Chapter 54: Golden Light Shines Everywhere, A Paradise on Earth!

"Huh?"

Lei Tao looked around in terror, seeing that within his sight, the bronze figures were standing up one by one and approaching him.

If it had been Lü Sandao, he certainly could have reacted quickly, leaped up, and escaped the encirclement.

But Lei Tao lacked the strength; he was instantly paralyzed by fear. Before he could react, he was pinned to the ground by a dozen hands.

"Save me, save me..."

Lei Tao's terrified voice drifted out from the main hall.

Unfortunately, the sound was quickly drowned out by other noises.

All the bronze figures stood up to form a circle, chanting in unison.

"Golden light shines everywhere, a paradise on earth."

"Golden light shines everywhere, a paradise on earth."

"..."

The voices echoed incessantly throughout the hall, making the scalps of Zhang Lingshan and the other two outside tingle. They couldn't help but take a collective step back.

*Bang!*

Suddenly, an explosion sounded from within the hall.

Zhang Lingshan and the others looked at each other, having no idea what had happened. They instinctively took another step back, their eyes staring cautiously into the hall.

The chanting of "Golden light shines everywhere, a paradise on earth" continued.

As they chanted, the bronze figures returned to their respective positions. Only after they were all seated did the Buddhist chanting cease.

Lü Sandao suddenly remarked, "There are still eighty-one people, but Lei Tao's father is gone."

Zhang Lingshan and Lei Bao looked closely; indeed, the figure with the red birthmark that Lei Tao had mentioned was gone.

In his place was a figure with a circular scar on his back.

Lei Bao said in a heavy voice, "That scar was caused when Lei Tao was a disobedient child and fell onto glowing charcoal. That is Lei Tao!"

Zhang Lingshan felt a chill in his heart.

What did this mean?

It meant that Lei Tao had replaced his father to become a bronze figure.

And his father had simply vanished.

"That explosion just now?" Lü Sandao reminded them.

The three fell into silence.

It was obvious that the one who exploded was Lei Tao's father. His entire being had turned into golden powder, which was evenly smeared onto Lei Tao, causing his son to become the new bronze figure.

"Do we still want to go in?" Lü Sandao glanced at Zhang Lingshan.

Zhang Lingshan shook his head. "Let's go."

Lei Tao had already provided a demonstration; going in himself would be nothing short of suicide.

Moreover, not only would he be seeking death, but his father might also explode like Old Lei due to his entry.

"Then we retreat! This is no place to linger."

Lü Sandao wasted no more words. He reached out, grabbed Zhang Lingshan and Lei Bao one in each hand, and used his footwork to fly rapidly down the mountain.

"Third Grandfather is back!"

Lü Feng called out, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Third Grandfather, why are your eyes so red? You're even crying."

"Huh?"

Lü Sandao was bewildered. He touched his face and found that tears were indeed flowing, yet strangely, he had no sensation of them at all.

'It must be because I stared at that Buddhist hall for too long.

"Zhang Lingshan and Lei Bao didn't cry because they lacked the strength and naturally looked away after a while. Instead, I kept staring, and my vision was injured.

"In broad daylight, under the clear heavens, no ghosts or evils appear, yet this Buddhist hall is even more eerie than they are. Is this the terror of the Buddhist sect?'

Feeling a sense of dread, Lü Sandao immediately ordered, "Quick, quick, quick! Get away from here."

"Yes!"

Lü Fang immediately led the group to gallop their horses.

Only after they had traveled far did everyone calm down. Someone finally voiced the doubt that had been lingering in their minds: "Where is Lei Tao?"

"..."

Zhang Lingshan and the other two remained silent.

After a long pause, Lü Sandao said, "From now on, Jinguang Temple is a forbidden zone. When escorting goods, you must stay far away from this place, understood?"

"Understood!"

Lü Fang and the others felt a chill in their hearts, knowing that something extremely bizarre must have happened at Jinguang Temple to make even Lü Sandao so guarded.

...

Four days later.

Finally, they returned to Jincheng.

"We're back!"

"Time to wash up."

"We finally arrived safely."

Lü Feng and the other young masters and ladies breathed a sigh of relief, their faces blooming once again with youthful smiles.

This trip had been the easiest of all their escorts; having an expert in the *Yi Jin Jing* made all the difference.

Although one person had died, it wasn't one of theirs, just an outsider, and everyone had long since put it out of their minds.

Only Zhang Lingshan, Lü Sandao, and Lei Bao still felt the lingering fear. Even though they had returned to Jincheng, the voices of "Golden light shines everywhere, a paradise on earth" still echoed in their minds.

"Third Uncle, I'm heading back to the martial arts hall."

Zhang Lingshan bowed in farewell at the entrance of the Zhenwei Escort Agency.

Lü Sandao waved him off. "Go on."

Back at the martial arts hall.

Zhang Lingshan met with Hong Zhengdao and recounted everything that had happened.

Hong Zhengdao shook his head. "I don't know much about the Buddhist sects.

"Since Jinguang Temple is so eerie, don't even think about going there again. That way, even though your father became a bronze figure, at least he is still 'alive.'

"In the future, once your strength increases and you and I have the standing to speak with the four great families, we can ask the Jiang family in the Inner City. They have connections to the Buddhist sects."

"Yes." Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily.

His master was right; that was the logic.

No amount of worry was meaningful; everything had to be settled with strength.

As for the standing to speak with the Jiang family, it certainly wouldn't be about standing there begging for an answer, but about sitting oneself down and having the other party answer with utmost respect.

And only peerless strength could achieve that!

"You've been tired for many days; go back and rest first. In a few days, it will be the appointed time for your official post. Just go directly to the yamen; everyone knows you."

