Chen Zhou did indeed have one.
He held a trump card; if he summoned Jian Huaishuang directly, descended into the Perfect Vessel, and used a sacrifice, he could indeed level this Wolf Court.
"But that's a greeting gift I'm saving for the Ksitigarbha of Great Vows," Chen Zhou said coldly.
"Wasting it on this watchdog isn't worth it."
Even though Moon-Swallowing was strong and possessed a seventh-stage foundation, sacrificing him wouldn't be a total loss. However, once the cooldown was used, he would have to wait a month. He feared that by then, the Ksitigarbha of Great Vows would be hiding, too afraid to come out and face him.
After all, who would be foolish enough to walk into the line of fire if they knew their opponent held an ultimate move capable of killing them?
"Then what do we do?" Wu Gou spread his hands. "Should we retreat for now? Come back when this old dog is alone?"
Just then, several wolf demons, eyes bloodshot with rage, spotted Wu Gou and charged at him with a roar.
"Holy mother!" Wu Gou gave a strange cry and immediately burrowed into the ground, leaving only a sentence floating in the air.
"The vows of the people of the Northern Region are already upon you; the vows of the immortals of the Heavenly Sword Sect are also upon you."
"In the game of great vows, all beings are immortal because of their vows. Lord Devil, think about what the vow of the demons of the Wolf Court is!"
Chen Zhou casually slapped those wolf demons into meat pies. Watching them squirm and resurrect again, a flash of inspiration hit him.
"Vows?"
"The vow of the Northern Region mortals was to live, so they became the living dead."
"The vow of the Heavenly Sword Sect was to slay demons, so they became tireless executioners."
"Then the vow of this pack of wolf demons..."
Chen Zhou looked at Moon-Swallowing on the high platform, who was still smiling and chanting sutras even after being hacked to pieces, and at the demonic horde that didn't forget to feast on human hearts even in the midst of battle.
"The old dog wants to become a Buddha. That is his vow."
"Is it possible... I'm supposed to help him become a Buddha?"
Chen Zhou felt the idea was absurd.
"Since they want to be Buddhas, since they want to be human..."
"Then this venerable one shall help them."
"However, the path to Buddhahood requires eighty-one tribulations."
Chen Zhou soared into the air again and activated the 【Hate Prison】.
Countless bone spikes pinned Moon-Swallowing firmly to the beast-hand lotus platform as Hatred Fire burned his soul frantically.
In the cycle of repeated death and resurrection, Moon-Swallowing's once-pristine skin became covered in corpse spots and began to rot, yet the fervor in his eyes grew even stronger.
"I have attained enlightenment."
"Awoo—!"
Moon-Swallowing suddenly let out an earth-shaking howl.
"The human body is fragile, prone to illness and age, decaying within a century. But the human heart... the human heart is precious. It carries the seven emotions, discerns right from wrong, and can realize Bodhi!"
"As long as I shed this demonic womb, I can attain the Buddha-fruit of a human body!"
He finished the last line of the scripture with meticulous precision. Suddenly, four golden light walls rose around them, completely sealing off the interior of the Wolf Court.
These light walls not only trapped Chen Zhou but also began refining every wolf demon inside the field.
The wolf demons who were still fighting suddenly found their flesh melting, turning into pure vow power that flew toward Moon-Swallowing.
"Ancestor? What are you doing?!"
"Ancestor, have mercy!!"
Moon-Swallowing looked at his descendants below the platform with a compassionate smile.
"By eating your human flesh, I can completely shed this demonic body. Now that you are helping me become a Buddha, this is your karmic reward."
"Come, merge with me and ascend to Sukhavati together."
"Greed Wolf Swallows the Moon!"
Moon-Swallowing had been completely enslaved by the death qi of the Ksitigarbha of Great Vows, becoming its puppet. Yet he was unaware; he only wanted to become a Buddha, driven by a mad obsession.
