But in just an instant, the flickering flame disappeared.
Uncle Yong pondered for a moment and turned to the girl in military attire behind him. "Miss, there seemed to be someone lurking in the depths of the white pine grove earlier."
"Somebody?" The girl in military attire showed no signs of fear and instead displayed curiosity. "So you're saying that there are others who arrived at Guimu Ridge earlier than us?"
"It appears so," Uncle Yong said solemnly.
"That's interesting," the girl in military attire pondered for a moment and made a decision. "Since we're passing by, there's no harm in going to take a look. It shouldn't delay us for too long."
Su Yi furrowed his brow slightly but ultimately didn't say anything.
Immediately, the group changed direction and headed towards the distant white pine grove.
They were already halfway up Guimu Ridge, and the path was covered in knee-high wild grass, with no discernible trail.
Guo Bing swung his hunting knife, clearing the way through the grass and joking, "During the day, that dilapidated temple is quite safe, but at night, we need to be careful."
Soon, the group entered the area covered by the white pine grove.
The tall pine trees reached into the sky, their branches and foliage obscuring the sunlight. Dense white mist enveloped the area, and as they walked through it, all they could see were gloomy and dark surroundings.
The ground was covered in thick decaying leaves, emitting a foul odor.
Suddenly, Guo Bing, who was at the front, stumbled. If it weren't for Su Yi quickly grabbing his arm, he would have fallen.
When Guo Bing saw what he tripped over, his face turned pale.
It was a skull buried in the decaying leaves, stained with dirt and dust, its empty eye sockets gazing towards the sky.
At first glance, it was undeniably chilling.
"Let's keep going," Su Yi glanced at it briefly and averted his gaze.
As for Uncle Yong and the others, they remained calm and composed, unaffected.
To them, a mere skull meant nothing compared to the countless bloody battles they had experienced.
However, not long after they continued forward, Su Yi's footsteps abruptly halted.
In the distance, high up on the branches of the white pine trees, hung numerous withered human-shaped sacks, densely packed and numbering over a hundred.
The sacks contained the bodies of men, women, and children, each stripped of their skin, their hair disheveled, presenting a horrifying sight. In this eerie and gloomy atmosphere, they appeared particularly chilling.
"This..."
Uncle Yong's pupils dilated, clearly startled by this eerie and gloomy scene.
The girl in military attire also stiffened, exclaiming, "What in the world are these ghostly things?"
The nearby guards tightly gripped their weapons, protecting the girl in military attire, their expressions incredibly grave.
Guo Bing was trembling in fear, his face pale as he trembled, "I... I've never seen anything like this before. Shouldn't we leave?"
"Don't be afraid, they are just some corpses that have long been dead," Su Yi casually reassured.
Uncle Yong suddenly spoke, "If my guess is correct, these corpses were once devoured by the ghost corpse worms. And in this world, only the Yin Sha Sect would raise such sinister creatures!"
"But wasn't the Yin Sha Sect destroyed a long time ago?" The girl in military attire raised an eyebrow.
"Miss, you're not aware of it. Although the main gate of the Yin Sha Sect was eradicated by the 'Hidden Dragon Sword Sect,' the disciples and remnants of this evil sect were numerous. Many of them managed to hide early on and escape that calamity," Uncle Yong spoke with a heavy tone. "In recent years, there have been bloody and wicked incidents happening in various places within the Great Zhou Empire, all suspected to be related to the Yin Sha Sect. In other words, the Yin Sha Sect seems to have been smoldering and rising from the ashes in the present-day Great Zhou Empire."
Pausing for a moment, he furrowed his brow and continued, "Looking at these corpses hanging from the trees, although their skin has weathered through wind and rain, they appear to have perished here in recent years."
The girl in military attire's complexion changed slightly as she said, "So you're saying that it is highly likely that the sinister disciples of the Yin Sha Sect are at work on Guimu Ridge?"
Uncle Yong spoke reassuringly, "Miss, there's no need to fear. These wicked cultivators are like rats crossing the street, only daring to hide in desolate and dangerous places. They cannot become a real threat."
The girl in military attire clenched her teeth and said, "Uncle Yong, I suspect that the dilapidated temple deep within this white pine grove has likely become the stronghold of the Yin Sha Sect disciples. I want to go and take a look. If it's true, we will raze it to the ground, doing justice for the people and eliminating the harm!"
These words surprised Su Yi.
He hadn't expected this headstrong girl in military attire to possess such courage and broad-mindedness.
"Alright," Uncle Yong nodded in agreement.
Although Guo Bing strongly resisted this risky move, seeing that Su Yi did not object, he could only steel himself and continue forward.
After passing through the forest of trees with hanging corpses, it didn't take long for them to vaguely see a building standing amidst the swirling white mist in the distance.
As they approached, they could clearly see that the building was dilapidated and old, surrounded by wild grass and vines. It appeared to be a temple.
"There have indeed been people frequenting this place recently," Uncle Yong observed as he noticed a cleared path through the lush weeds in front of the temple's stone steps.
"Be careful, everyone," Uncle Yong cautioned before leading the way towards the temple.
Entering through the temple's gate, they found themselves in an abandoned courtyard with fallen statues and overgrown weeds.
