203: Chapter 203 The Legend of Gufeng Temple

Chapter 203: The Legend of Gufeng Temple

In the confined and tranquil secret room, the thick darkness seemed capable of devouring everything.

Only two faintly glowing figures stood facing each other.

Although the light was dim, it outlined their hazy silhouettes, creating a mysterious and bizarre atmosphere.

"I believe that ghosts exist in this world."

Fang Cheng's tone of reply was filled with certainty.

Seeing that Smiling Demon appeared somewhat surprised, he spread his hands, which bloomed with a fiery glow, and said,

"Aren't the two of us just like ghosts right now? Being in the conscious world and drifting outside of reality, what difference does this state have from the ghosts in legends?"

Hearing this, Smiling Demon gently shook his head:

"This is different."

He paused for a moment, seemingly pondering how to phrase it, and explained a moment later:

"Our consciousness is merely in this special spiritual space, while our bodies still exist in the real world. It's equivalent to having a lucid dream, and upon waking up, we are still our original selves."

"As for ghosts, according to generally recognized concepts, they are existences completely detached from the Physical Body, a kind of supernatural spirit body."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, indicating approval.

Actually, what he really wanted to talk about was his identity as someone undergoing Transmigration, but of course, this secret was not suitable to share with others.

After thinking for a moment, he continued in a calm-as-water tone:

"I have never seen a ghost with my own eyes, but I believe that after a person dies, there should still be a Soul continuing, waiting to enter Reincarnation and be reborn into the world anew."

"Whether an ordinary person will have a Soul continue after death, I am not clear. As for the saying of Reincarnation and Reincarnation, I'm afraid no one can verify this."

Smiling Demon commented a couple of sentences following Fang Cheng's words, and then changed the subject:

"But I know that when a person's spiritual energy is strong to a certain limit, their consciousness will not dissipate after death, but will instead look for a sustenance, resembling a candle flickering in the wind, stubbornly burning its final faint glow."

He raised his head with a profound gaze, as if staring into the endless Void Realm, seeing the many distorted shadows hidden in the darkness.

"There is a legend over at Xishan that in ancient times, a high monk of Gufeng Temple passed away. Afterwards, on every night of the full moon, chanting would come from the dry well in the temple. The villagers all said that the high monk's obsession was too deep, and his Soul attached itself to the accumulated water at the bottom of the well, reluctant to leave the Mortal world."

"Actually, there might be another possibility. What is attached in that well is not the deceased Soul of a high monk, but rather some trapped for a long time, grievance-filled malevolent ghosts being suppressed."

"During their lifetime, they slaughtered living beings and were stained with blood. After death, they also turned into difficult-to-eliminate evil entities, surviving in the crevice of Yin and Yang. Therefore, whenever the full moon night arrives, the monks collectively recite scriptures, hoping to resolve the fierce Qi on their bodies and deliver their Souls..."

As Smiling Demon spoke, he drifted around the room.

The dim, ghost-fire-like phosphorescence traced illusory trajectories along with his figure.

Fang Cheng's eyes flashed slightly, and he asked:

"What does this legend have to do with Jiang Chen?"

Smiling Demon fell silent for a little while, then slowly spoke in a storytelling tone:

"Did you know? As early as two thousand years ago, during the ancient Yu Dynasty period, Gufeng Temple was still just like its name, sitting like a pearl left behind by the world on top of a steep peak shrouded in clouds and mist."

"At that time, a massive movement to exterminate Buddhism and cut off sacrifices suddenly arose within the imperial court. Gufeng Temple was renowned far and wide with numerous believers, but because of this, it became a thorn in the court's side."

"Thus, a certain military general received an imperial decree to lead an elite army to expedition against the temple in the remote mountains."

"With the great army pressing at the borders and the temple doors tightly closed, although the monks were unarmed, they showed no fear. They still chanted scriptures devoutly in front of the Buddha hall, seemingly wanting to use this Sanskrit sound to resist the impending storm of blood."

"However, this could not stop the general's determination to establish military exploits. As the soldiers under his command poured into the temple like a tide, for a time, the shouts of killing and screams intertwined together."

"The soldiers waved sharp blades, hacking at anyone they saw. The monks' robes were instantly dyed red with blood, and one Buddha statue after another collapsed heavily amidst the chaos, smashing into pieces."

"At first, that general might have still harbored a trace of pity, but as the slaughter gradually rose, amidst the flashing swords and lights, blood constantly splashed onto his armor. The pungent smell of blood permeated the surroundings, unexpectedly causing his Heart-Nature to quietly undergo a change."

"Every swing of the sword, every scream, seemed to numb his conscience, and an inexplicable fanaticism and fierce Qi bred deep within his heart."

