Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 440 Eyes Like an Abyss

As the figure landed, Fei Lian finally saw the true face of the scarlet figure.

He was a withered old monk, his face covered with deep wrinkles, each line seemingly bearing the weight of endless years and karmic burdens. His compassionate expression suggested that he bore the weight of all suffering in the world on his own shoulders; an ordinary cultivator who saw him would likely feel immediate reverence and sympathy.

However, this appearance only elicited a cold laugh from the bottom of Fei Lian's heart.

He knew all too well what kind of people the Nirvana Sect was, or rather, who in the world was unaware of the Nirvana Sect's evil deeds?
If other demonic sects are characterized by the survival of the fittest, devouring people without spitting out the bones, then the evil of the Nirvana Sect is a deep-seated distortion. They bewitch believers, causing families to be destroyed and even forcing them to cook their own flesh and blood as the supreme offering to the Buddha.

If all the evil of the demonic path in the world were contained in a bushel, the Nirvana Sect would alone possess eight-tenths of it.

Compared to this group of bald monks who disregarded even basic human decency, Fei Lian was decisive in killing and quick to avenge wrongs, making him practically a pure and upright gentleman.

"Does this half-dead monk think he can subdue that black dog?"

Fei Lian's tone was full of undisguised contempt, showing no confidence whatsoever in this patriarch of the Nirvana Sect.

Ultimately, this old monk was simply someone who had no hope of achieving enlightenment and was afraid of death. He was unwilling to die and have his spiritual path extinguished, so he took a different approach and came up with this bizarre and unorthodox method of "becoming a Buddha on the spot."

However, Demon Lord Feilian had genuinely cultivated to the Dao Integration Realm step by step. In terms of cultivation level alone, he was far superior to this Nirvana Monk.

Therefore, Fei Lian felt absolutely no respect for this so-called "senior".

Hearing Fei Lian's utterly disdainful words, the monk Nirvana remained unmoved on his withered face, as if he hadn't taken them to heart at all. He simply clasped his hands together and calmly said to Chen Ye, "Amitabha. Benefactor Chen, you promised this humble monk that you would completely seal off this realm and never open it again."

"Indeed, I broke my promise." Chen Ye admitted frankly, "But my meager reputation is insignificant compared to the safety of the entire world. If you wish to punish me, Master, I will accept the punishment after this matter is resolved."

"Amitabha."

The monk Nirvana chanted a Buddhist prayer and didn't pursue the matter further. He knew that Chen Ye's so-called "accepting punishment" was just a formality. If they really wanted to attack him, this young man would run faster than anyone else.

Chen Ye pressed on, "Master, the situation is urgent. What do you think? Are you willing to lend a hand?"

The monk Nirvana's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "This humble monk will do his best."

In fact, even if Chen Ye hadn't mentioned it, he still had to find a way to deal with that black dog. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before this little world was completely destroyed by the black dog, and even his so-called "Buddha" would vanish into thin air.

Feilian, listening to their conversation, finally couldn't help but interject, "Old monk, I'd like to ask you, what ability do you have to subdue that black dog? Just relying on the incense and vows of your Nirvana Sect that have long since been extinguished?"

If the Nirvana Sect truly possessed such extraordinary abilities, how could they have been so utterly defeated and decimated by Zhang Qi, leaving them powerless to retaliate?

The monk Nirvana slowly shook his head, his voice calm and still: "The Nirvana Sect has long since vanished, so there's no trace of its former incense offerings. I'm not entirely confident either, but there is indeed something here that we can try."

"What are you going to use to test it?" Fei Lian immediately asked, his guard up.

He was terrified that the old monk's next words would be to ask him to be bait, to lure the black dog into some kind of trap.

If that were the case, Fei Lian guaranteed he would turn on the spot and tear the old monk apart first.

The monk Nirvana seemed to have guessed his apprehension, so he took the initiative to explain: "There is a Buddhist treasure enshrined here. This humble monk can borrow a bit of its divine power, which may be able to temporarily suppress that evil spirit."

"A Buddhist treasure?" Fei Lian didn't believe it at all, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "When has the Buddhist sect ever produced such a treasure? If there really was something so powerful, how come your Nirvana Sect ended up being wiped out?"

