After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

The ancient monk's eyes shone with an intense light at that moment.

He didn't make any fancy moves.

He simply held the knife in both hands, aiming it at the drought demon, which was tightly bound by the chains of divine order.

Simply and easily, a single slash!

This strike lacked the imposing aura of a hundred-foot blade and the earth-shattering power of a single strike.

A streak of golden-purple light flashed and disappeared in an instant, too fast for the naked eye to catch.

Time stood still at that moment.

The drought demon, which was struggling frantically, suddenly froze.

It lowered its head and looked at its chest.

There was nothing there.

next moment.

Golden light burst forth from its body, purifying all evil spirits.

Immediately afterwards, a purplish-black demonic fire ignited from the depths of his bones, devouring all life force.

There were no screams, no struggles.

This golden elixir demonic body, which had wreaked havoc for a thousand years, was silently reduced to charcoal amidst the intertwined flames of Buddha and demon.

"Crossing!"

The ancient monk formed a mudra with one hand and let out a soft shout.

In the air, an almost imperceptible phantom of a vengeful spirit appeared and bowed to the ancient monk.

Then, it transformed into a shower of light and completely dissipated.

"Amitabha……"

After doing all this, the ancient monk's figure suddenly swayed.

The light of the Zanpakuto in his hand faded completely, transforming into a stream of light that flew back into Zhou Ran's hand.

The physical body possessed by the ancient monk could no longer hold on.

Starting from the ground, it cracked inch by inch, turning into ashes.

"master!"

Zhou Ran stepped forward, his expression extremely complicated.

Although he practiced demonic arts, he had a deep and heartfelt respect for eminent monks who sacrificed themselves to suppress evil.

"It doesn't matter, dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

The ancient monk's primordial spirit was extremely illusory, its light flickering and uncertain, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

A completely relieved smile appeared on that face that was half Buddha and half demon.

He raised his illusory finger and pointed it at the spot where the drought demon had turned to ashes.

A bead the size of a longan pierced through the void and flew into his palm.

The bead is entirely crimson, with lava-like patterns flowing across its surface.

It is indeed the Drought Demon's Corpse Pill!

The ancient monk's palm surged with Buddhist light, completely erasing the last trace of violent resentment from the corpse pill, leaving only the purest energy.

He handed the corpse pill to Zhou Ran.

"This item is a gift to the benefactor."

Zhou Ran was taken aback and did not immediately take it.

"This junior only contributed a little; it was the master who suppressed the drought demon."

"Hehe, without your demonic fire, this humble monk's remnant soul would be powerless to purify this fiend."

The ancient monk's gaze fell on Zhou Ran, so deep it seemed to pierce through his soul.

"You need not refuse my offer, benefactor."

Zhou Ran stopped being coy and reached out to take the bead.

It was scalding hot to the touch, but there was no burning sensation.

The violent corpse energy within had been cleansed by the Buddha's light, leaving behind a vast expanse of pure fire essence!

This is exactly what he needs most right now.

"Thank you, Master."

Zhou Ran put away the corpse pill and bowed to the monk in front of him, whose face was only half intact, with the respect due to a junior.

Regardless of whether the other party is righteous or evil, just for this spirit of suppressing the drought demon at all costs, Zhou Ran deserves to bow down!

"You're too kind, benefactor."

The ancient monk smiled slightly, and in his only remaining eye lay the wisdom to have witnessed the vicissitudes of a thousand years.

"This humble monk observes a deep-seated malevolent aura between your brows, yet deep within your mind, a spark of clarity remains undiminished."

"Whether it's the demonic path or the righteous path, the sword is in your hand; how you wield it is entirely up to your heart."

Zhou Ran understood the implied meaning.

These words have a hidden meaning.

He subconsciously touched his brow.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, Ye Futian remained asleep.

In order to deal with Lingxu Daoren, he almost completely squeezed out the old demon's soul power.

"The master has keen insight."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Ran decided to get straight to the point.

"I do indeed have a serious ailment in my body, which plagues me day and night, like a carbuncle clinging to my bone."

"Does the master have a solution?"

He asked very directly.

The person before me is an existence that has lived for over a thousand years, and is an expert in manipulating souls and possessing bodies for rebirth.

