103: Chapter 103 Escape

Chu Xuan did not flee and scatter like the others.

One reason was that the Great Buddha could teleport, and regardless of displacement distance or skill cooldown, it was far beyond what those passengers who had just finished Spirit Washing could compare to; fleeing far was useless, and his goal for this trip was not to escape.

Second was because he was quickly observing the surroundings, looking for the five glowing statues mentioned by [Future Tang Zheng], and in these few seconds, he had already found three glowing Buddha statues.

One was inside the Heavenly Kings Hall directly in front of the Mahavira Hall; the Maitreya Buddha originally enshrined there was currently emitting light.

Two others were on either side of the Mahavira Hall, inside the Sangharama Hall and the Ksitigarbha Hall; the Sangharama Bodhisattva and Ksitigarbha enshrined in the center were also emitting light.

The third reason was that Chu Xuan still had someone hidden outside the Mahavira Hall—specifically Wang Ruozi, who had never appeared.

She was the key to whether they could ultimately kill the Great Buddha; Chu Xuan could only feel at ease once her safety was ensured.

At this moment, seeing the Great Buddha standing in front of the person covered in incense ash yet seemingly losing track of the target.

Chu Xuan felt both joy and worry.

The joy was naturally from finding the true meaning of the phrase "Stained with dust and mud, one can evade the Buddha's eyes." The "dust and mud" here might not be soil or dust, but incense ash!

The worry was that Wang Ruozi, hiding in the bushes, might not be able to stay hidden!

Thoughts flashed in an instant; after the person covered in incense ash spat blood repeatedly, perhaps due to the excessive movement, they were finally discovered by the Great Buddha, who suddenly stomped down, killing them on the spot.

"Find a way to smash all the statues that can glow!"

Chu Xuan only had time to shout to the scattering crowd before they had all run off.

On the square now, besides Chu Xuan, only the White-haired Old Village Chief hadn't fled. He watched the approaching Great Buddha and let out a long sigh:

"Alas! What a pity for so many good prospects, especially one who might have awakened a talent. But since the Great Buddha has awakened, then all of you shall become the nourishment for it to take that critical step..."

The White-haired Old Village Chief glanced at Chu Xuan in the distance, shook his head, and finally fixed his gaze on the Great Buddha, speaking softly:

"Child who has lost yourself, the moment your consciousness returns, you will be a one-in-ten-thousand existence. Using the flesh and blood of all living beings in this world as nourishment, slaughter and devour to your heart's content! Before gaining true authority, remember to hide yourself well and not be discovered by the humans of this world..."

The Buddhist staff was raised high. At the moment it crashed down, the White-haired Old Village Chief's eyes glazed over, like a lost person suddenly waking up, and he screamed in terror:

"No..."

Bang!

The Buddhist staff smashed down, turning the White-haired Old Village Chief into a mass of flesh and blood.

It all happened in the blink of an eye; only a few seconds had passed.

Chu Xuan had also taken the opportunity to hide behind a large tree.

Just as Chu Xuan was secretly hoping the Great Buddha would leave quickly to chase the others, he saw the opponent suddenly turn and stride toward the bushes in the corner of the square.

Chu Xuan thought "not good"—that was where Wang Ruozi was hiding.

Gritting his teeth, Chu Xuan poked his gun barrel out from behind the tree, aimed at the Great Buddha dozens of meters away, and pulled the trigger.

Da-da-da!

Three consecutive bullets were fired. The Great Buddha's forward momentum halted abruptly. It looked back, its golden face covered in blood, showing a ferocious and angry expression like a Shura from Hell.

In that single glance, the Great Buddha disappeared.

In the next instant, a strong sense of dread enveloped him, and everything before his eyes turned dim.

Chu Xuan, who was already on high alert, immediately lunged forward.

Bang!

A loud crash came from behind.

Chu Xuan looked back.

Dust rose everywhere. The large tree, thick enough for three people to encircle, had actually been smashed apart by this strike, and the entire trunk collapsed.

The Great Buddha lifted its Buddhist staff and strode after him.

However, Chu Xuan's speed was clearly not comparable to those passengers who had just successfully completed Spirit Washing. The Great Buddha's movement speed was also noticeably slower than Chu Xuan's, and the gap soon widened to over ten meters.

The next second, the Great Buddha disappeared again.

Chu Xuan's heart jolted, and he immediately stopped in his tracks. At the same time, the Great Buddha abruptly appeared directly in front of Chu Xuan, its massive pitch-black Buddhist staff already raised high.

A suffocating pressure swept over him again.

Chu Xuan quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow, and fled in the direction away from Wang Ruozi, feeling incredibly lucky that he hadn't run straight into it.

The Great Buddha remained relentless in its pursuit.

"I'll lure the Great Buddha away. Take the chance to get incense ash all over yourself and find a place to hide..." Chu Xuan shouted toward Wang Ruozi's direction.

Before he could finish, the Great Buddha disappeared again.

Chu Xuan felt his scalp go numb.

Although the Great Buddha's movement speed was not as fast as Chu Xuan's and the distance would soon be pulled apart, this teleportation skill meant Chu Xuan did not dare lower his guard; he needed to monitor the Great Buddha's movements at all times.

Every time the Great Buddha disappeared, Chu Xuan had to focus with all his spirit, because he was not sure which direction the opponent would appear from.

In less than half a second, when the Great Buddha reappeared, Chu Xuan needed to dodge immediately and quickly pull away.

Because within a range of about four meters, being tainted by the Great Buddha's aura would make Chu Xuan feel an uncontrollable wave of fear.

This was the unique pressure Strange Creaturess exerted on humans.

Previously, as Chu Xuan's spirit attribute increased to 10 points, he was almost immune to the aura of D-rank Specters.

But facing the Great Buddha now, Chu Xuan was reminded of the scene in the dormitory when the Night Demon on the ceiling was right in his face.

Moreover, the range of the Great Buddha's strange aura was significantly larger than that of the Night Demon's Clone.

The only thing to be thankful for was that, compared to the Night Demon's true body, facing the Great Buddha did not have that sluggish feeling of being stuck in a swamp or deep water, where movement was restricted and even breathing was suppressed.

Perhaps this was the difference between a B-rank Ghost and an A-Rank Specter.

"I can't go on like this!"

Chu Xuan frowned inwardly. The high-intensity escape, coupled with the repeated exposure to the strange aura, made him gradually feel exhausted. If this continued, he probably would not last much longer.

Facing the teleporting Great Buddha was a delicate task; a single mistake could cost him his life.

The key was that he could not just be pinned down like this.

"I'll have to try this!"

Chu Xuan gritted his teeth. Seeing that Wang Ruozi in the distance had already rolled in a layer of incense ash as he instructed and hidden in the bushes, he finally took out the ghost-forbidden lamp.