316: Chapter 316 Mysterious Buddhist Teachings

Ye Jing looked at the two monks, took a deep breath, and continued to control the thousand void ethereal map to glide forward.

The map carried him through the barrier; the barrier did not react, like a small pebble quietly merging into it without causing a single ripple.

Ye Jing passed through the barrier but did not rush to come out, instead releasing his Divine Sense to scout this unfamiliar territory.

The Buddha Realm was not filled with temples as Ye Jing had imagined; instead, it resembled a Mortal nation.

Houses were packed closely together in rows, and the crisscrossing streets were teeming with people. The sounds of hawking and laughter mixed with the faint scent of incense, drifting through the entire city.

However, the clothes of the people below had a Western Regions flair—men wore turbans, and women wore gauze garments with half their faces covered, full of exotic style.

This was just a Mortal city-state. Seeing this, Ye Jing immediately transformed his attire into that of a local resident.

He now wore a white turban and a purple-gold vest, looking like an ordinary elderly man from the area.

He walked through the town for a long time without seeing a single Cultivator. Instead, he noticed that while the residents seemed harmonious, their faces were all fixed with bizarre smiles, as if they had no other expressions besides joy.

Ye Jing felt an inexplicable sense of unease. After walking for a while, he found the town to be extremely strange.

Just as he was pondering the oddity of the place, a sudden fluctuation of spiritual energy came from the sky. Several monks appeared in mid-air, flying on magic tools.

Because of their appearance, the residents below immediately knelt on the ground with expressions of extreme devotion, chanting a bizarre Buddha Dharma at the top of their lungs.

The Dharma was obscure and difficult to understand. It was neither the Zen scriptures Ye Jing had heard before nor the recitations of the Pure Land Sect. The syllables were twisted and strange, sounding like countless people whispering together, making one's Divine Sense feel dizzy.

Ye Jing hurriedly hid within the thousand void ethereal map, using his Qi to defend against this strange sound.

The monks were all dressed in dark red robes embroidered with bizarre black Buddhist patterns. These were not the common lotus or swastika symbols, but twisted human face patterns with hollow eyes that exuded an aura of deathly stillness.

The leading monk had a face like withered wood, with pitch-black ordination scars on his head. In his hand, he held a palm-sized Bronze Stupa.

A faint gray mist swirled around the stupa. With every rotation, the cheers of the residents below became a degree more devout.

The bizarre smiles on the Mortals' faces grew even more intense, and their eyes became hollow, as if they had lost their independent consciousness.

"Something's wrong. These residents aren't being devout voluntarily; they're being controlled," Ye Jing said softly.

At that moment, the leading monk spoke, his voice carrying a strange piercing power that went straight to the heart.

"All living beings suffer. Only by returning to the Buddha can one find liberation.

Today, we shall lead another hundred believers to the Buddha Hall to listen to the Buddha's voice and be reborn."

As his voice fell, the Bronze Stupa in his hand suddenly shot out dozens of gray lights, landing precisely among the crowd.

The residents hit by the gray light immediately stood up and walked toward the center of the city with hollow eyes, their steps stiff like marionettes.

Seeing this, the remaining residents showed no fear; instead, they prostrated themselves even more fanatically, still chanting that bizarre scripture, their smiles twisting into something almost ghoulish.

Ye Jing felt it was too unsafe here, so he controlled the thousand void ethereal map to head toward a place with abundant spiritual energy.

After speeding along and completely shaking off that small town bewitched by the evil Buddha, a larger city-state finally appeared ahead.

From a distance, he could feel the dense fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from the city, as well as the aura of Cultivators coming and going.

Ye Jing slowed down, manipulating the thousand void ethereal map to conceal its aura as he quietly slipped into the city-state.

Upon arriving, he clearly felt that the bewitching sensation of the bizarre Buddha Power that haunted the small town had completely vanished, replaced by the normal spiritual energy sensations between Cultivators.

The road leading to that city-state was a desert.

Besides the passing Cultivators, he could also see several Mortals in simple clothing driving camel carts loaded with Spiritual Plants, Ores, and other sundries.

These Mortals had clear eyes and natural expressions; their words and deeds were no different from normal people, clearly unaffected by the evil Buddha's power.

Seeing this, a plan formed in Ye Jing's mind.

Since Cultivators gathered here, those monks might not dare to set foot here easily, making it relatively safe. It would be better to change back to his original appearance; it would make it easier to gather information and avoid the constant consumption of Qi from driving the thousand void ethereal map.

With a thought, he put away the thousand void ethereal map. A flash of spiritual light surrounded him, and he restored his original attire and appearance, blending into the flow of people while quietly observing his surroundings.

One middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of these caravans, was shouting: "Move faster! We must reach Jinshan City by nightfall! Otherwise, the Night Cats will come to eat people!"

Night Cats?

Ye Jing found it strange, but as the setting sun ahead gradually dipped below the horizon, the caravans immediately began to panic. They seemed to want to find a place to hide nearby.

Several Mortals driving the carts were sweating profusely with anxiety, cracking their whips to urge the horses, causing the goods in the carriages to bounce around.

The caravan leader's face was even more grim. He looked around as he ran, and his eyes suddenly lit up when his gaze swept over a dilapidated stone house by the roadside.

"Quick! Get into that stone house and hide! We'll be safe once we last until dawn!"

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a reprieve. They hurriedly unhitched the horses and ran toward the stone house.

Ye Jing's eyes narrowed slightly as he quietly spread his Divine Sense. He detected a foul, rotting stench approaching at high speed.

In the darkening sky, several black Yao Beasts shaped like bats swept across the horizon in overwhelming numbers. They were as large as an adult human and were extremely numerous.

The Mortals had no time at all. One of them, who seemed to be the boss, grabbed a torch and threw it into the sky, hoping to drive away the bat Yao Beasts.

But it was in vain. A few who ran slower were directly snatched up by the Yao Beasts, and heart-wrenching screams soon echoed from mid-air.

Seeing this, Ye Jing thought that since he was unfamiliar with the Buddha Realm, he might as well save them first and then use the favor to ask for directions.

With that thought, red flames ignited around him. The power of his Physical Body instantly activated the Thunderbolt Flame Art. Amidst the popping sounds of his muscles and bones, he shot out like an arrow from a bow.

"Vile creatures, how dare you!"

Ye Jing let out a thunderous shout, his fists wrapped in flames as he smashed directly at the bat Yao Beasts closest to the Mortals.

He was now a Body Cultivator with an incredibly powerful Physical Body. Combined with the enhancement of flame power, the high temperature had already scorched the lunging Yao Beasts black and smoking before his fists even touched them.

With several muffled bangs, his powerful spiritual energy slaughtered all the bat Yao Beasts in front of him, and the rotting stench grew even stronger.

The boss of the caravan stared without blinking at this Cultivator who had suddenly stepped in to save them, his face filled with utter astonishment.

Seeing this, the remaining bat Yao Beasts did not retreat; instead, they were stimulated by the smell of blood and became even more frenzied. They let out sharp, piercing screeches as they swarmed toward Ye Jing and the remaining Mortals in a black mass.

Ye Jing gave a cold laugh: "Courting death!"

With that, he exerted his spiritual energy. Flames dozens of yards high suddenly ignited in the sky, burning forward continuously. The black mass of bat Yao Beasts was entirely swallowed by the fire.

Amidst continuous screams, over a hundred bats were instantly incinerated, leaving only a few stragglers that fluttered their wings in terror and fled.