Chapter 611
Night Walk at the Compassion Temple
Huhu——
A chilling wind swept through the various buildings of Cibei Temple, making this place, which should symbolize the light of Buddhism, somewhat unsettling.
As dusk approached, the twilight hues became increasingly indistinct.
Everyone waited quietly in their rooms for the night bell to ring.
"Boom! Boom!"
Finally, after the bell rang, the area outside the dormitory and even the entire Cibei Temple began to be shrouded in a gradually thickening mist.
creak-
Almost simultaneously, all the dormitory doors were opened.
The seven candlelight beams stood out starkly in the mist.
Tonight, because of the presence of red candles, there was no need to worry about monsters in the mist breaking in, so they all tried not to lock the door, and naturally, no ten envoys came to surround them.
The candlelight from the Wrong View Dormitory and the Greed Dormitory was the first to move.
Wu Wang and Wu Xiaoyou had even dared to go out without taking red candles the night before, so naturally they had no fear at all now.
After the two of them walked to the middle of the dormitory corridor, there was no movement from the mist, and the other candlelight slowly moved towards them.
This isn't cowardice, it's caution.
After all, the claim that holding a red candle allows one to move freely through the fog is entirely based on the monk Huiming's words, and no one can be sure whether it is true.
Even though the door wasn't locked, I still had to test the waters a bit before daring to go out completely.
As the seven candlelights drew closer, the group was surprised to find that the fog around them seemed to have thinned considerably, allowing them to finally see their companions standing nearby.
"Brother Wei, shall we go straight to the Scripture Pavilion?" Passion Fruit asked.
Only the widow and the red spider lily know how to get to the scripture pavilion.
If the group were to explore other places, it would take an unknown amount of time.
Wu Wang nodded and did not object.
He then pulled Wu Xiaoyou along and led the way.
On their way to the library, they exchanged information, especially about the blood corpse in the mist the previous night.
Because everyone did indeed see figures moving around in the mist from time to time, and a strong smell of blood filled their nostrils.
Even recently, a bloody, mangled arm could be seen reaching into the area covered by the red candles, flashing past Wu Wang and Wu Xiaoyou and almost getting hit.
Fortunately, the monk Huiming did not deceive them.
Even at such close range, the blood-red figures in the mist did not pounce on them, but simply wandered aimlessly throughout the temple.
"After we came out last night, we hadn't been in the mist for long when the blood zombies pounced on us and attacked us."
"The blood corpses don't seem to have any special abilities. At most, they are fast, strong, and numerous. And once their heads are smashed, they can be annihilated on the spot."
"The closer you are to the library, the denser the distribution of blood corpses becomes."
"Last night, my brother and I spent two whole hours killing all the blood-soaked corpses along the way from the dormitory to the library, but the density now seems to be no different from before. I guess we can only temporarily eliminate these things, and they will automatically refresh every night."
Wu Xiaoyou's voice sounded slightly helpless.
After killing for so long last night, I didn't expect that everything would be restored in just one day.
Upon hearing this, Mug couldn't help but retort, "What's the difference between this and zombies? Will you get infected if you get bitten?"
In response, Wu Wang added, "No, these blood corpses have another characteristic—they don't bite."
“I also did a little test last night. The blood zombies have no desire to eat when facing enemies. They just use brute force to tear their enemies apart, skin them, and make them as bloody and mangled as they are.”
"Moreover, their bodies were covered in blood and gore, just like they had just been subjected to slow slicing. The texture was chewy and the blood was smooth. I guess this might be related to the fact that they refresh every night."
Other players: "..."
It has a wonderfully chewy texture and a smooth, slippery feel.
What kind of tests were conducted to arrive at this result?
They didn't know, and they dared not ask.
"I can't help it, I'm just very curious. For example, the red candles we have here can't be lit before nightfall."
“These red candles can only burn properly after the night bell tolls. Aren’t you curious about what materials they are made of?”
Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.
I never expected that these red candles were used specifically for nighttime use?
The key question is... how the hell did you know?
Holy crap! This guy took the red candle back to his room and immediately tried to light it with a match?
Their expressions became even more complicated.
That monk Huiming did indeed say that the red candle burned for a whole night.
But if you light candles before nightfall, who knows if they'll go out prematurely!
The only person who would dare to do that is probably the widow, who could wander in the mist last night without a candle.
