Chapter 419: Looking After the Head but Not the Rear

A silence fell across from me.

But soon I heard Shi Rou's decisive voice: 'Open it.'

The phone stayed connected.

I heard clearly the sound of them cutting the chains and prying open the small redwood coffin.

After a flurry of activity, Jin Wuya's voice rang out: 'It's really empty.'

'He is gathering Dragon Qi and cinnabar spirit bone.' Liu Junyan said, 'If there's still time, try to keep up with him—don't startle him, don't attack him; just record every place he passes and inform us promptly.'

Shi Rou and Wang Pan's voices sounded at the same time: 'We'll do our best.'

After the phone hung up, Liu Junyan leaned back in the chair, fingers lightly tapping the backrest, lost in thought.

I also made many assumptions in my mind, eventually narrowing down to two crucial points: where the cinnabar spirit bone in the Copper Coin Person's body came from, and where his next stop would be.

'Āyàn, do you think Lingnan might not be the Copper Coin Person's first stop?'

'It should be the first stop.' Liu Junyan analyzed, 'We haven't been away from Songshan long; the fusion of Dībā pò and the Reincarnated Spirit Child takes about a week, and the journey from Songshan to Lingnan also takes time. Empty Silence Abbott's goal is clear—Lingnan as the first station where he declares war on us is just right.'

Paper can't contain fire.

Especially when unexpected situations arise in this game of chess, both sides will promptly and swiftly change their strategies.

Empty Silence Abbott doesn't mind exposure, because by the time we notice the problem, we're already deeply entrenched.

Whoever first thinks of withdrawing from this game loses.

So he chose to advance further.

Now it's up to us how we respond.

'If Lingnan is his first stop, where then did the cinnabar spirit bone on his body come from?'

'It's broken bone.'

Liu Junyan stared deeply at me and said, 'Xiao Jiu, what you feared most has still happened.'

I suddenly understood.

Earlier we had discussed that small segment of cinnabar spirit bone inside the bone whistle.

The conclusion we reached was that this piece of broken bone might be too small, so it wasn't used in the formation.

But even though it was small, it was made into a weapon.

But what if we accumulate small amounts into a large one?

Liu Junyan's following words hit me hard.

He said: 'Xiao Jiu, do you still remember what the little novice monk said when he died?'

I do.

Back then, Empty Silence Abbott activated the Eighteen Golden Arhats Formation hidden in the Sutra Pavilion, shattering all that the little novice monk had long plotted.

The little novice monk was astonished; he didn't even know the temple housed such a powerful formation, and he lost, utterly convinced.

Liu Junyan brought this up just now… I widened my eyes in shock: 'You mean… the Eighteen Golden Arhats Formation…'

Liu Junyan nodded: 'That Eighteen Golden Arhats Formation is likely made from broken bone. When you asked whether the Copper Coin Person would join us, Empty Silence Abbott's reply also carried deep meaning.'

I still remember it clearly.

Empty Silence Abbott said the altar must be prepared for at least a week; after a week, he would lead the Copper Coin Person into the Sutra Pavilion to seclude himself.

Leading him into the Sutra Pavilion…

But just as we stepped out, he immediately slaughtered all the eminent monks performing rites on the altar, without hesitation offering their flesh and blood to those azure hawks!

And at that time, the Copper Coin Person should already have been inside the Sutra Pavilion.

Thus the cinnabar spirit bone in the Copper Coin Person's body is made from the broken bones pieced together to form the Eighteen Golden Arhats Formation.

Having merged with the Eighteen Golden Arhats Formation, does he also inherit the formation's power?

If so, just how powerful must he be now!

I blurted out: 'Āyàn, if we let him keep growing like this, can you still control him?'

'Changes have already occurred.' Liu Junyan said, 'I contracted Dībā pò, which is the Copper Coin Person, but now the Copper Coin Person has not only fused with the Reincarnated Spirit Child's soul, but also gained cinnabar spirit bone as support. Jin Wuya says he now has flesh and blood, and even the copper coins on his body have faded; he is gradually slipping out of my control.'

I wanted to say, what if we act now…

But the words rose to my lips only to be swallowed back down.

Achieving Dībā pò is exceedingly difficult; to destroy it lightly would also bring many irreversible consequences.

Unless absolutely necessary, we would not choose to take this step.

Moreover, we still rely on the Copper Coin Person to guide us and help us find more anchor points.

'It's still too early to draw a conclusion.' Liu Junyan seemed to have figured something out, and he said, 'Don't forget, he is a Reward Body Buddha, whose duty is to propagate and promote Buddhism; the Reincarnated Spirit Child fused with him is the successor jointly selected by the three major systems of Tibetan Buddhism in Zàng Qū. We must believe he has great karmic affinity with the Buddha, and that evil will not prevail over good.'

This is a grand gamble.

If we lose the bet, we will pay a huge price for today's choice.

But we have no choice but to gamble.

As always, outright slaughter is far easier than solving the problem.

Moreover, slaughter won't end all problems; it will only bring endless troubles.

The question we should now consider is: 'Āyàn, where do you think the Copper Coin Person's next stop will be?'

Liu Junyan raised an eyebrow and countered: 'Xiao Jiu, where do you think it will be?'

I shook my head: 'I don't know, but I'm really worried it might be… Huicheng.'

Actually, saying 'worried' isn't accurate; the word 'presentiment' should be used.

Huicheng is too important.

It's close to us and is the next step in our plan.

Following Empty Silence Abbott's ruthless tactics, after the Copper Coin Person takes Lingnan and deals us a heavy blow, he will surely seek to press the advantage.

Capturing Huicheng is, for us, truly a heavy blow.

Liu Junyan's eyes actually revealed a hint of admiration.

I received his praise, yet I couldn't feel happy at all, even feeling a bit annoyed—how could he not be anxious, not be afraid?

"If I were the Empty Silence Abbott, I would also choose Huicheng as the next stop." Liu Junyan said, "The day after tomorrow night we will go to Gui Shi; rushing to Huicheng now won't solve the substantive problem. What the Empty Silence Abbott wants is for us to attend to the head and neglect the tail, to be full of loopholes, to throw our formation into disarray."

I hummed: "I'm already getting a bit confused."

Liu Junyan chuckled lightly, couldn't help reaching out to ruffle my head.

I gave him a fierce stare—what time is this, yet he can still laugh.

I fiddled with my phone, calculating how to instruct my senior sister, how to act to keep Huicheng safe.

I was so anxious I felt like I was going bald.

"Relax a little, Xiao Jiu, there are always more solutions than difficulties." Liu Junyan said, "Since we can't attend to Huicheng, let's make them unable to attend to it either."

My eyes lit up instantly: "Huh? You've thought of a solution?"

Liu Junyan guided step by step: "The two anchor points nearest to us are Huicheng and the Pagoda Formation deep in the abyss of the Linghai Forbidden Ground; the Empty Silence Abbott chose Huicheng and not Linghai—why?"

I immediately replied: "Because he can't afford to offend the Linghai Dragon Clan!"

Liu Junyan raised his eyebrows: "Then we'll give him a move of 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao,' making him attend to the head and neglect the rear; after we return from Gui Shi, we'll think of a way to clean up the remnants."