Chapter 135: Ancient Sayings

The struggle for the top three had caused Gu Liangtian to develop a knot in his heart after advancing in cultivation. On the surface, he seemed fine, so he had always kept it hidden from the sect master. But after returning to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, he cultivated day after day and nearly went into cultivation deviation, only to be happened upon by Ning Qianyao.

Gu Liangtian had no particular feelings toward Ning Qianyao. As the Buddhist Son, together with the cultivation techniques he practiced, his emotions had become indifferent. Only someone strong enough could attract his attention.

This time, the sect master wanted to bring the Fox King back, because of the demon realm represented behind the Fox King.

Although the gates to the demon realm were closed, they would eventually open one day. If they could befriend a demon king and then push him to become the Demon Lord, there would be no shortage of benefits in between.

As for the two outsiders who had appeared in the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Gu Liangtian did not care at all. But Ning Qianyao had run to the place where he was cultivating and witnessed him nearly suffering cultivation deviation, which inevitably caused murderous hostility to arise in him.

"Sorry, Sect Master Yue asked me to come find you." Ning Qianyao stood in front of him. Not only did she not leave, she instead stepped closer and looked at the blood at the corner of his lips as she asked, "Is it because of what happened in the sect competition?"

Gu Liangtian stood up, wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, then grasped the staff beside him, preparing to go find the sect master.

"Wait." Ning Qianyao called out to him. "Having a heart demon is detrimental to cultivation. You…"

"What does it have to do with you?" Gu Liangtian normally wore a compassionate smile on his face, but in reality, his heart was extremely cold. The cultivation path of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect centered around saving oneself. Now that he had developed a knot in his heart, he inevitably had a little more impatience.

Ning Qianyao did not mind his manner of speaking. Instead, she took out a wooden fish from her Qiankun Pouch. "I obtained this magical treasure by chance. You only need to tap it, and it can calm the mind and dispel evil. It’s of no use to me, so I’ll give it to you."

Gu Liangtian looked at the extraordinary wooden fish in Ning Qianyao’s hand, then raised his eyes to look at her. "Your purpose."

His blunt words stunned Ning Qianyao. Meeting Gu Liangtian’s faintly smiling eyes, she could not bring herself to say that she wanted to make friends. Afterward, she bit her lip and said, "Inside the Rotating Tower, help me once."

"Won’t Lu Chenhan help you?" Gu Liangtian remembered that the two of them had a close relationship.

"I don’t want to delay Brother Lu." Ning Qianyao smiled with curved eyes. "He has his own matters to attend to inside the Rotating Tower."

Gu Liangtian had no interest in matters between men and women. He reached out and took the wooden fish, examining it closely. One glance was enough to tell that this wooden fish was no ordinary object. The tiny ancient scriptures engraved upon it carried a pure, refreshing meaning with every stroke, and Buddhist intent came toward him. The wooden fish was cool to the touch; he did not even need to strike it, and his mind had already quieted.

Gu Liangtian took out the wooden mallet and gently struck it. The spiritual energy around him rippled slightly, and the knot in his heart seemed to be suppressed. The oppressive qi that had filled his chest instantly dissipated.

Without hesitation, he put the wooden fish away and agreed to Ning Qianyao’s condition.

On the way to see the sect master, Ning Qianyao was noticeably more talkative. She thought that now that their transaction had been completed, their relationship had become much closer.

"You’re far inferior to Ye Su." Gu Liangtian suddenly blurted out.

Ning Qianyao was stunned by his words. He had clearly accepted her gift.

"This wooden fish is by no means an ordinary object. There might not even be one inside the Rotating Tower, yet you used it to make a deal with me." Gu Liangtian wore a trace of pity on his face. "Utterly foolish."

Ning Qianyao possessed the Profound Yin Physique, had encountered various opportunities, and had countless magical treasures on her, yet she could not even make proper use of herself. If it had been Ye Su, she would certainly have made use of her opportunities to the fullest.

After all, Ye Su had managed to build up the Thousand Mechanisms Sect from having nothing at all.

"You…" Ning Qianyao had never known that a Buddhist Son could speak so harshly. He had even compared her with Ye Su, and her eyes instantly reddened with anger.

"I won’t forget our transaction." After Gu Liangtian finished speaking, he stepped forward and walked on, no longer paying attention to her.

