The dark shadow of the abandoned temple and the spreading evil spirit

By the time they left the theater, the sun was already high in the sky, but the cobblestone streets of Qingwu Town still shone with a chill. Meng Yao clutched the camera strap, the flashlight still warming her fingertips. The dizziness from the Yin Qi hadn't completely faded, and every step felt weak. "That puppet was so full of resentment just now. I almost..." Her voice trembled, and before she could finish her words, Li Ye patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, we're here." Li Ye's trekking pole tapped against the stone slabs, his tone as steady as a ballast stone. "Let's go back to our temporary shelter and treat the wound first. Xiuxiu's peach wood sword has consumed too much spiritual energy, so we need to let her rest for a while."

Xiuxiu had indeed lost the energy she had when she arrived. She leaned against Lin Munan, her eyelids drooping. The peach wood sword slung across her waist, its once vibrant red runes now a faint pink halo, like a dying candle. "Brother Lin Shen, I feel like... that yin energy hasn't completely dissipated. It seems to have followed us," she muttered softly, her small hands unconsciously clutching the corner of Lin Munan's clothes.

Lin Shen paused, looking back down the road. After the morning mist cleared, Qingwu Town was remarkably quiet. Even the creaking of wooden doors faded, leaving only sunlight falling on the mottled walls, casting patches of shadow. He reached up and touched the healed wound on his arm. The dull tingling suddenly became more pronounced, like tiny ice needles burrowing beneath his skin. "Chen Ba, check the compass."

Chen Ba immediately pulled out her bronze compass. The needle, which should have stabilized as she moved away from the theater, began spinning wildly again. A faint black aura emanated from the tip, as if entangled by something. "A yin energy is following us, and... there's more than one." Her expression suddenly changed, and she looked up into the depths of Qingwu Town. "It's northwest. There seems to be an abandoned temple there."

"Temple?" Su Wan paused and pulled out a yellowed map of the ancient town from her backpack. She ran her finger over the location marked "Ancient Buddha Temple." "I saw it when I was looking up information before. This temple was built in the Tang Dynasty and suddenly abandoned a hundred years ago. It's said that the Buddha statue inside lost its head overnight, and no one has dared to approach since then."

Lin Munan raised his silver bow and glanced sharply to the northwest. "Evil creatures wouldn't follow us for no reason. There must be something wrong in the temple. We'll be slaughtered if we go back to the shabby house now. Why not take the initiative to go over and take a look?"

Everyone agreed and adjusted their direction, heading towards the Ancient Buddha Temple. The closer they got to the temple, the thicker the gloom in the air became, even the sunlight seemed filtered, dimming. The temple's red walls were already mottled, topped by half-human-high weeds. The gate hung askew from its frame, and the three characters "Ancient Buddha Temple" on the lintel were covered in black moss, leaving only a vague outline.

"Squeak!" Lin Shen pushed open the shattered door, and a whiff of decayed sandalwood mixed with the stench of blood hit him. The courtyard was littered with broken monuments and rubble. Several withered trees stretched their twisted branches toward the sky like withered ghost claws. In the hall facing the gate, a towering Buddha statue could be vaguely seen, shrouded in thick spiderwebs and dust.

"Everyone, check separately and keep your distance. If you find anything unusual, shout immediately." Lin Shen gripped the dagger tightly. The silver powder coating glowed coldly in the dim light. He took the lead and walked towards the hall.

Meng Yao followed Li Ye around to a side hall, where discarded monk robes and wooden fish were piled. Scattered on the floor were several black Buddhist beads, stained with long-dried black blood. "Brother Li Ye, look at this." She squatted down and carefully picked up a bead. As her fingertips touched the bead, it felt like she had been pierced by an ice spike. She jerked her hand back. "It's so cold! And... it looks like a human face on it."

Li Ye leaned in closer and saw a blurry face reflected on the surface of the beads. Its brows were filled with pain, as if it were forever trapped within the beads. "Don't touch it! This is an evil artifact," he said, as the door to the side hall suddenly slammed shut, completely blocking out the light from the window. In the darkness, faint footsteps could be heard, as if someone was dragging something across the floor.

"Who's there?" Li Ye raised his hiking pole and peered warily into the darkness. The footsteps suddenly stopped, and then a dark figure emerged from the shadows. He was wearing a tattered black monk's robe, his face covered with a black cloth, and clutching a string of black Buddhist beads. It was the same figure that had appeared in the depths of the theater.

"You arrived faster than I expected." The figure's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. The Buddhist beads twirled in his hands. With each rotation, a wisp of black energy lit up the black beads on the ground. "The evil witch god's resentment was just the beginning. This ancient town has long been a vessel for nurturing souls."

Meanwhile, Lin Shen and the others in the main hall also encountered trouble. The Buddha statue, previously covered in spiderwebs, suddenly moved. Its head had seemingly recovered, but its eyes were now two black holes, emitting a dense, sinister aura. The Buddha raised its massive hand and struck Lin Munan, its wind carrying a bone-chilling chill that seemed to freeze him to ice.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Shen pushed Lin Munan away and stabbed the dagger towards the palm of the Buddha statue. The moment the silver powder touched the Yin energy, it made a sizzling sound, and the black mist dissipated from the palm of the Buddha statue, leaving only a shallow trace.

