Chapter 144

As soon as I approached the city gate, a sulfuric stench, like that after a volcanic eruption, hit me in the face.

Moreover, the air was still filled with a lingering burnt smell.

The entire city lay in ruins, with less than one-tenth of the buildings remaining, as if it had suffered a great fire, with smoke and scorch marks everywhere on the ground and walls.

"Was this done by the Xiaoyue Yaowang?" Qin Shuo frowned.

"Who else could it be but that beast?" Pang Tong's face was grim.

As for demonic beings, this Flying Star General harbored a deep hatred for them, especially the Xiaoyue Yaowang, a bloodthirsty great demon who would slaughter cities on a whim.

Qin Shuo said nothing.

After devouring the Xiaoyue Yaowang's demonic spirit, no one knew its capabilities better than he did.

The city before him looked more like it had been forged and baked in fierce fire to become what it was now.

And the moonlight controlled by the Xiaoyue Yaowang did not possess such fire-based abilities.

In other words, someone else had slaughtered the city, and the Xiaoyue Yaowang was merely taking the blame.

Qin Shuo suddenly recalled the conversation he had witnessed between the Xiaoyue Yaowang and the demon saint Bai Ze when he was refining the demon's spirit.

According to that memory, the Xiaoyue Yaowang appeared in Yunzhou because it was ordered by the demon saint Bai Ze to come and search for the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

For this purpose, Bai Ze had given the Xiaoyue Yaowang a piece of spirit-jade.

That jade pendant now lay in his Taotie Cauldron.

Judging from the Wanling Blood Pill incident in Black Water City, the Xiaoyue Yaowang was certainly not an arrogant and lawless demon.

On the contrary, its character should be very patient and skilled at scheming.

Otherwise, it could not have conceived the plan of first spreading the Wolf Fur Strange Disease, then using Rejuvenation Pills to control the city's residents.

In other words, given the Xiaoyue Yaowang's temperament, it was unlikely to commit such a blatant, provocative act that would challenge human powerhouses before completing its mission.

Unless it was absolutely certain that the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon was in Fengyang City.

And if Fengyang City was truly slaughtered by the Xiaoyue Yaowang, then it should have already obtained the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

But in reality, among its relics, Qin Shuo found nothing resembling a divine weapon.

Moreover, if there truly was a divine weapon, the opponent would not refrain from using it when fighting him.

Therefore, there is only one possibility: the Xiaoyue Yaowang did not obtain the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

It likely came to Fengyang City under the guidance of the spirit-jade, only to encounter someone who had taken the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon through a city-slaughtering sacrifice.

It then revealed its true form to contend for it, but instead ended up bearing the blame for the city's slaughter, and was pursued and seriously wounded by the Longxiang Monk, fleeing to Black Water City.

Besides the demon race, Qin Shuo could not think of anyone else who would commit such an inhumane, heaven-and-earth-enraging atrocity.

"Ghost Mother Sect!"

Suddenly, a name appeared in his mind.

This sect, which could feed people to mountain ghosts to refine Ghost Pills,

might very well slaughter a city for the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

If that were the case, wouldn't it mean the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon had already fallen into the hands of the Ghost Mother Sect?

Just thinking of this possibility made Qin Shuo's vigilance toward the Ghost Mother Sect increase by three points.

The World-Suppressing Divine Weapon is something even demon saints covet; if it truly fell into the hands of such heretics of the Ghost Mother Sect, its danger would be no less than if it were in demon hands.

As Qin Shuo was pondering,

suddenly, a gray-robed martial monk holding a long staff walked toward the Demon Suppression Division's team from the city street.

"Amitabha!"

"Pang Commander, Qin Captain, Liaokong Shishu requests your presence!"

From three zhang away, the gray-clad martial monk had already pressed his palms together and bowed to the group.

"Has Liaokong Dashi also come to Fengyang City?"

Upon hearing the two words "Liaokong," Pang Tong's expression immediately turned solemn.

"Who is this Liaokong?"

Seeing Pang Tong's appearance as if facing a great enemy, Qin Shuo quickly asked He Mingjing in a low voice.

"He is the senior brother of the Longxiang Monk, one of the three Grandmasters of Dalong Temple, known as the Chijiao Arhat, Long Eyebrow Staff Monk, and very likely came for you."

He Mingjing also put away his usual frivolous smile, becoming unusually serious.

"Oh?" Qin Shuo's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although he knew this day would come eventually, he did not expect it to arrive so soon.

Since Jueming Dashi analyzed the importance of the Longxiang Relic with him, Qin Shuo understood that Dalong Temple would eventually come looking for him.

He just did not know what attitude they would take when coming to retrieve the Longxiang Relic.

Would they directly overwhelm with force, or kindly persuade, or barter with other treasures?

Now it seems they are likely planning to overwhelm with force, using the might of a Grandmaster to compel him to surrender the Longxiang Relic.

