Chapter 358: Buddha Land Hell

Regarding passing off fish eyes as pearls, Chang Lingfeng felt he had enough experience and did not need extra care.

However, he could not help but feel a bit worried about the small stone statue behind Du En.

It was fine while it was pitch black, but once it lit up...

Just as he was thinking this, as they crossed a certain boundary line, it suddenly lit up.

Golden Buddha light shone, dispelling the darkness.

"Wh, what?"

Chang Lingfeng panicked subconsciously; he had not expected this at all and instinctively thought to pounce on the small stone statue to cover its existence, lest it be seen and discovered by others.

Especially those wicked bald donkeys of the Pure Light Sect! "So that's how it is..."

Du En already knew the situation here and just spoke softly, waking Chang Lingfeng up, causing his panic to dissipate and his movements to stop.

Looking left and right, one could only see the converts to Buddhism who were so excited they were moved to tears.

They had not noticed the existence of the small stone statue at all! This made Chang Lingfeng heave a sigh of relief, and he gained a new understanding of Du En's abilities, feeling even more admiration, and felt that the probability of rescuing his friends and family next had also greatly increased.

Thinking of this, he immediately...

"Spirit Mountain! It's Spirit Mountain!"

A startled cry interrupted Chang Lingfeng's train of thought.

Raising his eyes to follow the sound, he saw it was the person at the very front of the line who had shouted, causing the converts to suddenly swarm and jostle like a school of migrating fish.

Invisibly, this also swept Du En's side along with it.

He did not put up much resistance or influence, simply going with the flow and quickening his pace.

Chang Lingfeng did not think much more of it; at this moment, only one thought was clear.

Spirit Mountain?

I must see what this ghost of a Spirit Mountain actually looks like! Very soon, he saw it.

After walking through the main tunnel excavated from the center camp, and stepping out of the narrow end gap, the view before him suddenly opened up, and the scenery completely changed.

Buddha light shone everywhere, high and distant above, vast and wide below, as if stepping into another world, a vast world that people living underground had never seen before!

Where they were currently standing was a high platform at the entrance, with branching stairs on the left and right; the converts were so excited they could not control themselves, being pushed by those behind, they tumbled and crawled down the stairs, yet not one fell over the edge.

Such a detail naturally made them believe even more firmly, feeling even more that their conversion was not a mistake!

"This, this, is Spirit Mountain? This is, what place is this exactly?!"

Chang Lingfeng dazedly crossed the high platform, seeing this vast space, looking up hard, unable to see the edge above, staring with wide eyes, likewise unable to see the edge in the distance.

Only one isolated high peak was the source of the Buddha light, standing far away at the other end, guiding all living beings, causing his mind to be greatly impacted, and for a moment, he even had an urge to prostrate and worship.

"This is an illusion where the front and back of the surface space are blurred, the boundaries are gradually digested, and the final presented spatial area is infinitely expanded; it is actually an infection of normal space."

"Someone used great magic power to break this boundary, allowing their own dharma to be reflected in this area, producing such an influence, and gradually infecting and expanding; I fear the ultimate ambition is to swallow the entire underground area radiated and ruled by the center camp."

Chang Lingfeng indicated that he could not understand this at all.

However, what he could understand was that this was actually no miracle, but an illusion created by someone with ulterior motives!

Immediately, he came back to his senses, dispelling the urge to prostrate and worship in his heart, only secretly cursing the bald donkeys for being vicious.

Du En was still analyzing: "Normally speaking, in order to manifest the transcendence of one's own sect, one would pull out people from other sects to use as targets, showing power to the new converts by humiliating them, but here, one sees absolutely none of that."

"Hm? Benefactor, what is going on here?"

Chang Lingfeng asked, while following him down the stairs.

"Basically, it is because one is not yet powerful enough and needs to be wary of the possibility of retaliation from other sects, especially here, where the underground is narrow and difficult to completely separate; once there is no sufficient power to resist, rashly displaying might will only be counterproductive, so it is better to change to another form to manifest one's own transcendence."

"You mean?!"

"Yes, the reason for consuming great magic power to break the boundary between the two sides of the surface and create this scene is likely to have this intention behind it."

"... Indeed, even someone like me who rejects and curses them had an urge to prostrate and worship just now; I fear others will only fall deeper into the trap, unable to extricate themselves."

As he spoke, Chang Lingfeng's heart sank slightly, and he became more anxious, wanting only to find his friends and family quickly.

Du En did not speak again, but secretly pondered other aspects.

