223: Ashes to dust, dust to dust

After paying the toll, everyone entered Hang City.

Completely different from the scene they saw when they first entered the city, this time, there were many beggars on the streets, dressed in rags, asking for money or food.

However, with the world in chaos, they could barely take care of themselves, so how could they have spare money or food for these beggars?

In front of a nearby pharmacy, someone knelt on the ground, holding a child as thin as a stick, begging for medicine, but was driven away by the pharmacy staff with sticks.

"Scram, scram, scram! This is a pharmacy, not a charity. If you don't have money, find a good place with good feng shui to bury yourself. Maybe after you die, you can bless your son to recover! If you can't bless him, then you two father and son will have company on the Yellow Springs Road."

Zhi Qiu Yi Ye couldn't bear to watch and was about to step forward to help the father and son, but Chu Mo stopped him.

"Monk, why do you stop me? Doesn't your Buddhist sect advocate saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda?"

"Buddhist sect? I am not a monk of the Buddhist sect!"

"Then why are you bald!"

"I have hair now!"

Seeing Chu Mo take out a wig and put it on his head, Zhi Qiu Yi Ye's words turned into a single 'damn it'.

This monk... is really f***ing evil!

What kind of monk would wear a wig?!

Yan Chixia was also a bit speechless, but he knew the style of this guy in front of him.

He exuded an air of wickedness from the inside out.

Therefore, no matter what action the other party took, he wouldn't be surprised.

"Don't meddle in the affairs of the city! It won't do you any good. If you insist on meddling, don't blame me for not reminding you. You are responsible for all consequences!"

With that said.

Chu Mo flicked his sleeves and left. His goal had always been clear—Jinshan Temple.

Zhi Qiu Yi Ye was a bit stunned.

Yan Chixia walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and said, "Don't take his words lightly. Sometimes, these words are very useful.

Also, he is not from the same world as us. You'd better question less and believe more!"

"Not from the same world?" Zhi Qiu Yi Ye was even more confused. He couldn't fathom Chu Mo's origin at all.

Not from the same world?

In other words.

Is this guy a Reincarnation of a Buddha from the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss?!

Seemingly noticing that Zhi Qiu Yi Ye was thinking astray, Yan Chixia promptly corrected him: "Some people! They want to be emperors, and they are destined to be emperors, so they might become emperors in the future. As for us, we want to Cultivate to Immortal Ascension, and we have a chance, but it's only a chance. But him, this Heaven-Defying guy, he will definitely achieve it!"

"Ah?!" Zhi Qiu Yi Ye pointed at Chu Mo, who had already walked far away, and said in disbelief, "He has a chance to achieve Immortal Ascension? Even the Sect Master of our Kunlun Sect said that the path to Immortal Ascension is broken, and it's impossible for anyone to achieve Immortal Ascension in the future!"

Over the past hundred years, the Kunlun Sect had collected countless pieces of information about the Immortal Realm and Immortal Ascension, but the only conclusion they reached was one.

The path to Immortal Ascension is cut off, and no one can achieve Immortal Ascension.

Therefore, their Kunlun Sect allowed their Disciples to descend the mountain to spread the Dao throughout the world.

Otherwise, their Kunlun Sect would surely be forgotten over time, and their Legacy would also be cut off.

Now someone is telling him that in this era where the path to Immortal Ascension is cut off, someone will achieve Immortal Ascension...

Zhi Qiu Yi Ye simply didn't believe it.

"I know you don't believe it. At first, I didn't believe it either. However, after I met him, I believed it."

Looking at Chu Mo's increasingly distant back, the light in Yan Chixia's eyes grew brighter.

Immortal!

What a desirable existence to become.

"He will definitely achieve Immortal Ascension, but not in the traditional sense of Undergoing Tribulation to Immortal Ascension."

"Then what is it?" Zhi Qiu Yi Ye expressed his confusion.

"Given his Heaven-Defying nature and his mastery of sword arts, I think he will definitely become an Evil Sword Immortal in Hell!"

Li Ce suddenly turned his head and looked at the two guys who were quietly discussing Chu Mo.

Holy f***ing Evil Sword Immortal!

However.

The Hell of this world is also a target for them to conquer.

It's just that their main energy is currently on the human world.

