The Mysterious Burning and Killing

Chapter 1

I saw kind people who were willing to sacrifice their lives to save their loved ones; I saw persistent people who left their hometowns for duty and honor, traveling thousands of miles to shed their blood for the happiness of strangers; I saw noble people who fought selflessly to maintain the purity of their hearts; I also saw countless warriors who firmly believed in justice and light, using their blood to fight against boundless darkness...

The seven warriors make their debut as chivalrous heroes fighting for justice: A long-term drought has driven the inhabitants of an ancient city to the brink of madness. When they discover that the rain they prayed for is salty seawater, they desperately try to burn the rain-seeking royal advisor alive… Then the protagonists appear, and they rescue the advisor. But can they bring the people rain? Can they find the necessary seven alien fragments? +: The Feuding Zombie King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 1, The Ancient City in June

The ancient city in June seemed hotter than ever before.

Ten years of drought have turned the ancient city into a living hell where people are destitute. Everywhere you look, there are withered trees and people who are as dry and emaciated as the withered trees.

They looked at the sky in despair. It had been a long time since it rained. The earth was cracked and barren. These displaced civilians endured the trials that nature had put them through.

They need rain, a downpour, and they're willing to do it no matter what...

Today, the atmosphere in the ancient city seems different from usual, with large groups of starving people crowding into the open spaces in the city under the scorching sun.

In the center of the open space was the ancient execution ground. The old monk Huiren sat quietly with his eyes closed on the high pile of firewood, just as he always did when chanting sutras. His whole body was covered with fragrant lamp oil, and he awaited his fate.

But the sun seemed reluctant to move to its zenith, and the crowd gradually became restless.

"Burn him!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Hurry! My well has been dry for ages! Burn it!" a gaunt commoner shouted.

Urged on by the crowd, the executioner, holding a torch, walked up to the execution platform.

Amid cheers, torches were tossed onto the pyre, and the firewood, long baked by the sun, immediately burst into flames, engulfing the elderly Huiren as if ready to devour him at any moment. The crowd erupted in a frenzied roar, the moment they had long awaited had finally arrived!

One drop.

Two drops.

Three drops.

Raindrops finally began to fall from the sky.

It's raining!

"The Imperial Advisor didn't lie to us!"

Just as the fervent crowd was about to kneel in prayer, someone suddenly shouted, "No! The rainwater is salty!"

Upon hearing this, people tried to catch the rainwater with their hands and found that it was indeed salty. What was even stranger was that the heavy rain seemed to only fall on the burning pyre and its surroundings, while other places continued to suffer from the scorching sun.

The strange rain intensified, and the flames around Huiren dwindled until only a wisp of black smoke remained, faintly circling the old monk. Then, the strange rain stopped.

The stunned crowd stared at the stake as if in disbelief, unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes.

“Sorcery! He knows sorcery! He’s a heretic! A monster!” Finally, a commoner who looked like a beggar shouted as he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Huiren.

"Yes! Everyone, smash him to death!"

Immediately, more and more people followed suit and started throwing stones. Instantly, countless stones, like locusts, were hurled at Huiren amidst the curses of the crowd.

Even now, the old monk remained seated with his eyes closed, chanting scriptures, letting the angry stones fall on him without flinching or avoiding them.

"stop!"

A clear voice rang out. People looked closely and saw a thin boy standing on the stake.

"It's so boring to hit an old man who can't move! Try hitting me, see if you can hit me!"

Everyone was stunned, wondering when he had run onto the execution platform. Even more unbelievable was that the boy had blond hair and blue eyes, clearly not the black-eyed, black-haired appearance of the people in the city.

"Go ahead and hit me! You're scared now? Haha!"

Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, the boy seemed even more smug. He stood on the pyre and began to gesticulate wildly, trying to amuse the crowd below.

Finally, someone got angry, mustered up their courage, grabbed a handful of stones, gritted their teeth, and threw them at him with all their might.

This handful of stones may seem harmless, but there were at least five or six of them, flying from different directions at varying speeds. It would be difficult for an average person to dodge them. Moreover, the person throwing the stones seemed to have a lot of strength, as each stone was powerful and heavy. The boy was slender, and if he were hit, his chances of survival would be slim.