"Normal attacks are useless!" Lin Munan drew his silver bow to full strength and fired a silver arrow wrapped in talisman paper at the Buddha's eyes. The arrow pierced through the black air and pierced the Buddha's empty eye sockets. The golden runes instantly ignited, and the Buddha let out a deafening roar. Its massive body began to shake violently, and rubble fell from the wall.

In the side hall, a figure suddenly sped up the rotation of the Buddhist beads. Meng Yao felt a powerful suction coming from them, as if her soul was being torn out of her body. "Brother Li Ye, I... I can't move!" Her voice trembled, her body becoming transparent, and the camera slipped from her hands, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

Li Ye lunged at the figure, his trekking pole striking his Buddhist beads. The figure nimbly dodged, and a bead suddenly flew out, piercing Li Ye's chest. "Be careful!" Chen Ba's voice suddenly rang out. She controlled several evil-suppressing insects and blocked Li Ye's path. The black beads collided with the evil-suppressing insects, making a sharp sizzling sound. The evil-suppressing insects were instantly consumed by the black energy, transforming into a pool of black water.

"Chen Ba!" Li Ye turned around and saw a figure already circling behind Chen Ba. Black Buddhist beads were wrapped around her wrist, and black energy was spreading upward along her arm. Chen Ba's face turned pale in an instant, and the bronze compass slipped from her hand, the needle breaking in two.

The Buddha statue in the main hall shook more and more violently, its hollow eyes emitting more yin energy, which swept towards Lin Shen and the others. Su Wan pulled out all the talismans, lit them, and threw them at the yin energy. The golden flames temporarily blocked the yin energy, but were quickly swallowed by the black energy. "If this continues, we will be trapped by the yin energy!" Su Wan shouted, his forehead covered with cold sweat.

Xiuxiu suddenly opened her eyes, and the pink glow on the peach wood sword suddenly expanded, turning into a dazzling red light. "Brother Lin Shen, attack the base of the Buddha statue! I sense the core of evil energy there!" She raised the peach wood sword and ran towards the base of the Buddha statue. The red light formed a barrier in front of her, blocking the incoming evil energy.

Lin Shen reacted immediately, stabbing the dagger at the base of the Buddha statue. The moment the silver powder hit the base, there was a violent explosion, and black mist gushed out from under the base. The Buddha statue suddenly stopped moving, and its massive body began to crack. Finally, it collapsed with a loud bang, turning into a pile of rubble.

In the side hall, a figure saw the Buddha statue collapse and let out an angry roar: "You destroyed my Buddha statue, so use your souls to make up for it!" All the black Buddhist beads in his hand suddenly flew out and shot towards Meng Yao, Chen Ba and Li Ye.

"Stop!" Lin Munan's voice rang out. She drew her silver bow to its full length and fired a silver arrow, blazing with golden flames, at the figure. The silver arrow pierced through the black air and struck the figure's shoulder. Black blood flowed from the wound, making a sizzling sound as it fell to the ground.

The figure felt pain and took a step back. A fierce look flashed in his eyes under the black cloth: "You are lucky today. Next time I will let you taste the feeling of having your soul torn apart!" He turned around, turned into a black gas, and escaped from the window of the side hall. The black Buddhist beads also disappeared.

The yin energy gradually dissipated as the figure left, and Meng Yao, Chen Ba, and Li Ye finally regained their mobility. A black mark remained on Chen Ba's wrist, still faintly chilled. She picked up the bronze compass from the ground and said gravely, "That figure was very powerful, and the Buddhist beads in his hand can absorb souls. Our next encounter with him will be even more dangerous."

Lin Shen walked to the side hall, looking at the black water and the broken compass on the ground, a wave of worry welling up in his heart. He picked up the camera Meng Yao had dropped. The silver powder on the lens had turned dim. "He said the ancient town is a container for nurturing souls. It seems there is a greater conspiracy here."

Everyone gathered in the hall, exhausted and wounded. Sunlight shone through the broken windows, illuminating the rubble, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the air. Lin Shen looked at them and said firmly, "We can no longer passively defend ourselves. We must find the shadow's lair, or he will use more people as vessels to nourish their souls."

Xiuxiu leaned against Lin Munan, and the red light on the peach wood sword returned to a faint pink. "I sensed the shadow fled to the northeast. There seems to be an abandoned altar there, and the evil aura is even heavier than in the temple."

Lin Munan gripped the silver bow tightly and looked towards the northeast: "Then let's go to the altar. No matter what conspiracy he has, we must stop him."

Everyone supported each other as they walked out of the Ancient Buddha Temple. The sun was still shining brightly, but every corner of Qingwu Town seemed to harbor unseen dangers. Lin Shen glanced back at the Ancient Buddha Temple and secretly resolved to uncover the secrets of the ancient town, stop the dark shadow's plot, and restore peace to this ancient town shrouded in evil.

Unbeknownst to them, beneath the abandoned altar to the northeast, a massive black formation slowly rotated. Seven tiny human figures sat in its center, each affixed with a talisman bearing their name. A dark figure stood beside the formation, clutching a new string of black Buddhist beads. A strange smile played upon his lips. "Seven souls will be just enough to activate the formation. Then all of Qingwu Town will become my soul-nurturing pool..."

The black formation emitted bursts of black air, spreading towards the surroundings. A greater crisis was quietly approaching.