Chapter 343 : Money Solves Everything
Beneath the dry well, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue were forced to engage in constant conflict with Third Elder, the pervasive darkness confusing their sense of time.
Above the dry well, another day had dawned, and the monks of the Nameless Temple once again gathered before the well to chant sutras and maintain the suppression—whether it was the collective imagination or not, since three days ago, the demonic energy's turbulence within the well seemed to have intensified. Despite the monks' all-out efforts to suppress it, even the golden Buddhist light struggled to contain the demonic energy surging from the well, and large amounts of demonic energy could frequently be seen gathering at the well's mouth, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
Tan Xin's injuries had recovered quickly under the accumulation of spiritual medicines, but his expression grew more solemn with each passing day... Day after day, he followed behind the Abbot to assist in the suppression, watching the demonic energy in the dry well grow stronger and more imposing.
Suddenly, a hole appeared in the thin membrane of golden light at the well's mouth, and the demonic energy inside the well immediately surged and roiled.
Some demonic energy transformed into black smoke and squeezed outward, while black tentacles gripped the edges of the golden light's breach, disregarding the corrosion from the Buddhist light as they pulled vigorously at both sides, attempting to widen the small opening. If the breach became just a bit larger, just a little bit more, they could escape, then slaughter all these bald donkeys who had suppressed them for tens of thousands of years, and roam freely thereafter...
The demonic energy, possessing rudimentary consciousness, grew increasingly excited, as if already glimpsing the dawn of liberation. Unfortunately, before their wishes could be fulfilled, a golden swastika light descended from above, firmly sealing the breach. Then, amid the monks' suddenly accelerated chanting, this swastika seal merged with the original Buddhist light, adding another layer of thickness to the golden membrane covering the well's mouth.
The demonic energy in the dry well immediately felt a sense of being mocked and became more vigorous in its assault on the golden light. Large amounts of demonic energy were dissolved by the Buddhist light, yet the impact was like beating a resonant drum, each strike echoing in the hearts of those present.
Tan Xin shifted his gaze and looked to the side, not at all surprised that it was the Abbot who had just intervened.
The Abbot of the Nameless Temple was not nameless; he had been a great enlightened monk tens of thousands of years ago, with cultivation reaching the Tribulation Crossing realm, just one step away from ascending to Buddhahood. Unfortunately, this final step was halted by the demonic realm's invasion and the devastation of the cultivation world... Although he hadn't sacrificed himself to establish the sealing formation, he had confined himself forever to this small Nameless Temple.
After tens of thousands of years, the once enlightened monk had exhausted his lifespan, his physical body perishing while his obsessive spirit persisted. Having experienced the daily sutra chanting and suppression, the current Abbot was no longer the powerful figure of years past. After casting that single swastika seal, he appeared to have weakened by a third.
Tan Xin knew that after a moment, this sense of weakness would disappear, but this didn't represent recovery—it merely meant that the outward manifestations were being concealed. In truth, from the moment the temple's monks were influenced by the demonic energy's permeation, they were already like a spent arrow. Actions like the one just taken further accelerated the spiritual consumption, bringing them one step closer to their day of dissipation.
The demonic energy was growing increasingly powerful. They couldn't wait any longer, as he didn't know when the Abbot would no longer have the power to mend the barrier.
Slowly ceasing the movement of the prayer beads in his hand, Tan Xin directed his gaze toward the only two outsiders present—Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu, the two women with their dark cloud-like hair standing out conspicuously among the monks.
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu weren't Buddhist practitioners and couldn't help suppress the demonic energy in the well with Buddhist light. They had tried using their own methods to suppress the demonic energy, but with minimal effect. Eventually, they stopped trying and simply maintained their vigil beside the dry well day after day, hoping that those who had fallen in would return within the agreed timeframe. Unfortunately, this hope had not been fulfilled.
Having just witnessed the crisis of the Buddhist light's breach, the two women couldn't help but feel anxious. Only after the Abbot intervened to restore order did they finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then, as they looked up and met Tan Xin's grave gaze, they instantly understood his meaning.
Qingyu's expression immediately changed, and she blurted out: "Today is the sixth day, there's still one day..."
Six days had passed since Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo fell into the dry well, with one day remaining in the seven-day agreement between Qingyu and Tan Xin. Because of this, the two women's mood was particularly heavy today, increasingly worried that Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo wouldn't return in time—they were already anxious, and now seeing that Tan Xin seemed unwilling to wait even this final day, even the normally ice-cold Qingyu couldn't help but let her emotions show.
Hearing this, Tan Xin recited a Buddhist phrase, his handsome face filled with sorrow: "This humble monk knows, and also wishes to wait." After saying this, he paused, then raised his hand to point at the dry well: "But seniors, look at the Buddhist light above the well. I fear I cannot wait any longer."
