Chapter 109: Injury

Sizzling sounds echoed as black liquid continuously spurted from the tear in Li Huowang's stomach. As it was his own stomach, Li Huowang staggered and collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in agony. Yet, a flicker of satisfaction crossed his face as he watched Dan Yangzi’s sinister form before him begin to waver. He would endure any suffering as long as it meant killing Dan Yangzi!

"You ungrateful wretch! If I hadn't stepped in, you'd still be drowning in your delusions!"

Li Huowang gritted his teeth, pressing down forcefully with a trembling blade, completely splitting open his stomach to reveal the Black Grand Duke, now severed in two.

"Did I ever ask for your help?! Because of you, I live in such agony!"

"Fine! Very fine indeed!" Dan Yangzi's three pairs of eyes blazed with extreme murderous intent, an intensity that simultaneously infected Li Huowang. In that moment, all other emotions vanished from Li Huowang's mind; his sole desire was to kill Dan Yangzi.

Just as the oppressive atmosphere reached its peak, vast swarms of flies descended from the sky, their decaying filth completely enveloping both men.

In the distance, the six Jingxin abbesses, their hands clutching prayer beads, clasped them together firmly. They began chanting scriptures again in unison with the towering Buddha statue.

"No suffering, no origin, no cessation, no path; no wisdom and no attainment. Having nothing to attain, the Bodhisattva, relying on Prajna Paramita, has no hindrance in mind. Because there is no hindrance, there is no fear. Far removed from deluded thoughts, they attain ultimate Nirvana. All Buddhas of the past, present, and future, relying on Prajna Paramita!"

As the chanting resounded, the abbesses' bodies rapidly shed their aging, filth, and excessive weight. In contrast, strange phenomena began to appear in the sky. Where the heavens had split open, a colossal eye emerged, an eye so vast it obscured the sun – the wrathful eye of an Immaculate and Pure Arhat.

"Hah!" A furious roar echoed for dozens of miles, shaking the entire space. All abnormalities within An Ci Temple rapidly dispersed, including Dan Yangzi.

Bai Lingmiao groggily came to consciousness. When she fully regained her senses, she discovered she was hunched over a large pot of greasy fried rice, frantically shoveling handfuls of it into her mouth.

"Ugh!" Gagging, Bai Lingmiao spat out the cloying fried rice and frantically glanced around. After a moment, she realized she was sitting normally in An Ci Temple’s kitchen, surrounded by portly nuns who were eating. The sounds of chewing and swallowing constantly filled her ears. Turning back to the iron pot, she noticed it wasn't just for her, but for their entire table.

Dogwa, Xiaoman, Baolu, Yang Xiaohai, and Gao Zhijian were all there, devouring their food like the nuns. Soon enough, they too snapped out of their daze, gazing frantically at their surroundings.

"What... what happened? How did we get here?" The others clearly hadn't yet grasped the situation.

Bai Lingmiao quickly scanned the area, noting that everyone else was present except for Li Huowang.

"What in the world is happening? Weren't we supposed to be helping Senior Brother with his exorcism? Why are we suddenly here eating? There aren't even any side dishes; how can we eat something this greasy?"

As Dogwa spoke, he glanced at the other tables and noticed the other nuns were ignoring them, wildly gorging themselves – though they were eating moldy steamed buns instead of fried rice.

A hint of anxiety on her face, Bai Lingmiao walked behind a portly nun and asked, "Venerable Master, have you seen my Senior Brother Li?"

The nun replied without turning her head, simultaneously grabbing food as if afraid of being too slow or getting less.

When the group finally navigated through the "swamp" of moldy food and reached Abbess Jingxin's room, they saw Li Huowang standing and speaking with a remarkably peculiar nun. This nun was exceptionally strange: her eye sockets were empty, and her eyes appeared entirely shrunken inward. Her figure was remarkably gaunt, yet her skin was incredibly loose; the skin on her chin drooped down to her stomach, and the skin on her stomach nearly reached the ground.

Hearing their footsteps, Li Huowang turned, smiled, and waved them over. Bai Lingmiao was immediately surprised; it was the first time she had seen Senior Brother Li smile.

"You're here? You weren't frightened, were you? The abbesses of An Ci Temple sometimes have difficulty controlling their powers, so it's normal for there to be some effects," Li Huowang explained to the others.

As Bai Lingmiao drew closer, she was stunned by the emaciated nun's appearance; she was exceptionally beautiful, despite the nun's peculiar appearance, and despite Bai Lingmiao herself being a woman.

Bai Lingmiao pulled Li Huowang slightly aside and whispered, "Senior Brother Li, who is this person?"

"That's Abbess Jingxin. What's wrong? Don't you recognize her?"

No sooner had Li Huowang spoken than the blind, skin-sagging woman in the distance nodded to the others.

"Her?! That's Jingxin?! The enormous woman who couldn't even walk?!" Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment; the transformation was far too drastic.

"The practices at An Ci Temple are unique. Please, no more questions. But thankfully, Abbess Jingxin's immense effort has paid off; my troubles are gone. Dan Yangzi won't be emerging again."

Hearing Li Huowang's final words, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and they began congratulating him.

After a brief exchange, the smiling Li Huowang raised his hands and pressed them down, silencing their questions for details. "I still have some matters to attend to here, and I'll likely be staying for a while. You should go on ahead; I'll catch up as soon as I'm finished."

"Senior Brother Li, what could possibly take that long? Why don't we stay and help?" Hearing that they would be separating, Bai Lingmiao was the first to object.

"Don't be silly. You can't help with matters of cultivation. Go ahead, I'll catch up in ten days or so at the latest. Besides, aren't you all heading home? You've already been delayed for so long; if you wait any longer, you'll be spending New Year's away from home. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the journey. Just follow the marked route on the map, and I guarantee I'll catch up."

After much persuasion from Li Huowang, his fellow disciples finally relented and turned to leave An Ci Temple.

As their figures gradually faded from view, the smile on Li Huowang's face slowly vanished, replaced by an expression of growing pain. He untied his red Taoist robe and pulled open his upper garment, revealing a massive wound on his abdomen, teeming with white maggots burrowing in and out.

"Within An Ci Temple, this injury will heal in a few days. You should be worried about something else entirely. You understand what I mean."