Chapter 5498
Then, he turned to look at Hu Mazi, his face darkening: “Master Hu, you are quite capable, aren’t you? You ran off to the Seventh Heaven without saying goodbye. With your limited strength, you almost lost your soul just now!”
His tone was filled with a hint of blame, but more of it was concern for Hu Mazi.
Hu Mazi scratched his head, his face full of guilt: “I’m just worried that you’ll worry, and I also want to find the souls of my people as soon as possible…”
His voice became smaller and smaller, like a child who had done something wrong.
“Are you worried that I’ll worry? You running to such a dangerous place alone is what really worries me!”
Kai sighed, his tone softening. “Tell me what you found out first. What exactly happened?”
His eyes were full of concern, hoping that Hu Mazi could tell him what happened in detail.
Hu Mazi quickly recounted everything he had heard in the teahouse and witnessed at the altar, especially the story of the Temple stealing the souls of the monks under the guise of opening the altar. He spoke with gritted teeth, “Those monks thought they were going to listen to teachings and practice, but they were actually going to die! If we hadn’t discovered this a few days later, who knows how many more would have had their souls siphoned away!”
His voice was filled with rage, like an enraged lion.
Kai’s expression grew increasingly grim.
The Temple, a divine organization, had actually colluded with demonic cultivators and persecuted monks. If word got out, the entire celestial realm would be in turmoil.
He imagined the celestial realm in chaos, countless monks perished in the flames of war, civilians displaced.
He understood the gravity of the situation and knew that the Temple’s conspiracy must be stopped immediately.
“Let’s go to the Soul Gathering Altar and investigate. We must find out exactly how they’re stealing souls.”
His eyes revealed a firm resolve, like an unshakable mountain.
The two of them found a ready-made clothing store, changed into the coarse black robes commonly worn by seventh-level cultivators, and used their spiritual energy to slightly change their appearance. They pretended to be casual cultivators who came to listen to the teachings and walked towards the Soul Gathering Altar.
Their steps were steady and resolute, each one brimming with a pursuit of truth and a commitment to justice.
The Soul Gathering Altar, built on a high platform in the heart of Black Wind City, was crowded with cultivators, most of whom had come to increase their cultivation or to join the temple. Their faces were filled with anticipation.
Their eyes revealed a thirst for cultivation, hoping to achieve a breakthrough through this sermon.
At the center of the platform stood a cultivator in golden robes, holding a jade ruyi. He spoke loudly, “Fellow Daoists, today’s sermon is to draw the profound energy of heaven and earth into your bodies, helping you break through bottlenecks! Simply calm your mind and follow my guidance!”
His voice was resonant and powerful, possessing a magical power that captivated the surrounding cultivators.
Kai quietly released a trace of his spiritual sense, sweeping across the platform.
Like an invisible hand, his consciousness gently touched everything around him.
He soon noticed something amiss: a circle of black runes lay buried beneath the platform. These runes exuded an eerie aura, as if concealing countless secrets.
The runes connected to a hidden groove in the center of the platform, and the groove faintly smelled of the aura of a soul urn.
Furthermore, the jade ruyi in the hands of the golden-robed monk was emitting a faint hypnotic aura, gradually causing the surrounding monks to relax their vigilance.
That hypnotic aura, like an invisible thread, quietly wrapped around the monks, causing them to fall into a deep sleep without realizing it.
“Pay attention to the areas between the monks’ eyebrows,”
Kai said to Hu Mazi in a voice only the two of them could hear. His voice was low and mysterious, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
Hu Mazi looked closely and saw that from the eyebrows of the monks who had closed their eyes and were concentrating, a wisp of light blue soul thread was slowly floating out, following the direction of the jade ruyi and quietly entering the groove of the platform.