Chapter 988: Are All the Three-Eyed Ghost Children in Your Buddhist Kingdom This Big?

Not far off, Master Duanchen stared blankly at the two specters that had manifested in the sky above Benefactor Cui's estate, then glanced down at the trembling apparition confined within the birdcage he held in his hand, a rare trace of bewilderment flitting across his countenance.

He had originally reasoned that if Lu Yang and his companion dispatched the three-eyed imp too swiftly, he would simply bring another phantom along to sustain the slaughter, striving to make the commotion as grand as possible.

"Where on earth did these two spring from?"

Now, it appeared his own preparations were redundant; the entities hovering over the Cui residence were far more formidable than the one he had brought.

Lifting the cage, Master Duanchen spoke with profound serenity: "A monk’s heart is steeped in compassion. I cannot be bothered to carry you back; pray, commit suicide."

The specter, understanding human speech, shook its head with desperate fervor.

Beholding this, Master Duanchen exhaled a soft sigh: "Since you are unwilling to take your own life, I must needs assist you in doing so."

With these words, Master Duanchen chanted the sutras and unleashed the Buddha's radiance, reducing the specter imprisoned within the cage to ashes.

…

The Three-Eyed Demon Monk glared savagely at Lu Yang with all three of his eyes: "To think that after concealing myself in Kaihuang City for over fifty years, I should be discovered by you lot today. You deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"

"Naught but two juniors at the half-step Golden Core realm, yet you truly believe you can defy the heavens!"

The hollow shadow fixed its gaze upon Meng Jingzhou, its resentment surging like an overwhelming tide: "That vitality of blood and qi reminds me of the old monk who caused me to degenerate into a vengeful ghost in the first place—truly an abhorrent sensation!"

Both the Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow were ghost cultivators at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm; by joining forces, employing forbidden secret arts, utilizing various magical treasures, talismans, and formations, and further stimulating their potential with medicinal pills—all enhanced by the nocturnal amplification of their techniques—they could barely match a cultivator at the early stage of Deity Transformation.

Otherwise, they would never have dared to reveal themselves so brazenly in Kaihuang City; they possessed the confidence to escape even from the clutches of Master Duanchen.

Lu Yang slowly drew his Azure Peak Sword, the moonlight reflecting from the blade onto his furrowed brows in a brilliant flash of snow-white luminescence.

Confronted by such a formidable foe, Lu Yang dared not hold anything back: "Though I knew Benefactor Cui was beset by malevolent spirits, I never anticipated they would be two great masters of the Body Integration realm."

Meng Jingzhou assumed the stance of the Arhat Fist, poised to strike at any moment: "Three-Eyed Demon Monk, could it be that your cultivation is the Three Talents Heavenly Eye? And this hollow shadow, unpredictable as it is, must surely have gone astray while practicing the peerless divine ability of Upright Shadowlessness, falling into madness."

"A troublesome pair to deal with."

The Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow listened in complete bewilderment. What Three Talents Heavenly Eye? What Upright Shadowlessness? If the two of them could practice such absurdly profound divine abilities, would they be stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, unable to break through for so long, and forced to lurk in Kaihuang City for over half a century?

Lu Yang ceased to conceal his cultivation, his aura erupting like a volcanic surge, distorting the very space around him into the faint semblance of a mountain range.

Meng Jingzhou’s blood and qi transformed into a great dragon, his pure Yang energy resembling a magnificent sun, ablaze with majesty, illuminating the entirety of Kaihuang Temple.

Sensing the aura of Lu Yang and his companion, the countenances of the Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow shifted drastically; this had already exceeded the bounds of their perception.

"You concealed your cultivation! Who are you!"

"Wait, perhaps there has been a misunderstanding between us..."

"Even if we two brothers must forfeit our lives today, we shall stop you!" Lu Yang cried out with a resolve that courted death, raising his Azure Peak Sword as a column of sword-qi pierced the heavens, the ceaseless chime of the blade turning the Three-Eyed Demon Monk's already pallid face even whiter, utterly drained of color.

We truly are not of the Body Integration realm.

