Chapter 354: All Arrested to Fetch Scriptures

"Step back."

Ao Yulie frowned slightly, pulling Yu Kongyuan, who stood beside Fei Yuan Shisan, behind himself, while simultaneously reaching out to grab Fei Yuan Shisan.

Fei Yuan Shisan seemed to have no bones at all; he twisted bizarrely, actually dodging Ao Yulie's sure-fire grab.

Not only that, his entire upper body twisted, winding around Ao Yulie's hand, while his right arm twisted, driving a poison-coated dagger toward Ao Yulie's eyes.

"... This place really is strange." Ao Yulie murmured, and a fierce gale suddenly erupted from his body.

Fei Yuan Shisan reacted extremely fast; his body instantly coiled, as if wanting to lock himself onto Ao Yulie's arm.

Alas, the gale was too ferocious; he was like a lone leaf boat in ocean waves, completely unable to control himself.

In the next breath he flew up, flew out the door, and crashed hard into the vermilion cylindrical pillar outside.

Fei Yuan Shisan's whole person plastered completely against the pillar, like a rather thick painted skin, leaving no gap between them.

Ao Yulie spread his five fingers, aiming at Fei Yuan Shisan; the gale condensed into a single stream, continuing to suppress him, rendering him utterly unable to move.

Fairly speaking, that exchange just now, in terms of technique, Ao Yulie lost; he failed to dodge, and had no time to defend.

But it didn't matter; he only lost in technique; Ao Yulie's strength far exceeded Fei Yuan Shisan's.

This wasn't something any exquisite or bizarre technique could make up for; under absolute power, Fei Yuan Shisan didn't even have the qualification to budge.

"Is it because of this scroll?" Tang Luo said, rolling the scroll back up.

Fei Yuan Shisan over there had his mouth slightly open; the fresh blood he hadn't spat out was blown back in by the gale, and the bones in his body kept making cracking sounds.

Ao Yulie withdrew his hand; the instant Fei Yuan Shisan fell, a beam of light landed on him.

Kaiguang Healing.

"I... just now..." Fei Yuan Shisan landed, half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.

He had just been standing by Tang Luo's side, a distance of two steps, and hadn't thought to look at the scroll, only instinctively glancing at it.

Then...

The world changed.

Waves of "hiss-hiss-hiss" sounds surged from all directions; Fei Yuan Shisan had never imagined that one day he would actually be "swallowed" by sound.

Amidst the hissing sounds, Fei Yuan Shisan felt he had also turned into a snake, unable to resist wanting to twist his body, wanting to tear apart the prey before his eyes.

He clearly knew who these people were, clearly remembered everything, very clearly —

The former scripture-fetcher Tang Xuanzang, Master Yu Kongyuan, the special ghost Ao Yulie.

Yet in his eyes, everyone, including the master he was to serve, had already become prey; he just wanted to tear them apart, watching blood flow from their bodies, flowing endlessly.

Wanting to hear their shrill wails, their howls of agony.

The desire to kill surged crazily, completely uncontrollable.

At the critical moment, a warrior's honor and loyalty exerted a little effect.

Making Fei Yuan Shisan's first attack target become Tang Luo, instead of Yu Kongyuan beside him.

Easily repelled by Tang Luo, he switched targets again, attacking Ao Yulie, not devoted in the slightest, unquestionably a scumbag.

Whereupon he suffered a brutal beating from Ao Yulie.

Hesitation is defeat.

If he had been more decisive, pursued Yu Kongyuan relentlessly — well, okay, the situation wouldn't have been any different.

"Du Shi True Scripture fragment..." Yu Kongyuan murmured.

She, like Fei Yuan Shisan, had glanced at that scroll, but no killing intent erupted.

"The hissing sounds heard just now, are they related to this scroll?" Ao Yulie asked, looking at the scroll Tang Luo had rolled back up.

"I didn't hear it; what about you, Little Yuan?"

Yu Kongyuan shook her head.

