"Why did you have to rob me when I was just walking along the street?"
"But I'm a monk!"
"Don't you know? Daoist priests are alright, but monks are generally very poor, let alone monks who dare to walk outside alone, especially at night. Either they're a shady character pretending to be something they're not, or they're not to be trifled with."
Why did they specifically target me?
Li Su, who had only been carrying a seven-foot-tall man down the mountain for a day, was robbed. As he walked, he sighed, "Isn't this just adding to my troubles?"
"By the way, how much further? I'm very busy, I have to go to Hangzhou to help someone exorcise a demon. It wouldn't be good if I were delayed too long, would it?"
"After all, you told me you have an eighty-year-old mother to support and infants to feed, so I kept you out of the eight of you and gave the rest of you a chance to live. You should know how to be grateful."
"Huh? You've gone this way? Why didn't you say so earlier? Did I run too fast? Is it my fault?"
Li Su was somewhat displeased. He began to question, "You're not lying to me, are you? I know that all living beings have a will to survive, but physical exorcism doesn't actually hurt. At most, you'll just black out for a moment and then you won't know anything anymore. But if you're lying to me, let me tell you beforehand, I really will find a pot of boiling oil and boil you alive, I'm not kidding."
The burly man, whose body trembled, turned green as Li Su lifted him up.
How did I run into such a killer? Doesn't Buddhist Sect preach universal salvation? Isn't it about compassion? What's wrong with this monk? He didn't hesitate to twist the heads off his seven brothers upon meeting them? Is this a monk? Is this even a monk? Are they taking advantage of my lack of education?
"Oh, I see. Is that where you live?"
Finally, it was almost dawn, and in the distance, a rather simple village could be seen, with a few scattered people still on duty.
Li Su quickly quickened her pace and walked over.
"Hmm, the smell of blood is strong; quite a few people have died."
Standing in front of the village, Li Su blinked as she Wen Kong.
He didn't pay any attention and simply carried the big man into the village.
Who is it?
With absolutely no attempt to conceal herself, Li Su was naturally discovered immediately, and the guards shouted alerts.
Soon, the village was filled with the sounds of people converging on the village gate.
Armed with crude weapons, each of them had a fierce look on their faces and a menacing expression. There were more than a hundred of them, and they looked quite imposing.
"This place looks like a beautiful, pristine area, so how did it breed a bunch of 'thugs'? Don't you think so?"
They lifted the big man up and faced him.
"Ah, it's the Third Master!! How could this be?" Many people exclaimed in surprise as they finally saw the person Li Su was carrying.
The third leader had previously led his men out to pull off a heist, expecting them to return with food and women, but instead, they were brought back by a man in plain monk robes.
Upon seeing the villagers, the third leader, who was filled with fear at the moment, couldn't help but reveal a ruthless glint on his face; his confidence returned.
In Black Tiger Stronghold, he was only the third leader; there were two others above him who were stronger than him.
Especially the chieftain, Black Tiger, whose strength is simply superhuman.
The burly man spoke directly, his face full of threat. "You'd better let me go. This is Black Tiger Stronghold, and the chief is a cultivator. If you kneel down and beg for mercy, you might get your life!"
"The leader? A cultivator?"
Li Su paused, then looked up at the two people emerging from the depths of the village, surrounded by a crowd.
One of them was skin and bones, with sharp teeth and a pointed chin; he was clearly not a good person.
The other one was physically imposing, probably two meters tall, and exuded a fierce aura, radiating overwhelming power.
Leaving aside the thin one, the tall, burly man frowned slightly. A monk? And judging from his attire, he couldn't help but think of the Pure Land Sect Buddhist Sect, a top-tier Buddhist sect not far from the mountain in Jiujiang.
"Is the visitor a monk of the Pure Land Sect? I wonder if my Third Leader of Black Tiger Stronghold has offended you in any way? If so, please forgive me!"
Unlike the burly man being carried by Li Su, the person who spoke was very polite, which was completely inconsistent with his appearance and demeanor.
