Chapter 478: Wei Wushen Worships the Soul

Little Thunderclap Monastery.

Qin Mu looked around. He noticed that most of the scenery and layout here resembled that of Great Thunderclap Monastery. After all, Little Thunderclap Monastery had only developed for a few hundred years and lacked the deep foundation of its predecessor, so it could only copy its design.

However, the number of demon monks here was no less than at Great Thunderclap Monastery. Little Thunderclap Monastery could be considered the only sacred place in the Great Ruins, having no competitors. Given the immense number of strange beasts in the Great Ruins, Little Thunderclap Monastery was exceptionally prosperous.

Many demon monks came and went, all impeccably dressed and polite to others. Qin Mu even saw a flood dragon coiled within the monastery, expounding scriptures to many demon beasts that had yet to assume human form. In other temples, senior demon monks were imparting scriptures and teachings to numerous demon monks, instructing them in divine abilities and sharing methods for refining treasures.

"This place truly resembles a demon civilization." Qin Mu marveled, noting that regardless of Little Buddha's character, his ability to single-handedly develop Little Thunderclap Monastery from nothing to its current scale was truly admirable.

Little Buddha and Old Buddha were fellow disciples, close in age. Old Buddha's lifespan had ended, and he died in battle in the Divine Severing Mountain Range, but Little Buddha was a great demon who had attained enlightenment, possessing a very long lifespan. With him present, Little Thunderclap Monastery flourished even more.

Suddenly, two great demons leaped through the air, clashing in battle. These two demons sometimes soared into the clouds and sometimes plunged into the valley, their attacks incredibly swift, fierce, and formidable.

"These two senior brothers are quite capable," Xu Shenghua remarked, looking up in surprise.

Qin Mu was overjoyed and called out loudly, "Big Guy!"

One of the great demons was a powerfully built demon monk, covered in muscle, with only some black fur remaining on his face and hands. Wielding a monk's staff and clashing with his opponent, he immediately knocked his foe flying with a single strike upon hearing the call. He then leaped over, landing with a thud, and asked in surprise, "Little squirt! Baldy, where?"

His last question was directed at Little Buddha, who couldn't help but get angry, slapping him on the head. "Who calls their master 'baldy'?" he exclaimed. "And I didn't attain enlightenment as a donkey!"

Demonic Ape Zhankong quickly covered his head and stammered, "Little... where?"

Little Buddha gave a wry smile and said, "I met him down the mountain, so I invited him as a guest."

The Demonic Ape grinned, about to embrace Qin Mu, but then realized Qin Mu was too short. Although Qin Mu had grown much taller, now comparable to the Butcher and only slightly shorter than the Apothecary, the Demonic Ape himself was extremely robust. Even when he was young, his height already surpassed the trees in the mountains. Now that he was grown, if he revealed his true form, he would likely be no less impressive than the Dragon Qilin. In his human form, he was nearly two meters tall.

Suddenly, the great demon he had been fighting called out and lunged forward, wanting to continue their sparring, shouting, "Senior Brother Zhankong, let's go again!"

The Demonic Ape became furious. He reached out a hand and pinched the demon monk's neck. The demon monk immediately lost his temper, his limbs drooped, and the tail behind his backside also drooped, wagging subserviently. The Demonic Ape put him down, presented him to Qin Mu, and loudly declared, "Meat, guest!"

Qin Mu looked at the bald-headed demon monk, who was prostrate on the ground, trembling. He quickly shook his head and said, "Since he's your junior brother, I can't eat him even if you offer."

The Demonic Ape scratched his head and looked at Little Buddha beside him. Little Buddha's chubby face twitched as he struggled to suppress his anger. "Disciple," he said, "your friend has come. Are you going to offer your master as well?"

The Demonic Ape quickly shook his head.

Qin Mu chuckled, "We haven't seen each other in a long time. You don't need to think about treating me to meat. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; let's eat vegetarian food. Even Little Buddha, powerful as he is, cannot eat that here."

The Demonic Ape was very happy. "Vegetables, strong!"

Jing Yan asked curiously, "Does Senior Brother Zhankong always speak so concisely?"

