Chapter 150: The Tamed Faith

Liu Junyan remained seated steadily in the main hall, as if everything was under his control.

After that tremor, the golden light vanished.

Along with the golden light disappearing, the red light above the prison also vanished, as did the roar that sounded like an ox and a tiger.

Everything returned to calm.

Even the chanting from the training hall seemed to have its vital energy instantly drained, gradually weakening.

Heavenly auspicious signs appeared in an instant.

This happens only once a year.

This is a rumor circulating in the town, believed by many.

Heh, truly laughable.

Heavenly auspicious signs can actually occur once a year, and they usually appear around this time.

How could that be possible?

Such an obvious truth, why do so many people believe it?

Rather than saying they believe in this supernatural power, it is more like their faith in the temple on Cow Tiger Mountain and the ascetic monk within it.

A faith that has been cultivated over many years!

"Seventh Lord!"

Hui Moqiong turned and walked toward Liu Junyan, cracking his fists, eager to try.

But I saw that Liu Junyan's hand gripping the prayer beads was so tense his knuckles turned white.

I stepped forward, opened my palm, and gently wrapped around his hand clutching the beads.

Liu Junyan seemed to snap back to awareness, looking at me.

"Is it the Golden Scale, right?" I asked.

Actually, when Li Qingying said those words to me in the evening, I had already guessed.

Nowadays, the only thing that could make Liu Junyan care so much, aside from the ancient ferocious beast formation, would be those few Golden Scales scattered outside.

Only by retrieving all the Golden Scales can he go to the Linghai Forbidden Ground to reclaim his natal magic weapon.

Only then can he go to save his mother.

But I still feel there's something I haven't fully figured out, because of Liu Junyan's unease.

If it were merely because a single Golden Scale of his was hidden in Cow Tiger Mountain, he wouldn't be like this.

Li Qingying exclaimed, "Was that golden light just now emitted by the Golden Scale? No, when that golden light appeared, it clearly took the shape of a dragon, even with a dragon's roar..."

An offhand remark from Li Qingying sent a shock through my whole body.

Dragon shape... dragon roar...

If it were merely a single Golden Scale, even if it could burst forth with powerful Merit Light, it shouldn't produce these simultaneous phenomena.

Could it be...

My hand also clenched tightly; I looked again at Liu Junyan and asked in disbelief, "Under Cow Tiger Mountain, is there something else?"

This time, both Hui Moqiong and Li Qingying were stunned.

Hui Moqiong scratched his disheveled hair, the earlier excitement calming, and said, "It seems... it seems to be this; otherwise a single Golden Scale couldn't trigger such a huge chain reaction."

"The Golden Scale should just be a trigger; it cannot suppress the Qiongqi Evil Formation." Liu Junyan finally spoke, "Under Cow Tiger Mountain there should also be a stronger formation; they used the Golden Scale to briefly breach a gap in that strong formation, drawing forth whatever is suppressed beneath it to press down on the Qiongqi formation, achieving their goal."

Boom!

We three were as if struck by a sudden thunderclap, unable to recover for a long time.

What on earth is the origin of Cow Tiger Mountain!

Besides the Qiongqi Evil Formation, there is another, even stronger formation.

Putting it that way, retrieving that Golden Scale may be harder than ascending to heaven.

At that moment, a trace of blood seeped from the corner of Liu Junyan's lips, and his face turned somewhat pale.

"Liu Junyan, what's wrong with you?"

I reached out to wipe the blood from his lip, but he dodged: "It's fine."

He lowered his head, and the thumb bearing the prayer beads swiftly wiped away the blood.

He raised his head again and gave me a smile.

That smile broke my heart.

I vaguely realized why he was like this.

I took his hand and asked cautiously, "This must be the source of the Heavenly Punishment, right?"

Liu Junyan has committed no wrongdoing.

For someone blessed with Merit, where does the Heavenly Punishment come from? I could never understand this.

Only now did I comprehend.

The one who created the karma was never him; he merely helped others bear their karmic burdens.

Each Golden Scale he lost could be used by someone with intent, like this one on Cow Tiger Mountain.

Each time Cow Tiger Mountain uses a Golden Scale, for Liu Junyan it is an accumulation of karmic burden.

Setting aside the other few Golden Scales, just this one, day after day, year after year, eventually the karmic burden will reach a critical point, and the Heavenly Punishment Liu Junyan must face may be utter ruin!

Thus, retrieving every scattered Golden Scale is urgent.

Liu Junyan's earlier unease all stems from this.

He perhaps couldn't understand it before, but this time is his trial.

He had Hui Moqiong hold back, patiently waiting for this moment.

He has verified his hypothesis successfully.

The answer that could be obtained was nevertheless so cruel.

Liu Junyan's thumb lightly stroked the back of my hand, she smiled and said, "Before, I was completely in the dark, unaware of what lay ahead; now that I have figured it out, it's very good."

"What good is good!" Hui Moqiong flared his fists in anger, "They are playing with your life; I'll go slaughter Cow Tiger Mountain right now and take back your Golden Scale!"

Liu Junyan called out to Hui Moqiong, "Mo Qiong, don't act rashly!" She said, "The matter of Cow Tiger Mountain is not that simple."

Hui Moqiong, however, wouldn't listen at all: "Afraid of them? I'll first kill that pack of lamas, then set fire to the monastery, skin alive the false ascetics inside—let's see who dares to stop me!"

Liu Junyan shook her head: "If it were just that, I could handle it myself, but what presses down beneath Cow Tiger Mountain is likely the Lock Dragon Array."

Lock Dragon Array?

We three were startled again.

Li Qingying murmured, "Is there really a dragon beneath Cow Tiger Mountain?"

"No," Liu Junyan said, "It's not a true dragon; perhaps it's a Dragon Vein, or perhaps just a wisp of Dragon Qi. They used my Golden Scale to draw out the Dragon Qi, thereby concealing their misdeeds."

Just now the bronze bell rang, which was the moment to activate the Golden Scale's Mana, break open a gap in the Lock Dragon Array; the ensuing earth-shaking tremor was caused by the fluctuation of the Formation Array.

Hui Moqiong was so anxious he wanted to stamp his feet: "Then what do you say we should do next? We can't just swallow this silent loss! I can't bear this frustration at all!"

Li Qingying pinched his arm and hissed quietly, "Keep it down!"

"To endure is impossible!" Liu Junyan said, "But Cow Tiger Mountain's Qiongqi Evil Formation moves the whole body with a single thread; to act against it, we must strike true in one blow, leaving no room for maneuver."

Hui Moqiong asked, "Tell me what to do, I'll follow your orders."

"Not in a hurry," Liu Junyan said, "First we need to clarify what exactly is sealed beneath Cow Tiger Mountain in the Lock Dragon Array—whether it's a Dragon Vein or just a wisp of Dragon Qi. The opposing side used the Golden Scale to pry open the Lock Dragon Array, expending too much Mana; relying on a single Daoist site cannot replenish it, so they must seek another way."

I blurted out, "You mean, Guo Zhen…"