Chapter 98: Dawn

"Impressive." Ding Mo sighed, then walked over to help her up.

But just as Ding Mo helped her up, Jiang Liuxue seemed to have been triggered by something; her eyes widened, and she spat a mouthful of old blood onto Ding Mo,

and then she fainted dead away.

"..."

Ding Mo blankly wiped the blood from his face, only then remembering that people who have been in a car accident should not be moved easily.

"Uh, sorry... I hope she's alright."

Ding Mo muttered a sentence, then looked again at the iron spear she was subconsciously clutching in her hand.

However, before he could think of a way to handle it,

he suddenly noticed the surroundings brightening up!

Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!

The Morning Bell rang.

It was dawn!

A tranquil morning.

A chilling cold seeped into the room from outside the window.

Ding Mo lay on the bed, eyes tightly shut, looking extremely peaceful—no, he wasn't dead, just asleep.

Jiang Liuxue was sprawled on a chair, with the Black Iron Rusty Spear resting on the table in front of her.

Only, Jiang Liuxue could no longer feel its soul-seducing power.

Besides that, "Zhu Dechang" on the crossbeam and the corpse of "Zhou Lan" on the floor had also vanished, as if they had never existed.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, including Qin Yifei.

His skin was somewhat dark, possessing a healthy luster, with nothing unusual about it.

He was currently hanging his mouth open, wearing an expression of utter listlessness. Nearly a whole night of chanting had almost worn his lips raw; he didn't want to say even a single word for the next few days.

However... they had all survived!

Although Jiang Liuxue's eyes were unfocused and her breathing was somewhat weak, it could still be said:

Three people, all of them survived!

Of course, the casualties for this night were extremely heavy; two more had died.

The team had gone from the initial 7 people to now only 3 remaining.

It was now the 5th day, with 3 days left until the Task ended.

No, it should be said, there were only 3 days left!

After sleeping for a while, Ding Mo woke up—if it weren't for the battle and prolonged mental exertion last night, he wouldn't even have wanted to sleep for this long.

The successive terrifying experiences in this place still left a shadow in his heart, causing him to be unwilling to sleep more.

Getting up, tidying his clothes, and washing his face, Ding Mo had just stepped out of the restroom when he heard movement outside.

Opening the door, Senior Brother Qingshi walked in.

He swept a glance at everyone in the room, not asking where the two missing people had gone, nor what was up with the messy room covered in signs of a struggle.

He only cupped his hands in a salute and said slowly:

"Junior brothers and sisters, the time has come."

Before the Guangming Baodian, ten thousand rays of light poured down from the horizon, forming golden stairs upon the earth.

The treasure hall was illuminated, shining brilliantly and dazzlingly.

Ding Mo carried the heavily injured Jiang Liuxue on his back and ascended the steps together with Qin Yifei.

Behind them was a group of monk soldiers holding precept knives and short staves, watching them like tigers eyeing their prey.

"Sister, hold on," Ding Mo said to Jiang Liuxue, whose eyes were rolled back on his shoulder.

Don't look at Jiang Liuxue like that; in truth, she really wouldn't live much longer... cough cough, no, that's not right, it should be said,

although Jiang Liuxue looked like she was on the verge of death, living through these next two or three days shouldn't be a problem.

Soon, the two arrived before the Guangming Baodian on the platform.

On the ancient platform,

the one-eyed Abbot had been waiting here for a long time. Seeing them arrive, he spoke:

"Sinful karma should be repaid, the maze of delusion should be cleared... do you still have any questions to ask?"

Qingshi and Qing Yin also stood to the side, watching the three.

Ding Mo and Qin Yifei exchanged a look, and the former thought for a moment before speaking:

"Last night, we repented sincerely and took action for it; does that count as the 'sinful karma' being repaid?"

Ding Mo placed heavy emphasis on the two words "sinful karma."

This statement had a hidden meaning, essentially asking, "The Curse has been eliminated, what else do you need to do?"

"Not finished, there is still lingering calamity," the Abbot looked at him and replied.

Was he saying the Curse hadn't been completely eliminated? Or that there was still another Curse? Ding Mo thought, unable to help but curse inwardly.

Can't we just talk properly? Must we resort to these kinds of riddles?!

Qin Yifei was a completely straightforward person; upon hearing this, he was the first to say impatiently:

"Master, can't you just say what you mean? This place clearly has ghosts..."

But he didn't expect that as soon as the word 'ghost' came out, the Abbot's gaze suddenly became sharp!

His closed eye opened, and the turbid, terrifying single eye stared straight at Qin Yifei, scaring the latter into a shiver and causing him to subconsciously fall silent.

