Chapter 290: Cannot Let You Stay

"Master..."

A weak voice drifted over, and Tang Luo's gaze fell upon the man by the jade pool, his body wrapped around by several female ghosts, concealing his form.

"This voice? It's Ah Fei. How come every time there's a prostitution sweep, you're there?" Tang Luo said.

This man was emaciated, skin and bones, ribs clearly visible, his hair white and disheveled; at a glance he looked like an old man.

But upon closer observation, one would discover this person was actually quite young.

It was just that he was "withered" to the extreme, probably only a few steps away from death.

The half-dead Ah Fei's eyes bulged, and he summoned strength from deep within his body: "It's not me, I didn't, don't spout nonsense!"

He had just come of age, and although he had hung out with those few veteran drivers of approaching science at the club with tender models, it was only once.

Where did "every time" come from?

With a three-part denial shouted in one roar, Ah Fei didn't know where he found the strength, but he flipped the female ghosts off his body.

"Seems that way too, but you're the only person I know here. Where's Fu Wuxue?" Tang Luo said.

Ah Fei barely dragged the clothes from the side and wrapped them around his waist, his expression grief-stricken: "Uncle Fu has already..."

"If he's not thoroughly dead, this poor monk can save his life." Tang Luo said.

A light of hope burst forth in Ah Fei's eyes; it seemed that during this time he and Fu Wuxue had gotten along, they had already become quite good friends.

Fu Wuxue's destiny template was Fu Hongxue, Ah Fei's destiny template was Ah Fei.

Both originated from Gu Long's novels, barely counting as characters under the same worldview.

Their martial arts could be exchanged and referenced with each other; Fu Wuxue's pointers to Ah Fei had been of considerable help.

The two pursued the matter of Lanruo Temples throughout Dayou, and five days ago entered the range of Lanruo Temple.

Originally they thought it should be a fairly perilous journey, but with their combined strength they could also take it down.

Gods and demons walk the world, originally people who dance on the blade's edge; with Ah Fei and Fu Wuxue's personalities, they wouldn't fear danger either.

But unexpectedly, this opponent's strength far exceeded the two's expectations.

Two days ago, Fu Wuxue was completely drained by Lanruo Temple's Tree Demon Granny, becoming a weathered dry corpse that would shatter at a touch, buried in this Lanruo Temple along with his equipment and destiny template fragments.

And Ah Fei, because of his low strength, was ignored by Tree Demon Granny and thrown to her subordinate female ghosts.

Today was also his last night.

After tonight, Ah Fei would meet the same fate as Fu Wuxue, not even a corpse remaining.

There would only be a cenotaph — destiny template fragments and a sword.

The light of hope in Ah Fei's eyes burst forth once, then quickly dimmed again; he shook his head.

He clearly knew how miraculous Master Xuanzang's Enlightenment was, but Fu Wuxue was truly dead through and through, body and spirit gone, and several days had passed; how could he be saved?

"Since it's no use, then avenge him instead." Tang Luo said, his voice flat and calm.

"This Dharma Master, do you know what place this is?" Watching the two converse as if no one else was present, a female ghost who didn't look the least bit fierce or yin-cold walked over and spoke.

Behind her followed two female ghosts dressed as maidservants.

She was also one of the few in the main hall who hadn't joined in the debauchery.

She merely sat in the middle of the rear of the main hall, two maidservants attending her, her appearance dignified and beautiful, actually possessing a few points of a Bodhisattva's feel.

Some men in the main hall were just now going at it, yet their eyes were fixed dead on this female ghost, fire blazing in their eyes.

"Lanruo Temple; this poor monk is still literate." Tang Luo said.

Ah Fei had hope for revenge, a breath sustaining him; he wouldn't die.

"Since you know this is Lanruo Temple, you still dare act recklessly here, Dharma Master — you truly want to die here?" the female ghost said, yin qi gradually emerging in her voice.

The originally warm main hall's temperature plummeted, candle flames flickering.

Instantly it was incomparably gloomy, ghost shadows heavy.

"Aaaah!"

Several people saw that the charming companions beside them just now had in a blink turned into white-boned, half-rotted ghosts, letting out incomparably miserable screams.

Simultaneously their bodies went limp, gradually losing all breath.

Originally these people were all sucked half-dead; the supposed bliss was merely the "final flash of lucidity before death."

"Amitabha." Tang Luo proclaimed a Buddha's name. "This poor monk has come to deliver salvation to you all."

Pausing a moment, he smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "So the ones who must die are you."

Sharp, ear-piercing shrieks reverberated throughout the entire Lanruo Temple.

This time it wasn't those men's miserable cries, but shrieks born of these female ghosts' terror, horror, and despair pushed to the extreme.

Tang Luo made no other movements.

He merely emitted from his body an aura like a surging monstrous wave, almost condensed into substance.

It's hard to describe whether this aura counts as sha qi, blood qi, or killing intent.

This is a special aura formed after slaughtering countless yaomo guiguai, like the great gates sealed in the depths of hell opening, death surging forth.

Not sha qi, not killing intent, not bloody stench — only one word can describe it, and that is death.

Pure death aura.

The candle flames in the main hall all extinguished; instantly it was pitch dark.

In a trance, beside Tang Luo there seemed to appear phantom images of countless yaomo guiguai from the seas, roaring furiously at him, resentment and ferocity soaring to the heavens.

Yet they didn't even dare approach half a step, nor dare meet his gaze.