Ning Haocheng and the other two are indeed exploring the underworld, but it's only exploring. They won't approach the core areas; currently, they are only in the peripheral areas, taking advantage of the situation.

Of course, the situation is urgent; this is not the time to discuss these things.

"Hurry up! Don't fall behind!" Li Ce waved at the two of them and immediately chased after Chu Mo.

The two exchanged a glance and followed suit.

Hang City, this place, exudes strangeness everywhere. At this time, it's better for everyone to stay together.

Half a cup of tea after Chu Mo and the others left, a strange phenomenon occurred at the city gate of Hang City.

The magnificent and tall city wall became riddled with holes, and lush green moss had already covered the entire city wall. If one looked closely, one could still see dried bloodstains on it.

And beneath the city wall, there was black mud and sand, baked by the sun after the flood receded.

In this black mud and sand, half a bone of an arm was exposed, and even in broad daylight, one could feel a chilling Qi.

Despite this, the city guards remained as usual, as if they hadn't noticed the changes in their surroundings.

It was just that brown wolf fur began to appear on their necks, and their green eyes revealed aggression, as if they could turn into bloodthirsty jackals and tear people apart at any moment.

The anomaly here was just the beginning.

The further away from Jinshan Temple, the faster the anomalies appeared on people.

Some grew ox horns, some grew tusks, some lost half their heads, and some wandered the streets dragging their intestines...

The bustling streets were now overgrown with weeds, and the magnificent buildings were now dilapidated and covered in mud.

The true appearance of Hang City finally revealed itself.

........

........

Jinshan Temple.

Mahavira Hall.

White Cloud Zen Master held a golden Buddha in his hand, standing before the Buddha statue made of bones, gazing into the statue's empty eyes for a long time. Then, he sighed faintly: "Why do you suffer so much?!"

"Dust to dust, earth to earth..."

"Hang City and Jinshan Temple becoming like this is not entirely your fault. You don't need to impose all the blame on yourself."

The Buddha statue made of bones, with the same face as Fahai, shed two lines of blood and tears from its empty eyes.

Heaven-Defying Devilish Qi surged from the chest of the Buddha statue made of bones, and a black sarira emitted a strange black glow.

In an instant, the main hall, which had been extremely eerie, reverted to its resplendent appearance, and Hang City outside also returned to its original state. The common people all had benevolent faces, without disputes or greed.

Inside the main hall, the damaged golden Buddha in White Cloud Zen Master's hand was gradually being corrupted by the Devilish Qi from the Demon Buddha Sarira, and his own appearance was also gradually transforming into Fahai's.

"The golden Buddha is damaged, and its power is ultimately insufficient. Alas, this old monk has already done his best..."

White Cloud Zen Master's aged face gradually became handsome, and his consciousness was gradually being replaced by Fahai.

Before his consciousness was completely replaced, he advised the Buddha statue made of bones: "Fahai, you have already become a demon due to your obsession. Are you still not enlightened?!"

"Imprisoning the souls of the people of one place, using resentment as a brush to draw a prison, confining the demons of the entire city, merging the resentful souls of the people with the demonic souls of the demons, seizing the bodies of the demons, and then suppressing evil thoughts with scriptures to achieve a different kind of resurrection..."

"You are going against the Dao! You are not saving them; you are harming them!"

After speaking, White Cloud Zen Master once again transformed into the white-robed monk Fahai. He pressed his palms together and bowed to the solemn Buddha statue before him.

"This humble monk... is ashamed of the people of Hang City, ashamed of the monks of Jinshan Temple..."

"To exchange my ruined body for their lifetime of peace and happiness, even if I fall into Devilish Qi, scatter thousands of years of Cultivation, and descend into boundless Hell, it is worth it."

"When their lifespan ends, this humble monk will send them into Reincarnation, and then seek a Legacy successor to continue the Legacy of Jinshan Temple."

"Afterward, this humble monk will naturally dissolve into the world, so as not to become a great demon that harms the world!"

"amitabha!"

He placed the golden Buddha in front of the Buddha statue and then drew the Demon Buddha Sarira into the golden Buddha to repair it.

The golden Buddha fell into Devilish Qi, but its Buddha nature remained.

It could maintain its last shred of clarity and fully implement this century-long plan.

To atone for a lifetime of sins.