Blood-Fueled Lamp

"Why aren't you lighting the lamp wicks?"

The Old Aunt saw that neither Jiang Hong nor Sima Mu had lit their lamp wicks and looked surprised.

Aren't you afraid of dying?

"Look quickly, it's shrinking! It's shrinking!"

Among the tourists, someone shouted excitedly.

Lin Baici turned his head and saw a young man wearing glasses. He had lit the lamp wick.

The dim yellow light was not hot, but it caused the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant on his back to shrink as if ice and snow were meeting a scorching sun.

Seeing this scene, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

We're saved.

The male tourists who had lighters all started lighting their lamp wicks.

"Wait!"

Lin Baici shouted, grabbing Sima Mu's wrist: "Don't rush, let's see how it goes!"

"See what? This ghostly thing is shrinking under the light, doesn't that mean the oil lamps are useful?"

Someone asked doubtfully.

"Shrinking doesn't mean it will disappear!"

Lin Baici's words made everyone's hearts clench again: "And there's another problem, the oil lamps only have lamp wicks, no lamp oil. How long can these oil lamps stay lit?"

The young man wearing glasses trembled and almost dropped the oil lamp.

He looked down and indeed, the lamp wick was burning very quickly.

This made him break out in a cold sweat.

"It's... it's over!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Why can't I control this hand?"

About forty or so men, their hands were too fast, and they were too afraid of death. Seeing the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant on the young man's back shrink, they quickly lit their respective lamp wicks.

Now they were dumbfounded.

"Brother Lin, you are indeed meticulous!"

Sima Mu raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with lingering fear.

Jiang Hong looked at the lighter in his hand, feeling it was burning hot.

"You... don't scare me, you... you don't need lamp oil at all!"

The young man with glasses stammered in panic. He didn't give up, trying to use the oil lamp to roast the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant, hoping to scare it away.

But it was useless.

In less than a minute, the lamp wick visibly burned out.

Whoosh!

When the flame extinguished, the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant, as if retaliating, instantly grew seven or eight times larger, like a middle schooler, clinging to the young man's back.

"Save me!"

The young man with glasses panicked.

"Go get another one!"

Lin Baici urged.

"Oh! Oh!"

The young man with glasses snapped back to reality and quickly ran towards the Purple Lacquered Wood Shelf.

The more than forty tourists who had quickly lit their lamp wicks were now rushing frantically towards the wooden shelf, wanting to grab another one to extend their lives.

The young man with glasses lit another oil lamp.

But it was useless.

The Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant on his back grew even faster.

"Wh..."

The young man with glasses wanted to ask Lin Baici what to do.

Suddenly, The Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant on his back opened its fanged maw, bit down on his throat, and then tore hard, ripping off a section of his trachea, still attached with a piece of flesh and skin.

Bang!

The young man with glasses fell, unable to make a sound because his neck was broken.

The Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant, like a wild dog, squatted beside him, gnawing on his body.

The more than forty unlucky ones who were quick to act didn't survive either. As the oil lamps extinguished, the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infants on their backs began to grow wildly, then tore and attacked, devouring flesh and blood.

This terrifying and bloody scene sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Everyone, hurry and look for lamp oil!"

Jiang Hong roared.

A flurry of chaos ensued.

Seeing this, Jin Yingzhen suddenly understood why Lin Baici hadn't taken out his lighter.

If one person took out a lighter but didn't light the wick, waiting for others to act first, it would appear too calculating.

Just like now, in the hearts of others, Lin Baici was still that harmless student with a little kindness.

Only Jin Yingzhen knew how meticulous this Oppa's mind was.

He not only considered all possible consequences of any action but was also shaping his personal image.

Now, Boss Jiang's words probably didn't carry as much influence as Lin Baici's.

He had money, but Oppa Lin could lead them to survive!

"We can't find any lamp oil!"

The tourists had searched several times but found nothing. Seeing the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infants on their backs growing larger and larger, they were terrified to death.

Lin Baici had already considered the lack of lamp oil. It seemed he needed to find a substitute.

"Could it be human oil?"

Jiang Hong suddenly spoke, startling Hua Yueyu.

"What did you say?"

Hua Yueyu had actually heard him clearly, but the consequence was something she dared not imagine.

"Human oil, to light the sky lantern, haven't you heard of it?"

Jiang Hong covered his mouth with his hand, lowering his voice: "Perhaps this trial requires human oil!"

Besides this, Jiang Hong couldn't think of any other way to get lamp oil.

Jin Yingzhen, the Old Aunt, Sister Xiao Li, and the others turned ashen just thinking about the horrifying scene.

"You... that's just a guess. What if human oil doesn't work?"

Hua Yueyu retorted.

"If we can't do this, we'll think of another way. This damn thing keeps getting bigger, we don't have much time!"

Jiang Hong, desperate to survive, didn't hesitate to kill. He looked at Lin Baici, "What are you doing?"

"Not doing it!"

Lin Baici flatly refused.

If he killed someone for oil, he would live with psychological trauma for the rest of his life.

"Fine. If my method works, don't come begging me later!"

Jiang Hong was decisive and immediately went to gather a group of people.

They had to be strong, healthy, and capable fighters.

"This guy is scum."

