Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 671 - 660: The Hunt Begins
Demon Monk Guang Hui, another Jade Throne Golden Buddha, the evil force suddenly manifested but the temple's treasure showed no reaction...
All the clues connected, and Zhi Ming already had an answer in his mind.
He looked seriously at the other party and said solemnly, "I need Patron Jiang to accompany me to find Abbot Senior Brother. This matter is significant and must not be mistaken. He needs to handle it personally!"
Leading the young man, they rushed to the secluded cultivation area of the Abbot. Zhi Ming's head was buzzing; the surprise brought by this young man tonight was one after another, numbing him completely.
The thought that the temple's treasure might have been stolen over a thousand years ago made him want to cry but had no tears — all these years of peace and bliss might just be an illusion!
Just like the young man just said, the Zhao Mansion has a nest of Evil Cultivators hiding in the city, yet they were never noticed!
It's terrifying when you think about it carefully. He didn't dare think further and only hoped that the Abbot could discern the truth from the false and ensure true safety and bliss for the entire Cold Spring City under the protection of the Supreme Treasure!
......
The abbot of Cold Spring Temple, Fa Xuan, was originally in seclusion. He sensed the overwhelming demonic energy and immediately became alert, fearing it might be aimed at the object suppressed under the temple. Hastily exiting seclusion, he found that the sudden appearance of the energy instantly disappeared again.
The more strange it seemed, the more cautious he became, afraid of falling into a trap.
It's known that the object suppressed under the temple has been there for thousands of years, yet its hostility hasn't diminished and can't be calmed by Buddhist teachings. Once it's freed, it will surely wreak havoc, causing mass destruction!
Dharma Institute Buddhist Cultivators were dispatched immediately, but no good news came, and Fa Xuan guarded the entrance to his place of seclusion, also the suppression entry, without daring to leave a step.
"Abbot!" Zhi Ming saw him from afar and felt reassured instantly.
Stepping forward and offering a salute, he briefly recounted the events, then introduced Jiang Yuan.
[Fa Xuan: Moon-Worshiping Mouse Demon, Mahayana Peak (Advanced Demon Cultivator), Abbot of Cold Spring Temple, possessing great compassion and a generous heart, has guarded the fierce beast under the temple for over a thousand years without leaving his place of seclusion.]
[Did not successfully trigger the side quest. The courtyard level must reach level seven to trigger the quest.]
Hmm? Is there a hidden quest waiting to be triggered here?
Jiang Yuan noted silently, as he was already working towards a level seven courtyard. He decided to explore the inconspicuous corners of Cold Spring Temple after upgrading, to see what tasks he might pick up.
Master Fa Xuan, at a glance, hadn't taken any Youthful Appearance Pill, his eyebrows and beard were white, his face thin, and his entire body exuded the aura of a high monk. Especially, his long white eyebrows swayed slightly in the wind, giving off the vibe of a reclusive master.
"This is what I found hiding among the rubble on Wo Hu Mountain — from the Demon Monk Guang Hui's hiding place." Jiang Yuan retrieved a rustic wooden box from his Storage Bag. Upon opening, it gleamed golden, revealing an identical Jade Throne Golden Buddha!
"Amitabha, well done." Abbot Fa Xuan recited the Buddha's name and sighed softly, "I recognize this box.
Approximately two thousand years ago, maybe over three thousand, I'm old and forgetful. At that time, I was captivated by the profound Buddhist teachings of Guang Hui's Dharma talks and enthusiastically sent him off on his journey. When he left Cold Spring Temple, he carried this wooden box.
I once asked him why he bore such an ordinary object instead of using a Storage Bag, adding more burden to his travels.
He said that returning to simplicity is necessary for enlightenment, and that all beings and objects are equal. A Storage Bag is not nobler than a wooden box; a monk should not refer to a wooden box as a 'worldly object.'
Back then, I felt quite ashamed and after returning to the temple, I practiced in meditation more diligently. Alas! Who could have thought, the box was tailored for the Jade Throne Golden Buddha..."