"You will know at a glance that what I said is true."

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of the Nirvana Monk transformed into a blurry blood shadow once again, drifting deeper into the suspended mountain.

Fei Lian frowned and looked at Chen Ye, only to see Chen Ye ride a cloud and follow without saying a word. No matter how disbelieving he was, he had no choice but to suppress his temper and chase after them.

The three of them hadn't flown far when they arrived at a huge mountain peak that looked as if it had been sliced ​​flat by a blade.

The moment Fei Lian saw what was at the top of the mountain, even with his Dao Integration Realm cultivation and temperament, he couldn't help but gasp.

"What...what is this?!"

It was a hand.

A massive, unimaginably large severed hand, cleanly cut off at the wrist!

Each of its fingers was like a jade pillar supporting the sky, incredibly thick. The severed hand lay there quietly, its age unknown, yet the oppressive aura emanating from it still sent a shiver down Fei Lian's spine.

Standing before this severed hand, he felt as insignificant as an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

Fei Lian's first thought was of the Demon Lord Wu Jiu, who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. Historically, it seemed that only that demonic giant could unleash the Law of Heaven and Earth, making his body as large as a mountain.

But the thought only flashed through his mind before he immediately dismissed it.

wrong.

The Demon Lord Wujiu was ultimately only at the Dao Integration Realm, and could never possibly bring him such a vastly different sense of oppression.

The owner of this hand has a cultivation level that far surpasses the Dao Integration stage!
The monk Nirvana stood solemnly before the severed hand and explained, “Amitabha. This hand is the root of Buddhism. All Buddhist teachings in the world originate from this. As for where this hand came from, this humble monk does not know. It seems to have existed here since ancient times, even older than this world itself.”

Hearing these words, Fei Lian felt only a sense of absurdity and helplessness.

Before attaining enlightenment, one is entangled in cause and effect and is subject to the control of others at every turn.

Having finally reached the Dao Integration stage, I thought I could roam freely in the world, but instead I was repeatedly bullied by these celestial beings from a higher level who were beyond my comprehension.

This Dao Integration Realm... I'd rather not have it!
Fei Lian stood there, expressionless, like an ice sculpture.

However, deep down, he was already seething with hatred.

He suppressed his resentment and unwillingness and listened carefully as the old monk Nirvana explained his plan.

According to the old monk, the severed hand before them was an object from the upper realm, containing supreme magical power. Even a tiny fraction of it would be enough to suppress the unruly black dog on the spot.

Once the black dog is temporarily under control, Chen Ye will immediately activate the teleportation array that he has prepared in advance.

At that time, the two of them, along with the suppressed black dog, will be teleported back to their original world.

After that, things were simple.

The black dog was thrown back into the Ruins of Return, where it belonged. Then, the righteous cultivators who were already on high alert outside joined forces to fully activate the Reverse Star Sea Array, isolating the entire Ruins of Return once again.

Unlike before, this time, the righteous path of humanity is taking control of everything, instead of letting that black dog manipulate things.

This plan sounds very feasible.

But all of this has a crucial premise: would this enormous Buddha's hand of unknown origin really obey the command of a mere Nirvana monk?
Even if we can use magic, how long can we control this black dog?

If the calculation is wrong, Fei Lian and Chen Ye will be the first to suffer, and they might die in the jaws of this black dog in the blink of an eye.

Despite feeling a thousand anxieties, Fei Lian could only remain calm in the face of Chen Ye's composed demeanor.

This kid wouldn't joke around with his own life.

The monk Nirvana said no more, and his faint, ethereal figure went straight to the bottom of the huge severed hand.

He sat cross-legged in front of the valley-like lines on his palm, feeling as small as a grain of sand.

Fei Lian had expected him to start reciting some earth-shattering scriptures or setting up some complex and mysterious magic array.

However, the monk Nirvana simply sat quietly with his eyes closed.

For a moment, the entire mountaintop platform fell into a deathly silence, with only the howling mountain winds proving the passage of time.

After a long period of silence, a sudden change occurred.

"Click."

A soft, crisp sound came from the body of the monk Nirvana.

Fei Lian looked closely and saw that a thin bloodstain had appeared out of nowhere on the old monk's withered skin.

