Chapter 101: The Rising Obscurity

Shhh-shhh-shhh!

With those words drifting through the air, under Hong Lei's lead, countless outer-camp captains simultaneously drew their waist blades.

The silver-bladed swords gleamed together in a continuous, dazzling line.

Without a word, a chilling aura of slaughter instantly engulfed the entire Golden Buddha Temple!

Many disciples retreated step by step, staring in terror at the youth lounging casually on the stone steps—could just one sentence cause the Golden Buddha Temple, on the verge of ascending to a second-tier force, to vanish from Outside Qingzhou?

Firelight finally flickered to life within the towering pagoda.

The tightly shut gates swung open swiftly, and a white-bearded old man in a cassock stepped out quickly; in his hands, two bald youths bound tightly with hemp ropes were dragged along, their bodies covered in wounds, faces pale and hopeless.

It was none other than the Golden Buddha Temple's Benxin Monk.

As he opened the pagoda's gates, a child of around ten years old clenched his teeth fiercely, eyes red and swollen with hatred, straining with all his might to rush down.

Zhang the Butcher stepped swiftly out of the crowd and caught him in his arms.

The boy pressed his face hard against the greasy, massive belly, his stubborn expression finally melting as he sobbed: "Dad! They… Mom…"

"I told you… don't call me Dad…"

Zhang the Butcher gently patted the boy's back, daring not to hope for more—just getting this child back was already his greatest wish.

This scene fell into the eyes of all.

Whether the many captains and deputy captains, or Hong Lei and the Li siblings who knew Shen Yi better, all froze in place without realizing it.

This whole grand setup tonight, including the words just spoken by the personal deputy captain—

Were they all just meant to scare the Golden Buddha Temple, ensuring the boy's safety?

Thinking of this, their gazes toward Zhang the Butcher inevitably carried a touch of envy.

A man who could be casually manipulated by Golden Buddha Temple disciples should have no real strength or background, yet he had stirred Outside Qingzhou City into a state of panic, everyone on edge.

The reason? Simply because my lord Shen truly took him seriously—so everyone else had no choice but to take him seriously too.

"You must be… my lord Shen, under General Chen. Your humble servant has blind eyes—forgive my rudeness!"

Benxin Monk hurried down the long steps and flung the two men behind him onto the ground.

Yuan Gang mustered his last strength to open his eyes, his blood-clogged throat barely whispering: "Master…"

But the old monk didn't even glance at him—only bowed humbly before the youth: "These two… three devils are all handed over to my lord Shen for disposal—beat them, kill them, the Golden Buddha Temple will not utter a single word of protest. Is my lord Shen satisfied?"

Hearing this, Yuan Gang closed his eyes in despair.

The master was an elder master of the Golden Buddha Temple, who had perfected the Body Tempering method, his flesh as hard as a Jade Fluid-completed martialist—yet now he trembled before the might of Zhen Mo Si.

"Alright. Very satisfied."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod, slowly rising from the ground, looking down upon the old monk.

At this, Hong Lei gave a slight wave, and all the captains sheathed their blades.

Before they could even breathe out,

Shen Yi brushed off his robe and said softly: "Private matters are done. Now let's discuss official business."

"Still… still official business? What might my lord Shen's official duty be?"

Benxin Monk's smile stiffened, voicing the unspoken question on everyone's minds.

Shen Yi stared silently at him, his thin lips parting: "Of course—the matter of your Golden Buddha Temple colluding with demons."

At these words, the Zhen Mo Si personnel instantly paled.

The only one who remained calm was Benxin Monk—he secretly exhaled, forcing a smile: "My lord Shen may search freely; if there is any trace of demonic influence, we shall all commit suicide here on the spot, no need for you to lift a finger."

He lifted his head, trying to show his openness.

Even the seasoned deputy captains, seeing this, began to believe him slightly.

"You must misunderstand—I meant colluding with demons—"

Shen Yi's pale face broke into a smile as he gently patted the old monk's cheek, his lips uttering cold, emotionless words: "Demons."

Zhen Mo Si! Suppressing demons and monsters!

And the definition of "demon" was so vague it could be summed up as…

I say you're a demon, then you're a demon.

Hearing this, Benxin Monk stepped back several paces, glaring warily: "My lord Shen, are you refusing to reason?"

Hong Lei took a slight step forward—among those familiar with Shen Yi, he alone held the highest rank.

With the Zhen Mo Si General and the overall commander both absent from Outside Qingzhou City, and even Aunt Aqian, temporarily acting as overall commander, strangely absent—joking around was fine, but if there was real evidence, wiping out the Golden Buddha Temple was acceptable; yet now this group showed utmost respect, and to still force action would surely bring trouble from the overall commander later.

"You forget—the Department Magistrate is coming next month to offer incense to the Buddha. If he finds out…"

Benxin's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly clenched his fists.

"You said these three are mine to deal with, right?"

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and suddenly kicked one of them down the steps, coldly ordering: "Find out—do they practice the Bodhi Golden Buddha Body?"

Several captains skilled in this field were about to step forward, but realized Shen Yi was looking at the fat man holding the child.

"…"

Zhang the Butcher released the boy, froze for a moment, then his pupils sharply contracted!

"My lord Shen, you're joking—this man is merely a discarded disciple of our Golden Buddha Temple; he's never even touched the true Bodhi Golden Buddha Body. How could he possibly verify it?"

Benxin Monk seemed to realize something, turning to descend the steps.

Shen Yi reached out and grabbed his arm, speaking calmly: "Where are you going?"

Benxin Monk's mind reeled—he was a Body Tempering expert; without using Qi, few in all Outside Qingzhou could hold him back.

Yet despite this tremendous force, the hand on his arm didn't budge—the long, pale fingers easily locked onto him.

He looked up in confusion—and then saw a familiar white glow on that hand…

Do you even need someone else to check if they practice the Bodhi Golden Buddha Body?!

"Ah!!"

Monk Benxin would have lived his nearly two hundred years in vain if he failed to react now. With a wild roar, he spun his hand and smashed it toward the young man!

The momentum was fierce and violent, carrying the force to tear apart demons!

Faced with such an overwhelming force, Shen Yi's expression did not change. His five fingers coiled up along the other's arm, and he reversed his grip to clamp the man's shoulder. The two forces collided head-on, and the one belonging to Benxin was like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to stir the slightest ripple.

He casually slammed the monk onto the ground.

A muffled, tremendous crash resounded through the surroundings, and several hundred stone steps all cracked apart!

Monk Benxin still wanted to struggle to his feet, but a straight, jet-black blade was already pressed against his throat. Feeling that cold, quiet edge, beads of sweat instantly covered his bald head.

Shen Yi held the ceremonial blade at an angle, his robes fluttering lightly. He lowered his gaze to look, and within those deep, dark eyes there remained only indifference.

Amid such terrifying commotion, Butcher Zhang's hands were trembling as he searched the disciple's body. The more he probed, the more shocked he became, until his face was utterly ashen.

This familiar feeling was exactly the same as back then.

He stared blankly upward, then dazedly nodded his head.

"Yes."

Big shots, please don't spread nonsense about me being eunuchized. This little unknown author has written for over forty days without missing a single day.

Update time is at the latest eleven o'clock at night. Because there are two updates recently and I need to control the word count, I generally take the three finished chapters and cut them down to two, to guarantee information density. If something comes up at night and I don't have time to edit, I'll post early.

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(End of this chapter)