How did a demonic witch become the leader of the righteous path?

Although Yu Zhao was greedy for money, she valued her life even more. When she saw the fear on Shen Yunshu's face when she mentioned the Fallen Demon Valley, she immediately suppressed her desire to explore it.

However, she was still quite curious about this place. Since she had nothing else to do, she figured she might as well learn something new, so she asked:

"Junior sister, tell me about this Fallen Demon Valley in detail."

"This Fallen Demon Valley is no ordinary place; you must not go there," Qingxuan advised before Shen Yunshu could say anything.

She discovered that her two young apprentices were sometimes really bold, daring to even covet this place.

"We're not going. I'm just curious," Yu Zhao said, adopting a docile demeanor.

Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Qingxuan felt a little relieved, but she was actually quite puzzled.

She thought Yu Zhao was from some hidden force, but found that the child seemed to know nothing about many things. Didn't her family even talk to her about places like the Fallen Demon Valley?

However, Qingxuan was only puzzled for a moment and did not think much of it. He cleared his throat and said, "Since you want to know, then I will tell you."

"Speaking of this Fallen Demon Valley, its existence is extremely long. It existed before the founding of the Great Yan Kingdom. As for how many years it has existed, only those ancient monsters who have lived for tens of thousands of years probably know."

It wasn't originally called Fallen Demon Valley, nor was it a forbidden area. Until 2,500 years ago, cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths fought there, and many cultivators perished. Perhaps it was because so many cultivators perished that the strange beings in this place came back to life.

In a short time, it became a dead end, where even Nascent Soul cultivators would face a near-certain death if they went in. Once, a team of Deity Transformation cultivators went in to explore, and only one of them came out alive.

The powerful Nascent Soul cultivator refused to divulge what he had encountered inside, thus making the Fallen Demon Valley infamous throughout the land.

When the mention of that Nascent Soul cultivator came up, Qingxuan subconsciously glanced at Shen Yunshu, only then remembering that the Nascent Soul cultivator who survived was one of the Shen family's ancestors.

Thinking about this, Qingxuan felt that it was reasonable for Shen Yunshu to know some maps of the Fallen Demon Valley.

I said all this just to let my two young apprentices know how terrifying that place was, so they wouldn't have any thoughts of courting death.

Besides, who knows where this map they obtained will lead them? Fallen Demon Valley is quite large; if it leads them directly to the core area, they will be doomed.

Upon hearing the other person's words, Yu Zhao became lost in thought. She considered another question and asked Qingxuan, "Master, are there any powerful beings beyond the Nascent Soul stage in the world today? What realm is beyond the Nascent Soul stage?"

Qingxuan: "???" Why are you suddenly asking this?

Aren't we talking about Fallen Demon Valley?

She was a little confused by Yu Zhao's train of thought, but as a master who doted on her disciple, Qingxuan still answered the question gently:

"There are powerful beings above the Nascent Soul stage, but they basically don't show up in this realm. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this realm cannot meet the needs of powerful beings above the Nascent Soul stage... We'll talk about these things when you reach the Golden Core stage. Knowing them in advance is of no benefit."

As for the realms above the Nascent Soul stage... above the Nascent Soul stage are the three realms of Profound Insight, False Union, and True Self. Then comes the Tribulation Transcending to the Great Ascension stage, and after that, one can ascend to immortality.

Qingxuan only mentioned the realm and the two women, Yu Zhao, without explaining in detail. It wasn't that she was holding back, but rather that she didn't know what the wonders of the realms above the Nascent Soul stage were.

She had never seen any powerful beings above the Nascent Soul stage, so naturally she didn't know how powerful these beings were, nor why they were named that way.

"Master, have you heard of the [First Realm]?"

The concept of the "First Realm" was something that the mysterious powerful man with the big beard casually mentioned. Yu Zhao had always been curious about it, and she had asked the big beard about it before, but he never mentioned it again.

"The First Realm? What's that?"

Qingxuan looked completely bewildered; she had never heard of such a thing. Seeing that the other party didn't seem to be pretending not to know, Yu Zhao stopped asking. The reason she inquired about these things was simply to get confirmation from Qingxuan regarding Big Beard's words.

When Qingxuan mentioned the Nascent Soul stage, Yu Zhao suddenly thought of these things and casually asked about them.

The three of them chatted about some trivial matters for a while before going about their own business.

Qingxuan went to play chess with her old friend, Shen Yunshu began to meditate and cultivate, and as for Yu Zhao, she went straight out of her room, intending to stroll around Wujue Temple during the day.

As Yu Zhao entered the main hall of Wujue Temple, she looked up at the Buddha statues enshrined on the altar. Hmm, she didn't recognize any of them; they were very different from the Buddha statues in her previous life.

For example, the Buddha statue enshrined in the main position is extremely strange, and in Yu Zhao's opinion, it is discordant in every way.