Little Buddha replied, "Zhankong possesses great Buddha-nature, cherishing words like gold; every word he utters holds profound meaning. It's this very quality I valued when I accepted him as my disciple."

Jing Yan was puzzled. She saw that he cherished words like gold, but she failed to see any great Buddha-nature. What kind of Buddha-nature makes one grab a junior brother and offer him as meat for a guest the moment they meet?

The Demonic Ape followed them up the mountain. Upon reaching the summit, Qin Mu looked around. He saw that the place resembled the golden peak of Great Thunderclap Monastery, but with many more stone statues, which were presumably placed there to ward off the darkness.

On the summit, there were numerous pagodas, each with monks cultivating within. Most were monks with bird heads and human bodies, or beast heads and human bodies, all clad in yellow kasayas, their expressions solemn. These monks were likely great demons who had attained enlightenment in the Great Ruins, and their cultivation here suggested a high status.

Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. The cultivation of these great demons was incredibly formidable, their demonic energy exceptionally dense. The sheer weight of some monks' demonic energy made him shiver inwardly, fearing they were patriarch-level powerhouses! What's more, a bloody aura permeated their demonic energy, clearly indicating they had committed many acts of slaughter in the past!

"I can't take it anymore! Everyday, vegetarian meals and chanting, vegetarian meals and chanting—my mouth is bland as a bird's, when will it end?!"

Suddenly, a yellow-robed monk with a bird head and human body leaped up. He ripped apart his yellow robe, and with a shake of his neck, countless golden feathers furiously grew from his neck, his body rapidly expanding. From within the feathers, bird heads emerged one by one, totaling nine heads. With a single flap of his wings, his wingspan stretched for tens of acres!

"I roamed the Great Ruins, dominating and devouring countless humans and beasts, long plagued by karmic debts! What damn vegetarian meals and Buddha chanting for?!"

The nine-headed great bird, shaped like a peacock, flapped its wings and rose, roaring, "These karmic debts can't be washed away! I'm going to have a good feast!"

Other monks rose into the air. Qin Mu even saw a few human monks among them, who collectively tried to suppress the nine-headed peacock, urging, "Senior Brother Ming, you're again controlled by your inner demons! Quickly wake up!"

"A thousand years of cultivation, don't let it be ruined in a single moment of madness!"

With the combined efforts of the monks, the nine-headed peacock was finally suppressed, but the great peacock remained rebellious, demanding to go on a killing spree.

Little Buddha stepped forward, violently tore open his monk's robe, took out a knife, and cut a piece of flesh from his chest. He threw it to the nine-headed peacock, exclaiming, "You want meat? Come and eat!"

The nine-headed peacock, radiating fierce power, opened its mouth, snatched Little Buddha's flesh, and swallowed it. Its other eight heads cried out, "Buddha, you want to satisfy my craving, but how can one piece of meat be enough? My other eight mouths haven't eaten yet; I'm still hungry!"

Little Buddha then cut off eight more pieces of flesh from his body and threw them over. The nine-headed peacock's other eight heads each caught a piece and swallowed them.

The Demonic Ape's face lit up with joy, and he whispered, "Little... meat... guest."

Little Buddha glared at him, and the Demonic Ape scratched his head.

Although the nine-headed peacock ate the nine pieces of meat, it couldn't digest them. It coughed repeatedly, and a moment later, opened its mouth and spat out a small peacock, then another small peacock. The nine-headed peacock spat out nine times in a row, expelling nine small peacocks from its belly. These nine small peacocks scurried about, stumbling and tripping. Suddenly, the nine small peacocks successively merged, transforming into a single nine-headed peacock, which sat down with a thud, its tail feathers fanning out like a large, colorful fan.

Upon seeing the small peacock on the ground, the nine-headed peacock's mind was greatly shaken. Its demonic nature immediately receded, and it transformed back into the bird-headed, human-bodied monk. Sitting cross-legged with a Buddha's aura on his face, he smiled and said, "Only now do I realize that all beings are like me. Senior Brother Buddha, thank you."

"Excellent," Little Buddha gathered his monk's robe and said, "Junior Brother Ming, sitting idly on the mountain is of no benefit to your cultivation. Take your son and descend the mountain to practice in the world."

