Beside the sprout, the Golden Buddha, which had been hidden in the depths of the dream, finally lost all its concealment.
Without a dream to hide in, the Golden Buddha quickly revealed its original form.
It was merely a mass of humanoid flesh that rippled slightly, emitting an alluring luster.
The Golden Buddha had no skin, and its muscular textures were clearly visible.
It curled up there like a newborn baby, yet also like a piece of top-tier ingredient that had been meticulously prepared.
The moment the Golden Buddha appeared, an indescribable and extreme aroma instantly swept through the entire space.
"It smells so good..."
Song Zi'an's gaze instantly became dazed, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently as he stared intently at the Golden Buddha, his feet moving forward uncontrollably.
"I want to eat it... I want to eat it so much..."
It wasn't just Song Zi'an.
Even the usually indifferent Nine-Age Crane seemed to have gone mad at this moment.
It flapped its wings and let out rapid cries, its long beak open as saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, its eyes filled with a greedy red light.
The little pig held in Chen Zhou's arms also seemed possessed.
The little pig's pink body suddenly tensed, the fiendish qi in its eyes churning wildly, and the drool flowing from the corners of its mouth soaked Chen Zhou's sleeve.
It struggled desperately, wanting to jump from Chen Zhou's arms and pounce on that mass of flesh.
This was a longing originating from the instincts of life.
It was the ultimate pursuit of lower-order life forms toward the evolution of higher-order life.
Just one bite... just one bite and I can be purified!
I can have eternal life!
I can achieve transcendence!
Chen Zhou's brow furrowed slightly as the Domain of Defiled Earth instantly spread over.
"Behave yourself!"
The Ghost Domain acted like a cage, instantly locking down the Golden Buddha and completely isolating the aura it emitted.
The Golden Buddha began to struggle frantically.
It seemed extremely terrified, desperately slamming against the edge of Chen Zhou's Ghost Domain while letting out shrill, strange cries.
It could feel that this black-robed man before it was different from all the other creatures it had encountered before.
In the past, as long as it leaked even a tiny bit of its aura, people would pounce on it like mad dogs, allowing themselves to be manipulated, becoming its puppets, and having their minds devoured.
But this person...
He had no desire for it!
Not only was there no desire, but there was even a trace of... disgust in his eyes?
"Thinking of running?"
Chen Zhou smiled as he watched the mass of flesh bumping around like a headless fly within the Ghost Domain.
This thing was originally a prize for the victor and had almost no combat power; its only methods were mental temptation and addictive control.
However, in the face of an evil spirit, both of these methods were useless.
With a thought from Chen Zhou, the bone chains within the Ghost Domain instantly tightened, binding the Golden Buddha even more securely and causing its flesh to sink under the pressure.
"You certainly know how to hide, little thing." Chen Zhou reached out through the Ghost Domain and poked the mass of flesh; the texture was bouncy, like jelly.
"Thinking of cheating? Did you think that because a judge was present, I wouldn't be able to win the Golden Buddha's trial?"
"You didn't expect it, did you? The judge was slaughtered by me."
"Did you think you'd be safe by hiding in the dream with the Vermilion Judgment providing cover?"
"Jie jie jie."
"Are you surprised? Is it a shock? The Vermilion Judgment was also slaughtered by me."
"Keep screaming. Go ahead, keep screaming."
"Even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one is coming to save you this time."
The Golden Buddha seemed to understand Chen Zhou's words and trembled uncontrollably.
It realized that if it were devoured by an evil spirit, it would be completely unable to make the other party addicted or control their mind, and it fell into even deeper despair.
It shrank into a corner of the Ghost Domain, curling itself into a ball and no longer daring to emit even the slightest fragrance.
"Alright, let's go."
The Path of Hungry Ghosts had been completely torn apart by Chen Zhou's power, and the space began to collapse on a large scale.
Chen Zhou did not linger, taking Song Zi'an, the little pig, and the Nine-Age Crane with him as they transformed into a streak of light and charged out of the nearly destroyed Path of Hungry Ghosts.
After stepping out of the void, Chen Zhou returned to the ruins of the imperial palace.
By now, the palace had long lost its former glory, with ruins and broken walls everywhere.
Wu Gou was still sitting before that broken wall, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing while also acting as a guardian for Chen Zhou.
He was surrounded by many people.
Upon seeing Chen Zhou emerge, Wu Gou opened his eyes immediately.
"Yo, you're out?" Wu Gou looked Chen Zhou up and down, and seeing that he was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Is it settled?"
Chen Zhou nodded in affirmation. "Yes, it's settled."
Wu Gou grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "I knew it had to be you."
"There are so many temptations in the Path of Hungry Ghosts. If a weak little monk like me had gone in..."
"Faced with so many temptations of delicious food, I definitely wouldn't have made it out. I would have broken my precepts long ago."
As he spoke, he craned his neck, looking eagerly behind Chen Zhou.
"Where's the Heavenly Chef? Where's the Heavenly Chef?"
Wu Gou grabbed Chen Zhou's sleeve with an urgent expression.
"How come only little benefactor Song came out? Where is that legendary Heavenly Chef?"
"Did you not find him? My stomach has been starving for a long time!"
Chen Zhou was about to explain that Yu He had likely already been reborn in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, but before the words could leave his mouth, a black shadow pounced out from the crowd like lightning.
"Woof!!"
A bark filled with longing, grievance, and extreme excitement rang out.
Huo Dou had shrunk its size to only about half a person's height, looking like a slightly fierce large black dog.
It wagged its tail incessantly, spinning it like a propeller and creating gusts of hot wind.
Huo Dou's eyes were filled with desperate longing as its long tongue hung out, and it tried to burrow into Chen Zhou's arms without a care for anything else.
Ancestral Master!
It's the Ancestral Master!
This dog missed you so much!
Huo Dou's eyes were teary as it prepared for a long-awaited reunion embrace.
But as it rushed closer and took a clear look, it suddenly slammed on the brakes, its four paws plowing two deep furrows into the ground.
It discovered that in Chen Zhou's arms, he was holding a little pink pig.
That pig was actually nestled in the Ancestral Master's arms in an extremely comfortable position, and it was even rubbing its dirty pig nose against the Ancestral Master's clean black robes!
Huo Dou was stunned.
The fur on its body instantly bristled like a startled porcupine.
Its tail, which had been wagging happily, went stiff, and a low, threatening sound rumbled in its throat.
"Grrr— Woof!!"
Where did this wild pig come from?!
How dare it steal the Ancestral Master's embrace?!
That is this dog's exclusive spot!
Huo Dou was instantly overcome with jealousy, barking furiously at the little pig and baring its fangs, its body even emitting black terrestrial true fire.
It was the Ancestral Master's direct descendant, the sect-protecting divine beast of the Bone Temple, the ancient calamity beast Huo Dou! It had followed the Ancestral Master through life and death, and had even soaked in magma for hundreds of years. How deep was its seniority!
Why should this stupid pig from Sukhavati get to be held by the Ancestral Master?
Just because it's pink?
Just because it has a lot of meat?
This is simply outrageous!
The more Huo Dou thought about it, the angrier it got, wishing it could breathe a blast of fire to turn this pig into a roast suckling pig.
Facing Huo Dou's provocation, the little pig in Chen Zhou's arms lazily lifted its head.
It glanced at the barking large black dog with a hint of disdain in its eyes.
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