Urban Martial Saint

Wen’er lay at the foot of the statue, motionless. Ye Qing, who was some distance away, couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive, which filled him with worry.

However, Ye Qing was well aware that in the current situation, he couldn’t rashly rush in. He wasn’t afraid of the water monsters; he just didn’t understand their attitude towards Wen’er. If he acted recklessly and triggered the water monsters to tear Wen’er apart, her life would end right there. Therefore, Ye Qing had to come up with a plan to rescue Wen’er first.

At this moment, Handsome Fatty Wang quietly snuck up next to Ye Qing from behind. He peeked out to check the situation outside. Upon seeing the water monsters, his expression turned grim, and he stuck out his tongue, whispering, ”Hey, Young Ye, these water monsters are formidable. How do you plan to save her?”

Ye Qing turned his head to glance at Handsome Fatty Wang and said, ”I told you to wait back there; why did you come over?”

”Nonsense!” Handsome Fatty Wang snapped, ”You saved Fat Lord’s life before, so how could I not come to help when you’re risking yours? What, do you think Fatty is just someone afraid of death?”

Ye Qing replied, ”I’m not saying you’re afraid of death; it’s just that I’m not going to recklessly risk my life. Even if I go down there, these creatures can’t so much as scratch me. But if I have to protect you too, it’s a different story.”

”Hey, I don’t like hearing that. From the way you’re talking, you’re implying Fat Lord’s a burden?” Handsome Fatty Wang retorted indignantly, ”Fat Lord’s been in countless tombs and seen all kinds of creatures. To be blunt, I’ve encountered more Tomb Guardian Beasts than you’ve seen pet dogs. You rushing in isn’t a risk, but if I go in, it is?”

Ye Qing was quite exasperated. Fat Wang had no idea of his invulnerable situation and thought Ye Qing was an ordinary person who couldn’t practice martial arts. As Ye Qing had explained before, he could charge in without endangering himself, but bringing along Handsome Fatty Wang complicated matters because he’d have to protect him.

”Enough with the nonsense!” Ye Qing said, ”You wait here. I’ll think of a way to bring Wen’er over. Once I do, help me catch her and drag her into that stone cave, alright?”

Ye Qing knew Handsome Fatty Wang’s personality; this guy was shameless and greedy but had a sense of loyalty. If Ye Qing told him to go back now, he wouldn’t listen. So, Ye Qing gave him a task to assist by catching Wen’er, essentially keeping Handsome Fatty Wang inside the stone corridor and away from danger, ensuring some level of safety.

Hearing this, Handsome Fatty Wang’s expression finally relaxed a bit. He looked at the monsters in the cave, whispering, ”Be careful, alright? If it really gets bad, just shout, and I’ll come down to help you immediately!”

”Alright, I got it!” Ye Qing called back softly, gripping the axe he’d taken from Handsome Fatty Wang, and began crawling out of the stone corridor.

The stone corridor was on the stone wall of the cave, more than a meter above the cave floor. This height was insignificant to Ye Qing. He slowly held onto the stone corridor, quietly lowering himself to the ground. His movements were light, landing without a sound, not disturbing the creatures nearby. Those creatures continued to kneel and worship that statue, almost as if Wen’er were a sacrifice to it.

Ye Qing had encountered many such statues in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, so this one immediately seemed suspicious. In his heart, he considered these statues enemies. The fact that these creatures brought Wen’er to the statue as a sacrifice made Ye Qing more hostile towards it.

Could this statue be similar to the ones in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, some kind of God’s Servant? Observing the creatures worshipping it, and their acts of capturing and devouring humans, Ye Qing couldn’t see the statue as anything good.

Landing on the ground, the water monsters didn’t react at all. They only had eyes for the statue, not noticing any commotion behind them, which suited Ye Qing just fine. He treading lightly, crept towards the statue.

The water monsters surrounded the statue in layers, but not too closely, about five or six meters away. Ye Qing silently approached them from behind, feeling relieved that they hadn’t spotted him yet. This distance would allow him to reach Wen’er the moment he made his move.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Qing gripped the axe with his right hand, ready to dash forward and rescue Wen’er. At that moment, the statue suddenly trembled, causing all the water creatures to howl in terror. Ye Qing, ready to charge, was startled, quickly ducking behind the water monsters, eyeing the statue but hesitant to act rashly.

If the statue could move, was it akin to the mobile statues in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master? If so, that was troublesome. Without the Tianzhu Sword, Ye Qing wasn’t sure how to destroy this statue, and if it could move on its own, it meant that this statue was likely a master who had lived for countless years, with power exceeding that of a Corpse Ghost Dragon.

Although Ye Qing’s body wasn’t afraid of masters like Corpse Ghost Dragons, dealing with such ancient creatures was unpredictable. Even Guiguzi had been severely injured by some divine being, despite his Primal Mysterious Body’s cultivation power. If confronted with such a master, wouldn’t Ye Qing also be rendered ineffective?

The statue’s tremor increased Ye Qing’s anxiety. While hiding behind the water monsters, he hesitated, wondering if he should rush in and grab Wen’er before the statue could act.

Yet, after waiting a while, the statue didn’t move again. As Ye Qing cautiously looked up, he noticed a stele at the top of the cave, seemingly fixing the statue beneath it. The stele faced directly at the statue, appearing to guard it.

This stele took Ye Qing by surprise because it had red characters carved into it, unfamiliar to him yet recognizable as Buddhist Texts. This meant the stele was inscribed by an enlightened monk.

Looking at this stele, Ye Qing recalled a similar one he’d seen by the underground river outside Patriarch Bodhidharma’s final retreat chamber. He realized the stele’s appearance was identical, with not a single detail different. Moreover, he remembered the Buddhist Texts looked similar. Though impossible to memorize, he felt they were the same as the previous stele, suggesting identical inscriptions.

If this were true, was this stele the same as the one by the underground river outside the chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed? That stele, according to Shijia’s explanation, was the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal’s work by Immovable Dark King Supreme Bodhisattva. The inscription on it said — Immovable as Mountains, Bodhisattva Seal!

Realizing this, Ye Qing inhaled sharply. The stele by the underground river served to suppress an Eternal Demon, left by Immovable Dark King Supreme Bodhisattva. If this stele was also an Immovable as Mountains Bodhisattva Seal, then wasn’t the statue below it an Eternal Demon as well?

Ye Qing examined the statue again, more shaken by the revelation. Unbelievably, within the cave linked to the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, there was another Immovable Dark King Supreme Bodhisattva’s seal suppressing an Eternal Demon, unmentioned in Guiguzi’s records. Did Guiguzi know of it?

Yet, from the stele, Ye Qing learned this statue posed no threat. Even if it moved like those God’s Servants, it couldn’t escape the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal’s restraint. Hence, Ye Qing needn’t fear the statue attacking him.

Reassured, Ye Qing seized the moment during the water monsters’ worship to burst forth, sprinting past them straight to the statue’s stone platform, grabbing Wen’er with his right hand, slinging her over his shoulder.

Ye Qing’s sudden appearance startled the water monsters, who stared at him, clearly not expecting a human to be there. Ye Qing didn’t give them time to react, carrying Wen’er as he dashed towards the stone corridor. Although fearless of the water creatures, ensuring Wen’er’s safety was challenging, so the best plan was to place her in the stone corridor first.

At that moment, Handsome Fatty Wang was waiting at the stone corridor’s exit. Excited to see Ye Qing rescuing Wen’er, he yelled out, ”Hurry, hurry, don’t let those naked ones catch up!”