Inside the Wolf Court, crimson hues and golden radiance intertwined to form a chaotic purgatory.
"To the left! That thing on the left that looks like a large intestine—cut it! That one is very brittle; one slash will sever it!"
Wu Gou sat upon the beast-hand lotus platform, shouting directions.
Chen Zhou remained expressionless. Death qi condensed into a straight blade in his hand, and he slashed down violently in the direction Wu Gou indicated.
Pfft—!
Foul blood sprayed as the umbilical cord was severed instantly, causing the Buddhist light to flicker and dim slightly.
The moment the umbilical cord hit the ground, countless rotting monsters erupted from the severed end, roaring as they lunged toward Chen Zhou.
Clack, clack, clack!
The Bone Ghost Servants, who had been standing by, swarmed forward. Their skeletal forms gleamed as their cold blades instantly minced the newly born monsters into a pulp.
Before the shredded flesh could reform, a streak of pitch-black flame suddenly surged out.
"Woof!"
Huo Dou’s body expanded rapidly, wreathed in earth vein fire. Like a vicious dog guarding its food, it stood firmly by Chen Zhou’s side.
Opening its massive maw, it poured out a waterfall of flames, incinerating the pulped flesh until it hissed and crackled, turning into ash in an instant.
After burning the wave of monsters, Huo Dou turned its head and wagged its tail at Chen Zhou in a fawning manner. Its fierce bestial pupils were now filled with a longing for praise.
"Ancestor, this old bald ass’s hide is too thick!"
Zen Master Wu Hai brandished his half-broken bone monk staff, shattering the head of a rotting demon soldier with a single blow. "This thing is connected to the earth veins! No matter how we hit it, it won't die!" he shouted, panting for breath.
Chen Zhou looked up at the massive fleshy sphere suspended in mid-air.
After the thin, peripheral umbilical cords had been cleared, only several hundred of the thickest ones remained beneath the sphere.
They were dense with death qi and entwined with golden thread vow power.
"Alright, stop wasting your energy. Cutting the thin ones was enough."
Wu Gou took a massive gulp of wine, the liquid trickling down his filthy neck.
"The remaining ones are that old bald ass's lifeblood. They are formed from death qi and bolstered by vow power. Within Ksitigarbha of Great Vows's domain, it will be very difficult for you to crack this turtle shell."
Chen Zhou frowned and slashed again.
His death qi struck a golden-threaded umbilical cord, only to kick up a shower of sparks. The golden light on the cord dimmed for a mere moment before being restored by the vow power surging from deep underground.
Death qi was indeed overbearing, but in the face of such vast vow power accumulated over a century, it was like using a dagger to chop a mountain.
"See? I told you it wouldn't work."
Wu Gou wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth. "To sacrifice this thing, one needs the blood of a true Buddha."
He stood up unsteadily and slowly began to shed his patchwork robe.
In an instant, a grand golden light erupted from his body.
However, the air around him began to warp, and corrupted Buddhist light started to eat away at his skin.
Sizzle...
Wu Gou’s skin began to crack like a broken clay statue.
Golden vow power mixed with fresh blood sprayed from his wounds, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain. He tilted his head back, staring at the indifferent phantom of Ksitigarbha of Great Vows in the sky.
"Heehee... Hahahaha!"
Wu Gou laughed until he was doubled over, tears and blood washing over his face.
"Great Vows, do you not see?"
"This is the 'suffering of all beings' you desired! Since you wish to become a Buddha, then this monk shall use this stinking bag of skin to add fuel to your path of enlightenment!"
The vow power on his body grew brighter and brighter.
"Fiend." Wu Gou turned to look at Chen Zhou, a expression that was half-crying and half-laughing on his face.
"It’s the end. Do you need my help?"
"My life isn't worth much. Exchanging it for a few of that old bald ass's intestines is a bargain."
Chen Zhou looked at the crazed beggar before him and realized that this was a true bodhisattva—one who would willingly enter hell for the sake of all beings.
Chen Zhou’s voice rang out coldly. "No need. Sit still and stop being a lunatic."
"You..." Wu Gou’s eyes widened, about to snap back.
Right then, a sharp, piercing sword light, like a rainbow piercing the sun, landed beside Chen Zhou.
"Apologies, I'm late."
Jian Huaishuang’s paper armor was stained with blood, and his aura was somewhat disordered, but the sword intent in his eyes was sharper than ever before.
"Not late at all." The corners of Chen Zhou’s mouth curled up slightly. "You've arrived just in time for the feast."
He turned to look at the hundreds of dark golden umbilical cords.
"Madman, you're right. Death qi cannot break vow power."
"In this domain, vow power is the rule; it is omnipotent."
Chen Zhou’s voice was low. "Since it is formed from vow power, then... we shall break vows with vows!"
Chen Zhou reached out and pressed his hand onto Jian Huaishuang’s shoulder.
"Don't move. Lend me your sword for a moment."
In the next instant, all the Evil God Points Chen Zhou had accumulated over a long time were ignited.
Boom!
A vast and pure power surged through Chen Zhou’s arm and flooded into Jian Huaishuang’s body.
It was the authority of 【Faith Conferment】.
It was the power of a god.
It was the torrent of faith formed from the prayers of countless believers in their despair, looking up from the darkness.
Jian Huaishuang’s pupils shrank. He felt the heavy sword in his hand trembling in excitement.
This was not the first time he had received the enhancement of a divine seal through Faith Conferment, but never before had he felt his sword intent rise so infinitely high.
It felt as though he had touched that legendary realm.
"This is..." Jian Huaishuang looked at Chen Zhou in shock.
"Who says I'm not a god laden with the faith and vows of many?"
Chen Zhou grinned wildly.
Evil God Points were the weight of the believers' lives handed to him—it was faith quantified by the system.
"Ksitigarbha of Great Vows used his vow power to turn this world into a prison. Then I shall use the vow power of a million believers to slash open his cage!"
In the sky, white paper money began to flutter down like heavy snow, though no one knew where it came from.
"Strike!"
Chen Zhou shouted.
In a moment of sudden enlightenment, Jian Huaishuang felt more in tune with his sword than ever before.
Guided by that power, he swung his sword horizontally toward the thickest umbilical cord ahead.
With this strike, death qi cleared the path, and vow power provided the strength.
At the moment of the swing, Jian Huaishuang felt an incredibly desolate sword intent—one that had crossed ten thousand mountains and rivers from the distant Heavenly Sword Sect to resonate with his sword heart.
That was...
He seemed to see a lonely figure guarding empty graves amidst the endless snow. The man's heart was like cold ash, yet his sword was as pure as frost.
That person’s sword heart had died, yet it had been reforged through a certain obsession.
He saw another person take up this sword intent, willing to die for the common people, delivering a strike that shook the heavens and earth.
"This sword strike is named... All Beings Have a Place of Return."
Jian Huaishuang murmured. The sword light expanded by a thousand feet, seemingly accompanied by another phantom sword shadow.
The shadow was sorrowful yet exceptionally resolute.
It was a strike delivered for one person, yet willing to clear the path for everyone under heaven.
Where the heart goes, the sword follows.
The two sword lights overlapped between illusion and reality, merging into one.
Clang—!
It was as if only this crisp ring of the sword remained between heaven and earth.
Under this strike, the umbilical cord of Ksitigarbha of Great Vows snapped. Golden vow power sprayed out like a shower of golden rain.
Wu Gou’s mouth hung open, and the wine cup in his hand hit the ground with a clatter. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head.
"Good heavens... he actually cut it?"
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