To everyone's surprise, the boy continued to laugh and joke until the pebbles flew close before calmly ducking his head to avoid them.

Enraged, the people grabbed handfuls of pebbles and clods of dirt and hurled them at the boy. It was as if a rain of stones was falling from the sky. Just as the boy was about to be engulfed by the stones, he moved with lightning speed and agility, as fast as a gentle breeze, cleanly and swiftly dodging all the stones.

"Throw it again! You're so stupid!"

The boy grew even more smug seeing the helpless crowd. Just then, the executioner standing to the side suddenly threw the torch in his hand.

"Oh my god!"

Upon seeing the flying torches, the once arrogant boy suddenly panicked, screamed, clutched his head, and ran behind the execution platform.

"Grab him!"

The crowd, their courage restored, roared and surged towards the boy. Despite his extraordinary abilities, he was no match for their numbers and would inevitably be defeated. But just as the crowd rejoiced, a bolt of purple lightning suddenly struck down. In a flash, the torches that had been dancing in mid-air were instantly reduced to charred remains and fell to the ground.

"Snap!"

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 2, The Giant Monster

Immediately afterward, another bolt of lightning struck in front of the crowd with a sharp explosion. Without further warning, everyone stopped in their tracks in terror.

"Orlando, you're being ridiculous again. Did these people provoke you? It would be terrible if someone got hurt!"

As they spoke, a strange young warrior appeared on the pyre. No one could see his face clearly, but everyone's memory of his captivating eyes was etched into their minds. Before the crowd could believe their eyes, a slender, sword-wielding man with a cold face and a long-haired girl emerged from behind him. Finally, a burly, dark-skinned man appeared, clearly someone who had lived in the desert for a long time.

Before the stunned people could react, three more people walked out from the other side of the crowd—or rather, a beautiful mature woman, a thin boy, and a big guy with his face covered by a gray cloth.

They are the warriors of the gods who came to this country in search of the Seven Alien Fragments.

Li Shang approached Hui Ren and found that the old monk had kept his eyes tightly closed the entire time, chanting Buddhist scriptures, as if nothing around him mattered. Li Shang carefully examined his injuries and was about to use her magic to heal him. Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and said:

“Benefactors, this humble monk’s life has come to an end. You should leave quickly to avoid committing further sins… I will repay your life-saving grace in the next life.”

"Wow? So you committed suicide? I shouldn't have wasted so much breath on you!"

The boy named Orlando was the first to shout when he heard this.

"Orlando!" Li Shang scolded him softly, and Orlando immediately fell silent and retreated.

"Master, why are you doing this?"

Li Shang asked in a low voice. But Hui Ren had already closed his eyes and continued chanting Buddhist scriptures. Looking at his expression, there was a sense of peace and fearlessness about the future, as if he already knew that everything was destined and there was nothing he couldn't let go of.

"In that case, let's go..." The swordsman could only shake his head helplessly and said to his companion.

“Understood,” Richard said in a low voice, his cold, azure eyes sweeping over the crowd, immediately stopping them in their tracks. Krusen walked over to Orlando, ignoring his shouts, and hoisted him onto his shoulder like a chick, striding off the stage. The crowd immediately parted like a tide, making way for him.

“Anthony, don’t hurt them,” Li Shang whispered. “There’s probably another reason for what happened to that old monk. Such things often happen in countries where Buddhism is the state religion.”

Anthony simply nodded, his expression even colder than before. Could such a ritual, which disrespects life, truly be something to be admired? He sighed in disbelief.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the group walked down from the execution platform. Seeing that they had abandoned their rescue attempt, the crowd immediately regained their courage and began shouting and yelling as before.

"Kill him!"

"Attack! Monster!"

Faced with all this, Huiren simply closed his eyes and chanted scriptures, as if they weren't talking about him.

"Thus have I heard: 'Outwardly like empty space, unobstructed and unimpeded; inwardly like wood and stone, unmoved and unshaken.' Then I realized: There is no subject or object, no location, no appearance, no gain or loss. I must attain immortality, and my heart will reflect the Buddha Rama..." He chanted softly.

