Chapter 301: Ao Lie! Master Wuse! The Widow Song Ya!

Outside the Merit Grove, the patrolling martial monk, Master Xuming, was behaving differently from usual. Yet deep within his eyes, there was a trace of undisguisable coldness and joy.

“Six hundred years! At last, I, Ao Lie[1], am free again!” His mood was exceedingly cheerful.

In just an instant, he had possessed the body of this young martial monk. It was the very same demon that Shangguan Jin of the Thousand Illusions Sect had tried to release earlier.

Looking at this familiar mortal world, Ao Lie took in a deep breath.

“The disciple of that old bastard, Jinguang, has now been wounded. Truly, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!” Ao Lie sneered viciously.

Crack!

He twisted the neck of the monk standing before him.

“Senior Brother Xuming, what are you doing?!” The surrounding martial monks were struck with horror.

Just then, a chilling light flashed in Ao Lie’s eyes. With a single move, he had snapped the neck of another monk! It seemed he had a particular fondness for such violent methods.

The screams had only just begun before vanishing swiftly, as the entire patrol squad of martial monks was slaughtered. When another squad of monks rushed over, they found only their fellow disciples lying dead in misery. And there, a young monk was crouching on the ground while gnawing at something.

At this time, a thick stench of blood spread through the air.

The leader of the squad was broad-faced, big-eared, and powerfully built. At the sight, his brow furrowed. He recognized the back of the young monk.

“Xuming, what are you doing?!” he bellowed in fury, drawing his weapon at once.

Hearing this, the crouching young monk suddenly snapped his head around. In his hands, he was clutching a sturdy arm dripping with blood with clear teeth marks still visible upon it!

Immediately, he smiled at the martial monk before him. His mouth was smeared with bright red blood, with faint strands of flesh still clinging to it.

The monk’s face immediately changed, and he involuntarily stepped back while his scalp tingled[2] with dread.

“Send word to the elders, Xuming... he... he’s possessed!”

Splatter!

Before his words had even finished, a martial monk behind him suddenly thrust his saber straight into his back, and the gleaming saber tip pierced through his chest.

The sudden turn of events shocked the surrounding monks once again, and even the crouching Master Xuming raised his brows slightly.

Slash!

The squad leader’s head was chopped clean off, and his body gushed blood like a fountain.

At this time, the monk who struck the killing blow bowed respectfully toward Xuming. “Senior, we cannot let them send out a message, lest trouble arise!”

With that, he swung his saber down savagely, cleaving into the neck of a nearby patrolling monk.

Master Xuming, or rather, Ao Lie, smiled faintly at this moment.

“Interesting!”

He stepped directly into the squad of martial monks and unleashed a massacre!

Very soon, all sounds were gone. The ground was littered with the mangled corpses of Jinguang Temple’s martial monks, and blood flowed everywhere.

At that moment, the monk who had been killing shone with a sudden flash of light. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a charming, seductive woman. Her figure was graceful, and her every movement overflowed with allure.

“I’m Song Ya[3] of the Thousand Illusions Sect. Greetings, Senior Ao!”

The woman immediately dropped to her knees in a deep bow.

“You too are a disciple of the Thousand Illusions Sect. That Shangguan Jin who came to release me, what is he to you?”

“Senior, he is my husband.”

“It was you who aided me in breaking free just now?”

“Indeed. My husband once instructed me, no matter the cost, I must see you freed from the hands of these old bastards!”

Ao Lie’s eyes at this moment were like bottomless icy pools. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh.

“Your husband sought to use that Earthbreaker Pearl against me, and yet you helped me break free. Aren’t you afraid I’ll devour you instead!?”

So, Ao Lie was perfectly aware of Shangguan Jin’s schemes.

“Senior, you’re a great fiend of a thousand years’ cultivation, with true dragon bloodline. Since you’ve escaped, surely you need attendants. I am willing to serve at your side, may you show mercy!”

Song Ya was indeed a peerless beauty, and she was a lovely widow newly bereaved of her husband. With that pitiful, delicate demeanor, she looked as though she was begging to be toyed with.

At this time, Ao Lie gave a faint smile. “So many schemes from that Daoist Master Liang’s disciples and disciples’ disciples. But you, your looks please me well enough. Stay by my side.”

Song Ya’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you, Senior Ao!”

After slaughtering so many, Ao Lie’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as he devoured every corpse on the ground. His aura surged once more, skyrocketing.