If we can obtain the method to completely resolve the problem of Ye Futian from him, then this trip will be truly complete!

The ancient monk did not answer immediately upon hearing this.

He turned around and looked at the ground that had been sealed by cooled rocks, with wisps of smoke rising from it.

"One body with two souls is a great taboo of the Heavenly Dao."

The voice of the ancient monk drifted over.

"What you wish to ask is how to extract that remnant soul and make it your own?"

Zhou Ran's pupils constricted slightly.

"Exactly."

The ancient monk shook his head.

"Once the souls merge, it's like water into ink; they can never be separated again."

"If forcibly removed, at best the mind will be completely destroyed, at worst the soul will be scattered."

"unless……"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you can master the Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra."

"With this supreme Buddhist mantra, cleanse your consciousness day and night."

"Then, like peeling an onion, you can grind away the remnant soul's consciousness layer by layer, leaving only the purest soul power for your use."

The ancient monk turned around, extended an illusory finger, and gently touched Zhou Ran's brow.

A refreshing torrent of information instantly flooded into Zhou Ran's mind.

It is a fragment of an obscure and profound scripture.

"Although this method is slow, its advantage lies in its reliability."

The ancient monk withdrew his finger and added:

"However, the fact that the remnant soul can reside in your body without being destroyed indicates that there must be a very deep karmic entanglement between the two of you."

"Sometimes, killing is not the only answer."

Zhou Ran closed his eyes, feeling the scripture in his mind, his heart surging with emotion.

This old monk really saw through everything!

Of course, we can't kill that old bastard Ye Futian now.

But this "Mahavairocana Buddha Purification Mantra" is like a tight headband hanging over his head!

If necessary, he can be made to wish he were dead!

"I have learned a great deal."

Zhou Ran bowed again, but then changed the subject, still somewhat unwilling to give up, and asked:

"Master, may I ask, does the legendary secret of possession and rebirth truly exist?"

Upon hearing this, the ancient monk's half-damaged face wore a knowing, enigmatic expression, a smile that was both ambiguous and profound.

"Does this humble monk, in his current state, even deserve the title of 'immortal'?"

Zhou Ran looked at the inhuman, ghostly body in front of him, which was still shedding bits of flesh, and honestly shook his head.

"Not really."

That's it.

The ancient monk sighed.

"People all seek immortality, but they do not know that cause and effect are cyclical and retribution is inevitable."

"Whether it's resurrection through possession or rebirth through possession, it's ultimately going against the will of Heaven."

"This body of mine can only be used for three more days at most."

"And what about three days later?"

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

The ancient monk spread out his illusory palm, which was completely empty.

"There are no secrets to immortality here, nor any heaven-defying treasures."

"If I really have to say there is..."

He pointed at Zhou Ran, then at the unconscious Lin Qingxue in the distance.

"Those who manage to leave alive are the greatest treasure of this place."

Zhou Ran was taken aback.

He then smiled.

He understood completely.

The so-called Zhenhun Temple treasure is a complete scam from beginning to end!

The real treasure lies precisely in the treasure hunters who have relentlessly pursued and died here in pursuit of this elusive treasure!

"The master is insightful."

Zhou Ran cupped his hands in greeting.

click-

Fine cracks began to appear on the surrounding rock walls, and loose rocks continued to fall.

Although the drought demon is dead, the earth-shattering battle just now has completely destroyed the underground structure.

This place is about to collapse!

"Now that this matter is settled, this humble monk should take his leave."

The ancient monk straightened his tattered Taoist robe and looked up into the dark passageway above.

"Having been trapped for a thousand years, it's time to go out and see what the world is like now."

Zhou Ran looked at his face, which was half rotten and half golden, and his lips twitched violently.

"Master, please forgive my bluntness..."

"If you went out looking like that, it would probably cause quite a bit of panic."

"It's just a physical body; it's all an illusion."

The ancient monk chuckled and clasped his hands together in prayer.

"The Buddha has no form; form arises from the mind."

The words fell.

A hazy golden light suddenly shone around the ancient monk.

The light dissipated.

Zhou Ran's eyes widened instantly, and the word "Holy crap" got stuck in his throat, almost escaping his lips!