The five words "Sunlight and Shadow" seemed to be an incantation that opened Jin Fo's half-closed eyes, eyes that were filled with the world's filth and chaos.

It was the embodiment of all "evil," the gaze of a thousand-year-old demon from hell fixed upon the mortal realm.

Out of instinct, everyone in the hall subconsciously looked up to meet the eyes of Jin Fo.

Boom!

Everyone's thoughts exploded, memories jumbled, thinking distorted, emotions in turmoil… Blood poured from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses.

The members on the prayer mats fell in disarray, clutching their heads and screaming in agony.

"Amitabha…"

At that critical moment, Master Wuhen steadied his emotions, his Buddhist chant echoing within the hall. Jin Fo's eyes slowly closed again, returning to their half-closed state.

The Buddhist chant possessed the power to soothe the chaos and heal the wounds, and the throbbing headaches immediately subsided.

The painful screams turned into gasps.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Master Wuhen caused the members to vanish inch by inch, as if erased by a rubber, leaving only Zhang Yuanqing behind.

In the large suite on the second floor of the hotel, everyone's figures simultaneously reappeared, returning to their original seats. All of them slumped in their chairs, panting heavily, their faces pale, like travelers who had narrowly escaped the jaws of a tiger.

"What happened?" Head Instructor Lin Chong staggered to his feet, his face a picture of doomsday dread. "The Buddha statue opened its eyes? The Buddha statue opened its eyes! Did the Master lose control?!"

The expressions of the others were similarly panicked, and they turned their gazes towards the gloomy "Aunt Guo," no, Aunt Fang. As a Level 6 Dream Weaver, she shared the same profession as Master Wuhen. If the Master had lost control, she would have been able to sense it.

Aunt Fang's face was grim as she said coldly, "What's the panic? If the Master had lost control, do you think we'd be out here?"

Hearing this, the others' complexions improved slightly. Little Round whispered, "But the Master's Buddha statue did open its eyes. That's the first time in decades."

"This shows that the Master almost lost control just now," Yang Bo said, his tone more serious than ever before.

Why did the Master lose control?

"It's Yuanshi Tianzun," the honest middle-aged man said with a strange smile. "That kid said something to the Master. It wasn't repentance, I'm talking about the last sentence."

The people in the room exchanged glances, all seeing confusion and incomprehension in each other's eyes.

"Didn't, didn't hear it," Kou Beiyue said, scratching his head. "I only heard him say he was giving the Master a chance to repent. Geez, giving the Master a chance to repent? Is Yuanshi Tianzun crazy?"

The others ignored the rebellious teenager's nonsense.

Aunt Fang said in a deep voice, "Yuanshi Tianzun's last sentence was wrapped in illusion. The level of the person using the illusion is higher than mine, so it's normal that you couldn't hear it. But it can't be denied that that sentence almost made the Master lose control."

"So, what exactly did he say?" Chong Ge asked, his eyes wide.

No one could answer him, because that was exactly what everyone was curious about. "Master Wuhen won't be in danger, will he? Is the government going to deal with us?" Zhao Xintong was young but extremely good at interpreting others with malice.

"No!" Yang Bo shook his head. "The government wouldn't send Yuanshi Tianzun to his death."

The others fell silent, each trying to recall the scene of the Master losing control, trying to remember Yuanshi Tianzun's lip movements. But his position was too far forward, and they could only see his back, not his face.

After a long time, the seductive bank teller tutted and said, "Today is really interesting. Yuanshi Tianzun is actually a more eccentric and dangerous person than us, and he came prepared, holding back a big move to reveal to the Master."

"Little Round, you've known him the longest, you're the most familiar with him. Did you know about this?"

Everyone looked at Little Round.

Since leaving the Buddha Hall, Little Round's brow had been furrowed. After thinking for a while, she said, "His mental state is indeed problematic, particularly extreme, but it shouldn't be this exaggerated. Maybe…"

She paused, then sighed. "I didn't tell you the details of what happened in the dungeon. He was possessed by the boss in the dungeon and paid a huge price to reverse the situation…"

Little Round narrated the events that had occurred in the dungeon.

