The city of Mount Long Pass was especially lively. Most of its occupants consisted mainly of merchants, martial artists, and Taoist cultivators.
At present, inside one of the city’s inns, several monks were meditated in one of the rooms. One of them was an old monk with unusually long ears and white eyebrows over his stern gaze. He held in his hand a string of a hundred and eight prayer beads. Most of these beads were translucent and glowing faintly. Something seemed to be swimming inside and one could vaguely hear the cries of beasts coming from within. However, the moment one tried to listen to the sound, it would cease to be audible immediately.
Suddenly, the old monk opened his eyes and asked, “Has Zhi Yin returned?”
One of the little monks got up and placed his palms together, a saluting gesture of their religion.
“Senior Rector, Senior Zhi Yin hasn’t returned yet.”
“Hmph!” The old monk frowned. “Why is he taking so long just to capture a little monster? When he returns, I will have him transcribe the Exorcism Mantra fifteen times.”
The little monk shuddered in fright.
It took him a great deal of time just to recite the Exorcism Mantra once, so to transcribe it fifty times was a torturous punishment.
Then, a harmonious-looking monk beside them said, “Rector, those who requested our help, saying that a monkey demon was wreaking havoc in Reed City possessed malicious aura too. They clearly weren’t people of virtue.”
The old monk was surprisingly polite to this monk, whom he addressed as Zhi Nian.
“Zhi Nian, I understand your concerns, but sinful humans can be educated. Monsters, being the epitome of evil, have to be put down. Since Daluo Temple’s establishment more than a thousand years ago, we have saved countless lives and slain equally numerous monsters. It was through our actions that we gained so many Buddhist devotees who carry on our cause. Pray tell, which Buddhist Sect in this world could compare to our Daluo Temple? Many are in a state of decline, and there are even some that embezzle the contributions provided by their devotees. Without the intent to slay demons and purge monsters, Daluo Temple would never have lasted this long.”
The monk named Zhi Nian smiled. “You’re right Senior Rector, but if the sinful refuses to lay down his blade, wouldn’t he be no different from a monster? Should our Exorcism Hall purge him, or not?”
The old monk’s expression stiffened.
“Zhi Nian, I understand that you value the teachings of Buddhism greatly but this is one situation, and that is another.”
There was an underlying meaning to the old monk’s words.
Zhi Nian looked at the prayer beads that the old monk was holding. He shook his head but remained silent for the rest of the meditation session.
Suddenly, light glowed from one of the old monk’s beads. Apart from that, the steel rings on their khakkharas[1], which were laid upright in a corner began to vibrate, resonating a buzzing sound.
“A monster’s aura!”
The old monk got up at once. He threw his prayer beads around his neck and reached for his staff immediately. Without wasting even a moment, he made his way outside.
Zhi Nian hurried outside as well.
However, a look of helplessness was visible on his face.
By now, chaos had descended upon the city. As Shang’er had expected, the three demonic appraisers who escaped from Qiao Manor did plan to leave through Mount Long Pass. They may have put on disguises but they couldn’t conceal the bloody aura on their pet beasts. What’s more, as they were already guilt-ridden, they immediately exposed themselves when Shang’er questioned them about their actions.
Perhaps annoyed by how a fragile woman like her had the audacity to stop them, one of the demonic appraisers planned to seize Shang’er at once, only to be immobilized by the young lady effortlessly.
The unfortunate demonic appraiser was howling in pain on the ground. One of his hands was pierced by his own blade and stuck to the ground. He didn’t know whether or not he should pull it out. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t either because his cursed blade was heavier than your average sword, and he was unable to lift the weapon.
The faces of the other two demonic appraisers turned pale at this.
It went without saying that Shang’er was a tough opponent.
Aware of their own strengths, they simply abandoned their comrade who was wailing on the ground and ran in different directions. At the same time, their pet beasts roared with crimson eyes and pounced forward.
Shang’er frowned.
She had used Intimidation so the average pet beast shouldn’t be able to move under her skill’s influence. Her Intimidation was cast using her monster’s aura so pet beasts up to Rank 2 shouldn’t be able to withstand it. Her skill also affected Rank 3 beasts, but these ones didn’t seem fazed at all.
“They must have used spells,” she said to herself.
Under Lin Jin’s guidance, Shang’er had learned enough knowledge to know that there were tons of spells to cause a pet beast to go berserk.
However, her opponents were merely two beasts. With a flick of her finger, two long swords fastened around the waist of some merchants nearby flew out, slaying the two beasts.
After the slaying of these two beasts, the tiny city fell into a state of anarchy.
Shang’er made a grabbing gesture and one of the demonic appraisers who escaped earlier was lifted up. He was still screaming at the top of his lungs as he was lifted. Just as Shang’er was about to grab the other escapee, she heard a voice yelling at her.
“Monster! How dare you harm humans in broad daylight? Eat this! Thunder Exorcism, Mami Doro Qie!”
Following the chant, a nine-ringed staff fell from the sky, summoning a pillar of lightning that was aimed at Shang’er.
Shang’er immediately sensed the impending danger. A spell was cast on that staff so she couldn’t move it with Object Manipulation so Shang’er lifted her hand and used a millstone from several feet away to serve as her shield.
Boom!
The thunder rumbled, shattering the thick millstone into pieces. Shang’er jumped away to avoid it but was still struck but a bolt of lightning from the staff. She let out a painful wail before falling to the ground.
The old monk fell from the sky and grabbed the staff with one hand, and he invoked an exorcism seal with the other. His long white eyebrows fluttered in the slight breeze that also swayed his robes. His intimidating presence was similar to that of a celestial being.
“He’s a monk from Daluo Temple.”
“The monk called that woman a monster. It was no wonder she could control objects from a distance.”
“What the monk says must be true! Venerable Sir, please slay this monster.”
The merchants around began pleading for his help.
They had been so shocked earlier, but none of them noticed that they weren’t hurt at all.
Shang’er gritted her teeth and got back on her feet. That bolt of lightning was so powerful that half of her body felt numb. Turning to the demonic appraiser who was running off into the horizon, she intended to continue her pursuit.
“Wicked beast! Trying to harm others still? Take this! Flash of the Gods, Hidden Thunder Seal!”
The old monk scoffed and shoved his palm forward.
Electricity surged in his hand as a violent gust swirled. Shang’er had no choice but to counter this attack for now. Her counter-attack allowed the demonic appraiser to disappear through the other side of the pass.
Shang’er may have a sweet personality and was kind to others, but that didn’t mean she was without a temper. This old monk showed up out of nowhere and started attacking her. More importantly, he was the reason why the demonic appraisers were allowed to slip away. Shang’er couldn’t possibly contain her rage any longer.
Lifting a finger and pointing it forward, more than a dozen trees around were uprooted and launched toward the old monk. Visibly frightened, the latter shouted, “Protection of Achala, Emerald Lion, Mountain Ape, break!”
The old monk removed the prayer beads around his neck and two beads immediately broke off. One morphed into a humungous lion and the other became a fifty-foot-tall black ape. Waving its fists, the black ape smashed all the trees that came their way while the lion let out a defeating roar before pouncing at Shang’er.
At this sight, the bystanders who had been enjoying the show immediately scattered. After all, it was too dangerous for them to be standing out in the open.
Even the braver ones stopped being nosy as getting caught in the crossfire could easily get them killed.
Hence, the crowd immediately dispersed.
[1] A type of staff used by Buddhist monks with steel rings on the tip of
