20. Temple Deep Alley hears Great Compassion (Part 2)

  Cheng Zhenqian beheaded a thug with his sword, feeling like a great hero. Just as he was rejoicing, he heard Liu Zhizhi and Lai Jixue shouting "Be careful!" Something flew over, exploded, and a large cloud of smoke rose. Liu Zhizhi felt something was off and immediately held his breath. At the same time, Lai Jixue shouted: "It's Soul-Confusing Smoke, hold your breath quickly!"

  Cheng Zhenqian was feeling proud, but accidentally inhaled a thread, and suddenly became dizzy. Fortunately, he only inhaled a little, and after being reminded, he barely held his breath, his body had already gone soft, using the knife to prop himself up, and managed not to fall down.

  Liu Zhi immediately sensed that the gray brick wall near the wall seemed to protrude, and two ninjas wearing gray-black ninja suits suddenly appeared, making a surprise attack. No need to ask Liu Zhi how he knew they were ninjas, as he had seen such attire many times in movies and comics.

  Liu Zhi's toes grasped the ground, his body flashed, and he burst out of the smoke. A punch thundered towards the ninja who was rushing towards him, precisely the Cannon Fist from the Xingyiquan Five Elements Fist, like gunpowder exploding, a deafening roar echoed through the air.

  Lai Jixue's fingers moved in a connected motion, his feet executing mysterious footwork. In an instant, a gust of wind blew through the alley, dispersing the smoke and fog. Without hesitation, his fingers continued to point in mid-air, and with a loud shout, the dark energy shot out like invisible arrows, striking the ninja who was charging towards him.

  The ninja who rushed towards Liu Zhiyi was holding a ninja stick, pointing at Liu Zhiyi's chest, with a knife on his back. It was clear that the opponent did not intend to kill Liu Zhiyi, but rather had the psychology of capturing him alive. On the other hand, Lai Jixue was not treated with such care, and was instead holding a Japanese sword, clearly intending to send Lai Jixue to his death.

  Liu Zhi's body slightly tilted, his chest contained, and he endured the stick rubbing against his armpit. His opponent also shifted their body to one side, and Liu Zhi's fierce punch also rubbed against the opponent's left shoulder. Both parties were speeding towards each other at high speed, but their attacks missed, and they passed by each other. In that instant of passing by, Liu Zhi's left hand suddenly chopped towards the back of his opponent's neck with a palm strike. Liu Zhi's inner strength was fully utilized, and his entire body moved freely under control. This palm strike, although it was an instinctive reaction from years of training, had considerable power. As soon as he made the move, the air exploded in response.

  The opponent was no ordinary person, and at the critical moment, despite being in high-speed motion, he forcibly twisted his body. Liu Zhi's palm fell empty, but his hand swept to the back of the opponent's waist, where a Japanese sword handle was located. Liu Zhi instinctively changed his grip from a palm strike to a grab, grasping the hilt of the sword and pulling it out with a "clang". The sword landed in Liu Zhi's left hand, and the opponent stumbled, his body swaying to one side before falling to the ground. With a roll, a cloud of smoke enveloped his body, making it impossible to see his figure. Two polygonal throwing stars shot out from within the smoke, flying towards Liu Zhi's shoulders.

  Liu Zhi knew that the left hand knife had drawn a knife flower, and the two swords in his hands were knocked flying. Then he grasped the knife with both hands. The Japanese sword and Miao Dao are similar in shape, and the Japanese sword evolved from the Tang sword. In fact, the Miao Dao is just a continuation of the Tang sword, not a knife of the Miao people. Because it is long and thin like a young rice shoot, it is called a Miao Dao. The knives of the Miao people are mostly short knives, called sharp Miao knives. Liu Zhi knew that he had bought one, which was tested and refined into a magic weapon, but still at Mazhai Elementary School. According to the "New Book of Tang", Li Siye was good at using the Miao Dao, while the Japanese sword developed from the Tang sword.