Those weren't knife wounds or sword marks; his body was breaking apart from the inside.

This Nirvana Monk was originally a blood-red phantom, looking like an illusion, but now it shattered like glass.

“Crack…Crack…”

More and more frequent cracking sounds rang out.

In the blink of an eye, the Nirvana Monk's entire body was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and scarlet blood gushed out from the cracks, instantly flowing all over his body.

Although it was an illusory body, the shattering and peeling apart seemed to be real flesh and blood, torn apart piece by piece by an invisible force, revealing the flesh, bones and muscles inside.

In the blink of an eye, the body of the Nirvana Monk was no longer human, but a crumbling, blood-red skeleton, with only his head remaining intact.

The stripped flesh and blood coalesced into a crimson river of blood, rushing towards the palm of the enormous Buddha's hand.
"Om-"

The instant the Blood River touched the Buddha's palm, a deep, resonant hum echoed throughout the heavens and earth. The enormous hand, seemingly just an ordinary rock, began to emit a dazzling golden light the moment it touched the flesh and blood of the Nirvana Monk!
The skeleton that the Nirvana monk had transformed into suddenly opened its mouth and uttered syllables that Fei Lian had never heard before.

Even though they had never heard this language before, Fei Lian and Chen Ye could understand its meaning.

"With this crippled body, I respectfully welcome the imperial procession!"

"With this impure blood, I respectfully beseech the World-Honored One!"

Fei Lian frowned, feeling an immense pressure bearing down on him. He had to circulate his spiritual energy to resist it, but the rocks beneath his feet were already cracking inch by inch because they could not withstand the force.

Chen Ye, standing to the side, was also in bad shape, but having mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, he could barely hold on.

The blood river poured into the lines of the Buddha's palm, filling only a small section of the groove.

Then, the severed hand trembled slightly.

What followed was an earthquake that shook the entire mountain and even this small area.

Then, everyone saw the severed hand's fingers slowly move, assuming a flower-picking gesture.

This wasn't the first time Chen Ye had witnessed the Buddha's palm holding up a flower.

Last time, this Buddha's palm imprisoned everything, forcing Chen Ye to fight to the death, and he almost died here.

This time, the Buddha's palm gesture of picking up a flower only lasted for a moment. The giant palm, as large as a mountain, grasped not a flower, but a golden thread.

The monk Nirvana let out a painful groan as his skeletal body shattered completely, turning into countless rapidly fading blood shadows.

Chen Ye had already taken the opportunity to remove the gold thread, and only after he got the treasure did he realize something was wrong.

To the Buddha's palm, it was a gold thread finer than a hair, but to Chen Ye, it was not a gold thread at all, but a cable cast in gold, heavy and substantial in his hand.

Holding the heavy "golden thread" in his hand, Chen Ye knew that what the Nirvana Monk said was true.

This thing could indeed subdue that black dog.

Chen Ye threw the golden rope in his hand to Fei Lian and said, "Senior, this difficult task depends on you."

Fei Lian subconsciously reached out and took it. Feeling the weight of the treasure and the supreme power it contained, he immediately understood Chen Ye's meaning.

Fei Lian asked, "You want me to tie up that black dog?"

“Senior is at the Dao Integration Realm, while I am only at the Profound Realm. Of course, it is more certain for you to make a move. If I were to do it, I am afraid I would have no chance at all.”

Chen Ye's words made a lot of sense, and Fei Lian was somewhat speechless.

The difference in their cultivation levels was indeed enormous; this treasure was certainly not something Chen Ye, a mere Transcendent Realm cultivator, could control.

But it sounds like we've been scammed.

Did this kid have planned this all along?

Fei Lian said to Chen Ye, "If we survive this battle, let's add another hundred years to the contract."

"what?"

Chen Ye was momentarily stunned. Why was this demon adding more to himself?

But thinking about it, this was a good thing, so Chen Ye quickly replied, "It's a deal!"

The two took the treasure and soared into the air, flying towards the black dog.

At this very moment, the enormous black dog was still frantically fighting the hungry ghosts. The black dog showed no signs of injury, and the number of hungry ghosts did not seem to decrease.

