All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 408 The Root of the Purple Rain Calamity
Ascending to heaven on a dragon.

Ji Ran and the others were all stunned, completely unprepared for this answer.

"Riding a dragon to ascend to heaven..."

Fox Spirit Lord's voice trembled slightly as he said, "It is said that the Heavenly Realm is vast, supported by the rising pure energy of heaven and earth. Treasures that are rarely seen in the mortal world can be found everywhere in the Heavenly Realm. Moreover, the spiritual energy in the Heavenly Realm is abundant, and the dew that condenses there is spiritual spring water."

Where did you hear that?

Ji Ran's voice came over, but Li Hanzhang beside him said, "That's how it's described in Taoist classics."

"cut."

The Double Flower Red Stick scoffed, "You actually believe that?"

"letter."

Li Hanzhang was an honest man, and he said earnestly, "During the royal fasting ceremony, I witnessed the blessings bestowed by the heavens and saw the sea of ​​clouds filled with strange phenomena and rare treasures."

"Would you like to make a bet?"

The man with the double red stick chuckled and said, "I bet it's an illusion."

"can."

Li Hanzhang nodded and said, "Senior, the Heavenly Realm does indeed exist. Countless immortals live forever; if it weren't for those legendary treasures, how could they have lived as long as the heavens?"

Shuanghua Honggun waved his hand and said nothing more. As a traveler, even if his strength was slightly lacking, his vision was absolutely top-notch.

What are these so-called Celestial Realms and Heavenly Realms? They're nothing more than a small world created by a group of level 5 and 6 cultivators who have crossed the Dragon Gate. They use the existence of the Celestial Realm, with Taoism as a bond, to harvest the incense offerings and merits from all over the world, thus maintaining their own immortality.

"You said that simply eliminating the evil spirits is not enough to kill that ley line dragon."

Ji Ran stared at the tall, thin monk and asked, "Do you know what to do?"

"know."

The tall, thin monk nodded and said, "Our master told us before that the dragon was reflecting the souls of the dead. This kind of behavior obstructs reincarnation and controls sentient beings; it is not a benevolent act."

"The master proposed a solution to this earth vein dragon, but it is extremely difficult."

“The guru cannot leave the Buddha’s Pure Land; once he leaves, he will vanish.”

"Oh?"

Ji Ran was taken aback and asked, "Why is that?"

"Because the master was not a ghost who entered the Buddhist realm and was reflected there. Rather, he stepped into a ghost temple in the mortal world, and was in a strange state, which led to his reflection in the Buddhist realm."

"Who is he?"

“A Taoist priest.”

It was a Taoist priest again.

Ji Ran frowned slightly, then relaxed. This answer was not surprising. The entire Southern Han world was a world where Taoism controlled the Heavenly Dao, and any normal cultivator was probably a member of the Taoist sect.

The tall, thin monk pondered for a moment and said, "The master is very good at governing the people. The countless people in the Buddhist kingdom were originally in a state of chaos."

"But the master controlled it, using the monks who died in our temple first, in the form of faith, in the name of the Buddhist kingdom, to let all the souls of the dead settle down here."

“If it weren’t for the master, the souls drawn by the earth’s veins would quickly disperse. Once they disperse, the purple-blooded evil spirits reflected in them would run rampant in the southern country. At that time, even if some demons guarded the villages and towns, they would not be able to stop the endless evil spirits.”

"The final result was that there was no living person left in the South, only evil spirits everywhere."

"The earth vein dragon's scales and armor are complete, and its soul ascends to heaven."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ran fell silent, realizing that he had seen through the scheme of the mastermind behind it all.

Originally the Southern Han, it should now be a place where all living people are dead and evil spirits are everywhere.

The Golden Sheep, a demon, unleashed a purple rain, annihilating all living beings. After death, the dead are drawn here by the earth's veins, reflecting the image of evil spirits. These evil spirits then disperse in the underworld, roaming throughout the Southern Han Dynasty, slaughtering the living.

Then people die, enter this place again, and new evil spirits are reflected there. This forms a cycle that wipes out the land of Southern Han.

This is an absolutely unsolvable dead end. Purple Rain can rapidly generate peak-level first-tier evil spirits; it can be said that the millions of people in the entire Southern Han Dynasty are millions of evil spirits!
The Tiger and Rhinoceros Ridge would never come to plunder our fortune. Even if some of those demons were fourth-rank spirit lords, they would only come to provide food for the evil spirits.

But all of this was stalled because the so-called "guru" controlled all the souls of the dead. The evil spirits were reflected, but because the souls of the dead did not scatter and leave, they were all trapped in a corner of the mortal world.

