What? Look Down on a Monk?

Wu Gou looked at the young man’s stubborn eyes, and after a long time, he suddenly laughed.

"Rumble—!"

Just then, another burst of violent earth-shaking occurred.

The ground cracked open again, and a thick black pillar surged out from the depths of the earth. Carrying a dense aura of sinful karma, it flew toward the Star-Picking Platform.

"The third Dragon-Suppressing Stake."

Wu Gou looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly.

As the Dragon-Suppressing Stake flew out, even more malevolent ghosts and black-spot monsters surged from the cracks in the ground.

The density of the ghost tide instantly increased by thirty percent, a black mass that almost blotted out the sky.

Wu Gou could clearly feel that the seal on the corpse dragon underground had weakened once more.

The dragon vein, which had been locked by eighteen Dragon-Suppressing Stakes for a thousand years, had long since mutated into a corpse dragon.

These Dragon-Suppressing Stakes were both a seal and a support. Once they were all pulled out, the corpse dragon would inevitably break through the seal.

No one knew what would happen then.

But Wu Gou wasn't particularly worried about this.

Previously, he had followed Chen Zhou's instructions and injected the ownerless sinful karma from the steel fork into the corpse dragon's body.

That thing was now covered in sinful karma; even if it came out, it wouldn't pose much of a threat.

"The great devil truly has foresight. He plays dirty," Wu Gou couldn't help but sigh.

However, the biggest trouble right now wasn't the corpse dragon, but this vast multitude of malevolent ghosts and black-spot monsters.

The third Dragon-Suppressing Stake had emerged, and the ghost tide began to grow restless. Countless malevolent ghosts and black-spot monsters surged forward like a tide.

Although the aroma of food wafting from inside the palace walls could still soothe some of the malevolent ghosts, the effect was clearly weakening. It was nearly impossible to suppress these maddened monsters anymore.

A new wave of the ghost tide surged forth, its scale even larger than before, a black mass like a tsunami.

"Hmph!"

The little pig immediately activated its fiendish qi, condensing a huge beastly mouth in mid-air that bit toward the ghost tide.

With one bite, dozens of malevolent ghosts were crushed and devoured, dragged into a nightmare.

But the ghost tide was endless. No sooner was one area cleared than more surged up.

Fine sweat appeared on the little pig’s forehead. It was, after all, only at the seventh-stage. Although its abilities were special, it was starting to feel overwhelmed in the face of such a massive ghost tide.

Wu Gou took a step forward and reached out to pat the little pig’s head.

The little pig whipped its head around, baring its teeth fiercely.

The fiendish qi in the air gathered into a giant beastly face, issuing a warning to Wu Gou.

"Scram... don't... interfere!"

"Alright, don't force yourself."

Wu Gou smiled, and a soft Buddhist light lit up in his palm. A golden swastika symbol flew out, precisely imprinting itself on the foreheads of several malevolent ghosts.

"Aaaah—"

The malevolent ghosts clutched their heads and screamed. Their bodies faded rapidly, eventually turning into dots of golden light and dissipating.

Wu Gou turned back to the little pig, wanting to reach out and pat its head again.

Honestly, this thing felt quite good to the touch.

The little pig glared back at him fiercely, its face screaming, "Don't touch me."

Wu Gou said regretfully, "You take Song Zi'an inside. Leave this mess out here to this poor monk."

The little pig was stunned for a moment, looking at him skeptically.

This crazy monk had some skill, but he was facing a ghost tide surging from beneath the entire provincial capital.

Could he handle it?

"What? Look down on a monk?" Wu Gou raised an eyebrow.

"This poor monk might not be able to beat the great devil, but crossing over a few little ghosts is no problem."

"Go quickly. If you wait any longer, who knows if the mouth of the Path of Hungry Ghosts will close."

The little pig hesitated for a moment but eventually chose to believe him.

It jumped down from Song Zi'an's arms, its tusks regrowing as its body began to swell.

A moment later, its half-human-tall nightmare true form appeared, with the nightmare eyes on its body all opening.

The little pig used its tusks to snag Song Zi'an's collar. Then, with a stomp of its four hooves and a surge of fiendish qi, it drifted toward the giant mouth on the palace wall.

"Master!" Song Zi'an cried out.

With his back to them, Wu Gou pressed his palms together, his voice reaching Song Zi'an's ears clearly.

"Benefactor Song, now that you are entering the Path of Hungry Ghosts, remember one thing."

"If you see rare delicacies, they are all rotten flesh and venomous insects."

"If you see gold, silver, and treasures, they are all piles of white bones."

"Guard your original heart; only then can you avoid being assimilated."

"This poor monk will stay here and guard this door for you."

"As long as this poor monk does not fall, not a single malevolent ghost will enter to disturb you."

Wu Gou’s voice drifted in the wind.

"May you obtain what you desire, find your master, and return safely."

"Go."

Song Zi'an's eyes reddened, and he nodded vigorously. Then, carried by the little pig, he charged into the Path of Hungry Ghosts.

The giant mouth seemed to sense a living being approaching and opened even wider.

A terrifying suction force pulled the little pig and Song Zi'an inside.

"Crunch..."

The giant mouth closed and began to chew.

With their disappearance, the ghost tide, which had been somewhat orderly, spiraled completely out of control.

Losing the attraction of the food aroma, countless malevolent ghosts whipped their heads around, locking their greedy gazes onto the only living person in the field.

"Roar!"

Countless malevolent ghosts roared in unison, the sound waves shaking the surrounding ruins.

Facing this overwhelming malice, Wu Gou simply stood there quietly.

He slowly lowered his eyelids, palms pressed together in front of his chest. Suddenly, a blinding Buddhist light erupted from him.

The Buddhist light was warm and pure, as if it could dispel all darkness, even pushing back the golden light falling from the horizon.

Wu Gou lowered his eyes, palms pressed together, and softly began to chant the Rebirth Mantra.

"Namo amitābhāya..."

The Sukhavati lineage emphasizes perfection in the present world, seeking only for the soul to reach Sukhavati, even if the methods are somewhat aggressive.

The Bone Temple lineage practices Withered Bone Zen, shedding flesh and blood to cultivate only the self, ascending as white bones in search of solitary perfection.

But his Aspect of All Beings hears the voices of all beings and delivers them from their suffering.

Wu Gou sat cross-legged, closing his eyes as he suspended himself in mid-air.

He chanted in a low voice, but the sound of the Rebirth Mantra grew louder and more resonant, eventually drowning out the sky-filling wails of ghosts.

As each syllable was uttered, it transformed into a golden Sanskrit character in the air.

Golden Sanskrit characters fell like raindrops into the frenzied crowd of malevolent ghosts.

The malevolent ghosts, originally hideous and ready to pounce and bite, suddenly slowed down when illuminated by the Buddhist light.

They clutched their heads in pain as plumes of black smoke rose from them, their mouths letting out shrill screams.

As the black smoke dissipated, the malevolent ghosts' originally greenish-black soul-bodies began to turn transparent, and their ghostly forms started to vanish.

They were about to be crossed over.

But Wu Gou suddenly heard voices.

They were the cries from the depths of the souls of countless malevolent ghosts.

"Cold... so cold... the water is so cold..." This was the remnant thought of a drowned ghost.

"Fire... fire everywhere... Mother! Little brother!" This was the wail of someone who had burned to death.

"Why... why cut off my head... I didn't embezzle..." This was the obsession of one who had died with a grievance.