"The high monk from the county once said, 'These Bird Demons in the ridge have the Extraordinary Power to travel through all seventy-two provinces of the country. With a hundred people taken from this province and a thousand from that city, it wouldn't take long to irrigate this mountain of flesh and blood.'"
"Since this place is right next to our Yuhai County, why haven't those monsters in the ridge come for us?"
"There's no need to ask, there must be some secret involved. It's not as if we can say that the rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow."
"Look quickly, Buddha's son has entered the ridge."
...
As the hubbub from the county town reached him, Tao Qian had already officially set foot on Corpse Mud Ridge.
His first glance forward had him swiftly calculating in his heart just how many had died upon this ridge.
His eyebrows quickly knitted together, his eyes swirling with murderous intent.
At the same time, within the hundreds and thousands of caves, there arose a clamor.
One after another, Bird Demons of varying appearances, all related to Buddha, emerged from their dens.
Tao Qian gazed intently, feeling a sense of familiarity.
This was normal since in front of him were animals such as pigs, sheep, cows, snakes, eagles, vultures, apes, and the like, all wearing Kasaya, robed, adorned with Buddha Beads, holding wooden fish, carrying Zen Sticks, and wielding Jie Robes—attire that bore a deep connection to the protectors within Tao Qian's Buddha Bird Relics.
Of course, apart from these common Buddha Birds, there were also many rare Ancient Beast Bird Demons styled as Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, Arhats, Vajras, and so on.
If one looked closer and had sufficiently sharp and cruel eyesight, they could even deduce which masters stood behind these Bird Demons based on their attire.
However, Tao Qian also knew that these Buddha Birds were actually just projections.
Their strength was likely not even one percent of their true bodies', if not less.
More critically, Kongchan, Shipi, and Lian Sha, those three scoundrel monks, had made preparations in advance:
The genuinely influential Demon Buddha mounts had already returned to their homelands.
What was left, roughly hundreds in number, had their connection to the original cut off.
It was as though these Bird Demons had been abandoned.
Just like dead skin, scabs, and festering sores peeled from the body.
Aside from their terrifying origins, they were not much different from ordinary Beast Demons.
"Even so, they must be killed."
"And they must be exterminated, wiped clean thoroughly."
As Tao Qian assessed the situation and made up his mind,
The Bird Demons on the ridge were also watching him, seeing his furrowed eyebrows and the surging killing intent on his person, hundreds of Bird Demons suddenly became agitated, showing displeasure in their expressions.
They communicated with each other telepathically while sneeringly closing in.
Leading the way were a dozen or so Bird Demons of rare bloodlines, who unyieldingly took the forefront, either robed in Kasaya, tapping wooden fish, or wielding Zen Sticks. Each one was fully costumed, but their innate demonic nature could not be shed, no matter how much they argued and transmitted their voices into Tao Qian's ears:
"So you're the little monk from the South Sea, what face do you have to ask those three juniors to make us accompany you in this charade and let you kill us all."
"Wu Gou Buddha Son? Pah, to me, you look more like a Yin-Harvesting monk, with a showy title but no substance. With little monks like you, I could squash one with a single punch and ensure their brains spill out."
"Having us play along in your charade, you sure don't hold back, putting on such a face ready to fight and kill for the people's sake. This provokes a fire in my heart, and I want to smash your skull."
"My brothers, don't scare him. Be careful not to frighten the shit out of the kid. According to what that junior Kongchan said, this kid has an old monster who is about to achieve Daoist Transformation backing him. Since we are all abandoned projections, just dust and rotten flesh from our original bodies, what's the harm in playing along with his act?"
"Although we're abandoned, it would be tragic to die in vain. Why don't we test him with a magical duel to determine life and death?"
"Amitabha... My brothers are still lacking in understanding. This child has strong roots. It's one thing to fight against him or to be killed by him, but to reverse kill him is impossible. If we really do that, those three juniors will come here within an hour and massacre us all, and even this fragrant Corpse Mud Ridge will be leveled."
"To kill is to kill, to die is to die. If we have to play along in his charade, that's unacceptable."
"Well said!"
"That's the way it should be!"
...
While these Bird Demons were noisily communicating telepathically, Tao Qian's mind, which had been awaiting word from Yuan Gong, also received the transmission.
Master Yuan knew the turbulent killing intent in his disciple's heart and spoke straightforwardly, "Don't listen to the nonsense of these brute Beast Demons. I've seen it; the real powerful ones like that lion, the Roc, the old elephant, and the peacock are not present. What are the rest but the Daoist Transformation Realm mounts of old monsters that are no longer connected to their originals? If you kill them, you kill them."
