Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Ren Qianxing and Zheng Wu crawled out of the mud, spitting out yellow dust, and howled in pain.

They were covered in mud, with a few blades of grass stuck to their heads, looking quite disheveled.

The moment Master Chanhui made his move, Ren Qianxing used his Shrinking Earth technique to save the two of them, thus escaping disaster.

At this moment, they were about a mile or two away from Yunxia Mountain. Ren Qianxing stood calmly to the side, patting the soil and shaking off the mud, and said, "Don't worry about these details."

“That person is definitely not Master Chanhui. The Master Chanhui I have met before did not look like this.” Monk Zhengwu spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with soil and looked at Yunxia Temple in the distance with great apprehension. “There must be an evil spirit that has possessed Master Chanhui’s body.”

“These are no longer our concerns. Fortunately, we found the Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Officer beforehand. Otherwise, if we were to investigate Yunxia Temple, Master Chanhui would probably have slapped us all to death.” Ren Qianxing sighed.

Only then did he notice that after himself and Zhengwu, no one else had climbed out of the pit.

Ren Qianxing hurriedly asked, "Hey, where's Senior Sister Xia? Shen Congyun, you didn't rescue Senior Sister Xia along with us?"

Shen Congyun retorted irritably, "I only have two hands. How many more people do you expect me to save?"

"Quick, let's go back and check it out."

……

While the Meng Fang and Master Chan Hui were engaged in a fierce battle, Ning Xiu took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and secretly ran into the pagoda.

On the first floor of the pagoda, eight monks worked together to push a Buddha statue placed against the wall. With a click, they triggered some kind of mechanism.

The entire wall where the Buddha statue was located was slowly moved away, revealing a stone staircase leading underground.

"There's definitely something wrong with this place," Ning Xiu thought to himself as he looked at the passage that had appeared.

Several monks entered the passage one after another, and Ning Xiu immediately followed. Although he was no match for Master Chan Hui, he had no problem dealing with these monks.

Walking down the unlit stone steps, a white light soon appeared at the end of the passage.

The faint sound of people talking could be heard.

"You must not remain obstinate and continue to aid evil. Such demonic acts will surely lead to your utter destruction. Quickly turn back to the right path while it is still possible."

“Master, you are the one who is stubbornly clinging to your delusions. Everyone wants to cultivate immortality, so why are you giving up this opportunity to become a Buddha or an ancestor? If you were willing to cooperate, who knows, a hundred years from now, you might become the second Buddha or even the true Buddha.”

“Yes, then we, as your disciples, will be the eight great Dharma protectors under the Buddha’s seat. Master, why are you unwilling to seize this supreme opportunity so that your disciples can also attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven?”

“Alas, since you have been bewitched by that evil corpse, you have now given birth to such sinful and greedy thoughts. What a sin! Amitabha.”

Ning Xiu quietly walked to the end of the stone steps and saw a huge cave in the mountainside, which was circular in shape.

The cave walls contain tens of thousands of carved stone grooves, each containing a memorial tablet inscribed with various surnames and names.

These must be the ancestral tablets of the villagers from the eighteen villages of Yunxia Mountain who moved here.

In the very center of the cave, there is a stone lotus platform, upon which sits an old monk dressed in a yellow robe.

His entire body was pierced with chains and tightly fixed to the lotus platform.

Judging from his appearance, the old monk looked exactly like the Zen Master Hui who had just been sitting in the main hall.

"How can there be two Zen Masters?" Ning Xiu wondered to himself.

Looking at the eight monks who were once his disciples standing around the lotus platform, the old monk sighed and said, "I only regret that I was greedy back then and used the Corpse-Slaying Blade before I reached the required level, which has now caused such a disaster."

“Master, I think you’re getting senile. If you can join forces with that person, the Great Lingyin Temple will surely be overthrown by the two of you. It will no longer be the number one Buddhist sect in the world. In the future, your Buddhist path will be the orthodox one. Now, many demon-subduing officers and an army have come from outside. Master, before you are completely converted into a Buddha, you still have a chance to prove to that person that you have changed your mind.”