As his words fell, the Black Tiger Stronghold members seemed somewhat unaccustomed to it. They knew their leader's ferocity all too well; he was a man who would devour people without spitting out the bones. Even the burly man being carried by Li Su couldn't help but freeze in shock.
Compared to the astonished crowd, the second-in-command of Black Tiger Stronghold, who had come with him, had a glint in his eye.
His position as second-in-command wasn't solely due to his strength; he was also shrewd and calculating, acting as a strategist within the stronghold. He realized the leader didn't seem inclined to provoke the monk before him. The monk... was he a member of the Pure Land Sect?
If we're talking about famous sects nearby, the most notable are undoubtedly the Pure Land Sect of Jiujiang and Eagle Pool Dragon Tiger Mountain. These two sects are undoubtedly top-tier sects, living in a world of demons and monsters.
not to be trifled.!
At this moment, Li Su laughed. It was one thing for a demon to be mistaken for a cultivator, but this demon was quite unique. "Interesting. They say the human heart is like a ghost, but with your appearance, should we say your demon heart is like a human's?"
The leader's pupils contracted. Had his true identity been seen through? This monk?
The next moment, it was about to take action, but then Li Su raised his palm, and a radiant light appeared on his palm. The light quickly spread out, transforming into a world, and then an incredibly powerful attraction burst forth from that world.
"Since you have eaten so many people, it is only right that this humble monk perform rituals to help you pass on to the afterlife."
not good!!
The leader's expression suddenly changed drastically. It felt an unprecedented suction force trying to pull it out from under the human skin covering it.
With a piercing scream, the leader didn't hesitate, cutting off his tail to save his life. His skin shattered instantly, and he vanished into the void.
"Huh?"
Li Su was taken aback, staring at the piece of tail that had been pulled towards him. He was somewhat astonished. Was this thing a weasel? Why did it have a gecko's unique move? Could you even grow that kind of tail?
However, if I let you escape like this, where would I Fahai, put my face?
The Dao Fruit Lotus vibrated, and the world in his hand transformed into immense power that merged into his body. Then, Li Su stomped his foot.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the space within a hundred meters trembled violently, and a yellow figure was blasted out.
"No!!!" The figure's face showed utter terror as it let out a piercing scream, exclaiming incredulously, "How is this possible? How is this possible?"
The Tail-Severing Escape Technique is a secret method of its clan, an extremely advanced escape technique. Once the tail is severed, it basically disappears without a trace. Through this method, it has escaped the pursuit of countless Daoist priests and monks.
But today, he was kicked out?
Then, the terrifying suction force returned, and the weasel with its tail severed was unable to control itself, being pulled towards the world in Li Su's palm.
"No, no, no, you can't kill me! You can't kill me! My ancestor is the Yellow Mountain Immortal! If you kill me, my ancestor will surely sense it, and you, monk, will undoubtedly die! Your sect will also suffer calamity!!"
The weasel frantically clawed at its surroundings, letting out a piercingly sharp cry.
"Oh? He actually has a powerful backer!!" Li Su's eyes lit up, really lit up.
He had been down the mountain for over a day, and although he was heading towards Hangzhou, it wasn't just about traveling; he had killed quite a few demons along the way. They were all demons that had been around for over ten years and weren't very strong.
Besides their evil deeds, Li Su also wanted to know how to level up by killing demons.
And you know what? He actually found it.
The solution is actually quite simple: bring them into the Buddha Land.
Yes, that is, the supernatural powers he gained from the Amitabha Sutra.
Whether it's a corpse or anything else, as long as it's thrown into the Buddha Land, it can be refined directly. Sure enough, after just over a day, the first and second layers of his Dao Fruit Lotus have fully bloomed, and the third layer has also begun to show signs of activity.
The only thing that Li Su was somewhat dissatisfied with was that these demons had too little spiritual power. After more than ten years, they had not become a threat at all. If they wanted to kill their way to the third level and fully open it, it would probably take hundreds or even thousands of them.
