261: Turn back and you're on your way.

Xiong Jingqiu was leading Xu Huan and the others in their retreat. The compass at her waist kept jumping, its needle shaking incessantly, and she couldn't help but look overjoyed.

“Someone from the Human Realm accidentally fell into the Spirit Realm. The heavenly secrets are in chaos, so no one can detect our location. Let's go and save them.”

The group followed Xiong Jingqiu for most of the day but found no clues. However, Xiong Jingqiu wasn't in a hurry; the chaos of heavenly secrets usually lasted between half a month and three months.

The first half month was an absolutely safe period, after which the effect would continue to decay until it completely disappeared.

There was plenty of time!

...Three days later.

Xu Le helped the little Ghost condense a Lifebound Treasure, and he officially advanced to the Morning Star Realm.

Because his spirit was already high enough, he didn't feel anything particularly special.

They finally arrived at the Heavenly Buddha Temple.

Before them was a mountain, with a stone staircase charging straight from the foot to the Peak. It was quite a grand sight, giving one the feeling of being on a pilgrimage.

According to the Night Demon, the Heavenly Buddha Temple had a total of four Scorching Sun Levels: the Golden Buddha, Silver Buddha, Bronze Buddha, and Stone Buddha.

The Golden Buddha was the strongest. Over thirty years ago, he was already at the Scorching Sun Peak, and he might have broken through to the next Realm by now.

A flicker of worry flashed in the Night Demon's eyes. He didn't want to lose such a rare helper easily.

“How about you disguise yourself as a believer here? You don't need to do anything else, just shave your head and chant a few Buddhist mantras whenever you feel like it.

Once you break the Seal and let me out, the two of us can join forces. Why worry about not being able to turn this damn temple upside down?”

Xu Le shook his head: “I won't!”

“Why?” The Night Demon was anxious. He felt like this person was here specifically to destroy his Dao Heart. He had been suppressed for over 30 years without a ripple in his heart, yet now it was full of turbulence.

“You're too much of a liability!”

“...” The Night Demon wanted to cough up blood. If he hadn't seen a glimmer of hope for escape—and since his split spirit's methods were many but its strength was lacking—he would have left long ago.

This was too much of an insult to a spirit!

Xu Le walked directly to the foot of the mountain, where several monks guarding the gate came forward: “Amitabha. Has the benefactor come to the mountain to worship the Buddha?”

“No, I'm here to find the Stone Buddha!”

“Excellent, excellent. Stone Buddha Junior Martial Great-Uncle has had a sudden realization of the Buddhadharma and is currently in secluded meditation. Benefactor, please return in half a year.”

The gate-guarding Disciples were very polite, showing no signs of being mechanical or dull, just like an Immortal Master.

They were not inferior even compared to the Night Demon's Chang.

As if sensing Xu Le's confusion, the Night Demon asked directly: “Little Master, your words and actions look exactly like a human's. You... are... human, right?”

The gate-guarding Disciple didn't get angry. He pressed his palms together: “This humble monk has entered the Buddhist gate. In this life, I only worship the Buddha and respect the Dharma; past lives and history are all like smoke. Whether human, spirit, or even grass, trees, and stubborn stones, all have become void.”

“Little monk, you're not being honest. You're clearly human!” As the Night Demon spoke, his right hand brushed against the gate-guarding Disciple's arm. A smear of bright red seeped out, followed by the smell of rust.

The Night Demon winked: 'See? This is a real person. My "Chang-making" is unparalleled in the world. Work hard and rescue my main body.'

The gate-guarding Disciple still didn't get angry. Ignoring the blood on his hand, he remained devout, asking Xu Le and the others if they wanted to go up the mountain to worship.

Looking at the other's expression, Xu Le couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

Isn't this the Heart Buddha's Universal Salvation? Could he be here too?

“Buddha?” Xu Le sneered. “I'd like to see what the Buddha of this world looks like.”

Hearing Xu Le's “rebellious” words, the gate-guarding Disciple still didn't get angry. Instead, he pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist title, carrying a flavor of “pitying all living beings.”

