Chapter 624: My Place of Existence Is the Underworld

"Who are you?" Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise.

A crisp voice, tinged with innocent malevolence, emerged from his mouth: "I am..."

The Buddha's giant hand was already descending on his head. Qin Mu suddenly felt another "self" awakening within him, a profoundly strange sensation as if he were splitting into two.

"...Qin Fengqing!"

As the voice faded, Qin Mu's original consciousness receded, becoming a mere observer.

More terrifying still, as this other "self" emerged, a boundless, terrifying, and utterly malevolent power surged through his body from an unknown source. It was so overwhelming that Qin Mu's original cultivation and consciousness could only retreat to a corner, watching this evil energy consume his entire being.

"I still haven't seized enough primordial spirits; it's not nearly enough to break through Earth Mother's seals. That big bad Earth Mother... but if I kill this Buddha, I can break more seals!"

Qin Mu heard an unfamiliar, arrogant baby's voice emanate from himself, a voice filled with a chilling, malevolent evil. The words spoken were in the Youdu tongue, imbued with a strange, defiant, fearless, and endlessly greedy magic—a seemingly complete embodiment of all negative forces.

"Where I stand, there is Youdu—"

Qin Mu watched darkness spread from within his body, corrupting the supreme heaven of the Buddhist Realm, Mahabrahma. Mahabrahma, normally in eternal daylight with golden light like a vast ocean, suddenly had a large section of that golden expanse dim.

The golden ocean was like a basin of clear water with a drop of ink in it; the encroaching darkness polluted and blackened it, and the shrouded area grew steadily larger.

The Buddhist Realm's highest sacred land was transforming into Youdu.

The Buddha's giant hand descended, radiating brilliant Buddhist light, but it was immediately swallowed by the darkness.

The Buddha cried out in alarm, retracting his hand from the dark Youdu demonic energy. The plump, golden Buddha's hand had turned into bare bones, its flesh vanished without a trace.

This was a divine ability entirely unlike those of Eternal Peace, Grand Emperor Heaven, or the Buddhist Realm and Heavenly Court. It commanded the power of death, seizing the life force of all living beings for its own.

Qin Mu leaped up, laughing heartily, and pressed his splayed fingers onto the Buddha's head.

*Boom!*

A violent tremor ensued. The Buddha was forcefully slammed onto a golden island, which then exploded with a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were tearing apart.

Qin Mu witnessed a miraculous transformation occurring in his own body. His physical form grew rapidly, becoming taller and larger, yet his age seemed to recede, making him younger and more childlike.

Fortunately, the clothing crafted for him by Feathered Heaven Tribe Chief Yu Zhaoqing was extraordinary. Made from the finest materials of the Feathered Heaven Tribe, it was a remarkable spiritual weapon and treasure, capable of resizing itself to match his changing body.

At this moment, he stood over ten zhang tall, yet his appearance had regressed to that of a four- or five-year-old, resembling a charmingly innocent boy.

However, despite his cute appearance, this boy possessed immense strength and was ferociously malicious, nearly smashing the Buddha's head to pulp.

Not only that, the "little boy" lifted the Buddha with one hand, held him aloft, opened his mouth, and inhaled deeply.

The Buddha's body pulsed with Buddhist light as he struggled to resist, yet his primordial spirit involuntarily emerged, occasionally being drawn a few inches from his body before retracting again.

The Buddha ceaselessly struggled. All of his divine treasures manifested, and his primordial spirit, standing precariously at the gates of his Celestial Palace, nearly flew out of it multiple times due to the suction.

Qin Mu realized that his age was shrinking further; moments ago he was four or five, and now he was less than three.

Just then, King Molun flew in, whistling, and struck Qin Mu's back with a wheel-like seal.

Qin Mu, still holding the Buddha, tumbled and rolled across the golden ocean, drifting dozens of times and collapsing several mountains before finally stopping. The Buddha's primordial spirit was instantly sucked out by him.

However, this Buddha's primordial spirit did not enter Qin Mu's mouth. Instead, it twisted and spun, disappearing into his third eye.

Qin Mu was horrified, suddenly understanding. He finally realized why the Qin King's Palace collapsed after the King of Fengdu sealed his jade pendant, why the King of Hell was stuck in a pillar, and why a powerful entity like Bodhiro had his chest explode and was left unconscious, trapped in an altar, after touching the jade pendant.

