Chapter 277: Desire and Greed
At this moment, Luo Wusheng was certain.
The sense of discord he felt from the subdued old man's Nascent Soul wasn't just his imagination.
After activating the modified Buddhist Golden Body technique provided by the headless Buddha statue, Luo Wusheng indeed detected something unusual within the old man.
"A weapon close to a divine artifact… Such power…"
"If it could become mine, if it were in my hands, my Six Sword Absolute Array would ascend to greater heights…"
"And that Heaven-grade Soulblade Specter... They are all mine. They should all belong to me…"
The voice, filled with insatiable greed, resonated directly in Luo Wusheng's mind through the technique. It was accompanied by fragmented images of the old man's erratic movements, fiery eyes, and his intricate sword formation.
In Luo Wusheng's spiritual awareness, a faint yellowish-brown mist appeared and dissipated intermittently. Upon contact, he immediately realized what it was.
One of the Buddhist Six Great Attachments — the Greed Attachment.
A brief interaction through the secret technique was enough to convey its nature to Luo Wusheng, revealing its effects instantaneously.
'Amplification of greed… No, it's more like greed has overtaken almost all rational thought?'
This was the second Buddhist Great Attachment Luo Wusheng had encountered, following the pink mist of indulgence he had previously observed. Like the indulgence mist, this yellowish-brown mist was undetectable by ordinary means after entering the body. It left no apparent abnormalities, and even those affected were unaware of its influence.
Recalling his junior sister's account of the horny state she experienced, Luo Wusheng pondered deeply.
The Buddhist Golden Body technique gifted by the headless Buddha statue was peculiar. It inexplicably allowed him to perceive the overwhelming thoughts swelling in the heart of the old man's Nascent Soul.
Clearly, these thoughts were directed at him—specifically, at his [Phantomless 2.0] Artifact and the Soulblade Specter.
In other words, this old man's purpose in setting up the sword formation was to seize treasures from him. Or at least, that was what this puppet of a man believed to be his goal.
'The Buddhist Sect…'
To be honest, upon realizing the involvement of the Buddhist Sect, Luo Wusheng felt somewhat relieved.
After experiencing so many incidents, his heart had long been filled with speculations about the Buddhist Sect. However, their lack of overt actions had left him unable to confirm his suspicions.
'Now it seems the monks of the Buddhist Sect truly cannot face me directly for some reason. Even with their various means, they've avoided confronting me head-on. No, it's not just me…'
The Buddhist Sect had secluded itself in the Three Thousand Pure Lands, becoming the most mysterious of the ancient human sects. The outside world knew little of their teachings, suggesting the Buddhist Sect deliberately avoided taking action externally.
If possible, they likely wouldn't want to use their Great Attachments either. Yet this time, they had acted.
Though Luo Wusheng didn't know what compelled them, it was clear that his actions had exceeded their expectations, forcing them to intervene.
Discounting a certain enigmatic bald carriage driver of unclear allegiance, the Buddhist Sect's first intervention seemed to occur on the night he led the Demon Artifact Pavilion to defeat the Dao Artifact Pavilion, just before he was to become renowned in the royal city.
The next notable interference was six days ago, when the changes in the seed of luck nearly propelled him into the Nascent Soul stage.
Now, here they were again, after his strength had surged following his experiences in the headless Buddha's mysterious domain, the Sword Ancestor's realm, and the Sword Emperor's realm.
The frequency of their actions was low, but it aligned with his speculations.
Their interventions were proof that his situation had slipped beyond their control.
Since that's the case…
'The Buddhist Sect cannot monitor my every move. If they could, I wouldn't have been able to interact with the headless Buddha statue. After all, they wouldn't want me to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage or awaken the second stage of my Diabolic Saint Physique…'
'It's likely they only confirmed my whereabouts during the Soulblade Specter incident. My rapid growth must have exceeded their expectations, forcing them into action after much hesitation.'
Of course, they likely had methods to pinpoint him under specific conditions. For example, if he were on the verge of death, a certain undying monk would likely sense it instantly and intervene to prevent his demise.
'It feels like a one-year life insurance policy…. though the price for it seems steep.'
Calming his thoughts, Luo Wusheng turned his attention back to the yellowish-brown mist lingering in his spiritual awareness.
Since the Buddhist Sect had made their move, Luo Wusheng wouldn't hold back either.
If it was time to tear off the facade, then so be it. The headless Buddha had likely anticipated this moment when granting him the modified Buddhist Golden Body technique.
Well, when both action and inaction have their risks, being bold and decisive seemed to suit him better anyway.
<+>
Meanwhile, Xuan Ming found himself caught in a dilemma.
He was nearly certain that the young man before him was the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect—even if the reality didn't fully align with the intelligence his colleagues in the department had gathered.
But once that thought took root, it only left him more conflicted.
'What should I do next? Should I report this incident back to the royal city and leave it to Night Crow? But leaving now might appear too suspicious…'
Although straightforward in nature, Xuan Ming wasn't a fool. His experience working for the Six Gate Bureau made it easy to deduce that the Nascent Soul old man likely wasn't targeting him.
There was no animosity, no grudge, and nothing to gain. There was no reason for anyone to see him as a target.
Especially when he could clearly feel the old man's emotions growing more intense and greedy when facing the young man across from him.
That led to a logical guess.
'But wasn't this old man acting cowardly before, especially after witnessing that terrifying strike…?'
Was his confidence in the Six Sword Absolute Array that unshakable? Or had greed clouded his judgment?
Frowning, Xuan Ming glanced at Luo Wusheng, who stood before the old man.
He decided to observe how this boy—who might very well be the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect—handled the situation.
'The one watched closely by both Night Crow and Wutong, and someone Her Majesty values... He probably has suspicions about my identity, but it's unlikely he'd connect me to the Six Gate Bureau.'
As Xuan Ming pondered, his expression suddenly froze.
On the other side, Ji Yanyao also stiffened slightly.
The face of the stiffened old man abruptly twisted into an intense and wild array of expressions.
It was as if something had been forcibly stripped from him. His clouded, aged eyes, locked on the young man, were now filled with panic. His body began trembling uncontrollably, inexplicably breaking free of some of his restraints.
'This… How could I have done something so foolish?! No preparation, no plan—how could I possibly hope to take down someone who can unleash such a terrifying strike with just a sword formation and some cloaking technique?'
'And to let myself fall into someone else's trap so easily… No, I can't just sit and wait for death!'
Even though his mind was still clouded, the old man, having broken free of the daoist binding technique, acted almost instinctively.
At that moment, six sword hums echoed from beyond the forest.
<+>
Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
- - - - - - - - - -
Note: If you want to see more chapters of this story, please join my Patreon[1], for $5 each month, you can read all of the available chapters.
Patreon Account: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024[2]
Latest Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 430: The Reason[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-430-140786233[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[2] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-430-140786233
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-430-140786233