Following the stone steps upward, they encountered many monks along the way—some carrying water, some sweeping the ground, some chanting sutras, some engaging in Zen dialogue with companions, some asking about the Buddhadharma... No matter how one looked at it, this was a temple with a profound Buddhist atmosphere.

The Night Demon curled his lip in disdain: “Hypocrites!”

The two spent over half an hour and finally reached the Peak, seeing the solemn Mahavira Hall.

The plaque in the middle read [Heavenly Buddha Temple], and the couplets on both sides were [The sea of suffering is boundless, turn back to the shore; the boat of compassion has a path, become a Buddha where you stand].

The Night Demon sneered: “These Bald Donkeys, when did they start doing all this flowery stuff?”

Taking one step inside, his vision blurred, and he reappeared at the foot of the mountain.

Several gate-guarding Disciples walked forward, their movements and positions exactly the same as before, chanting the Buddhist title: “Amitabha. Has the benefactor come to the mountain to worship the Buddha?”

The Night Demon's face turned ugly. He shoved aside the approaching mountain-guarding Disciple: “Get lost!”

Then he stomped up the stone steps.

“Interesting!”

Xu Le followed behind the Night Demon. The two encountered those previous monks again. The difference was that because their timing was slightly faster, what they saw was also slightly different.

The two walked before the Mahavira Hall once more. The Night Demon didn't enter the hall; instead, he gathered spirit Qi and slammed both palms onto the couplets.

Boom!

The wooden door frames turned into flying ash.

The Night Demon then tore down the plaque above the door and smashed it to pieces before walking toward the hall.

This time he intentionally slowed down, specifically putting only one foot inside. As a result, his vision blurred again, and he reappeared at the foot of the mountain once more.

Several mountain-guarding Disciples walked over, about to pay their respects. The Night Demon's hands had already turned into eagle claws, striking repeatedly. In less than two seconds, he slit everyone's throats.

The smell of rust filled the air, making one feel nauseous.

“Amitabha. Why has the benefactor created such a slaughter? Know that the sea of suffering is boundless; put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha where you stand!”

“Come out! Once I kill you, I'll naturally become a Buddha!”

The Night Demon's eyes were blood-red as he glared furiously in the direction of the voice, only to see that the speaker wasn't any of the four Buddhas he expected, but the mountain-guarding Disciple whose throat he had first slit.

Not just him—the other Disciples also sat cross-legged on the ground, palms pressed together, faces full of devotion: “Benefactor, the sea of suffering is boundless; turn back to the shore.”

If one ignored the blood covering them and the torn-out main arteries, they would absolutely look like rare, high-attaining monks.

But now, they only looked like evil Ghosts returned from Hell.

“Impossible! I've tried—this isn't a spirit Domain! You're lying to me, you're lying to me!”

The Night Demon roared in anger, attacking the crowd again. He not only ripped out their hearts but also twisted off their heads.

“Benefactor, put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha where you stand!”

“Benefactor, the sea of suffering is boundless; turn back to the shore.”

“Benefactor, all things are void. Are you still not enlightened?”

...The mangled corpses on the ground were like a demon's whispers. Even with only a head remaining, they still looked devout.

“Die, die, die...”

The Night Demon roared hysterically, his feet constantly stomping on the heads and mangled corpses on the ground. Only after everyone had been turned into bloody pulp did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The Buddhist sounds rang out again. This time, it wasn't persuasion, but Buddhist sutra scriptures.

The specific content of the whispered scriptures couldn't be heard clearly, but they carried a sense of profound meaning and sudden enlightenment.

The Night Demon struck out repeatedly, his spirit Qi blasting wildly, creating one deep pit after another in the ground.

Sensing a prying gaze, he whipped his head around and saw Xu Le watching with the look of someone enjoying a show.

“Your look makes me very unhappy.”

“And then?”

“I...” The Night Demon was about to utter a threat when his heart skipped a beat. The shadow of death loomed over him, and he didn't dare say another word.

Seeing the Night Demon regain his senses, Xu Le shook his head: “You really are a liability. Your Dao Heart was shattered long ago, yet you still tried to act like a normal spirit in front of me.”