Chapter 623: Bi Yao

Half a month later.

At the foot of Mount Sumeru.

"Bi Yao, you must think this through. This is Tianyin Temple, one of the three great sects of the righteous path. Let alone the two of us, even if the Sect Master were here in person, once discovered by that bunch of bald donkeys, we wouldn't fare well." The speaker was a mature woman in a pale purple long dress, her face veiled in thin gauze, making her features unclear. Her beautiful eyes were long and narrow, carrying a hint of faint coldness, and the skin she revealed was exceptionally fair.

"Aunt You, you have already said this no fewer than five times."

Another soft, sweet voice rang out. The young girl had a slender figure and wore water-green robes. Her large, bright eyes were extremely lively, with ripples like water. Under the warm sunlight, her delicate face flushed, her skin like snow, peerlessly beautiful and clear, as if she were an elf of the forest.

The woman in the thin purple veil sighed faintly, her brows filled with sorrow: "The Ghost King entrusted you to me. If any mishap befalls you, how am I to answer for it?"

The vast land of Shenzhou is rich in resources and talented people, among which the three teachings of Buddha, Dao, and Demon are the most prosperous, possessing the deepest and most profound attainments in arts and magic.

Compared to the three great sects of the righteous path, the Demon Sect also has a history of over a thousand years; in particular, the Black Heart Elder of the Blood Smelting Hall and Madam Jinling of the Hehuan Sect eight hundred years ago dominated the world, an era when the Demon Sect was rampant.

After that generation withered away, the Demon Sect fell into a low ebb, but several decades ago, it flourished once again, forming a new situation led by the four great prestigious sects: the Ghost King Sect, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, the Hehuan Sect, and Changshengtang.

The two women before us were none other than Youji, one of the four great Holy Envoys of the Ghost King Sect, known as "Vermilion Bird," and Bi Yao, the only daughter of the Ghost King Sect Master.

Not long ago, Bi Yao claimed she was bored staying in the Ghost King Sect and wanted to come out for a walk.

The Ghost King, worried for Bi Yao's safety, had Youji accompany her.

"Aunt You, don't worry. I know the stakes; I won't go looking for trouble with Tianyin Temple. This time, I just want to see what kind of demeanor that White-robed Divine Monk truly has."

Bi Yao gave a playful smile: "Besides, the Strange and Treacherous Dao that Uncle Yu taught me has already reached a small level of success. Even if I encounter the monks of Tianyin Temple, as long as the so-called Four Great Divine Monks don't all attack at once, they won't be able to capture me."

Youji let out a sigh, though she knew that the "Strange and Treacherous Dao" passed down by that eccentric man surnamed Yu indeed possessed power that could defy gods and ghosts.

As one of the four great Holy Envoys of the Demon Sect, if she were to truly fight Bi Yao, the outcome would be uncertain.

It was only a pity that after that eccentric man taught Bi Yao the Strange and Treacherous Dao, he disappeared, leaving the Ghost King no chance to recruit him; otherwise, the Ghost King Sect would have gained another earth-shattering expert.

Although Bi Yao did not explicitly state it, Youji knew that part of the reason for this trip was to find Yu Liancheng, who had once saved her life and taught her.

As the two women were about to emerge from the dense forest and reach the mountain road, Bi Yao suddenly stopped, her face breaking into a smile, peerlessly beautiful and carrying a hint of innocence.

With a wave of her green cloud-like sleeves, the two beauties, who could be identified at a glance in the crowd, suddenly became ordinary, lost in the sea of people.

"The Strange and Treacherous Dao is truly profound." Even though she had seen the Strange and Treacherous Dao before, Youji still marveled at this strange and unpredictable power.

"Hee hee, now Aunt You, you can finally rest easy, let's go." Bi Yao took Youji's slender arm, and like mother and daughter, they walked through the woods and onto the mountain road.

This perhaps could not be described as a mountain road.

It was a stone staircase paved with white jade like a long dragon, winding and undulating through the mountains, spiraling toward Tianyin Temple.