  So, the Japanese sword used by Ryū Chikai was also very handy. Ryū Chikai didn't like the Japanese from the bottom of his heart, and yet they had managed to get on his bad side. A warrior's anger knows no bounds, and with a flash of blood, Ryū Chikai's killing intent surged forth. The opponent tried to cover himself with smoke, but it couldn't block Ryū Chikai's senses. Ryū Chikai's deepest secret wasn't actually his martial arts skills, but rather that he was a cultivator. With the intuition of a cultivator combined with his martial arts skills, the effect was truly extraordinary.

  The ninja had already stood up in the smoke, seeing that his sword was ineffective, and was considering how to capture Liu Zhi. He didn't think Liu Zhi could sense his presence. With a loud roar, Liu Zhi took a step forward, and a flash of light like a white rainbow shot out from his waist, seemingly splitting the smoke in two, slashing towards his opponent with a horizontal cut.

  The ninja didn't expect that Ryū Chi knew his position clearly, and was shocked. He spun the hilt of his ninja sword once, and it suddenly transformed into two slender blades. It turned out that the original hilt was actually two knives, with each knife's handle serving as a scabbard for the other, combining to form a single ninja sword. With both blades crossed, he blocked the incoming attack.

  Liu Zhi's knife came with a strong momentum, and the opponent was caught off guard. In an instant, he stumbled back, his left hand losing its grip on the hilt, which flew out of his hand. His right hand went numb, and the blade nearly slipped from his grasp.

  Liu Zhi Zhī naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity, taking a large step to the left with his bow foot, using the momentum to flip both hands, and with a reverse slash, like a startled rainbow, the knife tip swept past his opponent's throat. The opponent hadn't even reacted yet, their exposed eyes revealing an expression of disbelief, as a line of blood appeared on their throat, followed by a spray of blood mist, and their body fell to the ground.

  Liu Zhi knew that with one slash of his sword he would gain the upper hand, and without looking at him again, turned to kill another ninja who was entangled in a fierce battle with Lai Ji Xue.

  Lai Jixue's battle with the other ninja was different, Lai Jixue used a geomancy method, summoning the spirit of the land, borrowing the surrounding earth energy to defend himself, and using the yin and yang energy to harm his enemy. The ninja made several frontal charges, seemingly getting close, but mysteriously pulling back, in reality, Lai Jixue was using the geomancy technique to adjust the various energies around him, creating a complex interplay of mental and physical space, a slight mistake in positioning would lead the opponent to be led astray by several meters.

  At the same time, the killing intent was like an arrow, with a chilling feeling that seemed to freeze one's bones and marrow. There was also a sense of being pulled into hell, leaving this ninja with a feeling of exhaustion from running for his life.

  Liu Zhi knew that as soon as he arrived, this ninja was greatly shocked and knew that his companion was finished. Otherwise, the opponent would not have been able to extricate himself. Originally, he thought the opponent was an ordinary person, and with two ninjas attacking, it should have been easy to capture him. Just now, hiding aside, seeing the opponent deal with a few thugs, he should have some skills. What's the big deal about having some skills? He was a strictly trained ninja, not some inexperienced amateur who had never seen blood. But unexpectedly, this is how it ended.

  At this thought, Li Dun retreated with the intention of escaping. With a flick of his hand, a smoke bomb shattered, but unfortunately, the ground was made of cement and he couldn't burrow into it to escape. As the smoke rose, his figure flashed and he had already retreated to the wall edge, blending in with the wall to temporarily hide himself before making his getaway.

  He didn't think that Liu Zhi would be able to achieve a state of perfect harmony with nature, where everything around him was in resonance, although not as clear as sight, it was already sufficient. Liu Zhi let out a cold laugh, his body darting forward, the knife in his hand thrusting forward, directly stabbing towards the opponent's abdomen.

  The ninja was shocked, once discovered, the ninja's combat effectiveness was greatly affected. Ninjas were more skilled at ambushing and assassinating intelligence gathering, and they couldn't hide anymore. With a slanted knife, he cut towards Liu Zhiyi, and at the same time, he also dodged to the side. The two knives intersected, and Liu Zhiyi took the initiative to attack, gaining the upper hand. The ninja's body swayed slightly, opening up the knife, and he also left his original position, unwilling to continue fighting. Liu Zhiyi showed a hint of a smile, but didn't pursue because Lai Jixue was blocking in front.

