Chapter 82 — Ten
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 10
The furious voices of accusation finally began to subside. Facheng paid no heed to anyone else—not even to the murderous Zhanlong Sword in Lin Jinghong's furious grip—his eyes fixed only on Zhang Qingyue, filled at once with worry and with grief.
Only when the crowd had fallen completely silent did Facheng slowly continue.
"That murderer is my third martial uncle—Master Puzhao, one of the Four Great Divine Monks."
At these words there was another stir, and the crowd was left utterly stunned.
Zhang Qingyue's body swayed, then swayed again; he could feel nothing anymore, as though the entire sky had caved in upon him, and he himself was nothing but a ridiculous, pitiful creature...
That sorrow, deeply carved into the depths of his soul, now seemed to turn into a vengeful ghost, savagely gnawing at his heart!
After grief, what is left of you?
The black iron staff slowly began to glow—a faint green radiance shot through with pale gold—yet none of it could conceal that layer of cold red blood-light. A malevolence more intense than ever before, as though the bloody aura of countless millennia had gathered within the Blood-devouring Bead and the Soul-Snatching Staff, together with the despair of numberless vengeful spirits howling in fury, poured all at once into his breast!
And amid the chaos, Facheng's voice continued clearly from the front: "In those years, Uncle-Master Puzhao came to Qingyun and met with Sect Master Daoyan, urging that the true arts of Buddhism and Daoism be cultivated together, that the mystery of immortality might perhaps be unlocked—but the Sect Master politely declined."
Daoyan was taken aback, then nodded: "That is so. There was indeed such a matter."
Facheng went on: "That day Uncle-Master Puzhao descended the mountain in disappointment and wandered on foot into Liumiao Village. Seeing that night was falling, he lodged in the ruined temple there. And it was on that very night..."
His voice suddenly stopped. The great hall was utterly silent, not a sound to be heard—only Zhang Qingyue's breathing, growing rougher and rougher.
Facheng composed his feelings and steadied his mind, but his eyes never left Zhang Qingyue. "On that very night, Uncle-Master Puzhao suddenly discovered that a man in black had stolen into Liumiao Village by night, intending to abduct this junior brother Lin Jinghong."
Lin Jinghong started, and everyone turned to look at him. Facheng continued: "Uncle-Master Puzhao at once struck out to save him. But the man in black harbored treacherous designs—outwardly he seemed to be abducting a boy, but in truth he had come to deal with Uncle-Master Puzhao, coveting the demonic relic hidden upon his person: the Blood-devouring Bead!"
The crowd erupted.
Facheng said: "The Blood-devouring Bead was found by chance years ago by Uncle-Master Puzhao in the great western marshes. To keep it from bringing further disaster upon the living, he sealed the evil bead with the true arts of Buddhism and suppressed it with the sacred treasure of Fanyin Temple, the Jade Prayer Beads. How that mysterious man in black learned of this, I know not—but he first hid a deadly Seven-tailed Centipede upon Junior Brother Lin, which bit Uncle-Master Puzhao..."
Tian Buhui said in astonishment: "The Seven-tailed Centipede—could it be Cangsong..."
This time it was Lin Jinghong whose face turned even paler.
Facheng paused, then continued: "Thereafter, though terribly poisoned, Uncle-Master Puzhao fought that man to the death, and was at last gravely wounded by the Canglan Sect's 'Divine Sword Summons Thunder' that the man unleashed, his vital force nearly spent; yet he in turn struck him a heavy blow with the Maha Prajna, sending the man in black fleeing in alarm. And in the midst of that fierce struggle, Junior Brother Zhang Qingyue also came to the thatched temple."