Lingjiang Dock.
As dusk settles, it’s that magical moment between the sinking sun and the rising moon.
The temple fair at the dock is just wrapping up.
The temple priest, with a flick of the wrist, magically makes the smiling head of the Buddha in the temple fly right onto his own noggin. Fashion statement? We think yes!
He turns around to face three figures behind him.
“Are you here to light some incense for the Buddha, or are you making a wish?”
At his words,
the guy in the dragon head mask strides forward and says, “Why ask others for help when you can rely on yourself?”
“Good point.”
Laughing Amitabha nods sagely, his Buddha-head smile broadening, clearly quite pleased with this response.
“My brothers, you’ve pleasantly surprised me.”
“From this day forth, you shall be a part of Misty Rain Tower, and can pick up some ‘flower reds’ in the dark chamber.”
“Get that little task done, and you might just earn a promotion to being a human butcher.”
He spreads his hand, revealing three golden tokens lying there like three lazy cats.
In a dazed moment, these tokens seem to have a life of their own, almost flapping about.
“Don’t rush! Once you finish the task, these tokens will be yours.”
“And what is the task?”
Huai Shan San Sha exchanged knowing glances. The dragon-masked guy spoke up, seemingly curious.
Laughing Amitabha responded quietly, “Simply deliver a shipment downstream.”
“Make sure it’s a secret. Don’t let anyone, especially those nosy folks from the Qingyuan Sect, catch wind of it. If they do, then it’s curtains for you three.”
Transporting goods? And it’s gotta be a secret from the Qingyuan Sect?
Otherwise, it’s doom and gloom?
The trio shared silent looks, caught in a trance.
Laughing Amitabha, thinking they were hesitating due to the risks, cheerfully added, “I’ve been a temple priest here for over ten years, watching fishermen every day, and you know what I’ve learned?”
“The bigger the waves, the pricier the fish!”
“If you three brothers don’t dare to jump into danger, how will you pounce to new heights?”
After a moment of silence,
Li Mo, intrigued yet poker-faced, pressed on, “If we’re risking it, we need to know what we’re shipping.”
“Just a few kids to the Huanmo Sect’s hideout.”
Laughing Amitabha, being the patient one, nodded before asking, “You three are smart cookies. So, what do you think?”
As his words sunk in,
a soft chant echoed within the tiny temple, soothing the soul like warm soup on a cold day.
The message was clear.
We’ve spilled the beans; you can’t just hop on this crazy train whenever you feel like it.
The dragon-masked bro clasped his hands together, “I’m ready to give it my all.”
Just as Laughing Amitabha relaxed and was about to say something supportive,
a short kn*fe shot out silently from the shadows, aiming straight for his back.
The moment it drew near, the deadly intent suddenly emerged like an angry dragon.
Laughing Amitabha, being in Observation Realm, was quick on his feet.
He twisted like a wiggly snake, dodging d*ath’s touch.
Then he spun around sharply, piercing fingers clamping down on the kn*fe.
Had he not been trained in holy skills and snapped back from that ominous aura, he might’ve been in for a painful surprise.
“What are you up to!?”
His serene Buddha smile transformed into a fiery rage.
No one replied.
What awaited him was a cloud of ominous haze, as if the skies had gathered all the storms for a grand finale.
A scene?
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Setting
Laughing Amitabha quickly realized this was just a façade; there wasn’t much pressure coming from a real martial artist.
But that icy vibe still cut to the bone.
“Ying Bing!?”
Whoosh—
The wind howled as a pale blue sword light combined with the silent blade’s ominous aura, swirling around him like an angry sea.
He raised both palms to push forward, and his hands scattered the deadly blades.
Right after that, two shimmering swords came crashing towards him.
One red, one blue, spiraling together like a pair of entwined fire and ice dragons.
Crack!
The stunning strike seemed to collide with a rock-solid surface.
“Cough!”
He expelled a mouthful of burning ice shards.
That one swing nearly finished him if not for his lightning reflexes.
Strangely, there weren’t any wounds on his body; the headless gold Buddha suddenly looked a lot dimmer.
“If it weren’t for me toiling for the past ten years here, things would’ve gone south real quick!”
“Li Mo, you’ve just served yourself on a platter…”
Before he could finish,
“Don’t bother with logic when fighting demons; let’s go all out!”
“I’ll smash the Buddha statue, and you take him down!”
A hammer appeared in Li Mo’s hand as he rallied his comrades.
He figured that unless they smashed the statue first, they wouldn’t stand a chance in taking down this dude.
Dealing with a mere Observation Realm? That was supposed to be a piece of cake!
Laughing Amitabha sighed dramatically, “…”
He wanted to intervene,
but wasn’t keen on battling the other three.
If it was just Ying Bing, the other two were merely pesky flies that he could swat away on a lazy afternoon.
This girl, though? Terrifying!
Even in a one-on-one, relying on over a decade of accumulated incense wishes, he’d probably still be on the losing end.
And now there’s Li Mo, swinging a hammer out of nowhere…?
Boom—
The third stance of Ding Qian Kun, Thunder Strike.
When that hammer came crashing down, a thunderstorm rolled in, reverberating across the heavens like a winter’s worth of storms unleashed.
Was this even Pulse Breathing Realm?!
In utter panic, Laughing Amitabha tossed out a string of black prayer beads, hoping to block the blow.
Little did he expect, as the beads approached, they emitted wailing ghost sounds and were promptly swept away to oblivion.
That accumulated power of wishes over the years?
Crushed like a cookie underfoot in the face of real divine retribution.
Ding—
The sound echoed like a gong shattering stone.
The golden body cracked, web-like fissures stretching across its surface.
Then piece by piece, the golden figure crumbled away, revealing eerie white bones inside.
He could no longer withstand the chilling sword aura.
The cold wind passed through him,
darting like a thousand needles, turning him into a sieve; the bl**d hadn’t even had time to escape before it froze solid.
…
Meanwhile,
Boom!
At Lingjiang Dock, a well-dressed young man asking around suddenly paused, caught off guard by the commotion.
“Hey, what’s happening over there?”
“That’s the Amitabha Temple! We usually stop by to ask for blessings before fishing,” said an old fisherman, dropping knowledge bombs like it was nothing.
Amitabha Temple?
Weren’t a bunch of kids reported missing around the temple fair time?
Without a second thought, he shot off like a startled deer towards the source of that ruckus.
