Stranger Danger

As expected, shit went south in almost no time at all.

Maybe it was because of the chantings of the golden warriors and the monks, or maybe it was because of the Buddha silhouette in the sky, but large red lanterns began floating out of the darkness.

The red lanterns were so numerous that they were clumped up together. They glowed dark red and appeared all too conspicuous amidst the darkness.

As the large red lanterns came closer and closer, the group felt danger and stopped their chanting. They watched warily as the large lanterns came closer and closer.

“What are those? Lanterns?”

“But why would there be so many lanterns in the Myriad Buddha Plains?”

“Is it just me, or does something seem off about the lanterns?”

“It’s not just you. They’re flickering for some reason.”

“Also, why do these lanterns look like eyes?”

Annoyed by their inane discussion, Jinpeng Moyun looked back and shouted, “Keep quiet!”

It was at this moment a chill crept up his spine.

It was because he saw eyes. Many, many eyes.

No, he wasn’t referring to the golden warriors’ eyes. He was talking about the eyes that had suddenly appeared on their face, neck, the back of their hands, their palms, and exposed skin.

The eyes were shaped like a snake’s pupils and dark red in color. They looked cold and merciless.

Although the eyes were covering the golden warriors from head to toe, they themselves did not seem to notice it at all.

When Jinpeng Moyun accidentally looked at those eyes, those eyes looked right back at him as if they possessed a mind of their own, unblinking.

A wave of indescribable chill and taint invaded his veins then. He felt his skin tearing, and something threatening to grow out of his flesh and blood.

“Padme Hum…”

Blanching, Jinpeng Moyun immediately performed a hand seal. Oppressive golden light immediately shone out of his body and cleansing the coldness and taint within.

As soon as the taint was expelled, Jinpeng Moyun hurriedly turned around to warn Devi Ruyi.

However, he once again froze in his tracks and felt chilled to the very core of his soul.

He didn’t know when it happened, but the large red lanterns were almost right in front of him.

More importantly, he finally saw the large red lanterns for what they were. They weren’t lanterns after all. They were eyes. All of them.

The large eyes looked identical to the small eyes on the golden warriors’ body except that they were several times bigger. They looked like large red lanterns because they were glowing dark red.

The owner of the eyes was a gigantic snake.

The Golden-winged Aquila was flying in the sky and at least an entire kilometer above ground. However, the snake was not only keeping pace with the mount, its long, massive body stretched down to the icy plains all the way to the unknown horizon.

Not only that, the snake didn’t have just one head hovering above their heads. It had three.

The three heads were covered in densely packed eyes, and their dark red light flickered every time the eyes blinked. What felt like a tsunami of taint and chill was washing toward them.

Despite himself, Jinpeng Moyun’s body began to hurt once more. His muscles swelled and spasmed as if something was trying to burst out of it.

He knew what it was. The eyes. The eyes were trying to grow out of his flesh and blood just like it had done to his golden warriors.

The only difference between him and them was that he was aware and fighting back against corruption.

Jinpeng Moyun focused his mind and began chanting a Buddhist mantra inside his head. He watched the gigantic three-headed snake closely while expelling the taint inside his body. He would respond the second it made a move.

Unlike Jinpeng Moyun, Devi Ruyi could not seem to feel the corruption at all. Her body was pure and clean, and her face was calm and devoid of panic.

Right now, Devi Ruyi was observing her three uninvited guests with a curious look on her face. Specifically, she was observing Ye Qing.

It was because the trio were the only ones on the Golden-winged Aquila's back that was acting as unaffected as her.

Ye Qing was protected by the Profound Yellow Mother Qi and so was immune to all evils. The three-headed snake’s tainted influence was no different. Yi Pin and Old Man of Snowy Mountain were also immune because of him.

Ye Qing noticed Devi Ruyi’s gaze as a matter of course. He gave her a polite smile.

Although Devi Ruyi was found out, she smiled back without any shame whatsoever. She then said gently, “This is our Protector God, the Protector God, the Myriad-eyed Snake King. Please close your eyes so that you do not see its eyes.”

The group obeyed her orders, and Jinpeng Moyun, the golden warriors, and the monks immediately felt an invisible burden lifting from their shoulders. The taint and chill they were feeling also disappeared as if they were blocked by something.

After they closed their eyes, the red eyes covering the golden warriors’ bodies receded back into their flesh. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Ye Qing did the same thing, although his demonic thought was firmly attached to the gigantic three-headed snake.

After everyone had closed their eyes, the giant snake slowly lowered its three heads and stared at the group emotionlessly.

They kept approaching until they were close enough for Ye Qing to reach out and touch the eyes.

“Ahhhh! I’ll kill you!”

Several golden warriors could not withstand the terrifying pressure[1] and opened their eyes. They then attacked the three-headed snake while screaming.

“Don’t open your eyes!”

Devi Ruyi tried to stop them, but it was too late. The moment they opened their eyes, the eyes that had receded from their flesh and blood reopened as well.

The next moment, tiny, finger-sized snakes crawled out of the eyes and began feeding on the golden warriors’ bodies.

“Argh!”

“Help!”

“Save me!”

Several golden warriors began screaming in pain and rolling all over the floor. Despite their best attempts to rip off the red snakes that were eating them alive, their efforts were completely futile.

“Do not attack, and do not open your eyes!”

Several people instinctively stepped forward to help their compatriots, but Devi Ruyi’s command halted them dead in their tracks.

It was clear that Devi Ruyi possessed a high level of authority among the group. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing before stepping away from the suffering warriors.

The afflicted golden warriors would scream for a hundred breaths straight. It wasn’t until every bit of flesh had been consumed by the little snakes that they finally drew their last breaths and stopped screaming.

“Do not open your eyes no matter what happens. Do not open your eyes.”

Devi Ruyi did not seem to feel anything for the poor dead warriors. She simply repeated her warning just in case someone decided to do something stupid again.

No one did thanks to their compatriots’ gruesome example.

The three-headed snake circled the air for a bit when it did something unexpected. As if drawn by something, one head hovered above Ye Qing’s head, and the other two heads blocked his front and his flank.

The next moment, all three heads opened their eyes and stared at Ye Qing unblinkingly. Scarlet light washed out like a tangible object and engulfed him completely.

1. Wow, either these warriors are sorely lacking in discipline, or they’re being influenced by something. ☜