"Let's keep going. I can sense that our destination isn't far now," Puppet said anxiously. "We really don't have much time left!"
"All right." Lu Li had no objections. Holding the torch in one hand and the Buddha Head in the other, he followed Puppet, who had quickened her pace. The Buddha Head was surprisingly heavy, but as soon as Lu Li held it, he felt some indescribable force protecting him. Even the malice that had never let up in the darkness seemed to have eased considerably!
It was as though the passage of time had been stripped away here. Even Lu Li's keen senses couldn't tell how long they had been walking. He only knew that a great deal of time had passed since they found the Buddha Head. Then Puppet stopped, and a mountain appeared before them. It shone brilliantly, seeming to reach from heaven to earth, yet everyone could see a temple on its summit. The only way to reach it was up a seemingly endless flight of stairs. Lu Li could even see Corpse Ghosts sprinting up them. They didn't seem afraid of the mountain's light.
"This mountain is an illusion," Puppet said. "Or rather, it's a manifestation of the protection that person set up. Normally, you could walk until you died without ever reaching the summit. This is the manifestation of a concept, and as long as you can't break it, the mountain is truly infinitely tall!"
"Then what do we do?" Lu Li asked bluntly. Puppet had an answer ready.
"Karma. The Buddha saves those with karmic ties!" Puppet spoke cryptically. "Most of those monsters were originally monks or worshippers at the temple. Their karmic ties allow them to get closer to it to a certain extent, turning an infinite distance into a finite one."
Puppet pointed to the Variant Corpse Ghost nearest the temple. "That monster has a deep karmic tie to the thing inside the temple, which is why it can get so close. The other ghosts, who have no ties to it, can't even approach. Otherwise, they'd be burned by the divine light protecting the temple."
"But you originally had no karmic ties," Puppet said, glancing at the Buddha Head in Lu Li's arms. "First, you were at the temple in the real world. Second, you're alive, so the divine light doesn't restrain you, and you don't need to spend your karmic ties resisting it. Third, you're holding the Buddha Head. That's the strongest karmic tie of all!"
"Once we go up the mountain, we'll be separated because our karmic ties are different. I have a way to get up too, but I might be slower than you. So please wait for me in front of the temple. The only thing you need to watch out for is the monster currently in the lead. Then wait for me to catch up!"
"Got it. We don't have much time, so let's hurry." Lu Li looked at the mountain with interest. If Puppet was right, then this mountain probably involved cause and effect. Karmic ties were cause and effect: deep ties made it easier to climb, while with shallow ties, you could walk for a lifetime without seeing the summit. As for the ghosts, they were also restrained by the divine light.
Lu Li walked forward. The moment he stepped onto the stairs, the scenery changed. He looked ahead and saw no Corpse Ghosts, and Puppet was no longer beside him. It made him feel as if he'd entered a solo dungeon.
Holding the Buddha Head, Lu Li glanced at the torch, which was almost out. After a moment's thought, he decided not to throw it away and began climbing. Step by step, he made his way up. Holding the Buddha Head, Lu Li felt remarkably at ease, but the malice coming from the temple grew more and more obvious!
"That's... the treasure?" Lu Li guessed. Then he smiled and said, "Relax. I'm not here to seal you away again!"
The malice receded, and Lu Li felt a greater sense of ease settle around him. A benevolent feeling reached out to him, seeming to praise him and tell him how powerful it was, begging him to take it away. All sorts of unseen ripples flickered, stirring the greed in Lu Li's heart.
Climbing the stairs didn't even make Lu Li break a sweat or breathe hard. It felt like a stroll through the countryside. After only a few steps, he reached the top flight of stairs with effortless ease. The lack of difficulty almost bored him.
When he stepped onto the top landing, Lu Li saw an open plain behind him. There was no great mountain at all. The area around them seemed enveloped in divine light. The Corpse Ghosts were all gathered outside it, panting but unable to move. Puppet was among them, quite close to the light; every so often, she even managed to take a couple of steps. The Variant Corpse Ghost was farther ahead still, and it was approaching more quickly than Puppet. It looked as if it was about to enter.
"Hm? What's that!" Lu Li suddenly saw a Corpse Ghost with crimson liquid running from its eyes. Those must be tears. The Corpse Ghost wore a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads around its wrist and a tattered monk's robe. Its face was stricken with grief. It... no, he... was crying, wasn't he?
He had been a monk, yet he couldn't approach the temple. He had lived here, yet he couldn't return home. What a miserable thing. Lu Li pursed his lips and said, "You look so pitiful, unable even to go home. I'll give you a hand."
He stepped forward, holding the Buddha Head in one arm and the torch in his hand, then grabbed the Corpse Ghost with his free hand and pulled him toward the temple. The monk's skin began to melt, and his fingers fell away, but his eyes returned to normal. He looked at Lu Li and the Buddha Head in his arms, his lips gone as he stretched them into a terrifying yet pure smile. The hand missing its fingers came together in prayer, and he knelt before Lu Li. It was as if he had seen the true Buddha. At that moment, Lu Li seemed to hear him say, "Namo Amitabha!"
The monk dissolved into liquid, and a crystal fell to the ground. Lu Li picked it up. A prompt appeared: [Obtained Rule Module: Will]
"I'll take this as thanks!" Lu Li raised the crystal in his hand, then paid no further attention to the puddle of liquid. He walked toward the temple and found it looked much like the one in the real world, only newer.
A roar came from behind. Lu Li turned and saw the Variant Corpse Ghost entering. White smoke billowed from its body, and its eyeballs melted and fell out, only to quickly regenerate a few seconds later. Its tongue kept extending and retracting inside its mouth. The flower-like structure looked revolting.
Seeing that Puppet was still some distance away, Lu Li smiled. He held the nearly spent torch in one hand and the Buddha Head in the other, then spread his arms as if welcoming the Variant Corpse Ghost. It didn't appreciate the gesture. With a roar, it charged straight at him.
"Muscle Release: 40%. Brain Release: 10%." Lu Li's muscles swelled all over his body, transforming him from an ordinary student into a mass of muscle. Feeling his body's response, he murmured, "Ten seconds, that's all. After ten seconds, most of my muscles will tear..."
As the Corpse Ghost flew toward him, Lu Li swung his muscular arm and hurled the torch at its head. Scarlet blood sprayed everywhere, but it had no effect. The Corpse Ghost only paused for a moment before pouncing again.
The Buddha Head in Lu Li's hand began to heat up. Wisps of smoke rose from the Corpse Ghost, and its skin began to melt. But the Aberrant Corpse Ghost roared and charged ahead without slowing down, slashing at Lu Li with its sharp claws. Lu Li hurriedly crouched. The howling wind swept over his hair, and its force scraped painfully against his scalp.
Lu Li clenched one hand into a fist and punched the Corpse Ghost in the abdomen, stopping its charge. With his other hand still holding the Buddha Head, he slammed it into the Corpse Ghost's body. His Brain Release increased by another 3%, continuously analyzing the Corpse Ghost's movements. In his mind, the time remaining before his muscles gave out had dwindled to just three seconds...
Second update. I feel like fight scenes are really hard to write. I revised this one several times. Please vote, bookmark, and add it to your reading list! Also, high-intensity scenes are coming tomorrow!
Before you continue