The others listened in silence. Kou Beiyue already knew these things and had no desire to hear them again. He looked around and saw the little fatty huddled in the corner, hugging his knees, looking like the world was rejecting him… no, looking like he didn't want to attract the world's attention.

"What's wrong?" Kou Beiyue asked, leaning closer.

The little fatty raised his head, his eyes dull, without a spark of hope. "Boss, I want to go back to the Southern Faction…"

"Why?"

"Just pretend I'm dead. Social death is also death. When you experience social death somewhere, the best way to deal with it is to develop somewhere else," the little fatty said sadly.

"Oh, then go."

"What? Boss, aren't you going to try to keep me?"

"No need. Later, I'll spread your past deeds on the black market. When you experience death in the Southern Faction as well, you'll come back."

"Boss, you've been playing the Fire Master all along, haven't you? You're actually a cunning Enchanter."

"Are you stupid? I was an Enchanter to begin with."

…

The ancient and serene Buddha Hall.

Zhang Yuanqing gasped for breath, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. He panted for a long time before his disordered heartbeat gradually calmed down, and the tearing sensation in his soul lessened a lot.

Finally having the strength to speak, Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and said, "Master, do you still remember the Xiaoyao Organization?"

"Amitabha, the past is like smoke. Why bring it up again?" Master Wuhen's voice was low and filled with pain. "How did Benefactor know about this poor monk's past?"

"The spirit of the zoo told me," Zhang Yuanqing said.

This time, Master Wuhen was silent for a few seconds before replying:

"Why did it tell you?"

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the quietly burning candlelight, smelling the curling incense. Now that it had come to this, he felt somewhat hesitant.

Before coming, he had read faces, observed constellations, and even used Xiahou Aotian's divination tool to cast a hex for himself. Finally, he had reported today's itinerary to Fu Qingyang and his sister Fu Qingxuan.

After weighing things in his heart for a few seconds, he said, "Master, do you know my real name?"

Master Wuhen sat silently, not answering.

Zhang Yuanqing stared into his profound eyes, then continued, "My surname is Zhang, the Zhang of Zhang Tianshi."

As soon as he said this, the Buddha statue's half-closed eyes seemed to twitch, showing a faint sign of opening again.

The entire Buddha Hall shook violently, but quickly returned to calm. This Buddha Hall was a manifestation of Master Wuhen's state of mind, and the movements of the Buddha Hall represented the Master's emotions.

After saying these words, Zhang Yuanqing went all in, no longer caring. "My dad was Zhang Tianshi. He passed away when I was just starting elementary school. I have almost no memory of him. It wasn't until I became a Night Wanderer and joined the government that I had the chance to enter the zoo. The spirit recognized me as Zhang Tianshi based on my bloodline. I searched the official database and learned about the existence of the Xiaoyao Organization. Recently, a series of things happened in Songhai. Marshal killed the Dark Night Rose's Great Protector and discovered that he was Shan Heyongcun, the former Elder of the Taiyi Sect. The government already knows that Ling Tuo is the leader of the Dark Night Rose."

"So I went to the zoo and confessed my identity to the spirit. It didn't know what happened back then, but it told me your identity. You are the most mysterious Child of Shadow."

After saying all this in one breath, Zhang Yuanqing straightened his back and leaned forward. "Master, the reason I came here this time is to ask you about the events of the past. What exactly did you four do in 1999?"

The hall was silent.

After a long, long time, Master Wuhen put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer in a low voice, "Amitabha! So you are the son of an old acquaintance."

Zhang Yuanqing clasped his hands together and bowed. "Please enlighten me, Master."

"Benefactor Zhang, the past is already like passing smoke. Why be so obsessed?" Master Wuhen sighed. "What good will it do you to know too much?"

Zhang Yuanqing smiled wryly. "Master, someone told me that my father left me something back then. I guess it's a core fragment of the Light Compass. I'm already in the middle of the game. If I can't know myself and my enemy, I'm afraid I won't even know how I die in the future. Master, for the sake of my father, for the sake of our relationship, please tell me."

