Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

Yan Chixia's expression was solemn, and he gripped the Xuanyuan Divine Sword in his hand tightly without realizing it.

"Is Abbot Shen really telling the truth?!" Yan Chixia's voice suddenly turned cold, each word sounding as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"The current imperial advisor is actually a demon?!"

Ning Caichen turned deathly pale.

Although he was a scholar, he was not ignorant of court affairs.

The reputation of the Universal Salvation Cult was so great that even a scholar like him from the lower classes had heard of it.

The entire court praised him as the "reincarnation of the Living Buddha," and temples across the country enshrined his longevity tablet. When people burned incense and prayed, they would say "May the National Master protect us."

At this moment, Shen Jue actually said that this living Buddha was a centipede demon?

Zuo Qianhu's reaction was the most restrained, but also the most intense.

His right hand had somehow found its way to the hilt of the broadsword on his shoulder, and the previously restrained sword intent around him suddenly burst forth, causing the candlelight in the hall to dim by a third.

"Brother Shen," Zuo Qianhu's voice was deep, with a metallic, cold quality.

Is this really true?

Shen Jue chuckled upon hearing this.

"When have I ever lied to you?" he retorted.

Zuo Qianhu remained silent for a moment, knowing that Shen Jue was telling the truth.

He had known Shen Jue for many years. Although the monk acted strangely, he was upright and honest, and had never told him a lie.

"A thousand-year-old centipede spirit..." Zuo Qianhu repeated these four words, a look of relief appearing in his eyes.

"That's right," Shen Jue nodded.

"A centipede demon sat high above the temple, while the Taoist and Buddhist cultivators were all like dead men."

"That's really interesting."

When Shen Jue said this, he had a half-smile on his face.

"I want to pass on the 'Method of Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth' to the world, so that everyone can practice this method."

"Wouldn't this also solve the problem of the chaos caused by demons and evil spirits?"

Yan Chixia's mouth dropped open upon hearing this.

He believed that it was acceptable for the monks of Jinshan Temple to use methods like the "Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi Method".

But how can this method be widely spread throughout the world?

The thought of what those demons were about to experience sent chills down Yan Chixia's spine.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen strange magic before.

He had seen plenty of things like the tree demon in Lanruo Temple sucking people's life essence and the Black Mountain Demon devouring souls.

Demons harm humans, and humans kill demons; it's only natural, there's nothing more to say.

But the method of the "Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi Method" that Shen Jue mentioned was something he had never heard of before, and he only felt that it was terrifying.

"Can both martial artists and cultivators use the Heavenly Righteous Qi Technique?" Yan Chixia posted.

"Suck dry or rape..."

"Truly terrifying."

"That's right," Shen Jue replied, his tone light.

"This righteous energy technique can transform the physical bodies, essences, and cultivation of demons and monsters into its own."

"Like wringing out a towel, not a drop is left."

"There haven't been any lasting effects yet."

"After I refine it further, I expect that even ordinary people who have never cultivated or practiced martial arts will be able to use the Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi Technique through specific rituals and methods."

The hall fell silent once more.

Ning Caichen felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.

He recalled the fox spirits in those supernatural tales who were moved by the righteous spirit of scholars, and the souls of the dead who were saved by the chanting of sutras by enlightened monks.

Then he thought of a group of mortals pressing a demon to the ground, squeezing it dry inch by inch like an oil press.

"This... Abbot, should you reconsider?" Ning Caichen's voice trembled.

Shen Jue turned to look at him, her gaze calm to the point of cruelty: "Does Young Master Ning find this cruel?"

Ning Caichen was speechless.

"If demons eat people, why can't people eat demons?"

"To this humble monk, demons and monsters are no different from the chair I sit on or the Buddhist carriage I use for daily travel."

"They are all usable tools."

Ning Caichen's face was as white as the peeling lime on the walls of Lanruo Temple.

"Brother Shen," Commander Zuo slowly spoke, "are you sure you want to spread this around?"

"What's wrong, Brother Zuo? Do you find this inappropriate?"

