Chapter 41: Shadow Cavalry! Speedrun Instance
“A higher-tier red candle can be stacked up using multiple white candles, and so on—wouldn’t condensing a seven-colored candle require sacrificing the lives of an entire nation? What kind of power must be born from that to make it worthwhile?”
Jiang Yan clicked his tongue in astonishment. This Buddha felt even more twisted than the evil demons.
He lit the white candle, and a pale flame flickered, releasing a burst of clear fragrance.
The soul, previously as dry as a drained pond, seemed to be infused with a spring of water and was instantly revitalized.
Along with it, his physical state also saw improvement, recovering about one-third of his strength.
“Although Warlord Mode severely overdrew myself, it forcibly raised the soul’s capacity limit. Once my injuries recover, my soul will be able to break through the peak of Spirit Awakening. Now I just lack the right cultivation method.”
Jiang Yan looked forward to it. This instance should conclude soon, and then he could return to level up.
The appetizers were over. Time for the main course.
He had killed the Fly Boy at the Foundation Establishment Stage across a level gap. Risk and reward were proportional.
Of course, the Fly Boy’s corpse wouldn’t be used to convert life force. That would be like firing a cannon at a mosquito—far too wasteful.
Instead, he had given it to the Dark God Embryo to gestate into a new, special skill offspring.
Special Cavalry — Fly Boy
Description: In ancient times, an emperor secretly discussed a general amnesty with his ministers. As he wrote, a fly landed on the tip of his brush and silently flew away.
The next day, the news had spread through the streets and alleys. The commoners rushed to spread the word. It was finally discovered that it was the work of the Fly Boy.
Consumes spiritual energy and vitality to create a low-level swarm of flies for intelligence gathering. Shared vision possible. Has a very small chance of producing a special ability fly.
“This is a biological scout drone.”
It happened to make up for Jiang Yan’s lack of reconnaissance capabilities.
However, he did not choose to use it himself, but instead fed this ability to the Shadow-Eating Serpent, transforming it into a special cavalry named Shadow-Winged Snake.
Hiss—
The dual-headed serpent surfaced beneath his feet. One of its shattered skulls hung limp, and thick black blood dripped onto the ground.
In the span of a breath, it transformed into over thirty small black snakes the size of fingernails.
They had twin wings growing from their backs, compound eyes like those of insects, and hovered quietly in midair, utterly silent.
Thump!
Jiang Yan spoke softly, “Go, find out the truth of Monkey King Temple for me!”
As his words fell, the Shadow-Winged Snakes turned into shadows, slipping through door cracks and window slits into the temple.
The shadows refracted by light became their perfect camouflage.
Through the Shadow-Eating Serpent, Jiang Yan sensed dozens of faint connections. He randomly picked one, and a scene appeared before his eyes as if he were personally there.
And then he saw...
Xiao Bai bathing in a tub.
Steam curled around—she was indeed very white.
“……”
Jiang Yan fell silent, thinking this Shadow-Winged Snake could take root in the photography industry.
It seemed like their planning discussion had ended.
He adjusted the Shadow-Winged Snake’s perspective and was about to leave when he heard Xiao Bai say:
“Sis, in the plan we just discussed with Huang Mao and the others, are we really not going to include Sima Luoshui?”
Jiang Yan remained hidden in the dark corner, completely still.
Xiao Hei sat by the bed and said calmly, “The weak have no right to choose. Sister, don’t let misplaced compassion drive you to do something stupid. Don’t forget what our original goal was.”
“To survive.”
Xiao Bai responded, quietly retorting, “It’s just... the books say monks, Taoists, children, and women in the jianghu are not to be trifled with. Could someone sickly enough to become a History Walker really be without any means?”
Xiao Hei replied indifferently, “No matter how many means one has, they’re useless here. He’ll just become an unstable factor.”
Xiao Bai’s expression darkened. She murmured, “But maybe there’s a better way, one that can save everyone…”
“Enough.”
Xiao Hei cut her off, speaking coldly, “Sister, stop putting on that naive and foolish look. It only makes me sick.”
Blame it on the cruelty of this world. Even if we choose to cling to life, in the end, we’ll only become food for the high-ranking... If you don’t fight, you die.”
“I understand.”
Xiao Bai fell silent, and the room grew deathly quiet.
Jiang Yan listened to the strange conversation, his thoughts swirling as he switched to other perspectives.
He observed the others.
Huang Mao sat cross-legged in his room cultivating. The butterfly knife in his hand actually floated up, fluttering around him.
Blade Control Technique?
As for the man in the suit, he stood at the doorway, quietly conversing with a samanera, their voices barely audible.
The Shadow-Winged Snake slowly approached.
Thump!
At that moment, a deep bell tone rang out.
“The Abbot of Longevity Calamity forgot to mention—this bell signals the arrival of night. I shall take my leave first.”
The samanera’s expression changed drastically. He hastily took his leave and quickened his pace.
The man in the suit also secured his doors and windows, remaining inside the room in a daze, lost in thought.
Through the perspective of the Shadow-Winged Snake, Jiang Yan saw that the sky had darkened.
The temple, which had held faint sounds, now seemed to have its mute button pressed—silent and still.
Yet the expected parade of a hundred ghosts did not appear.