Recalling the past now, Fa Xuan suddenly found it both laughable and lamentable.
Beneath the pretentious facade was theft. Guang Hui, oh Guang Hui, such profound Buddhist teachings were just white lungs!
"No matter whether this object is genuine or not, I thank Patron Jiang for returning the treasure from afar." He extended his withered right hand with a gentle wave, and a wooden token flew from his sleeve, "Monks abide by many rules and precepts. I take the vow not to handle money, thus, I can't reward you with gold or silver.
This is a Magical Treasure blessed with Buddhist power, serving as a temple token. Wearing the token will grant you elder-like status in the temple. It also carries its merits, providing some protective effects in disputes."
[Heavenly Wing Wooden Waist Token: Created and blessed by Cold Spring Temple's Buddhist Cultivator Fa Xuan, can be worn. Merit +500; Good fortune increased by 5%; Damage Reduction +5%]
[Zhi Ming's favorability +100]
[Fa Xuan's favorability +100]
[Do Good Deeds Every Day: Fortune +1; Random buff-enhanced reward item +1]
...
The line of notifications floated past Jiang Yuan's sight, and he immediately thanked and accepted the wooden waist token and clicked to wear it.
Fa Xuan stepped forward, then retreated back to his original place guarding the entrance, sighing lightly and instructed, "Zhi Ming, you know what to do, take full responsibility for handling the follow-up matters.
If Demon Monk Guang Hui used a fake to replace the real one, causing us to be unable to accurately identify the Evil Cultivators in the city for years, once the true Buddha statue manifests, countless monsters and demons will emerge.
With the temple's Buddhist Cultivators unable to control the situation, the city jurisdiction can be exercised — any cultivator can slay Evil Cultivators, and receive rewards from the temple based on the number slain."
Having said that, with slightly helplessness on his lean, aged face, he held his palms together, "Amitabha, killing to protect life, cutting karma not people, well done."
Receiving the Abbot's approval, Zhi Ming offered a salute and took the Jade Throne Golden Buddha to leave.
A moment later, the main hall was urgently sealed. Apart from the gathering of witnessing senior monks, Jiang Yuan was also fortunate to have a close look at the passing of the genuine and fake Jade Throne Golden Buddha "handover."
"Senior Brother, look!" A martial monk, half-bare chested exposing his muscular arms, was ordered to clean and personally transport the Buddha statue. As he lifted the Jade Throne Golden Buddha, his expression changed slightly, "This Buddha statue is hollow!"
As everyone knows, the Jade Throne Golden Buddha, the temple's treasured item, is solidly forged from gold at the bottom of the spring—how could it possibly be hollow?
For many years, the Buddhist cultivators have revered it without daring to move it lightly. Any anomalies naturally can't be seen from the surface; only by lifting it can one discover the discrepancy in weight. Although it is also made of gold from the spring's bottom, it is merely a shell.
The true Buddha statue returned by Jiang Yuan is solid; it took four martial monks to set it in place.
"Buzz!"
Just as the Jade Throne Golden Buddha returned to its lotus seat, it emitted a resonant hum and released ten thousand rays of light!
Soon after, a visible wave of light rippled outward from the statue. Simultaneously, the ground shook and roared, the originally closed eyes of the Jade Throne Golden Buddha slightly opened, revealing bright gem-like eyes.
In the flickering candlelight, for an instant, Jiang Yuan felt as if it had come alive!
The Buddha statue, with its slightly open eyes, had shed its former benevolent expression, gaining an air of majesty.
The tremors in the ground intensified, and the Buddha's eyes opened wider, ultimately presenting a visage reminiscent of the Angry-eyed Vajra.
"Abbot Senior Brother speaks truly. For thousands of years, the Jade Throne Golden Buddha has been replaced with a replica, unable to warn against the evil cultivators. How many demons have gathered in this city?" Zhiming sighed, reciting a Buddhist chant: "Issue the bounty order."