After a long moment, the Abbot seemed to return to normal; on both sides, Qingshi and Qing Yin began chanting scriptures as if they had violated some kind of Precepts.

"Amitabha! Buddha, do not blame us, Buddha, do not blame us..." The Abbot also muttered for a while before continuing:

"In this place, there are no such things as strange powers or chaotic spirits!"

Not even a dog would believe that... Ding Mo muttered to himself.

However, judging by the Abbot's tone, it seemed he was trying to warn them?

But this was no longer Ding Mo's primary concern; he suddenly pointed toward the great doors of the Treasure Hall:

"After we go in, how long will it take for us to come out?"

"Amitabha," the Abbot said:

"Until worldly ties are severed, and the six desires are emptied."

How long would that take? Ding Mo was stunned, realizing he wouldn't get an answer, but he didn't care.

In any case, without the Abbot needing to say it, they could leave this place after the Task ended in 3 days.

He immediately asked:

"It is said that Junior Brother Xiong Lihui once came here; is he inside now as well?"

Ding Mo already knew the answer; this move was merely to probe for more information.

The Abbot looked at him and sighed:

"Lihui... alas, the sea of suffering is boundless, yet he does not know that turning back is the shore...

"He has returned to the Unknowing Heaven Realm, that is all."

A while later, seeing that the three of them no longer asked questions, the Abbot had someone open the hall doors.

Ding Mo and the others stepped inside.

……

！！？

When Ding Mo and the three of them regained consciousness, they discovered they had appeared on a plaza.

This place... is somewhat familiar.

Ding Mo and Qin Yifei looked around and discovered that this was precisely the plaza in front of the "Daxiong Treasure Hall."

On the stairs ahead was the "Daxiong Treasure Hall"!

Had they not entered the Daxiong Treasure Hall? How did they end up back here?

Unable to fathom it, Ding Mo realized things were likely not that simple.

"Ding Mo?" Jiang Liuxue suddenly climbed down from him; she clutched her iron spear and spoke with some confusion.

"You? You're alright?" Ding Mo turned around, eyeing her with some surprise.

It seemed that in the instant just now, all the injuries on Jiang Liuxue's body had recovered?

Jiang Liuxue moved about a little, then hesitated and nodded lightly.

"I... don't really understand either."

"This really is..." Ding Mo instantly felt a sense of disorientation.

The three of them discussed it for a while, then walked up along the stairs.

The sun at this moment was also strange; although it was just rising, it made the earth feel extremely scorching.

No... it was not rising! Ding Mo stepped onto the stairs and took a look at the sun.

The dark red sun—it should be "dusk" right now!

This chaotic space-time made Ding Mo feel a sense of trepidation.

They seemed to have arrived inside the "Cidu Temple" of another space?!

Regardless of what he thought, before long, the two of them arrived inside the Daxiong Treasure Hall.

But what they saw inside was not a neat and solemn hall,

but rather piles of white skeletons!

They were wearing monk robes and lying prone on the ground. But if that were all, it would be one thing.

But Ding Mo and Qin Yifei happened to notice that all of them still had hair!

Some of them had conspicuous jewelry on their bodies, and some were wearing other clothes beneath their monk robes!

In other words, these people were just like them,

all "Lay Disciples" who had not been tonsured!

"Are they all dead?" Qin Yifei retreated a few steps in fear.

Jiang Liuxue tightened her grip on her iron spear.

Was this why the Abbot sent them here?

Watching this scene, Ding Mo could not help but doubt his previous thoughts—the Abbot was not actually saving them.

He just... wanted them to die in a specific place!

"Ding Mo, look!" Jiang Liuxue seemed to have discovered something else.

Ding Mo followed her gaze and discovered that on the altar of the Treasure Hall,

there was nothing!

The Buddha statue had disappeared!

At the end of where this group of people lay prone, the Buddha statue had vanished!

Wait, there's more... Ding Mo then realized that in the incense burner on the altar, where there were originally Seven High Incense Sticks, the number of sticks had decreased,

leaving only 3.

Does it really correspond to the 7 of us? Ding Mo confirmed his previous guess.

Four of them had died, so four sticks of incense had also been burned.

"What should we do now?" Qin Yifei asked, looking around vigilantly.

This eerie environment made him shrink his neck involuntarily.

"The Task is about to end, so do not create extra trouble."

After finishing, Ding Mo thought for a moment, then suddenly his expression shifted, and he said:

"Do you all still remember what the last two important rules in the 'Precepts' are?"