Another possibility.

That is, there is no need!

Watching the people walking past him and down the stairs, looking as if they had achieved their wishes and wearing smiles, it seemed there was indeed no need to do anything extra.

For people who have always lived in the darkness of the underground, as long as you give them a ray of light, you can trade for anything they have.

"But, things are clearly not that simple; this place must have its actual purpose, otherwise it would not be such a great expenditure of effort."

Thinking this, Du En finally saw the bald donkeys, ah no, the monks.

The monks of the Pure Light Sect were a sight that, at a glance, looked very fake and sloppy.

Their attire was colorful and gaudy, looking like monk robes but with obvious personal designs, clumsy and strange; at the same time, their tonsure was also irregular, with some even keeping a tuft of hair, appearing as if they had not yet severed their worldly desires; finally, one could not see Buddhist ornaments like prayer beads, only that lead monk waiting specifically in front of the stairs, holding a wooden fish in his hand.

*Tap! * Tapping lightly, it made a strange sound, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, but his eyes were shifty like a rat's, pointing to the area marked off to the side, he said to the people walking down the stairs: "All who arrive here must cast off worldly ties; benefactors, please place your superfluous items here."

"Putting on an act, being all flowery and pretentious; these bald donkeys are truly not good things. Isn't this clearly taking the opportunity to blackmail and extort?!"

Chang Lingfeng could see through the intentions of these fake monks at a glance, and Du En went without saying, but those converts were like they were muddled and possessed, directly taking off and placing down all the various external items on their bodies as told.

They were just short of taking off their clothes too! "No need to be so thorough; only by covering the body with robes can one properly face and worship my Buddha!"

A look of disgust flashed in his eyes, while he spoke in such a righteous manner.

It was very clear that because they had come running and fleeing all the way, the clothes on people's bodies were covered in various stains and were mostly tattered, so they were not looked upon favorably.

The converts naturally listened to whatever was said, each more pious and obedient than the last. "Wonderful! Wonderful! Only after crossing the sea of suffering can one ascend to paradise; suffer in this life, enjoy blessings in the next!"

The lead monk shook his head and swayed, and the converts were also in total agreement; in the silence, it was as if they all knew what was to be done next, only Du En's side was out of place.

So, after the lead monk finished shaking his head and swaying, he felt the space in front of him darken; opening his eyes to look, he only saw Du En standing in his way, looking at him, or rather them, calmly.

"You... are you from the Pure Light center camp?!"

First he was stunned, then he reacted, clearly having misunderstood Du En's origin.

The other side didn't waste words with him either, reaching out a hand to grab him.

The expression of the leading monk changed subconsciously, but he reacted immediately, revealing a cruel look once more.

"Good, good, good! You bunch of evil heretics, you came here to cause trouble before, and because I, a monk, am compassionate by nature, I didn't get to the bottom of it. Now you actually dare to run wild in the Buddha Land? You are truly unforgivable; I must cast you into the Avici Hell!"

He spoke with a stern voice and an imposing manner, possessing the strength of a Nascent Soul Perfection. At this moment, Buddha-light emerged behind his head, and he raised one palm in front, manifesting the character for 'Suppress', intending to break Du En's hand and then suppress him into the Avici Hell.

"Hah!"

He let out a deep shout, his eyes were ferocious, and his complexion changed.

Crack—

A teeth-gritting sound of bone breaking rang out. Just as Chang Lingfeng regained his senses, he saw the Buddha-light shatter, and the monk's hand had already been twisted into a pretzel.

"Hiss!"

The leading monk gasped, realizing that the newcomer was not to be trifled with—perhaps the mysterious Master of the Queguang Sect, or the High Priest who was below one person but above ten thousand. Thus, he was about to speak with a fierce expression but a cowardly heart, trying to invoke the Buddha Lord behind him for support.

Then, before he could even speak, he caught a glimpse of the group of monks behind him, all of whom had been planted head-first into the ground, leaving only their feet visible, with other parts buried in the earth, blood bubbling out, lifeless, clearly already dead.

He trembled immediately and knelt down directly.

"Master! Spare my life!"

With snot and tears, he made the wisest choice: "I assume you want to know about the situation here. This lowly one will speak, this lowly one knows, I will tell you everything!"

"Bah!"

Chang Lingfeng spat in disdain. The leading monk didn't care; after all, this was the time to beg for his life, and the key wasn't this small fry, but Du En, who was killing people with an expressionless face.

"Speak."