Hearing that this thing has a powerful backer, Li Su couldn't help but get excited. This was the first time he had encountered such a thing. Very good, very good. He just didn't know if it was a hundred years, several hundred years, or a thousand years. Hmm, he had never encountered anything like it before, and he didn't know how powerful it was.
Based on the demons we've encountered so far, even those at the thousand-year level don't seem particularly strong.
After all, decades are no different from being an ant in his eyes. Even if someone is a thousand times stronger, they're still just an ant, aren't they?
Thinking of this, Li Su couldn't help but increase the intensity of his supernatural power absorption. The next moment, the weasel let out a shriek, and before the sound had even faded, it was pulled into Li Su's Buddha Land.
Boundless light shone forth, and the water of the Eight Virtues flowed. In almost a second, the weasel turned to ashes in his Buddha Land. Spiritual Qi emerged from the Buddha Land and dripped into Li Su's body. The Dao Fruit trembled slightly, and the third layer opened up considerably.
Wow, not bad, it's been a hundred years!
Feeling the reaction on the Dao Fruit, Li Su couldn't help but take a deep breath. With eight more fruits, he could almost fully open the third level.
"Who? Who dares to kill my own flesh and blood?!"
Just as the weasel's soul and inner core were completely absorbed by Li Su 'Buddha Land Lotus, an extremely sinister voice rang out. The voice was like a demonic sound, causing hallucinations to arise and making one feel as if they had fallen into a demon's abyss.
With a tremor in the void, a Black Shadow appeared. Its face was terrifying, its appearance ferocious, and it was wreathed in towering blood flames, making it extremely frightening.
"You who killed my descendants, you will be hunted down by my Huangming Clan for eternity, until every last drop of your blood is wiped out!!"
The voice was filled with demonic energy and boundless rage.
Standing there, Li Su was stunned for a moment. The next moment, he couldn't help but get excited. There really was one?!
This strength... doesn't seem that impressive. Although the Yao Qi is strong, the level of the Daoist rhyme they've compiled is too low. If all great demons looked like this, I couldn't help but drool.
His eyes lit up, and the Dao Fruit began to vibrate. The first nine petals of the first Lotus trembled simultaneously, scattering countless spiritual lights. The nine leaves below also vibrated, with Daoist rhymes swirling within them.
In an instant, Buddha Land rose from his palm, transforming into a ten-zhang-wide world. As the Buddhist light surged, it directly locked the space in front of him. The next moment, an immense suction force, completely different from before, burst forth from the Buddha Land and began to pull at the Black Shadow.
Um?
The Black Shadow figure, which was about to say something more, was startled by the immense suction force. Its expression changed, and it wanted to retreat. After all, its true form was not here, but hundreds of miles away. At this moment, it only had divine sense, which was enough to deal with ordinary people, but it was clearly no match for a true expert.
However, as it prepared to retreat and disperse its divine sense, it discovered that the immense suction force not only locked onto its divine sense but also began to penetrate the space and lock onto its true form.
Wonima.!!!
The Black Shadow's eyes widened instantly, and he froze. He had always thought he was powerful enough that if any of his bloodlines were killed, he would surely come down and threaten them. As for whether or not he would retaliate, he would decide based on the situation.
The other side was even fiercer, locking onto his consciousness and intending to kill him on their way!
Unable to contain itself, it became enraged! Its Yao Qi began to erupt, unleashing its supernatural powers. Its Primordial Spirit opened its massive maw, preparing to bite its opponent to death.
The moment it moved, the suction force on the other side suddenly became even stronger. Not only that, as its Primordial Spirit attached itself to that divine consciousness, the scene on the other side also appeared.
The Black Shadow shuddered instantly, his face turning green.
What did it see?
It is a world, Pure Land Buddha Kingdom, where boundless light shines, the water of the eight virtues glows, five hundred Arhats sit, and three thousand Bhikkhunis chant the Buddha's name. As its Primordial Spirit attaches itself, the entire Buddha Land shines brightly, boundless light vibrates within, the water of the eight virtues leaps with joy, the five hundred Arhats invite it with their voices, and the three thousand Bhikkhunis reach out to take it.
