Headless Buddha

The Puppet said sorrowfully, "It is I who ruined his entire life, so no matter what, I must save him!"

Lu Li remained silent for a moment before asking, "Why go to such lengths?"

Red snowflakes drifted down, carrying a sense of profound despair. As they landed on the pile of flames, they hissed and evaporated, causing the fire to dim slightly. The Puppet steadied its resolve and hurried to the spot where the corpse-ghost had perished. With its small wooden hand, it scooped up the soil soaked in the fluids left behind by the creature without a hint of disgust, pouring it into the fire. The flames surged high, as if fueled by oil.

"Fire is life." The Puppet stepped back twice, continuing to scoop up the contaminated soil to feed the fire. As it worked, it explained, "In this illusory dreamscape, everything carries symbolic meaning. This fire represents the life of the living; as long as it does not extinguish, those demons cannot draw near."

"Those monsters are the best fuel, and what I ask of you, Young Master, is to help with this." The Puppet looked out into the seemingly boundless darkness, lost in thought, before offering a sorrowful smile. "I will act as bait to lure the ghosts. You only need to take up a torch and burn the monsters I strike down. These creatures always leave behind something that can burn!"

"That shouldn't be a problem." Lu Li nodded. He walked over to the fire, pulled out a burning piece of wood, tore a strip from his pant leg, and wrapped it around the stick to fashion a makeshift torch. He followed behind the Puppet, the flickering light of the torch casting shadows across his face, revealing an expression full of excitement.

Holding the torch aloft, Lu Li walked beyond the reach of the campfire. The visibility dropped significantly, and the Puppet's figure ahead became blurred. It gave Lu Li the feeling of playing a survival game, as if something in the darkness were watching him—a malicious intent that wanted to devour him whole, skin and bone alike.

A strange sense of panic began to spread through Lu Li's heart. He knew for certain that this was not his own fear, for ever since that accident, he had been incapable of feeling such emotions. If it hadn't originated from within his own heart, then it could only be the interference of an external force.

Suddenly, Lu Li's vision blurred, and a feeling of palpitations surged in his chest. When he looked forward again, the Puppet was gone. Lu Li glanced left and right, seeing only the unchanging darkness. The external panic intensified, accompanied by a feeling of abandonment. Something was plucking at his heartstrings, trying to overturn his sanity.

Lu Li did not shout; that would not help his current predicament. Furthermore, the negative emotions invading his heart actually made him feel happy—yes, happy. For a whole year, ever since that accident, he had been unable to produce negative emotions: no fear, no anxiety, no pain, no sadness, no nervousness, no anger. Perhaps the only negative emotion he could feel was a profound sense of boredom!

"What a truly authentic feeling." Lu Li savored the emotions flooding his heart: the panic of being alone in the dark, the anger at being abandoned, the regret of having agreed to come, and even a lingering greed for the Puppet's exquisite beauty.

"But these feelings are only good for nostalgia. You don't really expect to influence me with them, do you?" Lu Li's expression turned cold, and those emotions were instantly swept away. His bug-like physical control stemmed from his soul, and in truth, his control over his own mind was just as formidable. Those negative emotions meant to influence his psyche could not shake him in the slightest.

As the negative emotions were wiped away, Lu Li's vision cleared, and the sounds of battle reached his ears. Looking ahead, he saw the Puppet locked in a struggle with a massive Headless Buddha. At the same time, the notification box in the corner of his eye refreshed with new data:

[Monster Discovered, Updating Data]

[Headless Buddha]

[Physical Assessment: 2.58; Life Energy Derivative: 0.0 (The massive stone body provides immense power, though perhaps lacking in agility?)]

[Soul Assessment: 1.88; Spiritual Energy Derivative: 1.1 (Faith, what a marvelous thing!)]

[Category: Spirit Parasite]

[Origin: A spirit born from a Buddha statue. How much faith must have been accumulated through the kowtowing of thousands of believers to give it a soul?]

[Special Abilities: (1) Buddha Heart Chaos: The head is the most exquisitely crafted part of the statue. With it stolen, the Buddha's heart is in chaos. Within a ten-meter radius, one is subjected to negative emotional attacks converted from faith, accompanied by illusion effects!

(2) Vajra Blessing: This body is a Vajra form, blessing my heart to be unbreakable and fearless! Consumes spiritual energy to actively reinforce the entire body, significantly increasing strength and defense!]

[Weakness: Massive body, lacking agility, and lacking intelligence due to the missing head! Of course, as a ghost-type, its weakness is also the torch in your hand!]

[Monster Evaluation: Honestly, as long as its head was still attached, it could take on ten of you!]

The Headless Buddha possessed terrifying strength. Every movement was filled with immense force; its strikes whistled through the air, and its steps sent sand and stone flying. However, it was inherently clumsy. The Puppet giggled, constantly circling it and entangling it with silk threads. Although the threads snapped one by one under the Buddha's Vajra-like strength, they made the creature's already sluggish movements even more cumbersome.

The Puppet's joints whirred as its small wooden fists struck the Buddha repeatedly, chipping away pieces of stone. To the massive statue, however, these blows were negligible. Conversely, while the Buddha appeared to be toyed with, a single strike from it would likely shatter the Puppet to pieces.

Seeing this, Lu Li hesitated no longer and stepped forward with the torch. Seeming to sense the approaching light, the Headless Buddha grew agitated. It let out a sound—part moan, part shrill shriek—and golden Sanskrit characters began to flow across its body, greatly enhancing its aura.

The threads binding it snapped instantly. Lu Li saw this and immediately released his muscular restraints, sprinting forward. As the torchlight shone upon the Headless Buddha, charred marks appeared on its stone body, followed by a web of cracks.

Seeing this, the Puppet released a massive amount of silk, binding the Buddha tightly in an attempt to halt its movements. Its wooden body groaned and creaked under the immense tension, and cracks began to appear on its own frame. Yet, in the end, the Headless Buddha was held fast, and under the glare of the torchlight, it crumbled into black stone...

The Puppet pulls you in with its threads: Give me a ticket...