"So only you two heard it; I see, the cause is found." Tang Luo said, "It's because you two are too weak, so you were affected."

"..." Fei Yuan Shisan took a heavy blow; as a tool person, his life's meaning was to protect his master.

He never expected that now not only could he not protect his master, but because he was too weak, he nearly harmed his master; he wished he could commit seppuku on the spot.

Ao Yulie, on the other hand, was very calm; he was originally the weakest one: "That hissing sound wasn't loud, faint and intermittent, later concentrating on Shisan."

"I was directly swallowed by the hissing sound." Fei Yuan Shisan.

"Um, is this really the Du Shi True Scripture fragment?" Yu Kongyuan's face was full of worry.

"Who knows." Tang Luo tied the grass rope, putting the scroll back on the table.

"Master, is that scripture-fetcher real or fake?" Ao Yulie asked.

Tang Luo shook his head slightly: "Don't know, but that scripture-fetcher's appearance is eight parts similar to Little Yuan... however, it's a male."

"Huh?" Yu Kongyuan widened her eyes.

"A cute boy? Could you have a twin brother?" Ao Yulie asked.

"I don't know... I've been in Lake City since I can remember." Yu Kongyuan said.

She was very young, one could say she was still in infancy when Yu Kongxin brought her back; about her origins, it was also Yu Kongxin who told her.

"Master, could it be we got it wrong, that Yu Kongyuan isn't the scripture-fetcher?" Ao Yulie transmitted his voice to Tang Luo.

"Not important." Tang Luo gave Ao Yulie a look.

Ao Yulie froze for a moment, then suddenly realized; worthy of being Master, so that's how he thought!

Too many doubts, unsolvable; strength too weak, a weakling.

Master and servant Yu Kongyuan sat on the inner hall's threshold, wearing worried expressions.

Tang Luo stood by the pool, casually tossing white flowers into it, looking leisurely.

In the not particularly clear pool, a few white unknown fish were swimming, occasionally surfacing to swallow the white flowers Tang Luo tossed down.

After a while, people who had defeated the Heavenly River Shrine's people also arrived here.

Yu Kongyuan and Fei Yuan Shisan stepped aside and walked to the edge of the pool.

The newcomer was comparatively cautious, sizing up the inner hall's surroundings, glancing at the obvious scroll on the table, but not rashly touching it, merely looking a few more times.

After another while, seven more people entered one after another.

Following that came the Scripture-Fetcher, escorted on four sides by four Heavenly River Superiors.

The crowd entered the inner hall; the inner hall was not as spacious as the main hall, and there was still a table in the middle. A dozen or so people standing together made it slightly crowded, the gaps between each other less than a meter.

"Does anyone have any questions?" the Scripture-Fetcher asked.

"Is this the Du Shi True Scripture? What's recorded inside?" someone said, pointing at the scroll on the table.

"This is the remnant scroll of the Du Shi True Scripture, an object the Heavenly River Shrine has preserved for generations," the Scripture-Fetcher said. "Inside is recorded a wondrous Qimen sword art; of course, even without a sword it can be executed, and can serve as a special movement technique. You may all examine it now."

"Oh, then let me look first." A man stepped forward, walked to the small table, utterly without courtesy.

He picked up the scroll but had not yet opened it.

The Scripture-Fetcher promptly reminded him: "Once you've looked at the scroll, you must join the great undertaking of fetching scriptures; there is no turning back."

The man didn't answer, simply moving to untie the grass rope on it.

Look first, decide later; if things look bad, become a runaway old bro — a single Heavenly River Shrine couldn't possibly chase him for a lifetime, right?

"You haven't..." the Scripture-Fetcher's words weren't even finished before the man had already untied and unfurled the scroll.

"How can this be!" The Scripture-Fetcher's voice changed, laced with shock.

There was a restriction on the scroll's rope; without him personally untying it, unfurling the scroll should have been impossible.

How did this person do it?

