Who let him join the Sword Sect?!-Chapter 657 - 356 Snow Leopard Shut Up_2

As the starlight dissipated, the sharpness between the young monk's brows disappeared, his head sprouted hair, and his thick eyebrows connected, making his expression appear more naive. Two floppy dog ears drooped down from the top of his head, hanging all the way to his shoulders.

The Hand looked at the now transformed young monk and spoke.

"We bypass Crown Prince City and head to Bear Pass through East Mushroom Valley.

"Along the way, you are not allowed to mention your big plan again, nor bring up the Snow Leopard. You must diligently practice the Buddhist Technique, remain humble and patient, understand?"

The Hand activated the Spell Seal and asked once more.

This time, the young monk nodded obediently, indicating his understanding.

But the Hand was still uneasy, it flew out of the snow cave, and soon brought back a Snow Leopard, dropping it in front of him.

The Snow Leopard, with its tail tucked, gazed at the young monk with clear eyes.

"Now it's looking at you, what will you do?" the Hand asked.

The young monk opened a nearly new Buddhist Scripture and read for a moment, then clasped his hands together, "An ordained person's heart is filled with compassion, this Snow Leopard must feel very uncomfortable being held by you like this, why not let it go."

"Good." But just as the Hand was satisfied, the young monk continued to speak.

"Sending it to bliss is also letting go. Please step aside, let this humble monk end its suffering in this life.

"Dust returns to dust, earth to earth, the little leopard shall not suffer in the next life..."

"Shut up, read well! Study hard! Can't you have some culture! Is that what the book says? And stop mentioning the Snow Leopard!" the Hand fumed.

The young monk, "You're the one who brought it up first, Your Majesty."

The Hand, "Shut up!"

The young monk, "As you command, my liege."

After re-educating the young monk, the Hand did not release the Snow Leopard, but instead transformed into a stream of black water and merged directly into its fur.

The clarity in the Snow Leopard's eyes vanished completely.

Disguised as the Snow Leopard, the Hand walked out of the ice cave, leading the young monk in the direction of East Mushroom Valley.

The young monk followed silently behind the Hand, looking down at the Buddhist Scripture in his hands.

In the blink of an eye, the text on the Buddhist Scripture altered.

[Submit the clue?]

Seeing the sudden appearance of the words, the young monk realized it was the entity that called itself the 'Old Thing' speaking to him.

After eliminating that strange woman, an unusual being calling itself the 'Old Thing' had entered his body.

It spoke to him extensively, promising him things much like the Hand.

Its purpose was to find out what the Hand was up to. According to the 'Old Thing' itself, it needed to follow a procedure and could only achieve its goal through the young monk.

In the name of love and peace, it needed the young monk's help.

The young monk found it intriguing at the time, so he accepted the task. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The actions along the way were half genuine, half probing to discern the Hand's intentions.

Now knowing the Hand's destination was White Emperor City meant half the task was complete.

But looking at the words on the Buddhist Scripture, the young monk suddenly changed his mind.

He now found both the 'Old Thing' and the Hand's promises uninteresting.

He thought the secret hidden within White Emperor City was far more intriguing.

Why should I help them?

Why not seize that secret for myself?

The young monk, with his hand hidden behind his back, formed a Dharma Seal.

In the next moment, the words on the Buddhist Scripture in his hands disappeared.

It wasn't only the words of the 'Old Thing' that vanished; even the Hand, who was leading the way ahead, disappeared without a trace.

On the snowy plain, only the young monk remained.

It wasn't any kind of transportation Useful Skill, just the young monk's unique little trick.

This was not reality, but the cage within his 'heart'.

The young monk threw the Buddhist Scripture to the ground and spoke to the sky, "Though I don't know what you are, you seem no different from external evils, Ghosts.

"I, this young monk, have reincarnated through nine lives, my heart like mundane dust, chaotic compared to labyrinths. Oftentimes, even I don't know what I'm thinking.

"Since you're here, why not stay?"

As the young monk's words fell, the quiet snowy plain transformed into a bustling market, which then turned into a celestial sect, layer upon layer of dreams and memories linking together to form a massive labyrinth.

The cage within.

The maze compressed into a point, the young monk stood in darkness, holding a delicate birdcage in his hand.

A blurred shadow was running in the labyrinth of earthly and memory constructs, trying to find an exit to the maze.

The young monk chuckled at the shadow, "Not bad, I was just trying it out casually."

"Heh, for your age to still possess people, I thought you were something formidable; didn't expect you to be such a waste, let me see what you are?"

Saying so, the young monk stepped forward, entering the cage himself.

Yet, a strange event ensued. Though the 'Old Thing' was trapped by the young monk, the young monk found himself powerless against it.

No matter the means, he could not destroy it, nor communicate, only confine it.

The young monk had never encountered such a thing, and through several tests, he discovered that this entity seemed restricted by some kind of rule, unable to exert its full power.

If the entity were at full strength, he may not be able to contain it.

Watching the 'Old Thing' scurry chaotically within the maze, the young monk's interest in White Emperor City grew.

"White Emperor City... interesting." With that, the young monk stopped paying mind to the 'Old Thing' and withdrew.

After exiting the maze within his heart, only a moment had passed outside; the snowy scenery hadn't changed one bit, except the strange words on his Buddhist Scripture no longer appeared.

The Hand leading the way seemed to sense something; it turned back to glance at the young monk, "What are you doing?"