This Buddha statue has a fierce expression on its face, with its left foot stepping on a demon and its right foot stepping on auspicious clouds. It holds a golden whip in its left hand and a mourning stick in its right.

That's right, it's a mourning stick!

Yu Zhao had never seen this style of sculpture before; it didn't look like a proper Buddhist statue at all.

Adhering to the principle of treating guests as guests, Yu Zhao clasped his hands together and bowed to the statue as a greeting.

Unexpectedly, her bow caused a disaster. The moment Yu Zhao bowed, all the Buddha statues in the main hall suddenly shone brightly, and then Yu Zhao saw them crack open!

This completely stunned Yu Zhao. She stood there, frozen in place, too afraid to bow any further.

Such a commotion naturally startled the people in the temple. Soon, a group of monks cleared the other believers out of the hall, leaving only Yu Zhao.

Then they surrounded them, each with a rather serious expression.

Yu Zhao could understand; she had damaged someone's Buddha statue while worshipping it, and the fact that the person hadn't directly attacked her was already a testament to their good temper.

She stood there with an innocent look on her face, not making any rash moves. Such a commotion must have startled Monk Huizhen and her master Qingxuan. Yu Zhao was waiting for them to appear.

A short while later, Monk Huizhen and Qingxuan arrived. Monk Huizhen looked at the cracked Buddha statue, then at the innocent-looking Yu Zhao. He frowned slightly and softly asked Yu Zhao:

"Nephew, what's going on?"

"Uncle-Master, I don't know either. I just bowed, and they split open. Does Buddha dislike me?"

Yu Zhao feigned a look of fear and grievance. Seeing that the little girl was about to cry, Monk Huizhen couldn't bear to say anything harsh. He waved his hand to signal the others in the temple to leave, leaving only Yu Zhao, Qingxuan, Shen Yunshu, and the little monk Kongxiang.

Now that only their own people remained, Monk Huizhen smiled and said, "Nephew, there's no need to be afraid. Perhaps the Buddha statue is simply old and in disrepair. It has nothing to do with you. Would you like to offer another prayer?"

He didn't understand what was going on either, so he wanted Yu Zhao to try again.

Yu Zhao obediently followed instructions, and just as she was about to continue praying with her hands clasped together, a golden light shot out from the Buddha statue on the main seat. The golden light fell in front of Yu Zhao, and when the golden light dissipated, a mourning stick appeared in front of Yu Zhao.

Everyone present was stunned. Yu Zhao was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to bow or not, and simply stood there frozen in place.

The monk Huizhen was the first to react, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing, shouting:

"Greetings to the Buddha's disciple! The Buddha has descended to earth, and Buddhism will flourish!"

As soon as he knelt down, his disciple, the young monk Kongxiang, also knelt down and kowtowed.

Yu Zhao, who was being worshipped, was full of questions. She looked at the two people on the ground, then at the mourning staff, and after a long while, she managed to utter:

"Rise?"

Qingxuan: "!!!"

Shen Yunshu: Σ(°△°|||)︴

……

After a while, in a meditation room.

Yu Zhao and her entourage had moved from the main hall to this side. At this moment, Yu Zhao was sitting in the main seat, with what she considered to be the mourning staff in front of her.

Sitting on the left and right sides were the monks Qingxuan and Huizhen. Behind Qingxuan stood Shen Yunshu, while the young monk Kongxiang had been sent out by Huizhen to stabilize the situation.

Today's commotion is quite significant; someone of sufficient status is needed to calm the disciples in the temple.

Qingxuan couldn't hold back any longer and asked Monk Huizhen, "Senior Brother, is there some misunderstanding here?"

She didn't know what the monk Huizhen meant by "Buddha's disciple," but seeing how respectful he was, she knew it was a very important title in Buddhism.

How did his eldest disciple suddenly become a Buddhist disciple?

Qingxuan was still a little dazed at this moment.

She was afraid it was a false alarm, and she was also worried that if her disciple really became a Buddhist disciple, he might get caught up in the internal struggles of Buddhism.

The monk Huizhen noticed Qingxuan's fear and comforted her, saying, "Junior sister, don't panic. This is a wonderful thing."

After offering some reassurance, the monk Huizhen continued speaking:

"My niece received a treasure bestowed by the Buddha, and it was even a replica of the Buddha's protective object. This proves that she is a Buddhist disciple."

You are not from our Buddhist sect and do not understand the significance of this matter. Our Buddhist masters will bury some magical treasures and inheritances in various places, waiting for those with the right affinity to discover them.

The Buddha would naturally do the same. By bestowing the vajra upon his disciple, He meant accepting him as a disciple; thus, the disciple was naturally a son of the Buddha.

At this point, Monk Huizhen's eyes were filled with longing and envy for the vajra placed in front of Yu Zhao. This was a vajra bestowed by the Buddha!

