Chapter 377: Stone Buddha

He could no longer sense the Yin spirit emanating from the evil ghost within!

How is it even possible? I can’t sense the presence of any true energy emanating from this young man. But what other possibility is there under the present circumstances, but for the fact that…

A hunting zone with a Hunter-class evil ghost was destroyed so swiftly and easily? And the man responsible for this is even walking out so casually? Doesn’t this mean that…

Both sides were silent. The expressions of the man in the suit changed vacillated back and forth between shock and disbelief, to amazement, and then back to shock and disbelief.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“You are…” He drew a deep breath and fervently suppressed the elation welling up in his heart, “An Anitya Hellguard?!”

“How is that even possible…” The police officer who was smoking immediately froze in shock. The ashes from the cigarette fell onto his clothes, but his eyes were completely trained on Qin Ye right now. Then, the police officer dropped the cigarette altogether and exclaimed excitedly, “Really? Is it true? Is he really an Anitya Hellguard?”

Nobody dared to say a single word. Everyone could feel their hearts thumping wildly out of their chests as they stared transfixed at Qin Ye, waiting for his confirmation. On the other hand, Qin Ye simply furrowed his brows, “What’s going on? I’ve already cleared out the hunting zone on your behalf, so why do you still seem so concerned about Valley County?”

Qin Ye glanced back at everyone, only to notice how everyone appeared to have an ingratiating smile on their faces. In all likelihood, the police officers were probably well aware that Qin Ye was only passing through, and yet they clearly still bore hope that Qin Ye would be willing to lend them a hand. Qin Ye didn’t say more, and promptly boarded the police car together with the rest.

That said, Qin Ye noticed a number of wandering spirits drifting about on the streets from time to time. The stores and even the hospital that they passed by were covered densely with talismans and spirit-warding bells. The eerie night breeze swept across the deserted streets, gently tossing about the litter on the ground as though they were paper money fluttering about in the skies of Hell.

Ding-a-ling… Every household in the region had their own set of talismans and spirit-warding bells sealing off all unwanted visitors from their homes. It was clear that the citizens had all begun to take things into their own hands. Although the government hadn’t yet made things public with the supernatural outbreaks, it was clear that there was a tacit understanding of what was going on. The crisp jingle of the bells reverberated softly through the otherwise silent streets, yet it did nothing to liven the mood. In fact, it only filled the atmosphere with even more desolation than before.

Everyone was clearly living in fear. It was clear that the only moments of solace were in the day, before 6.00 p.m. struck. And even then, nobody dared to linger for long in any dark places or corridors. Things were even worse after 6.00 p.m., when the entire family would huddle together under their blankets and silently pray to the gods of their faiths that they could make it through yet another night.

“These are the sins of Hell…” Qin Ye murmured softly to himself, before slowly shutting his eyes.

Aren’t you supposed to be benevolent?

“Qin.” Qin Ye responded curtly with a muffled voice. He clearly wasn’t in a good mood in light of the thoughts in his heart.

Clink… Just then, there was a soft, crisp sound at the windows. Qin Ye glanced up momentarily. Just as he was about to retract his gaze, he suddenly whipped his head around and did a double take what was outside the window.

Pale-white paper money.

“These are probably just some mischievous ghosts that have strayed from the crowd.” Zeng Shuai sighed softly, “Every single part of the county that was once inhabited by humans are prone to strange occurrences like these. Don’t worry, they’re only slightly stronger than wandering spirits, and they would never dare to approach a cultivator.”

There was a very slight chance that his eyes might have been playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn that one of the sheets of paper money that was earlier stuck on the window earlier… had words written on them!

Impossible… If this phenomenon had been caused by an evil ghost, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to see them. Even if they were mutated spirits, I should still be able to detect their presence in the instant that they appeared.

There’s someone…

From the rearview mirror, Qin Ye could see a long trail of people wearing white mourning robes replete with long fluttering sleeves following right behind the car! They were even holding their palms tightly together!

In fact what was most peculiar was the fact that even though he couldn’t actually see the procession with his naked eye, he could tell that there was not a single shred of Yin energy emanating from their bodies!

Rather… their bodies appeared to be shrouded with an aura that they had never felt before. What’s more, they appeared to be corralling their police car towards a particular location!

No one…

And notwithstanding the fact that he was the only one remaining, the vehicle continued to steer and shift by itself, as though it were driving him to a predestined location!

Cold sweat slid down the tip of Qin Ye’s nose. He subconsciously glanced at the window again, only to realize that… he could still see Zeng Shuai and the rest seated in the vehicle, pale and limp as dead bodies in a morgue. It was almost as though… they were currently trapped in a completely different world.

The only other explanation for this phenomenon was the fact that he was simply surrounded by Yin energy so overwhelming that it was practically omnipresent. A deathly glint flickered in the depths of his eyes. After all, he had once experienced such a terrifying sensation before.

Could there be… a Harken-level existence hidden around these parts?

Just then, the procession of mourners began to chant an eerie song, almost as though they were sobbing and croaking up for the loss of a loved one. They sounded no different from a chorus of crows. Qin Ye turned around and stared at them in horror. The songs of the mourners in the darkness of the night did nothing to reduce the fear coursing through his veins right now. Instead, it only agitated and stirred his heart even more, like water that was added to boiling hot oil!

Click. The door unlocked itself and opened up.

It was clear that the wooden niche had seen its fair number of years. The paint was mottled and peeling on all sides, while the remnants of torn red silk fluttered about with the gentle night breeze. Fruits were placed at the statue as offerings to the gods, while the statue itself held two thick red candles that remained lit with a gentle glow. Under the faint illumination of the candlelight, Qin Ye could tell that it was the statue of… Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Qin Ye paused for a moment, and then turned back, only to realize that the maddening procession of mourners had already vanished with the wind, almost as though it had never appeared to begin with.

“So… are you the one who called me to this place?”

Then, just as he decided to stand up, the stone statue suddenly opened his eyes!

The darkness loomed all around them. Qin Ye could sense that the Yin spirits in the surroundings were crying out in fear as they retreated like an ebbing tide. But he soon discovered to his great dismay that… he was completely immobilized to the ground!

Moreover, there was neither hostility nor bloodlust in that abstruse gaze of the statue. Instead, it was only filled with compassion and empathy.

Ksitigarbha?

Qin Ye’s jaws dropped slightly. He shook his head with great disbelief, and even took some steps back subconsciously. But as soon as he did, he found his sleeves caught by the statue’s zen staff.

“Get behind me.” The stone Buddha slowly spoke, “They… are almost here.”

1. The Eight Consciousnesses are derived from various Buddhist texts. From what I gather, they comprise five physical consciousnesses/senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, together with three mental consciousnesses/senses that are loosely known as active thought (the sixth consciousness), disturbing emotions/attitudes (the seventh consciousness) and finally reflexive awareness formed from the basis of inferential cognition (the eighth consciousness).