In front of the courtyard stood a large hall that had long been neglected and on the brink of collapse. Its vermilion paint was peeling, and its windows and doors were damaged, presenting a desolate sight.
"Who's there?" A cold voice echoed from within the main hall as soon as Su Yi and his companions arrived.
Immediately after, a figure rushed out.
It was an old man with a thin and emaciated body, dressed in a black robe. His eyes had a faint green tint, and his presence was eerie and intimidating.
When the old man saw Su Yi and Uncle Yong, his expression changed dramatically. He quickly drew a bone flute from his waist and blew it with force.
"Woo, woo, woo!" The piercing and hoarse notes of the flute cut through the silence, extremely grating to the ears.
"Seeking death!" Uncle Yong's face darkened. With a clang, he unsheathed his sword and leaped forward, crossing a distance of ten zhang in a single bound.
Swish!
The snow-white blade in his hand instantly burst into a burning crimson light, exuding a dazzling red glow as he struck with extraordinary bravery and skill.
The emaciated old man turned to flee back into the main hall but was half a step too slow.
A streak of red sword light descended, tearing open a long and narrow wound on his back, blood spraying forth as his body narrowly avoided being cleaved in two.
Thud!
The emaciated old man fell to the ground, his lips emitting a screech, "You will not leave here alive!"
Before his words could fade, he breathed his last.
Uncle Yong stepped forward, picked up the bone flute that the old man had dropped, and examined it. His brows furrowed involuntarily.
"Uncle Yong, was this old guy a disciple of the Yin Sha Sect?"
The girl in military attire hurriedly approached with her guards. When she saw the bodies on the ground, she seemed somewhat disappointed. "They seem too weak, unable to withstand a single strike from Uncle Yong."
"They're just small fries, cannon fodder at the level of blood cultivation and flesh refinement," Uncle Yong frowned. "But when he blew the bone flute just now, it was clearly a call for help. There are probably more members of the Yin Sha Sect scattered in this area."
"What's there to fear? With Uncle Yong here, we can kill as many as we encounter," the girl in military attire said nonchalantly.
However, her expression changed when she noticed that Su Yi had entered the main hall and was examining a statue in the center, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.
She strode over with her slender legs, filled with anger, and questioned him, "Hey, don't you realize that we just saved your life? You don't even say a word of thanks and instead have the leisure to focus on these things?"
Su Yi was taken aback and asked, "Saved my life?"
"Isn't it obvious? If you weren't following us, would you dare to come here? Even if you dared to come, you would have been killed by the Yin Sha Sect's disciples and turned into a hanging corpse on a tree branch!"
The girl in military attire stared at him with her beautiful eyes, coldly sarcastic.
Su Yi remained expressionless and casually replied, "Remember, it was you who followed me and Guo Lao on this mission, not the other way around. If you have the ability, start acting on your own from now on."
With that, he continued walking towards another corner of the main hall.
This girl had quite a few flaws.
For example, a bad temper, irrational arguments, temper tantrums, and a domineering attitude, among other things.
But it wasn't too extreme.
Su Yi didn't bother to take these petty arguments seriously.
It wasn't worth it.
Not far away, the girl in military attire stared at Su Yi's figure, her chest heaving with anger. Her beautiful face was covered in frost, and her pearly teeth clenched tightly.
Unfortunately, Su Yi's words left her speechless.
Not far from there, Uncle Yong, who had witnessed the whole scene, felt somewhat displeased.
No matter what, Su Yi was traveling with them, which was equivalent to taking a great advantage. After all, if it weren't for their group, Su Yi alone would have encountered countless dangers along the way.
"This kid seems pretty smart, but he doesn't seem to realize the esteemed identity of the young miss. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't dare to argue with her like this," Uncle Yong shook his head inwardly and stopped thinking about it further.
Uncle Yong was well aware that young people nowadays had lofty aspirations and high spirits. Su Yi's reaction wasn't surprising.
After all, if they weren't spirited, could they still be considered young?
The main hall had obviously been cleaned and was relatively clean, without any cobwebs or dust. In the center stood a statue with its back to the entrance, but it had no head. The colorful clay on its body was withered and broken, showing nothing special.
However, Su Yi noticed some strokes on the walls of the main hall. Although they were mottled and damaged, with dim and blurry colors, he could vaguely discern that the murals depicted scenes of sentient beings suffering in the mundane world.
There were figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas standing among the countless sentient beings, with expressions of compassion, seemingly preaching and imparting teachings.
"To view all sentient beings as suffering and to wish to preach and save them. Although it's a good idea, it's a pity that this temple has long been in ruins for who knows how many years. It has become a place infested by evil creatures, where demons and monsters run rampant, yet the radiance of the Buddhist teachings is nowhere to be seen. How desolate," Su Yi lamented.
In the vast wilderness of the Nine Provinces, the Buddhist sects flourished, occupying vast territories, with numerous disciples and a thriving incense culture.
But in the secular kingdom of Da Zhou, it seemed that the Buddhist sects were not faring well...
At the same time, noticing that the girl in military attire was still sulking and unhappy, one of the guards quietly approached her and asked in a low voice:
"Miss, shall we teach this kid a lesson? Or should we just kill him? After all, we're in the wilderness, and no one will know how he died."