"If it can only be lit and used at night, then it proves that its raw materials are also things that can only be found in Cibei Temple after nightfall." While shocked, Ruoshui also seriously considered Wu Wang's question.
Then, realizing what was happening, her pupils contracted slightly as she said, "Could it be..."
Snapped--
Wu Wang snapped his fingers and laughed, "That's right, the raw material for red candles is the flesh and blood of blood corpses, so at least in terms of taste, the two are completely identical."
Can we please stop talking about the taste? We don't want to know about this kind of verification method!
In their helplessness, everyone subconsciously looked at the red candle in Wu Wang's hand.
There is indeed a missing corner at the base.
And the edges even look a bit like teeth marks...
"Then here's the question: the blood corpses disappear with the mist after dawn, so why don't the red candles made from their flesh and blood disappear?" Wu Wang asked, squinting.
Everyone frowned slightly as they pondered the question.
Yes, that seems to be a very contradictory point.
However, before they could figure out why, a towering mountain in front of them stopped them in their tracks and made them hold their breath.
Is this a mountain? No, this is a pavilion.
It doesn't look like it was built, but rather as if it grew out of the depths of the earth, making it seem spectacular.
Everyone was certain that this thing was not in the Compassion Temple during the day.
The entire building is reddish-brown.
It's not paint color, but a kind of natural color, which is close to the rock yet has a unique texture.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the building's brackets were covered with inscriptions of scriptures.
It is not decorative Sanskrit borders, but actual scriptures—each character is only the size of a grain of rice, filled with gold powder and engraved within.
As the mist drifted by, the dark gold lettering appeared and disappeared, as if the entire building was breathing slowly, or perhaps chanting scriptures.
"Everyone, we've arrived at the Scripture Pavilion." Wu Wang pointed to its entrance and laughed, "Don't put down your red candles, the density of blood corpses here is absolutely enormous."
Only then did everyone realize that they could no longer see anyone around them, and the fog had completely changed from a thick white to a murky black.
However, the sudden, chilling movements in the darkness revealed that it wasn't the fog that had changed color, but rather that the density of figures within it had reached a point where they were shoulder to shoulder.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that everyone here is surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The more this was the case, the more complicated the expressions on the other players' faces became.
You have to understand that these siblings fought their way here last night! Even if the individual combat strength of the blood zombies isn't that great, their sheer numbers should be enough to exhaust anyone.
"They're really two monsters."
Everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings).
Amidst their complicated gazes, Wu Wang raised his leg and kicked open the door of the Sutra Repository without any manners.
He glanced at the broken chain on the ground and said, "This door wasn't locked when I came here last night, so why isn't it locked today?"
Ruoshui couldn't help but say, "It was clearly you who kicked it just now."
Wu Wang, shameless as ever, put his hands on his hips and said confidently, "Isn't the purpose of installing a lock to make it so that people can only open it with a key? If I can open it without a key, then it's the same as not having a lock at all."
Something seems off.
But there's something else I can't quite put my finger on.
The group did not continue arguing with the amusing person, but instead cautiously walked into the library.
Upon entering this place, they all instinctively slowed their pace.
It wasn't out of awe.
It was because they saw the scriptures.
An endless stream of scriptures.
The ground, starting from where you stand, is paved with scriptures.
They weren't just randomly stacked; they were arranged with extreme precision, each book perfectly aligned in thickness and size, with the spines facing upwards, creating a chillingly orderly arrangement.
These scriptures stretched out in all directions, covering the ground as far as the eye could see, and then continued upwards.
The walls were made of scriptures, layer upon layer, until the dome, which was out of sight.
Above their heads were also scriptures, hanging upside down, densely packed like another inverted earth.
Scriptures! Only scriptures!
There are no pillars, no stairs, and no supporting structure whatsoever!
Even the dim light in the library seemed to come from nowhere.
It was as if the library itself was a hollow giant block made of scriptures, and people standing inside were surrounded, covered, or even swallowed up by countless books.
"Holy crap..."
Jin Xin's single phrase, "Holy crap!" encapsulated everyone's feelings at that moment.
Stepping on this ground made of scriptures, the strange softness underfoot was quite unexpected.
Ruoshui asked Wu Wang, "With so many scriptures, you said Kong Bei's journal was hidden among them? How did you find it last night?"
Only then did everyone realize what was happening.