  A surge of dark energy has invaded the ninja's body. Previously, due to his agile movements, Lai Jixue had no chance to directly transmit the dark energy into his opponent's body. Now, as his opponent was only dodging Liu Zhi, he neglected Lai Jixue and was caught off guard. Lai Jixue gathered the dark energy, which was not enough to kill his opponent instantly. As soon as it hit him, his entire body fell into an ice cave. What's more deadly is that it immediately triggered hallucinations, with countless evil spirits rushing towards him, causing his mind to fall into madness in an instant. His knife danced wildly in his hand. For Lai Jixue, this was enough. If he didn't care, as a ninja, he should have been able to escape the illusion after a short while due to his usual training. However, it was now fatal.

  Lai Jixue's figure flashed, and he was already by his side. A punch struck the crook of his elbow, causing the ninja to drop his Japanese sword. The intense pain made him instantly sober up, but it was too late. Lai Jixue let out a loud cry, and his fists rained down on the ninja's chest like a storm. It was a classic Wing Chun technique, with each punch exploding with power at the moment of impact. The standard inch-force was evident in the drum-like sound of his fists. As the punches landed, blood flowed from the corner of the ninja's mouth, and his eyes lost their luster before he collapsed to the ground.

  "Lai brother has a good fist method, got the essence of Wing Chun!" Liu Zhi praised.

  "Far inferior to Brother Liu's knife skills, this knife is out, ghosts and gods retreat, I just touched the threshold of Mingjin, but Brother Liu is already a master of dark jin, can be called the champion of one side!" Lai Jixue shook his head, feeling admiration for Liu Zhi, but his strength was not in martial arts, so he didn't have any envy. As he spoke, he walked to Cheng Zhen's side, Cheng Zhen still held his knife, and had recovered a bit, but was still dizzy. Lai Jixue's fingers lightly pointed, and a stream of vital energy entered Cheng Zhen's body, Cheng Zhen shook his head, finally took a deep breath, and stood steady.

  "A great hero, a god, and even a ninja has appeared. Is this world still governed by science?" Although Cheng Zhenqian had inhaled some of the Soul-Devouring Smoke, he hadn't truly fainted, and could still see clearly the battle between them. The impact was too great for him.

  "Come to my side, it's not over yet!" Lai Jixue didn't respond to Cheng Zhenqian's words. The place where everyone was standing was eerily quiet, and even the sound of cars on the street couldn't be heard. Liu Zhizhi also sensed something was off and immediately went to Lai Jixue's side, his back slightly arched, like a tiger sensing danger, with his knife pointing diagonally at the ground. Meanwhile, Cheng Zhenqian saw that the two men's faces were not right and drew out his own knife.

  In the quiet and deep alley, a gentle breeze blew from the entrance of the alley, and petals filled the sky like flower rain, drifting with the wind. A woman in a pale pink kimono appeared at the entrance of the alley, and Liu Zhi knew slightly narrowed his eyes. Behind this woman seemed to be a flowering tree, it was cherry blossoms. In Liu Zhi's heart, there was a feeling that this woman was not human, but seemed like a spirit.

  "Be careful, this is not a human, it's a wooden demon, it's the work of an Onmyodo practitioner. This is a spirit controlled by an Onmyodo practitioner, otherwise, how could petals stick to its body? Otherwise, no one would know how it died!" Lai Jixue didn't have time to explain in detail and simply said that.

  Onmyodo, Liu Zhi had heard of it before, but only fragmented information, and didn't know the details. Onmyodo is actually a practice system that combines the yin-yang five elements theory from the Yin-Yang school of the Hundred Schools of Thought in ancient China's Spring and Autumn period with Taoist incantations and esoteric divination techniques, which was then transmitted to Japan. After landing in Japan, it absorbed many local shamanic practices and formed a cultivation system that has undergone significant changes from the original Chinese practice system, actually focusing on spirit control, driving various spirits for one's own use, somewhat similar to Liu Zhi's previous Five Ghosts Technique. Kodama is a type of yōkai in Japanese legend, a tree spirit that participates in the Hyakki Yakō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).