"Yes, yes, how should I put it? This lowly one actually doesn't know either. Ah... I really don't know that much. I was originally just a wandering scoundrel who met the Buddha Lord. He let me do things for him, and as long as I did them well, whether it was strength or wealth, I would have everything. So, I joined the Jingguang Sect just like that. Before, I just went around preaching the doctrine and doing some swindling and cheating."

Because Du En felt he wasn't being honest and had just dislocated his other intact arm, he immediately blurted out everything he knew and his own inner thoughts in a rush.

"This lowly one just went to swindle and cheat. I was originally afraid of being discovered by the High Priests, so I was cautious and terrified, and I was afraid that people from the peripheral camps would run off to report me. But in the end, I don't even know why it went so smoothly!"

"First it was a few individuals, then dozens, and finally people from camp after camp came running over. I couldn't understand the logic behind it at all. When I asked the Buddha Lord, he just smiled and plucked a flower, saying some empty words that even I didn't believe."

"Anyway, there was something strange about it, but this lowly one really doesn't know what it specifically is. Then it brewed and developed until now, only about ten years of effort, and it reached its current scale. I was also often terrified, thinking about what would happen when the Heavenly Soldiers of the Holy Sect descended. Ah!"

Speaking up to this point, he was about to spout nonsense again, so Du En crippled one of his legs. The intensity of that scream made Chang Lingfeng feel refreshed, while at the same time, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Du En's behavior of acting without changing his expression really made one wonder if he often did such things.

He had also heard that within the Queguang Sect, there was actually a Tribunal that seemed to specialize in doing such things...

His thoughts did not continue, because the leading monk was pressing his head against the ground, saying the key intelligence Du En wanted to hear: "Cross the Sea of Bitterness, practice in the mortal world, receive blessings in the next life, get what you wish for, get what you wish for, Amitabha!"

This guy suddenly acted as if he were possessed, actually sitting up, assuming a cross-legged lotus position, with no more pain on his face, only a trace of an eerie, compassionate smile.

Buddha-light was gathering, a focal point was forming; clearly, that Buddha or Buddha Lord of the Jingguang Sect had begun to notice the commotion here and was about to cast his attention over.

Thus, Du En raised his hand to perform a great magical power, erasing the traces and clues here, and immediately took Chang Lingfeng away from the spot.

A gaze was cast over, but it did not see the main target. It paused for a moment, assuming it was just the upper echelons of the Queguang Sect arriving secretly, and immediately, as a matter of course, raised its gaze toward the East, appearing guarded and vigilant.

"He hasn't discovered us yet. Take this opportunity to hurry and find the people."

Du En said this to Chang Lingfeng, who had just regained his senses once again.

The other party was a bit dazed, looking at the large number of people around and the vast venue, and asked blankly: "How do we find them quickly?"

"You should have taught them your own cultivation method."

"I did indeed."

"Then follow the traces to find them; we should still be able to."

Because that type of method would cause unusual fluctuations in spiritual energy, it was just obvious that the target individuals were not actively cultivating at the moment. So even for Du En, besides having spiritual sense perception that was several grades above the rest, as well as techniques for seeking, peeking at, and disturbing spiritual energy, he could only detect a few clues and needed to move while correcting their path.

Without delay, they immediately stepped onto this so-called Buddha Land and headed in a general direction.

Then, very quickly, they understood what the words from these monks' mouths actually meant.

As they crossed a certain boundary, the scene and situation changed instantly.

Scorching flames covered the sky, burning iron served as the ground. Countless blazing magma and fire hail fell continuously from the sky, and fierce fires rose everywhere on the ground. Among them, countless monks took out terrifying torture instruments, inflicting abuse on those who arrived in various cruel ways.

First was the outermost layer of tongue-pulling and finger-cutting.

Countless torture racks stood upon it. The strange, laughing monks grabbed the nearby converts who had come to worship the Buddha and pressed them directly onto them. Amidst their screams, they used pliers to pull out their tongues and scissors to cut off their fingers.

The victims whimpered and wailed, their whole bodies trembling from the pain, blood flowing incessantly, and they couldn't even faint.

Then, after a short while, under the influence of this space, their tongues and fingers grew back again, and then they repeated the pain of the torture, which was simply endless and made one's hair stand on end!

"Be... Benefactor, why, are you, just, watching..."

Chang Lingfeng was like an ant on a hot pan, flustered and at a loss, his mouth dry and tongue parched, unable to speak clearly.

To this, Du En only remained silent and did not answer, raising his eyes to look at another place.

(End of chapter)