050 The Buddhas

Night had descended. In a dense thicket, Li Huowang huddled under a quilt, his eyes fixed and alert.

It was only March, and the night without a campfire was bone - chilling. Yet, he dared not kindle a flame. The light in the inky blackness would be like a beacon, inviting the relentless pursuit of the monks.

By the pale moonlight filtering through the leaves, Li Huowang reached into his bosom and pulled out the Taoist bell. The potent pills bestowed by Danyangzi were nearly exhausted. This bell was his last lifeline.

But the memory of the abbot effortlessly seizing it filled him with a seething, intense sense of helplessness. They were out to get him, and all he could do was run. This humiliation was like a thorn in his side, impossible to bear.

"In this chaotic and otherworldly realm, strength is the only currency. If I want to survive, I must be a force to be reckoned with!"

"Even someone like Danyangzi could ascend to great power. Why can't I? No matter how grotesque the cultivation methods here are, I'll master them. I'll claw my way to the top!"

"I need to shield myself and those I hold dear. If I can't obtain power through asking, I'll steal. If stealing fails, I'll rob. And if robbing won't do, I'll stoop to any means necessary!" Li Huowang's face contorted with a fierce determination.

Just then, Li Huowang froze. A look of confusion clouded his face as he reached up to touch the back of his neck, lost in thought.

"Namah! Ratna Trayaya!"

An otherworldly chant shattered the forest's silence like a thunderclap.

Almost instinctively, Li Huowang sprang to his feet, his eyes darting around. But it was a sea of blackness; he could see nothing. The simple traps he'd set earlier showed no signs of being triggered.

"Namah! Arya! Avalokitesvaraya! Bodhisattvaya!" The chant rang out again, closer this time, like a ghost whispering in his ear.

"Quick! Everyone, get up! Run! Scatter! Leave the donkey cart! Fool, do as I told you!"

At Li Huowang's urgent warning, Bai Lingmiao was about to follow him, but the Fool hoisted her onto his shoulder and bolted eastward in long, powerful strides.

Li Huowang leaped over the bushes and onto the road, gritted his teeth, and sprinted forward. After all, the monks' target was only him. If he couldn't escape, there was no point in others sacrificing their lives with him.

In the darkness, Li Huowang ran for his life, but the chant seemed to be glued to his back, like a shadow that refused to let go. And then, he caught a whiff of the fragrant incense from a temple.

Suddenly, Li Huowang stopped dead in his tracks. His pupils constricted as he stared at the pitch - black road ahead, where tiny red dots, no bigger than flies, were trembling faintly.

"Bhagavan! Buddha! Bhagavan! Mitratman! Nalakantha..." The chant grew louder, like a storm approaching.

Finally, the figures in the darkness emerged slowly. They were Buddhas, with massive heads, towering bodies, but incredibly thin legs and bulging bellies. The red dots Li Huowang had seen were actually bunches of incense sticks stuck into their bodies. The incense quivered as the colossal figures swayed.

Normally, these tall Buddhas wreathed in white smoke would exude an otherworldly aura. But here, on this desolate forest path in the dead of night, they were a terrifying sight.

There were not one, but seven of them. They stood side by side, their bodies swaying rhythmically as they advanced towards Li Huowang.

They took slow, mechanical steps, swaying from left to right. They were like humans, yet not quite, with expressions that were a strange blend of neither smile nor frown, neither anger nor calm.

When they stepped into the moonlight, Li Huowang recognized the face of the leading Buddha. It was Jiandun's face. "Amitabha, benefactor, your mind is troubled."

Li Huowang looked up at the flesh - and - blood behemoth that loomed at least four meters tall in front of him. "So you're dropping the act, huh? You bunch of heretics who worship monsters!!"

"Benefactor, I don't know what you're talking about. Please return to the temple with me. The karmic debt of Danyangzi lies on you. If you don't take it away, great trouble will befall you and all sentient beings in the world."

After Jiandun finished speaking, he clasped his hands together forcefully. With a sickening sound of tearing flesh, fleshless hands sprouted from behind him, swaying menacingly.

In an instant, like a peacock fanning out its magnificent tail, the seven Buddhas transformed into seven terrifying flesh - and - blood Thousand - Handed Buddhas.

"Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!" As Li Huowang shook the Taoist bell with all his might, the surrounding environment began to warp. The lines of the surrounding branches twisted and contorted, forming Lord You.

However, amidst the ringing of the bell, the chaotic surroundings had no effect on the Buddhas. They stood firm, like unyielding reefs in a stormy sea.

Li Huowang scooped up some dirt from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth. "?矙茛懇?!" Lord You, leaving a blur in its wake, swooped towards the Buddhas close to the ground.

"Ha!" A massive Buddha palm slammed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.

But Lord You, being formless, ignored the attack completely and emerged from the back of the palm, lunging towards the Buddha's huge face.

When Lord You burrowed into a Buddha's head, the towering figure began to sway. Its massive hands flailed about, as if trying to swat away a persistent swarm of flies.

But it was in vain. After a short while, the colossal Buddha crashed to the ground. Its facial features melted away, and its body, which was supposed to be impervious, distorted along with the surrounding illusions.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The remaining six Buddhas quickly formed a back - to - back circle. Then, like giant stone piers, they slammed themselves onto the ground, clasped their hands together, and began to chant obscure Buddhist scriptures. "Tadyatha! Om! Vajra - satva - samaya!..."

As soon as the chanting started, Li Huowang in the distance noticed something was amiss with Lord You. The lines that made up its body began to twist uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Li Huowang shook the Taoist bell even more vigorously.

When Li Huowang declared his willingness to sacrifice more of his yang lifespan, Lord You managed to hold its form with great difficulty and charged towards another Buddha.

With a tremor that shook the very earth, another Buddha toppled to the ground. But this was the limit of Lord You's strength.

In the resounding chanting, Lord You in mid - air plummeted to the ground.

Seeing that Lord You was no longer of use, Li Huowang stopped shaking the bell. But as the surroundings returned to normal, Lord You on the ground didn't dissipate.

All the lines on its body lost their original colors and turned a sickly pinkish flesh color. The formless Lord You had been given a physical body by the Buddhas' chanting.

With a physical form, Lord You resembled a huge mass of writhing earthworms, slowly inching along the ground.

A huge palm emblazoned with a swastika symbol came crashing down.

"Splat!" Lord You's physical body turned into a gooey mess.

The huge palm, sticky with Lord You's flesh and blood, slowly rose and clasped together again. The remaining five Thousand - Handed Buddhas swayed forward and stood in a row in front of Li Huowang. "Amitabha, benefactor, please come back with us."