"The moment he stepped into the back hall of the temple, the lingering fragrance of incense inside the hall clashed with the bloody Qi outside, making it extremely bizarre. In the dark, a mysterious power seemed to be whispering, summoning him."

"His gaze gradually became hazy, and his steps uncontrollably walked towards a Forbidden Ground at the back of the hall. Sealed away there was an ancient and mysterious object, rumored to hide a heaven-shaking secret capable of subverting the entire Great Yu Imperial Dynasty, yet for hundreds of years it had been suppressed by a tens-of-meters-high Buddha statue."

"At this time, the general was completely driven by that inexplicable power, and he ordered the soldiers to carve open the Buddha statue and destroy the Seal."

"After several days and nights, the light at the Seal burst forth brilliantly, as if a door connecting to the netherworld had been opened. An extremely chilling black fog surged out, and within the mist seemed to be parasitic evil ghosts running out from the Avici Hell, instantly wrapping around the general and the surrounding soldiers, eroding their bodies and minds."

"The strongest general's eyes turned into burning ghost fires, his blood vessels protruding under his skin like earthworms, and his body twisted and spasmed uncontrollably. In the blink of an eye, he was the first to transform into a terrifying-looking monster."

"The general, turned into a monster, completely lost his reason, roaring as he lunged at the soldiers beside him. His sharp teeth and claws instantly tore open flesh and skin, and blood splashed everywhere."

"Meanwhile, the other soldiers swallowed by the black fog also mutated one after another, becoming man-eating Ghouls. The remaining unmutated soldiers were terrified; they had never seen such a horrifying scene. Instantly, their morale collapsed completely, and they fled in all directions, yet how could they escape the frantic pursuit of those monsters."

"Then, just like the cycle of Karma, these soldiers who had just raised the butcher knife against the monks also suffered a devastating disaster, and the entire Gufeng Temple completely devolved into a ghost domain..."

Hearing him recount a thrilling secret anecdote that happened in history, Fang Cheng furrowed his brows slightly, a trace of thought flashing in his eyes, and then asked:

"What happened next? How did the imperial court deal with these Ghouls mutated from soldiers?"

"Later, the imperial court received reports and knew that ordinary soldiers could not deal with these monsters. Thus, they gathered the power of dozens of aristocratic families at that time to slay these Ghouls one by one, excavated the underground palace Ancient Tomb, and sealed all evil entities within it. Afterwards, they ordered the place to be heavily blockaded, strictly prohibiting anyone from approaching."

Smiling Demon spoke unhurriedly, his voice carrying a bit of hoarseness, as if recounting a distant dream.

"Time flew, hundreds of years passed, Dynasties alternated, and new rulers ascended to power. Folk Buddhist and Taoist beliefs quietly rose again, and pious men and women raised funds to rebuild Gufeng Temple not far from the old site."

"After the new temple was completed, it seemed that that bloody and bizarre past only became a chilling legend in the word-of-mouth transmission of the local people. As time passed, even the legend gradually changed and was completely forgotten."

Having finished listening to this story, Fang Cheng vaguely guessed something and couldn't help asking:

"How do you know these things so clearly?"

"If I say that I repeat dreaming of these scenes every night, would you still be willing to believe my words? Do you think this story is merely my delusion while in a state of mental disorder?"

Smiling Demon stopped his footsteps and tilted his head slightly to look at Fang Cheng.

"I believe what you said."

Fang Cheng calmly replied immediately.

Hearing this, Smiling Demon revealed a hint of a smile and continued:

"In history, due to reasons like wars and fires, Gufeng Temple suffered minor damage, relocated and rebuilt, gradually moving from the initial mountain peak to the mountainside, long far away from the old site."

"More than two months ago, the place where the archaeological team excavated the headless Buddha statue was the location of the underground palace. They accidentally broke the Seal, and thus released all the evil entities within..."

Fang Cheng nodded understandingly and said in a deep voice:

"Therefore, the source of that black rain is the underground palace Ancient Tomb from Xishan, and Jiang Chen is that general who led the army to annihilate Gufeng Temple back then, a demon that ran out from the Seal two thousand years later by Opportunity and coincidence."

A cold glint seemed to flash across Smiling Demon's eyes, and the corners of his mouth pulled into a slightly sarcastic arc:

"Heh, after two thousand years, even as the king of Ghouls, his Physical Body has long since rotted into ashes. Now he is just a lonely ghost lingering on his last gasp by obsession..."

Fang Cheng's gaze closely stared at Smiling Demon, pondering inwardly, yet outwardly exclaimed calmly:

"Even if he is just a lonely ghost, being able to preserve his consciousness from perishing over the long years of two thousand years is definitely not to be underestimated..."

Hearing this, a look of dread seemed to flash across Smiling Demon's face and vanish instantly.

