Chapter 157: Chapter 123: Finally Seeing the Cannibal Painting

"Quick! Put out the fire!"

"It’s the Master’s ’Wait and See Zen’!"

"Extinguish the flames, now!"

The Miracle Technique, like some divine act, was cast in response to the shouts. After a moment of shock, the temple monks began to fight the fire in an orderly manner.

The intermittent sound of a wooden fish being struck came from inside, and an aged voice would occasionally drift out.

"Wait a moment."

"Wait a moment."

The astonishing blaze was held at bay outside the temple, unable to get in.

’So this is the legendary figure said to be close to the Grandmaster level?’

Zheng Xiu sucked in a breath of the scorching air, feeling a searing pain in his lungs.

This, perhaps, was the bizarre charm of Path Mystic Skills—they were strange and wondrous in every way imaginable.

Feng Bei’s hands were like an ominous curse, capable of extinguishing anything.

Zheng Xiu’s [Prisoner] Path allowed him to travel via Divine Travel with his Incarnation, and his [Surprise Cage] was like a hand-made nuke that had destroyed Feng Bei’s mountain.

Chu Susu could steal things from a distance, making her impossible to guard against.

Zheng Xiu’s and Feng Bei’s Miracle Techniques leaned more toward pure "destruction," while some of Zheng Xiu’s minor Traits also had various different effects.

Different Paths, different Miracle Techniques—in this vast world, each displayed its own unique power.

The fire, held outside the temple, burned for a full hour.

Under the effect of Master Dengdeng’s Miracle Technique, the fire only burned the courtyard walls; the inside was completely unscathed.

After the fire was extinguished, black smoke billowed from the burnt courtyard walls, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning.

Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei stepped into Yunliu Temple. They found that in the center of the ring of fire, the dead grass and fallen leaves were completely unharmed. Inside and outside Yunliu Temple, the withered grass roots and the blackened, scorched earth were like two separate worlds, clearly delineated.

Inside the scorched courtyard walls, several tall ginkgo trees were planted outside the main temple. It was the dead of winter, so fan-shaped ginkgo leaves were scattered across the courtyard. Some had been swept up by the monks and piled in a corner.

Several menacing statues of demonic figures were spaced about ten feet apart along both sides of the stone path. The demonic statues had ferocious faces, but they all wore imposing Armor and carried various weapons. They stood in a row like mighty soldiers. At the end of the line of demonic soldiers was a "General statue."

The stone statue was stunningly lifelike. Its steed’s front hooves were reared high. The General sat atop it with a faint smile, one hand outstretched to his side as if reaching for someone.

Beside the General’s statue, one could faintly make out where another statue once stood. But after two hundred years, it was long gone, destroyed by some unknown person. Only a bare stone pedestal remained, covered in a thick layer of moss.

In front of the General’s statue was a Bronze Tripod censer. The remains of incense sticks were stuck in it, and a thick layer of ash coated the bottom.

Yunliu Temple did not worship gods or Buddhas. It revered General Xie Yunliu, who had left behind god-like legends in the area. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Although Yunliu Temple only covered about seven acres, it was fully equipped with auxiliary halls and even had living quarters for the monks. The small temple had all the necessary facilities.

After fighting the fire, many of the monks were lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Zheng Xiu led the way, with Feng Bei behind him. Chu Susu followed silently at the very back.

The three of them took advantage of the other monks’ distraction and entered Yunliu Temple directly.

"The painting."

Feng Bei reminded him.

She was very focused on it.

Feng Bei had been traveling with Zheng Xiu for a while now. Without even realizing it, she had gradually forgotten her identity as Upper Three of Ye Weiyang. She had simply become a little follower, trailing after Zheng Xiu to help him find that painting.

She touched the two paper-mâché masks hanging from her waist and reminded him again, "Be careful."

"Okay." Zheng Xiu nodded in agreement, then turned to Chu Susu, who was trailing at the back, and warned her with a serious expression, "Don’t go stealing things randomly."

Chu Susu still hadn’t recovered from the two bizarre, supernatural events: the "Mighty Man’s triple flight" and "Master Dengdeng extinguishing a fire with his words." She nodded blankly and grunted in acknowledgment.

Ever since she had accidentally glimpsed a Path and awakened a Miracle Technique six months ago, she had remained ignorant of this world, not even knowing what "Miracle Techniques" or "Paths" were. For a time, she even believed her [Broken Hand Stealing Skill] was a disease and was miserable about it for ages. But now, after following Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei for just half a day, she felt a whole new world opening up before her. It made the world seem vast and strange, yet she also felt a faint glimmer of anticipation for the "new life" to come.

Zheng Xiu walked to the General’s statue, clasped his fist in his hand in a gesture of respect, performing the proper etiquette. Then, he walked past the equestrian statue of the General and headed for the main hall.

The main hall’s doors were ajar, and before them lay a flight of nine smooth, mossy stone steps.

"Hmm? What’s this?"

Zheng Xiu was about to walk up when he looked down and noticed something strange.

On the first and second steps, there were footprints of different sizes.

The shoe sizes were clearly not from the same person. Even the thickness of the moss on them varied, as if, over the flow of time, they had recorded the footsteps of different people from different eras.

Zheng Xiu was puzzled for a moment, but he took the first step anyway.

As Zheng Xiu’s foot landed on the first stone step, the aged voice once again came from inside the half-open main hall.

"Wait a moment."

The moment the voice fell.

Zheng Xiu’s foot, reaching for the second step, froze abruptly in mid-air.

Feng Bei, who was behind him, also stopped.

"Wait a moment."

Zheng Xiu gritted his teeth, trying to stomp his foot down with all his might.

CRACK.

His other supporting foot stomped down hard, leaving a shallow footprint in the stone step.

Zheng Xiu instantly understood how the footprints on the steps had been made!

He looked toward the main hall in shock.

His raised foot no longer felt like his own. The three words "Wait a moment" were like a demonic incantation buzzing in his ears, preventing him from taking that second step.

’Interesting.’

Zheng Xiu stood proudly on one leg, brought his palms together, and prepared to clap them over his ears to deafen himself.

He had met the deaf-mute people from Incompleteness Tower before and learned that some Miracle Techniques use sound as a medium.