Song Ya stood gracefully off to the side with a calm expression, as though the bloody carnage before her had never happened at all.

Meanwhile, Ao Lie’s flesh and skin began to change. Patches of azure scales surfaced across his skin and quickly vanished again. The form of Master Xuming was gone, replaced by a young man with slanted brows that stretched to his temples, heroic and imposing. He exuded an arrogance that seemed to look down upon the world.

He reached out and wrapped an arm around Song Ya’s slender waist, and a smile rose on his face.

“Come! I will take you to pay a visit to those bald donkeys of Jinguang Temple.” His words brimmed with overwhelming confidence.

Cruel, lustful, arrogant, conceited... this was the impression Song Ya had of Ao Lie. Even after being sealed for centuries, his domineering arrogance could not be concealed.

Song Ya gave a bewitching smile. “Senior Ao, you’ve only just broken free, should you not first leave this place, and wait until you’ve fully recovered before slaughtering those old bald donkeys?”

Ao Lie toyed wantonly with her waist with one hand, grinning with swagger. “It’s just a mere Jinguang Temple! Among Jinguang’s descendants, there’s only one Yang Spirit, and he’s already injured. Hardly worth worrying about!”

Song Ya pressed one delicate hand against Ao Lie’s solid chest, lightly biting her full lips. “But Jinguang Temple has gathered quite a few profound Daoist experts. That young Daoist from earlier, his spells were overbearing. I fear he may pose a danger to you, Senior.”

Her voice carried a frail, sultry note that could easily set a man ablaze. Then, Ao Lie reached out a finger and hooked it under Song Ya’s fair chin.

“You’re trying to provoke me into acting and killing that little brat who slew your husband. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

Song Ya’s body trembled. She said softly, “I only wish the best for you, Senior, I have no other intent.”

Ao Lie’s finger slid down along the curve of Song Ya’s neck, and the corner of his lips curled upward. “No need to explain yourself. You’re deeply sentimental toward your dead husband, I like that very much.”

His smile was wicked to the extreme.

Indeed, a fiend who had lived for thousands of years might be arrogant and lecherous, but he was by no means brainless.

Song Ya suddenly let out a soft moan, biting down hard on her lips.

“Senior... I was wrong.”

“Hehehe... truly, the pleasures of the mortal world are endless! That bald donkey Jinguang founded this Jinguang Temple just to suppress me. In the coming days, I shall slaughter all his disciples and sever his lineage!”

A murderous gleam burst forth from Ao Lie’s eyes.

“Rest assured, if I encounter that little brat, I will kill him for you, skin him, and strip his tendons. How about that?”

Gratitude flashed in Song Ya’s eyes. “Many thanks, Senior. I will serve you with all devotion!”

***

Inside the tallest stone pagoda of the Merit Grove...

The pagoda was divided into three levels. On the first and second levels sat the monks of Jinguang Temple. Some held wooden fish, some clasped Buddhist scriptures, others held prayer beads.

Each sat cross-legged on the ground, channeling their strength into the Arhat Demon-Subduing Formation.

On the third level, there were seven people present. Master Yushu, Master Puxing, and Master Puyin were all there, with only Puhai absent, being outside. All of Jinguang Temple’s high monks of the “Pu” surname were gathered.

At the center sat a young monk in meditation around thirty years of age. He was the youngest abbot in the history of Jinguang Temple, Master Wuse.

1. The character 敖 Ao suggests arrogance, wildness, and an unrestrained, almost draconic pride, while 烈 Lie conveys ferocity, intensity, and a blazing, violent force. To me, the name evokes an image of a demon who is untamed, domineering, and explosively destructive, more a brutal warrior or warlord than a scheming trickster. ☜

2. The phrase “感到头皮发麻” literally means “to feel the scalp go numb or tingly.”

In Chinese, it’s a vivid idiom used to describe a sudden, intense sensation of fear, shock, or creepiness, like when something is so terrifying, disgusting, or spine-chilling that it makes your scalp prickle and your hair seem to stand on end. ☜

3. 宋 (Sòng) is a common Chinese surname, historically tied to the Song dynasty, which evokes elegance, artistry, and intellectual heritage. It’s a name that often feels literary or scholarly. 雅 (Yǎ) means

elegant, refined, graceful, proper,

and is frequently used in female names to express cultured beauty, inner poise, and a sense of dignity. To me, 宋雅 gives the impression of a woman with classical refinement. The name sounds graceful, poised, and perhaps quietly strong. ☜