The Monks Bow at the Pagoda

"Rita, what does the Overseer mean by that?" Seeing that Otto was gone, Durandal couldn't help but anxiously ask the person he had designated as his agent.

Of course, Otto means to abandon the lives of these survivors, prioritize obtaining information about this anomaly, and ensure their own safety...

And even when there's a real disagreement, she'll need to step in and bring Durandal back to a safe place.

"Look! There's something in the river water!" Li Sushang, who had been watching the cloud of dust, suddenly exclaimed. "The river water seems to be frozen!"

Frozen?

The two of them looked at the cloud of dust at the same time. The dust had already dissipated quite a bit with time and some strange factors, replaced by a spreading white fog.

And just as Li Sushang had said, huge blocks of ice were flowing down the river, and before long, the entire river had frozen over.

"This is..." This incredible ability was beyond the imagination of the three of them. Even Honkai Beasts wouldn't have such an outrageous ability!

"It's the karst cave," Rita suddenly said. "That's the karst cave we passed through this afternoon..."

"So the cold we felt in the cave wasn't because of the cave itself?" Durandal immediately remembered the cold she had felt when passing through the cave.

It was indeed cold and cool in a karst cave, but to be able to affect the constitution of even the enhanced Li Sushang and Durandal was a bit too much.

Finally, the white fog also dispersed. A dark, ice-blue light shone through the thin fog, outlining patterns on the dark base that looked cold enough to freeze one's heart.

It was a huge monster, with sharp horns winding forward, and a heavy body that gave off a sense of invincibility.

"A Honkai Beast..." Durandal's pupils shrank. "An Emperor-class Honkai Beast!!"

A Honkai Beast that had never appeared in this world before—Parvati!

The reconnaissance mission was completed just like that. Rita quickly took a few steps back, found a good spot, and began to tune the signal.

But at this moment, Parvati, which had been silent in the mountain gorge, suddenly shook off some of the rocks piled on its body. Its huge body actually moved like a normal animal.

Then, Durandal saw Parvati suddenly raise its huge head and aim at the mountain.

Durandal's heart skipped a beat.

A thick, ice-blue beam of light shot out from Parvati's mouth, heading straight for Durandal and the others.

"Watch out!" The blue beam of light was still reflected in Durandal's eyes as her body had already lunged towards Li Sushang, tackling her to the ground.

The beam of light barely grazed past the two of them, instantly shattering a large part of the cliffside and the top of the pagoda.

Durandal and Li Sushang were thrown over ten meters before landing. Looking back, Rita was also getting up from the ground, looking a little disheveled.

Just as Durandal got up, she felt a bone-chilling cold invading her body. Looking back, the pagoda, which had had its top blown off by the beam of light, was now covered in a layer of frost.

Those old monks!

"Master!! Senior Brothers!!" Xuanhui, who had been knocked dizzy, let out a wail and scrambled to his feet, about to rush into the pagoda.

"Don't!" Just as Rita spoke, the top of the pagoda suddenly collapsed, and large chunks of debris fell down.

But Xuanhui had already rushed to the door. Just as he was about to be hit, a spinning Yu Long spear flew over and hit Xuanhui's back just in time, pushing him and accelerating him into the pagoda.

With empty hands, Durandal suddenly realized she had made the wrong choice. She should have pulled Xuanhui out, not sent him in like this. Wasn't that just sending him into a more dangerous situation?

Her heart sank slightly. Durandal glanced back at Rita, then at the dust-covered Li Sushang in her arms. She gritted her teeth and put Li Sushang down.

[Did you come because of an order, or because you couldn't bear to see us suffer?]

Durandal didn't know, but she had already rushed out. She dodged the falling debris and dove into the pagoda.

The situation inside the pagoda was somewhat surprising. The top was still collapsing, but inside, they could only feel the vibrations for the time being.

Especially those old monks, they were still sitting in meditation! They were even chanting!

And the old monk who had talked to Durandal was also sitting there. The moment he saw Durandal, he looked somewhat surprised.

"It seems the benefactor is not as confused as I thought..." he smiled at Durandal. "I wonder if you could bring Xuanhui out of here?"

The old monk pointed, and only then did Durandal see Xuanhui, who had been sent flying by the [Yu Long] she had thrown. He was lying motionless in a corner.

Durandal immediately nodded. "Okay, I'll take him out. Do you need my help?"

But the old monk shook his head. "No... this humble monk has no need to leave anymore."

He looked at the other old monks who were chanting in meditation amidst the tremors and whispered, "We are all..."

Durandal, who had rushed to the corner and picked up Xuanhui, looked back in disbelief. "What?"

"Benefactor, please leave now." The old monk put his palms together and bowed slightly to Durandal. "Just let us humble monks stay here in this pagoda."

"How is that possible!" Durandal quickly retorted. "Leaving you here is just sending you to your deaths!"

"But there are so many people here. How many can you save, benefactor?" The old monk was still smiling. Durandal looked around, her retort stuck in her throat.

So many people... it really is difficult for her... but it's not impossible!

Seemingly seeing Durandal's determination, the old monk sighed. "Benefactor, we can't leave... and we don't want to leave..."

Durandal was stunned. She didn't know when, but the chanting around her had also stopped. Everyone was staring at her.

At this moment, Durandal once again had the feeling she had when she first entered the pagoda, being stared at by all the bodhisattvas and arhats.

"This catastrophe does not need us. Buddhism does not engage in production, nor does it harmonize with the secular world. Its only advantage is a firm mind... and the MOTH behind you, benefactor, does it better than us."

"And this pagoda has been with us monks for a thousand years, yet it collapses now at its millennium... without the pagoda, where would we go? And who would we believe in?"

"It would be better to fulfill our wish and let us rest in peace here with this pagoda."

Durandal's lips moved. She wanted to say something more, but a huge piece of debris suddenly fell in front of her, forcing her back a step towards the door.

"Go, benefactor." Durandal thought she saw the old monk stand up. For a moment, she saw the old monk's bloody legs.

"May your five roots be pure, and may you ascend to the heavens of ultimate bliss."