Chapter 15 - Two Great National Religions.
“Li Shizhu, by now you should understand what Sui Beasts and Sui Demons are.”
Having said that, the old monk closed his eyes again, seemingly falling into meditation.
The sword-wielding youth and the basket-carrying woman, however, stared at Li Shiwu, their vigilance evident.
They felt that this person openly spoke of killing his master, fearing he was ruthless and unrestrained.
As for Li Shiwu, savoring the old monk's words, he realized that Coffin Master was merely a so-called Sui Beast.
Suddenly, he spoke again.
“May I ask, since the Great Yao is called an Immortal Dynasty, are there Immortals?”
Hearing this, the woman looked strange and said, “Daoist Li, the word 'Immortal' is so distant, I certainly don't know.”
“However, there have long been rumors in the world that the Great Yao holds a great secret, so even Immortals are nothing special.”
Under the bamboo hat, Li Shiwu's expression was unclear.
They only heard him say again, “One more thing, is the Human Rearing Sect very powerful? Can they transform people into beasts and sell them at will like this?”
Beside him, the sword-wielding youth finally couldn't help himself.
“You, surnamed Li, are you truly from the Great Yao? You don't even know about the Human Rearing Sect.”
“Let me tell you, the Human Rearing Sect is one of the Great Yao's two great national religions, and its sect master holds the esteemed position of National Preceptor.”
“Their status is so high, they have long sat atop the clouds, like deities, looking down upon all living beings.”
Li Shiwu's eyes showed some disbelief: “A national religion? A sect that transforms humans into beasts, would that be a national religion?”
He felt that this clearly resembled the behavior of an evil cult.
The basket-carrying woman smiled, “Daoist Li, do you know people from the Human Rearing Sect? Tsk, if you get acquainted with them, it's also a stroke of Immortal Opportunity.”
Li Shiwu nodded: “A few days ago, when I passed through Tangcheng, I bought a Five-Fingered Horse from a Human Rearing Sect cultivator named Pang Dahai.”
“Hence, this question.”
The sword-wielding youth showed surprise, “Surname Pang?”
“This surname, within my Great Yao, is unspeakably noble.”
Then he said with some regret, “Heh, you've encountered all the good things.”
“The Human Rearing Sect, as the name suggests, specializes in rearing humans and transforming them into beasts.”
“The livestock that flows from their hands are all desirable goods, many people scramble to get them.”
“Moreover, they are often already completely divided up by some important figures, rarely sold externally, and even if they are, one needs the luck to encounter them.”
The youth regretted, “Alas, what a pity.”
“If I had known about this good fortune earlier, I would have gone to Tangcheng to buy one myself.”
He seemed to remember something, and suddenly his face broke into a smile, trying to curry favor: “Daoist Li, I apologize for any offense I may have caused just now.”
“I wonder if I could buy your horse for triple the price, would that be possible…” Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)
Li Shiwu nodded directly: “You give the money, I'll take it, but whether I deliver the goods, I'm not sure.”
“You're playing with me!” the youth glared angrily.
“Not so, it's just that the Five-Fingered Horse is not with me.”
After Li Shiwu finished speaking, he looked at the basket-carrying woman again.
He asked, “I find the Human Rearing Sect quite sinister, how can it be called a national religion?”
Hearing this, the woman couldn't help but chuckle, covering her lips: “Daoist Li, don't be so narrow-minded.”
“Although the Human Rearing Sect transforms humans into beasts, the people they use are mostly those who commit crimes, engage in rape and plunder, and have committed grave sins.”
“Rather than killing them, it's better to turn them into cattle and horses, making the best use of them.”
“For example, there was once a trafficker who abducted infants. Afterwards, he was found by a Human Rearing Sect cultivator, who transformed the trafficker into an ox and gifted him to that family. He served as an ox and a horse for decades, often suffering beatings, and eventually died from exhaustion.”
“Given this, how can it not be called a national religion?”
The woman took a sip of tea and smiled again: “The Great Yao has two national religions, and the Human Rearing Sect is considered the better one.”
“As for the other one, that's truly sinister!”
“And it is called, the Ten Forms Gate.”
For a moment, the few people in the hall fell silent, seemingly all having heard of the Ten Forms Gate and unwilling to mention it further.
“Ten Forms!” Li Shiwu chewed on these two words, and instantly, he also felt something extraordinary.
He had come to meet these people intending to gather some information, and now it seemed that although the harvest was ordinary, it wasn't a wasted trip.
Besides that, he also wanted to witness for himself just how terrifying the so-called Sui Demons truly were.
At this moment, the old monk, who had been resting with his eyes closed, twirled the prayer beads in his hand and suddenly spoke: “Everyone, it's getting late. Let's go early and return early, so we can restore peace to this area.”
Having said that, he strode out with large steps.
The youth and the woman followed closely behind. Seeing this, Li Shiwu didn't hesitate and immediately chose to follow.
The big man Liu Shaohu hurriedly called out, “Esteemed masters, Jule Town is relying on you…”
The red sun set in the west, and dusk began to rise.
Birds lightly touched the water's surface, splashing circles of shimmering gold that dazzled the eyes.
Outside Jule Town, there was a ten-zhang wide river.
Li Shiwu and the three stood by the river, gazing at the entire town, only then realizing that although Jule Town was called a town, its scale was enormous.
Houses were arranged in neat rows and columns, stretching endlessly, with cooking smoke rising gently.
The basket-carrying woman sighed: “Alas, in this world today, I don't know how those 'Sui' appeared.”
“There's no other way, my Great Yao can only order the people under its rule to gather and live together as much as possible, because if it were a remote small village, even encountering a single Sui Beast would lead to complete annihilation.”
“As for us cultivators, whether from sects or families, we also live among the secular world, hidden among people.”
Hearing this, Li Shiwu suddenly realized. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)
For years, they had slept in the wilderness, yet never saw any cultivators rumored to bathe in morning winds and drink morning dew.
The reason, it turned out, was that they had long been hidden in the secular world.
“Esteemed patrons, follow me.”
The old monk uttered a sentence, leading the few people along the riverbank to an Earth God Temple.
It was open on all four sides, covered in cobwebs, and did not enshrine an Earth God statue.
The only striking sight was the array of corpses on the ground, covered with white cloths, exuding an eerie and sinister aura.
The old monk's tone was quite solemn: “Esteemed patrons, these before you are the common folk killed by that Sui Demon.”
“One hundred and two people, in just half a month, lost their lives so inexplicably. Alas, this world is becoming increasingly difficult.”
Beside him, Li Shiwu surveyed his surroundings, smelling the faint scent of blood and the decaying odor pervading the air.
“Gulp~”
He couldn't help but swallow.
The sound of swallowing saliva, in this silent dilapidated temple, was as clear as a pin dropping, and it also reached the ears of the others.
Instantly, the three people's expressions changed.
They stared at Li Shiwu, full of wariness, as if he were some vengeful ghost or demon.
The sword-wielding youth angrily said, “You, surnamed Li, are you some evil cultivator who specializes in devouring and refining the flesh and blood of living people for cultivation?”
The basket-carrying woman also paled, “Daoist… Daoist Li, did we leave in a hurry and you're hungry?”
“I have some food here, look…”
As for Li Shiwu, he was equally horrified inside.
Now, because of the black soil beneath his feet, his body was constantly shriveling, tormenting him.
Yet, seeing over a hundred corpses before him, and smelling that decaying and bloody odor, an uncontrollable craving arose within him.
That was, if he ate them, his physical condition would be relieved.
If he ate them, he could live!
Comments
No comments found.