After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

Zhou Ran pondered the ancient monk's words, "Do not seek externally," and remained silent for a moment.

When I looked up, my gaze was different.

Upon seeing this, the ancient monk, who had the face of a seven or eight-year-old child, let out a laugh that was out of character for his age.

He reached out and patted Zhou Ran's newly grown Qilin arm. It felt cold and hard, like black iron.

"Benefactor, there is no need to worry."

Fate cannot be forced, but if it's a karmic entanglement, it should be severed.

The ancient monk smiled kindly, but his words revealed a murderous aura.

Didn't I teach you the Great Sun Tathagata Purification Mantra?

If you feel your connection with that person in your sea of ​​consciousness has ended, and you can't stand the sight of them anymore, just recite their name eight hundred times a day to curse them to death.

"Saving him is also a good deed for you."

Zhou Ran's facial muscles twitched, and he didn't know how to respond.

"Master, isn't your family's murderous intent a bit too strong?"

"If that old man is really gone, who will inherit my demonic skills?"

Besides, my skills are currently very limited, and in crucial moments, I'll have to rely on him to step in and support me.

After listening, the ancient monk simply shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Zhou Ran joked, but his heart was in turmoil.

What exactly is his relationship with Ye Futian?

Master and disciple?

What a huge joke.

That old demon came with the intention of possessing another's body from the very beginning.

The so-called "transmission of skills" is nothing more than farmers feeding pigs, hoping they will be fattened up so they can be butchered and eaten at the end of the year.

As for the old demon protecting himself...

The two sides are nothing more than grasshoppers tied to the same rope, engaging in a tacitly agreed-upon deal.

Since it's a transaction, why talk about feelings?

Once this thought was clear, Zhou Ran's tense jawline slowly relaxed, and a cold smile even escaped from the corner of her mouth.

The slight hesitation that had arisen just now because Ye Futian had risked his life to save him had completely vanished.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Zhou Ran's eyes cleared completely, revealing a cold cunning.

"Once I have mastered my divine skills, if that old man still dares to harbor any disloyal intentions, I will refine him into my second primordial spirit, so that he will be at my command day and night."

"Or, we could simply extract his consciousness and turn him into a puppet that serves tea and water. That would be quite an interesting sight."

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the dormant, dim soul bead trembled almost imperceptibly before falling completely silent.

The ancient monk clasped his hands together, offering no comment on Zhou Ran's declaration of "betraying his master and ancestors."

He simply turned around and looked into the vast, swirling mist deep in the valley.

"Master, where are you going?"

Zhou Ran asked.

The ancient monk shook his head helplessly, his bare feet stepping on the pebbles, yet they remained spotless.

"The world is my home."

He left behind only these four words.

"There are still many filthy creatures like the 'Yi' on this land."

My cultivation level has plummeted, and my golden body has been destroyed, but my Buddha bones and vows remain.

While we can still move around, let's go see what other places we can do; if we can subdue one, we'll do it.

Having said that, he didn't linger, and his small figure stepped into the swirling gray fog.

His silhouette was solitary, yet his steps were exceptionally firm, each one treading on the pulse of the mist.

That small body exuded a resolute determination that said, "Even if there are thousands of people against me, I will go."

The swirling mist quickly swallowed his figure, leaving only a series of shallow footprints.

This proves that there was once a high-ranking monk who was willing to use his frail body to measure the suffering of the world.

"Boss, that old bald monk is finally gone!"

Bai Xuan scurried over to Zhou Ran's feet, looking relieved to have survived a close call.

"Grandpa was so scared!"

The way he looked at me just now, I felt like he wanted to take me home and cook me a pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!

Zhou Ran glanced at it, his voice indifferent.

He saved your life.

"Pshaw, he did it voluntarily!"

Bai Xuan curled his lip, then switched to a fawning tone.

"Boss, where do we go next?"

"This Valley of Ten Thousand Medicines is brimming with treasures. Shall I take the boss to loot it?"

Beside her, Su Qingwu recovered from the dizziness she had just experienced after waking up.

She rubbed her temples, looking at Bai Xuan with a puzzled expression.

"That master is clearly a handsome little monk of seven or eight years old, why do you all call him 'Old Bald Donkey'?"

Su Qingling, like a curious child, nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"Yes, yes, and he speaks with great wisdom; he's a wise and enlightened person."

Zhou Ran and Bai Xuan exchanged a glance, and the latter made a "you know what I mean" gesture with his roots, full of helplessness at talking to a brick wall.

"That shows your skills are too shallow."

Bai Xuan picked his teeth with a beard and lectured in an old-fashioned manner.

"That old guy lived longer than all your ancestors for eighteen generations combined!"

That physical appearance is merely a facade, a mere "appearance".

In reality, he had many hidden thoughts in his mind.

Hey, he's only a tiny bit worse than our boss.

"roll."

Zhou Ran kicked it away.

He moved his newly grown arm, which had become a perfect fusion with his flesh and blood.

He is still unable to fully control the power of breaking the law contained within it.

But he was fascinated by the sense of power that allowed him to crush the air with every gesture.

Even though his cultivation level is still stuck at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and he has not yet established his foundation.

Zhou Ran was confident that with this hand, if he encountered a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage again, he would dare to fight him head-on and tear him apart!

"Ten-minute break."

Zhou Ran took out several bottles of Qi-restoring pills from his pocket, and without even looking at them, casually tossed them to the Su sisters.

"Now that I'm here, I must take the Dragon Blood Grass with me."

Whoever blocks the way, dies.

Su Qingwu hurriedly caught the pill, and the residual body heat on the bottle made her cheeks inexplicably hot.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, both seeing the complexity in each other's eyes.

Before falling into a coma, the memory of having one's meridians forcibly torn and widened, and of spiritual energy washing over one's entire body like a raging tide, was painful and shameful, but it also brought immense benefits.

They could sense that the previously fragile foundation had now become incredibly solid and stable.

The backlash from the "Tidal Holy Body," which had been plaguing them like a leech, was also forcibly suppressed and tamed by Zhou Ran's domineering demonic energy.

This is like a small river that often overflows being forcibly dug by Zhou Ran into a wide canal capable of accommodating 10,000-ton ships using the most brutal methods.

Although the process was brutal, the road ahead is smooth.

This counts as...

A blessing in disguise?

Su Qingling's gaze involuntarily drifted to Zhou Ran's back, then quickly landed on his left arm, which gleamed with a metallic sheen.

She felt her cheeks burning and instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes.

This man is fierce.

but……

It really makes me feel safe.

Ten minutes later.

Zhou Ran stood up, his Zanpakuto still in its sheath, casually held in his right hand.

His left arm, which resembled a unicorn, clenched into a fist, and the joints emitted a series of crisp popping sounds.

"Walk."

There is only one word.

He strode forward, followed by three "accessories"—one large and two small—each with a different expression, as he headed towards the core of the Valley of Ten Thousand Medicines.