"The Buddha now... is Mahavairocana?" Zhang Hanshan looked astonished. "I thought that was the Tathagata Arhat..."
"If young friend observes carefully, you will discover that the Buddha enthroned high behind the offering table is not the Tathagata Arhat at all," Master Wu Hai shook his head and said. "Mahavairocana's great light halo behind his head bears the mark of a crow."
"Later, in a deeper cave, we found another mural... which reveals the true reason for the Buddha's nirvana..."
*Dong— Dong— Dong—*
Before Master Wu Hai could finish speaking, a magnificent bell sound echoed from the desert not far away.
Many veteran seniors who had been here before frowned—the golden bell on Mogao Ridge only sounded when someone entered the thirty caves after the seven hundredth cave.
"This..." "Could someone have entered?" "Amitabha..."
Just as everyone was contemplating whether to enter, several caves around the exterior of the grotto suddenly rumbled, then revealed themselves before everyone's eyes.
"Rumble..."
Hearing the slow approach of footsteps, Master Wu Hai was the first to react. He shouted, "Everyone, be vigilant! Someone inside has triggered the mechanisms!" His spiritual power surged, his muscles bulging like a wild bull, tearing apart his monk's robe and kasaya. He roared, "Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon! World Honored Ksitigarbha! Prajna Buddhas! Hraha Pamahum! Form ranks and subdue demons!"
Following Master Wu Hai's command, the Shaolin monks immediately tore off their robes with him. Seven muscular men, glowing with golden light, stood like an iron wall in front of everyone, shouting, "Subdue demons! Subdue demons! Subdue demons!"
Through the gaps in this flesh-and-blood iron wall, He Lanxin, using her [Dual Pupils], saw the source of the footsteps:
A group of ugly creatures, at least three meters tall, with dark blue skin and silver-white hair and beards, wielding various bone-made sabers, great axes, and warhammers, were rushing towards them, roaring.
"Those are..." Qing Lianzi's face suddenly turned grim. "Asuras... Everyone! Prepare for a desperate battle!"
...
Inside the Mogao Grottoes, the seven hundred and third cave.
There was not much in the cave, only a Buddha statue and a wall of murals.
The Buddha statue could be seen as a great Buddha, but it had no face, only broken stones.
The murals, ravaged by sand and stone, appeared exceptionally crimson and ferocious.
A portal manifested in the air, and a small figure entered the grotto.
King Taishan patted the dust off his clothes and quietly gazed at the murals on the wall, as if waiting for someone.
Before long, several portals simultaneously appeared, and two male teachers and one female teacher entered the grotto.
"Alright, no one else is here. Reveal your true forms," King Taishan said without turning around.
The three exchanged glances, and then their bodies twisted, their limbs shifting. They revealed their true forms.
The first was a human-faced, spider-bodied creature, clad in purple gauze, with six red eyes scanning the surroundings. Six spider legs constantly tapped the ground, and a black loom was slung across its back.
The second was emaciated but exceptionally tall, wearing black armor stained with reddish-brown grime. He clutched a long-handled shovel-like weapon (similar to Sha Seng's demon-subduing staff).
The third had a body like stone carving or jade engraving, with a face as serene as a divine statue, its eyes downcast, hands clasped together.
"Did you activate all the mechanisms?" King Taishan turned back and asked.
"We did, we released those Asuras, Yakshas, and Rakshasas," the human-faced spider-bodied woman said, crossing her arms impatiently. "What's next? Hurry up, I still need to maintain this skin."
"King Du Shi, don't be in a hurry..." King Taishan turned to the jade-faced man and said, "Have those puppets been dealt with?"
"Don't worry, those four students were never going to pass the trials anyway. By the time they entered here, their flesh and blood had already collapsed," the jade-faced man said, licking his face with a forked pink tongue. "I must say, fresh and young flesh and blood is indeed delicious..."
"Good..." King Taishan nodded, turned around, and murmured to himself, "Back then, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was beaten into retreat by humans, and it happened to coincide with the spiritual energy depletion. The entire Qingchi Eagle tribe was annihilated because of it..."
As he spoke, King Taishan gently stroked the Great Peng painted on the mural and continued, "But heaven did not let it perish..."
King Taishan took out a golden feather from his懷 and gently inserted it into the hand of the faceless Buddha statue.
"But who could have imagined that this demon king could disguise itself as a Buddha, not only replacing Maitreya's position but also deceiving the world, and even the Heavenly Dao!"
"Come... reveal yourself... Mahavairocana!"
As King Taishan spoke with frantic abandon, the ground of the grotto began to crack, then instantly collapsed, pulling the four into a black abyss.
"Hahahaha—"
The mad laughter seemed to mock the faceless Buddha, or perhaps the Golden-Winged Great Peng in the mural.
...
Mogao Grottoes, seven hundred and thirty-fifth cave, or rather, seven hundred and thirty-first, second, third, and fourth caves.
It was called so because this grotto was five times the height of other caves. A colossal Buddha sat on a lotus. From the ground, one could only see its feet and chest.
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed, and as several stone bricks fell from above, a large amount of earth and debris also cascaded onto the ground.
King Du Shi, before landing, spat out a ball of silk. The silk instantly expanded in mid-air, forming a spiderweb at the top of the grotto, catching the four of them.
King Taishan scrambled up from the spiderweb, dusted himself off, and looked up to see the great Buddha directly in front of him.
Due to the immense height, the four could now clearly see the true appearance of the great Buddha—although its face was gilded, it still bore avian facial features—a hooked nose, azure eyes like an eagle's, raised temples, and curved, long claws.
"Hehehehe..." King Taishan looked around and said, "This is the last grotto of the Mogao Grottoes... and here lies the final secret..."
As he spoke, King Taishan's hand floated up a bamboo slip, which transformed into a small skiff, carrying King Taishan down to the ground.
Behind King Du Shi, silk threads extended, and he crawled down the wall along the spiderweb. King Wuguan's back grew two arms, holding two vajras, and he fell freely down the wall, using the vajras to slow his descent by lodging them in the wall before landing. King Chujiang was the most direct, leaping down with his shovel-like blade.
...
"We agreed, I have to return to reality now!" Mo Chuan said, pinching Luo Ni's cheek discontentedly. "If you keep sending me to various ruins, I won't talk to you anymore!"
"Okay, okay, okay..." Luo Ni nodded repeatedly, as if pounding garlic, assuring Mo Chuan she would never lie to him.
Mo Chuan nodded and extended his hand to Luo Ni.
"Hmm... what is it?" Luo Ni looked at Mo Chuan blankly.
"I said, I would go back with you, and I wouldn't go back on my word," Mo Chuan said. "Let's go, together."
"But... I heard from people who previously entered the Loulan ruins that beasts are not welcome outside..." Luo Ni surprisingly refused. "I can't cause you any trouble. You just need to visit me once every year."
"Silly girl..." Mo Chuan smiled slightly, grabbed Luo Ni's tender hand, and pulled her towards the portal.