Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 119 Unknown Destruction

Meng Danqing's experience reveals a crucial piece of information: someone in the capital may be destroying things with spiritual energy, like temple murals. Based on what he sensed inside the murals, the situation outside is less about destruction and more about gradual encroachment.

Such actions are similar to the White Lotus Sect's large-scale killing of monsters. Some special paintings and sculptures have developed self-awareness due to spiritual energy, which is similar to the intelligence of animals and plants. Just like the Flower Scattering Fairy that Meng Danqing met, who lived in the painting, although her constitution was different from that of ordinary monsters, she could still be considered an example of a spirit.

Could the people who vandalized the murals in the capital be followers of the White Lotus Sect? There are many capable and extraordinary people in the capital, so the monsters are more obedient and those with insufficient cultivation dare not show themselves easily. It is reasonable that the cultists cannot openly capture monsters, nor dare to cause trouble in the capital, so they would look to other places.

Ordinary monsters are harder to catch now, so items with a long history and the ability to retain their own spiritual energy naturally become the new targets. The murals in that temple in the capital city have not been covered in dust and have always been a famous attraction in the temple.

The scholar who stumbled into the murals was staying at the temple when he was taken by the monks to see the murals and became captivated by the figures in them.

"They actually dared to tamper with things in the capital."

But this raises another question: the murals are not covered in dust like the other two, and they are still famous tourist attractions, so they should be highly valued. How did the other party manage to do this right under the monks' noses?

"Although we didn't go outside at the time, we could already see some of the scenery outside the murals."

Meng Danqing recalled the situation at that time.

"The temple is not very large, the rooms are not very spacious, and there are no monks to be seen, so the temple as a whole is probably not very big."

The monks could be said to have been sent away, or were simply not there, but Meng Danqing couldn't be wrong about the size of the temple. It was likely that the temple itself wasn't a famous one, and might even have been located in a remote part of the capital.

There was no one in front of the mural at the time. The girl who came out with him did not show anything, obviously used to the empty scene outside the mural. Seeing that she thought it was okay, Meng Danqing did not pay attention to the surroundings.

Furthermore, since the other party had escaped, and was in a hurry to leave the world in the mural, it was this eagerness that led her to run into the formation that was devouring the spiritual energy of the mural without any precautions. Fortunately, Meng Danqing was behind her; otherwise, the girl would have been crippled by the formation before she even left the mural world.

The murals in the capital depict a place resembling a celestial palace, and the other two murals are connected to it. In addition, the descriptions by the monks in Changqing indicate that the murals here were painted by a painter from the capital, and the one in Jinling should also have been created by the same painter, so the three can be connected.

When it comes to destruction and formations, Jian Feidao and Ren Pingsheng also have something to say.

"We discovered a sealed snake cave in the back mountain, where a giant snake demon and countless snake offspring live. The seal there has been destroyed recently."

The place where the snake cave was sealed in the back mountain was deliberately damaged, the murals in the capital were deliberately devoured of spiritual energy, and then there was that group of people in the south who were hunting monsters on a large scale. All of these things happened around the same time. Who would believe that they were unrelated?

"Have you two seen the snake den on the back mountain?"

He learned about the snake cave from his former disciple and from his servant that they had found the two men near the snake cave and that the two men had gone there directly. The old monk sent all his attendants away and went to find them by himself.

The servants didn't believe in the matter of possession and resurrection, and the monks didn't know about it. Only in front of Ren Pingsheng and the others could he speak openly and reveal his identity, which is why he sent everyone away and only sent one person over.

Because of the unusual physical characteristics of the group, and the scene of Meng Danqing leading the girl out of the flashing mural, the monks were somewhat afraid of them and dared not come near, which made it easier for the group to talk.

"The matter of the snake cave is a recent occurrence. It is said that someone encountered a Buddha statue in the back mountain, and the entrance to the snake cave appeared."

He explained the matter of the snake pit to everyone. The old monk had lived in the temple for more than eighty years and should know the place like the back of his hand. He never expected that such a change would occur in the back mountain so soon after his death, and that others would almost be in danger.