Come on! Come on~! Hurry up, come on!
Welcome to the Buddha Land Pure Land! Skin and fur are crushed to make soil, flesh and blood are burned to make ingredients, bones and inner elixir are ground up to fill with Spiritual Qi, and scattered souls are dispersed to nourish all living beings!
Ah~!!
A piercing scream rang out, as if witnessing the most terrifying thing in his life. Without hesitation, the Black Shadow activated his life-saving technique, severing his tail to survive!
puff!
With a loud bang, a large section of the tail appeared and was pulled in by Li Su Buddha Land.
The next moment, the Black Shadow figure faded, its remaining divine consciousness shattered on the spot, and it vanished without a trace.
Li Su stumbled and took two steps back. The metal had snapped suddenly because he had pulled too hard. His expression was strange as he stared at the empty air, Wrath and almost jumping up and down. "Damn it," he thought, "You're a weasel, not a gecko! We're different species! How did you learn this?!"
As the Buddha Land rapidly digested the tail, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi descended, and the third layer of the Dao Fruit Lotus suddenly opened two petals. Li Su felt a sharp pain in her teeth and was extremely distressed.
We lost money, we lost a lot of money.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, somewhere in Yellow Mountain, the Yellow Mountain Immortal, his buttocks bleeding profusely, his vital energy severely depleted and his face deathly pale, endured the immense pain emanating from his rear end and stood up. Without any hesitation, he transformed back into his original form, got up, and ran away, disappearing in a flash.
Your grandmother's foot-binding cloth!!
Damn you, you bastard! Who did you have to mess with?! You had to pick on that monster! Haven't Laozi lived enough yet?!
And that monk, does he even look twenty? Buddha Land? He actually cultivated Buddha Land? Life as a demon is already hard enough, how could such a freak appear?
Recalling the moment he was pulled away by the Buddha Land, the Yellow Mountain Immortal couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Shouldn't the Buddha Land be a place to enlighten all beings and lead them to rebirth in Bliss? What kind of monster was it that they even boiled your bones in the past???
Run, run as fast as you can, the farther the better.
I'm going to Youzhou —no, Pingzhou, not Yingzhou —far away from the Central Plains, and I'm absolutely not coming back.
Is it easy to cultivate for five hundred years? This time, two hundred years have been cut off directly. It feels like the Dali of becoming a thousand-year-old demon is slipping away from him, and getting further and further away.
Standing there, unaware that his actions had scared the opponent so much that they were leaving the Central Plains and preparing to go abroad, Li Su sighed. He was very disappointed; if he had succeeded, he could have unlocked the entire third level.
"By the way, he mentioned the Yellow Mountain Immortal? Could he be referring to Yellow Mountain over there? Should we go there? Hmm... probably no chance. Sigh, I need to be more careful next time. It's too far away; even with the Buddha Land, there's still a possibility he might escape. I need to learn more methods, like killing him remotely first, then using the Buddha Land to pull him over..."
Li Su nodded, thinking it was a good idea. Then he turned around and looked at the remaining members of the Black Tiger Stronghold.
At this moment, the more than one hundred Black Tiger Stronghold members standing there turned pale, utterly terrified.
They knew that the leader was a monster, and because they understood this, they knew exactly how terrifying he was.
As a result, he was defeated by the high monk in front of him in a single encounter; what was the point of playing around then?
Trembling, the second-in-command, who was cursing the third leader half to death in his heart, was about to say something, such as thanking the holy monk for killing the monster, so that they would no longer be controlled by the monster. In any case, as long as they could save their lives, anything was fine.
"Fine, the sooner you die, the sooner you'll be reincarnated. When you get to the Underworld, remember to give me my name: This humble monk Fahai. I'll send you on your way."
