The entire Emancipation City is now empty.
The wretched corpses have found true emancipation.
And at this moment, Tao Qian had finally escaped.
While he still wore a look of shock on his face, the pale rainbow light in front of him suddenly receded, all the demon eyes disappeared without a trace, followed by the crisp sound of tinkling bells, plum blossoms blooming, and an exotic fragrance assail the nose. A somewhat plump but gracefully sinuous Kitten makes her way slowly toward him, step by step.
She had something in her mouth, a golden Buddha's bowl.
Yunrong, now in her true form, lightly leaped into Tao Qian's embrace. Her warm and soft body, slightly heavier than before and with a rich milky fragrance, found its familiar place and adjusted her posture to lie down peacefully.
At the same time, she also handed over the Buddha's bowl to Tao Qian.
It was clear from her demeanor that she did not intend to explain the previous attack.
However, if one looked closely, they could see a trace of panic and shyness on the lady's face as her head unconsciously burrowed deeper into Tao Qian's embrace.
Tao Qian then carefully sensed the movement within Yunrong's body, comparing it with the Record that had emerged in his mind.
After a moment, he sighed in relief, hugged Yunrong's soft body a little tighter, and said softly,
"Good sister, good lady."
"You're pregnant now, don't get agitated easily."
"The scriptures cultivated by your Jade Ring Mountain lineage are unique, with Yin Qi surging, showing immediate signs of mutation. Although your Heart Soul is pure and can easily revert to its true form, if this continues too frequently, you'll inevitably be tainted with impurity. Once the source is damaged, wouldn't that lead to disaster?"
"I've already eradicated three Evil Lands, would I spare this one?"
"There, next time let your husband handle it."
Master Tao, although often feigning ignorance, had never before taken such a gentle and soothing tone.
If masters like Yuan Gong or Duobao saw this, they would certainly tease him for his lack of shame.
Yet Yunrong, this Kitten Demon, was most susceptible to such treatment.
Her big Kitten eyes joyfully squinted, and she rubbed against Tao Qian, while telepathically sending a soft response,
"Mm..."
...
After calming his lady, Tao Qian examined the golden bowl.
This object was a treasure nurtured within Emancipation City, named the "Ultimate Happiness Buddha Bowl."
The bowl was covered in golden Buddha Light, engraved with the "Nirvana Sutra," and filled with a turbid and foul-smelling Eight Sufferings Paste.
A little removed, the bowl automatically refilled itself, as though it would never run dry and could be used indefinitely.
Tao Qian glanced at the new Record that had burst forth in his mind and immediately threw it into the Yu Ding.
Now he had obtained four exotic treasures of the Buddhist Sect. Although all were newly conceived, like embryonic artifacts, they were indeed rarities. Ordinary Buddhist practitioners not only couldn't obtain them, but couldn't even catch a glimpse.
However, each one was a Demon Buddha device, not a genuine precious treasure of the orthodox Buddhist Sect.
Full of filth, full of vile and foulness.
Had Tao Qian been a demon monk, he might have been ecstatic.
But he wasn't, so he had to purify them with Human Dao Fortune and recast them using the Yu Ding.
What sort of treasures he could obtain in the end, he did not know at present.
"Act the part fully if you're going to act at all, snatch the treasures thoroughly as well."
"Now, I wonder what lies hidden within the final location, 'Corpse Mud Ridge'?"
As he muttered, Tao Qian glanced once more at the desolate and ghost-like Emancipation City.
Memories of the previous events flashed in his mind, causing him to shiver.
While holding his lady even tighter, he silently said to himself,
"Master Yuan was right, Sister Yunrong is indeed fearsome when enraged."
"If she were truly angered, she might even summon the Haotian Divine Light—could I really overcome that?"
"Fortunately, I still have a slight advantage in the Taizhen Yun Yu Map's cultivation."
After comforting himself, Tao Qian asked his lady to revert to her Bodhisattva Image. If you'r.e* not on M*%V-L$E*M$*PYR, y^o.u'-re v#iewi&n@g a c@opy..%
Hand in hand, they left Emancipation City.
As soon as they appeared, the portal of Buddha Light behind them swiftly dissipated, and an ancient figure plummeted to the ground.
It was the fallen Evil Jialan known as "Ku Niang."
Now this Dharma-protecting Divine Spirit had turned into an ugly and ferocious crone, and the dead infant in her swaddling clothes had melted into a puddle of pus, dripping steadily downward.
Clutching the dirty swaddling, she let out a heart-wrenching scream, pointing at Tao Qian and Yunrong as she rushed at them in madness.
Disregarding life and death, devoid of reason.
Half of his face showed Ultimate Happiness, the other half sorrow, his mouth uttering some incomprehensible words.