Jiang Yan controlled several Shadow-Winged Snakes in flight, first arriving before today’s abnormal mural, trying to locate the monkey whose eyes had blinked alive.
But this time, even after waiting a long while, the monkey’s eyes didn’t move.
Jiang Yan frowned and instead flew toward the back mountain—the peach grove that the Monkey King had transformed into in the tale—searching for anomalies.
Within the forest, the Blood Peaches he had seen earlier that afternoon had already been plucked clean. Aside from that, there was nothing unusual.
Jiang Yan continued switching perspectives and finally made a discovery.
It was a Shadow-Winged Snake heading toward the Hall of Zen Resolution.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Inside the hall, the Abbot of Longevity Calamity sat under a green lamp, his back to the main gate. Before him stood an incense burner. He struck a wooden fish while chanting scriptures:
“Great compassion and mercy for all beings, great joy and sacrifice to aid all sentient life, adorned in radiant splendor... I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha, not seeking worldly blessings for myself...”
The Shadow-Winged Snake crept along the shadows to the front, only to discover that the hammer for the wooden fish before the abbot had not been lifted.
Where was the sound coming from?
Very quickly, Jiang Yan located the source.
The Monkey King sculpture!
A heavy, resonant heartbeat emanated from within.
The sculpture... was alive?
Jiang Yan’s gaze filled with astonishment. He watched in secret, and when the chant finished, the Abbot of Longevity Calamity looked at the Monkey King sculpture before him and murmured:
“We will inherit your will, and suppress the evil demons…”
Before the abbot could finish, the seated Monkey King suddenly rose. One hand formed the Seal of Three Mountains, while the other held a bowl-bearing posture, pointing toward himself.
The heartbeat pounded like thunder.
Boom rumble rumble!
The entire hall trembled incessantly.
No—something was wrong!
Based on the perspectives from the other Shadow-Winged Snakes, the entire temple had undergone drastic changes.
On the previously placed bronze incense burners in the hall, round dark-gold pupils had emerged on the surface, spinning continuously and releasing wisps of green smoke.
The wind chimes hanging from the eaves had transformed into pale monkey paws, gently swaying. The bluestone floor had become an enormous network of intertwined meridians, where blood and flesh visibly pulsed.
The peach grove on the back mountain writhed wildly. The tree trunks twisted like thousands of strands of hair growing from a head.
Beneath the peach trees, the soil surged, and one after another, blood-red figures crawled out from underground.
They resembled apes in appearance, as if skinned while still alive. Tree roots extended from their backs, linking them to the trees, and they began to move toward the temple—only to be yanked back by the very roots connected behind them.
The once-glorious temple had already transformed into a living demonic lair.
Grotesque and twisted.
Thump!
Soon, the bell rang, shattering all terrifying visions and restoring the temple to its original form.
As if a dreamscape had been broken, returning to reality.
The blood-colored figures in the back mountain were likewise entangled by peach tree roots, quickly shriveling and being buried underground.
Shortly after, fresh Blood Peaches sprouted on the peach trees, looking sweet and tempting.
“Amitabha.”
At some point, the Abbot of Longevity Calamity suddenly appeared near the bell tower, beside him a bronze bell engraved with reverse Sanskrit script.
His face radiated compassion as he loudly recited the Buddha’s name:
“Amitabha. Dust returns to dust, soil returns to soil. Do not cling blindly to delusions. As long as we are here, don’t think you can destroy the sculpture of the Monkey King Venerable or unseal the seal.”
His voice echoed above the temple. Although Huang Mao and the others had not left their rooms, they all understood that something major had occurred.
Jiang Yan looked at the temple restored to its original appearance, feeling a trace of regret—he had been so close to uncovering the truth.
The mission’s exploration progress, however, had increased to 10%.
At the same time,
One wandering Shadow-Winged Snake happened to pass by the mural again, but this time it paused.
During the earlier abnormality, large amounts of fresh blood had seeped from the roof tiles, streaming down the wall mural and washing away the white lime, revealing an older mural underneath.
It had not been restored with the rest of the temple.
This version of the painting included more story elements than the original.
In the tale, the Monkey King, heavily wounded while suppressing evil demons, was shaped into a golden figure by a rabbit and a man, and offered up in reverence.
And thus... this temple was built.
The sculpted golden-bodied Monkey King looked down upon all beings, his gaze filled with compassion.
Then, those previously drooping eyes suddenly moved, staring at the Shadow-Winged Snake hidden in the shadows—meeting its gaze.
That gaze was profound, crossing space, and looked at Jiang Yan who was behind it.
A cold sweat broke out on Jiang Yan’s back.
“This guy... is he still alive?”
Jiang Yan pondered in his heart. The gaze seemed calm, but with the white candle burning, he could faintly feel a sense of sorrow.
The Monkey King... what was he grieving for?
Tap tap tap!
Soon, hurried footsteps approached. The gray-robed monks, familiar with the process, brought repair tools and swiftly whitewashed the wall.
Everything was restored to its original state.
“So that’s how it is.”
In the room, Jiang Yan closed his eyes, organizing everything he had seen and heard. The corners of his mouth slightly curved upward.
He suddenly understood how to...
Speedrun the instance!