Dozens of leaves flew into his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, they all shattered on the ground, including those belonging to the two leaders.
The third leader was naturally killed as well. He didn't come here because he thought the other side had an elderly mother or babies to feed, and he didn't come to kill them all. This group of people were covered with a thick aura of blood, with lingering vengeful spirits. They had eaten people, so they naturally couldn't be spared.
With a shove of his palm, he sank the corpse into the mud to become fertilizer. Then, Li Su patted his bald head and walked into Black Tiger Stronghold.
It smells terrible, extremely terrible.
Skeletons were scattered everywhere in the corners; there were people and beasts, but more people than beasts.
We walked all the way to the place where Black Tiger Stronghold was used to imprison prisoners. There were quite a few people there, more than twenty, all of them women.
They were slaves, and they were also food.
The men were almost always killed immediately, eliminating any possibility of resistance.
And almost everyone inside has gone mad. In such a crazy place, how many people can remain sober?
Sitting cross-legged, ignoring how dirty the ground was, Li Su immediately began chanting the Rebirth Sutra.
As the scriptures were recited, countless souls emerged from the vast village—dozens, hundreds, thousands—their faces filled with resentment and hatred, howling inconsolably, their minds shattered by the agony of their final moments.
As Li Su continued to recite the scriptures, gradually, they began to recover; their ferocious faces softened and became clear.
"You could have taken your revenge yourselves, but killing living beings with the dead, even if it temporarily alleviates some of your hatred and pain, is still considered a mistake in the Underworld. You have already suffered greatly and should not continue to suffer. Therefore, I will take it upon myself to resolve your hatred. I have already absolved all the people of Black Tiger Stronghold of their sins. Although their deaths were not painful, and you may not feel satisfied, it doesn't matter. Their souls have been sent to hell, where they will continue to bear the consequences of their evil deeds and repay the pain they inflicted on you."
If you're still not satisfied, you can go down and take a look; I guarantee you'll be amazed.
As unwilling souls, they naturally witnessed everything that had just happened. However, because their hearts were filled with pain and hatred, their resentment not only could not be quelled, but it intensified. Now that they had regained their senses, thousands of souls were covered in tears. They knelt on the ground and couldn't help but burst into tears, for their fate and for this outcome.
Li Su stood still, listening quietly, offering neither comfort nor dissuasion.
Only after they had finished crying and stopped did Li Su ask, "Is there anything you still cling to?"
The thousands of souls exchanged glances, and soon the oldest among them bowed and said, "Thank you, Holy Monk! You have freed us. Most of us came from JDZ. Many of us lost our entire families and have no memory of them. Only some of us should still have family members. We hope that the Holy Monk can help us pass on a message."
"Okay, then. Anyone who has something to say, step forward!"
As more than three hundred souls emerged, Li Su raised his hand and summoned the Buddha Land. With the vibrations of the Dao Fruit, specks of Buddhist light entered their bodies. He then withdrew the kingdom, saying, "It will allow you to exist for a certain time. Go, and bid your farewells."
"Thank you, Holy Monk."
"Go then, may you have a peaceful life in your next life!"
Watching the souls dissipate, and seeing the more than three hundred souls who had received a bit of his Buddhist light and departed, Li Su sighed.
So, what should these women do?
*******
JDZ!
The next morning, countless sobs suddenly rang out, quickly turning into loud wailing.
"Father, Father!"
"Mother! Mother!"
"My daughter, my daughter!"
"My child, my poor child!"
The county magistrate of JDZ was alarmed. What had happened? He couldn't help but send people to investigate.
A holy monk recently appeared at Black Tiger Stronghold, slaying the wicked members of the Black Tiger Stronghold and performing rituals to help their murdered relatives and family members find peace. Last night, their family members appeared in his dream, informing him of the outcome, and they were then reincarnated.
The holy monk's Dharma name Fahai.
But shouldn't the holy monk's words be meant to be persuasive? Kill them all? The county magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, but something still felt off. When did highly virtuous monks start behaving this way?