"Shishu heard that Qin Captain was escorting prisoners through this area, so he came down the mountain early to wait here, and has been waiting for over half a month." The gray-clad staff monk stated truthfully.

"What if we don't go?" Pang Tong said in a deep voice.

Although he firmly believed that even a Martial Arts Grandmaster of Dalong Temple would not dare to attack the Demon Suppression Division's personnel without cause,

the other party is after all a Grandmaster of a generation, and Qin Shuo happens to have the Buddha Bone Relic of Dalong Temple on him.

If Wukong Dashi does not observe the rules and truly attempts to seize it by force, then with his and Qin Shuo's cultivation, they would likely find it difficult to resist.

"Shishu said, whether to go or not is entirely up to Qin Shuzhu's own choice; I am merely passing on the message and do not insist."

The gray-clad staff monk had a blank expression, like an emotionless messenger, and continued:

"Shishu also instructed me to tell Qin Shuzhu that the Longxiang Relic was left by the Dalong Temple's founding ancestor, the Longxiang Holy Monk, upon his passing, and no matter what, it must not be allowed to fall into outside hands."

"Otherwise, it would not be a good thing for either Qin Shuzhu or Dalong Temple."

"If Patron Qin wishes to return it, no matter what the conditions, my uncle said, he can satisfy the patron on behalf of Dalong Temple."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Qin Shuo's heart stirred, and he asked in return: "Truly, any condition at all?"

"Monks do not tell falsehoods! My uncle's original words were indeed so." The gray-robed staff monk said bluntly.

"Good, I will go with you."

Qin Shuo did not hesitate, immediately urging his horse forward.

"I will go with you too."

Pang Tong, seeing this, also followed up, then turned back to He Mingjing and said: "You find a place to rest in the city, I and Captain Qin will go and return shortly."

"Yes."

He Mingjing responded loudly.

The two rode their horses, following the gray-robed staff monk through the long street, turning several alleys, and finally stopped before a relatively well-preserved courtyard.

The courtyard gate stood wide open, inside were many monks arranging prayer banners, wooden fish, offering tables, incense and candles, and other objects, appearing to be preparing for a large-scale dharma assembly, just the prayer banners alone numbering over a dozen erected.

Upon the arrival of Qin Shuo and the other, a group of monks paid them no heed, each busy with their own affairs.

Only a few monks similarly dressed in gray robes glanced briefly at Qin Shuo, but quickly turned away.

As for this, Qin Shuo noticed it but paid no mind.

At least from entering the gate until now, he had felt no ill will from these monks, not even from the monk leading the way.

Possessing the Heavenly Wolf Divine Sense, Qin Shuo's perception of threats and malice was far sharper than that of ordinary martial artists.

This is also why, despite knowing the other party was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, he was still willing to come for a meeting as a primary reason.

This courtyard, temporarily requisitioned by Dalong Temple, should have been the residence of a wealthy family before, the compound having three sections plus side wings and annexes, its area not inferior to that of the Song Family's residence in Songyang Prefecture City.

The gray-robed staff monk led the two to the back courtyard.

Before even entering the gate, the two saw a monk wearing a bright yellow kasaya, shoulders draped with a red kasaya, long eyebrows, sitting cross-legged in meditation beneath a tree that had been burned down to only half a stump.

"Uncle, the people have been brought!"

The gray-robed staff monk bowed to the long-browed monk, then respectfully withdrew from the courtyard.

"Amitabha, Patron Qin, General Pang."

The barefoot long-browed great monk laughed and rose to his feet; his long eyebrows were snow-white, yet he did not appear old, instead giving an impression of abundant vital energy, vigorous and yang in its prime.

"I have heard that General Pang, on this expedition, not only solved the case of the Songyang Prefecture Prefect raising a Mountain Ghost, but also exterminated Situ Long, one of the three great bandits of Mulin Prefecture, truly a cause for celebration."

The barefoot monk had kind eyes and a benevolent expression, not resembling a Martial Arts Grandmaster at all, but more like an idle abbot in an ordinary temple; on his person there was not even a trace of a martial artist's aura.

His qi and spirit had been inwardly gathered to the utmost extent, so much that even Qin Shuo's Heavenly Wolf Divine Sense could detect no trace of abnormality.

"Master Liaokong, General Pang has official duties; please, Master, make clear why you have summoned us this time."

Pang Tong spoke bluntly upon meeting.

"Naturally, it is to retrieve the Longxiang Relic." The barefoot monk answered truthfully, his smile undiminished.

"Oh? How does Master intend to retrieve it?"

Qin Shuo spoke in an indifferent tone, looking at this old monk who smiled incessantly upon first meeting.

As expected, this is absolutely an old fox hiding a knife behind a smile, not someone to be trifled with.

Sure enough, the old monk's next words exposed his true nature,

as seen when this old monk chuckled and said: "Naturally, to have Patron Qin willingly return it."

"What if I am unwilling?"

"I will make Patron Qin willing."

Qin Shuo: "..."

Pang Tong: "..."