I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Everyone's face was beaming with contentment, as if they were living in a paradise where everything was possible.

However, Uesugi Tetsu could see that countless tiny ailments were falling into each person's "qi" and were constantly flaring up.

However, they may no longer be able to feel it.

In Uesugi Tetsu's eyes, there was a faint "aura" flowing from those filthy, emaciated passersby.

Then it was poured into the nearest Buddha statue.

A steady stream.

I suppose that must be the power of will.

—The people of Nishio Castle have all been transformed into human-shaped wish-power extraction machines under the dual catalysis of illness and Jodo Shinshu.

Without a doubt, this is a form of torture far more terrifying than death.

This is simply... a living hell on earth!

Uesugi Tetsuya remained silent for a while, and after feeling his spiritual energy rapidly depleting, he emerged from the pile of weeds.

"This situation can't last long; we need to find someone to replace him as soon as possible."

—When using the talent Thousand Faces, the greater the difference between the avatar and the original body, the faster the spiritual power will be consumed.

If he continues to remain in this small, clay-figure-like state, which is only a few centimeters tall, the spiritual energy of the boundless water will be completely exhausted in a few hours.

"The main temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect is located at..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto's extremely calm voice came at just the right moment, causing Uesugi Tetsu to reveal a smile.

Following the direction the former pointed out, he soon arrived at the temple gate.

"Next, we just need to find a suitable unlucky person."

In the bushes, Uesugi Tetsu's eyes darted around, quickly spotting a suitable target.

—A gray-robed novice monk, his breath weak and his face unusually stiff, was walking towards the temple exit. He was clearly not human!

Without saying a word, Uesugi Tetsu followed behind him.

Less than two minutes later, the young novice monk disappeared into a deserted alley.

In an instant, the small clay figure, only a few centimeters tall, expanded to about the same height as Uesugi Tetsuya, except that the face was still something Uesugi Tetsuya had casually sculpted.

Without a sound, Uesugi Tetsu extended his finger, causing fragments of lightning to surge into the little novice's body, spreading throughout his entire body in half a breath.

The latter immediately froze on the spot and fell straight down.

Of course, it was only a temporary coma.

Because Uesugi Tetsu deliberately controlled the intensity of the lightning to a level that couldn't even kill a half-star demon.

Otherwise, the unexplained death of a member of the family within the city could draw the attention of the sick.

Even if the possibility is extremely small, he must try to avoid it.

Uesugi Tetsu reached out and placed his hand on the center of the little novice's pale, bloodless face.

"Let me see what's hidden under your skin."

As he spoke, Uesugi Tetsuya, who had already transformed into a novice monk in the same appearance, clothing, and even aura as the one before him, exerted force with both hands.

Break it open in one go!

Chapter 199 Suffering Transforms into Three Stars! Raging Battle, an Unprecedented Physique!

Click.

Surprisingly, Uesugi Tetsuya pried open the little monk's skull with almost no effort.

That's right, it's in the center of the face, with the tip of the nose as the parting line that divides the entire head into upper and lower parts.

Within the young novice's empty head, a pinkish mass resembling a brain was trembling slightly, paralyzed to the point that it couldn't even utter a mournful cry.

——【Low-Tier Thousand Brain Princess (Half Star)】.

A subtle feeling of nausea rose from Uesugi Tetsuya's chest. He stared indifferently at the Thousand Brain Princess for a moment, thinking to himself that it was good that he had been cautious enough.

If he hadn't controlled the other party instantly, the Thousand Brain Princess would probably have already spread the news of his infiltration throughout the entire West Tail City.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't kill him. Instead, he dragged the little novice to the deepest part of the alley, broke two pieces of wood into pieces, and stuffed them into the alley along with the Thousand Brain Princess.

At the same time, a ring of qi infused with a slight electric current was left around Thousand Brain Princess's body.

—Every three minutes, a faint electric current is released on the body of the Thousand Brain Princess, rendering it unable to activate its abilities or move.

After doing all this, Uesugi Tetsu, who had replaced the young novice, returned to the main temple of Jodo Shinshu with a blank expression and stiff movements.

And so, he swaggered in.

In the Jodo Shinshu sect, monks each have their own duties: chopping wood, carrying water, dyeing cloth, performing rituals...

The monks' daily lives and work did not stop because they were suffering from illness; many monks in robes passed by him chatting and laughing.

On the surface, it appears to be quite harmonious.

Inside the main hall and side halls, towering Buddha statues with solemn and majestic appearances are filled with aspirations and shine brightly under the sunlight, appearing exceptionally sacred.

But when Uesugi Tetsu reached the vast, empty plaza, he found that the largest gilded Buddha statue in the center of the high platform was completely empty.

There wasn't even a trace of willpower.

It's just an empty shell.

"strangeness……"

The unusual phenomenon made Uesugi Tetsuya take notice.

"Could it be because of that Dharma Master, Lian Guang...? He 'consumed' all the vows within the Buddha statue?"

Just now, Uesugi Tetsu heard several elderly monks who had not been replaced by sick relatives say that a captivating halo had appeared behind the Venerable Renko in recent days.

