As Yin Wudao finished speaking, the atmosphere on the Star-Picking Platform grew increasingly eerie.
The golden light continued to pour down brilliantly, illuminating everyone’s faces as if they were gilded statues.
Chen Zhou toyed with the wine cup in his hand, still offering no response to Yin Wudao’s invitation.
Follow the heavens and act in accordance with the earth?
Chen Zhou sneered inwardly.
Since he had transmigrated, starting from a bone altar, he had relied on slaying demons, sacrificing flesh, and harvesting faith to advance all the way here.
Though he cultivated the divine path, his actions were inherently against the heavens.
Protecting mortals, sheltering refugees, building the City of the Wrongfully Dead, slaying Buddhists, devouring demon kings...
Which of these deeds belonged to the order of this desperate world?
However, Chen Zhou was somewhat curious about the 'true god' Yin Wudao mentioned.
Although there were many in this world who called themselves immortals or Buddhas—the old ghost of White Jade City, the old monk of the Aspect of All Beings, the Bodhisattvas of Sukhavati—they all treated all living beings as consumable materials for their own advancement.
If there truly were a 'true god' with a different face, Chen Zhou felt it would likely look just like them.
Just as Chen Zhou was about to speak and probe further into the nature of this true god,
"BOOM—!!!"
A massive explosion thundered from the direction of the palace's main gate.
The entire Star-Picking Platform shook violently. A few drops of wine splashed from Yin Wudao’s cup onto the leather cushion, instantly burning several black holes into it.
The expressions of the assembled demons changed instantly.
Yin Wudao’s brow furrowed, a flicker of cold, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"What is happening?"
"At this critical juncture, how can there be another variable?"
A ghost general guarding the base of the platform flew up hurriedly and knelt on one knee. "Report, Your Highness! Someone... someone is forcibly intruding into the provincial capital!"
"Who dares to be so bold?" Yin Wudao’s voice grew cold. "Where are the ghost soldiers guarding the city? Where are the patrolling yin soldiers?"
The ghost general fell silent for a moment.
"I do not know what happened, but we have lost contact with all of them."
"Every ghost within the provincial capital has vanished. No one knows where they went."
"The intruder fought his way from the outer city. I could not reach the city guards, so I could only lead the palace imperial guards to intercept him."
"But..."
Before he could finish, a figure crashed onto the plaza outside the Star-Picking Platform like a cannonball.
Bang!
The gold and jade floor tiles shattered, and dust billowed into the air.
Within the dust, a tall and brawny figure slowly stood straight.
It was a middle-aged man with an ordinary, even weathered appearance. His cheeks bore the rough marks of wind and sand, and his stubble was sparse.
He wore simple coarse linen clothes, the hems torn in many places and stained with a dark, dull color that looked like dried blood.
The stone coffin on the man’s back was incredibly massive, appearing as heavy as a mountain, yet he carried it as if it were weightless.
"Who goes there?" Yin Wudao shouted coldly.
The man looked up, his gaze calmly sweeping over everyone on the Star-Picking Platform before finally landing on Yin Wudao in the main seat.
He did not speak.
He only slowly raised his hand and gripped the long blade wrapped in tattered cloth at his waist.
"Presumptuous!" Beside Yin Wudao, an old eunuch shrieked.
"What kind of madman dares to trespass into the imperial city of the provincial capital and disturb the Crown Prince?"
"Guards, seize him for me!"
The palace maids serving on the Star-Picking Platform immediately let their black hair fly wild as their fingernails elongated, swarming toward the Coffin-Carrier like a tide of ghosts.
Facing the lunging ghost tide, the Coffin-Carrier remained silent.
He simply drew his blade slowly.
The blade was pitch-black and dull, its edge covered in tiny nicks as if it had endured countless brutal battles.
Then, he swung it horizontally.
"Begone."
A single word accompanied a world-shaking blade light.
Wherever it passed, whether it was malevolent ghosts or palace walls, everything was cleaved in two.
Chen Zhou’s brow tightened slightly.
Instantly, he thought of the Coffin-Carrier of the Western Region that Piao had mentioned.
Walking through the dead lands filled with swirling yellow sand, ignoring the black spots, and carrying a stone coffin.
So this person is from the Western Region?
Has he also come to participate in the struggle for the Golden Buddha?
Before he could think further, a sudden change occurred.
It seemed as though because the auras of the powerhouses from all four regions were now gathered on this small Star-Picking Platform—Cangming from the Eastern Region, Chen Zhou, the Lord of the Northern and Southern Regions, and this suddenly appearing Coffin-Carrier from the Western Region.
All four regions of Gloomlight Province were assembled.
In the sky above, the crack that was slowly spilling golden light suddenly began to tremble violently.
Crack— Crack—
Countless bone pillars descended from the heavens.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bone pillars slammed into the ground, instantly surrounding the entire Star-Picking Platform and forming a massive white bone cage.
In the dark, Chen Zhou sensed a force of laws emanating from those bone pillars.
It was the will of the Golden Buddha.
Now that the four regions were gathered and all the hosts it desired had arrived, it was eager to descend into the world.
"This is bad!"
Cangming also sensed a similar rule and his expression changed drastically.
He could no longer bother to feign weakness and stood up abruptly. The water curtain around him exploded, revealing his original powerful aura as he prepared to rush toward Chen Zhou.
After all, his goal was to help the Dragon Ancestor seize the Golden Buddha; he could not let the Dragon Ancestor be left alone.
"Lord Dragon Ancestor—!"
But he was too late.
The scenery before their eyes distorted instantly.
A suction force erupted from the bone pillars, forcibly pulling everyone on the Star-Picking Platform, along with the trembling demons, into an unknown space.
The force of laws was irresistible. Even Chen Zhou felt his vision blur.
When he opened his eyes again, he found he was no longer on the Star-Picking Platform.
His surroundings were a grey, independent space. Beneath his feet was a hard floor of white bone, and the area around him was empty, with no one else in sight.
Only a massive bone pillar stood in the center of the space.
The surface of the bone pillar was as smooth as a mirror, and something seemed to be sealed inside, writhing constantly.
"An independent instance?"
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of panic.
He tried to sense his connection to the outside world and found that most of it was cut off, though he could still reach his Fanatic Believers and Saints.
Then it didn't matter.
Nothing had changed on Wu Gou’s end, and Jian Huaishuang had been pulled into an independent space just like him.
Crack—
Just as he was thinking this, a crack split open on the bone pillar.
Immediately after, countless viscous white liquids flowed out of the crack, falling to the ground and rapidly writhing and transforming.
In the blink of an eye, the liquid turned into rows of hideous bone monsters.
There were humanoid skeleton soldiers, beast-shaped bone wolves, and even winged bone birds.
At the same time, Chen Zhou sensed a clear intent from the bone pillar.
There was no elaborate description, only a single word.
Kill.
Simple, crude, and direct.
"A trial?"
Chen Zhou looked at the dense, tide-like swarm of bone monsters approaching him, a disdainful sneer curling his lips.
"Outnumbering me?"
"Do you not know what I do for a living?"
Chen Zhou flicked his sleeve, and the defiled earth spread out as grey-white death qi began to creep across the ground.
"Time to get to work."
With a thought, rows of skeleton ghost servants crawled out from the defiled earth.
After this period of development, Chen Zhou was no longer the man he once was.
Since he had reached the 7th stage, the ghost servants under his command had all been reinforced in the Bone Forge. Now, every single one of them was a 5th-stage elite.
Rate on N.U.