"A bunch of wicked disciples..." the old monk sighed with his eyes closed.

Are you Master Chan Hui?

Just then, a strange voice suddenly rang out in the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave.

The eight monks all turned to look at the passageway, and saw a figure dressed in black silver chainmail emerge from the shadows of the passageway.

"Demon-Subduing Commander! How did he find his way here?" the monk exclaimed in surprise.

This place is their biggest secret, and it is of utmost importance; no accidents can be tolerated.

The appearance of Ning Xiu right now is the biggest surprise.

"Kill him, and we can use his soul to convert the Buddha's body." The eight monks realized this and immediately rushed towards Ning Xiu, their killing intent surging.

Although it is currently unclear what secrets Yunxia Temple holds, and what these monks are plotting with Master Chanhui outside.

Ning Xiu knew how to deal with those eight monks and get the truth out of the old monk imprisoned on the lotus platform.

A monk was the first to approach Ning Xiu, his hands forming eagle claws as he aimed directly at Ning Xiu's face, showing no intention of holding back.

Since that's the case, Ning Xiu doesn't need to be polite.

boom!

The Thunder Hammer was swung out in a simple and unadorned manner. The moment it struck the man's chest, an invisible force pierced through the monk's chest and down to his back.

His back exploded in an instant, and a spine broken in two burst out of the flesh.

[Defeat the demon and gain +500 general proficiency]

Several broken ribs pierced through his body like arrows, leaving another monk behind him riddled with holes before he could react.

Although it wouldn't kill him on the spot, the injuries were excruciatingly painful.

Most of these monks were of the sixth or seventh rank, with the highest among them being only of the fifth rank in Buddhism or Taoism.

Aside from this one, which will take a little longer, the other monks are no match for Ningxiu.

Watching Ning Xiu slaughter his disciples with overwhelming force, the old monk on the lotus platform closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Although these were all disciples he had raised, the old monk had no intention of stopping them; he simply felt a little reluctant to do so as their master.

He knew perfectly well that his eight disciples had followed that evil corpse for a long time, their temperaments had changed drastically, and they must have learned a lot of demonic arts. It was only a matter of time before they were killed by the Demon-Subduing Commander. He just didn't expect it to happen today.

After Ning Xiu mercilessly smashed the seven monks, only the last middle-aged monk of the sixth rank of Buddhism and Taoism remained on the spot.

He stared at Ning Xiu with a gloomy expression, and his eyes began to resemble those of the Zen Master Hui in the main hall, with gray swastikas slowly appearing.

The lower three ranks of Buddhist and Taoist practitioners are characterized by a layer of golden light on their bodies, while the middle three ranks have a light golden body with considerable resistance to blows, making them impervious to swords and spears.

However, when faced with a blunt weapon strike, the internal organs will still experience considerable pressure. Only by cultivating to the highest level, achieving a golden body both internally and externally, and becoming one with the unified essence, can one become indifferent to such attacks.

Ning Xiu's Thunder Hammer is very effective against Buddhist and Taoist masters who are not at the top three ranks.

Knowing that he was no match for Ning Xiu if he continued like this, the fifth-rank monk immediately used the demonic arts he had learned from the Zen Master Hui in an attempt to turn the tide of the battle.

The moment the gray swastika appeared, Ning Xiu felt his feet sink into the ground, and he instantly lost his support, falling uncontrollably downwards.

All around was endless darkness, and huge, mysterious figures appeared and disappeared in the darkness.

Just then, gray arms grew out of Ning Xiu's body, and arms grew on top of arms, quickly forming a net that tried to wrap him up.

Illusions and illusions are all just thoughts.

If a top-tier Buddhist or Taoist master were to perform such a feat, Ning Xiu might mistakenly believe that the other party was using some kind of great supernatural power.