What was even more astonishing was that although it was still early, the mountain road was already crowded with pedestrians, and the closer one got to Tianyin Temple, the denser the flow of people became.

Among them, many were bowing every three steps and kowtowing every five, the sunlight shining on those slightly dusty faces, yet they appeared pious and firm.

Even Bi Yao, a demoness from the Ghost King Sect, was slightly moved by this sight.

Youji's cherry lips parted beneath her thin veil, her voice calm: "When Puhong first decided to open the mountain gates and accept the common people, they came in an endless stream to worship Buddha. However, the mountain road was steep at the time, and ascending was no easy task. Later, Puzhi, one of the Four Great Divine Monks, used great divine power, and with his own strength and ten years of effort, carved out a long road on this steep mountain path."

After a brief moment of surprise, Bi Yao's pretty face quickly turned cold, and she snorted: "The people of the Buddhist sect are the most hypocritical. Opening the gates and repairing the road—isn't it all for the sake of incense money in the human world? They just say it nicely."

Youji knew that because of that incident years ago, Bi Yao had no fondness for monks, so she didn't mind, saying as they walked: "Today is the day the White-robed Divine Monk Puzhen gives a lecture, so even more people have come. Didn't you want to see the demeanor of the White-robed Divine Monk? It is just as you wished. It is said that after Puzhen spent three years in seclusion, when he emerged, the entire Mount Sumeru transformed into a Human Buddha Kingdom. In the eyes of many believers, that White-robed Divine Monk is already a Buddha descended to earth..."

"These monks, their ability to brag is growing ever greater. But I do indeed want to see whether that Puzhen is just sanctimonious and famous for nothing, or if he truly has some real ability."

Before long, Bi Yao and Youji had crossed the stone steps and entered the mountain gate.

Looking out, one could see majestic halls standing tall, extremely high; the Great Hero Treasure Hall was over ten zhang high, the roof resplendent with gold and jade, with eight roof ridges dividing it, carved into the shape of dragon heads. In front of each flying eave dragon head were ten auspicious beasts, each in a different form, lifelike.

The various magnificent carvings were far beyond the imagination of the world. Behind and on both sides of the main hall were towering halls connected one after another, magnificent and grand, connected by squares, winding paths, or directly joined, layer upon layer, truly spectacular.

Bi Yao's pretty face revealed a sneer: "If the Buddhist sect truly believed that all phenomena are empty, there wouldn't be so many glorious buildings. The wealth spent building Tianyin Temple is likely ten times more than that of the secular Imperial Palace. If they were willing to use it to save all living beings, who knows how many people could be rescued. In the end, it is nothing but hypocrisy; they speak nicely, but they are no better than my Ghost King Sect."

Youji nodded: "That is indeed the case."

The two wandered around Tianyin Temple for a while, then heard a monk telling the pilgrims that the White-robed Divine Monk was lecturing at the "Vajra Sect," and those interested could go and watch.

The most important reason there were so many pilgrims today was Master Puzhen's lecture. Master Puzhen was already the most prominent monk of the current age, and after emerging from three years of seclusion, he revealed the miracle of a "Human Buddha Kingdom," so everyone wanted to see what kind of demeanor Master Puzhen now possessed.

In an instant, the crowd surged toward the "Vajra Sect," and Bi Yao and Youji naturally mingled among them.

The so-called Vajra Sect was actually an extremely spacious square, large enough to hold over a thousand people, with various Vajras carved in the square, lifelike.

Besides this, a high platform had been erected, which was where the Divine Monk Puzhen would lecture.

Bi Yao and Youji waited for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense when the crowd suddenly seemed to explode, and then they saw a white figure arrive from the air and sit cross-legged on the high platform.

Looking closely, it was a monk dressed in white Buddhist robe, with a faint smile on his face, his demeanor graceful and transcendent, his expression gentle and elegant, the likes of which she had never seen before. His eyes were like the seawater of summer, rippling with a light that made one feel warm. Even Youji could not help but be conquered by his demeanor.

"He... how is he somewhat similar to Uncle Yu?"