Anthony and his group had already walked a hundred paces away from the execution platform, but Kruson, with his sharp ears, still heard those words clearly.

Rama? Is it really Rama? The guardian deity of the fragments mentioned in the prophecy seems to have not yet been reincarnated, and his whereabouts remain a mystery.

So many years have passed; he seems to have vanished without a trace, without even the slightest clue. Finding Rama is crucial to finding the fragments. But how could this dying old monk know about Rama? Does he know Rama's whereabouts?

"Rama." Krusen found it increasingly strange, so he whispered the word he had heard to Anthony beside him. The latter immediately turned to look at the execution platform, only to see that the old monk was already surrounded by a frenzied crowd.

Since he knew Rama, he absolutely could not die, no matter why he committed suicide!

"Stop him!" Anthony shouted, and charged forward himself.

Richard waved his hands, and another bolt of purple lightning struck the crowd, causing the terrified people to retreat. Kruzen put down Orlando, roared, and charged into the crowd, wielding his iron fists to disperse anyone who tried to stand in his way.

Li Shang and Orlando followed closely behind. When they arrived at Hui Ren's side again, the stubborn old man was clearly exhausted. His head drooped, and several large cuts were smashed into his shiny bald head by stones. Blood kept flowing down, staining his tattered monk's robes red. But he still closed his eyes peacefully, resting his hands on his knees, and chanted scriptures that no one could understand.

"What Rama? Speak quickly!" Orlando, fearing he would die, grabbed the old monk by the collar and shook him violently, trying to wake him from his semi-conscious state.

“Orlando, let me do it.” Anthony took Huiren from Orlando’s hands, placed his hand under Huiren’s nose, and found that he was still breathing.

"Rama...do not harm the innocent, otherwise this humble monk will repay you with my life to avoid committing sins..." Hui Ren, still half-conscious, continued to mutter incantations.

It really is Rama! Anthony was shocked. Hui Ren mentioned Rama before he died, so it seems that he must have been in contact with Rama.

"They're in cahoots! Quickly capture them and report this to the Imperial Advisor for credit!"

Someone in the crowd shouted again, and the restless crowd, taking advantage of their numbers, pounced on the seven. Richard and Krusen were highly skilled in martial arts, but they were helpless against the sheer number of their opponents and were reluctant to kill them. They could only use all their skills to defend themselves and try to buy time.

“Take him to hide in the forest.” Anthony saw that Richard and Krusen were already struggling.

You see, if they wanted to kill, they could easily add a hundred more people to this group. But these were warriors of God, only able to passively take the beating, unable to retaliate! Anthony handed Huiren, whom he was carrying, to Lishang and made a gesture to Clary and Cage on the other side of the crowd. The two immediately understood and rushed out to meet Lishang.

"And what about you?" Li Shang's voice carried a hint of worry.

“These people are no match for us.” Anthony said as he drew his sword and joined Richard and Krusen’s group. The Sun and Moon Divine Sword in his hand instantly transformed into a dazzling ribbon of light, flying up and down through the crowd. Every now and then, he would tap a fearless fellow with the back of the sword, which was enough to force that person to take a few steps back.

Li Shang nodded, helped the old monk up, and, escorted by Clary and Cage, ran into the forest.

"The city defense guards are here!" someone suddenly shouted.

Anthony and the others hurriedly looked out of the crowd and saw dust flying everywhere as a large group of well-equipped soldiers ran towards them.

"This is bad!" Anthony thought. A few dozen unarmed civilians were one thing, but what was he going to do against this large group of heavily armed soldiers?

As expected, these soldiers were all highly trained. They spotted Anthony and his men's formidable martial skills from a distance, and perhaps realizing that a direct charge would likely be futile, they stopped a hundred paces away. They lined up in a row, picked up their short bows, and prepared to fire arrows at the group.

"Withdraw!" Anthony shouted.

In the blink of an eye, another bolt of lightning struck the middle of the group of soldiers. As expected of well-trained professional soldiers, after only a brief moment of chaos, they were quickly ready again.

"I've run out of lightning!"