After confirming there were no other anomalies, Chen Zhou withdrew his consciousness from the descended Bone Incarnation.
He trusted Jian Huaishuang to handle the aftermath.
Chen Zhou was in a hurry to get home and open his mystery boxes.
Jian Huaishuang’s body trembled slightly as the deep darkness in his eyes receded, and his own consciousness returned.
He shook his head, looking around at the devastated landscape and the lingering divine power still dissipating in the air.
Immediately, he sensed the changes within himself.
His body... had become different.
He no longer possessed a physical body of flesh and blood, nor was he simply possessed by an evil spirit's paper armor; even his sea of consciousness was exceptionally clear.
The White Jade that had been entangled with him for a month had completely vanished.
He could feel that his very life form had undergone a transformation.
He had transcended the shackles of mortal flesh, turning into something purer, more stable, and incredibly resilient.
He felt light, yet he was brimming with immense power.
His affinity for the aura of death had reached an unprecedented height, as if he were a being born from the Underworld itself.
'It feels very similar to my Lord's aura.'
There was no fear in Jian Huaishuang’s heart.
He could even clearly feel that the connection between himself and the divine Lord had become tighter.
It was as if a thread firmly bound his soul to the God's will.
He was already a dead man; it was his Lord who had granted him new life.
It did not matter what form he took now.
What mattered was that he still possessed a clear will, could still follow his Lord's footsteps, and could still practice the Dao in his heart.
That was enough.
At the same time, Chen Zhou, who had just withdrawn his incarnation, received another system notification.
【The faith of one of your Fanatic Believers has sublimated, transforming into a Saint】
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow and checked the faith panel. His only Fanatic Believer was Jian Huaishuang, and he had actually upgraded.
Saint daily Evil God Points: 2000 points / person.
Currently, basic materials like flesh and blood could generally keep up with demand, but Evil God Points were needed everywhere—breakthrough missions, the Bone Forge, the Flesh-and-Blood Pasture, and the large quantities of items in the shop.
Chen Zhou felt that after this matter was settled, it was necessary to follow White Jade's example and hold a festival similar to the Immortal Celebration Day.
Devout True Believers and Fanatic Believers required time and deeds to cultivate slowly, but General Believers weren't that difficult to obtain.
Applying both kindness and authority, manifesting miracles in public, and showing divine signs were effective ways to quickly harvest faith.
Reflecting on his actions, Chen Zhou realized he had spent too much time behind the scenes and rarely appeared before his subjects. Relying only on the word-of-mouth of the initial few villagers was not convincing enough.
"I'll let Hong Ling plan it when I get back."
Chen Zhou intended to resolve the hidden danger in Dead Man’s Forest first.
Having the experience of dealing with Smiling Face in Kushi County, Chen Zhou was even more direct and brutal this time.
His Ghost Domain expanded like a giant palm, directly enveloping and isolating the inverted stone tower and its surrounding area.
Then, death energy flooded out, slamming heavily against the grayish-black restriction outside the stone tower.
Although the restriction was extraordinary, it shattered with a roar after only a few breaths under the impact of Chen Zhou’s Abnormal Grade evil spirit power, revealing the spiral structure inside the tower.
Similar to the situation in the Soul-Suppressing Tower, wisps of copper-colored poison gas wafted out from within.
Chen Zhou’s divine sense swept inside, seeing a bizarrely shaped tiger suppressed at the bottom of the tower.
But rather than a tiger, it was more like withered wood draped in a tiger’s skin.
Its ribs were clearly visible, and its fur was dim and lifeless, clinging tightly to the skeleton in a withered black hue.
There was none of the majesty of the king of beasts in its movements; instead, there was only a sneaky agility and ferocity. Its eyes were cloudy and filled with madness.
"Roar! This king is the Gale Mountain Lord! I’ll kill you, you bald donkey! Kill you!!"
It roared incoherently. Perhaps because of the monk’s bizarre cultivation method within its body, the tiger demon’s mind had become completely chaotic, much like the Locust Mother.
The tiger demon was only at the fourth-stage Core Shattering stage. No wonder, as the source of the copper poison in Qudao County, its spread speed and intensity were far lower than those in Kushi County.
Chen Zhou didn't bother with words and made a pressing motion from a distance.
A pale bone claw condensed from death energy appeared out of thin air, easily crushing the withered wood tiger demon like an insect.
As expected, the tiger demon's corpse withered rapidly, and a figure struggled to crawl out from its abdominal cavity.
It was an old monk, his body like a piece of charred wood scorched by lightning and fire. He was dry, black, and thin, as if all moisture and mercy had evaporated.
He wore a tattered monk's robe whose original color was unrecognizable, covered in grime and unidentified grease.
His face had no lips, and his exposed teeth and gums made his expression look very strange, as if he were perpetually mocking all living beings.
As soon as the old monk crawled out, he began to curse shrilly in exasperation.
"Which death-seeking idiot dared to destroy this Buddha Lord's cultivation and ruin my grand plan for an Arhat's body! I—"
Before he could finish, he froze, his withered body trembling violently.
He sensed the overwhelming pressure surrounding him from all sides!
This aura was no less than that of the few Buddha Lords he had felt from a distance in the past.
The old monk was completely stunned.
He couldn't understand how such a terrifying existence could suddenly appear in a backwater like Qudao County, where he could have run rampant with his fourth-stage strength hundreds of years ago.
What kind of powerhouse would be bored enough to come to a godforsaken place like this for an outing?
The old monk felt aggrieved, but he understood that the wise submit to fate. The rage on his face instantly turned into flattery and terror as he fell to his knees with a thud.
"Senior... Senior, please appease your anger! This humble monk, Ku Chan, was blind and has offended you."
"It’s this humble monk's dwelling that was an eyesore to Senior. Senior's lesson was absolutely correct. Even if Senior hadn't acted, I would never have let it off easily."
"Since Senior has taught me a lesson, I wonder if this humble monk may..."
Chen Zhou frowned slightly, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Opening the mystery box had revealed a piece of trash.
He was only at the fourth-stage and hadn't even touched the edge of eerification; there was no broken divinity like Smiling Face’s within him to squeeze for profit.
He raised his hand, preparing to finish off this monk Ku Chan as easily as he had the tiger demon.
"Senior, spare my life!"
Ku Chan sensed the killing intent and was scared out of his wits, kowtowing like a woodpecker.
"I am a member of the Buddhist Sect! I know many Buddhist secrets! I will definitely be of use to Senior! Please give me a chance!"
"I am willing to work like a dog for Senior, Senior!!!"
Chen Zhou’s movement paused, the invisible palm about to strike stopping in mid-air.
He had originally only intended to clean up the unstable elements at his doorstep, but the appearance of the breakthrough mission had given him a need for divinity.
This method of the Buddhist Sect—parasitizing demons and devouring nutrients to cultivate—looked like it might yield many good goods.
At least it would be faster than him searching for those in the Eerification stage blindly.
As the saying goes, it’s impossible to guard against a thief forever.
Since these monks had reached their hands into his territory, why couldn't he proactively play the thief?
Smiling Face was of a stage too high and had a defiant nature, making him difficult to control directly.
But this monk Ku Chan was cowardly and weak; he was perfect for the job.
Rate on N.U.