Zuo Qianhu remained silent for a long time, so long that the night wind outside the hall blew out the candlelight. Then, with a thought, Shen Jue rekindled the candlelight.

"I'm just thinking," he said softly, "that the world may really be about to descend into chaos."

Yan Chixia was shocked upon hearing this.

He wondered what would happen to the demons and monsters of the world if this method were to spread throughout the land.

They will be hunted down, hunted down by everyone who wants to become stronger.

Farmers, woodcutters, merchants, scholars—every human being who once trembled before demons would become a hunter.

Demons, on the other hand, will transform from predators into prey, into walking elixirs, into pieces of meat that everyone wants a bite of.

In the past, most of the times when cultivators killed demons, it was out of a sense of justice or self-defense.

When demons become the stepping stones for cultivators and martial artists to become stronger, even if the human race is in a position of absolute weakness, under the protection of Shen Jue and Jinshan Temple, the human race will become complete slaves to power in the vortex of mad desire.

Yan Chixia suddenly felt a chill.

He spent his life slaying demons and monsters, never showing any mercy.

But at this moment, he felt a pang of sorrow for the demons and monsters of the world, a sorrow that felt for their kind.

"You monk," Yan Chixia said through gritted teeth.

"Are you trying to save people, or are you trying to create something even more terrifying than demons?"

Shen Jue did not answer immediately.

He walked to the palace entrance, gazed at the dark night sky outside, and after a long while, said something.

"Brother Yan, I firmly stand on the side of humanity."

"The pity you harbor for demons and monsters is completely absent in my eyes."

"How could the process of reshaping the world possibly be without blood and tears?"

After Shen Jue finished speaking, he ignored the fascinating expressions on everyone's faces.

He turned and walked to the bronze bell on the side of the hall, flicked it lightly with his finger, and the bell's sound echoed throughout the entire temple.

Before long, two young novices stood outside the hall with their hands at their sides.

"Take the three benefactors to the east wing to rest," Shen Jue instructed. "We will be leaving early tomorrow morning."

"Master..." Ning Caichen wanted to say something more.

Shen Jue had already turned his back, gazing at the Buddha statue in the hall with its mottled gold lacquer, and said nothing more.

The dim candlelight cast his shadow long, making him look like a silent, wrathful Vajra on the wall.

Two young monks stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the three people, saying, "Please come this way, benefactors."

Yan Chixia gripped the Xuanyuan Divine Sword, tightening and loosening his grip repeatedly before finally letting out a heavy snort and striding out of the palace gate.

Zuo Qianhu followed silently behind him, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.

Ning Caichen walked at the back, glancing back at Shen Jue's back. He felt that what was hidden under that gray monk's robe was even more terrifying than the thousand-year-old tree demon of Lanruo Temple.

The east wing consisted of three meditation rooms side by side, which were kept clean and tidy, with neat bedding and a faint scent of sandalwood burning in the incense burner.

The young novice monk left tea and lamp oil and then withdrew, his footsteps quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Yan Chixia did not go into his room.

He stood under the veranda, gazing at the pale moon above the temple, and suddenly felt that his lifelong belief in slaying demons and monsters had been pried off at its very foundation.

"Isn't Master Yan going to rest?" Ning Caichen poked his head out from next door, his expression still not very good.

"I can't sleep." Yan Chixia took the wine gourd from his waist, tilted his head back and took a swig. The strong liquor went down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart.

"Look at those monsters," Yan Chixia said, wiping the wine stains from his mouth, his voice muffled.

"Some are forced into it, some are driven to desperation, and some are born with no choice. I, Yan Chixia, kill demons, but only those who harm people. I have acted uprightly and honestly."

"But if all the demons in the world, good or bad, were to be drained dry in exchange for cultivation power..."

He didn't finish speaking, but took another swig of wine.

Ning Caichen leaned against the door frame and remained silent for a long time.

He thought of the female ghost in Lanruo Temple, but he shuddered and dared not think about it anymore.