."

Zhou You nodded, then led the way into the fork in the road.

A few minutes later, the last temple appeared before him.

Seeing that the mission was about to be completed, Zhou You relaxed a lot. However, the moment he pushed open the door, all his expressions suddenly froze on his face.

Then, he turned his head with a creaking sound and asked the old monk.

"Monk, you said that once you break the seal on the three Buddhas, you can reseal the Bodhisattva, right?"

Seeing the old monk nod, Zhou You raised his arm and pointed into the temple.

"Then let me ask you."

"Where is the Buddha in this place?"

(End of this chapter)