Would You Like to Be an Evil Spirit?

Wu Gou clutched his bald head and gave him a look of grievance.

"Fine, fine. I am at the second symbiosis contract."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow.

The second symbiosis contract?

At the seventh-stage symbiosis period, each contract was a major hurdle. This kid was actually the highest-cultivation person in the city besides himself?

Chen Zhou looked at him. "You really are something, hiding your strength all this time?"

Wu Gou's aura was very strange. Chen Zhou had never been able to discern his cultivation level, as he appeared no different from an ordinary mortal.

Wu Gou sighed and took another swig of wine.

"Do not look at this poor monk that way. I only broke through recently."

"Back in the provincial capital, when you were confronting that judge, I was busy gathering the vows of all beings. I had to brace myself to collect the vow power of your believers and channel it into you."

He threw up his hands. "At that moment, I suddenly realized—hey, how did I break through?"

"It was not on purpose."

Chen Zhou nodded.

"Wu Gou."

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to be an evil spirit?"

Wu Gou froze, the meat in his hand nearly falling to the ground.

He stared blankly at Chen Zhou for a long while before finally snapping back to his senses.

"Wait, Great Fiend, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Zhou looked at him with a calm gaze.

"I still have two opportunities to confer the title of Ghost General."

"I want to give one of those spots to you."

A Ghost General was different from a Ghost Attendant; an attendant was merely a follower.

A Ghost General, however, could be considered a subordinate god of the Evil God—an embodiment of his authority and an executor of his will, capable of obtaining a portion of the authority bestowed by the god.

The first Ghost General, Jian Huaishuang, was only obtained after sacrificing the paper shrine, which spoke to the rarity of the position.

As a subordinate god, one could naturally transform into a higher form of an evil spirit.

Chen Zhou wanted to give a spot to Wu Gou for two reasons. First, the kid might seem unreliable normally, but he was truly dependable at critical moments.

Furthermore, he was currently one of only two Saints. Regardless of what he said, he was certainly the most devout in his heart.

Chen Zhou had seen plenty of people who were duplicitous about their feelings, such as the little rat.

It was not a big deal.

He glanced at the Plague Rat, who was still buried in his food not far away.

Moreover, Chen Zhou happened to have an authority perfectly suited for Wu Gou: 【Faith Conferment】.

Wu Gou cultivated the vows of all beings, while Faith Conferment gathered the faith of believers. The two were very similar in nature, and it might even allow Wu Gou to reach the next level.

Wu Gou fell silent.

He lowered his head, looking at the meat in his hand and the wine in his bowl.

After a long time, he let out a sigh.

"As you wish."

He returned to his frantic eating and drinking.

"You just want this poor monk to work as your black laborer for the rest of my life. How heartless, Great Fiend."

"Forget it. I already boarded this pirate ship long ago. I probably do not have a chance to get off anymore, do I?"

Chen Zhou smiled.

"It is good that you know."

Wu Gou helplessly closed his eyes.

In the next moment, a cluster of soft Buddhist light emerged from his chest and slowly drifted toward Chen Zhou.

That was his origin.

Chen Zhou caught the light and tossed it casually.

The orb of light flew into the depths of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, landing upon the General-Summoning Platform beside the Bone Altar.

Chen Zhou pulled up the system panel and set Wu Gou as a Ghost General.

Then, he duplicated the 【Divine Path Authority · Faith Conferment】 and pasted it onto Wu Gou.

Instantly, Buddhist light soared from Wu Gou's body.

The light pierced the clouds, illuminating the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead as if it were broad daylight.

Everyone looked up, staring at the Buddhist light in shock.

Then, they saw a figure emerge within the light.

The man sat cross-legged in the void, his appearance solemn and majestic. The three thousand strands of worry atop his head were gone, and the lotus pedestal beneath him was cast from white bone—ferocious yet filled with mercy, terrifying yet imbued with dignity.

Wu Gou opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

He smiled, his expression containing a hint of helplessness and something else that was hard to define.

"Amitābha."