He and Master Wuhen also had a relationship.

Master Wuhen was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "The you that was displayed in the mirror just now is the most authentic you. You do not have a core fragment of the Light Compass on you."

"Master, when I was in high school, the Compass fragment had some kind of problem. It suddenly tore my soul…"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Master Wuhen, whose tone was filled with gravity and confusion. "What did you say?"

"I said, the Compass fragment tore my soul."

"The Compass fragment does not have this ability."

Zhang Yuanqing was stunned.

"You you you…" His expression became agitated, and his voice turned into a questioning tone.

"The Compass fragment can't tear my soul? How is that possible? You saw it just now, my soul was indeed patched up. This information was told to me by my closest person. She wouldn't lie to me. We are in a relationship where we can entrust each other with our lives."

Because he was too emotional, he changed from sitting cross-legged to kneeling, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the Master's back.

Master Wuhen's tone remained unchanged. "It will not tear anyone's soul. Yuanshi, the core fragment of the Light Compass is not on you. The problem with your spirit comes from something else."

Zhang Yuanqing's buttocks slumped downward, and he sat down dejectedly. "Then, what is the reason?"

"This poor monk does not know."

After a few seconds of silence, Master Wuhen slowly narrated, "Back then, the four of us used the Light Compass fragment to open a mysterious passage. It led to the deepest part of The Way of the Extraordinary. There, we saw the truth of The Way of the Extraordinary. It was a truth that would make one despair."

"We didn't dare to stay too long and used the Compass fragment to return to reality. That exploration caused disagreements among us. Ling Tuo believed that this matter should be made public, but Zhang Tianshi felt that this would only cause panic and lead to the collapse of the social structure."

"Before we could argue to a conclusion, an even more troublesome thing happened. We were cursed. A terrible curse. Even the power of the Sun God, which is said to purify everything, could not eliminate it. We couldn't find the source. Our spiritual bodies and physical bodies couldn't find any problems, but our bodies were deteriorating, step by step approaching decay."

Zhang Yuanqing, who was in a daze, gradually brought his thoughts back and boldly guessed, "Is it a curse from The Way of the Extraordinary?"

"It's not The Way of the Extraordinary, but it can also be said to be The Way of the Extraordinary," Master Wuhen said. "At first, we knew nothing about the curse. Chu Shang and Ling Tuo returned to their families. They searched through all the information but couldn't find a way to resolve it. What truly made us know the true face of the curse was an experiment that Ling Tuo did."

"What experiment?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

"Ling Tuo told a commoner the secret of the depths of The Way of the Extraordinary. As a result, that person was immediately entangled in the curse and died tragically."

Master Wuhen sighed. "The curse was brought out by us from the depths of The Way of the Extraordinary. When we learned the truth of The Way of the Extraordinary, we suffered the curse. All those who know the truth will be cursed."

Zhang Yuanqing thought for a while and tentatively asked, "Have you tried telling a demigod?"

"Ling Tuo tried. He told the Taiyi Sect Leader."

"So, demigods are ineffective?" Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "So, I'm not qualified to know the secret of the depths of The Way of the Extraordinary yet, am I?"

Master Wuhen remained silent.

At least there were still some gains. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a long time and said, "You have been sitting here for more than ten years! Is it to fight against the curse?"

Master Wuhen nodded slightly.

"The curse has the characteristics of both a curse and an evil profession. As the curse deepens, I gradually can't control my nature. Every day I am tormented by the desire for bloodlust. It is extremely painful."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing put his hands together and piously chanted, "Amitabha."

Not to the Buddha, but to this Master.

Fighting against instinct for more than ten years, enduring pain for more than ten years, he sighed at his lack of perseverance and composure.

Zhang Yuanqing continued to ask, "Do you know how Ling Tuo died? Why didn't Chu Shang use the Mother Goddess's womb to revive Ling Tuo?"

Master Wuhen was silent for a moment, then his low voice echoed in the hall, "Because Ling Tuo was killed by the three of us."

…

ps: I'll update with the corrected version later.

Due to various issues, the address has been changed to please collect the new address to avoid getting lost.