Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 277 - Xie Zhi (2)

At the mountain peak, the clouds rolled beneath them as the white pagoda stood proudly. The lack of trees and flowers around the pagoda made the surroundings feel less tranquil and more majestic.

From their vantage point, they looked down upon perilous cliffs on all sides. The solitary pagoda, bathed in the morning sun’s golden hues, was awe-inspiring.

Mingjing stopped in front of the pagoda’s entrance. Zanxing’s gaze was drawn to a particular object and she asked, “What is this?”

In front of the pagoda’s entrance stood a stone statue.

The statue resembled a goat but had only one horn and was much larger than an ordinary goat. It loomed over them, its head slightly bowed as if it intended to touch those approaching with its horn.

The goat’s eyes were made of black stones. For some reason, Zanxing felt an uneasy sensation upon seeing the statue. Although it was just a statue, she sensed a human-like quality in the goat’s eyes, as if it were coldly and critically observing her.

The statue blocked the entire entrance to the pagoda. Nie Xinghong from Yinfeng Sect paused with his fan and looked at Mingjing with confusion. “Master, with this statue blocking the entrance, how are we supposed to get in? Should we break it or move it?”

Mingjing replied, “Xie Zhi, a one-horned goat, is said to discern guilt.” He gazed at the pagoda and spoke softly, “This is a condition of the pagoda.”

“Only those who are without guilt may enter the pagoda.”

Zanxing tightened her grip on her Wuyou Staff.

Xie Zhi, the mythical one-horned goat, was said to have been used by ancient diviners to determine guilt or innocence. By touching the horn of Xie Zhi to a suspect, the creature would reveal whether the person was guilty or innocent.

Now, before the Five Wheel Pagoda, stood a stone statue of Xie Zhi, silently observing the group.

Mingjing explained, “Over the centuries, many cultivators have come here wishing to enter the pagoda, but many have been barred by Xie Zhi before they could even enter. Xie Zhi is said to devour the guilty, only the innocent may pass through this gate.” He addressed the group, “So even though you have reached this point, it does not guarantee entry into the pagoda.”

“Are you joking?” someone from the Demon Extermination Army retorted. “You say that guilty people cannot enter the pagoda, and you also say that Xie Zhi will devour the guilty. The Demon Lord has killed many people and committed countless sins. Surely he has accumulated enough guilt to fill eighteen layers of hell. How could he get in? Does that mean a person covered in blood is actually innocent?”

Zanxing shared this concern. She looked at Mingjing, awaiting his response.

Mingjing shook his head. “I do not know how he managed to enter. But Xie Zhi does not lie.”

“Of course Xie Zhi doesn’t lie. It’s you who’s lying!” That person sneered, stepping out from the Demon Extermination Army. He was a disciple from the Chihua Sect. Approaching the statue, he grasped the horn of Xie Zhi with one hand and began to channel his energy, as if attempting to move the statue aside.

“Gao Quan!” a disciple called out his name.

Gao Quan didn’t respond. Suddenly, he uttered “ah” and displayed a strange expression on his face.

Gao Quan, despite not being exceptionally powerful, had the strength to lift thousand-pound stone pillars effortlessly. However, this statue, which appeared to weigh no more than a hundred pounds, would not budge. It felt as though it was fused with the very earth beneath it. Despite his attempts, he couldn’t move it even a fraction. Perplexed, he used both hands to grasp the horn of the statue, trying to shift it with all his might.

A sudden exclamation of “Gao Quan, be careful!” echoed in his ears.

He looked up, only to find that the statue’s eyes had opened.

Gao Quan’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tried to release his grip. But to his horror, he found himself paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. The black eyes of the goat seemed to narrow as they stared coldly at him, examining him with a chilling intensity.

The penetrating gaze of those eyes made him feel as though all his secrets were laid bare. A chilling dread coursed through his spine, and he tried to cry out for help, but his voice was trapped, unable to escape.

Nearby, members of the Demon Extermination Army looked on in confusion. “What’s he doing? Why is he just standing there hugging the statue?”

To them, Gao Quan appeared to be struggling to lift the statue without any visible progress.

“Can’t get it up? If you can’t, just let it go. Gao Quan, we won’t laugh at you. Just move aside, and if it doesn’t work, we can break the statue,” a disciple from Yinfeng Sect said.

Zanxing, sensing something amiss, glanced down to see Mimi crouched, its fur bristling. The tension in the air was palpable. Something wasn’t right.

“Not good.” Gu Baiying’s expression darkened as he observed the scene. Without hesitation, he thrust his silver spear towards the head of the Xie Zhì statue.

The spear struck with a resounding thud, then flew back into Gu Baiying’s hand. The man clinging to the statue, Gao Quan, was thrown off and fell to the ground, lying face up.

“Gao Quan!” A voice of alarm erupted from the Demon Extermination Army.

Gao Quan lay there, his face still frozen in fear, eyes wide open. A gaping wound the size of a bowl was visible on his throat, continuously oozing blood that stained half of his clothing a deep red.

“What’s going on?” The crowd was horrified, and someone pointed at the statue, exclaiming, “Look at the statue!”

The Xie Zhi statue remained motionless as if it had always been so. However, blood was dripping steadily from the long, slightly lowered horn.

“What… What is happening?” A disciple from the Demon Extermination Army, trembling with fear, stepped back a few paces.

The terror wasn’t confined to the Demon Extermination Army. Even the demons, usually unfazed by such things, felt a shiver of unease. They remained unusually silent, their usual mockery and scorn absent.

In a matter of moments, Gao Quan had met his end. The bystanders hadn’t even comprehended how his life had been taken. From start to finish, he had merely touched the Xie Zhi statue and then inexplicably died.

The statue itself remained unmoved, seemingly indifferent to the death it had caused.

The Xie Zhi statue remained immobile, yet the blood dripping from its horn posed an unsettling question. If the statue hadn’t moved, where had the blood come from? Gao Quan couldn’t have impaled himself with the horn, so something unseen or unperceived must have occurred while he was attempting to move the statue.

The statue continued to stand at the entrance of the white tower, its horn slowly accumulating a pool of red blood on the ground. The cold, indifferent eyes of the Xie Zhi seemed to pierce through the crowd, sending a chill through their hearts.

A voice broke the silence, offering an explanation. “He was punished by the Xie Zhi because he was guilty.” The grey-clad monk’s gaze fell upon the deceased cultivator with a fleeting look of pity, but his voice remained calm and unemotional. “Now, does anyone else wish to enter the tower?”