  Lai Jixue watched as the cherry blossom petals danced in the wind, and he didn't think that Liu Zhizhi and Cheng Zhenqian could withstand it. Cheng Zhenqian was just an ordinary person, although he had practiced his knife skills for a while, he could only deal with a few ordinary people. As for Liu Zhizhi, although she was a master of dark energy, this kind of unstoppable technique relied on the abundance of blood and energy in her body to resist for a moment, but as time went on, she would inevitably lose.

  He didn't understand the root of Liu Zhi's power, and it was normal to think so. When Liu Zhi saw this situation, he first thought of the Golden Light Protection Method, just about to start, Lai Jixue had already activated his defense.

  Lai Jixue took out three crystal-like objects from his body, revealed a triangular shape and threw them out, covering the three people inside. The three crystals emitted a pale yellow glow, connected into one, floated in mid-air, and covered the three people in the middle. Liu Zhizhi saw this and let out a breath of relief, asking: "Is this a magical instrument?"

  "You can understand it this way, it's just a naturally crystallized mineral crystal of the Reishi stone, I rotate the spiritual axis, use my mind to refine and purify, can summon some wonderful uses from the mountains and rivers of the earth, different from ordinary magical tools, it's something unique to us geomancers!" Lai Jixue explained, Liu Zhi knew was very interested, but now wasn't the time to discuss these things.

  The petals of the cherry blossoms disappeared instantly when they encountered the yellow light emitted by the three crystals, and originally these cherry blossom petals were just the spiritual energy of the Ling body.

  These petals seem weak and harmless, but none of the three people think so. Outside their protection, six young thugs are lying on the ground, some in a coma, others with broken bones. Seeing two people kill two ninjas, the awake ones can't keep up with their brains. They didn't come to seek death, but those two legendary ninjas were killed by the pair in less than two minutes, with flying darts, smoke bombs, and invisibility. The three seem to have no fear after killing, what kind of people did they provoke, even several people hate the Dragon Head Boss.

  However, they didn't have the chance. The petals danced in the air together, very beautifully. At first, several people who were awake didn't think much of it. But then they clearly heard the conversation between Liu Zhi and the other two. Suddenly, they were terrified - these petals were deadly! Liu Zhi and the other two were protected by a pale yellow glow emitted from three crystals, but the six people lying on the ground weren't. As soon as the petals touched their bodies, even the two who had been unconscious began to struggle unconsciously, like fish falling into a pot of oil. In an instant, they were still.

  Cheng Zhenqian saw this, his heart was fearful, and his eyes turned to Lai Jixue, as if asking what to do. Lai Jixue smiled bitterly: "If it were face-to-face, I wouldn't be afraid of the yin-yang master, but the other side had already set up a trap, and we fell into it. However, don't worry, at worst, we'll just force our way out!"

  After finishing, his fingers drew a pattern in the air, and Liu Zhi knew that Lai Ji Xue was not drawing talismans, but outlining a diagram, which should be an array or something. A dark and gloomy aura gathered and shot towards Mu Mei. The powder and the woman in pink suddenly dispersed, then quickly gathered again, but became somewhat blurred. Mu Mei seemed to have been enraged as well, her face suddenly twisted and ferocious, and the cherry blossom tree behind her suddenly became clear. Countless branches wrapped around like grasping hands.

  The pale yellow light suddenly shook violently, and those branches could not invade the yellow light. The two sides were at a stalemate, and another gust of dark wind rose, with the sound of dog barking coming from afar. However, it was a high-nosed dog shadow with wings, like an eagle-dog hybrid. Lai Jixue's face looked somewhat unsightly, and he said in a low voice: "Tiangou!" Liu Zhi knew that this was also a demon spirit from Japanese legend of the hundred ghosts.

  It's not over yet, another red-clothed woman appeared, with blood flowing from her face and a pale complexion. Lai Jixue said again: "Qiao Ji!" His expression became even more solemn. Qiao Ji was the spirit body transformed from the ghost of a woman who had drowned herself to death, also one of the hundred ghosts.

