Volume 1: Zhao Shanhe Chapter 37: Monsters at the bottom of the river
After half a column of incense was lined up outside, Ji Yuan and his party were able to enter Baiyun Temple.
This antique temple seems to have a history of at least two hundred years. Many of the objects are already old and worth a lot of money, but they are placed randomly by the monks here.
Thinking about it, it's actually true. I guess there aren't many people in this world who would really dare to do that kind of stealing under the noses of gods, gods, and Buddhas.
After all, for ordinary people, the saying that there is a god at the top of their head is not just a word of mouth. They really regard it as a wise saying and keep it in their hearts.
This is more deeply rooted in people's hearts than articles written by Confucian saints or Taoist or Buddhist Bibles.
After the group entered the temple, they did not go straight to the temple enshrining the Buddha statues. Instead, they set foot on a path rarely visited by people. Under the gaze of a monk, they came to the courtyard behind the temple with a calm expression.
This small but very elegant courtyard is where monks truly practice.
As soon as Ji Yuan walked into the courtyard, he immediately saw Hui Xin sitting cross-legged under the old tree. He was meditating with his eyes closed and reciting a Buddhist Bible.
The sound of chanting, as thin as mosquitoes and flies, reached the ears of several people, but it was like the sound of morning bells and evening drums, and their moods suddenly became peaceful.
"What you say means what you say, but in the early stage of enlightenment, you can have such a vision. The achievements of this monk in the future will never be low."
Zhao Yuansong muttered to himself, and looked at the young monk under the old tree, and couldn't help but become more solemn.
Generally speaking, those who can have this kind of vision when they first step into the path of cultivation, and can predict the other person's future achievements, are at least second only to the great monks.
Although Huixin is more than twenty years old, practicing Taoism is inherently different from practicing martial arts. The latter focuses on physical fitness and blood. As one gets older, his potential decreases rapidly, and his future achievements are also very limited.
But for the former, age has never been a problem. It is not that an old man who has not read countless books and practiced hard for decades will directly climb to the realm of land gods once he attains enlightenment.
Compared to several people from the Jiu Xuan Sect, Ji Yuan's expression looked much normal at this time. It must have been more than once that he had seen the strange visions produced by the other party when he was chanting sutras.
After a while, the sound of chanting in the courtyard disappeared. Huixin, who was sitting cross-legged under the old tree, opened her eyes, got up and walked towards the few people who had entered the courtyard.
He clasped his hands together, recited a Buddhist chant, saluted Ji Yuan and his fifth senior brother Guo Tao, and then looked at Zhao Yuansong and the other five with a slightly confused look.
Seeing this scene, the little Taoist priest gave a general introduction to both parties, and also clearly explained the purpose of his visit.
Hearing that it was to get rid of the deep evil hidden in the county town, Huixin agreed without even thinking about it, without even mentioning whether there would be any benefits or whether there would be any dangers in this trip.
Looking at this stunned look, Ji Yuan kept shaking his head. He didn't know if the other person was going to travel around the world one day, it was hard to say how far he could go with his temperament.
"All donors, please wait a moment and allow the poor monk to go to the master and borrow a magic weapon to slay demons."
After hearing Zhao Yuansong's assessment of the hidden evil spirits, Huixin immediately apologized and hurriedly walked to a small house in the corner of the courtyard.
Not long after, he hung up a string of rosary beads and quickly returned to the courtyard.
This is a string of rosewood beads, one hundred and eight in total, each one is engraved with densely packed small characters.
According to Hui Xin, what is engraved on this string of beads is the opening chapter of one of the fundamental Buddhist teachings. It has the ability to cleanse away evil spirits and ghosts. Whether it is used to fight enemies or to protect oneself, it can
Exert great power.
But in terms of quality, this Buddhist rosary surpasses most magical objects and can definitely be regarded as a rare object of astonishing value.
"Where to go first?"
When everyone was ready, Ji Yuan turned around and looked at Zhao Yuansong.
Seeing this, the latter pondered for a moment and said: "Although the blood evil in Minfang is closest to this place, I personally suggest that it is better to go to Xiyu River first."
Regarding the monsters hiding at the bottom of the lake, he has roughly figured out some of the details. The monk has no clues. Compared with the other two places, although the Xiyu River looks more complicated, it is actually the simplest.
In this way, a group of people headed towards the Xiyu River at the intersection between the west of the city and the center of the city.
As for the Xiyu River, almost no one in the county knows about it. After all, it is a river that runs through the whole city. Countless people rely on this river for their living expenses.
Although it is said to be a river, in fact it can only be regarded as a stream. The widest part is only three to four feet, and the narrowest point is only one or two feet wide.
The reason why it is called a river is that it was passed down from more than 300 years ago. At that time, the Xiyu River was not what it is today. On the vast river, there were countless people who came here to clean the jade that was mined.
But then again, although the Xiyu River today is no longer what it used to be, its depth has not changed much. The deepest part is twenty or thirty feet long.
