The Demon with Holy Radiance

This was a decent Self-defense Magical Artifact he had received from Elder Profound Dragon when he’d helped Mother Divination with her troubles. It could withstand a single blow from a Zombie God at full power.

He explained the artifact’s function to Wen Yin, urging her:

"Junior Sister, take this and keep it safe."

Wen Yin accepted it. The two were about to part ways, but she couldn’t help but say:

"Senior Brother, be careful on your journey."

Yang An nodded, and then his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

An hour and a half later, within Ten Thousand Buddha State, Yang An opened his eyes. Beneath his mask, he let out a long sigh of relief.

’All of that is settled. Now there’s only one thing left to do: leave the Treasure Temple Domain!’

He had no intention of removing his unique Light Wheel Crane Head Mask, because Bull Warrior never... ahem.

With this mask, he could hide his true identity and pass himself off as a mere traveler, which would serve to confuse the Great Virtue Temple.

He wasn’t sure if it would be useful, and for all he knew, the Great Virtue Temple might have left some kind of tracking mark on him. For example, he didn’t know how the three prohibitions were triggered, or how they determined he had left the Ten Thousand Buddha State. Ultimately, he had to rely on this mask to cloud the heavenly secrets.

This was far better than showing his own face and risking being recognized by someone who had seen him before.

A thick head of black hair grew rapidly from his scalp. The restrictions from his tonsure at the Great Virtue Temple were meaningless to Yang An. As his hair returned, he finally reclaimed his true identity.

’To hell with being the Buddha’s Son, to hell with any dharma name.’

"Listen up, kiddo. If you’re leaving from Ten Thousand Buddha State, the shortest route is to the southeast. You’ll have to cross fourteen State Territories to reach Broken Armor. At your top speed, assuming no obstacles, it’ll take at least half a day."

Bow Lady’s voice rang out; she had already planned Yang An’s escape route.

The Light and Shadow Escape Technique was very useful, capable of crossing a thousand meters in an instant, but Yang An couldn’t use it continuously.

He had been constantly using this Escape Technique while escorting Wen Yin out of the Golden Thread Pavilion’s territory, which had already consumed a great deal of his Mana. If he kept using it, he would probably run out of Mana before he could even leave the Treasure Temple Domain, with no time to replenish it.

Yang An had to ensure he could escape safely. Mana was the key to his combat strength, and it would be extremely troublesome if an unexpected situation arose and he had no Mana to deal with it.

Therefore, for the journey ahead, he planned to primarily travel by physical flight, replenishing his Mana with the Mora Buddha’s Acupoint. He would only use the Light and Shadow Escape Technique as a backup, needing to conserve as much Mana as possible for any potential dangers.

There was no time to waste. Yang An decided to set off immediately, and in the blink of an eye, he had left the territory of Ten Thousand Buddha State.

...

「Great Virtue Temple.」

It was the dead of night, but the Great Virtue Temple was far from peaceful.

Countless fissures had spread far beyond the temple itself. The Great Virtue Temple, already a sprawling ruin, now had plumes of black energy wafting up from underground. From the deep crevices, one could faintly hear roars that seemed to emanate from the depths of the Nine Hells.

But to the many Monks within the Great Virtue Temple, this scene was nothing out of the ordinary.

The Bodhisattva had issued a decree: the demon lords imprisoned within the Eternal Prison were rioting. As Monks of the Great Virtue Temple, they had to be ready to sacrifice themselves at any moment.

Guang’an had been waiting in an anteroom of a Zen Room in the Mingxin Zen Courtyard. However, the Buddha’s Son had not returned before the end of the Joyful Shrine Association as he had promised, which made Guang’an deeply worried.

Just as the Joyful Shrine Association had ended, a Zen Master from the temple had come to question him. He had relayed the Buddha’s Son’s exact words, and the Zen Master had left without saying anything.

But even now, there was still no sign of the Buddha’s Son.

As the Buddha’s Son’s Attendant Monk, if something had happened to the Buddha’s Son, he would be hard-pressed to escape the blame.

Just then, the Zen Master who had questioned him earlier returned. He was to be taken to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall; the Bodhisattva wished to see him.

Guang’an followed the Zen Master to the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, his heart filled with apprehension.

Inside the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, it was now completely dark and gloomy. All the incense had been extinguished, and streams of bloody tears flowed from the eyes of every Golden Buddha Statue.

Guang’an was terrified by this sight. His legs felt weak, but he still entered the hall, bowing and scraping.

Using his True Eye, he saw Hai Shu Bodhisattva, a being he would normally never have the chance to see.

The golden Lotus Platform beneath Hai Shu Bodhisattva was shattered. A mass of viscous, black, worm-like things crawled out of it and burrowed into the ground—a ghastly sight.

Hai Shu’s body had melted by more than half, like a candle. His head was also half-dissolved, with flesh hanging from the stark white bone of his skull, looking as if it might slide off at any moment. His face was a horrifying visage.

Furthermore, countless wisps of black energy coiled around his body, desperately trying to bore their way into his very bones.

And kneeling piously before Hai Shu Bodhisattva was a Zen Master who looked like a desiccated corpse.

Guang’an recognized this Zen Master. It was Zen Master Qing Kong.

Seeing both a Bodhisattva and a Zen Master in such a grotesque state, Guang’an immediately prostrated himself on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Bodhisattva, Qing Kong has come to atone for his sins. The people from the Life Crane Sect in Han State have left. Someone saw them going to Si State, presumably heading for the Witch Barrier. Qing Kong has been tracking them; they have surely reached the Outer Continent."

"Over half a year ago, at the Lion Buddha Festival in Buddha-Worship City in Tosha State, the Lion Buddha detected the aura of an outsider. It might be related. After that, the trail went cold."