Who Is the Real Hunter?

"Damn it, things really aren't that simple!" Lu Yang frowned. With the town mayor—or rather, the monster—inside the ancestral hall, their situation had become exceedingly dangerous. "What do we do?" Meng Jingzhou looked just as grim, his mind racing to find a countermeasure. Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Yang caught sight of the rules posted at the entrance of the ancestral hall. [Buyi Town Ancestral Hall Rules] [Rule One: If you are wearing black clothes or white clothes, and feel dizzy, lightheaded, or black fur begins growing on your arms, please enter the ancestral hall, pay homage to the Buddha statue, and drink the water before the Buddha statue.] [Rule Two: Inside the ancestral hall, the Buddha statue cannot be damaged.] [Rule Three: There is a man-eating monster in the ancestral hall.] [Rule Four: The ancestral hall is safe.] "Into the ancestral hall!" Lu Yang made an instant decision and charged inside. The third and fourth rules appeared to contradict each other, suggesting one was false, but that was not the case. Based on Lu Yang's familiarity with the rules over the past few days, everything written in them was the truth. Thus, there had to be a logically consistent explanation: there was indeed a monster in the ancestral hall, but it could not eat people while inside. Therefore, entering the ancestral hall was the safest choice! The two rushed in and finally laid eyes on the mayor's true form—a monster unlike anything they had ever seen. Half-man and half-beast, the mayor stood two stories tall. His upper body differed little from a human's, except for a third eye in the center of his forehead and a mouth split open all the way to his ears like a python's. His lower half resembled a tall steed, yet no horse possessed eight legs, and human legs at that. Lu Yang also noticed a thick, heavy tail behind the mayor. It rested lightly on the ground, stirring up puffs of dust, though the dim light of the hall made it impossible to tell which demon clan it belonged to. No ancestral tablets were housed inside; instead, right at the center stood a blindfolded, half-naked Buddha statue, bewitching and bizarre. Before the statue sat three bowls of clear water, which had to be the water mentioned in Rule One that could undo the transformation into a black dog. The mayor looked down, eyeing the two intruders with some surprise. "You two truly are extraordinary to make a decision so quickly. It seems taking matters into my own hands to deal with you was the right choice." "Must be hard work for the town mayor to come out personally! How about you head right back?" Meng Jingzhou quipped insolently, as always. The mayor said no more. From the moment the flying car crashed to the ground, he had noticed Lu Yang and his companions. But Daoist Buyu possessed the highest cultivation and had left town, while these two were mere juniors with weak cultivation, so the mayor had paid them no heed. Later, when the mayor saw them use the rules to dispose of the waiter, he began taking them seriously, realizing they were skilled at manipulating the rules and posed a hidden danger. The mayor had wanted to eliminate them, but knowing they would not easily fall into a trap, he decided to beat them at their own game. He knew everything that happened in Buyi Town; the two writing their escape plan on paper could not escape his three eyes. Geniuses like them always suffered from arrogance, believing no one could outwit them. The mayor had exploited this mindset: he indulged them in devising an escape plan, allowed them to fool the yamen runners, and then, at the very last moment, stole their jade pendants to foil their plan and finish them off in the ancestral hall. Because they were cautious and never left the inn at night, the mayor had deliberately revealed a flaw to lure the snakes from their hole. Now, it was time to haul in the net! Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's faces darkened. Astute as they were, they instantly understood that all of this was the mayor's scheme. They had been careless! The mayor spoke no further. His tail whipped out as fast as lightning; before Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou could react, they were sent flying and slammed against the wall. Fortunately, under the rule that 'the ancestral hall is safe,' neither was injured. Otherwise, that single strike alone would have killed them on the spot! Their hearts sank. The disparity in strength and speed was too vast for any trick to bridge. Never mind that the mayor possessed an immortal body—even if he were mortal, they would not be able to harm him. The mayor knew he could not kill them inside the ancestral hall, so shoving them out would suffice! Outside the ancestral hall, he was invincible! The mayor charged at them with his massive frame. Seeing the danger, the two exchanged no words; instead, they struck their palms against each other, propelling one another away, and rolled aside to evade his attack. "Some skill, at least," the mayor sneered dismissively. Such petty tricks could only work once against him. "Circle behind him!" Lu Yang shouted. The mayor was simply too massive to easily turn around in the cramped hall. When the mayor turned, he saw Meng Jingzhou hoisting the Buddha statue and hurling it straight at him. [Inside the ancestral hall, the Buddha statue cannot be damaged.] An indestructible Buddha statue was the finest weapon! "That's all?" Facing the statue carved from massive stone, the mayor remained unfazed. He threw a punch at them, breaking the sound barrier and whipping up a hurricane within the narrow ancestral hall—what formidable power! As the fifth Body Integration cultivator, he had not chosen to become the town mayor for amusement. During his long slumber, something had gone wrong with his physical form, amounting to bodily death. After waking, only his soul remained. To vie for opportunities in the Golden Age, he had seized the town mayor's body and used an ancient cultivation method to remake the mayor's flesh into this form. Bizarre and grotesque as this appearance was, to a cultivator, strength reigned supreme. This form was his peak state, sure to let him distinguish himself in the Golden Age! This punch was impossible to block. Lu Yang was blasted backward, but he executed an ordinary Tiger Fist, mimicking a tiger to adjust his posture in midair and landing lightly, dispersing most of the force. Meng Jingzhou clung tightly to the Buddha statue, only to be sent flying right out of the ancestral hall along with it. "Don't let the statue hit the ground! If it shatters, you die!" Lu Yang yelled. Meng Jingzhou realized the danger as well: what he was holding was not hope of reaching the outside world, but a magical treasure ready to detonate at any moment! Meng Jingzhou roared. His muscles bulged, skin flushing crimson and veins throbbing as he stomped both feet into the ground. Straining with both arms, he stabilized his body and the statue, preventing it from striking the earth and breaking. "Get back into the ancestral hall, quick!" Lu Yang shouted. They were both outside now—a single blow from the mayor would mean certain death! "You think you can get back in?" the mayor sneered. The ancestral hall's entrance stood two stories high, and the mayor blocked it completely. With him there, these two brats had no chance of getting back inside! "Do or die!" Lu Yang dashed toward the mayor. With his nimble footwork, he might be able to slide beneath the mayor's body. How could the mayor fail to see through his intent? His two front feet stamped down, intending to crush this nuisance to pulp. Yet Lu Yang shifted his footing and dodged to the side, causing the mayor to stomp empty air. "Finally lured you out," Lu Yang smiled strangely. Seeing Lu Yang's smile, the mayor felt a surge of foreboding. He snapped his head up to see Meng Jingzhou lifting the Buddha statue once more and hurling it right at him! The Buddha statue shattered. The chaotic passage to the outside world unfurled beneath the mayor's feet, blasting him with the Bone-Dissolving Astral Wind. Like tens of thousands of knives carving through skin and shaving flesh from bone, the agony bit deep into his marrow, making him howl in pain. The mayor struggled desperately to flee, but he was trapped by the chaotic passage, unable to break free. When designing the passage, the ancient Body Integration cultivators had decreed that anyone stepping into it was doomed to die—no one could ever escape! Anyone trying to escape the town by breaking the Buddha statue met only certain death! At the side, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou smirked coldly. "Whoever enters the passage must die, yet you have an immortal body. Let's see whose rules are stronger—yours, or the passage's!" From the very beginning, neither of them had intended to use the jade pendants to call the Dao Seeking Sect for help. The jade pendants were nothing more than a decoy tossed out for the mayor.