Wails echoed throughout the Wolf Court.
Chen Zhou watched this scene without interfering, instead taking a step back.
"Mad. Completely mad."
"However, it's about time."
Chen Zhou felt the tremors coming from beneath his feet, and the smile on his face grew wider.
"Wu Hai, how much longer are you going to dawdle down there?"
"If you don't come out soon, this braised dog meat will be finished by someone else."
Before his voice had even faded, an earth-shaking roar erupted from deep underground.
"Woof—!!!"
The earth cracked open.
A pillar of black-red fire, mixed with billowing lava, erupted from the depths.
The pillar was so thick and fierce, carrying a century's worth of accumulated rage, that it instantly shattered the beast-hand lotus platform beneath Moon-Swallowing.
Moon-Swallowing didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying by the terrifying impact, his golden brocade cassock turning into ash in an instant.
"Who? Who is ruining my cultivation base!"
Moon-Swallowing stabilized himself in mid-air, roaring in a pathetic state.
His answer was a massive claw reaching out from the ground.
The claw was dry and withered as a stick, yet it carried a fierce power capable of destroying heaven and earth. It gripped the edge of the fissure and tore it wide.
Rrip—
The ground of the Wolf Court was torn apart like a piece of rag as a gargantuan figure slowly rose from the lava and dust.
Its size was immense, blotting out the sky.
Though it was so thin that it was only skin and bones, the aura it emitted was so fierce it made souls tremble.
Huo Dou locked its gaze onto Moon-Swallowing in mid-air. Its hind legs kicked off, and it pounced before Moon-Swallowing in an instant.
Then it opened its mouth and bit down on Moon-Swallowing's thigh.
Crunch!
The body of a seventh-stage great demon was as fragile as thin paper before Huo Dou. Moon-Swallowing's leg was bitten clean off; blood sprayed out, only to be vaporized into a bloody mist by the high temperature radiating from Huo Dou's body.
"Aaah!! What kind of beast is this!!" Moon-Swallowing screamed.
"Beast? Who are you calling a beast!"
An arrogant voice came from atop Huo Dou's head.
Zen Master Wu Hai sat perched there. Though he was missing an arm and his bones were battered and broken, his expression was one of unprecedented high spirits.
Wu Hai waved his monk staff and pointed at Moon-Swallowing, cursing loudly:
"Open your blind dog eyes! This is the sect-protecting divine beast of our Bone Temple! He is your ancestor!"
Wu Hai turned his head and saw Chen Zhou standing amidst the ruins. He immediately switched to an extremely fawning expression, the change in his face faster than flipping a page.
"Old Ancestor, your disciple has brought back the watchdog for you!"
"Our smelly dog might be a bit thin, but he's much better than those wild dogs outside. He recognizes his master, protects the house, has plenty of strength, and his bite really stings!"
Wu Hai was excited, and so was Huo Dou.
It felt the pure death qi radiating from Chen Zhou and vaguely sensed that Chen Zhou's original body was also a skeleton.
The old man Wu Hai hadn't lied to it—this was the Old Ancestor!
Huo Dou's tail, thick as a steel whip, wagged frantically, each swing collapsing a section of the city walls.
Just then, a bald head popped out from a nearby pile of dirt.
Wu Gou had been honestly staying underground to watch the show, but he had been caught in the wake of Huo Dou's emergence and sent flying, landing flat on his face.
Wu Gou rubbed his waist as he climbed up, pointing at the Huo Dou in the sky and cursing.
"Where did this wild dog come from? Why is it spitting fire everywhere? That really hurt!"
Looking down from above, Wu Hai spotted Wu Gou on the ground instantly.
Specifically, when he saw the patchwork robe on Wu Gou, made of countless pieces of cloth, the soul fire in Wu Hai's eye sockets jumped violently.
"The patchwork robe?"
"Sewn from a hundred households' cloth, bearing the vows of all beings... is this beggar a real monk?"
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