Chen Zhou quickly came to a decision.
Coincidentally, Jian Huaishuang’s faith had just sublimated, transforming him into a Saint. A Saint provided 2,000 Evil God Points daily, and an immediate settlement occurred right after the transformation.
To be safe, he spent 1,000 Evil God Points to exchange for a Seed of Resentment from the shop.
The seed silently sank into the center of the monk Ku Chan’s brow.
Ku Chan’s body stiffened as he suddenly felt his sea of consciousness being disturbed, with hushed whispers echoing in his ears.
A look of struggle flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly overwhelmed by fear and the desire to survive. He proactively lowered his mental defenses.
This was the divine ability of a great powerhouse; he could not resist, nor did he dare to.
He could only say in a trembling voice, "Pre... Senior, this humble monk will cooperate. I will definitely cooperate! I only ask for my life!"
"Smart," Chen Zhou commented calmly.
A moment later, the fusion of the seed was complete.
Whenever Chen Zhou wished, he could control Ku Chan’s actions or detonate the seed at any time to turn him into a wraith puppet.
Ku Chan prostrated himself, his posture even more humble than before, his voice filled with awe. "Pre... no, Master."
As Ku Chan knelt on the ground, the sense of bondage on his soul made his heart feel bitter.
The feeling of being controlled by another was naturally unpleasant, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.
Having lived precariously for centuries, he had long understood the true essence of the way of survival.
Had he not always been cautious, seeking out remote corners like Qudao County to hide in, his mediocre fourth-stage cultivation would have likely led to him being captured by those senior brothers of his who were desperate for progress, used as a host vessel for their cultivation.
Now that he could cling to the thigh of this unfathomable powerhouse with such mysterious methods, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Since the powerhouse had not killed him outright, he must still have some use in the other’s eyes.
Living on one’s knees was better than dying on one’s feet.
Besides, there was nothing wrong with being a dog for a powerful master.
Having reached this conclusion, his attitude shifted instantly. A fawning expression appeared on his face, and without waiting for Chen Zhou to ask, he spoke up proactively.
"Master, please see clearly. this humble monk will tell you everything I know and leave nothing out."
"This humble monk belongs to the Aspect of All Beings, one of the three major branches of Buddhism."
"Very good." Chen Zhou looked down at the prostrate Ku Chan. "Aspect of All Beings? Explain."
Ku Chan hurriedly explained.
"All sentient beings have their aspects, and all aspects can become Buddha."
"Ksitigarbha of Great Vows believes that the mountains, rivers, plants, birds, beasts, and even the ghost domains of the human heart all possess Buddha-nature and can all achieve Buddhahood."
He paused, then continued, "Of course, that is just the doctrine. In actual practice... heh heh."
"Get to the point." Chen Zhou shot him a neutral glance.
Ku Chan stole a glance at Chen Zhou’s expression. Seeing that he wasn't angry, he let out a sigh of relief and didn't dare to waste any more words.
"Most of our Buddhist disciples will proactively seek out great demons or fiends with special abilities and powerful potential, or human cultivators born with special destinies."
"Using them as... uh, as hosts to perform... symbiotic cultivation, in hopes of sooner attaining the Arhat Dharma body and proving Bodhi."
He spoke euphemistically, but Chen Zhou understood immediately. This so-called symbiotic cultivation and hosting was essentially forced parasitism.
The Locust Mother and the tiger demon at the bottom of the stone tower were proof of this.
"What is an Arhat's body?" Chen Zhou asked again.
"Replying to Master, the Arhat's body is the foundation!" When Ku Chan mentioned this, his tone subconsciously carried a hint of longing.
"Only by cultivating at least the Copper-Body Arhat can one truly carry more exquisite Buddhist laws and resist the great horrors on the path of cultivation, especially... especially the sixth-stage Three Transformations of Eerification."
"Three Transformations of Eerification?" Chen Zhou’s heart stirred. This was the bottleneck he had heard fragments of from Mo Yuan and Smiling Face but had never understood in detail.
Although Ku Chan was surprised that this powerhouse with unfathomable strength would be interested in such common knowledge, he didn't dare ask questions and answered honestly.
"Master, please listen. In this world of filth, whether one is a human or demon cultivator, if one follows the natural path of cultivation, it is absolutely impossible to surpass the sixth-stage safely."
"Starting from the Bone Coiling stage of the second-stage, the physical body begins to undergo subtle deformities. While strengthening the bones, it also plants the seeds of mutation."
"From the bones to the heart, from the core to the essence, both the physical form and the soul may produce irreversible mutations."
"And upon reaching the Essence Devouring stage of the fifth-stage, devouring the essence of heaven and earth seems powerful, but in reality, one has already incorporated foreign energy into oneself, making the hidden dangers even deeper."
He swallowed and continued, "Once one attempts to cross the fifth-stage and step through the gate of the sixth-stage, it will trigger true Eerification."
"Eerification does not happen all at once; there are three transformations in total. With each transformation, the cultivator’s form and mind will drastically mutate in a non-human direction, ten or a hundred times more terrifying than the mutations of all previous stages combined!"
"Power might surge, but one will descend into an... eerie creature, their mind sinking and becoming completely lost."
"Therefore, every sect and school, and even those great demon kings who dominate their regions, have their own secret methods to try and endure the Three Transformations of Eerification."
"The method of our Aspect of All Beings is to find a high-quality host, parasitize their cultivation, steal their foundation, and merge their traits to forge an Arhat's body."
"Using this body as a vessel, one can carry their own Buddhist laws. Only then can one find a slim chance of survival amidst the stormy waves of the Three Transformations of Eerification, and perhaps... use it to transform, possessing the potential to go even further."
Chen Zhou listened silently, but his heart was in turmoil.
He had indeed had some suspicions before.
Among the residents under his command, aside from those with top-tier talent like Shitou and Hong Ling, there were many with Mysterious Grade spirit roots.
He could even use the Bodhi Heart Fruit to directly purify the residents' spirit roots to the Mysterious Grade.
While Mysterious Grade potential might not produce top-tier powerhouses, it was enough to cultivate a considerable scale of backbone strength.
Given that the resources of this world weren't exactly scarce, and there were sects like the Corpse Soul Sect willing to protect humanity...
Even if such sects were few, if they recruited disciples broadly and cultivated them carefully, how could the human race have fallen to such a state—struggling to survive in the cracks between demons and evil spirits, living in constant peril?
So this was the root cause!
The sixth-stage Three Transformations of Eerification!
It was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all cultivators.
Every attempt to break through was a mad slide toward the non-human abyss.
The cultivation of top-tier powerhouses became extremely difficult and full of uncertainty. No matter how strong the middle and lower tiers were, they were often powerless when facing those evil spirits and great fiends who had luckily survived Eerification or were naturally powerful from birth.
Even Mo Yuan only dared to stop at the peak of the fifth-stage Essence Devouring stage, long unwilling to step into the threshold of the sixth-stage.
And the only sixth-stage Chen Zhou had seen so far was the monk Smiling Face.
Smiling Face had merely broken through to the sixth-stage and hadn't even reached the first of the three transformations, yet he was already covered in a hundred faces.
Spreading the copper poison over ten thousand miles and parasitizing the Locust Mother for a hundred years—all of that was because he had not yet achieved the so-called Arhat's body.
Chen Zhou didn't dare imagine what a person who had reached the third of the Three Transformations of Eerification would look like.
No wonder... no wonder this world was so chaotic and hopeless.
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