And although the surface of the river looks stable, there are rapid undercurrents in the river. Every year, countless young and strong men who go down to the river to relieve the heat are swept up by the undercurrent and disappear.
"The monster hiding somewhere should be a fish that has become a spirit. It is probably a young and strong man who has been devoured all year round and drawn into the undercurrent of the river. He has gradually accumulated a lot of knowledge."
Zhao Yuansong said in a deep voice: "If we give that monster a few more years and devour more young and strong men, when enough blood essence is accumulated in its body, it will not be long before it breaks into the next realm and gives birth to strong magic power."
At that time, this monster will form a climate, rely on its magical power of water, cause a huge flood, kill a large number of people's lives, and then escape along the Xiyu River.
And once this monster develops magic power, even if it encounters a monk who is one or two levels higher than it, if it is not familiar with water magic, it will be difficult to harm it in the river.
"After hearing what my fellow Taoist said, I even began to suspect that people who fell into the water in previous years might have had a chance to survive, but maybe they were all killed by this evil thing."
Ji Yuan frowned. His idea was not without foundation. You must know that so many people have fallen into the water over the decades, but no one has ever escaped with his life. This is extremely abnormal in itself.
It's just that usually no matter who it is, they will think that there is an undercurrent surging in the river, but no one would think that there is a monster hiding at the bottom of the river.
"If there are no accidents, it should be what fellow Taoist thought, because from that monster's body, I sensed a strong sin in my lower body."
Zhao Yuansong sighed.
In this world, if you do good things, merit will not come to you, but if you do bad things, there will definitely be sins.
If it can make a monk feel so sinful, you can imagine how many people that monster has killed.
"Amitabha!"
Hui Xin clasped her hands together and recited a Buddha's name. The context was full of self-blame.
Like Ji Yuan, he grew up in Qianyu City since childhood. He has been a Buddhist for more than ten years and has been a Buddhist monk for two or three years.
But Huixin has never discovered this monster hiding at the bottom of the Xiyu River, secretly killing innocent people for decades.
Even Ji Yuan, who had always been indifferent to external affairs, now had an angry look in his eyes. When he thought of the innocent people that the monster had eaten over the years, he felt a surge of anger in his heart.
Less than half an hour later, the group arrived at the bank of Xiyu River. Their gazes fell, as if they could see the rapid undercurrent in the river through the calm lake surface.
"How to lure that monster out?"
Ji Yuan frowned and whispered: "The water is twenty to thirty feet deep. With our level of cultivation, it is impossible to dive down, let alone fight monsters in it."
In this depth, even if you have reached the second level of cultivation, the 'Dianling Realm', and are a monk who is good at water magic, you will probably exhaust all your magic power if you stay there for a while.
I am afraid that only monks who are good at water magic and have reached the third level of 'Ming Dao Realm' can go deep into the river bottom twenty to thirty feet and kill a monster hiding in it.
It's just that most of the monks in this realm are guest elders of some sects, or they are the head of any sect. If they join the court, they can easily get an official position.
That was not just an official position in name but with no real power, but a real and high-level position where one could enter the Mingjian Department of the imperial court and hold great power.
Let alone Qianyu City, a third-class county town, even a first-class county town would find it extremely difficult to find an expert with such level of cultivation.
"I have a set of water-locking formation flags. When activated, it can seal off ten feet of water, making it impossible for monsters to escape."
Zhao Yuansong did not hide it secretly, and took out a set of formation flags with his backhand, a total of eighteen small aqua flags, plus a light blue jade plate.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's pupils shrank slightly, and his evaluation of this person in his heart couldn't help but improve a lot again.
The other party's method of taking things out of thin air is undoubtedly a mountain and river bag, but the value of this thing makes even him, who has great fortune and the ability to make alchemy and talismans, feel pained to express it.
Not necessary yet.
If you are an expert in the third realm of 'Ming Dao Realm', you will naturally have nothing. Even if this thing is expensive, it is not difficult to own one with your cultivation level.
Even in the second realm of the 'Dianling Realm', those who come from a well-known and upright sect and are direct disciples may be able to receive blessings from their elders.
But an outer disciple of the Jiuxuan Sect, even if the other party has climbed to the position of senior brother through his own efforts, he still has no ability to spend.
And Zhao Yuansong once said that he was born in poverty and did not have a prominent family background, so it could not have been inherited from his family or given by his elders.
With his cultivation in the late stage of enlightenment, he can use an expensive mountain and river bag. Either Hongfu Qitian has a chance to fall, or this person is extremely capable and can achieve this step by his own ability.
"If that's the case, Pindao happens to have an Essence and Blood Demon Drawing Talisman, which may be able to draw the monsters from the bottom of the river out of the water."
His mind could only move for a moment, and soon Ji Yuan took out a talisman from his arms.
This talisman is different from ordinary talismans. The yellow paper is soaked in blood, and the runes are painted with gold paint. As soon as it is taken out, a faint blood energy comes out.
However, this blood does not have any fishy smell. On the contrary, just a slight smell makes people feel relaxed and happy, as if they are smelling the aroma of delicious food. This chapter has been completed!