"puff--"
Yue Qi, who had been confronting the old monk, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. This terrified Yan Qing, who quickly rushed forward to support him.
"Yue Qi, are you alright?" Yan Qing asked worriedly, as Yue Qi's face looked even paler.
She raised her head and glared angrily at the elderly monk. "Master, Buddhism is about compassion. Haven't you gone a bit too far?"
"Amitabha—" An elderly monk smiled wryly, still pressing his palms together, and devoutly performed a Buddhist salute.
"Benefactor, if I were to tell you that everything before you is an illusion, what would you do?"
Yan Qing remained completely unmoved. "What does the master mean?"
“Amitabha, since that’s the case, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer—Benefactor Chu, don’t be so persistent. What you’re looking for isn’t even inside this Seven Star Pagoda.”
Yue Qi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered, "Old monk, some things you say can't be believed by anyone just by talking. Besides, you yourself are a person who doesn't keep their word. With the body of a demigod, you've endured countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood to achieve your strange, gold-rank title. Do you think I don't know this?"
“Amitabha!” The old monk’s expression suddenly turned serious. “I know my sins are grave, but even if I could do it all over again, I would still have no regrets. But you are different, Benefactor Chu. You have been obsessed for a thousand years. Some things have become your inner demons without your even realizing it.”
“Old monk, enough nonsense. Do you think I don’t know what’s on the seventh floor of the Seven Star Pagoda? For thousands of years, she has never left her side. You don’t need to make excuses anymore. I’m determined to get that thing.”
Yue Qi, however, was determined and seemed intent on confronting the old monk to the very end.
This put Yan Qing, caught in the middle, in a difficult position.
She was increasingly convinced that the "Yue Qi" in front of her was not the person she knew. The Yue Qi she knew was a bit aloof, but he was much more measured in his actions and not as obsessive as he was now.
In addition, he always remembered what Yue Qi had said: since people in the Xuanmen sect have more energy than ordinary people, they should also bear more responsibility.
Therefore, he would never do something like harming others for his own selfish gain.
However, although she was almost certain in her heart that he was Chu Jiang, this body was indeed Yue Qi himself. Therefore, she still pretended not to believe the old monk's words and resolutely stood with "Yue Qi".
She wanted to know where the real Yue Qi had gone.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him otherwise, the old monk couldn't help but shout a Buddhist chant again.
“Amitabha, Benefactor Yan, I have a piece of advice for you: the seventh floor of the Seven Star Pagoda is a matter of life and death for you. Going there will be the decision you regret most.”
Yan Qing remained outwardly unmoved. "Master, could you be more specific? I really don't understand. If you have ulterior motives, why did you forcibly abduct me to this place?"
The old monk's gaze swept over "Yue Qi," and for some reason, he did not testify against him again.
"You'll have to ask Master Chu himself about this. Even I only know part of what's going on with him."
At this point, the old monk seemed to have thought of something, and smiled slightly at Yan Qing.
"Benefactor Yan, are the peach blossoms in the courtyard in full bloom?"
Yue Qi's gaze instantly shifted to Yan Qing's face, filled with barely suppressed curiosity. Peach blossoms? Where did Famen Temple get peach blossoms?
Furthermore, it is early autumn now, so how could the peach blossoms be in full bloom?
Yan Qing's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that this person was indeed Chu Jiang. Not long ago, she and Yue Qi had seen a peach tree in full bloom somewhere.
Qingcheng Mountain, an unnamed temple.
There, she obtained a miniature Azure Dragon Coffin, exactly the same as the Azure Dragon Coffin discovered by the woman in red in the mirror world. Yue Qi entrusted this item to her for safekeeping.
Chu Jiang was completely unaware of this matter.
Yan Qing laughed, "Master, do you perhaps want to see peach blossoms? Unfortunately, there isn't a single one in Famen Temple." She didn't trust this person either.
"Amitabha, not at all," the old monk laughed, trying to smooth things over. But a thought suddenly struck him: could it be that this girl had never been to that place before?
That's not right. He clearly made all the arrangements. Could something have gone wrong?
He suddenly changed the subject, "Benefactor Yan, would you be interested in seeing with me the fate of those who tried to break through the tower?"
What does this mean? Does the old monk have some other insidious tricks up his sleeve?
"I dare not disobey."
The old monk smiled and led the two to the central area of the sixth floor. Beneath a pile of crooked Buddha statues, there was surprisingly a hidden world.
"What's this?"
Beneath the Buddha statue, there appears to be the base of something. However, the object on top has been removed, revealing a small opening.
The hole was about the same size as a regular student's desk drawer, and inside lay a rather strange device.
It was a metal disc made of an unknown metal, laid out in concentric circles at the bottom of the hole, its shape resembling a large mosquito coil.
Yan Qing noticed that the metal that made up the mosquito coil ring seemed to be hollow. At this point, two-thirds of the metal ring had been completely dyed red, and the red part was still moving forward rapidly.
"This device...it looks like a lock?" Yue Qi, who had been silent all along, suddenly laughed.
“I see, old monk. Now I believe you. You have indeed never climbed to the seventh floor of the Seven Star Pagoda all these years.”
The old monk, still smiling, said, "I am ashamed! This creature is indeed wicked; it is determined to bring this old monk to eternal damnation! However—"
His gaze hardened considerably. "Today, I am determined to reach the top of the Seven Star Tower. It is time for this world of apocalyptic rules and strange tales to come to an end."
What did that mean? Yan Qing didn't understand. Wasn't the trouble caused by this old monk in this post-apocalyptic world of strange tales? Oh right, there's also Chu Jiang, who's now wearing Yue Qi's skin, and that red-clad woman who's never shown her face.
These three people are probably the culprits behind the strange and apocalyptic rules of this world. It wouldn't be too much to cut them into a thousand pieces!
But now, listening to the old monk's words, it seems that things are not quite the same.
However, it is an absolute fact that this old monk's hands were stained with blood.
Unexpectedly, when the old monk mentioned ending the world of strange tales and rules of the apocalypse, the one who reacted the most was "Yue Qi".
"Old ghost, what do you mean?!"
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