"What do you mean? What could I possibly mean?" The old monk remained smiling, as if those words had not come from his own mouth.
Yue Qi's face instantly darkened. "Old monk, as far as I know, you also secretly infiltrated Cangyun Mountain. Not only that, but you personally led countless high-level monsters to slaughter the nameless temple on Qingcheng Mountain. — Each and every one of these incidents is related to you. Now I'm curious, what exactly are you trying to achieve by going to such lengths?"
Yan Qing listened to their conversation in silence, and she was also extremely curious about the matter.
Sure enough, the old monk put his hands together again and said, "Amitabha. The Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' This old monk is not talented, but I am willing to sacrifice myself for righteousness."
Yue Qi's expression gradually turned angry. "Why? You are now the most powerful person in the world. You control the rules, and you can manipulate the entire world at will. What more could you want?"
He couldn't understand why the old monk was always going against him; what good would that do him?
"Benefactor Yan, do you know what this is?"
The old monk changed the subject and began to describe the strange "mosquito coil" on the ground.
"This is the Thousand Machine Lock, the first true Gold-Rank Title of the Mysterious One in this world. It is a lock that is theoretically impossible to open in order to lock itself."
"Locking herself up?" The image of the woman in red inexplicably popped into Yan Qing's mind. "Why would she do that?"
The old monk sighed deeply. "Amitabha, in the year or so since the world of strange tales of rules descended, how has Benefactor Yan, as a firsthand witness, felt?"
Yan Qing had absolutely no liking for the post-apocalyptic world of supernatural tales and supernatural rules.
"What could I possibly feel? Mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the legendary hell is nothing more than this."
“Indeed, I think so too. In the past year or so, I have witnessed countless deaths and injuries, both directly and indirectly. People are almost numb now. The world is no longer the beautiful, peaceful, and harmonious place it once was. It has become a strange place to me.”
Then he changed the subject, "That person, I suppose, thought the same thing. Someone who has lived alone in this world for thousands of years, witnessing countless cycles of life and death. They had long since become indifferent to everything. But one day, they suddenly realize that their existence will bring about a cataclysmic disaster to the world. At that moment, what would you choose?"
Yan Qing shook her head. "I don't know."
"Yes—" An elderly monk's gaze drifted to the lock shimmering with red light, and he sighed again.
"That person chose to suppress themselves permanently. In this way, they can at least delay the arrival of the apocalyptic world of strange tales for nearly a thousand years. A Gold-Rank Titled Mystery is immortal, but as long as her three souls and seven spirits are incomplete, she will never awaken. — Haven't you always been curious about why the third Gold-Rank Titled Mystery hasn't shown itself yet? In fact, she's right here—"
An elderly monk pointed to the top of his head, his face showing genuine admiration.
"I ask myself, I cannot be as resolute as she was. A mere weak woman, who has suffered all kinds of injustices in the world, was able to permanently suppress herself in order to protect this world—such virtue, I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
Yan Qing felt her throat was a little dry, and her voice became hoarse.
"Master, how did that person suppress me?"
The old monk smiled and pointed to himself. “Do you know that the birth of the supernatural is always related to people? After death, the three souls and seven spirits stubbornly remain in the body and refuse to dissipate. Obsession is the greatest energy of a person. Therefore, to suppress them, we can only tamper with the soul.”
His expression slowly turned to one of nostalgia. "That person forcibly extracted his Heavenly Soul and threw it directly into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Without the Heavenly Soul, the Heavenly Soul's master's consciousness can never awaken, even if it is as powerful as a Golden Rank titled being."
Neither of them noticed that Yue Qi kept his head down the entire time, and no one knew what he was thinking. In a corner where no one noticed, his eyes had been completely stained blood red.
Yan Qing was still focused on her question, "That strange thing, what will happen to her after her celestial soul enters the Six Paths of Reincarnation?"
“Amitabha, this matter is entirely up to fate. Reincarnation is the way of heaven. Once she enters the cycle of reincarnation, even if she is fortunate enough to be reborn as a human, she will never be herself again, but a completely new and independent individual.”
"So—" Yan Qing didn't know why, but her body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Master, the person you're talking about will never wake up, right?"
Her tone was urgent, seeking a promise from the elderly monk. Unfortunately—
“Amitabha, Heaven is merciless, but there is a saying in the human world: Man can conquer nature. The world is already riddled with holes, and naturally I do not wish for her to wake up. Because that would mean that we can never find that beautiful world again.”
"But what does this have to do with the Thousand Machine Lock?" Yan Qing didn't understand. Since that person was completely asleep, why bother with all this?
An elderly monk unconsciously glanced at Yue Qi, who was bowing his head. Although he didn't say a word, Yan Qing immediately understood.
The old monk hesitated for a moment before speaking, and then said...
"The Thousand Machine Lock can only be opened with the blood of a cultivator possessing spiritual power, and the number required is terrifying. Do you see those ever-expanding red lines? This means that one superhuman after another is dying. I once bore the immense sins for this, destroying the entire Xuanmen sect with my own body, but it was still not enough."
His voice began to tremble as he spoke, but his expression remained resolute.
"Even if I am condemned to eternal damnation after death, I am determined to do this."
Cold sweat began to pour down Yan Qing's forehead. The old monk almost stared at her in disbelief, realizing that all the adventurers he had invited to challenge the Seven Star Tower were doomed to die!
Simply because they are outstanding enough, or because they are superhumans, they can provide the blood essence needed to unlock the Thousand Machine Lock!
On the ground, the Thousand Machine Lock remained calm, its red surface constantly flowing, seemingly just a hair's breadth away from success. Suddenly, the advancing red light stopped.
An elderly monk sighed, "Amitabha—"
Yue Qi, who had been keeping his head down and not moving, suddenly sprang up and disappeared from the spot in an instant. The next moment, he appeared directly at the entrance of the passage leading downstairs and vanished in a flash.
"Oh no—" The old monk's expression immediately changed. "Quick, stop him!"
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