Chapter 876

When Hu Xiaotian left, Ji Feihua did not see him off, merely saying calmly: "Be careful; if you encounter that wicked monk, tell him that if he dares to hurt you, he will never obtain the rest of the Uninterrupted Secret."

Leaving the Well of Reincarnation was not easy either; Hu Xiaotian had been thrown in by the wicked monk Bu Wu, and now he had to climb out on his own. The well is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, making the ascent harder than a straight climb. Using hands and feet, he employed the Golden Spider Eight Steps against the wall. This footwork taught by Quan De'an was very useful for scaling walls and vaulting; in modern society Hu Xiaotian would surely be a top-tier rock climber.

After climbing in one breath to the rim of the well, Hu Xiaotian cautiously lay at the opening and peered out; rain still fell, the surroundings were pitch black, likely still midnight. He did not know exactly where he was. Confident that no one was near the Reincarnation Stele, he boldly climbed up. Though his eyesight was astonishing, he could not see a single lamp; his position was probably in a valley, unsure whether he had left Split Cloud Valley.

Dark clouds filled the sky, not a star visible, making direction impossible; beneath his feet, weeds grew thick with no path. Hu Xiaotian could only rely on intuition to head uphill, thinking that once he reached the summit he could see the surroundings clearly.

Worried about encountering the wicked monk Bu Wu again, Hu Xiaotian kept glancing back; after walking over a li, he finally reached the mountaintop. Looking ahead, he faintly saw Tianlong Temple to his left front, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief—he had at least escaped disaster.

The rain had grown much heavier; Hu Xiaotian quickened his pace. Ahead stood a stone pavilion he intended to enter for shelter, but inside he saw a vague figure, his heart sank—if it were Bu Wu, that would be trouble—so he dared not proceed, detouring far around the pavilion into the forest ahead. The woods were dense; after not walking far he lost his way, and just as he grew vexed, a voice from above asked: "You are not a monk of Tianlong Temple?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw an old monk with white brows hanging over his shoulders appear above his head—it was Yuan Kong. He stood on a twig as thin as a finger, yet the twig did not bend under his weight; having witnessed Yuan Kong's ability to float in void before, Hu Xiaotian was not overly surprised. From the earlier exchange between Yuan Kong and Bu Wu, he knew this old monk's heart was likely not bad. He hurriedly bowed respectfully, saying: "Master, I was just seized by that wicked monk and brought here; I barely escaped his clutches, only to lose my way. Please, Master, point me to a path of survival."

Yuan Kong still said: "You are not a disciple of Tianlong Temple!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "No!"

Yuan Kong said: "No wonder you dare come here; you don't know that this rear mountain is a forbidden zone for outsiders?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not that I wanted to come; I was seized by that wicked monk."

Yuan Kong said: "Being able to escape from Bu Wu's grasp and climb out of the Well of Reincarnation shows you have some skill and some fortune; come with me!" Having spoken, his body floated up from the twig, hovering in midair as he moved toward outside the forest.

Hu Xiaotian hurriedly followed, fearing being left behind and losing the chance to escape.

Exiting the forest, they found themselves in a grove of steles; the sound of flowing water could already be heard, indicating the river was not far.

Yuan Kong pointed ahead and said: "Down here lies Split Cloud Valley; once inside, follow the valley road and you can return."

Just as Hu Xiaotian was about to thank him, a gloomy voice said: "Yuan Kong, you violate temple rules by privately releasing someone; how can you face the Buddhas?"

The wicked monk Bu Wu appeared ghostlike about ten zhang to their right.

Hu Xiaotian was startled; just as he thought he would escape, the wicked monk suddenly appeared again.

Yuan Kong said: "He was merely seized by you; that does not count as intruding into the forbidden zone."

Bu Wu said: "The temple rules clearly state that anyone who illicitly enters the forbidden zone shall be slain without pardon!" After speaking, his withered right palm made a virtual chop forward; though the motion seemed not mighty, a mountain‑overwhelming palm force silently surged toward Hu Xiaotian.

Yuan Kong flicked his wide sleeve; Hu Xiaotian instantly lost his footing, feeling a great force lift him, his body flying outward.

Bu Wu gritted his teeth and said: "You are protecting him!" Without visible movement, he suddenly appeared before Yuan Kong and threw a punch at his chest.

Yuan Kong did not dodge; after the punch struck him, his body floated like a balloon, seemingly weightless, he rushed to Hu Xiaotian's side, grabbed his arm, and drifted continuously in the air, landing at the bottom of Blazing Cloud Valley.

Bu Wu followed like a shadow, the two figures leaving successive afterimages in the rain.

Yuan Kong flung Hu Xiaotian's body toward the opposite bank of the small river: "Go!"

Hu Xiaotian flew forth like riding clouds and mist, but as his body crossed the stream, Bu Wu punched the ground; the rushing water suddenly surged up, forming a water wall about three zhang high on the river surface. Hu Xiaotian struck the wall, and his forward momentum ceased instantly.