"Alright!"
Master Yuan's voice faded, and Tao Qian promptly spoke out.
Then, no longer suppressing his murderous intent.
Teleported into the ridge, he declared in a clear voice,
"I am Wu Gou, the Pure."
"This is the predestined calamity for you Bird Demons and Beast Devils."
"The fate is set, and today, you all shall face your doom."
As the sound of his voice faded, Tao Qian's body shapeshifted, revealing an extremely astonishing Dharma Image before the crowd.
Since the Three Arhats of Demon Buddha Temple intended to bestow fame upon him and wanted him to demonstrate sainthood in public, he decided to reveal it thoroughly.
So, in that Corpse Mud Ridge, a Buddha descended to earth.
Born with three heads and a hundred arms, as if capable of holding up the Star Dome and capturing the sun and moon, each arm wielding a hundred types of Demon Suppression weapons or holding the Buddha Seal for subduing Demons. Under the radiance of Ten Thousand Feet of Buddha Light, he showed no mercy and began violently smashing down upon the hundreds of Bird Demons within the ridge.
In an instant, the land of Yuhai County beyond shook and rumbled.
The proof was in the pudding!
These abandoned Bird Demons really were all bluster.
Their true forms were possibly strong.
Unfortunately, Corpse Mud Ridge was a recent formation, and as mere projections, how strong could they truly be?
Even if they could use some Demon Buddha Secret Methods, how could they withstand the incredible combat power Tao Qian unleashed under the guise of the Buddha Bird Relics?
Within just ten breaths,
witnessed by the two hundred thousand citizens of Yuhai County,
that place known as the Purgatory of Corpse Mud Ridge was utterly smashed to pieces by Tao Qian.
And the hundreds of Bird Demons upon it were annihilated to the last one.
A battle of spells?
Faced with Tao Qian's brute force strategy of overpowering through overwhelming strength, it was futile.
After the satisfying slaughter and avenging the unknown thousands of Human Clan souls on the ridge, Tao Qian suddenly remembered that the treasures within Corpse Mud Ridge had yet to be found.
In the previous evil lands, a quick look was usually all it took, although it did require some effort but finding the treasures was straightforward.
Here, Tao Qian activated his Innate Spiritual Vision and swept the area several times with his Divine Soul Power, yet found nothing.
Just as he was considering whether to consult Master Yuan,
suddenly, Tao Qian seemed to see something, his gaze falling on various parts of the now-ruined mountain.
The Bird Demons were exterminated, but their skins remained quite durable. Many were torn and tattered, but largely intact.
He casually pulled over a ragged Rhino Skin and upon touching it, the Record burst forth:
[Name: Rhino Demon Buddha Skin.]
[Record Type: Alien.]
[Record: This skin is a remnant of a "Cold Rhinoceros Protector," an avatar of a Buddha Bird that served as the mount for Huaguang Arhat, a high monk of the Demon Buddha Temple. Due to its long service to the Arhat, it acquired a hint of Buddha Nature and often watched the Arhat practice and cultivate Buddhist Magic and Divine Power Passages, among others, some of which remained in this avatar.]
[Note One: This protector had mastered the "Kasyapa Golden Light Technique," the "Huaguang Body Refining Method," the "Demon Buddha Vajra Secret Zen," and other Divine Secret Skills. However, within the avatar's skin, only a trace of Buddha Nature and Fragment remains, unsuitable for practice.]
[Note Two: Can be combined with other protector skins to be refined into treasures, which may yield something beneficial.]
...
"So that's how it is!"
With the Record revealed, Tao Qian's eyes brightened with joy, and he immediately understood.
The treasure was right in front of him, and he was not one to be polite.
With the cover of the Buddha Light, he reached down for the People Species Bag and collected all the skins, throwing them into the Yu Ding inside the bag.
The Record also indicated that ordinary refining would alert the Buddha Bird's original body and even Huaguang Arhat.
But by using the Yu Ding and the Human Dao Fortune for refining, it wouldn't be detected.
In just a breath or two, as soon as the skins entered the Yu Ding, wrapped in earth, water, fire, and wind, refined by the Human Dao Fortune, they instantly merged into a Buddha's Robe Kasaya with a stunning aura.
The fifth Buddha Treasure!
Thus came into existence.
PS: Soliciting names for the Buddha's Robe, anyone has a majestic and good-sounding suggestion, leave a message. And kindly ask everyone for your monthly ticket support. How come the more I update, the more my ranking drops? It's not scientific.