The cultivator wailed for a long time, refusing to utter a single word to anyone who asked him questions, only pleading with Yang Zhen not to eat him, not to eat him.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Several elders and sect leaders from major sects looked at each other, their faces ashen.
One of the older, stern-looking middle-aged men said in a deep voice, "What terrifying thing has this disciple experienced to be so frightened?"
"Tsk tsk, the wooden sign is crushed to pieces. You must have experienced something terrifying to be so nervous and scared."
"He just said... Yang Zhen?" The middle-aged scholar's eyes flashed with a cold gaze as he stared intently at the young cultivator. Then, he sighed, squatted down, and revealed a gentle, approachable smile that was as warm as a spring breeze.
With such a smile, some of the powerful figures around him felt that the middle-aged gentleman truly lived up to his title of "refined scholar," possessing a gentle and elegant demeanor, remarkable temperament, and formidable strength.
The middle-aged scholar patted the young cultivator on the shoulder and said gently, "Young friend, don't be afraid. I am an elder of the Heartless Sect, known as the Heartless Elegant Scholar. Calm down and tell me what happened... alright?"
Everyone nodded involuntarily. The middle-aged scholar's voice was gentle, and it even carried a hint of calming his mind. Clearly, he had put a lot of effort into this aspect.
In such a situation, someone needs to comfort the young cultivator in this way so that the young cultivator can get out of his Heart Demon.
Heartless Elegant Scholar was also very confident that even if he encountered someone who was too terrified and trapped in their Heart Demon for a long time, he could gradually pull them out. Therefore, the cultivation methods of the Heartless Sect were mostly strange and terrifying, but few people were left with indelible Heart Demon.
Everyone waited for the young cultivator to recover under the comforting words of the Heartless Elegant Scholar, but when the young cultivator looked up and peeked through his fingers, he immediately cried out in alarm, "A ghost!"
The less the Heartless Elegant Scholar offered comfort, the worse the situation became; the young cultivator, lying on the ground, began to tremble.
The Ku Toutuo stood beside the Heartless Elegant Scholar, frowning and saying impatiently, "This boy's State of Mind is far too fragile. I wonder which sect he belongs to. He's truly a disgrace."
The Heartless Elegant Scholar froze, a look of embarrassment on his face. He then sighed, stood up, and shook his head. "Strange, how could such a terrifying thing happen on the second level of the Nine Realms Exquisite Pagoda? Could it be that an anomaly occurred in the ninth level of the world, causing the second level to also experience this change?"
The Ku Toutuo stared at the young cultivator, a sense of foreboding flickering in his eyes. A burning unease rose within him. He glanced at the Heartless Elegant Scholar and said, "Let me handle this!"
The Heartless Elegant Scholar nodded and said, "Please proceed, Master!"
Everyone looked at the Ku Toutuo Ku Toutuo curiosity, wondering what method he had.
"It is said that the Zen chants at Lachan Temple Tongxuan. Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to receive the Zen chanting baptism from the Ku Tou master this time!"
"As expected of a highly accomplished monk, just one glance from him made me feel my soul be elevated."
Shh! Fellow Daoist, keep your voice down!
"What, are you afraid I'll interfere with Master Ku Toutuo's propagation of Zen teachings?"
"No, I meant to warn you, it's useless!"
"You..."
"Shut up, everyone! The master is about to save someone!"
Seeing the solemn expression on the Ku Toutuo, everyone stopped their discussion and stared intently at Ku Toutuo, looking on with anticipation.
A strange look appeared on the face of the withered Ku Toutuo. He squatted down in front of the huddled cultivator, patted the cultivator's shoulder, and as the cultivator looked up in confusion, he revealed a compassionate smile containing the essence of Zen and Buddhist principles. He was about to speak.
The cultivator suddenly rolled his eyes back, let out a wail, and fell backward with a thud, unconscious.
Everyone: "???"
The Ku Toutuo had just opened his mouth when the compassionate smile on his face, imbued with Zen Buddhist principles, began to freeze before it could fully bloom. A look of embarrassment slowly crept onto Ku Toutuo face.
"This... Master, you've performed a ritual to help him pass on to the afterlife?" someone nearby couldn't help but ask.
The Ku Toutuo's mouth twitched violently, and his eyes followed suit.
"Sorrow your sister! Can't you see I haven't even opened my mouth? How can I be exorcised? By looking at you?"
The Ku Toutuo turned to the Heartless Elegant Scholar with a blank expression. "This... this benefactor, have you perhaps encountered a terrifying Heart Demon related to this humble monk?"