But how could a monk of the fifth rank in Buddhism or Taoism, with the same strength as himself, possibly possess such extraordinary abilities?

Ning Xiu's entire body instantly turned crimson, and he immediately unleashed the Blood Furnace Divine Power.

Suddenly, everything in sight vanished like ashes, and everything returned to normal.

I remained standing in the same spot, nothing had changed.

"How, how is this possible!" The monk exclaimed in shock, a hint of panic creeping into his eyes.

He never imagined that Ning Xiu, a martial arts practitioner, could break through his move so easily, and in fact, in an instant.

"Martial arts supernatural power, such strong blood energy." Master Chanhui, sitting on the stone lotus platform, couldn't help but think to himself as he noticed the change in Ning Xiu's complexion.

Carrying the Thunder Hammer, the monk knew that even the move he had learned was useless against Ning Xiu, so he was definitely no match for him. Now that everyone else was dead, there was no need to stay here any longer.

The most important thing is to escape the tower and tell the Zen Master Hui about this.

He immediately turned and ran, but Ning Xiu was faster and threw the Thunder Hammer, which hit the monk in the back.

"Wow!"

Despite his golden body, the man still coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot and collapsed to the ground, severely injured and unable to move.

Although Ning Xiu is a fifth-rank martial artist, his supernatural abilities and cultivation techniques surpass those of others at the same level, so he cannot be regarded as an ordinary fifth-rank martial artist.

Ning Xiu walked over and retrieved the Thunder Hammer. Ignoring the monk's pleas for mercy as he coughed up blood, Ning Xiu raised the Thunder Hammer high and brought it down again.

boom!

Blood splattered, and the body was torn to pieces.

The ground cracked open, and the monk's struggling movements came to an abrupt end as he lay in a pool of blood.

Everything fell silent.

[Defeat the demon and gain +1800 general proficiency]

"Amitabha." The old monk's hands were both nailed to iron chains and he could not move. Seeing this miserable state, he could only say this.

"May I ask if you are Master Chanhui?" Ning Xiu wiped the blood off the hammer, walked to the stone lotus platform, and looked up to ask.

“This humble monk is indeed him.”

"Then what about that Zen Master outside?" Ning Xiu asked, puzzled.

Master Chanhui sighed: "It's all my fault for overestimating myself. I accidentally obtained the immortal treasure, the Corpse-Slaying Blade. Before I had reached the required level, I presumptuously slashed out the evil corpse in the central palace. I didn't expect that I would be unable to control it and instead be imprisoned here by it. It is about to bring about a great disaster for the world."

“Severing the corpse…” Ning Xiu was slightly surprised.

It is said that there are three special locations in the human body: the upper hall, the middle palace, and the lower palace, each hiding a corpse worm.

The Upper Corpse Worm is located in the "Upper Hall" of the head and is in charge of the human body's stupidity, dullness, and level of wisdom.

The Zhongshi Worm is located in the 'Central Palace' of the chest and governs human afflictions and delusions, as well as tranquility and deep thinking.

The lower corpse worm is located in the "lower mansion" in the abdomen, and it is in charge of the seven emotions and six desires of the human body, including greed, lust, and jealousy.

In the realm of immortals, there is a saying: "Slay three feet to become a Golden Immortal." However, this level of attainment is not something that just anyone can reach. Only a True Person of the First Rank in the Immortal Path can attempt it.

Even severing a single corpse would be enough to drastically increase one's strength.

Unexpectedly, Master Chanhui, a Buddhist and Taoist practitioner, actually cut out the evil corpse from his own uterus.

You're a Buddhist or Taoist monk, so why did you suddenly decide to take the path of immortality?

Ning Xiu had never heard of such a situation before, and he could not even imagine what the specific consequences or impact would be.

"In other words, the Zen Master outside is your evil corpse. What about the Buddha body he mentioned? Why did he send his monks to distribute the Avici Sutra to various places in the eighteen villages for them to recite? And why did he build this Ten Thousand Buddha Cave under Yunxia Temple?"