Shock was shock, but the Scripture-Fetcher didn't panic in the slightest; the purpose of luring these people in was precisely to have them open the scroll.

Just a minor mishap in the middle.

The man opened the scroll, but before he could even look at its contents, he heard a burst of eerie "hissing" sounds.

Not only him; the rest of the people in the inner hall heard the sound as well.

Only a few people were excepted.

"This sound again!" Fei Yuan Shisan's face changed; the hissing sounds like a tide engulfed him.

But this time, the killing intent did not fully seize control of Fei Yuan Shisan.

Ahead, an aura suppressed Fei Yuan Shisan, forcing him to obey; without orders, he would not act recklessly.

This aura had nothing to do with Tang Luo; it came from the Scripture-Fetcher in the inner hall.

"Congratulations to you all, for together joining the great undertaking of fetching scriptures." The Scripture-Fetcher's voice rang out, carrying a hint of a smile. "When the team reaches a hundred people, we will head for the Western Pure Land and obtain the Du Shi True Scripture. For now, go rest in the side hall."

Nine people, obedient, quiet, and reserved, filed out obediently.

Their appearance was extremely similar to the people of the Heavenly River Shrine.

"You lot, why aren't you moving? Do you want to resist this Venerable One?"

However, aside from those nine, there were still three people who didn't budge an inch, and the Scripture-Fetcher spoke, his voice carrying a chill.

Two big, one small — precisely that man who called himself Xuanzang, and his two companions — the other companion had actually moved.

"This Scripture-Fetcher of yours sure knows how to play." Tang Luo said with a smile.

"Insolence!" The Scripture-Fetcher abruptly tore off his mask; one could see the pupils in his eyes were extraordinarily bizarre.

In the center were vertical pupils, looking like a reptile's pupils.

That pair of eyes emitted a faint red glow.

Ao Yulie distinctly heard the surrounding hissing sounds suddenly grow louder, giving even him some urge to destroy and kill.

Yu Kongyuan raised his head, looking at this Scripture-Fetcher.

The Scripture-Fetcher froze for a moment; this little thing with messy hair covering its face actually bore a few points of resemblance to himself?

"You control others through this scroll?" Tang Luo picked up the scroll that had just been placed back on the table and said, "They fight like snakes; are you a snake yaoguai?"

"Kill him!"

The Scripture-Fetcher didn't waste words, immediately issuing the order.

Why is this person still unaffected?!

Too dangerous, far more dangerous than he imagined!

The nine who had just walked out of the inner hall heading toward the side hall abruptly turned, some barehanded, some drawing weapons, twisting their bodies as they lunged at Tang Luo.

Their attack postures and appearance were exactly like Fei Yuan Shisan's just now.

Tang Luo instantly rolled up the scroll.

The hissing sounds everyone heard instantly vanished, the killing intent in their eyes instantly receded, and their attacking motions halted.

But it didn't matter, because the Scripture-Fetcher's order wasn't directed at them in the first place.

The Heavenly River Superiors standing beside him attacked the instant the Scripture-Fetcher gave the order.

Four people, eight arms, stretched to an abnormal degree, whistling through the air; a flood dragon emerging from the sea, sealing off all of Tang Luo's dodging positions.

Simultaneously, the Scripture-Fetcher grabbed the scroll on the table, retreated a step backward, and crashed into the wooden wall behind him.

There was actually a secret door behind it, letting the Scripture-Fetcher slip through in a flash.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall; truly realizing Tang Luo's danger, the Scripture-Fetcher instantly became a runaway old bro, fleeing for his life, keen awareness, proper execution.

Tang Luo raised his hand, palm shadows manifesting; not only did he shatter the "flood dragon," he also sent the four Heavenly River Superiors flying, embedding them into the walls, unable to move.

"Chase."

Without searching for a mechanism, he directly smashed through the secret door and gave chase.

We need to grab this brat to go fetch scriptures together; how could we let him escape?

The unimportant reason is very simple: regardless of whether he is or not, just grab them all and send them to fetch scriptures.