Chapter 347: Chapter 258: The Zen Masters of Great Virtue Temple Are Full of Tricks

Under the rule of the Great Virtue Temple, every State Territory and every city contained a Glazed Tower.

Stationed within the Glazed Tower was the city’s nominal protector, and through it, the entire city received the Great Virtue Temple’s blessing.

One could say the Glazed Tower was the most important place in any city.

But now, even the Guard Monk inside the Glazed Tower was a Demon Fiend in disguise. It wasn’t hard to imagine the fate of everyone in the city.

Actually, there was no need to imagine. The sight appearing on the horizon said it all.

In an instant, Yang An’s expression turned as grim as Qing Xin’s.

They had received no word before their arrival that an entire city within the Four Buddha States had fallen. This was a major incident.

It meant the current Demon Fiend uprising was far more severe than they had imagined.

Yang An fully extended his senses. The mortal auras he had clearly perceived before entering the city had now vanished without a trace.

The air was thick with the stench of rot and decay, forcing him to retract his senses to keep the vile odor from overwhelming his consciousness.

A massive fissure hung on the horizon, blood pouring from it like a waterfall. It formed a stinking river that surged toward them in monstrous waves, as if it had been waiting for them all along.

From within the foul, bloody waves, figures shot out one after another—they were Demon Fiends.

Yang An instinctively took a step back, glancing at Qing Xin.

’If Qing Xin plans on fighting these Demon Fiends, I’d better stay far away.’

’There are just too many of them, and their auras are a chaotic mess. Who knows if a Great Demon Fiend is lurking in there.’

’I’m just a "weakling" right now. The most I can handle is one or two of those Corpse Transformations.’

’Got to protect my own skin.’

"Go!"

But Qing Xin was no fool. With a low shout, he grabbed Yang An and shot off in a direction clear of Demon Fiends.

There were no living beings left in the city, so there was no point in fighting these Demon Fiends. It would be meaningless.

The only reason to act would be if there were still a considerable number of people left alive in the city.

Only by exterminating the Demon Fiends under those circumstances could they demonstrate the Great Virtue Temple’s benevolence.

Otherwise, who would see them kill the Demon Fiends? Who could bear witness to his deeds?

Yang An was a little surprised by Qing Xin’s actions as he was pulled away.

’Aren’t you here to slay Demon Fiends?’

’As a Zombie God, the suppression from the Power of Rules is weakened for you by a Forbidden Artifact Fragment. As long as there isn’t a Great Demon Fiend who’s also a Zombie God, wouldn’t wiping out these lesser Demon Fiends be easy?’

’So why are we running?’

Though he wondered, Yang An didn’t ask.

But Yang An didn’t need to ask. Qing Xin casually offered an explanation.

"There are no living beings left in the city, so we shouldn’t waste our energy here. Even if we exterminated all these Demon Fiends, we wouldn’t have saved anyone, so it wouldn’t count as a meritorious deed.

This place has already fallen. Other areas are surely in dire straits. We must hurry and provide them aid."

"..."

Yang An had to admit, Qing Xin had a point. Everyone here was already dead; the priority was to save those who were still alive.

Listening only to the second half of his explanation, one would think him a truly compassionate master, eager to help those in need. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But the first half of his statement, with its completely different tone, painted another picture entirely.

Yang An understood instantly.

’Judging by the Great Virtue Temple’s usual hypocrisy, it seems this so-called ’slaying of Demon Fiends’ is nothing more than a performance.’

’These people are always going on about merit and compassion, but where’s the real merit in this world?’

’When people see it, when you kill Demon Fiends in front of living beings and your actions are witnessed—that’s what they call merit.’

’No, ’credit’ is the better word for it.’

Yang An understood this and offered no rebuttal.

This was just how the world was. When the moral floor was so low and twisted, nothing anyone did was surprising.

’Still, to see so many Demon Fiends in the city... that’s all flesh and blood I need.’

Yang An suppressed a powerful impulse. He almost wanted to say to Qing Xin: ’Why don’t you go on ahead? I’ll handle this.’

The two of them shot out of Sanxi City, leaving it behind in the blink of an eye.

Below them, the entirety of Sanxi City was overrun in a near instant by the countless Demon Fiends that had appeared. Many even gave chase, unwilling to let the pair escape.

However, as a Zen Master, Qing Xin’s flight speed was far beyond what these Demon Fiends could match.

They were about to leave Sanxi City far behind, having shaken off the pursuing Demon Fiends, who were no longer in sight.

Qing Xin’s expression was unchanged as he prepared to change direction and lead Yang An toward the next city.

But just then.

RUMBLE—

A sudden peal of thunder echoed from the sky. A red light flashed in the gloomy night, and a fierce wind began to howl.

"Since you’re here, don’t even think of leaving!"

A strange voice echoed from all directions, seemingly from everywhere at once, surrounding Yang An and Qing Xin.

Qing Xin and Yang An came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, their gazes immediately fixed on what lay ahead.

A figure slowly emerged from the red light. The skin and flesh on its body were curled back, like wood shavings. The red glow emanated from its two massive eyeballs.

The Demon Fiend stood ten feet tall, its appearance hideous and savage. Its face looked like a ghastly mask that had fused with its very flesh.