Chapter 130

"You killed the woman who treated you as her own child, who thought of nothing but your welfare—how terrible!"

The spirit's voice was faint, yet it exploded in Song Ce's mind.

"I I…"

Song Ce's trembling lips opened in a choked sob; he couldn't tell if it was tears blurring his vision or darkness.

Li the steward saw Song Ce standing frozen, his sclera swallowed by black, as if possessed—crack! Song Ce turned his neck and moved his limbs like a wooden puppet.

"Y-Young Master?"

Li the steward swallowed hard; whether it was an illusion or not, he felt Song Ce now resembled a puppet whose limbs were being pulled by unseen strings.

Song Ce tilted his head and sneered at Li the steward, grinning wickedly: "Your young master is too fragile. But this body is truly weak. By the way, your lady never wrote you a letter—I sent you to the Western Regions."

"You—"

As Li the steward opened his mouth, Song Ce seized his throat—crack! Li's head lolled, life gone.

Song Ce tossed Li's corpse aside like trash, murmuring with a curled lip:

"I thought I'd have to wait much longer to take this body—earlier than I expected. Once inside the trial ground, I'll kill that damned Marquis Wen and seize his fortune; cultivation will accelerate faster."

After pausing briefly, the spirit-possessed Song Ce turned and left.

…

Three days later, Chen hour.

In front of the Buddha Cave at the back of Foyou Temple, over a hundred monks in varied robes stood gathered.

These were monks from major Buddhist sects of the Buddhist Kingdom; due to differing beliefs, they did not speak to one another, but occasionally cast furtive glances at the thirty men from Great Zhou.

Ten more monks, with black lotuses embroidered on their sleeves and chests, stared openly and unashamedly at Lu Fang's group.

Li Yu whispered a reminder: "Once inside the trial ground, Young Uncle, try not to interact with anyone. I'll do my best to find you."

This was already the how-manyth time he'd reminded him.

The truth was, Lu Fang's rank was far too low for this trial ground—while everyone else was at least Sixth Rank Third Stage, he alone was Sixth Rank First Stage.

That meant, if he encountered anyone with ill intent, he'd have to flee for his life.

"Mm." Lu Fang replied absently, glancing at Song Ce nearby—this man seemed like a different person today, constantly glancing over.

Song Ce's gaze was like that of a wild beast, making Lu Fang uneasy.

Before he could think further, a monk in a bright red kasaya appeared before the various Buddha murals, spoke in Western Regions tongue, and activated the trial ground.

Golden Sanskrit characters sank into the Buddha statues; powerful energy rippled outward, revealing a bizarrely shaped array.

Foyou Temple still showed some consideration for Great Zhou's delegation—after stating the entry rules, they let Lu Fang and the others enter first.

Lu Fang and Li Yu were the last to enter; in places like the Lesser Upper Realm, entrants were typically scattered across different locations—the closer the landing points, the easier it was to find each other.

…

A sensation of falling through empty air struck him.

Lu Fang stabilized his form and floated gently down onto the roof of a ruined temple; the stench of decay hit him. Looking around, he saw a vast temple ruin—buildings crumbling, weeds choking every corner.

With a light toe-tap, he landed in the courtyard.

On a rotting black plaque, faint traces of the four characters "Henghong Grand Hall" remained. Two stone lanterns flanked the hall, thick with dust.

Inside the hall stood a Buddha statue with glaring eyes, more like a demon or an evil from the abyss—sharp fangs, bulging eyes, crimson skin, a necklace of skull beads around its neck.

The statue's hands were clasped in prayer, yet its furious face curled into a grin, radiating madness.

On either side, stone walls bore countless statues resembling demons and yakshas.

Lu Fang frowned, a deep discomfort crawling over his skin—he felt as if he'd entered a temple impersonated by demons and mountain spirits.

He couldn't imagine what this place had once been.

Did anyone truly worship these things?

Lu Fang cautiously sensed the area and detected a powerful aura fluctuation at the back of the hall—similar to the aura of Wandaoshi.

"Special place?"

He murmured to himself.

In the trial ground's special places, one could enter a mysterious state, making enlightenment easier and boosting cultivation and realm faster.

If one's cultivation had stagnated, such enlightenment could break the barrier.

But such special places were exceedingly rare and hard to find—yet Lu Fang had stumbled upon one the moment he arrived.

Still, to be safe, Lu Fang crept forward cautiously, alert to any hidden threats.

Fortunately, all remained quiet.

"A pond?"

Lu Fang stared at the lotus pond before him, surprised—everywhere else in the ruined temple was decay and rot, yet this pond was astonishingly clear.

Not only did lotus leaves float on its surface, but fish occasionally leapt from the water.

The contrast was jarring.

Should he enter?

Lu Fang hesitated at the arched entrance, suddenly recalling a saying: the more beautiful something appears, the greater the danger hidden within.

He would enter—it was too rare an opportunity to pass up.

But before entering, he must be cautious—his life came first.

After searching, Lu Fang found a wild rabbit outside the temple and tossed it through the archway. To his shock, the moment it crossed the threshold, it shrank to the size of a fingernail.

"How is this possible?"

He tried using Hao Ran Zheng Qi to probe and retrieve the rabbit—but the energy vanished the moment it entered the arch, completely untraceable.

It was as if crossing the arch meant entering another world entirely.

At that moment, a fish leapt from the pond, startling the rabbit, which spun and bolted back out of the arch—once outside, it instantly returned to its original size.

Lu Fang watched the rabbit restore itself, murmuring: "Could this pond be a miniature realm? Entering shrinks one's size… I wonder if Hao Ran Zheng Qi would still work inside."

This discovery made him even more cautious. After multiple trials with the rabbit, he found no apparent danger within the pond.

And even if danger arose, he could escape instantly—his speed summoning Qimen Feijia should be sufficient.

A flash of golden light rippled out, forming Xuan armor that clung to Lu Fang's body. He took several deep breaths, then stepped through the arch.