"Since then, some people have seen snake species they've never seen before in the back mountain. Some brave people have even followed the vines at the entrance of the cave and peered inside, only to find that it was a snake den. If the vines are cut, the snakes inside will jump out and hurt people. Nowadays, people rarely go to the back mountain."

"This young master..."

Meng Danqing looked at the man in his thirties in front of her and hesitated about how to address him. When she first came out of the mural, he was the first person to trust the two of them.

At the time, the attendants and monks beside him called him "Young Master". Since that was the case, Meng Danqing should also call him "Young Master". He was too busy to observe him carefully before, but now that he had time to observe him, he noticed that something was wrong with him.

Although this young man looked to be only in his early thirties, he had an overly calm demeanor, his eyes were as still as a deep well, and his tone of voice was not like that of a young man.

The tone he used to describe the snake pit was like that of an experienced old man who had discovered a mistake in a familiar place and took the blame upon himself. In any case, it exuded a composure beyond his years, which seemed quite incongruous with his appearance and age.

If someone with innate abilities were to say such things, Meng Danqing wouldn't find it strange. Innate beings are known for their age and appearance not matching; there are many who look old but are actually young, and many who look young but are actually old enough to be grandfathers.

But the person speaking now is clearly an ordinary person. He may have some background in martial arts and archery, but he is still an ordinary person who has never practiced martial arts.

"This was actually the original abbot of the temple. After his death, his soul unexpectedly possessed a young man who was already in his eighties."

Seeing Meng Danqing's confusion, Ren Pingsheng took the initiative to explain to him.

"By the way, what's this young lady's name?"

Meng Danqing had already told the people in the temple her name, but another girl who appeared with her fainted shortly after emerging from the mural because she was injured, and didn't have time to introduce herself.

After that, Meng Danqing didn't reveal the name of her temporary companion.

"I don't know that either."

Meng Danqing shook his head. It turned out that, as a temporary companion, he didn't know the girl's name either.

"She didn't tell me her name, and I didn't expect that the murals in the capital would be unable to leave."

If the murals in the capital are intact, Meng Danqing will be able to send the girl away smoothly. After confirming that she will not suffer any adverse effects from being separated from the murals, he will then return to Jinling through the connection in the murals.

In the world of the mural, the girl is already a sinner, and there may be pursuit to follow. Her refusal to tell Meng Danqing her specific name may also have its own considerations.

The snake cave was supposedly destroyed by an ordinary person in an accident, some time ago, but Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao did hear strange noises nearby. The noises couldn't possibly be the snakes inside breaking the seal.

When the venomous snakes attacked in the cave, most of them crashed into the seal. The noise was clearly different from what they had heard before. In any case, there are indeed unresolved issues in the back mountain that cannot be ignored.

At the same time, the affairs of the capital cannot be ignored. Who knows if anything else besides the murals has been harmed in this way? The capital is full of high-ranking officials and nobles and the rare and precious materials they have collected, so there are many options to take advantage of.

Moreover, if the murals are left to be damaged, the world within them may also be affected. In more serious cases, if the murals are gone, the world inside them may also be destroyed.

If it really is the White Lotus Sect who is behind this, they can suppress the people they capture. They are not only capturing monsters, but also consuming the spiritual energy of the food. It seems that the White Lotus Sect's purpose in capturing monsters is not the monsters themselves, but may also be related to their cultivation level and spiritual energy.

"I have to go back inside the murals. Even if I can't damage them, I can at least let the people inside know."

After saying that, Meng Danqing stood up to leave. From the girl's reaction at that time, it could be seen that as a resident of the mural, she could not sense that the mural was being destroyed. The other residents of the mural were probably the same. Even if she could not break the formation on the mural when she returned, she should at least inform the people in the world of the painting.

"Wait a minute."

Jian Feidao stopped Meng Danqing.

"We don't know the specifics yet; it's too dangerous."

The world that exists in the murals is not reality, yet the scenes seen there are even more vivid than reality. Such a stream-of-consciousness existence is truly beyond the comprehension of even a primordial being.

