Nara Harakara's pleas for mercy sounded particularly piercing in the quiet back mountains.
His sins were grave; Death, for him, was merely the lightest punishment.
Although Miyata had already transformed into a malevolent spirit, and slaughter was her inherent nature as such, her kindness always prevailed, allowing her to retain her original rationality.
Therefore, Miyata chose not to end Nara Harakara's life with cruel torment, but instead granted him a swift Death.
As Nara Harakara's figure completely dissipated into the void, a tear slid down Miyata's cheek.
That tear, unbeknownst to her, carried so much regret and pain, drenching her already tattered soul.
"Kill me," Miyata said calmly, awaiting her punishment.
Jiang Yuan remained silent for a moment before choosing to respect her wish.
He knew very well that forcing Miyata to live would be torture for her; every single second would become an unbearable torment.
So, Jiang Yuan would grant her wish.
However...
"Even before facing Death, one should be dignified," Jiang Yuan slowly extended his index finger, touching Miyata's brow.
As his words fell, a light purple psychic power quietly bloomed at his fingertip, and a gentle glow spread like a thin mist.
In this warm aura, Miyata's malevolent spirit form gradually receded, returning to her appearance when he first met her.
A simple long dress, and that unforgettable sweet smile, as if she were still alive in the human world.
"Thank you," Miyata looked up, meeting Jiang Yuan's eyes, and softly said.
"You're welcome. Sleep well," Jiang Yuan responded softly.
Psychic power surged again, and the light intensified.
Miyata slowly closed her eyes, her expression serene and peaceful.
Her body transformed into countless pink petals, fluttering lightly in the night wind, drifting towards the bright moon in the night sky...
"Goodnight."
Jiang Yuan gazed at the sky full of dancing petals, murmuring softly.
The night deepened, with only moonlight scattered about.
Composing himself, Jiang Yuan entered the dilapidated old temple.
In the center of the hall, a dusty wooden fish lay quietly.
This was Baxia's companion vessel.
The person recognized by the vessel could become Baxia's totem guardian.
Jiang Yuan put away the wooden fish and flashed back to his Yan Ming Temple.
...
The next day, at dawn.
There was a slight stir within Yan Ming Temple, breaking the usual tranquility.
The monks were setting up the ritual site.
In another day, all the monks would hold a ritual.
In fact, the mastermind behind this ritual was the deceased Nara Harakara; he intended to use the ritual to kill all the monks who had slandered him.
His teammates were still comfortably sleeping in their rooms.
Jiang Yuan, however, got up early and arrived at the ritual site.
"Do not approach the sacred ritual ground," an elderly monk blocked him.
Jiang Yuan glanced at him: "Do you know Miyata?"
The monk's pupils contracted; he clearly didn't want to discuss the matter, and said sternly: "Leave this place immediately, or I will call someone to expel you from Manying Mountain."
The presiding monk, Xinyu, was directing the setup of the ritual site not far away. Seeing Jiang Yuan confronting a monk, he walked over:
"Yudou, what happened?"
"He tried to force his way into the ritual site; I'm trying to persuade him to leave," Yudou blurted out.
Jiang Yuan ignored him and asked Xinyu the same question: "Do you know Miyata?"
Xinyu was slightly taken aback and asked, "Where did you learn that name?"
"Don't worry about where I learned it; I'm just asking if you know her," Jiang Yuan said impatiently.
These monks, every single one of them, were not good people.
Last night, he had entered the wooden fish's vessel space and re-experienced the memories of Miyata and Nara Harakara.
These monks initially misunderstood Miyata, but after Miyata's Death, not only did they show no guilt, they immediately sealed her fate, completely pinning the blame on her and subjecting her to widespread condemnation.
In fact, they already knew that Monk Qihai was secretly having an affair with a woman, but to maintain the incense offerings at Yan Ming Temple, they helped Qihai conceal it.
Many monks were still secretly cursing Miyata.
Miyata, out of kindness, often brought medicine to Yan Ming Temple, only to meet such a fate.
The thought sent shivers down one's spine.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, please leave the ritual site immediately, or we will expel you and your friends from Manying Mountain!" Presiding Monk Xinyu sternly shouted.
His voice attracted all the surrounding monks, who stared at Jiang Yuan with ill-intent.
"There's a reason for the decline of temples, you scums of society!" Jiang Yuan said coldly.
The monks were enraged by his words, and Presiding Monk Xinyu narrowed his eyes: "Seize him and his friends, beat them up, and throw them all down the mountain!"
Jiang Yuan sneered.
The monks were about to rush forward, but they watched in horror as a giant hand reached out from behind Jiang Yuan.
"So painful~~~!!!"
"So painful~~~ So hungry!!!"
Piercing roars, like rusty gears grinding against eardrums, made everyone's temples throb, as if countless steel needles were stirring in their brains.
Amidst the surging black mist, the full form of the Twisted Undead gradually appeared.
Its enormous body was embedded with distorted human faces, each frozen in an expression of extreme agony, with blood and tears slowly flowing down its translucent skin.
Dozens of arms erupted from its body, clawing wildly at the air like greedy octopus tentacles.
"Ghost! It's an evil spirit!"
"The evil spirit has come to claim lives, don't kill me!"
As ordinary people, the monks had never seen such a terrifying scene and were instantly terrified out of their wits.
"Eat them," Jiang Yuan said coldly.
Upon receiving the command, the Twisted Undead roared to the sky, its sonic waves shaking the tiles off the surrounding roofs.
It lunged violently into the crowd, its arms, glowing with a faint blue light, coiled around the monks like agile snakes, and mouths filled with sharp teeth split open in its palms.
Those who were caught didn't even have time to scream; wisps of their souls were forcibly dragged out of their bodies, twisting and struggling in the air before being swallowed into the Twisted Undead's gaping maw.
The entire process was devoid of blood, yet it was more chilling than any gory scene!
After all the monks' souls were devoured, the Twisted Undead frantically ran down the mountain, wanting to continue devouring the souls in the town.
Jiang Yuan, seeing this, used his psychic control to pull it back, tearing the pleading Twisted Undead into several pieces, then mashing them back together.
After repeating this several times, it finally quieted down.
Jiang Yuan threw it back into the Soul Space, then returned to the temple, woke Mo Fan and the others, and left Yan Ming Temple.
After they left, it was several days before anyone discovered that all the monks at Yan Ming Temple were dead, with no survivors.
Many people, seeing their tormented but uninjured bodies, immediately spread the rumor of evil spirits claiming lives.
No one knew the whereabouts of Jiang Yuan and the others, and no one had even seen them arrive at Yan Ming Temple.
Ultimately, the incident at Yan Ming Temple was left unresolved.
And Manying Mountain, where Yan Ming Temple was located, became desolate due to the rumors of evil spirits claiming lives, with no one daring to set foot there again.