Chapter 1378 1364: Pilgrimage

This Buddha Tower is completely dark in color, as if made of marble, and each side of the tower top is carved with a Buddha head.

According to Zhou Yi's superficial religious knowledge,

these Buddha heads don't seem to be Buddhas from Buddhism.

They seem more like creations from thin air.

On the ground floor of this Nine-story Buddha Tower, there is a pair of bronze gates. On each side of the gates stands a three-meter-tall black sculpture, carved in the image of Buddhist guardians.

Besides Zhou Yi,

other people from the small village are also gradually recovering from the dizziness of falling from high above.

The first thing they do is look up to the sky,

and find a faintly orange-red glowing object, resembling the sun, but slightly different from the sun they see on land, very strange.

This glowing object,

is what provides light to this part of the world.

Clearly, they haven't truly fallen into the underground, but after the small village collapsed, they fell into a rift entrance.

Now,

they should already be inside the rift.

The feeling of falling wasn't that severe, likely due to the fact that they didn't truly fall from a high place, but into a rift entrance.

Although there are no exits around,

people capable of coming in here aren't without skills, so they're not panicking at all.

After briefly adapting and recovering physically,

their eyes also notice the Nine-story Buddha Tower.

But more people,

are marveling at the omnipresent Spiritual Qi within the rift.

"So rich, cultivating here for a day would yield more than a month of hard training in the Outer World!"

"This is the allure of the rift."

"We've entered the rift, isn't it greedy to covet just a bit of Spiritual Qi? Time is limited, we must hurry to find any opportunities inside here!"

All at once,

various voices of conversation arise.

But many people are already moving in unison towards the black Nine-story Buddha Tower.

Zhou Yi wants to set off too,

but he senses an aura approaching from behind. Turning his head, he sees it is the White Lotus Saintess, Ji Le Tian.

She still wears a white veil on her face,

and her hands and feet still have bells, but previously she was barefoot, now she wears flat green strap shoes.

Traveling by floating flight is indeed too attention-grabbing.

Zhou Yi silently mocks in his heart and says in a low voice, "Let's go, let's check over there."

The member of the World-Saving White Lotus Society beside Ji Le Tian has disappeared.

However,

Zhou Yi doesn't ask much.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make, so he needs to maintain his demeanor as a senior.

"Saint Envoy, do you know anything about this Buddha Tower? It seems we didn't enter through a normal entrance."

Ji Le Tian furrows her brows.

Zhou Yi doesn't respond to her but moves towards the Nine-story Buddha Tower.

...

Upon arriving at the foot of the Buddha Tower, he realizes that it's even larger than it initially seemed. If placed on land, it could likely become a well-known city landmark or architectural icon.

The bronze gates are tightly shut at this moment.

However, once Zhou Yi approaches, the Martial Arts Cultivation Device in his heart suddenly reacts.

Energy Points +1!

Energy Points +1!

...

Gray-white energy strands continuously surge towards Zhou Yi, integrating into the Martial Arts Cultivation Device, transforming into gray-white Energy Beads.

They directly freeloaded five Energy Points!

Zhou Yi didn't expect to gain Energy Points just by getting close. He looks to the side and notices several Awakened already engaged in battle with black shadows at the edge of the Nine-story Buddha Tower.

Their Yin energy is limited, not very dense.

But they do indeed reach the level of strangeness.

This is why the Martial Arts Cultivation Device reacted, beginning to absorb gray-white energy.

The number of these creatures is limited.

Zhou Yi freeloads a total of six Energy Points here, a good start.

Only then does Ji Le Tian arrive leisurely.

Standing behind Zhou Yi, her eyes focus on the Buddha Tower, and she suddenly says, "Someone harbors animosity towards you, Saint Envoy."

Zhou Yi frowns,

except for Ji Le Tian, he shouldn't know anyone here.

"Just call me Zhou Yi, it's the name of my current body. No need to call me Saint Envoy."

Zhou Yi says calmly.

Ji Le Tian nods, her lively eyes scan the crowd and quickly lock onto two people: "It's them, Zhou Yi, they harbor animosity towards you."

Following Ji Le Tian's gaze,

Zhou Yi looks about seventy to eighty meters away at two men standing outside the bronze gate of the Buddha Tower.

One is wrapped in a thick facecloth.

Under the facecloth,

there should be a Black Iron Mask, truly a top-notch concealment.

The other one Zhou Yi finds unfamiliar, a completely unknown face, yet somehow feels oddly familiar, a very incongruous feeling.

Like a familiar stranger.

Unexpectedly, these two people harbor animosity towards him?

Zhou Yi knows they shouldn't have observed him actively. Otherwise, with the enhanced sensory acuity from the Purple Mist Divine Skill, he would have noticed for sure.

"No matter, ignore them."

Zhou Yi says indifferently.

Ji Le Tian nods, "Yes, as long as we retrieve the Holy Artifact left behind by the previous generation's Black Lotus Saintess who perished here, our mission is complete. But will you return with me?"

"We'll see at that time. I'm not fully recovered yet."

Zhou Yi stretches his muscles, then strides towards the bronze gate.

Ji Le Tian follows silently behind him, not saying a word.

The two arrive outside the double bronze gates.

Most people have already approached this place, seeking a way to enter.

In this eerie place,

unless absolutely necessary, breaking in by force isn't typically chosen by any reckless brute.

Opening the door normally is the best solution.

A brave individual comes forward to the bronze door, grips the door ring, and knocks a few times.

Initially, everyone assumes such an action would be useless.

However,

after the knocking, footsteps surprisingly echo from within the Nine-story Buddha Tower.

Immediately, everyone's breathing becomes shallow.

Creaaaak.

After more than ten seconds,

a gap appears in the middle of the double bronze gates, gradually widening, revealing a gray-white coarse robe to the eye.

The one who opens the door is an elderly monk, full of wrinkles, looking on the verge of death.

His eyes are lifeless; after opening the door, he bows to everyone.

Then, using a hoarse voice, he slowly speaks:

"Precept Monk Yuan Ku, I greet everyone. If you wish to purify oneself, separate from demonic birth, and eradicate the path of disaster, you may enter the hall."

After his bow,

he turns around, walks with a rhythmic step to the center of the first hall, and sits on a meditation cushion.

Behind him, a plaque reads the three characters for Jingxin Hall.

Seeing the spectacle, the crowd hesitates to move.

Many have noticed that Yuan Ku is not a living person! There's no blood flow in his body, nor any spirituality, like a walking corpse!