This contradictory behavior of both contempt and fear was seen by Fang Cheng, but he didn't point it out.

For some matters, since the other party didn't proactively speak of it, he had no need to ask more.

No errors, first release, inside content, all in one place to view!

However, at least a few points could be confirmed now.

First, at the time of the explosion incident in Xishan, this guy was definitely lingering at the scene or nearby.

Second, after Jiang Chen escaped, he had already established contact with him through certain methods, and the communication between the two sides was definitely not very pleasant.

Third, just as Xu Fei and Chen Lei said, Jiang Chen indeed possessed extraordinary means. Even though his Physical Body was blown into slag by missiles, his Soul still did not disappear.

The two did not speak for a long while, and the chat room fell into dead silence once again.

Smiling Demon suddenly seemed to think of something, a gleam flashing in his eyes as he stared intently at Fang Cheng:

"I heard that the residential building you live in was sealed off by the police for several days. Could you have been treated as an accomplice of Jiang Chen, and therefore the Special Investigation Team came looking for you?"

Fang Cheng did not answer, nor did he feel surprised.

This guy would come over to send postcards whenever he had nothing to do; he was definitely paying attention to his situation normally.

With such a major change happening to the Tubular Building, he must have known about it long ago.

Seeing Fang Cheng's silent 'unlucky' appearance, the corners of Smiling Demon's mouth involuntarily curled up, and he said with keen interest:

"How is it? The taste of being targeted by those hounds must be quite refreshing, right? Did you specially come to find me tonight because you need my help?"

Fang Cheng originally didn't want to bother with his sarcasm, but upon hearing these words, his heart stirred, and he immediately nodded sincerely:

"Aside from the matter of Jiang Chen, I really want to know what methods the Special Investigation Team actually uses to distinguish us from Mortals, and find the traces of monsters in the vast sea of people."

Hearing this, a trace of imperceptible triumph and pleasure flashed across Smiling Demon's eyes.

"Hehe, the Special Investigation Team's methods for distinguishing humans from non-humans aren't too complicated when you talk about it, amounting to no more than three..."

He hadn't planned on keeping him in suspense for long anyway; firstly, he knew Fang Cheng's temperament, and secondly, explaining this matter thoroughly held no disadvantage for him.

Thus, he slightly raised his chin, the evil and charming aura radiating from his entire body growing even more intense, and readily answered with a slightly hoarse voice:

"The first method is to observe the target's pupils."

"Under stable lighting conditions, a normal human's pupils are basically constant in size, and their color is warm and even."

"However, for transcendent humans like us, once we use our abilities, our pupils become like the awakened pupils of a beast, instantly undergoing changes, expanding or contracting to extremes, and the color will also become bizarre. However..."

He paused, sweeping his gaze toward Fang Cheng, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

"This method has quite significant limitations. As long as the target is on guard, deliberately maintains emotional calmness, restrains their spirit, and hides their own Qi, it is very difficult for the other party to detect any abnormalities."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

Regarding this point, he usually had some experience with it, and wearing glasses added an extra layer of insurance.

"The second method is that the Special Investigation Team specially raises some 'Search Hounds' to search for targets hiding among the crowd."

Then, he slightly tilted his head and continued in a somewhat disdainful tone:

"These are not literal hounds; they are actually the five types of predators I told you about. After being captured alive by the Special Investigation Team, they are controlled and domesticated through special means to be used as hounds."

"They are exceptionally sensitive to the unique Qi emitted by their own kind. As long as they get close, even if all abilities are restrained and they are disguised to be no different from ordinary people, those search hounds can rely on their extraordinary sense of smell to generate restless perception from afar, actively tracking the target and making the Special Investigation Team members aware."

"As for the third method, it belongs to the medical category, which is undergoing physical examinations and comprehensive screening. The main method is drawing blood samples to test whether the rc cells value in the blood is within the normal range..."

"rc cells?"

Fang Cheng couldn't help blurting out a question.

In his heart, he immediately recalled the conversation between the doctors he overheard outside the windowsill that night.

"Correct."

Smiling Demon nodded and said in a deep voice: "Testing the rc cells value in the human body can be said to be the most accurate way to distinguish a person's degree of mutation."

"This value for ordinary humans is generally below 500, Special Investigation Team members who injected strengthening serums are between 500 and 1000, those aristocratic family descendants can maintain around 1000, while predators like us are basically all above 1000, and there are even plenty of people exceeding 2000."

"The higher the rc cells value, the stronger the physical fitness, the stronger the recovery and regeneration ability, the higher the Rank as a predator, and correspondingly, the greater the probability of mental loss of control."

"It can be said that as long as your body's rc cells value exceeds the limit, you will definitely change from a human to a non-human, ultimately becoming a thorough monster."