However, the black dog had already advanced quite a distance, and it seemed that it realized it had fallen into a trap and was preparing to continue chasing Chen Ye and Fei Lian.

Unexpectedly, his prey suddenly returned.

The black dog suddenly became ferocious, violently shaking its body.

Those persistent hungry ghosts were instantly shattered, turning into a sky full of black smoke.

After clearing away the obstacles, the black dog suddenly pushed off the air with all four limbs, its massive body transforming into a black lightning bolt as it pounced towards the two of them.

The speed was beyond reason; it was almost instantaneous.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fei Lian directly used his most powerful and secret divine ability.

"This body is as swift as thunder."

Almost the instant he uttered those words, Fei Lian transformed into a bolt of lightning and took the initiative to meet him.

Fei Lian knew very well that his ability to make his words come true had no effect on this black dog.

The only thing he could do was to apply his supernatural powers to himself in order to keep up with his opponent in terms of speed.

It doesn't need to be long; a moment is enough.

It's now!

Just as the two figures were about to cross paths, Fei Lian suddenly flicked his wrist.

The golden rope he gripped tightly in his hand suddenly coiled around the black dog's massive neck like an awakened, enraged dragon. Driven by Fei Lian, the golden rope displayed astonishing flexibility, completely at odds with its heavy appearance.

The black dog clearly sensed the deadly threat lurking in the golden cable.

Instead of dodging, it took a more direct and brutal approach, opening its gaping maw that seemed capable of swallowing the entire world.

That wasn't a mouth; it was a rapidly expanding black hole.

An irresistible and terrifying suction force erupted from it, as if it wanted to suck in all the matter and light in this world, along with their souls, and completely annihilate them.

Fei Lian, who was the first to be hit, felt his body completely out of control, and he involuntarily slid towards the darkness.

However, just as he was about to be swallowed up, the golden cable revealed its extraordinary nature.

The cable radiated an incomparably dazzling golden light, and no matter how terrifying the black hole-like suction was, it remained unmoved and unwavering, still firmly wrapped around the black dog's neck.

The golden cable suddenly tightened, digging deep into the black dog's elusive body.

The moment Fei Lian was bound by the golden rope, the black dog's mouth was forcibly closed. Fei Lian's figure stopped just short of being completely devoured by the black dog's mouth.

His face was deathly pale; the experience he had just gone through was more dangerous than any life-or-death battle he had ever faced.

The black dog began to struggle violently, but it was unable to break free of the golden ropes binding it for the time being.

Fei Lian was about to speak when he realized that Chen Ye didn't need him to remind him at all.

The moment the black dog was captured, Chen Ye had already activated the teleportation array.

Countless runes appeared and disappeared in the air, forming a massive array. A blinding white light shot into the sky, enveloping him, Fei Lian, and the tightly bound black dog.

next moment.

The figures of the two people and the dog were suddenly "spit out" from the distorted light and shadow.

Chen Ye felt an immense pressure bearing down on him. The familiar pressure of the deep sea, and the shimmering white light of the Guixu, meant he had finally returned.

Chen Ye transformed into a dragon, instantly freeing himself from the effects of water pressure.

Chen Ye need not worry about Fei Lian; the pressure of the deep sea is not a problem for someone at the Dao Integration Realm.

But now is the crucial moment.

According to the previous agreement, after Chen Ye and the others left Guixu, the mirage demons and other subdued sea beasts inside should have also been transferred out.

Now, all Chen Ye needs to do is send the black dog into the Ruins of Return, then reopen the Reverse Star Sea Formation to completely seal off the Ruins of Return, and this major event will be successfully completed.

However, just as Chen Ye was about to make his move, he heard a questioning voice in his ear.

"Mortal, why do you bear the aura of my son?"

Chen Ye turned his head in shock and saw a thin, dark shadow appear in the previously empty seawater, as if someone had torn open space.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't a void rift at all, but a huge door, large enough to stuff Chen Ye and the black dog inside... Wait, no, this isn't a door at all.

Chen Ye watched as the blackness continued to expand, revealing a chilling crimson layer within... This was no door at all; it was clearly an eyeball, an eyeball that filled the entire space in front of Chen Ye, now staring intently at him.

(End of this chapter)