Darkness gradually descended.
Visibility decreased noticeably.
But in the darkness, Fang Xin was in his element.
This was because his seven Divine Origins contained a vast amount of dark energy.
He could completely merge with the night.
When he separated from Tong Qishan and the others earlier, Tong Qishan had warned Fang Xin.
The God and Demon Ruins were incredibly dangerous at night.
Terrifying existences would come out to roam.
Although the probability of those terrifying existences roaming in the forbidden areas was high, outside the forbidden areas, those terrifying existences also had a high probability of roaming.
Once encountered, those terrifying existences would kill outsiders with the same ease as slicing melons and dicing vegetables.
Therefore, after dark, the best method was to find a safe resting place, light a fire, and try not to be a lone wolf.
Fang Xin looked at the swirling mist.
Visibility had already dropped from thirty meters to about ten meters.
Occasionally, strange sounds could be heard coming from within the mist.
Fang Xin couldn't help but speed up, rushing to rendezvous with Li Bao'er and the others before it got completely dark.
However, Fang Xin still underestimated how quickly darkness fell in this place.
He watched, almost helplessly, as the sky darkened with every passing second.
Within the swirling mist, the strange sounds became more frequent.
They sounded a bit like 'crunching' chewing noises, interspersed with very faint murmuring like someone talking, in addition to footsteps on dry branches and fallen leaves, and occasional sudden screams that instantly ceased.
Fang Xin glanced at the map; Wangtian Peak was still dozens of kilometers away, and it would take a while to get there.
At the current rate of darkening, traversing the darkness would be unavoidable if he wanted to reach Wangtian Peak.
He summoned his speed-type Soul General, Black Wolf.
Black Wolf grew larger, and Fang Xin rode him, cutting a black streak through the darkness towards Wangtian Peak.
After more than ten minutes, Black Wolf suddenly slammed on the brakes.
If Fang Xin's perception hadn't far exceeded ordinary people's, allowing him to spring from Black Wolf's back in advance, he would have almost face-planted.
Black Wolf's front body was prostrate on the ground, emitting a threatening growl from his throat, staring intently into the mist ahead.
Fang Xin revealed his Panlong Spear, and the arm guard on his arm also glowed, forming a shield.
The mist swirled, and a huge figure slowly emerged from it.
The newcomer had a green face and fangs, was over ten feet tall, with a head full of fiery red hair that swayed like burning flames.
He had one eye on his forehead and another on his chin, and his skin was also bluish-purple.
He held a double-pronged steel fork in his hand and exuded a pungent, fishy smell.
Upon closer inspection, it was a Di Xing Yecha (Earth Walking Yaksha).
Behind him, more than ten dark figures followed, each carrying an axe, halberd, hook, or fork.
The two sides met, and the air grew heavy.
Those strange, one-above-the-other eyes stared at him.
While on guard, Fang Xin gave the Di Xing Yecha in front of him what he thought was a very kind and cute smile.
The Di Xing Yecha licked his lips with his long tongue.
"Such firm flesh, it must be delicious to chew!"
As he spoke, he tilted his head.
The more than ten dark figures behind him rushed towards Fang Xin with howls and shouts.
Without a word, Fang Xin swept out with his Panlong Spear.
The dragon on the Panlong Spear seemed to come alive, shimmering with golden light, its scales bursting with dazzling radiance, directly striking away the first few dark figures that charged forward.
Seeing this, the Di Xing Yecha was furious.
He raised his double-pronged steel fork, leaped, and personally charged at Fang Xin.
As soon as the opponent made a move, Fang Xin sensed that he was by no means benevolent, and his combat power was at least a seventh-level.
He immediately went all out, his pupils turning scarlet.
He threw out a Blood Ring from his palm, releasing three Soul Generals, and during this time, he also prepared to summon the King of Slaughter.
But he didn't expect that just as the Blood Ring appeared, there was still a figure of Situ Shenshu within the Blood Ring that hadn't emerged.
The moment the Di Xing Yecha saw Situ Shenshu, he immediately clasped his hands together, resting the double-pronged steel fork in the crook of his arm.
His body was still in mid-air, originally intending to stab Fang Xin, but in mid-air, his legs bent.
With a 'thud,' he knelt down, his body trembling madly, kowtowing repeatedly to Situ Shenshu.
"Greetings, Lord Shenshu!"
Fang Xin was utterly bewildered, not expecting such a twist.
Situ Shenshu's voice came again from within the Blood Ring, "My Lord, you need not worry here.
This Monk will protect you; none of these man-eating demons in this place dare to harm you in the slightest!"
Hearing Situ Shenshu call Fang Xin 'My Lord,' the Di Xing Yecha's expression changed even more, his big green face turning a few shades paler.
He turned his head and kowtowed to Fang Xin repeatedly.
"This humble one was blind and failed to recognize a great mountain! I hope Your Excellency will not hold this humble one's offense against me!"
The Di Xing Yecha kowtowed so hard his head broke, seemingly very afraid of Situ Shenshu.
Fang Xin raised an eyebrow.
He only knew that Situ Shenshu must be extraordinary, but he didn't expect Situ Shenshu to be so impressive.
"Clear the way for My Lord!" Situ Shenshu said again.
The Di Xing Yecha quickly got up, bowed and scraped to Fang Xin again, then turned around to clear the way for Fang Xin.
Earlier in Thunder Sound Hall, time was too short, and he hadn't had a chance to thoroughly question Situ Shenshu's background.
Now, taking advantage of the journey, Fang Xin asked, "How strong were you before?"
"At my peak, Fourteenth Realm."
"Four... Fourteenth Realm?" Fang Xin's eyes widened considerably.
"Are you kidding me?"
Zhuge Heng, that white-haired eleventh-level peak, was already so arrogant.
What kind of concept was Situ Shenshu at the Fourteenth Realm?
The ceiling of combat power in the world today was probably no more than that.
"What is your talent then?"
"Weakening!"
Fang Xin paused, "Weakening?"
"Any existence that fights against This Monk will have their combat power automatically drop by one level in front of This Monk!"
"Ah?" Fang Xin couldn't help but turn his head to look at Situ Shenshu, who was facing away from the outside world within the Blood Ring.
Fang Xin had thought he had gotten a protagonist's cheat script, but he didn't expect this one was also a cheat.
"What did you mean when you said you won a bet with the Buddha before?"
Hearing this, Situ Shenshu sneered, "There was once a great Buddhist master who claimed to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, presumptuously saying that everyone in this world could achieve Buddhahood.
This Monk's philosophy was completely opposite to his, and later, This Monk fought him for several days.
This Monk was no match for him and was suppressed within that Floating World Painting treasure.
However, before This Monk was suppressed, many Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Venerables, and monks of Buddhism were influenced by the Buddhist teachings This Monk imparted, and many defected from Buddhism, thus causing great chaos in Buddhism, and the three Buddhist dojos of Leiyin, Mohe, and Lingzhao were all engulfed in war."
"What about that Buddha?"
"That, This Monk does not know.
He might still be alive, licking his wounds somewhere, or he might have reincarnated elsewhere."
Fang Xin immediately thought of the Little Monk, "What about that Little Monk trapped in the mural?"
"He is a good sprout for cultivating Buddhism, even fully deserving the title of 'Buddha Child.' If he doesn't die young, his future is boundless.
Perhaps when he reaches his peak, he might even be able to contend with This Monk."
He didn't expect Situ Shenshu to have such a high opinion of the Little Monk who gnawed on pig trotters.
Fang Xin changed the subject, "How did the God and Demon Ruins come to be?"