"The poor monk Wu Gou, thanks to the Daoist's opening of the Convenient Gate, will now bestow upon the Daoist a chance for Emancipation."
The words had hardly fallen when with a flick of his finger, Buddha Fire descended.
With a loud bang, the suffering woman transformed into a human-shaped torch, then into flying ashes, cascading down, thus meeting her demise.
...
In Qiantang Province, Yuhai County, the Sky-reaching Floating Pagoda had arrived with the night.
It had been two days and one night since Tao Qian and his people left Suzhou City. They had to hurry to Qiantang City by tomorrow, else they would miss the "Buddha Birth Technique gathering."
Solving the sufferings and calamities of Tiannan and Qiantang provinces, that particular gathering was the most crucial link.
Fortunately, Yuhai County was not far from the provincial capital. Once he dealt with the last Evil Land here, he could quickly proceed to Qiantang City to attend the meeting.
Yuhai County was still considered prosperous, with a population of around two hundred thousand.
After nightfall, not a single household had lights on, all doors were shut, windows closed, not a sliver of wind escaped.
Tao Qian was not surprised when he saw this. Next to an Evil Land, no matter how strange the sights, it was normal, simply a measure to avoid demons.
Outside the county, spanning hundreds of miles of territory, there were only small mounds and gentle slopes, no sign of mountains or ridges.
Tao Qian activated his Innate Spiritual Vision and examined carefully.
Having found the traces of the Jialan Cave Mansion here, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh,
"Five Evil Lands, five Jialans."
"Only the one from the Evil Country has remained steadfast, never having fallen to demonism."
"The other four are all muddied together."
Having said this, Tao Qian repeated his old trick, again urging Zhen Buchi to be the undercover witness.
He was unwilling at first, but could not withstand a few provocative words from Master Tao, and thus helplessly descended from the Floating Pagoda.
Once he stood on the desolate land, he called out loud again,
"Little monk Zhen Buchi, a disciple of Kongchan Arhat, wishes to enter Corpse Mud Ridge. I kindly ask the Jialan of this land to show himself and grant access."
Sure enough, no sooner had he spoken than a yellow smoke arose from the ground, revealing an elderly figure with a cane, unkempt hair and beard, a red face with green pupils, barely concealing the demonic aura exuding from his person.
He first bowed to Zhen Buchi, quite respectfully saying,
"This old being, named Dharma Disciplines, has long heard of the great name of Bu Chi Buddha's son, my respects to you."
After this greeting, the old figure revealed a sinister smile.
Unlike the Ku Niang from Emancipation City before, he did not swiftly open the Convenient Gate for Zhen Buchi.
Instead, he bowed towards emptiness once more, even more courteously inquiring,
"Is Wu Gou Buddha's son present?"
"With no disrespect intended, I ask the Buddha's son to come forth."
"The three Arhats from Qiantang City have already issued a divine decree here in advance."
"There's some information they wish me to convey to the Buddha's son."
At these words, Zhen Buchi's face showed an embarrassed expression.
Then, with a flash of brilliance, Tao Qian appeared alongside Yunrong.
There was no hint of abnormality on his face, only looking at the Jialan evil god before him who obviously had fed on fresh human blood and was virtually indistinguishable from a demon, he asked with a smile,
"Oh, what instructions do the three Arhats have? You may speak, old man."
Despite the Buddha's son before him appearing kindhearted and approachable,
For some unknown reason, upon gazing into his eyes, Dharma Disciplines felt his heart thumping erratically.
Supressing his fear, he directly recited the divine decree,
"The three Arhats have said: they are aware of the Buddha's Son's endeavor in surviving the demon calamity and the need to accumulate meritorious Fortune. As elders, they wish to bestow upon you the nascent Five Nasties Land in Qiantang to aid your tribulation."
"Especially the Kongchan Arhat instructs: the last place, 'Corpse Mud Ridge,' has been arranged for you. You need not coax Bu Chi Buddha to trick open the Convenient Gate any longer. The mounts of the Demon Buddhas, the fragmented shadow-projections of the Buddha Bird Protectors, have all been severed from their originals, trapped within the Ridge, ready for the Buddha's son to eradicate."
"In a moment, I shall transform into the most conspicuous Convenient Gate to cooperate with the Buddha's son. Once you shatter it with your spell, the Evil Land shall be revealed to all."
"With twenty thousand people in Yuhai County as witnesses to your demon eradication,"
"Afterwards, the Demon Buddha Temple will act again, further enhancing your reputation and spreading your fame throughout Qiantang."
...
As this evil Jialan named Dharma Disciplines finished speaking, Tao Qian was momentarily taken aback, somewhat puzzled, evidently unclear about the motives of Shipi, Kongchan, and Lian Sha, these three treacherous bald schemes.