They are incredibly powerful in real life, but not necessarily in the world of paintings. Before Meng Danqing could even see it, he was trapped by the formation on the murals in the capital and had to find another way out.

"Indeed, there are too many uncertainties in the world depicted in the painting. Let's wait until the girl wakes up before deciding on the specifics."

As residents of the murals, the girl knows more about that world than they do. She can ask them for details when they wake up, so at least she won't be completely clueless.

"If all else fails, we can break through from the outside; we don't necessarily have to take the path of the world within the painting."

If they can't break it from the inside, they can come from the outside. Anyway, it won't take too long to get from here to the capital. If they can't beat the realm of consciousness, can't they switch to physical attacks?

“Indeed, if something unexpected happens inside the mural, those outside cannot protect you. Perhaps you, female benefactor, would be better off…”

Ren Pingsheng used his emerald green cane to hook the speaker to his side, interrupting him.

"There's something that might not be very important, but I think I should mention it to avoid any misunderstandings later."

He lowered his voice and leaned close to the other person's ear.

"This Meng Danqing is not a 'female' benefactor, Master, do you understand?"

"Okay, I'll hear... what?"

For a moment, the old monk thought he had misheard, but from Ren Pingsheng's expression, he could tell that he hadn't misheard, and the other party hadn't misspoke.

He carefully considered the meaning of the sentence in his mind and reviewed it again to make sure that he had not misunderstood it. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Meng Danqing, and then turn back to look at Ren Pingsheng. He felt that the thinking ability of his body in his thirties was not quite up to par.

I'm over eighty years old, what kind of scenes have I seen? I've never seen anything like this.

……

The scene shifts back to the south. As Meng Danqing picks up his brush to try and repair the mural, the painter who was rescued earlier is watching from the side. At first, the mural flashes with a dazzling light that blinds the painter. After the light disappears, Meng Danqing is gone, and the colors in a certain area of ​​the mural become brighter.

In a daze, he seemed to see Meng Danqing's figure appear in the mural, but it was just a fleeting image in his eyes. When he pressed himself against the mural to search for her, the figure he had just glimpsed was gone.

As a painter, he had certainly heard stories of adding the finishing touch to a painting, ancient paintings coming to life, or tigers in screens coming to life, but he felt that Meng Danqing was not like that.

Therefore, when the other party appeared to save him, it was as if he had descended from the sky, like a fairy descending to earth. The way he saved him was by rolling him up with his sleeve and taking him away from the tiger's sight.

And this mural, the place where the mural is located was originally a Buddhist temple, but it fell into ruin and was destroyed during the turmoil, leaving only broken walls. He also found this place by chance, liked the exquisite mural, and left it to be restored.

The painter had already studied the content of the mural and found it had nothing to do with Meng Danqing. There had never been a figure similar to Meng Danqing before. It disappeared in a flash of light, so his benefactor must have encountered something.

"No, it's not here either..."

It was the light emanating from the mural that caused Meng Danqing's disappearance. The painter practically glued himself to the mural, searching inch by inch, trying to find any usable clues.

The artist was deeply shaken by the fact that the person who saved his life had vanished into thin air because he also wanted to restore the mural. He even felt as if he had repaid kindness with enmity.

To figure out what was going on, the artist meticulously examined the mural, focusing on the parts that had become brighter.

He didn't realize how eerie and like a madman he looked, standing alone in the drafty, dilapidated house, pressed against the wall, muttering to himself in the shadows.

To onlookers, the scene was so awe-inspiring that even the silently approaching shadows on the ground paused suspiciously because of it.

But there were still pursuers behind him. After hesitating for a moment, the shadowy figure still slipped into the place where the artist kept his luggage. If he looked back at this moment, he would see an extra shadow next to his luggage, as if someone was standing with his luggage.

But looking further up, there was only a pile of luggage, and no one was standing there. Amidst the broken walls and ruins, only the painter himself was studying the relatively well-preserved murals inch by inch.

"Damn it...where did that light take Miss Meng?"

There was only one person suffering alone, but on the ground, the shadows of two people were cast by the setting sun, one in front of the other. One was bent over scratching his forehead and cheek, while the other stood straight and slowly raised his hand.