Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1195: Chapter 801: Prayer for Blessing (Part 2)

Staring at Aisha and Shari with their heads bowed, Yang Xiao suddenly felt a strange envy in his heart. It seemed that tonight, in this temple, they were the only ones who could sleep peacefully.

Of course, the premise is that they are really human, not ghosts.

His thoughts were chaotic. Inevitably, Yang Xiao’s mind wandered, sorting out the information he had gathered since coming to this world.

Time passed by slowly, and the night deepened. Amidst it, Yang Xiao heard the sound of clappers a few times, but it wasn’t clear.

It was probably due to the distance; the drumming monk hadn’t come to their side. The direction of the sound was north, where another team was located.

Meanwhile, the other team in the north zen room had been awakened and were packing up to set off.

Datou was meticulously inspecting stick after stick of incense, even though he had checked them before resting. But his life was at stake, and he had to be cautious.

Maria sat by the table, organizing the lanterns and candles needed for tonight.

Juan cursed under his breath as he took the lantern covers Maria handed him, occasionally glancing at the newcomers standing in a row by the door.

These guys were truly annoying. Every time he fell asleep, he’d be awakened either by strange sounds outside or someone hearing the clappers.

But Abbot Patuo Monk clearly instructed that they should act only at The Third Watch of the Night, and the corresponding clapper rhythm was two quick and three slow beats, very distinctive.

Datou handed some incense sticks to Juan, patting his shoulder with his free hand to comfort him, "It’s alright, they’re newcomers, we can’t expect too much from them."

"No problem, let’s pack up and head out." On the other side, Maria also turned and picked up a lantern, in which a white candle was dimly burning.

Earlier, some worried about finding their way back to the Buddhist Hall, but after stepping out and not walking far, they realized there was no need to worry. Someone had prepared lanterns to guide them, placed at every possible wrong turn and archway.

The group of seven smoothly arrived outside the Outer Buddha Hall’s gate, where the last lantern hung under a dying crooked-necked tree, swaying in the wind.

"The monks in the temple said that tonight, people need to be sent to both the inner and outer Buddha halls for prayer, and we need to split into teams."

Maria looked at the endless darkness surrounding them, anxiety surging in her heart. If nothing bizarre happened tonight in this godforsaken place, that would be strange indeed.

"Stop talking nonsense, let’s split up." Juan rubbed his arms, goosebumps unexpectedly rising on his skin, "Datou, you and I will take Ahmed and Hafeez; the four of us will handle the Outer Buddha Hall, and the rest will be responsible for the Inner Buddha Hall."

"Why?" Maria holding the lantern immediately objected, "You’re taking all the strong ones and leaving me with two useless ones?"

Actually, Maria had another unspoken thought: anyone could see that the Inner Buddha Hall was likely more peculiar, with great risk tonight.

Even if described as useless, Davi and Sopa were too timid to argue, only casting pleading looks at everyone, unwilling to be abandoned.

But neither Juan nor Maria would relent, causing a standoff as time ticked away. Eventually, the seasoned and steady Datou stepped up, "Stop arguing, delays cause issues. This time, I’ll lead the team."

"Maria, I’ll swap with you, I’ll take Davi and Sopa to the Inner Buddha Hall." Datou resolved.

"Agreed." Maria immediately abandoned the two women, opting to join Juan’s team.

This way, the grouping was settled: Juan, Maria, and the two newcomers went to the Outer Buddha Hall for prayer, while Datou took the two women to the Inner Buddha Hall.

Seeing Datou leading the two women away without a word, Juan called out from behind, "Wait a second, brother Datou, don’t take the long way. Come with us through the Outer Buddha Hall; at least we’ll have company."

But Datou merely waved his hand in refusal, choosing to take the long route around from the outside with his group.

As Datou’s trio walked farther away, their silhouettes gradually vanished under the cover of the night, Juan let out a cold snort. His plan was thwarted; he initially intended to have Datou and his trio scout the way for his group, but Datou, seemingly righteous, didn’t buy it.

Honestly, Datou opting to swap teams was unexpected for him, but now was not the time to dwell on this.

Juan led his team to the outer Buddha hall’s entrance. At this moment, the large doors of the outer Buddha hall were slightly ajar, and he leaned forward, holding his breath, peering through the crack inside.

The vast Buddhist hall was devoid of anyone, eerily silent, with only a few candle stands glowing faintly.

The candlelight was dim, illuminating only a small area; most regions were cloaked in an impenetrable black, far more terrifying than when they had arrived a few hours ago.

Due to the angle, the four divine statues presently only showed vague outlines, each with a distorted, grotesque posture, resembling unknown creatures.

Juan felt that the moment he looked away, these "divine statues" would move, or even suddenly disappear.

Withdrawing his gaze, Juan steadied his nerves, feigning calm, "No issues, everyone relax, don’t be tense. Ahmed, you’ll go first with the lantern. I’ll be second, Maria third, Hafeez, you’re at the back. Stick close."

No sooner had he spoken than Ahmed and Hafeez voiced their dissatisfaction, wanting to swap positions with Juan and Maria, "We want to walk in the middle too!"

"What do you guys know? We need to observe better and alert ahead!" Juan argued. freewebnσvel.cѳm

But this time, Ahmed and Hafeez seemed to have discussed it beforehand, remaining firm and explicitly stating they would either do it their way or not at all.

"Alright, let’s follow your plan first, then everyone rotates. How about that?" Maria didn’t want to waste more time.

Finally, the four reached an agreement, with Juan holding the lantern at the front, Ahmed second, Hafeez third, and Maria last.

First arranging their order, then the four lined up to ignite the incense sticks in their hands one after the other, confirming everything was correct, before Juan at the front forcefully pushed open the heavy doors, and the group finally entered the Outer Buddha Hall.

Upon entering the hall, the candlelight in Juan’s lantern inexplicably flickered a few times, nearly extinguishing. Strangely, they did not feel any wind.

There was no wind, yet everyone distinctly felt a penetrating coldness. At the forefront, Juan looked up at the towering shadow in the darkness ahead, involuntarily shivering.

Meanwhile, at the Inner Buddha Hall.

Datou and his team had also arrived. As per Datou’s arrangement, Davi led the way, Sopa in the middle, while he himself held the lantern at the rear.

Only two lanterns had been given by the monks, one per team, with everyone also given one or two candles.

Their task tonight was to pray for the deceased high monks, requiring them to keep moving around the Buddhist hall without lingering too long in one spot.

Both the inner and outer Buddha halls were quite spacious, but lighting was poor. Datou was particularly wary of the open-eyed statue in the mainseat, deciding to avoid it as much as possible. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Specifically, avoiding its eyes. He instructed Davi, who was leading, to walk along the wall of the Buddha hall. The advantage of this was to avoid the statue’s gaze as much as possible, even passing behind it where there was a slight gap between it and the wall; they could circumnavigate behind it.

However, the downside was evident: the lighting in the hall was already insufficient, and by taking the longer route, they’d almost be without any lighting on their path, relying solely on the lantern in Davi’s hands.

Although they had candles, Datou noticed something peculiar: the candles within the Buddha hall were all replaced with red ones tonight, whereas the ones in their hands were white.

Datou wasn’t sure what that implied, but he knew something was amiss, and it was best not to light those candles tonight.