He softly recited the Buddha's name.

In the next moment, the golden light retracted, and everything returned to normal.

Wu Gou dropped back into his seat, picked up the meat from the table, and continued eating.

It was as if nothing had happened just now.

However, everyone was looking at him with complex gazes.

Some were envious, some were in awe, and some were fanatical.

The Plague Rat's mouth hung wide open, and he even forgot to chew his meat.

He stared blankly at Wu Gou before suddenly slamming his chopsticks down.

"Lord!"

He scrambled up and rushed to stand before Chen Zhou.

"Lord, Ratty wants it too!"

Chen Zhou looked at him.

The Plague Rat's face turned beet red. "Ratty wants to become stronger too!"

Chen Zhou looked at him and thought for a moment.

It made sense.

The Plague Rat was indeed the very first demon to follow him.

From the moment he was summoned from the General-Summoning Platform, he had been there through the Southern Region, the Northern Region, and the provincial capital. Which major battle had he not charged into at the very front?

He certainly had both merit and hard work to his name.

Furthermore...

Chen Zhou remembered back in the Dead Man’s Forest when he had casually fooled him by saying "rats are also auspicious ones." The rat had remembered it until now and had always taken pride in that identity.

He had always been trying his best to be a good boss and protect everyone.

Being a boss was not that simple; at the very least, one needed the martial prowess to command respect.

With an extra Ghost General slot available, there truly was no better candidate at the moment. He might as well give him an official position to boost his strength and help him lead others in the future.

At the very least, Huo Dou and the little pig did not respect him much. Once he became an evil spirit, he could discipline them himself. A few more beatings would surely make them fall in line.

Thinking this, Chen Zhou nodded.

"Granted."

The Plague Rat was overjoyed. Chen Zhou pulled up the panel again and set him as a Ghost General as well.

As for which ability to bestow upon the Plague Rat...

Chen Zhou thought for a moment and duplicated the 【Ghost Domain】, pasting it onto the Plague Rat.

If the Plague Rat possessed a Ghost Domain, combined with his wide-range plague abilities, his area-of-effect damage should improve further.

Boom—

Another pillar of light soared into the sky, this time mixed with a dense, dark-green mist.

The mist spread rapidly, enveloping the entire plaza.

Everyone felt an oppressive aura wash over them, as if they were standing in a sea of plague, liable to be corroded away at any moment.

However, the mist did not harm anyone. it only churned, condensed, and shifted in the air.

The Plague Rat laughed toward the heavens.

"Hahahaha!"

"I have become stronger again! Which of you over there is not convinced? Come and fight me!"

Su Xue smiled gently, offering her sincere congratulations.

Poison-Wing felt a bit jealous. They used to be at the same level, but now his brother had suddenly been promoted, standing a head taller than him.

Brother Rat had truly changed; he had distanced himself from the masses.

Huo Dou was defiant, and the little pig bared its teeth. The Plague Rat cackled and blustered, "What are you little brats shouting about? I am the boss! Are you convinced or not?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the mist on his body exploded outward, merging completely with the Ghost Domain.

The fusion of 【Great Plague Heaven】 and 【Ghost Domain】 was complete. A terrifying aura erupted from within him, spreading in all directions.

The citizens retreated one after another, their faces filled with horror.

The Plague Rat was feeling extremely smug, about to continue his blustering.

Suddenly, a clear ripple of water appeared out of thin air, oscillating gently.

The surging plague mist was actually easily dispelled by the water ripple.

A clean aura permeated the air—fresh and pure.

The Plague Rat's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

"Who? Who dares to ruin Lord Rat's good news!"

He glared around in anger, only to see everyone instinctively looking toward Cangming and Cang Che.

Cangming quickly waved his hands. "It was not me! Do not pin it on me just because you see a water ripple!"

Cang Che also shook his head. "It was not me either!"

Chen Zhou followed the source of the water ripple.

Over at the table for the farming team, Nie Chaoxi was dangling a chopstick from her mouth, her entire being bathed in a faint glow.