"The Sword Cleaves the Ages!" Lu Yang roared, snapping his hair-tie so that his strands drifted wildly; a single strike seemed to carve open the river of time, freezing the moments as he infused a common slash with the momentum of an all-out blow.

"Overlord Firmament Fist!" The great dragon of blood and qi coiled around Meng Jingzhou's fists, veins bulging, his garments exploding into shreds, his eyes crimson as his shout reverberated through the heavens; a common punch was delivered as though it were the final strike of his life.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Azure Peak Sword descended, cleaving the Three-Eyed Demon Monk down the center into two halves; from the severed edges grew countless tentacles, knitting the body back together once more.

Meng Jingzhou shot forward like a dark arrow, shattering successive sonic barriers, his fist punching a gaping, unhealable hole into the abdomen of the hollow shadow.

The two youths launched into a one-sided war, an dazzling display of sword-qi and blood-vitality painting the sky in a kaleidoscope of colors; the townspeople emerged to gaze aloft, yet they could discern nothing, unable to tell who was executing the techniques in the aerial duel.

Cui Que'er pushed open the window and looked up at the sky, watching the multicolored upheaval and occasionally hearing the shrieks of malicious ghosts, struck with immense dread: "Is this the specter that lay hidden in our home? How terrifying."

Unseen by anyone, the Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow hovered in the air, not daring to move a single inch; the slightest movement would draw the blast of the attacks, resulting in their utter destruction.

As for their ability to match the early Deity Transformation stage through a series of methods—in the face of such an assault, there was little difference between the peak of Nascent Soul and the early stage of Deity Transformation.

Seeing that their performance was sufficient, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou gave a great shout, their techniques colliding in a massive explosion; taking advantage of the fierce blast that blinded all onlookers, they swiftly seized the Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow, handed them to Master Duanchen who stood beside the Cui estate, and then dashed back into the center of the detonation, feigning severe injury. Spitting a couple of mouthfuls of blood, they tumbled from the air, crashing powerlessly into the center of the courtyard.

"Masters!"

Beholding this, Benefactor Cui ran forward regardless of the peril, seeking to help them up.

Lying upon the ground, Lu Yang waved a hand, his breath so feeble that he seemed to have more air leaving him than entering, yet he forced his weak voice through his frail frame: "Fortunately, we did not fail our mission. Those two have been dealt with by us brothers."

"Do not panic, Benefactor. We are merely weary and wish to sleep for a while..."

"Masters!"

The figure of an old monk materialized in the courtyard, crouching down to carefully examine the injuries of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

"Master Duanchen," Benefactor Cui bowed, assuming that the recent battle had drawn the master hither.

"Master Duanchen, are these two masters well?"

Master Duanchen pressed his palms together: "The two benefactors are in no grave danger. Once this poor monk escorts them back to our temple, they will surely mend."

"That is wonderful to hear," Benefactor Cui breathed a great sigh of relief.

Master Duanchen hoisted the two onto his shoulders and flew back to Kaihuang Temple, still carrying two birdcages containing the Three-Eyed Demon Monk and the hollow shadow.

Master Duanchen was indeed a man of the cloth, never uttering a falsehood; the moment he brought the two back to the temple, they instantly became lively and full of vigor again.

Tonight, their task was accomplished; the rest depended on the propaganda of Kaihuang Temple.

"It is finally resolved."

"But speaking of which, are the three-eyed imps of your Buddhist kingdom all this large?" Lu Yang meticulously studied the sealed Three-Eyed Demon Monk; this did not match the descriptions in the texts, which recorded that three-eyed imps were only knee-high, yet the captured demon monk was half a head taller than himself. Could this thing actually evolve?

"Why did you two frighten Benefactor Cui's family for no reason?" Meng Jingzhou questioned.

They were already at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm; surely they did not still subsist on terror, and besides, terrifying the Cui family daily would hardly suffice to feed them.

The Three-Eyed Demon Monk flared in anger: "Who frightened the Cui family? The two of us merely agreed to meet underground tonight; we have never set foot in the Cui estate before!"

Lu Yang let out a soft exclamation of surprise: "How strange then. Where has the three-eyed imp gone?"