A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Perhaps this inner demon within me is fundamentally a born evil seed.

I led three guys I just met today—guys who looked like scoundrels—and ransacked Jinshan Temple.

Never mind, it doesn't matter.

They're not good people, and I'm not even a human being.

Seeing the Buddha statue I used to kneel and worship every day being scraped off with a knife with a "sizzle, sizzle" sound, and then having its entire head pried off with a crowbar with a "crack," I felt incredibly satisfied!

Unfortunately, these three were clearly inexperienced and caused a commotion.

"clang--!!!"

The Buddhist bell rang deafeningly, like a death knell.

A group of bald monks, wielding staffs and knives, rushed out in a huge swarm, their faces as green as if they had swallowed dead flies.

"What kind of demon dares to run wild in this sacred Buddhist sanctuary!"

"Protect the temple! Capture the demon!"

Well, I've already shown my true colors.

Fortunately, those three bastards were ridiculously skilled.

Shen Qianjie let out a strange laugh, and his body suddenly cracked open with countless fissures, with dense black veins spurting out as if they had come alive.

They would pester anyone they saw and strangle any pillar they encountered, turning the main hall into a chaotic mess, like a spider's web with spirits.

Zhou Langchen went even further, pulling out a human skin from who-knows-where, inflating it with a "poof," and then crawling inside.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a kind-faced old monk, mingling among the group of bald monks, shouting "Catch the thief!" while secretly striking them down with a club.

Chu Hengdao was the simplest; he simply grabbed his broken sword and stood by the door.

Before the sword was even drawn, the sheer killing intent emanating from him, enough to freeze a person solid, terrified the group of monks so much that their legs trembled and none of them dared to approach.

Chaos erupted, and the place was filled with smoke and fumes.

I'm not bad at all.

I can do everything that Dharmakirti can do.

He chants scriptures, and so can I; I can even chant them beautifully. He makes mudras, and so can I; I can even make them more perfect than him.

Moreover, I'm even better at it than he is.

When I forcefully plunged my palm into the hazy Buddhist light emanating from his chest, grasping that warm, translucent Bodhisattva tablet that seemed to embody countless vows, then, gritting my teeth, I exerted my strength—

"Sizzle—!!!"

It was like tearing open a piece of fine silk.

I actually tore off half of that fruit!

Golden light burst forth, and the chanting abruptly ceased.

Faming spat out a mouthful of golden blood with a "poof," and the expression on his face... well, first blank, then horrified, and finally frozen into a twisted disbelief as if he had seen a ghost.

"You...how dare you?! This is the attainment of a Bodhisattva, bestowed by Heaven and Earth, the culmination of merit! You...you wretched creature!"

He pointed at me, his fingers trembling, his voice filled with shock, anger, and a sense of utter disbelief at having his understanding of the world turned upside down.

Cool!

It feels so damn good! My whole body is numb from the soles of my feet all the way to the top of my head!

It's even more potent than sneaking a drink of the abbot's fifty-year-old monkey wine!

"I gave you life! Jinshan Temple nurtured you! And I gave you a name—Fa'an!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared like a trapped beast:

"Fa'an! Do not remain stubbornly deluded! Turn back before it's too late! All things have their own path and their own place! You are my inner demon, and this is your path, your place! If everyone were like you, refusing to accept their fate, refusing to abide by their place, and insisting on jumping out of the framework given by heaven and earth, wouldn't the Three Realms and Six Paths, the human world, be in complete chaos?! Ah?!"

Looking at his face, contorted with rage and terror, no longer bearing the "compassionate solemnity," I suddenly laughed.

He laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking, and tears were almost streaming down his face.

"Is everything in chaos?"

I wiped away non-existent tears, tilted my head, and asked the most heart-wrenching question in the purest tone:

"Whether the world is in chaos or not... what does that have to do with my inner demons?"

Faming choked, his face turning from green to white, then from white to purple.

"besides--"

I suppressed my smile and weighed the half of the Bodhisattva statue in my hand, which was still trembling slightly and radiating an alluring Buddhist glow.

"Fa'an is dead, from today onwards..."

I grabbed the shiny black dog skin that Shen Qianjie had given me earlier and draped it over my body.

The fur automatically conformed to its body, and with all four limbs on the ground, a wild, free, and unruly aura replaced the nauseating "Buddhist nature."

I lowered my head and opened my mouth—

"Gurgle."

In one gulp, he swallowed the half of the Bodhisattva's fruition, which symbolized order, status, and destiny.

The warm, gentle Buddhist energy melted in my throat, a little hot, but more than anything, it was an unparalleled sweetness that broke taboos and profaned the sacred.

I raised my head, shook my shiny black fur, and lazily swayed my tail.

Call me Dog Master.

……

From that day on, I started hanging out with those three rotten, yet surprisingly agreeable guys.

Shen Qianjie, Chu Hengdao, Zhou Langchen.

The three names don't sound like those of good people.

We slipped out of the glittering cage of Jinshan Temple and plunged headlong into the bustling world below the mountain.

Hey, you know what, this world is really interesting.

It's a million times more interesting than those dilapidated temples with their ancient lamps, Buddha statues, morning bells, and evening drums!