The Buddhist light above the dry well was formed by the monks' daily chanting and blessing, serving as the final seal on the well, guarding this bottom line for tens of thousands of years. Originally, the Buddhist light was brilliantly golden and dazzling, impossible to look at directly. But now, the Buddhist light above the well had thinned to just a single layer, repeatedly damaged and repaired under the impact of the demonic energy, not far from complete destruction.
During the day, it was still manageable, with the monks chanting to strengthen it and the Abbot ready to repair any damage to the Buddhist light. But at night, the demonic energy would naturally strengthen, and with the monks already corrupted by the demonic energy and afraid to approach, what would happen if the light barrier was completely breached?
Tan Xin was deeply worried, looking at the thin light, fearing that the barrier might not even last through the night.
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu weren't blind; they could naturally see the difficult situation and thus couldn't refute Tan Xin's words. But how could they easily abandon a disciple they had personally raised, a daughter connected by blood?!
Qingyu's expression grew even more grim, and she even gritted her teeth and said: "There's still one day. What if I stand guard here tonight?"
Hearing this, Zhu Baiyi was startled and quickly grabbed Qingyu's arm, uncharacteristically scolding her in anger: "This demonic energy is already formidable, and it strengthens at night. Do you have a death wish?!"
Over these days, Qingyu had witnessed the power of this demonic energy with her own eyes and honestly wasn't confident herself, but giving up without trying was simply impossible. Upon hearing this, she shook off Zhu Baiyi's hand, and a small bronze lamp suddenly appeared in her palm—there was no fuel in the lamp, yet a small flame burned persistently on it, showing no signs of extinguishing, and the flame didn't flicker with her movements.
This was the Soul Lamp of the Xuanqing Sect, or more precisely, this particular one was Yun Qingyue's Soul Lamp.
Qingyu pointed at the flame, addressing both Zhu Baiyi and Tan Xin: "Qingyue is still in the underground world. She hasn't perished, hasn't even been injured or encountered danger. She just can't find her way back. If we give her some time, just a little more time, she will definitely return!"
Zhu Baiyi looked at the Soul Lamp and was momentarily speechless, while Tan Xin nearby lowered his eyes. He sighed and said: "If that's the case, then this humble monk will stand guard here tonight. There's no need for the two seniors to risk yourselves."
However, Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu weren't so thick-skinned as to accept this offer, and that night, they insisted on staying by the dry well together.
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In the Nameless Temple, Qingyu and Tan Xin argued logically for the final day, even risking their own safety.
In the underground world, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue knew nothing of the so-called seven-day agreement, nor did they know that so many days had passed since they fell into the dry well. They were aimlessly searching for an exit while having to deal with Third Elder's occasional ambushes, which was thoroughly vexing.
Jiang Mo couldn't understand how Third Elder had previously managed to track her and her Senior Sister so accurately. Even if she could see in the darkness, the underground environment remained unchanging—how did she distinguish north, south, east, and west? And how did she accurately find the direction they had left in? They had already run so far ahead, yet she still managed to catch up!
Though she couldn't figure it out, this didn't prevent her from guarding against Third Elder's pursuit. After using the substitute to shake off Third Elder, Jiang Mo no longer flew in a fixed direction but zigzagged and circled back, determined to leave her aura in more places... though she wasn't sure if this would confuse her pursuer.
After maneuvering like this for almost half a day, Third Elder hadn't caught up, allowing Jiang Mo to finally relax a bit. However, she didn't slow down—first because she hadn't figured out how to face her Senior Sister and didn't want to return to the space, and second because she hadn't given up on finding an exit.
If she could lead her Senior Sister out of this place, wouldn't Senior Sister be happy?
But searching aimlessly wasn't feasible. The underground world could be immense—if it was as vast as the cultivation world, finding an exit the size of a well mouth would be like searching for a needle in the ocean. So, with no other option, she had to seek help from the system again: "System, do you have any way to help find the exit? I'm trapped here and can't complete the mission."
The system remained as unresponsive as if it were dead, fully demonstrating its uselessness, then silently displayed the mall page to the host—want to solve the problem? Simply put, money talks; there's nothing that spending can't solve!
Seeing this, Jiang Mo gnashed her teeth in anger, but having been trapped in the underground world for days, even though she didn't know about the seven-day agreement, she understood that time was running out. Not to mention that Third Elder was lurking somewhere in this underground world, ready to cause trouble at any moment. So, suppressing her dissatisfaction, she began browsing the mall.
Seeing that this stingy tiger was actually prepared to spend money, the system instantly revived and helpfully selected several suitable items for her: "Host, your and Senior Sister's approach wasn't wrong—demonic energy is always trying to escape, and wherever the concentration is highest is definitely the exit. Take a look at this, it can measure demonic energy concentration..."
Jiang Mo looked at the vast array of products in the mall and had only one feeling—the system was simply robbing her!