My actions in this village basically made the villagers aware of me.
They also knew my capabilities.
It felt very good to be able to help my hometown with my own ability.
Leaving there, I started heading towards the town.
At the same time, I was very curious about the Ghost Buddha Bead I had obtained.
So, I asked Shen Hou:
"Brother Monkey, what is the origin of this Ghost Buddha Bead? Does it have any special features?"
Hearing me speak, Shen Hou replied:
"The Ghost Buddha Bead originates from the Land of Tibetan Buddhism, and it is the sarira of Tibetan Buddhist heretics.
Three hundred years ago, I encountered a Ghost Buddha demon in western Sichuan.
Within its body was such a Ghost Buddha Bead, also known as a Ghost Buddha sarira.
Legend has it that this thing possesses the power of evil Buddhas.
Other than that, I know nothing else, as it involves some secrets and inheritances of the Tibetan Buddhist domain..."
Shen Hou told me everything he knew.
I narrowed my eyes, processing this information.
The Land of Tibetan Buddhism, the Ghost Buddha Bead.
So, these evil Buddha demon fish had some connection with the Tibetan Buddhist side?
There was too little information for me to make a judgment.
Anyway, this thing was already in my hands.
After returning, I would show it to my uncle-master, and perhaps later to Aunt Yunxia and Xia Qiu Xi.
After all, Aunt Yunxia and Xia Qiu Xi had gone to the Land of Tibetan Buddhism once two years ago and had eradicated evil Buddhas.
I drove towards the town.
The sky had already begun to darken.
On the dim country road, only my three-wheeled vehicle was chugging along.
By the time I reached the town, it was past eight in the evening.
The sky was completely dark, and there wasn't a single pedestrian in the town.
Only sparse windows showed lights.
Even the shops were all closed.
I drove my vehicle directly to the water wharf.
However, when I arrived at the wharf again, I found the situation completely different from during the day.
The sound of surging waves was constant.
The river water was turbulent, and in the middle of the river, a large whirlpool had formed.
Waves of sinister ghostly energy were constantly emerging like steam.
"Such heavy sinister energy!"
I muttered to myself.
As soon as I spoke, Zi Shu said:
"Young Master Qin, the sinister energy here is more than ten times that of the reservoir during the day, and the things below are likely more than ten times more malevolent."
I wholeheartedly agreed.
In the river during the day, I could still navigate it alone.
But here, going down alone might put me at a significant disadvantage.
After thinking, I said:
"Let's wait another two hours. Once the surrounding residents are mostly asleep, you will descend with me to exorcise the evil.
Tonight, this river shall be cleansed."
"Yes!"
"..."
The twelve demon souls responded.
As for me, I directly sat cross-legged by the roadside and began to meditate and circulate my qi.
Having just broken through to the True Light realm today, I also needed time to stabilize my foundation.
My dantian was circulating qi, and because this was a breakthrough to a major realm,
my dantian had already generated twenty-two strands of true qi.
The mystic core, from being a single inner core, had begun to emit a halo.
Because I possessed the attributes of gold, fire, and wood,
the halo above my mystic core was a mixture of three colors.
And this was True Light.
Following True Light was the Dao Body realm.
True Light would condense and form human figures...
But that was not something I needed to consider now.
For now, I only needed to stabilize my cultivation.
My qi flowed, circulating through my limbs and bones.
My own strength had also improved to an unprecedented level.
Under the True Light realm, my strength and perception had once again increased.
It was a qualitative leap, so to speak.
Now, as long as I maintained this state,
I could even hear the conversations of residents on the tenth floor.
Two to three hours passed quickly.
I felt no fatigue at all.
Even without eating for the entire day, I felt full of energy.
This was the difference for cultivators.
Looking back at the river,
the water was still churning, with black energy surging, and the entities within were likely very active.
Meanwhile, I organized my belongings.
Peach wood sword, Yin-Yang Treasure Pearl, demon-subduing pestle, concealment robe, various talismans.
Most of them were wet and unusable.
However, some talismans in their talismanic state could still be activated.
Looking at these items, I began to strategize.
Should I bring the twelve ghost killers down with me and charge straight in, causing chaos?
Or should I use the concealment robe to sneak into the water silently, observe the internal situation, and then make a plan?
After thinking, I felt it was better to be cautious.
After all, I hadn't used this concealment cloak made of water silkworm silk yet.
Let's see if this thing was really as effective as they said.
Therefore, I directly draped the cloak over myself.
The cloak was very soft and cool against my skin.
Its special property could shield my aura.
After preparing, I said to the twelve demon souls of the purple bone vine:
"Twelve Demon Generals!"
"Young Master Qin, please give your orders."
"..."
I will go down into the water first to scout the situation.
If necessary, I will ask you to act.
"Young Master Qin, rest assured!"
"Young Master Qin, even if you don't say it, we will avenge our brother Pig!"
"Yes, tonight we will turn everything upside down."
"Isn't it just evil Buddha souls? My twelve brothers and sisters will be able to eradicate them all."
"..."
The twelve demon souls were very spirited.
They were practically saying:
"Young Master Qin, you don't need to bother at all. You just wait here, and we twelve demon generals will handle it."
Of course, I trusted the strength of the twelve demon souls.
However, I also needed tempering.
And more importantly, I needed whetstones.
If the twelve demon souls settled everything for me, my path of cultivation might stagnate.
What I needed was strength,
and more profound cultivation.
The fastest path to achieve this was to put myself in danger, to face brutal life-and-death struggles.
Only then could I become stronger in a short period.
After making arrangements.
Wearing the cloak, I entered the water from an inconspicuous section of the river.
My movements were very light, causing no ripples at all.
And something even more miraculous happened.
As the concealment cloak met water, the runes inscribed within it activated automatically.
Then, it began to absorb my spiritual power.
Not much, but it was continuously absorbing...
As the cloak continued to absorb my spiritual power, an inexplicable aura began to envelop me.
The first sensation was lightness.
I felt as if my entire body had become lighter, like a fish in water, without any resistance.
Not only that, but even more peculiar was.
I felt as if the surrounding water waves were being repelled by the concealment cloak.
In front of my mouth and nose, a bubble formed, free from water stains.
At this moment, I was stunned.
This way, I could speak in the water.
I never expected the water silkworm concealment cloak to possess such miraculous abilities.
After putting it on, it not only isolated my aura but also automatically activated the cloak's inscribed formations in the water, forming a gentle qi shield over the wearer's face.
Although it was still impossible to breathe,
it allowed the wearer to speak in the water.
Miraculous, too miraculous...
I had heard my master say before that there were countless treasures in the Daoist sect, of all kinds.
Some could fly, some could dive into the sea.
But with the passage of time, many had been lost.
I never expected that the water silkworm concealment cloak I accidentally obtained would have such a function, which was wonderful.
This way, I could move freely in the water and cast spells and talismans at will, without being restricted by anyone or having my combat effectiveness reduced...