Hearing this, Yu Zhao glanced at the mourning staff, his face darkening, and thought to himself:

"You call this a vajra? This is clearly a mourning staff."

Furthermore, she didn't see it as accepting a disciple; rather, it seemed like she was using a magical artifact to appease her and prevent her from bowing down.

Yu Zhao herself found this guess outrageous. After all, that was Buddha. Even if it wasn't the kind of Buddha she understood, it must have been a powerful being, most likely an ascended one.

What do I have that makes the other party wary? That's why they're willing to give me a magical artifact to appease them.

Looking at Huizhen's fanatical gaze, Yu Zhao suddenly felt that she had been drawn into something strange.

This misunderstanding is huge, and the problem is she can't explain it yet.

How do you explain this? Can you explain it as Buddha giving her the gift because he was afraid she would continue to worship?

Yu Zhao was certain that if she dared to say that, she would never be able to leave Wujue Temple. Her only option now was to play the role of a Buddhist disciple.

I just don't know how high a position this Buddhist disciple can hold within the Buddhist community.

Qingxuan shared the same concern. As soon as Huizhen finished speaking, she hurriedly asked, "Senior brother, will Zhao'er's identity as a Buddhist disciple bring her any trouble?"

None of them were naive. As soon as he heard this, Monk Huizhen understood what he meant. He did not hide anything and told the truth directly, "My nephew did not grow up in Buddhism, nor is he a true disciple of Buddhism. It is true that some people will be dissatisfied."

However, junior sister, you don't need to worry too much. Once you truly join Famen Temple, you will be members of our Buddhist community. With the status of a Buddhist disciple, Famen Temple will definitely do its best to cultivate you.

At that time, no one in the Buddhist community will dare to harm her, and even if some disciples are dissatisfied, they will not go too far.

The meaning behind Monk Huizhen's words was quite clear: there were definitely juniors who wanted to cause trouble for Yu Zhao, but the Buddhist sect would not interfere. The Buddhist sect could only guarantee that no elders would bully the younger ones.

With this assurance, Qingxuan relaxed a bit. She chased Yu Zhao and Shen Yunshu out and planned to tell Monk Huizhen some things that they shouldn't know.

Leaving aside what the two talked about, Yu Zhao and Shen Yunshu returned to their residence. Shen Yunshu picked up the mourning stick-like object, waved it around, then put it down and complained to Yu Zhao:

"Senior sister, how does this magic weapon resemble a vajra?"

This is clearly a mourning staff. Although it doesn't have any evil aura, it is still a mourning staff.

"Don't ask me, I'm confused about it too."

Yu Zhao gave a wry smile. She picked up the mourning stick and played with it for a moment. After hesitating for a while, she decided to try to make it her own.

After recognizing the master, she waited for a while, but the external light screen didn't appear. This made Yu Zhao scratch her head in confusion, muttering to herself:

"Could this really not be a demonic artifact? But why is the Buddhist Vajra made into the shape of a mourning staff?!"

While mentally complaining, Yu Zhao tried to activate the strangely shaped vajra, and surprisingly, it was quite easy to use.

However, Yu Zhao then thought of a very strange scene: when she fights with someone, she stands on a bronze coffin, holds a mourning stick in her left hand and the Emperor's Banner in her right hand... This doesn't look like a righteous cultivator at all!

The thought of that scene immediately made Yu Zhao dejected. She realized that her style was becoming increasingly strange, and every magical artifact looked odd. No one could tell that she was not a righteous cultivator.

But she clearly wanted to be a righteous cultivator, a sword immortal in flowing white robes.

"Senior sister, what's wrong?" Shen Yunshu noticed tears in her senior sister's eyes and asked with concern, "Is something bothering you? Tell me, maybe I can help."

"Quiet down, I'm worrying about my future art style."

"What is art style?" Shen Yunshu asked, puzzled.

Yu Zhao: "...Children shouldn't be so curious."

She became furious and embarrassed.

"oh."

Shen Yunshu instantly became obedient. She snatched the mourning stick from Yu Zhao's hand, played with it for a while, and then lost interest. The thing was too ugly; she preferred a sword.

Speaking of which, all of Senior Sister's magical treasures seem to be strange and varied. It seems that Senior Sister really has the talent to be a treasure cultivator.

That's fine too. Senior sister is a weapon cultivator, and I'm a sword cultivator. From now on, I'll be in charge of killing people, and senior sister can just collect the corpses.

If the ritual implements break, someone can help repair them.

Thinking about all this, Shen Yunshu felt that it would be great if her senior sister became a weapon cultivator. That way, she, as a sword cultivator, would have a dedicated weapon cultivator to bind her with. With good materials for forging precious swords, she wouldn't need to find another weapon cultivator to forge them.

This will save you a lot of money.

hehehe~

Little Green Tea was inexplicably in a very pleasant mood.