He would not develop favorable feelings toward someone who had seen him in such a miserable state.

……

Inside the Rotating Tower.

The moment Gu Liangtian finished speaking, Ye Su shot him a cold look. Interesting. Such emotions were so openly displayed; he had not shown them even on the arena.

He lowered his head and looked at the wooden fish in his hand, then raised his eyes toward Ye Su. "Ning Qianyao gave this to me. Could it be your possession?"

Ning Qianyao had asked him to help her once inside the Rotating Tower, but she had never said that he had to conceal the wooden fish’s origins. Gu Liangtian had never been particularly kindhearted. What he wanted to do now was something that would make Ye Su unhappy.

"Her possession?" Ye Su repeated, unexpectedly feeling that this was indeed the case.

At this moment, the Blood Weeping Sword flew over and suddenly stabbed toward the wooden fish in Gu Liangtian’s hand.

No one had expected You Fushi to suddenly attack. By the time Ye Su reacted, the junior apprentice brother had already walked toward the staircase.

There was suppression on the staircase. Gu Liangtian could not move quickly, so he shifted half his body aside and put away the wooden fish, dodging the Blood Weeping Sword. But soon, the Blood Weeping Sword came attacking again.

Gu Liangtian raised his staff to block it, and one foot involuntarily stepped off the staircase. A demon shadow swiftly swooped down and opened its mouth to bite. He waved his hand, and his prayer beads smashed the demon shadow apart.

You Fushi had already walked over. Wearing the green cloak, he was completely ignored by the demon shadows, which did not dare approach him.

"Give it back." You Fushi’s state was not quite right. His face was cold, his entire body filled with murderous hostility, startling everyone around him.

Even when fighting Lu Chenhan, You Fushi had shown no emotional fluctuations whatsoever. Yet now, because of a wooden fish, he had changed completely.

Ye Su frowned and threw out several talismans at once, breaking through the demon shadows as she quickly moved over. Seeing this, the others immediately followed.

【Kill——】

"What’s wrong?" Lü Jiu moved to the front and turned back to ask Yi Xuan, who had stopped behind them.

Yi Xuan shook his head. It seemed he had heard some kind of voice.

"Nothing. Keep going." Yi Xuan told Lü Jiu to move forward.

【Kill!】

Yi Xuan quickly turned his head. This time, he clearly heard someone speaking.

The demon shadows crowded over, their faces ferocious, each of them spitting out a single word: Kill!

He swung the Chongming Saber and continuously slashed at the demon shadows. Saber light flashed rapidly, shredding all the demon shadows.

By this time, You Fushi had already approached Gu Liangtian.

Gu Liangtian had not expected You Fushi to attack. He tried to move up the staircase, but the Blood Weeping Sword was not affected by the Rotating Tower’s suppression and obstructed him again and again.

You Fushi reached out and dragged Gu Liangtian down. "Give it back."

Gu Liangtian was caught off guard. Before he could break free from You Fushi’s grasp, a nearby demon shadow bit into his arm. The area was instantly corroded, black qi spreading from it.

Gu Liangtian swung his staff and knocked the demon shadow away. But when he turned around, he saw You Fushi’s purple eyes. That pressure caused even the demon shadows on the first floor to freeze for an instant. He even thought he was going to die.

"Junior Brother."

At this moment, Ye Su arrived, pulled You Fushi over, shielding him, and kicked Gu Liangtian down.

Gu Liangtian fell onto the staircase and only then came back to his senses. He looked hesitantly at You Fushi behind Ye Su. "Who are you?" This was not pressure that a Divine Transformation cultivator could possess.

"The wooden fish." Ye Su looked expressionlessly at Gu Liangtian. "If you don’t want to die here, take it out."

Gu Liangtian tightened his grip on his staff. "You want to kill me?"

"There is no rule saying people cannot be killed." Ye Su had already thought of a way for Gu Liangtian to die. "The evil and demonic qi in the Rotating Tower was too strong. The Buddhist Son accidentally succumbed to it, and the other disciples sorrowfully executed him."

Anger appeared in Gu Liangtian’s eyes, yet he believed Ye Su was capable of doing exactly what she said. What had happened on the arena was still vivid in his mind. "Madwoman."

He took out the wooden fish, but did not give it to Ye Su. "Do you have evidence proving that this belongs to you?"