"Thank you, Master. This disciple takes his leave."

"By the way, since you haven't been home lately, to prevent any accidents, I've moved your mother and sister to the courtyard next door. Xiao Ming, take Xiao Shan over there, and let him get to know your family while you're at it."

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Ming immediately led Zhang Lingshan away and arrived at the courtyard to the west. He said, "Junior Brother Shan, this is your new home. My new home is next door; just call me if you need anything."

"I understand, Senior Brother. Thank you."

"Mm, hurry back and rest. You're covered in dust." Xiao Ming smiled, his tone gentle, like an older brother.

Feeling a warmth in his heart, Zhang Lingshan nodded, bid farewell to Xiao Ming, and returned to his own home.

After many days apart, Zhang's mother and sister were relieved to see him return safe and sound.

"It's good that you're back, good that you're back. You've been gone so many days; you can't go that far again in the future," Zhang's mother said with heartache.

Zhang Lingyu, however, looked behind Zhang Lingshan and asked, "Brother, are you the only one back? Where is Dad?"

"There was an accident. Dad won't be coming back for a while. I'll go again later to bring him back."

"Sigh..."

Zhang's mother sighed inwardly.

Over these many days, she had basically prepared herself mentally. Seeing her child go through such hardship, even though he hadn't brought his father back, it was clear the boy had done his best, and there was no need to say anything to make him feel worse.

In this world, accidents were not surprising. If ordinary people like them couldn't accept this reality, they would have collapsed and died long ago.

Seeing this, Zhang Lingyu also immediately shut her mouth and began helping her brother take off his dirty clothes to wash them.

Zhang Lingshan changed his clothes and continued brewing his medicine.

Now that he was back, he had to continue drinking the Three-Party Astragalus Soup every day; failing to accumulate energy for even a single day was a step backward.

He also had to keep practicing the Red Line Fist.

During the escorting period, whenever Zhang Lingshan had leisure, he never neglected the Red Line Fist, practicing it constantly.

He felt that he was close to achieving Great Success; it shouldn't be long before he could break through smoothly.

And things went exactly as he expected.

Three days passed in the simple and monotonous routine of drinking medicine, eating meat, and cultivating.

At noon on this day.

Zhang Lingshan had just finished eating and was using the heat from his Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance to burn his *Youmen* (Hidden Gate). Suddenly, feeling a sensation, he followed through with a set of Red Line Fist.

*Thump, thump!*

His heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

He saw red bloodlines spreading out from his chest, rapidly climbing up his arms and wrists to his fingertips.

But this was not the end; it was only the beginning.

Once his upper body was completely covered in a web of red lines, more bloodlines spread from his heart, crawling down toward his abdomen.

In less than a moment.

Zhang Lingshan felt a sensation of numbness and itching spreading from his thighs.

He quickly returned to his room and took off his trousers, only to see that the bloodlines had already spread to his calves.

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.*

The bloodlines were like small snakes crawling within his body, finally reaching his toes, causing his entire body to be covered in a red web, as if his internal blood vessels had migrated to the surface of his skin, clearly visible.

'Is this the Great Success of the Red Line Fist?'

Zhang Lingshan felt the Qi and blood in his body rising rapidly. Heat steamed from the top of his head, and the externalized bloodlines were proof of his surging blood energy.

It felt as if a furnace was burning inside him, burning all the impurities out of his body. Black, residue-like substances immediately condensed on the surface of his skin; a single rub would peel off a layer of grime.

'This feeling is somewhat profound. Others reaching Great Success with the Red Line Fist probably don't experience such changes.'

Zhang Lingshan thought to himself: 'Because as the Red Line Fist breaks through, the heat from the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance becomes even stronger. This must be the breakthrough of the Red Line Fist feeding back into the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance, thereby remodeling my body once again!'

With this thought, Zhang Lingshan began the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance again, deciding to add fuel to the fire.

At the same time, he used the heat to burn his *Youmen*.

Burning the *Youmen* these past few days had greatly improved his digestive and absorption capabilities. He hoped that today, with the added heat, he could achieve a complete transformation in one go!

Once, twice, and again.

Zhang Lingshan practiced the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance with intense fervor. He didn't know how long he had been practicing; he only felt as if his entire being had become void, his head spinning from the heat, losing all sense of where he was.

*Click!*

Suddenly, a crisp sound startled him awake.

He regained his senses, stood still, and his eyes slowly cleared before his entire being fell into complete stillness.

Looking outside, he realized that, without him noticing, night had fallen.

It seemed to be the middle of the night.

In the darkness, Zhang Lingshan remained motionless, feeling as if he had merged into the darkness, where one could not see their hand in front of their face.

Suddenly, an inexplicable restlessness arose within his body. His left abdomen throbbed rhythmically, as if something was stirring.

'Could it be... that I have actually, by chance, opened the *Youfu* (Ghost Mansion)?'

Zhang Lingshan's heart jolted, and he was excited to the extreme.

If he had truly opened the *Youfu*, it meant he could suck evil spirits into it and refine them to his heart's content. Wouldn't accumulating energy this way be magnificent?

Filled with excitement, he focused all his mental energy on the throbbing spot in his left abdomen—the location of the *Youmen* within his body.

He pressed down with his right hand, feeling that indescribable, miraculous sensation.

It felt as if a room inside had truly been opened, and it was just waiting for him to send evil spirits into that room to be refined.

Thus, Zhang Lingshan stayed awake all night, carefully savoring the unprecedented changes in his body.

At dawn the next day.

He boiled water to wash away the grime on his body, dressed himself, and rushed to the yamen.