After speaking, he turned to Jiang Yuan and asked, "Patron Jiang, with your exceptional skills, would you be interested in slaying the evil cultivators?"
[Special Limited-Time Mission: Hunting Time!]
[Due to the temple's treasured item being renowned but replaced with a fake, numerous evil cultivators have gathered in Cold Spring City to launder their identities. Now the Buddha statue is back in place, revealing the evil cultivators. Please hunt as many down as possible before dawn to earn rich rewards!]
As Master Zhiming spoke of issuing the bounty order, a bright, flashy interface filled with a game-style flashed in Jiang Yuan's sight. Around it, like a racing marquee, colorful lights stimulated his nerves.
The interface showed chibi thumbnails: kill one, five, ten... The larger the cumulative number, the more reward boxes received. The details showed that the boxes could randomly contain different items, with larger boxes yielding more precious items.
How could one not participate in this event?
Beyond earning system rewards, one could freely increase lifespan with life-draining packs; what a great deal!
Upon Jiang Yuan's affirmative response, Zhiming waved his hand over Jiang Yuan's left arm, creating a token formed of light, "This is the temple's bounty order. As long as you kill evil cultivators, you can accumulate the count, and later exchange this bounty order for corresponding rewards."
Jiang Yuan was unsure if the evil cultivators drained with the Soul-Devouring Demon Skill would count, so he casually responded, summoned the Dragon Roar Sword, and flew with sword control above Cold Spring Temple.
Simultaneously, Zhiming also flew to the temple's airspace, chanting, "Cold Spring City is now completely sealed. Many evil cultivators have been revealed; if any are willing to slay evil cultivators for rewards, come to Cold Spring Temple to collect a bounty order!
Tonight, to protect the city, the temple's Buddhist cultivators will go on a killing spree. City residents who do not wish to participate should quickly return home to avoid encountering evil cultivator attacks!"
The successive anomalies have already thrown the entire city into chaos.
A quick glance showed that the evil cultivators who were casually strolling the streets moments ago were shrouded in Buddhist light, expelling clumps of demonic energy from their bodies. It became evident at a glance who were righteous cultivators and who were evil demons. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"Ha ha ha, hunting time, here I come!"
Seeing this situation, Jiang Yuan felt amused; it was simply a golden opportunity for a wolf in a flock of sheep!
Of course, when using the Soul-Devouring Demon Skill, he wouldn't let the Clear Wind Bright Moon Sword appear to reveal any hint.
Fortunately, the Dragon Roar Sword was already capable of shouldering the task, faster than a paper crane, so he wouldn't need to bring out his trump card to attract attention and steal the spotlight.
Currently, laying low to rake in profits was more important!
He dived to a spot just outside the temple, in front of a just-revealed, panic-stricken evil cultivator. Jiang Yuan selected and clicked to release the Soul-Devouring Demon Skill smoothly in one go.
[Lifespan +7 years]
[Lifespan +4 years]
...
The efficiency of lifespan extraction with the Level Two Soul-Devouring Demon Skill had increased, yielding significant results. In the blink of an eye, a small Gathering Spirit Realm demon cultivator was drained and turned to dust without uttering a cry, disappearing without a trace.
The bounty order on his left arm changed from blank to the numeral "One."
Huh? This thing is pretty smart!
Jiang Yuan felt surprised and delighted. The top-left corner's hunting time activity thumbnail flickered, indicating there was a reward to claim, but he directly ignored it. Time is money, and money is life—how could he waste any?
He decided to gather the rewards altogether at the end for the ultimate satisfaction!
Oh right, the random enhancement buff from returning the "Do Good Deeds Every Day" reward should be claimed to see what benefits it adds!
After claiming it, a treasure sword thumbnail shimmered at the top of his vision.
[Attack Power Boost: Effective for one hour, all skill attack power increased by 30%, random drop rate increased by 50%]
"Not bad, not bad, very useful!" Without wasting any time, Jiang Yuan maneuvered as he flew to the sky to observe where the evil cultivators gathered more densely.
