The oil lamp was extinguished, yet the surroundings did not plunge into darkness; instead, they lit up.
Gazing at the scene before him, Xu Fan's eyes were filled with deep astonishnt for the first ti! At this mont, Xu Fan felt as if he were standing atop a sea of stars.
In front of the two was an imnsely complex array of barriers, shining brightly, with streams of energy wandering above them as if alive. The scale was vast, reaching up to the heavens and down to the earth, a hundred tis more extensive than any temple.
Looking at the terrifying barriers ahead, Xu Fan sensed that even a re thread of energy contained enough destructive power to annihilate a Beast King!
What kind of astonishing handiwork is this! What terrifying existence could have set such formidable barriers?
Once again, inexplicably, Xu Fan found himself deeply longing to master the study of barriers.
"Kid! Snap out of it! Daydreaming in front of demon beasts, do you want to die?"
The old monk's low shout pulled Xu Fan back to reality from his shock. Amidst the sprawling barriers was a small pool, its surroundings densely covered with barriers, obscuring the view within.
At this mont, the old monk looked at the barrier-laden pool with an expression of solemnity, "The Golden Ape is inside here! This Golden Ape is a Spiritual Beast, terrifyingly powerful a thousand years ago, and even now, though aged, its power has advanced further! It can shapeshift and deceive the mind!"
"Rember! No matter what that demon beast says, you must absolutely not believe it!"
Xu Fan nodded, yet couldn't shake off a feeling of absurdity rising within him.
Could it be... all his previous conjectures were wrong? Was the Golden Ape from a thousand years ago not the old monk in front of him? Is the true Golden Ape sealed within this pool?
In an instant, Xu Fan overturned this assumption.
The old monk's acting was indeed convincing, occasionally showing hints of violent murderous intent, but he had already justified it by claiming he was influenced by the Golden Ape, thus his violent disposition.
However, the old monk didn't quite excel in details. For example, whenever Xu Fan ntioned Taoist teachings, the old monk reacted with unnatural expressions.
A series of facts all pointed to the old monk being the Golden Ape from a thousand years ago! As for what was sealed in the pool... soon, they would find out.
"Labani na! Dispels!"
Chanting esoteric scriptures, the old monk ford spell gestures with his hands, directing streams of spiritual power onto the barriers, causing them to ripple like water, as if an invisible mbrane was being wiped away, revealing everything inside.
Xu Fan stared fixedly, peering into the barriers, discovering inside coiled a palm-sized White Snake!
Boom!
Like a bolt of thunder exploding in Xu Fan's mind!
The White Snake, according to Sect Master Gu Fang of the Myriad Beasts Sect, had two terrifying Spiritual Beasts under its command, one being the Golden Ape that destroyed the Myriad Beasts Sect, and the other was a White Snake!
Only... the White Snake before him, was it the sa as the one from a thousand years ago? Why was it here? Xu Fan couldn't figure it out.
A thousand years ago, the Golden Ape went berserk, massacring the sects, the Myriad Beasts Sect completely annihilated, barely anyone survived! Even the sect master Gu Fang perished! Yet, according to Gu Fang's account, before his death, he released the White Snake, allowing it to escape.
How could a Spiritual Beast that had returned to freedom be imprisoned with the Golden Ape? Why did the Golden Ape refer to the White Snake as itself, and want Xu Fan's assistance in slaying them both and vanquishing the demons?
Question marks swirled in Xu Fan's mind, twisting his eyebrows into a nearly knotted rope.
"Kid! Do not be deceived by the appearance of this Golden Ape! The small snake it has conjured seems harmless, but can easily destroy the entire sect!"
"Soon, I'll create a small opening in the barriers, infiltrate it with your Divine Sense, and control this Golden Ape! The power of the barriers is formidable; your ti is short! You must not hesitate! Otherwise, the entire ruins, indeed the entire world, will beco scorched earth! Understand?"
The old monk's words were urgent, though he spoke to Xu Fan, his hands never halted, casting spell gestures while his gaze remained fixed on the barrier.
Evidently, even the small barrier ahead required the old monk's utmost caution!
"Rest assured, Senior."
Xu Fan replied to the old monk, his mind racing with conjectures.
The barrier surrounding just a small pool made the old monk so cautious; the barrier vast as the sky and earth ahead could not be breached by the old monk alone!
Thus, having learned from the Golden Ape or another source about Xu Fan's ability to control Exotic Beasts, the old monk intentionally invited Xu Fan into the temple, weaving an incredibly sophisticated lie, inviting Xu Fan to join in demon-slaying and magic-destroying.
What was the old monk's true motivation? Why did it transform from demon-slaying to forcing Xu Fan to control the White Snake in the end?
The answer is simple: the old monk wants to escape! Out of the cage!
Once Xu Fan controls the White Snake, the old monk will certainly have other reasons or excuses, like claiming he locked himself in the barrier to suppress demon beasts, though now they're vanquished, he's still trapped.
Or, more bluntly, reveal his fangs and force Xu Fan to control the White Snake to breach the barrier!
A thousand years ago, the terrifying White Snake joined by the equally terrifying Golden Ape, combined, may not be obstructed by a millennium-old barrier from breaking free!
Once past the barrier, the old monk can easily slay Xu Fan, and as Xu Fan dies, the White Snake with a barrier planted deep in its soul follows suit, while the Golden Ape restores its strength, erges from the ruins, calls wind and rain, and wreaks havoc, ending its millennia-long suffering!
Realizing this, Xu Fan nearly couldn't contain himself from fleeing!
The old monk's plan was seamless, almost unsolvable!
If Xu Fan didn't control the White Snake or intentionally withdrew, he would be slain by the old monk or even countered by the White Snake! Yet if he controlled the White Snake, which initially he didn't know could fight the Golden Ape, it had a weakness - him!
As long as the old monk captured him, it equated to controlling the White Snake!
When the barrier is breached, both he and the White Snake must die!
No matter the choice, the path laid before Xu Fan seed unequivocal – certain death!
User Comments
0 comments from readers