At this moment, You Fushi suddenly began reciting a passage of ancient language that no one inside the tower could understand. But with every sentence he recited, one line of the tiny ancient scripture engraved on the wooden fish lit up. When he finished, the entire wooden fish had completely illuminated, beautiful and dazzling, with a faint Buddhist intent permeating it.

"What’s going on?" Lian Lian looked in confusion at the demon shadows that had stopped moving.

When You Fushi began reciting the ancient scripture, all the demon shadows on the first floor stopped, floating in place without attacking anyone.

"Go." Yi Xuan told everyone to hurry toward the staircase.

"Give it back." You Fushi stepped out from behind Ye Su. His eyes had already returned to black, but the stubbornness in his expression had not disappeared.

Gu Liangtian stood up from the staircase, holding the wooden fish, and did not forget to provoke them. "Your junior sister said this was an opportunity she obtained."

Ye Su could not be bothered to listen to him anymore. Seeing from the corner of her eye that the others had all come over, she said to the people behind her, "You go up."

She reached out and snatched the wooden fish over, washed it several times with a cleansing technique, then handed it to You Fushi.

In You Fushi’s hands, the wooden fish emitted a faint white glow, while there was no reaction when anyone else held it.

It was clearly a magical treasure that already had an owner.

Zhou Yun and the others bypassed Gu Liangtian and slowly walked upward. After Yi Xuan had gone up several steps, he suddenly turned around and looked down. The demon shadows on the first floor had begun moving again. This time, they were no longer shouting "kill," but silently saying something.

He frowned and carefully made out the words coming from the demon shadows’ mouths: Come, came.

Came?

Were they referring to the people who had come to seek enlightenment?

Yi Xuan was puzzled, but turned around and continued upward.

"So it really was yours." Gu Liangtian leaned against the staircase railing, staring at You Fushi. "The Thousand Mechanisms Sect actually has such a treasure. I’ve never heard of it."

You Fushi was definitely not an ordinary cultivator. The aura he had just displayed was not even inferior to that of a sect master. When had the Thousand Mechanisms Sect gained such a formidable person?

You Fushi stood on the first step of the staircase, lowered his head, and carefully wiped the surface of the wooden fish with his sleeve, completely ignoring him.

A chill suddenly rose along Gu Liangtian’s spine. He instinctively looked toward the source of his fear, only to see Ye Su casting a glance at him.

"You still want to kill me?" Gu Liangtian’s eternally unchanging compassionate smile finally cracked.

Of the ten people in this tower, most stood on Ye Su’s side. The only people he could cooperate with were Lu Chenhan and Ning Qianyao, yet both of them had been defeated by You Fushi.

"The Buddhist Son should talk less." Ye Su’s words carried an obvious implication.

Gu Liangtian stiffened for a moment before finally backing down. "…I only came here to seek enlightenment."

Ye Su knocked on the railing. "Swear an oath."

The new Buddhist Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect had never felt so oppressed. Ever since losing the fight for the top three in the sect competition, everything had changed.

Now, he was like meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Gu Liangtian glanced upward. Yi Xuan and the others had already reached the upper section of the staircase, and no one was looking down. Only then did he swear not to reveal anything concerning You Fushi.

"Let’s go." Ye Su held You Fushi’s hand and walked up the stairs.

"What is the purpose of your Thousand Mechanisms Sect?" Gu Liangtian, bringing up the rear, asked. Countless conspiracies were already taking shape in his mind.

"What does it have to do with you?" Ye Su tossed back.

The Buddhist Son tightly gripped his staff and exerted force, smashing a shallow pit into the staircase.

The seven people went from the first floor to the second. The first person to reach the upper floor was Zhou Yun. After seeing the situation on the second floor, she immediately shouted, "Mei Chouren!"

The people behind her instinctively quickened their pace, circulating their spiritual energy to withstand the pressure as they stepped onto the second floor.

Zhou Yun rushed over and helped up Mei Chouren, who was lying on the ground. Lian Lian took out a bottle of pills and fed them to him.

The first thing Mei Chouren did after waking up was struggle to sit up. "The stairs!"

At this moment, the others who had caught up to the second floor had already seen it as well.

——The staircase leading from the second floor to the third floor had been deliberately broken apart in its entirety——