It was precisely because of this that the people of Southern Han, and indeed all living beings, had a glimmer of hope and were not wiped out quickly.

"Did the master arrive very early?"

"Ah."

The tall, thin monk nodded and said, "We monks of Ghost Temple were the first to die. The first purple rain fell from Ghost Temple." "That rain was an almost blackish purple."

"When we came down, the master was already there. He arrived almost at the same time as Ziyu."

Ji Ran nodded, let out a soft breath, and asked, "Where is he?"

"On the preaching platform in the Buddhist kingdom, he will assign suitable tasks to all the departed souls."

"Where is that Taoist priest who wanted to ascend to heaven on a dragon?"

"I don't know, but it's also in the Buddhist kingdom."

Ji Ran looked into the thin monk's eyes and said, "Tell me, how can I slay the Earth Vein Dragon?"

"Join the game."

The thin monk clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and said, "The earth vein dragon is neither real nor fake, neither substantial nor illusory. Only those reflected by it can see it."

"To bring down the dragon, you must shatter every single scale."

"As for the details, only the master knows. He only told us to guard the gate, but did not tell us anything."

"Why?"

"Because none of the countless souls who have come here so far have been able to shatter the dragon scales. The earth vein dragon scales are countless and almost impossible to shake."

"Right now, it's just a delaying tactic."

Ji Ran gazed intently towards the direction of the Buddhist kingdom and asked, "What would happen if I entered the Buddhist kingdom in my physical body?"

"The same evil spirits will be reflected in the mortal realm, and the soul will return to its most virtuous moment. It's just that because the physical body enters, your appearance won't change. Even if your mindset returns to childhood, you will still look the same as you do now."

The thin monk pointed to the sky and said, "You'll see that earth vein dragon just the same way."

"Why is this so?"

The only place in the entire underworld that has changed is here, naturally due to the influence of the earth's veins. But why is there such a clear distinction between them?
"I don't know."

The two monks exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and said, "The earth vein dragon scales are like a mirror, reflecting extreme suffering and malice onto the mortal world, leaving only goodness."

Ji Ran nodded without asking any further questions. He now understood most of the changes that had occurred in the Southern Han Dynasty.

In truth, the Southern Han should have been swept away and destroyed by a million purple-blooded evil spirits long ago. It was only because that master controlled the spread of the demons' movements that the speed of its spread was contained.

But with just Zi Yu, even without these evil spirits leaving, their extinction is only a matter of time.

It was the ghost Jin Yang who wanted these souls. As for why, Ji Ran already had a guess.

What did I take with me when I left Southern Han for the first time? The remnant soul of Gui Jin Yang.

Now, that fragmented primordial spirit has been devoured by the Golden Crow, the Black Tree, and the Zashiki-warashi, leaving only scraps. It probably intends to use a million living souls to repair its own primordial spirit.

This celestial mission, which determines whether he can leave, is indeed the result of his own karma. What he can't understand is why that ghostly golden sheep distinguishes between yin and yang, good and evil.

"Do you want to go in?"

Ji Ran looked at Hu Yao and Li Hanzhang. As for the Double Flower Red Stick, needless to say, they were already impatient. As a traveler, he had no fear of gods, ghosts, good, or evil.

“I shall enter and serve Your Majesty.”

Hu Yao hesitated for only a moment before gracefully bowing down. Having already decided to curry favor with a powerful figure, she naturally couldn't let go of any opportunity to prove herself.

Li Hanzhang's eyes were filled with excitement. As a member of the royal family, he was born into nobility but was not allowed to cultivate spiritual power and had never seen such a strange and bizarre scene of demons and ghosts.

After overcoming the initial fear of the dream and the demon banquet, what welled up in my heart was more longing and excitement.

"Of course I'll go with you!"

Li Hanzhang gripped the hilt of the Nine-Dragon Sword and stepped forward.

Ji Ran didn't say much, but simply cupped his hands in greeting to the two monks and headed towards the Buddhist kingdom.

……

"In the underworld there is a realm called the Buddhist Kingdom, where all the ghosts are pure and virtuous. However, their evil thoughts are reflected in the mortal world. So I relied on the Nine Dragons and entered it with the Dragon Lord."

—From "The Annals of Emperor Wuzu: A Journey to Seek Immortality"

"When Shi Longjun slew the evil spirits in front of the ancient temple, I suddenly understood the essence of the Qingcheng sword. I felt that there was nothing in the world that could not be used as fuel for his sword."

—From "The Annals of the Martial Ancestor: The Manual of Sword Immortals"

(End of this chapter)