They merely surged at his sides and behind, like evil souls punished in the eighteen layers of hell, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

Ah Fei stared wide-eyed, just watching one female ghost after another reveal their original terrifying true forms, then under the scouring of this death aura, melt and evaporate like snowballs in a raging fire.

A moment later, they had all completely dissipated.

Not to mention these female ghosts, even Ah Fei — if not for the Enlightenment protection descending along with the aura — at this very moment would probably have his gallbladder and liver shattered, dying on the spot.

This aura has already exceeded the tolerance range of ordinary people.

Fortunately, it only circulated within the Mahavira Hall and did not spread to the outside world.

"Huu—"

The aura of death did not last long; Tang Luo exhaled, immediately retracted it, as if it had never existed.

Just now, his slight recklessness and stretching were also an "invitation."

Before the gradually recovering Ah Fei had finished putting on his clothes, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

Throughout Lanruo Temple, huge vines burst out from deep underground, and in an instant destroyed all buildings outside the Mahavira Hall.

The scholars Lu Sheng and Wei Cheng'en there dodged the vines, but not long after they were entangled and hoisted up.

Two pig-killing knives fell to the ground; Lu Sheng was also extremely fierce, directly biting into the nearby vine and tearing off a large chunk.

With that bite, a large amount of blood actually flowed out of the vine, causing the unprepared Lu Sheng to gulp down a big mouthful.

After a moment of daze, Lu Sheng roared: "Insult to scholarship!"

Then, without hesitation, he took another bite; after being insulted, only blood could cleanse the shame.

But the surrounding vines were extremely numerous, spreading rapidly, and in a short while completely wrapped Lu Sheng, leaving no part exposed.

At first there was still some movement, but then it disappeared.

As for Wei Cheng'en, his situation was similar, except his treatment was not as exaggerated as that of the fierce scholar Lu Sheng; he was merely bound into a zongzi.

Fortunately, his head was still exposed, allowing him to see and speak.

Ah Fei, while shaking, quickly put on his clothes; outwardly he appeared to have returned to his original state, though a temporary deficit remained not fully recovered, estimated to require ten days or half a month of rest.

But now Ah Fei felt his entire body filled with strength—or rather, sustained by a mouthful of vengeful anger.

He turned his head and soon found the sword casually discarded in the corner of the hall.

This was his equipment, also stained with considerable blood energy.

For these ghostly beings, it had no effect at all, so it was simply tossed aside.

Fu Fengxue's knife was similar, except it was not discarded here.

He picked up the sword, gripped it tightly; the original sharp sword's scabbard had already been destroyed, the blade was broken, with several notches and bloodstains on it.

Ah Fei paid no mind, walked to Tang Luo who had turned to face the outside of the Mahavira Hall, bowed slightly, and said: "Master."

"Hmm." Tang Luo responded, then stepped out.

Ah Fei followed closely behind.

As they walked out of the hall, a willow tree so large that ten people could not encircle it suddenly appeared before their eyes.

The weeping willow hung down, layer upon layer, like a curtain, like hair, and vaguely like soft, boneless human hands.

It swayed without wind, conveying a feeling that made one's heart palpitate.

Under the tree stood a white-clad woman, dignified and beautiful in appearance, yet her expression was extremely cold and arrogant.

Seeing this woman, Ah Fei tightened his grip on the broken sword in his hand; this was the master of Lanruo Temple, the Tree Demon Granny.

Inside Lanruo Temple, they had encountered no Ning Caichen, nor seen Nie Xiaoqian or Yan Chixia.

What they saw was only this Tree Demon Granny.

Though appearing as a beautiful woman, she was actually neither male nor female, vicious and cruel; most importantly, her strength was immense.

Ah Fei and Fu Fengxue together were no match for her, and moreover, a host of ghostly beings watched them covetously from the side.

The two had no chance to escape; in the end, one became a withered skeleton, the other—because of Tang Luo's arrival—gained an opportunity for revenge.

"Great monk, you're not bad." The Tree Demon Granny looked at Tang Luo and spoke.

A male and female voice overlapped, carrying a hint of hoarseness, exceptionally strange.

One could hear endless resentment in it.

As he spoke, Lu Sheng and Wei Cheng'en, entangled by vines, were lifted before him.

"But can you save them?"

With a "crack," Wei Cheng'en's head was twisted 360 degrees by the Tree Demon Granny, yet what showed in his eyes was relief.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkey—first kill one to make Tang Luo hesitate, anyway there was still another hostage at hand; as for the others Tang Luo had saved, the clever Celestial Dog had already taken them away from Lanruo Temple.

The Tree Demon Granny's tentacles also did not directly reach outside Lanruo Temple to seize them as well.

"Amitabha." Tang Luo uttered a Buddhist invocation, "You, benefactor, have created killing karma; I cannot let you remain."

"The Dharma is boundless!"

Tang Luo's face darkened, he glared like a wrathful vajra; Ah Fei beside him suddenly felt true strength surging forth, not merely relying on holding his breath.

Compared to the time he dealt with the martial arts legend, this was several degrees stronger; the Spartan War Cry skill, which Tang Luo had practiced to level two a few days prior,

could now affect three targets, with extended duration.

The degree of enhancement had also increased considerably.

"Die!"

Ah Fei roared angrily, his body nearly turning into an afterimage, rushing straight at the Tree Demon Granny; the sword in his hand flashed a black light.

Speed and power far surpassed before.