He also finally understood why Carefree City suffered its disaster, and why Earth Mother insisted on meeting him in Youdu to rearrange the seals within the jade pendant.

He had previously thought it was merely the curse of the jade pendant's seal, never suspecting himself. During those past upheavals, he had always fallen into a deep sleep, unaware of what truly happened.

But now he finally understood: the true curse was himself, or rather, the other "self" residing within him!

Previously, his unconsciousness was due to the other self being too powerful and completely taking over his body. Now, his awareness was because Earth Mother's seal was too strong, preventing the other self from fully breaking free, thus allowing both consciousnesses to coexist and be awake simultaneously.

He had no time to ponder further. King Molun and three other Buddhas charged at him fiercely, treading on the golden sea with Buddhist light. The four great Buddhas unleashed all their abilities, their divine powers immense, capable of overturning mountains and seas, and their divine manifestations reaching the clouds.

Suddenly, Qin Mu's consciousness took control of his body. He darted rapidly, performing the Heaven Pilfering Divine Legs taught by the Cripple, narrowly evading King Molun and the others' attacks at the last second.

Under his feet, the Cripple's Heaven Pilfering Divine Legs became extraordinarily fast, almost allowing him to traverse space itself. If the Cripple were here, he would undoubtedly stare in disbelief, mouth agape, unable to believe his leg techniques could reach such a level.

However, with his boundless magical power, Qin Mu unleashed the Cripple's Heaven Pilfering Divine Legs to their absolute pinnacle. He moved through the array of attacks like a phantom, not a single leaf touching him, and none of King Molun's divine abilities could graze him in the slightest.

"Why can I suddenly control my body?"

This question suddenly arose in Qin Mu's mind as he dodged. Then, Qin Fengqing's consciousness resurfaced, and the innocent yet malevolent voice declared, "Earth Mother, you've harmed me again!"

Qin Mu's consciousness receded once more. His body transformed into an enormous infant, excitedly churning the golden sea, leaping like a bird, making the golden waves explode with Buddhist light.

Everywhere he went, the golden sea was polluted. What was once like a single drop of ink in the golden sea was now ink splattering everywhere!

He grabbed a Buddha and began tearing at it, as if it were merely a rag doll and he a mischievous infant trying to rip it apart.

King Molun and the remaining two Buddhas pursued him. Qin Fengqing seemed to have learned few divine abilities, yet the ones he wielded were the simplest, Youdu's divine powers, which were so bizarre and unpredictable that he effortlessly made it impossible for King Molun and the two Buddhas to resist.

Even more terrifying, his physical strength was unparalleled. He ripped the Buddha in his hands apart, its Buddhist blood scattering into the golden sea!

That Buddha's primordial spirit was also devoured by the eye in Qin Mu's glabella, spiraling into it and vanishing.

The butterfly-wing-like pattern emanating from Qin Mu's third eye grew larger and expanded its reach, and his power became increasingly terrifying. He turned to face King Molun and the others in direct combat.

Meanwhile, before the dilapidated temple, Monk Mingxin floated in mid-air, gazing at the battle in the golden sea. His heart was filled with horror as he watched the golden bun-shaped islands in Mahabrahma's golden sea collapse one after another, sacred mountains shatter into dust, and darkness continuously encroaching upon and polluting this supreme holy land.

Monk Mingxin's face was ashen, his body trembled, and his mind went blank.

"Monk, come down!"

He suddenly heard a voice from below and quickly looked down. At the entrance of the dilapidated temple, the honest-looking bhikkhu was waving to him. The bhikkhu must have called him many times, but Mingxin had been too shocked to hear.

The bhikkhu smiled, "Come down quickly, the Great Demon King will be here soon. Let's hide in the temple."

Monk Mingxin quickly said, "Senior Brother Qin won't kill me!"

The bhikkhu chuckled, "Do you think that's really your Senior Brother Qin?"

Monk Mingxin looked towards the golden sea, which had almost become a sea of ink. The giant infant that Qin Mu had transformed into was savagely beating a Buddha, reducing it to a bloody mess.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash that seemed to tear the heavens and earth, King Molun's enormous body was sent flying backward. He soared out of the golden sea, tumbling and smashing onto the nearby islands, crushing swathes of forest as he rolled towards them.

Meanwhile, the infant Qin Mu had become was devouring another Buddha's primordial spirit, hopping and skipping as he made his way towards them.

Monk Mingxin shivered, quickly flying down.