The nine-headed peacock rose and descended the mountain with the small peacock.

Qin Mu watched the father and son descend the mountain, then shook his head, a puzzled expression on his face. Little Buddha cut his flesh, and the nine-headed peacock ate it, but why did it then spit out a small nine-headed peacock? And why was this small nine-headed peacock the son of the nine-headed peacock? Was it a technique of creation? Or some other magical ability?

Xu Shenghua and Jing Yan were also completely baffled. Xu Shenghua whispered, "Little Thunderclap Monastery's cultivation methods have become different from Great Thunderclap Monastery's. It's likely they've absorbed some unique and ingenious techniques from the Great Ruins."

Qin Mu nodded. Great Thunderclap Monastery didn't have such strange and unusual spells. Most of the monks at Little Thunderclap Monastery were strange beasts from the Great Ruins who had attained sentience, naturally possessing extraordinary abilities. Some powerful strange beasts had even had fortuitous encounters in the Great Ruins, cultivating some of its wondrous and ingenious techniques. When they joined Little Thunderclap Monastery, they brought these techniques with them, making Little Thunderclap Monastery's cultivation methods more diverse and peculiar than Great Thunderclap Monastery's.

"Please have a seat, the three of you, and observe as we guide this demon god to salvation and attain enlightenment," Little Buddha said.

On the golden summit, Little Buddha invited the three to sit down. The yellow-robed monks around them also took their seats. Little Buddha took out a golden alms bowl, and with a gentle shake, it grew larger and larger. Inside the bowl was an altar, where a demon god's primordial spirit was trapped, howling and struggling, causing the chains of Buddha light to clang loudly.

The demon god on the altar was surrounded by boundless blood, seemingly in a crimson ocean, with countless vengeful spirits swirling around him.

All around, yellow-robed monks chanted Buddhist scriptures loudly, their voices reverberating. They were clearly preparing to guide this demon god to salvation.

"You savages, who eat raw flesh and drink blood, think you can refine me?" That demon god's primordial spirit was none other than Guishen. He remained unharmed by the Buddhist chants and continuously tried to break free from the chains of Buddha light, laughing, "When I break out, I'll turn all of you into blood food!"

Qin Mu's expression slightly changed. He quickly stood up and loudly declared, "Buddha, this demon god is from the Ghost Race. His soul is incredibly powerful; he is the strongest evil god. You cannot guide him to salvation! He is using your efforts to refine the soul worms within his body and break free from the Golden Palace Grandmaster's seal!"

The monks were at a loss, looking at Little Buddha and ceasing their chanting.

On the altar, Guishen's primordial spirit suddenly twisted his head to look at Qin Mu, his face ferocious and malicious. "So it's Cult Master Qin. That useless disciple of mine tried to kowtow you to death several times but failed. Now you've come to ruin my plans again. You truly overestimate yourself!"

Little Buddha and the monks' expressions changed drastically. They quickly rose, only to see Guishen's primordial spirit on the altar open his mouth and spit out soul worms. The soul worms squeaked strangely, and upon encountering the Buddha light, they instantly melted into wisps of green smoke. As soon as these soul worms were gone, Guishen's fierce power immediately surged, and a terrifying aura permeated the air. Instantly, the vegetation on countless mountaintops withered, and all living things shriveled. Many lower-cultivation demon monks on the mountain collapsed backward without a sound, dying instantly!

Little Buddha quickly retrieved the golden alms bowl, inverting the altar to trap Guishen.

Little Buddha gravely said, "Junior Brother Po Ying, suppress this demon under the Heavenly Seal Pagoda!"

A yellow-robed monk stepped forward, just about to take the golden alms bowl, when suddenly Guishen's laughter echoed from within the bowl: "You are Po Ying? Receive one kowtow from me!" The yellow-robed monk fell backward, his soul scattered!

For a moment, no one dared to step forward.

"Hahahaha, I sense my Book of Life and Death nearby. You must have acquired it and hidden it, haven't you? Heaven truly helps me!" Guishen laughed heartily from within the golden alms bowl. Suddenly, a pagoda trembled and shattered. A scroll of scriptures flew out from the collapsing pagoda, heading towards the golden alms bowl!