  Seeing Lai Jixue's serious face, Liu Zhizhi knew that things were severe and couldn't hold back his strength anymore. He prepared to make a move, but just as he was about to seal the spell, the sound of a wooden fish drum entered his ears, followed by the chanting of Sanskrit in everyone's ears.

  "Namo Ratna Trayaya, Nama Arya Avalokiteshvaraya. Namo Arya Bhaisajya Guru Vaidurya Prabha Rajaya Tathagataya Arhate Samyak Sambuddhaya. Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya. Mahakarunikaya..." This is the Great Compassion Mantra, a famous Buddhist scripture that has been widely spread in the world. Liu Zhi was also very familiar with it, as his grandfather Liu Xingxu believed in Buddhism and often played the Great Compassion Mantra at home.

  As soon as the curse was spoken, it seemed to break the silence. The sound of cars driving by came from a nearby street. Mokui, Tengu and Hashihime suddenly faded away like a dream, making it seem like what just happened was just an illusion. However, several corpses on the ground proved that it wasn't just a fantasy.

  Lai Jixue let out a sigh of relief, put away the three crystals, and the sound of the Mahakaruna Dharani also stopped. Lai Jixue bowed to the Buddhist temple from afar, and Liu Zhi and Cheng Zhenqian followed suit. Lai Jixue shouted: "Thank you, Master, for your assistance!"

  "Could it be that Puzi Temple has a superior man?" Cheng Zhenqian asked Lai Jixue.

  Lai Jixue nodded: "If it weren't for that master reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, today would be in trouble. Needless to say, it must be that Abe Kiyoyuki causing trouble again. That little devil! After a few days, I'll go to Japan and stir up some trouble too!"

  "Then is it useful for us to recite the Great Compassion Mantra?" Cheng Zhenqian asked again.

  "There's only a little use, calm the body and mind, to reach today's master level, one must achieve the power of chanting, even among domestic high monks, there are hardly a few people who have achieved the power of chanting!" Lai Jixue explained, Cheng Zhenqian was somewhat disappointed.

  Yong Zhi knew that the person who had been standing next to Abe Kiyoshi on that day was indeed Abe, a Japanese. He wanted to capture Yong Zhi alive and probably figure out where the artifact came from. It seemed that these little devils still had their wolfish ambitions, and Yong Zhi thought to himself that he might also go to Japan to seek justice!

  Liu Zhi Zhi turned around and said to Lai Ji Xue: "So many people have died here, how should we handle it?"

  As soon as Liu Zhi said this, Cheng Zhen immediately realized the severity of the problem. After all, the three of them lived in modern times, an era governed by law, and murder was a crime. Although they had acted in self-defense, who could prove it? This charge was not to be taken lightly.

  Lai Jixue didn't care, saying: "I'll handle it!" Liu Zhizhi thought to himself, wondering how to dispose of the body. If they were in a deep mountain, he could just throw it into a corner and no one would know. But this was a city, so destroying the evidence wasn't an option. Liu Zhizhi remembered Ali's poisonous insect technique, which had instantly reduced Li Yi's body to nothing. He himself didn't have such abilities, nor did he know how to create a fireball like some cultivators online, who could turn a corpse into ashes with a single blast. Maybe he should research it and learn how to do it? That way, next time something like this happened, it would be more convenient. Liu Zhizhi's mind stirred, as if a spark of inspiration had flashed by, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't come up with any ideas. Could Lai Jixue have some similar technique?

  Lai Jixue took out his phone and dialed a number: "Third Uncle, I'm at Pujisi Temple in Shencheng. I killed two ninjas and a few small-time hooligans got unlucky too! Yesterday night I snapped a photo of a mysterious object, it's this thing! That Japanese Yin-Yang Master Abe no Kiyoyuki wants to take action against me, great! I'm waiting for him here!"

  As soon as the call ended, Lai Jixue said to the two of them: "My third uncle has a good relationship with the special department of the government. The special department in Shencheng will come to handle this matter!" Only then did Liu Zhi know that he had thought wrongly.

  Three people waited here, and a police siren sounded in the distance.

  ;