Life in the City of the Wrongfully Dead had been rare and peaceful for a few days.
Chen Zhou sat cross-legged atop the Bone Altar, fiddling with the whisk he had brought back from the dream.
This divine ritual vessel of the divine path was entirely white. The handle was as warm and smooth as jade, appearing light and delicate, yet it actually weighed as much as a thousand jin.
Chen Zhou could faintly sense the authority of the decree within it, like a judge's brush or a torture device meant for sentencing.
Chen Zhou gave it a couple of casual waves. The soft, silk-like fibers of the whisk sliced through the air, leaving white trails in their wake.
Then, two strands detached and intertwined with each other, forcefully twisting together until they transformed into a massive heavy sword, two zhang in length.
Was this the execution tool created by the whisk's ability to manifest objects?
"Give it a try," Chen Zhou said indifferently, tilting his chin toward Jian Huaishuang in the distance.
The heavy sword drifted over, and Jian Huaishuang instinctively reached out to catch it.
The moment it touched his hand, his arm sank abruptly, and his expression flickered.
The paper armor on his arm instantly fractured with several cracks; he was nearly buckled by the sheer weight of the blade.
"So heavy!" Jian Huaishuang frowned slightly, increasing his strength. "My Lord, this is?"
"It is the weight of sin and merit," Chen Zhou explained. "This sword specifically severs karma. If your heart is clear of guilt, it will be as light as a feather. But if the one you wish to strike is steeped in sin, it will be as heavy as Mount Tai."
"Try to channel it with your sword intent. Make it a weapon that suits you."
Jian Huaishuang did as he was told. His sword intent surged around him as he let out a great shout and swept the sword horizontally.
A clear, resonant ring of the blade echoed through the heavens.
Boom!
A black-gold stone mountain, specifically prepared for him to test his weapons, crumbled instantly into fine powder.
"It is a magnificent sword."
A brilliant light erupted in Jian Huaishuang's eyes.
As a sword cultivator, the excitement of encountering a peerless blade was something he found difficult to suppress.
"How does it feel?" Chen Zhou asked.
Jian Huaishuang took a deep breath and caressed the blade, his voice trembling slightly. "In response to My Lord, this sword is excellent."
"Though it is not sharp—in fact, it has no edge at all..."
"I feel as though there is nothing in this world that it cannot sever."
Chen Zhou smiled. "That is the way it should be."
Chen Zhou pointed at Jian Huaishuang. "This sword is granted to you. Use it to temper your sword heart. You also gained much in the Northern Region; meditate on it more. Perhaps you will truly break through that final shackle."
"Thank you for the sword, My Lord!" Jian Huaishuang kowtowed deeply, retreating while clutching the heavy sword like a priceless treasure.
At that moment, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the sky.
Two streaks of light broke through the clouds, descending rapidly to land beside the altar.
It was the Plague Rat and Poison-Wing, who had returned after finishing the cleanup in the Northern Region.
"Squeak, squeak! My Lord, your rat missed you so much!"
As soon as the Plague Rat landed, he exaggeratedly prepared to roll on the ground. But before his performance could even begin, Chen Zhou distastefully held a bone spike against his forehead.
"Stand up straight and talk," Chen Zhou said, retracting the spike. "Is the Northern Region cleared out?"
The Plague Rat immediately stood at attention, thumping his chest.
"With us two Auspicious Ones on the job, how could you be worried?"
"Those little minnows who didn't know better and tried to scavenge for leftovers have all been cleared away by us brothers."
"The Northern Region is now our own back garden. Even if a fly tries to buzz in, it has to pay a toll first!"
Beside him, Poison-Wing nodded in agreement, though his expression was somewhat strange. "Rat Bro is right, My Lord. There were indeed some little minnows, but... they looked a bit odd."
"Oh?" Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow.
"They were sea demons from the Eastern Region," the Plague Rat took over, his expression becoming slightly more serious.
"At first, they were just skulking around the periphery, peeking and prying. Later, they actually tried to sneak into our newly built Evil Dog Ridge."
"Piao has a sharp nose; she smelled that salty, fishy stench on them immediately."
"Was there a conflict?" Chen Zhou asked.
"It wasn't much of a conflict," the Plague Rat scratched his head. "It was more like a one-sided slaughter."
"Piao ate them all?" Chen Zhou was not surprised.
"She did. She said it was her first time eating seafood and that it was quite delicious."
The Plague Rat gave a sly grin. "However, after Piao finished her meal, she discovered those fellows weren't there to seize territory."
"They were scouts."
Chen Zhou's gaze sharpened. "Scouting for what?"
"Piao digested their brains. The memories were a bit fragmented, but she still managed to piece together some information."
"They came to scout for the Golden Buddha," the Plague Rat replied. "As the snow and ice in the Northern Region melted, a massive amount of meltwater flowed into the underground rivers, eventually reaching the oceans of the Eastern Region."
"The Eastern Region seems to have detected a change in the concentration of death qi in the water. Believing it to be related to the descent of the Golden Buddha, they sent people to investigate."
"Furthermore..." the Plague Rat lowered his voice. "Piao said the Eastern Region seems very anxious, like ants on a hot griddle, not willing to overlook even the slightest disturbance."
Chen Zhou nodded slightly. "It seems there are many factions looking to take a share of the spoils."
"According to what Wu Gou said, the Golden Buddha has a fatal attraction for both human cultivators and demons. Everyone wants a bite."
"The competing factions will certainly be numerous. Since the Eastern Region is this anxious and won't let a single ripple pass, it seems they are determined to get it."
As they spoke, the sky—which had been somewhat overcast—suddenly changed color.
Drip.
A single drop of red rain fell into the palm of Chen Zhou’s extended hand.
Immediately after, the pitter-patter of rain began to sound. The entire City of the Wrongfully Dead, and indeed the entire Qudao County and Thousand Isles County, were instantly shrouded in an eerie red rain.
The rain was a piercing red, resembling diluted blood.
"What is this stuff?" Poison-Wing extended a wing to catch a bit of the rain, bringing it to his nose to sniff. He frowned. "There's no smell. It's not blood."
Chen Zhou stood up and looked at the sky.
The red rain fell in an endless curtain. He held out his hand to catch a few more drops.
The rain pooled in his palm, dark red like blood, appearing filthy and wretched.
Yet, within his perception, the rain was incredibly pure.
It contained no death qi, nor even a trace of spirit qi. In fact, it was devoid of any impurities whatsoever.
It was a hundred times purer than ordinary rainwater; only its color was different.
"Washing away the vanity to leave only purity..."
Chen Zhou was lost in thought.
He could think of nothing other than the Golden Buddha that could trigger such a phenomenon in this world.
Was the prelude to the Golden Buddha's descent to use this heaven-spanning red rain to first give this filthy mortal realm a bath?
How very fastidious.
"You've done well." Chen Zhou retracted his hand, flicking away the drop of red rain.
"Go and prepare. It is time for us to move out as well."
Hearing this, an excited glint instantly erupted in the Plague Rat's crimson eyes.
"Understood!"
With that, he and Poison-Wing exchanged a look and a sly grin before retreating.
Chen Zhou stepped down from the altar and casually scooped up the little pink pig that was still snoring at his feet.
"Let's go. Stop sleeping. I'm taking you somewhere good."
Chen Zhou took a step forward, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.
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