The moment she saw that figure, Bi Yao's delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes flashing with light, feeling that this person before her gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity, unexpectedly and inexplicably resembling her benefactor Yu Liancheng.

For a moment, Bi Yao's mind instantly returned to when she was very young.

At that time, her mother had taken her back to the "Fox Qishan Six Fox Cave" to see her grandmother, but unexpectedly, the righteous path attacked. Among them, the Evil Monk Pufang of "Tianyin Temple" used the magic treasure "Floating Slaughter Golden Bowl" to collapse the entire Six Fox Cave, and countless stones rolled down like rain, whistling as they crashed down, burying her, her mother, and her grandmother alive underground.

It was only because the Six Fox Cave was not large and there were a few large stones supporting it that they were barely able to survive. Because her grandmother's injuries were too severe, she passed away shortly after, and the mother and daughter wept in the cave, tearfully burying their fox grandmother.

In the following days, their situation did not improve in the slightest; buried deep underground, apart from a few drops of water dripping between the rocks, they were accompanied only by hard, cold rock and boundless Darkness. That was undoubtedly the most terrifying and darkest time in Bi Yao's life. She was very afraid, her young heart completely unable to bear this huge upheaval.

Her mother kept telling her, comforting her gently: Little Yao, don't be afraid, Father will definitely come to save us.

But...

The Ghost King never came.

In that pitch-black cave, she could only keep crying, her stomach hungry, almost in despair.

On another day, perhaps because they had been trapped for so long, she seemed to hear someone knocking on the stones, saying in a gentle voice: "Is anyone inside?" Just like the most gentle guest, as if he were just passing by and dropping in for a visit.

And as the mother and daughter let out nearly hoarse cries for help, the sound of knocking on the stones outside stopped, yet all the stones floated up as if they had no weight.

Bi Yao saw the light.

The long-lost sunlight.

And she also saw a person.

A young man dressed in black, with a smile on his face.

He stood in the light.

The mother and daughter had both fainted from excessive agitation. When they woke up again, they were already beside a warm fire, and a young man in black was roasting a wild boar, the aroma hitting their noses. That slightly charred pork was the most delicious food Bi Yao had ever tasted in her life; even now, she still remembered the taste with perfect clarity.

The benefactor said his name was Yu Liancheng, a traveler, a traveler from the Heaven Beyond Heaven. He had arrived here by accident and, discovering faint breathing sounds amidst the ruins, had rescued them.

The benefactor seemed to like Bi Yao very much and taught her a cultivation method called the "Strange and Treacherous Dao."

Later, the Ghost King arrived and offered the Heavenly Book as a reward; after the man swept his gaze over the Heavenly Book, he ignored the Ghost King's entreaties and Bi Yao's cute, pleading requests, turning and leaving.

From then on, there was never any news or trace of him again.

Oh, right.

That benefactor also liked to use foul language.

And a phrase he frequently kept on his lips was "Damn it."

It was clearly a vulgarity, but when spoken by him, it had a feeling of playful mockery and scolding that formed a literary composition.

As for why this was the case, according to the benefactor, the place he stayed before did not allow this vulgarity, otherwise a terrifying curse would descend. Now that he had changed places and was free from the restriction of the curse, he naturally wanted to release the vulgarities he hadn't been able to say for years to his heart's content.

So much so that Bi Yao followed his example, and for a very long time, she would open her mouth with "Damn it" and close it with "Damn it."

A very cute little girl dressed in a green skirt, spouting profanities for no reason at all.

Even within the Demon sect, it made people feel it was too unbearable to look at.

In the end, under the joint education of the Ghost King and Xiaochi, Bi Yao was finally made to break this verbal tic.

However, this verbal tic was almost engraved into her soul, so much so that this seemingly clever and lively little girl would occasionally and inadvertently let a "Damn it" slip from her mouth.

Over these years, the Ghost King Sect had dispatched who knows how many people to search for the whereabouts of Yu Liancheng, but the other party seemed to have vanished from this world, leaving not a single clue behind.

Yet today, she had caught sight of someone who looked somewhat like her benefactor.

But how could he be a monk?