Hua Yueyu thought Jiang Hong was inhumane.

Lin Baici didn't give up. He was observing the oil lamp.

The patterns on it were beautiful.

[A bronze oil lamp, no matter how exquisitely made, if it can't be eaten, what's the point?]

Lin Baici was almost angered to death by the God of Gluttony. Eat, eat, eat, all he knew was to eat. Couldn't he say something important?

[The cold night is bleak, all is silent. With blood fueling the lamp, Buddha's light shines eternally. In such an environment, having a vegetarian meal would have a unique flavor!]

The God of Gluttony's remark made Lin Baici's heart stir.

"Blood-Fueled Lamp?"

Lin Baici caught a keyword.

Could it be that this oil lamp didn't use lamp oil, but fresh blood?

With this thought, Lin Baici drew the cleaver tucked into his back and cut his finger, starting to drip blood into the oil lamp.

Drip! Drip!

Crimson blood dripped into the bronze lamp, creating ripples.

"What are you doing?"

Hua Yueyu didn't understand.

Besides her, Sister Xiao Li, Jin Yingzhen, Old Aunt Xu Xiu, Sima Mu, Zhang Ju and her mother, about fifty other people were following Lin Baici.

No one noticed that when Lin Baici was adding blood to the lamp, the Dark Great Buddha on the altar, which had been resting with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes and glanced at Lin Baici.

"Uncle, lend me your lighter!"

Lin Baici saw that the lamp was filled with blood at the bottom and was about to stop when the voice sounded in his mind again.

[Filled once, it can burn for three years.]

What did that mean?

Lin Baici frowned.

He actually didn't want to bleed anymore. This Lotus Flower lamp was not big, but to fill it, it would probably take 200cc of blood.

But if he didn't fill it, what if the lamp fire couldn't last until that ghost thing disappeared...

Lin Baici turned his head and looked at the dozens of mangled corpses being gnawed by Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infants. He suddenly gritted his teeth.

Play it safe!

It's just blood. When we get out, I'll find a chicken to replenish myself.

"Brother Lin, what are you..."

Sima Mu wanted to say that if you found something, don't do it yourself. Try it with cannon fodder first. Otherwise, if you die, what will happen to everyone?

Lin Baici took the lighter and lit the lamp wick.

Whoosh!

The lamp was like a bean, pitifully small, but its light was warm and comforting.

Lin Baici immediately felt much better.

"It's smaller! It's smaller!"

Old Aunt exclaimed happily.

"Jiang Hong, fresh blood can be used as lamp oil!"

Lin Baici shouted. If he didn't tell Jiang Hong, this guy would kill people to get human oil for lamp oil.

Splash!

The tourists crowded around.

"Really?"

Jiang Hong squeezed through the crowd and came to Lin Baici's side.

He had already persuaded eight people.

"See for yourself!"

Lin Baici held an oil lamp in one hand and a Pine Torch in the other. Unlike the panicked people, his face was filled with calmness.

The lamp wick was burning. The Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant on Lin Baici's body had completely shrunk behind him, not wanting to be illuminated by any light.

Even so, its body was gradually shrinking.

"It seems it really works!"

Behind Jiang Hong, a youth with a Hook-nosed Man spat out a mouthful of phlegm: "Do we have to use our own blood?"

Everyone's hearts tightened upon hearing this.

"As you saw just now, each person can only take one oil lamp. If you use someone else's blood and defile the lamp, what if the wick doesn't light?" Lin Baici retorted.

Jin Yingzhen secretly praised Lin Baici's wit upon hearing his answer.

This Hook-nosed Man was clearly a ruthless person, the type who wouldn't listen to advice. If Lin Baici had tried to persuade him not to harm others, it would have been difficult. But with this statement, he made him hesitate.

After all, no one dared to gamble with their own lives.

Besides Jiang Hong, the Hook-nosed Man and some others had also considered whether they could use other people's blood as lamp oil. However, Lin Baici's retort made them dismiss the idea.

It could be said that Lin Baici's words saved many lives.

"Forget it, let's be safe!"

The Hook-nosed Man took out a Spring Knife, flicked it open with a snap, and drew blood from his finger.

"It's best to fill the lamp in one go!" Lin Baici reminded loudly.

"Do we have to fill it? It hurts so much!" Hua Yueyu's eyes welled up with tears.

"Don't you bleed once a month? Aren't you used to it yet?" Sima Mu teased.

Due to the pressure of death brought by the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant, everyone moved quickly, even fighting over lighters and knives.

After some commotion, everyone had added blood and lit the oil lamps.

"Quick, help me see if this ghost thing on my back has shrunk!"

"It worked! This method worked!"

"Young man, you're amazing!"

"Don't call him young man, that's rude. Call him handsome!"

Seeing the Shoulder-Riding Buddha Infant shrink and realizing they could survive, the tourists' moods also relaxed slightly.

Lin Baici paid no mind to the chatter. He only wanted to find the divine remains quickly and destroy them, causing this divine ruin to collapse.

Otherwise, if this continued, no matter how many lives he had, it wouldn't be enough to lose.

"It seems there won't be any more problems!"

As soon as Sima Mu finished speaking, he heard a girl cry out in alarm.

"Why is my blood burning so fast?"