The Heartless Elegant Scholar's expression changed, and he shook his head. "He keeps shouting ' Yang Zhen, don't eat him!' It must be related to Yang Zhen. How could it be related to the Master? Someone, wake him up!"
After much effort, the group managed to wake the cultivator by pinching his philtrum, slapping him, and pouring cold water on him. Before he could even groan, they slapped him again, grabbed his collar, and said, "Look carefully, there's no Yang Zhen here, and no ghosts!"
It took the cultivator a long time to recover, and he shuddered when he saw the Ku Toutuo.
The Ku Toutuo's agitation intensified, and he stared at the cultivator, asking in a deep voice, "Tell me, did you encounter a lama like myself in the second level of the world?"
"I... I encountered..." A hint of horror flashed in the cultivator's eyes.
"How is he?" The Ku Toutuo's heart skipped a beat as he stared at the cultivator and asked.
The cultivator let out a wail, clutching his head and saying in agony, "Eaten! Eaten! Eaten by Yang Zhen..."
Upon hearing this, everyone present widened their eyes and gasped.
"You bastard, tell the truth! How could Yang Zhen eat people, let alone the lamas of my Lachan Temple?" The Ku Toutuo squatted on the ground, staring intently at the monk.
It took the cultivator a long time to struggle out of his Heart Demon. Upon hearing this, he rolled his eyes and said, "How should I know? Yang Zhen is a demon. He eats people! He really does eat people!"
Seeing that the cultivator was about to go mad again, everyone hurriedly tried to comfort him.
The cultivator took a deep breath and recounted what he had witnessed. "Just now, I was traveling..."
"Get to the point!" The Ku Toutuo's eye twitched.
"It'll be ready soon, what's the rush?" The monk glared at the Ku Toutuo, no longer afraid.
With so many Golden Core Realm experts present, as well as numerous Nascent Soul Realm sect leaders and elders, the Ku Toutuo certainly wouldn't dare to kill anyone indiscriminately.
After glaring at the Ku Toutuo, the monk said with lingering fear, "I was on my way... when I suddenly heard the sound of fighting. I looked up and saw Yang Zhen chop off a lama's arm!"
"What?" The Ku Toutuo shuddered, a chilling murderous intent flashing in his eyes, sweeping across the entire room. "What did you say? Say it again!"
The monk glanced sideways at the Ku Toutuo, his face filled with lingering fear, and said, "Master, don't scare me. Compared to Yang Zhen, you're incredibly cute!"
Cute?
Even the Ku Toutuo, so enraged, nearly spat out his drink upon hearing this. He coldly snorted and asked in a deep voice, "What did Yang Zhen do to frighten you like this?"
The monk shuddered, muttering to himself, " Yang Zhen... he's a devil, a cannibalistic monster. After he cut off that lama's arm, his eyes turned green, and he excitedly grabbed his arm and ran, chuckling as he ran, as if... as if he was gnawing on the flesh. The lama was in such a terrible state, chasing after him, shouting and screaming... Yang Zhen... give me back my arm...!"
The surrounding crowd was horrified, especially by the cultivator's incredibly lifelike imitation of Yun Jie's cry. Many timid women turned pale and gasped in surprise.
" Yang Zhen, you wretched creature!" The Ku Toutuo stomped his foot on the ground with a loud thud, creating a huge, deep pit.
Among the crowd, Hua Youyue and Tan Fenglie looked at each other, their expressions strange.
Yang Zhen is a cannibalistic monster?
This is utterly absurd, utter nonsense, but what the cultivator said was so real; the image of Yang Zhen clinging to the man's arm, running and kissing him, was still vivid in his mind.
A gust of autumn wind blew by, and everyone felt a chill on their arms, as if something was gnawing at them.
Meanwhile, in the second layer of the world, Yang Zhen was squatting behind a large rock in a valley, happily rubbing an ancient-looking ring.
"A storage ring? I didn't expect such a thing to actually exist. Tsk tsk, wow, Yun Jie is really rich. This is a pill... this is a talisman... this is... what kind of medicine?"
Yang Zhen stared blankly at the small pink bottle in his hand, and said with disgust and disdain, "Pah, shameless bastard, a lama actually carrying this thing. Luckily I killed him. No, this thing can't be allowed to get out. I'm only safe with it on my person!"
As she spoke, Yang Zhen tucked the pink bottle into her bosom.
"That feels so good!"
Yang Zhen patted his chest, when suddenly he heard a hysterical scream coming from not far away.
Something's up?
It was a woman's scream, and Yang Zhen rushed toward the source of the sound with great interest.