But my carefree days didn't last long. Those three bastards, for some unknown reason, or perhaps they'd been plotting something for a while, dragged me off to war.

It was a massive battle that killed countless people.

The land was engulfed in flames of war, a scene of carnage and bloodshed.

For my inner demons... well, it's not all that bad.

At least, there's food everywhere.

Fresh, piping hot, and filled with the ultimate emotions of fear, anger, resentment, and despair—the finest blood food.

I ate with such gusto that the demonic body beneath the dog skin visibly became much rounder.

But then something strange happened.

When those ordinary people saw me pounce on those menacing-looking, taupe-clad men and feast on them...

They are not afraid of me.

Far from being afraid, their eyes gleamed, and they knelt down with a thud, chanting things like "Divine beast has appeared," "The heavenly dog ​​is eating the sun," and "May the dog god protect us..."

ha?

I, a malevolent demon in dog skin who devours people, have become a divine beast in their mouths? They even want to build a temple for me? To receive incense offerings?

Damn it, are these guys out of their minds?

Are you all crazy?!

If they were to see beneath this sleek, shiny black dog skin of mine, the increasingly sinister and depraved true form of my inner demons...

Several people would probably be scared to death on the spot.

Speaking of my inner demon body, it's quite strange.

Ever since it swallowed that half of the Bodhisattva's fruit, it's been like it's been inflated, changing every single day.

The demon's body, which was originally gray and shadowy, is now covered with countless blinking eyes, resembling the back of a toad.

It also pulled out countless slippery, wet tentacles with suction cups at the tips, which would wriggle around on their own for no reason, which was quite annoying.

But these aren't the most bizarre ones.

The most bizarre thing is—

Over the past ten years of fighting, this evil, demonic body of mine, which I had taken to my maternal grandmother's house, is now glowing.

It's not the golden halo like the Buddha's light.

It is a faint, gentle, yet exceptionally stable light.

It looks like a giant light bulb.

It has a low wattage, but it's incredibly durable; it won't go out no matter how much you mess with it.

I pondered it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

Whatever, let it be. Let it be lit. At least I won't need a lantern to travel at night after peeling off the dog skin.

And so it went, for fourteen years.

The war is finally over.

Those three guys, probably tired of killing, robbing, and committing enough atrocities, dragged me to a scenic mountaintop and settled down there.

Perfect timing, I'm a bit stuffed too, I need to find a place to digest properly.

This hill is nice and quiet.

Apart from the occasional mischievous little monsters delivering food, there's basically nothing to worry about.

Bask in the sun, take a stroll, and ponder which of your newly grown eyes looks better...

Peaceful days are so damn relaxing.

It's a pity that I only enjoyed my leisurely life for a few decades before those three bastards started causing trouble again.

That day, Chu Hengdao, clutching his broken sword, stood guard at the cave entrance as always.

Zhou Langchen had somehow managed to swindle a bunch of chickens, ducks, fish, and meat from some widow's village, and was now figuring out whether to roast or stew them.

Shen Qianjie was nowhere to be seen early in the morning.

Then, around noon, Shen Qianjie, carrying a swaddled baby in his arms, grinning widely, swayed back.

"Hey guys, look what good stuff I brought back!"

Zhou Langchen leaned over to take a look and saw the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand fall to the ground with a "thud".

Chu Hengdao's eyelids also lifted slightly.

Just as I was getting curious, the dog's paws rolled up the swaddling clothes and took a look:

Inside was a beautifully sculpted little baby, fast asleep and drooling.

"What...what is this thing?" Zhou Langchen's tongue was a little tied.

"Child! Can't you tell?" Shen Qianxiu said matter-of-factly, "I saw that he had exceptional potential, so... uh, by chance, I brought him back."

"You kidnapped me, didn't you?!" Zhou Langchen's voice cracked.

"Bullshit! This is fate! A destiny ordained by heaven! That's why I'm going to raise it!" Shen Qianjie retorted, sticking out his neck.

Chu Hengdao was silent for three seconds before uttering two words: "Troublesome."

But his eyes darted towards the doll.

I leaned closer and sniffed the tiny baby, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and sleeping soundly, with my wet nose.

Hmm, it smells milky, and also has a... indescribable stench, kind of like those three things.

Good heavens!

Shen Qianjie spent all his time sewing and mending among piles of corpses!

Zhou Langchen spends all his time going down the mountain to Honglang Romance and fooling around!

Chu Hengdao? All he does is wipe and sharpen his blade!

These three can even kill a cactus, let alone raise a child?

Are you kidding me?!

Shen Qianjie rubbed his hands together, chuckling in a way that looked utterly unreliable: "Give it a try, give it a try! Look, I've already come up with a name!"

"What's your name?" Zhou Langchen also became interested.

Shen Qianjie cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Ji, Zuo, Dao."

"Ji Zuodao..."

I pondered the name for a moment.

Okay.

It doesn't sound like the name of a well-behaved, law-abiding person.

Yes, it suits my taste.

I stuck out my tongue and licked the tiny, tender little toes that were sticking out.

He shivered from the tickling, but didn't wake up. He smacked his lips and went back to sleep.

I thought to myself, "Well, these leisurely days are finally over."

It seems this mountain won't be quiet from now on.