The bhikkhu opened the temple door and called him in. Monk Mingxin hurriedly entered, then suddenly remembered something: "Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha allowed three people to enter and learn the Emperor's Seat True Scripture. Senior Brother Zhankong and Indra King Buddha have already gone in, and now I've entered. Doesn't that mean the three slots are full?"

Just as he thought this, the giant infant that Qin Mu had become picked up King Molun by one leg and began smashing him around, causing mountains to crumble and leaving King Molun on the brink of death.

The bhikkhu quickly closed the temple door, blocking Monk Mingxin's view, and pushed him further into the temple, smiling, "Senior Brother, you're in luck! Go deeper inside, and you'll meet the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha and receive the Emperor's Seat True Scripture. Go, go!"

Monk Mingxin, dazed and disoriented, stumbled forward. The temple didn't look large, yet he walked for a long time without reaching its end.

Outside, King Molun's screams suddenly echoed, sending shivers down Monk Mingxin's spine. "It's over! Senior Brother Qin is in trouble! He's killed so many Buddha disciples, and five Buddhas, and now even King Molun, a Buddha Ancestor, has died by his hand. How can the Great Brahma Heavenly King possibly tolerate him?"

He turned and sprinted towards the temple entrance, thinking, "I can't let the Great Brahma Heavenly King kill Senior Brother Qin..."

Suddenly, a Buddhist chant resonated: "Namo Amitabha, turn back from the shore!"

Monk Mingxin was stunned. A majestic Buddha, radiating sanctity, stood before him, smiling.

"Mingxin, if you had kept walking forward without turning back, you would never have seen me. But since you turned back, you can receive my lineage."

The majestic Great Buddha smiled, "Come closer, I will transmit the Emperor's Seat True Scripture to you."

Monk Mingxin stepped forward, his heart still worried about Qin Mu. He was about to plead with the Great Buddha to spare Qin Mu's life when the Great Buddha smiled, "Your innocent heart is different from Zhankong's. Zhankong has an empty mind, a natural root of wisdom. Your natural disposition is not as strong as his, yet you possess something he does not. Therefore, I transmitted the Scripture Without Words to him, but to you, I will transmit the Heavenly Book With Words."

The Great Buddha produced a scroll of scripture in his hand and gave it to Mingxin.

Although Monk Mingxin held the Emperor's Seat True Scripture, he was still too worried about Qin Mu's safety to look at it. The Great Buddha, without waiting for his plea, smiled, "Young friend Qin has his own destiny; you need not worry. Focus on comprehending this."

Only then did Monk Mingxin relax. He opened the scripture to find the characters on its pages constantly shifting, reorganizing, and miraculously expounding upon the supreme principles of Buddhism.

Outside the temple, the giant infant Qin Fengqing, having devoured King Molun, licked his lips excitedly, trembling the ground. "Earth Mother's seals are loosening again, hehe! As long as I eat everyone in this Buddhist Realm, I can break free completely! Then I'll transform this Buddhist Realm into another Youdu, and I'll be the Earth Mother myself, the Great King! Hmm, I also need to go to Youdu and bring Mother over so we can live a good life together, instead of having to put up with Earth Mother's face... Oh, there's a small temple here. I'll destroy it in one go, eat the people inside, and then go to the other Buddhist Realms and devour everyone there!"

*Boom!*

The temple door shattered into pieces. The giant infant, moving on disproportionately short legs, burst into the temple. The path ahead stretched far.

The giant infant took stumbling steps forward. After a while, he found walking on two legs uncomfortable, so he simply began crawling on all fours.

The swishing sound of sweeping reached him. A sweeping monk appeared ahead and, upon seeing him, threw down his broom and tried to flee. The giant infant was overjoyed, grabbed the monk, and chuckled, "A bit old, but better than nothing."

With that, he tore off the sweeping monk's head, seized his primordial spirit, and absorbed it into his third eye.

"If it were me, I wouldn't eat indiscriminately..." Qin Mu's consciousness grumbled from within the giant infant.

As the giant infant swallowed the sweeping monk's primordial spirit into his eye, he suddenly cried out, "Damn it, I fell for a trick! Which scoundrel ambushed me..."

Qin Mu suddenly felt his consciousness regain control, astonished and delighted. His body gradually shrank, returning to normal. He saw the sweeping monk's head back on his neck, standing there, leaning on his broom, smiling at him.

Qin Mu bowed respectfully, "A simple mountain man, Qin Mu, greets the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha!"