The men in front, holding shields, were bewildered. They stared into the boundless darkness before them, seeing nothing. Even with night vision goggles, all they could discern were bodies lying haphazardly on the ground.
Just then, several wisps of black mist lunged forward, passing directly through the shields and striking them.
In an instant, an icy chill spread from their feet to their heads. More terrifyingly, they found their bodies unresponsive!
At this moment, more black mist surged towards Jin Peng. Jin Peng and his companions were greatly alarmed and opened fire repeatedly, but their weapons were utterly incapable of harming the black mist.
It was then that Master Zhizhang intervened. He produced a circular bronze mirror, etched with numerous symbols. Those familiar with Chinese culture would recognize these as Buddhist mantras.
Following this, the Zen master began reciting Buddhist scriptures. Those who understood would have recognized it as the Diamond Sutra, though likely few could comprehend it, as he chanted in Sanskrit.
At that moment, the bronze mirror in his hand suddenly illuminated like a light bulb, and a torrent of light was released from it. The mirror swept through the darkness, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter.
Several wisps of black mist had just reached Jin Peng, less than a meter away. Just then, the light swept over them.
The light had no effect on human bodies, but when it struck the black mist, the mist seemed to ignite, instantly evaporating!
Master Zhizhang took a few steps forward, positioning himself at the forefront of the group. The bronze mirror grew brighter, its light illuminating more than half of the underground space.
Wherever the light touched, the black mist in the space burned and vanished.
After a minute, the bronze mirror began to dim. Master Zhizhang, on the other hand, appeared pale, covered in sweat, his lips tinged with blue.
Clearly, these were the symptoms of his immense exertion from casting the spell.
Just as the light from the bronze mirror was about to extinguish completely, Master Zhizhang aimed it at the men holding shields, whose bodies were still immobilized. The light from the mirror swept over their bodies, and they immediately felt a burning sensation as if their bodies were ablaze.
The next moment, the force restraining their bodies vanished. These men collapsed heavily onto the ground, gasping for breath as if they had just escaped a terrible nightmare!
At this point,arios was dumbfounded. As a foreigner, he had never witnessed such bizarre phenomena. Everything that had just transpired far exceeded his understanding.
Jin Peng’s eyes were fixed on the now utterly exhausted Master Zhizhang.
“Master, just now, what exactly happened…”
“It is Yin Sha. My prediction was correct. Someone has indeed entered, and they employed the technique of Five Ghosts Transporting…”
“Then, is it safe inside now?”
“It should be mostly safe. The Buddhist power within my artifact has been completely depleted. It should have eliminated some of the entities within.”
“Quick, go in!” Jin Peng turned and said fiercely toarios and his subordinates.
Despite their reluctance,arios and his men shuffled forward into the space.
Just then, with a crack, the lighting in the entire underground space was restored. Upon seeing the scene before them, Jin Peng staggered, nearly suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.
This underground space, spanning over a thousand square meters, was now completely empty, save for some discarded shelves and the more than ten guards lying on the ground, unmoving, their fates unknown!
Supported by two individuals, Master Zhizhang also entered the underground space. He had been inside once before to set up a formation and knew that the area was filled with cash and gold. Yet, it was now empty.
“Indeed, indeed. To move so much from inside in front of so many of us, it must have been the Five Ghosts Transporting technique!
Young Master Jin Peng, I can now confirm that the person who infiltrated the vault this time must be a cultivator!
This person seems to possess invisibility, allowing them to sneak into the underground warehouse under everyone’s watchful eyes, and they are proficient in a very powerful and advanced form of Five Ghosts Transporting!”
After speaking, Master Zhizhang ignored Jin Peng, who stood there like a wooden statue, and stepped forward to examine the unconscious individuals on the ground. He checked their pulses before returning.
“Young Master, these people have merely fainted. However, their bodies have been invaded by the Yin Sha. While not fatal, it will severely deplete their vitality. It will take at least several years of recuperation to return to normal…”
At this moment,arios, having completed a preliminary inspection of the scene with his men, approached with a grim expression. He couldn't fathom how the other party had accomplished this, yet he was unwilling to believe what this bald old monk was saying.
“Master Zhizhang, if what you say is true, and the intruder into the vault was so powerful, why would they go to such lengths, entering through the entrance in front of so many people? They could have simply infiltrated the vault stealthily and stolen everything without a sound.”
Jin Peng also looked up at Master Zhizhang, his eyes bloodshot, also seeking a logical explanation.
“Young Master Jin Peng, although I do not know the Five Ghosts Transporting technique, I am quite familiar with it.
To perform this technique, the caster must be present at the scene. They cannot be on the surface, casting it on items in the vault from dozens of meters away, otherwise, nothing in this world would be safe from theft.
Furthermore, performing the Five Ghosts Transporting technique requires a certain casting time. If the person stealing the items does not first secure control of the central monitoring system, your security personnel could burst in and interrupt their casting, which is extremely dangerous.
Also, with the control center in their hands, they wouldn't have to worry about surveillance and could then employ some means to remove the items!”
“But even if they could use this ‘Ghost Transporting’ technique you mentioned, where did the thief go?”arios pressed from the side.
Master Zhizhang rolled his eyes atarios.
“In fact, in our China, there are dozens of techniques like passing through walls or even instant teleportation.”
“Then why didn’t they use such a spell to sneak in and steal the items?”arios continued to ask.