Chapter Seventy-Four: A Monk Does Not Speak Falsehoods

The entire ancient hall was forged from five-colored divine jade, its surface crystalline and radiant, shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance. At its foundation, countless archaic characters were engraved—some shaped like dragons and phoenixes, others resembling tortoises and qilin—marking it unmistakably as the script of the beast clans from the primordial wilderness.

The ancient hall of the beast clans radiated a dazzling divine light, emanating a formidable, soul-stirring aura. The five-colored divine radiance swirled around it, attesting to its extraordinary nature.

The elderly man, leader of the humans, stared intently at the ancient hall, his expression darkening as he observed. His mood flickered between gloom and uncertainty; the inscriptions on the hall were indeed beast clan characters, devoid of any trace of humanity.

These great beasts would not be easy to contend with! A tough bone to gnaw, and should a conflict arise, it would likely end in mutual destruction, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Yet such an opportunity could not simply be abandoned. Without sufficient justification, only a battle could resolve it—whoever wins claims the prize!

The old man’s eyes darted about, clearly searching for a grand-sounding excuse.

The giant flood dragon reared up, extending its massive form forward, its gaze solemn. At last, it spoke, “This is indeed an ancient hall of our beast clans!”

The hundred-zhang-long flood dragon fixed its gaze upon the gathered human cultivators, snorting coldly. “What more do you humans have to say? If you do not leave now, this volcano will become your burial ground!”

No one had expected that this colorless ancient hall would belong to the beast clans, hidden beneath the volcano until today’s weakening seal allowed it to resurface with the surging magma.

But what manner of ancient hall was this, to bear such a terrifying seal, hidden deep within the volcano?

What treasures lay within?

Seeing the human cultivators rendered speechless, the assembled great beasts grew ever more confident.

The flood dragon spoke again, “This ancient hall has nothing to do with your human race. Withdraw at once, or else—”

With a chilling snort, the flood dragon paused. Its baleful aura surged, its enormous body rolling as it fixed a murderous glare upon the diminutive humans before it. Its eyes gleamed cold as it growled menacingly, “Brothers, ready your weapons!”

The other great beasts erupted in unparalleled might. Torrents of beastly energy soared skyward, veiling the entire starry sky in an atmosphere thick with killing intent.

“Amitabha, may the benefactors heed a word from this humble monk!”

A booming voice echoed from the horizon, and a streak of golden light descended in an instant!

Boom!

A massive skeleton, hundreds of meters long, was tossed onto the ground.

Night Without End watched as yet another newcomer arrived, inwardly cursing once again.

This man had entered from beyond the nine great mountains, bringing with him the enormous skeleton. For some unfathomable reason, outside the nine mountains lay countless bones, but within, not a single corpse was found.

The newcomer was a monk, his entire body shrouded in radiant golden light.

“Please, hear me out,” the monk said. “Though this is indeed an ancient hall of the beast clans, within it lies a great treasure belonging to the Buddhist sect, which should be reclaimed today.”

The human cultivators recovered from their shock, appearing even more stirred than the great beasts. The elderly leader asked tremulously, “Is what the venerable monk says true?”

The monk smiled, sending a secret message, “Of course not. I made it up.”

The old man’s mouth twitched at the reply. What was this!? Weren’t monks supposed to avoid falsehoods? Yet he was shrewd and quickly regained composure.

The monk turned to the great beasts, speaking solemnly, “Amitabha, all is well! Monastics do not speak untruths—naturally, it is true. The ‘Compassion Bell’ within is a relic of the Buddhist sect!”

“Nonsense! This is the ancient hall of the beast clans—how could it house a Buddhist treasure? You wretched monk, you’re clearly here to steal from us!”

The great beasts, all aflame with anger, stepped forward, blocking the humans and the newly arrived monk, ready to strike at any moment.

The monk’s expression remained calm. “Amitabha, all is well. I speak only the truth.”

“Please, benefactors, observe!”

The golden monk drew a bronze shard from his robes.

On the bronze piece were faint, flowing Sanskrit inscriptions. As it appeared, a primordial aura washed over the crowd, as if the bronze itself bore a mysterious power, causing everyone present to momentarily lose themselves.

Dong!

A bell sounded again from within the ancient hall, snapping the great beasts and human cultivators back to their senses. They quickly distanced themselves from the smiling, golden monk. He was far too dangerous—had he harbored hostile intent, he could have struck while they were entranced, and they would have suffered greatly.

The bronze shard seemed to resonate with the bell from the ancient hall, emitting a humming vibration that echoed the bell’s sound.

The golden monk swiftly put the bronze shard away.

The elderly human, facing off against the great beasts, took a bold step forward.

Dong.

The ancient hall of five-colored divine jade emitted another deep, muffled bell. The power of the seal was rapidly dissipating, and the hall was nearly at the volcano’s summit, its radiance swirling and five-colored divine light flashing. The ancient hall of the beast clans was about to emerge into the world.

From the palace complexes beneath the volcano, blue thunderbirds and other primordial beast creatures, along with over a dozen human cultivators, could no longer hold back and slowly began ascending the mountain.

In the distance, Night Without End, hidden in a corner, watched all of this unfold. His heart was anything but calm, yet he lacked the strength to join the struggle and could only observe silently, awaiting his chance.

His body was seriously wounded, and had only recovered about half so far! He could only watch helplessly, searching for an opportunity.

At this moment, the volcano’s summit was charged with tense energy. Human cultivators and beast clans faced off, swords drawn and ready, neither side yielding—battle was imminent.

The flood dragon, its crimson scales gleaming, rose up like a blood-red wall, awe-inspiring in its presence. It bellowed, “Human cultivators, do you truly wish to shatter the peace this ruin has known for millennia and wage war against us?”

“Hahaha! Lord Red Jiao, you exaggerate! We have no wish to war with the beast clans, nor to disturb the peace of these ruins. As for your treasures, we have no desire for them!” the elderly leader laughed heartily.

“In that case, why do you not leave at once?” The flood dragon’s lantern-sized eyes shone with a predatory light as it stared at the unmoving humans.

“Haha, don’t misunderstand! Though we covet nothing of the beast clans, we are very interested in the Buddhist ‘Compassion Bell’!” The human leader squinted, pronouncing each word slowly.

“Damn, this old man is shameless! But so be it—the messier the fight, the better. That way, I, Lord Night, can slip in and snatch something amidst the chaos!”

Night Without End grinned with distaste and anticipation.