The Meng Family's Report on Its Campaign to Wipe Out the Heartless Sect in the Buddhist Kingdom

"Life-buying money?" The Bodhisattva statues all came to life and gathered around the merit box, curious. They'd never heard of such a thing.

"It might not have existed in ancient times. It was probably invented during the Great Qian or Great Yu era," Lu Yang explained.

Lu Yang sensed that the bag of spirit stones had become connected to his lifespan. The other party was trying to use the stones to buy his years of life.

"Life-buying money is an evil method for extending one's life. Usually, you leave a bag of money in a cemetery or at a crossroads. Whoever picks it up will have their lifespan taken by the other party. It's basically a forced transaction."

"How dare they try to buy Senior Brother Lu's life!" the women said indignantly. This was simply lawless.

"Let's see who did it."

"Establish [Rule: Find the owner of the life-buying money]."

Night fell. Crows cawed wildly on the dry branches, their eyes dull as they turned their heads only once in a long while.

This was an abandoned cemetery outside Jin'an City. The bodies buried here had no known identities. Yin energy and resentment swirled through the place, and even bold thieves wouldn't linger, afraid of attracting something ill-omened.

Suddenly, a withered arm burst through the soil. A string of beads encircled its wrist—exactly one hundred and eight, matching the number of the Greater Celestial Circuit.

"Heh heh, someone's picked up the old man's money again."

The ground shuddered and caved in, revealing the owner of the withered arm: a gaunt old man with nothing but skin stretched over bone. He looked less like a person and more like a skeleton wearing human skin.

"Now that you've seen the old man's money, your life belongs to me."

The old man