Bu Wu roared, the water wall surged toward the shore; Yuan Kong saw Hu Xiaotian being struck back by the wall and wanted to go rescue him, but Bu Wu seized the moment to attack again, his five fingers grasping emptily; a mass of water was drawn by his palm's suction, condensing in the void into a long chain, the transparent chain like a poisonous snake winding toward Yuan Kong.

Yuan Kong intoned the Buddhist mantra: "A… mi… tuo… fo!" His voice struck like invisible bombs on the chain; the transparent chain, before it could wrap around his body, turned into a spray of mist.

Bu Wu feigned an attack elsewhere, now close to Hu Xiaotian's side, he snorted coldly: "I intend to kill him before your eyes, to make you feel guilty for life!" He grabbed Hu Xiaotian's throat. Hu Xiaotian's mind sparked; recalling Ji Feihua's parting words, he sent a mental transmission to Bu Wu: "If you kill me, you will never master the complete Uninterrupted Secret in this lifetime."

Bu Wu hesitated upon hearing that.

Although Yuan Kong's martial prowess was not inferior to Bu Wu's, Bu Wu was vicious by nature, unscrupulous in his deeds, and besides, he did not care about Hu Xiaotian's life or death, so Yuan Kong found himself at a disadvantage.

Bu Wu sneered: "Yuan Kong, you often say saving a life beats building a seven‑story pagoda, and that if not you, who will enter hell? Well, I can spare this boy—if you kill yourself before me, I will spare his life."

Yuan Kong said: "You are treacherous and venomous, utterly lacking sincerity; even if I were to kill myself, you would not keep your promise."

Bu Wu laughed loudly: "You speak righteously, but it's just to save your own skin, Yuan Kong! You hypocritical bald donkey—tell us how you cultivated the Void Zen, how you gained your present martial ability, and for that half of the Void Great Law, how many lives have you taken?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted: Could Yuan Kong also have cultivated the Void Great Law? Bu Wu said he had only half of it; I wonder how it differs from what Li Yuncong taught me.

Yuan Kong's expression became extremely awkward; Bu Wu laughed: "To master the Void Great Law, you didn't hesitate to kill the former abbot; everyone who knew this secret you have slain, except me, because you cannot kill me! Though you constantly claim to be a Buddhist disciple, have you ever wondered why you too are trapped in this desolate, ruined rear mountain, and even dare not cross this little river of Split Cloud Valley?"

The accomplished monk Yuan Kong actually lost his composure; his hands and feet trembled, and beneath his snowy long brows his eyes suddenly turned blood‑red, brimming with killing intent.

Although Bu Wu's eyes were blind, he had already sensed Yuan Kong's change; he sneered: "You were never a good person, why pretend to be a bodhisattva? I have sworn a poisonous oath not to spread your deeds, but this boy has not—heh, you do want to save him, don't you? In consideration of our thirty years as neighbors, I will grant you this: I now hand the person to you; whether to release or not is your decision."

Bu Wu shoved Hu Xiaotian toward Yuan Kong; this move was extremely vicious—though he did not personally kill Hu Xiaotian, he revealed the secret Yuan Kong feared most being known. If Yuan Kong lets Hu Xiaotian go, the secret could spread worldwide; if he silences him, it would render his decades of painstaking cultivation pointless.

Bu Wu just stood there motionless, like a stone statue.

Seeing Yuan Kong's expression, Hu Xiaotian felt a twinge of fear and whispered: "Thank you, Master, for saving my life; I'm leaving!" As the Thirty‑Six Stratagems say, flight is best; lingering another moment might bring unknown changes. He hurried toward the small river; escaping Split Cloud Valley would be tantamount to saving his life.

Bu Wu warned gloomily: "Soon enough, everyone will know whose hand killed Tianlong Temple's former abbot; whose hand caused the mysterious disappearance of its thirty‑three monks; and whose hands produced the countless bones in the Well of Reincarnation."

Yuan Kong's hands trembled violently; suddenly he clenched his fists tightly, and his finger joints cracked like firecrackers.

Bu Wu said: "Your hands are stained with blood; the sins you have committed outweigh mine, and even if you cultivated for three lifetimes you could not offset those past transgressions."

Hu Xiaotian ran for his life to the riverbank and leapt up. A phantom flickered before his eyes; he could not dodge in time and collided with the person who suddenly appeared, his body rebounding back onto the bank. He stared and saw it was Yuan Kong blocking his path; meeting Yuan Kong's blood‑red eyes, Hu Xiaotian was greatly alarmed and trembled: "Master, I have heard nothing; I will not divulge a word of what happened here..."

Bu Wu laughed hysterically: "In your life, how many have betrayed you? Which of the promises people make can be trusted? Who would keep a secret for you? Only the dead! Only the dead!"

Monthly Ticket is urgent; seeing Lao Zhangyu's second and Chrysanthemum about to be lost, we earnestly ask everyone to lend a hand, emergency rescue—Monthly Ticket has been stuck at 89 for half a day without moving; we hope some brother will cast an extra vote to break the 90 barrier! (To be continued~^~)