This is one of the extraordinary phenomena that is said to occur only when one attains the status of a living Buddha or Arhat.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't utter a single word, nor did he make eye contact with anyone.

After half a day, he had walked through almost the entire main temple and most of Nishio Castle, but he did not attract anyone's attention or speak to him.

—Because in the Jodo Shinshu headquarters, which has thousands of people, no one cares about the change in the lifestyle of a novice monk who can't even get a chance to chop wood or carry water.

Through this round of observation, Uesugi Tetsuya confirmed one thing.

That is, there are only a large number of low-level servants in Nishio Castle, around half-star or one-star level.

For example, there are no high-ranking relatives like the old man suffering from karmic illness or the one bound by suffering, who are at least three stars in rank.

Those high-ranking relatives should have been sent by the sick to other cities in the western three rivers to preside over local sermons on gratitude, thereby reaping the power of vows.

—This also matches up with Hanzo's intelligence.

Perhaps because of the close relationship between illness and the Dharma Master Renko, the Jodo Shinshu sect, with its many monk soldiers, no need for high-ranking retainers to bolster its defensive capabilities.

"This is truly the only good news we've had in a while."

In the darkness of night, Uesugi Tetsuya, who was pretending to sweep fallen leaves, thought to himself expressionlessly.

So what should we do in the next day or two?

Was it to exorcise the illness that he had just clearly understood while eating vegetarian food?

Should we kill the Dharma Master Lian Guang first?

Should we steal two Buddha statues first, and then take care of these monk soldiers and rabble while we're at it?

The answer in Uesugi Tetsu's mind was obvious.

Suffering from illness.

Only illness and suffering.

Compared to him, even if all the Pure Land True Sect members in Mikawa Province were to revolt together without fear of death, it would seem like a minor skirmish.

Thousands of monks raised their swords?

As long as Imagawa Yoshimoto speaks up and says he's willing to share some of the spoils after the Jodo Shinshu sect is destroyed.

She could immediately gather an army of tens of thousands and annihilate the Jodo Shinshu sect like crushing insects.

But the suffering from illness is different.

Uesugi Tetsu believed that when facing the Eight Sufferings, numerical superiority was the least meaningful advantage.

It might even turn into a disadvantage.

Having made his decision, Uesugi Tetsu immediately put the broom aside and, prompted by Imagawa Yoshimoto, began walking towards the empty main hall.

Just now, Lian Guang temporarily left the main temple, and it's unclear what he went to do.

—This was a rare opportunity that Imagawa Yoshimoto had witnessed.

Uesugi Tetsu decided to make his move at this moment.

In this tense time, it would be good if we could rule out the possibility that basic reinforcements wouldn't arrive immediately.

We can't ask for anything more.

He walked alone to the entrance of the main hall, bowed his head before the Buddha statue to the fair-skinned young novice monk sitting on a prayer mat, seemingly lost in thought, and spoke dryly and emotionlessly.

“Lotus Light Dharma Master is waiting for you on the back mountain.”

"Ok?"

The illness, which was estimating the precise time of the world's revival, was interrupted. He muttered unhappily, "This Lian Guang... doesn't have much skill, but he has a lot of trouble."

"If there's a next time, I'll make sure he's turned into a puppet..."

He stood up and casually waved to Uesugi Tetsuya: "Lead the way, lead the way."

Then, the suffering turned its gaze to the heavens once again.

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his head, and the moment the short, sickly figure came into his field of vision, a scarlet notification suddenly popped up, occupying most of his field of vision.

The characters were flowing slowly, as if they could drip real blood.

——【The embodiment of suffering (three stars)】.

An avatar?!

What remains in this Pure Land True Sect is not the true essence?

Although Uesugi Tetsuya was shocked, his body did not falter in the slightest. He mechanically walked towards the outside of the temple following the route that Imagawa Yoshimoto had just planned for him.

—The suffering behind him was not his true form.

—But the unintentional oppression he felt from the illness behind him was already far greater than that of the likes of the scabies master, and even greater than that of the Great Master.

Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts were momentarily in disarray.

But after only a few dozen steps, he reviewed the information he already knew and regained his composure.

Regarding the suffering behind him, or rather, the embodiment of suffering, Uesugi Tetsuya tends to believe that it is the real person.

However, it is the "original form" in the present world during the Warring States period.

As for the true form of the illness, it should still be in the mortal world, doing something unknown.

—That is indeed very possible.

Because in the Warring States period, when spiritual energy was scarce and the world had not yet recovered, the upper limit of its map was only three or four stars.

Just like the present world before, or even lower.

If the true form of the illness is at the level of a ghost or god, it cannot descend to the mortal world at all, so it can only send out an avatar to handle the matter.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Tetsu clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Doesn't that mean that if he attacks the manifestation of suffering now, he might be targeted by real suffering when he returns to the mortal world?

trouble.

But it's just a hassle.

After all, if the sky were to fall in this world, he, little Karami, wouldn't be the first to step up.

"So let's leave the matters of this world for later..."