That's right! Even in an ordinary library, it would be difficult to notice a single journal hidden inside, let alone a building like this, which is entirely made of scriptures and resembles a mountain.
Wu Wang raised his hand and walked forward, touching the spines of the scriptures on the wall. He rubbed each one against the wall, closed his eyes, and whispered:
"Don't just look with your eyes, feel with your heart. You will find that most of the scriptures are made of soft material, like parchment, but slightly thinner, smoother and warmer than parchment."
"If parchment feels like thick cardboard that hasn't been finely polished, these scriptures are more like a dry but delicate piece of skin, or even a high-quality suede."
"However, among these tactile sensations, only a small portion of the scriptures have a distinct stiffness. You will feel a slight coolness, and the texture is rather hard while the edges are even somewhat sharp. This is the feel of bamboo paper."
After saying that, he stopped in the center of the entrance hall of the library, with his hand on the steps leading upstairs.
And he decisively pulled out a scripture from it.
Everyone immediately gathered around to observe.
They compared it with the scriptures on the ground and the wall, and found that it was indeed different from what Wu Wang had said.
The scriptures in the middle of the steps appear to be the only plant-based paper here; the others seem to be made of some kind of animal hide.
The search scope was immediately narrowed down to the steps. Even without Wu Wang's continued reminder, everyone quickly found the logbook among the bamboo paper scriptures.
They were all busy reading the log entries and didn't see Wu Xiaoyou's helpless expression behind them.
She knows it very well.
Although Wu Wang could indeed tell the difference in the materials of these scriptures by touch, where would he find such a precise opportunity to touch the steps last night?
He just saw that book with the special entries among all the scriptures through the [Vision of Truth]!
They managed to fool everyone by talking so convincingly...
It didn't take long for the others to finish reading the log, and it was indeed the same as what Wu Wang had said during the day.
“Since Monk Huiming told us to bring red candles to the Sutra Repository, it means that under the influence of these candles, things here will be different from last night,” Wu Wang said, and then decided to continue exploring.
Just as he finished speaking, Passion Fruit exclaimed, "The journal! There's something new on the journal cover!"
really!
The crowd immediately gathered around to watch.
After the log was closed, a bizarre heart pattern, twisted like a pretzel, suddenly appeared on the cover, which was originally no different from an ordinary scripture.
As the passion fruit brought the red candle closer, in the flickering candlelight and smoke, the heart seemed to come alive, beating rhythmically.
Even though it's just a flat pattern, it gives people the feeling that blood might jump out and splatter on the spot at any moment, making players hold their breath.
"Spread out a bit," Wu Wang said, squinting thoughtfully. "Let the candlelight reach as much area as possible."
Everyone immediately understood what he meant.
In no time, the players quickly found their positions and adjusted the range of the candlelight as they slowly moved around the library.
Wu Wang stood in the middle to observe, and no one objected to this. After all, judging from how he found the log, they acknowledged his observational skills.
"Ruoshui, take three steps to the right..."
"Passion fruit forward..."
Wu Wang directed the players' positioning.
Then, everyone except Wu Xiaoyou was asked to put all the red candles on the ground.
He smiled and pointed to the ground beneath his feet, saying, "Look, the big baby is out."
As they gathered around, they were astonished to see a strange pattern illuminated beneath the feet of Wu Wang—a ring of brightly colored Buddha statues and human figures, each with a different posture and expression.
There is a square in the middle, about the size of a book.
Fortress narrowed her eyes and said, "This is a Mandala pattern. The outer ring... seems a little different from the usual one. I don't understand it."
Just then, Wu Wang placed the logbook in his hand, heart side up, steadily inside the small cube, filling the empty space perfectly.
hum-
The moment it was placed firmly, the scriptures forming patterns on the ground began to slowly move and open, revealing a dark tunnel leading to the underground in front of everyone.
However, the location of the tunnel entrance sent a chill down one's spine, and even made one feel nauseous and vomit.
It was a staircase pieced together from bones and flesh, with blood still flowing through it.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood... it has come true!
Wu Wang's smile grew even brighter as he said, "Now do you know why the blood corpses disappeared, but the red candles didn't?"
"Because the flesh and blood used to make the candles did not come from the blood corpses in the mist, but were peeled off from their actual corpses after they died."
"Huiming knows where these victims are buried..." (End of Chapter)