Thinking of Smiling Face, Chen Zhou asked another question.
"Do you know Smiling Face?"
Ku Chan’s toothy gums, devoid of lips, bared themselves in a reflexive twitch, forming a bizarre expression that resembled a grin. He shook his head frantically.
"Reporting to Master, this lowly monk has never heard of such a title. He must be a virtuous elder of profound cultivation, far beyond the reach of a minor figure like myself."
"Then, besides the Aspect of All Beings you belong to, what are the other two main branches of Buddhism?" Chen Zhou’s voice betrayed no emotion.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Ku Chan’s bald head. "Master, please see clearly... this monk, this monk truly does not know!
"I am but an insignificant character within the Aspect of All Beings. I have not even touched the profound Buddhist laws of my own branch, so how could I have the chance to know the secrets of the other two? Those are the true core secrets of Buddhism.
"It is said... it is said that only the Buddha Lords who have cultivated a high-level Arhat's body are qualified to know."
Chen Zhou’s voice turned several degrees colder. "Since that is the case, then tell me the cultivation locations of the other Buddhas in the Aspect of All Beings."
Ku Chan was nearly at the point of tears, his skeletal body shaking like a leaf in the wind.
"Master, this is even more of a secret among secrets! A place of cultivation is a matter of life and death; how could it be easily shared with outsiders?
"Even among fellow disciples, there is mutual suspicion and absolute silence... This monk, this monk truly does not know!"
A suffocating, deathly silence filled the air.
After a long while, Chen Zhou’s indifferent voice rang out, carrying a hint of mockery and murderous intent.
"Is this what you meant by knowing 'many Buddhist secrets'? You know nothing when asked. It seems keeping you around is of no use after all, wouldn’t you agree?"
As his words fell, Ku Chan suddenly felt the pale seed deep within his soul grow scalding hot. A tearing, soul-rending pain began to spread!
"No! Master, have mercy! Have mercy!"
Cold sweat poured down Ku Chan’s face. Ignoring the agony, he began to kowtow desperately, his withered forehead thumping loudly against the hard ground.
The fear of death made his brain work at an unprecedented speed.
He had to produce information of sufficient weight; he had to prove his value.
Otherwise, he would truly die.
"Master, if Master wishes to find a Buddha, I... I have a way! I have a way!" Ku Chan shrieked, his voice sharp and distorted.
The moment the words left his mouth, the scorching pain of his soul tearing apart ceased abruptly.
Ku Chan gasped for air as if he had just been pulled from the water. Daring not to delay for a second, he spoke hurriedly.
"Master, please listen. This monk's previous host was the Gale Mountain Lord."
Chen Zhou’s heart stirred.
Gale Mountain Lord—he indeed remembered that name.
In the fragmented scrolls left by the White Jade Sword Sect, there were records of this tiger demon that had once terrorized Qudao County, keeping humans in pens as food. Later, it fell after a conflict with a humanoid evil spirit from the Dead Man’s Forest. Only then did White Jade seize the opportunity to rise and take control of White Jade City.
He had originally thought it was merely a shift in power between monsters; he hadn't expected the shadow of Buddhism to be behind it as well.
He was also very interested in evil spirits.
Setting aside his own main body for a moment, the Zhenjiang Shrine he had previously acquired had shown mysterious abilities and even provided him with a Ghost General.
If he could sacrifice an evil spirit, the gains would likely not be lower than those from a demon in the Eerification stage.
"So," Chen Zhou’s voice carried a hint of amusement, "you know the whereabouts of the evil spirit that fought the Gale Mountain Lord?"
Hearing this, Ku Chan’s exposed gums froze in a sharp, startled curve.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his tattered monk robes. He had not expected this great power to be so well-informed about secrets from hundreds of years ago.
Terrified, he waved his hands repeatedly, his voice taking on a sobbing tone.
"Master, please see clearly! Master, please see clearly! The matter back then is settled. That evil spirit was targeted by the Buddha Lords who rushed over long ago. How could a small fry like me covet it? I truly do not know its whereabouts!"
Seeing Chen Zhou’s gaze turn cold, Ku Chan’s soul nearly fled his body in fright. He hurriedly threw out his final bargaining chip.
"But Master! I know who can find clues! Back then, the Thousand Isles County capital—Lantao City—they must know more of the internal details!
"When an evil spirit appears, it is impossible for the county capital to have no records! I am willing to use my identity as a Buddhist monk as cover to go to the county capital. I will surely find the whereabouts of that evil spirit for you and redeem my sins with merit!"
He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice earnest and humble. "I only beg Master to give me one more chance."
Chen Zhou was satisfied. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Fine."
Ku Chan felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon, kowtowing repeatedly.
Meanwhile, after the god had departed, Jian Huaishuang stood with his sword, surveying the surroundings.
Though the Locust Mother and Smiling Face were dead, the disaster had not ended.
The copper-colored locusts swarming out from the Locust Mother’s remains were still spreading in all directions. Individually, they might not be a great threat, but the residual copper poison they carried would continue to pollute the land.
Not far away, Jiang Ziang stood dazed, supporting a body that was already half-bronzed. His face was a mix of disbelief and a massive, hollow numbness.
Sect Master Mo Yuan had fallen, the elders had burned themselves out, and countless fellow disciples had died on the defensive lines...
They had paid such a heavy price, yet in the end, was it still impossible to turn back the tide?
In the center of the ruins, Piao was reduced almost entirely to a charred head, her body broken and fragmented.
Yet she still followed her instincts, crazily tearing at the remains of the Locust Mother. She did not even let the locusts attempting to scatter escape, devouring them all.
She had completely insectified, as if only through plundering and eating could she fill a certain inner void.
Jian Huaishuang tightened his grip on his greatsword, the cold touch helping to steady his mind.
He could not allow the copper poison to continue spreading. He could not let the sacrifices of the Corpse Soul Sect be in vain, and he certainly could not let the land that the god had just manifested his power to save fall into ruin again.
Jian Huaishuang moved.
He swung his greatsword, his sharp sword intent carrying pure deathly energy, sweeping away swaths of locusts like a harvester cutting wheat.
Most of the locusts touched by the deathly energy turned back into white paper. Paper snow fluttered through the air, turning around to join the crusade against the remaining locusts.
Though his efficiency was high, the number of locusts was still enormous, surging continuously from the Locust Mother’s corpse and scattering far and wide.
"Daoist Jiang!" Jian Huaishuang’s voice was calm, breaking the dead silence. "The battle is not over! Clear the locusts and contain the copper poison!"
Jiang Ziang shuddered as if startled awake from a nightmare.
He looked at Jian Huaishuang, then at the scattered disciples standing nearby with faces full of grief and confusion.
He gritted his teeth, the muscles on his half-bronzed face twitching. "Everyone who can still move, form the array!
"Summon the malevolent ghosts! Clear the locusts! We must not let the poison spread!"
The surviving Corpse Soul Sect disciples suppressed their grief and gripped their clay jars once more. One by one, spectral images of malevolent ghosts emerged, pouncing on the scattered locusts.
As Jian Huaishuang swung his sword, his heart sank little by little.
Across the scorched earth, the bodies of the Corpse Soul Sect disciples lay strewn about. Most were young, and many of their faces remained frozen in a final moment of grim determination and ferocity.
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