Chaos Spirit Field

The three of them entered Lanruo Temple and saw that it was overgrown with weeds, clearly having been abandoned for a long time. Just then, a gust of cold wind blew, and Long Shisi couldn't help but sneeze. He said, "Master, the ghost energy here is so fierce. Let's go."

Zhao Shanhe teased, "Little Fourteen, look at how useless you are! You're actually afraid of ghosts. Go clean up the meditation room. We're probably going to be staying here for a few days."

Long Shisi replied, "Master, I am a horse now. I can't always do the dragon's work."

Zhao Shanhe rubbed his head and said with an expression of sudden enlightenment, "This poor monk's memory is really bad. I forgot you are now a horse. There are so many weeds in the temple. Go and eat them. Wukong, if Long Shisi can't finish them before sunset, give him a stick."

Yuan Hong replied, "Master, I, Old Sun, understand."

Long Shisi panicked when he saw Yuan Hong take out the golden hoop. He quickly said, "Master, can't I go clean the meditation room? Can you let Big Brother go with me? Little Shisi is most afraid of ghosts."

"Wukong, accompany Long Shisi to clean up the Zen room."

Yuan Hong and Long Shisi went to the meditation room. Zhao Shanhe walked to the old locust tree in the middle of the temple and said, "I've been watching for so long, but you still haven't shown up."

A young girl suddenly appeared before Zhao Shanhe. She said, "My name is Lanruo, and I'm honored to meet the holy monk."

Zhao Shanhe couldn't help but sigh, "One misstep leads to eternal regret. You should have achieved a positive result, but in the end, you couldn't escape the word love. The fault is not yours. I am willing to help you enter the cycle of reincarnation. Are you willing?"

Lan Ruo shook her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Saint Monk. I will wait for him to return."

"Everyone has his or her own mission. If you are unwilling to enter the cycle of reincarnation, I will have no choice but to destroy you."

"Holy Monk, I have never harmed a good person. Why are you forcing me so hard?"

"Miss Lanruo, it is precisely because your sins are not serious that I am telling you so much."

"Holy monk, can you listen to my story?"

"If you have nothing to do, it's okay to listen."

Lan Ruo said, "I was an abandoned baby, raised by a locust tree. When I was sixteen, I met a dying monk, and I begged the locust tree mother to bring him back to life. The monk's name was Jin Chi. He taught me how to speak, taught me Buddhist scriptures, and even built this Lan Ruo Temple for me. One day, he said he had something to do and needed to leave for a while. A few days later, a group of bandits came to the temple, killing anyone they saw. They saw me and wanted to assault me, but I refused to be humiliated and crashed into the locust tree. Just as my soul was about to be shattered, the locust tree mother pulled my soul into her body, and we became one. We killed all the bandits, and I waited for a thousand years, but Jin Chi never returned. He owed me an explanation."

Zhao Shanhe calculated with his fingers and said, "Miss Lanruo, your story is incomplete. Those bandits back then were monks in disguise. You suspect they were sent by Jin Chi, right?"

"How do you know? Are you Jin Chi?" Lan Ruo became extremely excited, and the big locust tree behind her took an attacking posture.

Zhao Shanhe looked at the excited Lan Ruo in front of him, his eyes as calm as water, and said softly: "Miss Lan Ruo, don't be so excited. If I were Jin Chi, I wouldn't be talking nonsense with you. I would directly kill the demons and monsters. You might as well listen to my story."

"I would like to hear the details."

"In Northern Qi, there was a prince named Jin Chi. Born bald, he often disguised himself as a monk to hide his embarrassment. Family affection was completely absent within the royal family. Hunted by the eldest prince of Northern Qi, he accidentally fell off a cliff. Fortunately, he met you and was rescued by you. Later, he discovered your special ability to communicate with plants, so he built Lanruo Temple here, intending to use you to seduce innocent girls for his own sexual pleasure. Later, the King of Northern Qi passed away, and the eldest and third princes died of poisoning. Jin Chi was about to ascend the throne and sent his monk army to Lanruo Temple to silence you."

Lan Ruo listened to Zhao Shanhe's story, her emotions becoming increasingly agitated. She shouted, "Impossible! Jin Chi loves me! You lied to me! He couldn't possibly kill me." Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

Zhao Shanhe continued, "Miss Lanruo, I haven't finished my story yet. Not long after Jin Chi ascended the throne, he suddenly discovered that his body was slowly turning into wood. Eventually, his crime was exposed, and he was burned alive as a demon. Northern Qi was left without a king, plagued by internal and external troubles, and ultimately fell into ruin."

"Holy monk, who killed Jin Chi?"

"Miss Lanruo, you weren't abandoned back then but a dead baby. You were born in a Yin year, Yin month, Yin period, and became a ghost after death. The locust tree has long been a spirit, and all of this is her doing."

Zhao Shanhe's words made Lan Ruo very excited. She said angrily, "Impossible! Huaishu's mother is so kind. You are talking nonsense."

At this moment, an old woman in black appeared out of nowhere and said, "Saint monk, you have a good eye. All of this is my fault. The entire Jin family of Northern Qi deserves death."

Zhao Shanhe said, "So many people died because of your hatred. Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

The old woman in black sneered, "Conscience, it's really funny to hear you say that. Zhao Shanhe, you slaughtered the entire Ouyang clan of Daliang because of one person. How are you any better than me? We are actually the same kind of people."

Zhao Shanhe sighed, "Perhaps. I have already paid the price, and you should pay the price you deserve. Wukong, give her a blow with the stick and let her pass away peacefully."

The old woman in black was not at all panicked. She seemed to have expected it. It was not that Yuan Hong had betrayed her, but that he was trapped in the formation and could not escape.

The old woman in black said complacently, "Zhao Shanhe, although Yuan Hong's magic power is great, he can't save your life."

Zhao Shanhe replied calmly, "I'm not the Tang Monk in Journey to the West. I still have some strength. It shouldn't take me long to defeat a celestial-level tree demon. I'll kneel down when I see you."

Before she finished speaking, the old woman in black flew out. She knelt on the ground, spitting out green liquid. She struggled to stand up and said, "Zhao Shanhe, you are so strong."

Zhao Shanhe didn't seem to be in a hurry to deal with the tree demon. He replied, "When I was in the Divine Transformation Stage, I was able to fight against Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun. Now I'm in the Fusion Stage, so it's normal for me to be a little stronger. Just use whatever special moves you have."

The old woman in black shouted to the sky, "Welcome the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable."

Zhao Shanhe said with a smile, "That old turtle Wen Zhong wants to call me uncle when he sees me now. Do you think he dares to come out? If you want to find a backer, you have to find a reliable one, such as a saint. You probably don't have a chance."

The old woman in black shouted, "Black Mountain Old Demon, I am willing to offer Lan Ruo to you as your concubine. Please save my life."