Chapter 149

He scooped up a handful of snow and rubbed it on his face, then Chen Shicheng began tallying the loot that had burst out of his backpack.

There weren't many good items; the most valuable was the two-handed greatsword, then a red bottle full of Western flair.

The rest were just assorted junk, taking up space even in the storage slot.

After clearing out the useless items, Chen Shicheng picked up a wooden plaque and examined it.

【Sect Token: With this wooden plaque, you can study any skill at any sect branch in the Imperial Capital until you reach mastery.】

"Looks like someone died at this guy's hands!"

Chen Shicheng's expression was grim, with no joy at being able to snag a skill for free.

This item, full of Chinese style, showing up in a foreigner's hands, undoubtedly means a domestic player fell to foul play.

The spoils from killing foreign players would make even a holy person envious; one can imagine what pursuit those who entered with him would face, and it's unknown how many would ultimately survive and leave.

He angrily kicked the corpse on the ground, Chen Shicheng stowed the wooden plaque and continued north.

But as he walked, he suddenly felt no cold, his whole body enveloped in warmth.

And before he could react to what was happening, a surge of mental energy instantly flooded his mind.

"May the Buddha be merciful!"

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness...

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park, together with a great sangha of bhikṣus, numbering twelve hundred fifty.

Chen Shicheng's uncontrolled hands clasped together, and he devoutly knelt toward the west.

Hey kid, wake up, you've been hit!

Hui Siye emerged from the mask, seeing Chen Shicheng's face of sudden enlightenment, and shouted.

However, merely relying on words couldn't awaken the one who had been converted; Hui Siye, helpless, could only suppress a smile, round his small hand and slap Chen Shicheng's face.

Smack!

Huh? Fourth Master, why did you hit me?

The intense pain brought Chen Shicheng back to his senses, covering his swollen face as he spoke.

First, look around.

Chen Shicheng, obedient as flowing water, glanced around, and his expression suddenly changed.

Although the surrounding scenery was still the Icefield, the millennia-old unmelting snow had been covered in yellow, sandalwood fragrance wafted around the nostrils, the chanting of sutras never ceased, and it had suddenly become a Buddhist pure land.

Buddhism?

In this old Maozi's territory, how could there be traces of Buddhism?

Have those bald monks' infiltrative powers become this strong? Or perhaps there are Buddhist players in the Silent Council?

Countless questions flashed through Chen Shicheng's mind, but he could not get answers in a short time.

Don't just stand there, get ready to fight—this is the Buddhist divine ability Palm Buddha Realm; someone wants to strike at you. Hui Siye landed on his shoulder and said solemnly.

Damn, I said foreign lands can't have Buddhist pure lands. Chen Shicheng cursed under his breath and hurriedly asked, "How do we leave this place?"

It's simple, just go back the way we came...

Chen Shicheng said nothing, turned and retreated along the way he had come.

But as soon as he took a step, he saw a yellow figure behind him, attacking him in the howling gale. Chen Shicheng instinctively activated Plum Blossom Three Variations, ignoring inertia at the critical moment and dodging the sudden attack.

However, the feeling while moving made his heart sink; this space seemed to have a serious problem—just moving quickly caused a voice in his mind to chide him, for the Buddhist sacred ground forbids running and jumping.

What's more outrageous, he actually felt a sense of remorse in his heart.

If it weren't for his divine attribute nearing a hundred holding him up, he might have knelt down right then! "The premise is that no one stops you..." the latter half of Hui Siye's words only now reached him.

Why don't you wait until I'm dead to finish speaking?

After Chen Shicheng muttered a complaint, he fixed his gaze on the opposite figure wearing a yellow monk's robe and a bald head, and silently activated the Five Ghosts Transport Technique.

【Due to being in a special space, skill activation failed!】

As expected!

The opposing side had likely been monitoring their team all along, until someone used a teleportation rune to leave.

Therefore, when dealing with him, they would use such an apparently advanced Palm Buddha Realm to block the loophole of instant teleportation escape.

Yet I hadn't shown any flaw along the way; why go to such lengths to deal with me, this little support?

Unless...

Chen Shicheng touched the mask on his face, looked up at the opposing monk, and cast an appraisal with the Eye of Bai Ze.

【Appraisal failed.】

Going abroad this time, everything is novel.

In the past, appraisal either gave full details or a string of question marks; this is truly the first blatant failure.

Chen Shicheng, unwilling to give up, repeatedly appraised over a dozen times, and finally… saw a string of question marks! 【Lv.??, Jing:??, Qi:??, Shen:???, Skill:??? …】

This was the second time Chen Shicheng saw someone's attribute reach three digits, and this person also had clear hostility toward him.

But what concerned him most was the question mark after that person's level.

Normally, appraisal format is 'Lv. level + ID + real name,' but this person's registration only has two question marks afterward—a situation that only occurs when appraising natives.

In other words, this person is not a player…

An NPC that is not a player appearing in the Silent Council's conspiracy also means the two sides have joined forces! This news is truly terrifying.

It turns out this organization's constant meddling isn't just for the rich rewards of killing foreign players; it's because this is fundamentally two opposing camps of water and fire.

No time to think too much, Chen Shicheng began to summon his own null ghosts.

But no matter how he tried to contact them in his mind, it was like mud sinking into the sea—no null ghost responded, and his heart sank with a thud; it seemed they had all been killed.

Don't waste your effort; those null ghosts of yours have also been converted by my Buddhist law, and teleportation ability cannot be used without my permission in this pure land.

The monk wore a benevolent smile of love for all beings, speaking gently: "To find the benefactor, I went to great trouble and even wasted the Palm Buddha Realm divine ability granted by the sect leader."

Chen Shicheng saw the other party not make a move right away, instead calming down, he frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"As you see, benefactor, I am a monk, and of course there is another identity..."

"Silent Council!"

Chen Shicheng helped him finish his words, then while thinking of countermeasures, continued to ask, "Why did you specially come looking for me? I seem not to have provoked you in any way, right?"

"Not provoked us?" The monk seemed to have heard something amusing, "Yu Wei was killed by you, right? That mask was still lent to him to complete the task."

(End of chapter)