Beside the tower stood a rather talkative man, enthusiastically introducing the structure to the crowd:

"Legend has it that Master Xuanji once observed the stars at the top of the pagoda at night and was suddenly bathed in golden light. He then left behind the inscription 'The pagoda's shape is like a dragon breaking through the nine heavens,' which can still be faintly discerned at the southwest corner of the pagoda's base."

"For this reason, the tower was called the Heavenly Tower by later generations, and some people also called it the Pagoda that Protects the Nation."

He paused, then said mysteriously:

"It is said that if you can touch the stone lion in front of the Zhenguo Pagoda, you can also enjoy the blessing of the Zhenguo Pagoda."

"May everything go smoothly and without bad weather."

The man became more and more excited as he spoke, and his words became increasingly outrageous, but the newcomers to Tiancheng around him listened with great interest, their eyes full of anticipation.

Li Yu looked in the direction the man was pointing and saw that the head of the stone lion in front of the tower had been touched until it was shiny and smooth, as if it had been polished. It was obvious that countless people had touched it.

"Could touching it really bring good luck?" Li Yu couldn't resist going forward to find out for herself after hearing the other person's exaggerated words.

Just as the crowd was eagerly rushing forward to touch the stone lion for good luck, the man suddenly smiled slightly, blocked their way, and raised his voice, saying:

"It's one yuan per touch. Everyone line up here to pay, don't push!"

Li Yu, who was about to touch the stone lion, suddenly froze on the spot, looking completely bewildered.

Lu Fan seemed to have anticipated this situation and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The crowd stirred slightly at the shout of "One dollar for each touch," and many people lost interest and dispersed with grumbling.

Some people thought it was cheap and wanted to pay to touch it once. What if it really could change their luck? Even if it couldn't, a dollar was nothing to them.

So people started taking out their money, ready to give it a try.

Just as everyone was shoving each other, Li Yu also stopped walking towards the stone lion, a look of helplessness at being fooled showing on his face.

Lu Fan smiled and patted Li Yu on the shoulder, about to make a few teasing remarks.

Suddenly, they almost simultaneously felt an extremely faint energy fluctuation coming from the top of the tower.

The two of them looked up at the top of the tower at the same time.

Almost the instant the person looked up, a blurry figure was blasted out like a cannonball by a giant cannon, instantly tearing through the rain curtain and crashing down hard onto the hard bluestone pavement of the square with a heart-stopping whooshing sound!

The speed was incredibly fast, and the angle was so exaggerated! It was terrifying to watch.

Falling at such a speed from such a terrifying vertical height, unless one possesses the ability to fly or avoid injury from the fall, even an awakened being would likely suffer severe injury or even death!

If an ordinary person were to fall from such a height, it would almost certainly be fatal.

The people in the square immediately noticed someone had fallen and erupted in terrified screams:

"ah--!"

The crowd below scattered in panic.

Li Yu and Lu Fan watched as someone fell, but they both stood still, showing no intention of going up to help rescue the person.

In this respect, the two are quite similar in personality.

The two men's eyes were cold and wary, completely unconcerned about the man's life or death. Instead, they felt that the man's fall was too sudden and too deliberate!

The fleeting energy fluctuations at the top of the tower were no accident! This could very well be a trap.

The falling figure was less than a few meters from the ground; tragedy was imminent!

Just then, a fat monk dressed in a blue robe suddenly rushed out from somewhere.

"Whoosh."

The fat monk appeared out of nowhere directly below the trajectory of the fall.

The wide monk's robe billowed up instantly, like a huge gray cloud, catching the young man.

Then, the monk spread his arms out and retracted them with fluid movements, displaying an indescribable suppleness. In the instant of contact, he dissipated the enormous impact that was enough to shatter bones, dissipating it layer by layer!

"Plop!" The monk's feet sank slightly into the bluestone slab, leaving shallow imprints.

But he steadily caught the young man, as if catching a falling leaf.

"Amitabha."

The monk softly chanted a Buddhist prayer, then gently bent down and laid the young man flat on the square.

Li Yu and Lu Fan's eyebrows twitched slightly. They both noticed the powerful hidden energy emanating from the young man, which was clearly something someone had deliberately applied.

If it weren't for the monk's perfectly timed deflection, anyone else who had tried to catch the force would have ended up with one dead and one injured in a tragic situation.

Li Yu carefully examined the monk and noticed that his physique and appearance were almost identical to those of the legendary Maitreya Buddha.

The fat monk had a kind smile and compassionate eyes that made people feel close to him.

"Young benefactor, are you alright?" The monk squatted down and asked the young man with concern.

The monk quickly checked the young man's condition, and his expression immediately turned serious.

The young man's body was riddled with broken bones, blood was gushing from his mouth and nose, his eyes were unfocused, and his life was rapidly fading away.

The fat monk understood that the young man was already seriously injured before the fall, and now he wouldn't last much longer.

The excruciating pain rendered the young man almost incapable of thinking, but a stronger obsession sustained him and kept him from dying.

The young man struggled to open his eyes, his blurry vision focusing on the kind, chubby face before him.

He didn't die? The monk saved him?

But he knew in his heart that he was definitely not going to make it today!

Those who are hunting him down... are up in the tower!

After just a moment of despair comes resolute madness!

The fat monk trying to save him was no ordinary person; he hadn't lost yet!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!