The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"Come here." Ishihara Akira didn't refuse to answer, but patted his thigh to indicate.

Su Mu glanced at her beautiful eyes, stood up, and swayed her waist as she walked to Ishihara Akira. Ishihara Akira then put his arm around her waist, and she sat down on Ishihara Akira's lap.

“Then I’ll tell you a secret. The reason why the Wusheng Dao and Zhenkong Dao were able to establish themselves, and even gradually extend their reach to Yujing City, is entirely because they have the support of Crown Prince Yang Yuan. Otherwise, do you think the officials of the southern prefectures wouldn’t have discovered or dealt with these two low-class scoundrels? You’re underestimating the strength of the Great Qian Dynasty.” Shi Yuanzhang explained as he slipped his hand inside Su Mu’s clothes to check the maintenance of the granary.

"Crown Prince Yang Yuan is actually the financial backer of the Dao of No Life and the Dao of Emptiness? Why?" Su Mu asked, puzzled.

On one side is the Crown Prince, who has a chance to ascend to the throne, and on the other is a heretical sect that the Great Qian Dynasty would never tolerate. The two are completely unrelated, yet they have somehow become connected. What is Yang Yuan up to? Isn't he afraid that once his secret is exposed, he will lose all hope of ascending to the throne?

Chapter 440 Crown Prince Yang Yuan

"Because Yang Yuan's current main cultivation method is the Future No-Birth Sutra from the three sutras of the Great Zen Temple (past, present, and future), it requires the support of faith. However, as the crown prince, he cannot do such things openly, so he has no choice but to use others to gather the faith of the people for his cultivation," Shi Yuanzhang explained.

"No Bible in the future?! Sure enough, the Great Zen Temple's three scriptures—past, present, and future—have all been seized by the Great Qian." Su Mu suddenly realized, then concluded.

“Then you are wrong. The Great Qian Dynasty only has the Scripture of the Future Without Life, but not the Scriptures of the Past and Present,” Ishihara Akira laughed.

Because the Amitabha Sutra was in his possession in the past, and now the Tathagata Sutra is underground in the Great Zen Temple, it is not so easy for people to find.

"Only the Sutra of No Birth in the Future?" Su Mu frowned.

They did not doubt Ishihara Sho's statement.

As for how Ishihara Sho knew...

She had no interest in finding out.

"Now I'm giving you a task." Having had his fill of playing, Ishihara Akira withdrew his hand and placed it on Su Mu's leg.

"What mission?" Su Mu asked, puzzled.

"Help me compile a list of all the nobles in Yujing City, especially the royal children. The more detailed the better. Ideally, you should find out who their families are and what kind of power they have around them. I need it," Ishihara Akira instructed.

"What are you going to do?" Su Mu asked, frowning.

"I want to see the true strength of the Great Qian Dynasty on the surface," Shi Yuanzhang said with a smile.

"Really?" Su Mu asked skeptically.

Just take it as me being true.

"Alright then." Su Mu looked at him and nodded in agreement.

"I'll be going now. I'll come back to see you in a month," Ishihara Akira said as he picked up Su Mu.

"Ah."

Then Ishihara Akane's figure disappeared, leaving Sanhualou. However, instead of going home, he went directly to the location of the Crown Prince's outer residence, which was recorded in the information he had just read. He transformed into a ghost and sneaked inside.

The pavilions and towers weren't anything special, and the room layouts were irrelevant to him. He mainly wanted to see if there were any other high-ranking officials or nobles who had built their own study rooms in the Crown Prince's outer residence, and then go inside to see if there was anything of interest to be gained.

Unfortunately, the library did have books, but they were mostly common classics and historical texts, with few that were not available on the market. Even if there were, they were rare or unique copies of classics and historical texts, or some that would be considered good outside, but in the eyes of a true high-ranking official like the Crown Prince, they were nothing more than ordinary martial arts manuals, which made Ishihara Akira feel somewhat disappointed.

However, this is quite normal. After all, this is just the Crown Prince's outer residence, and he doesn't come here often throughout the year. So how could he leave anything precious or cherished here?

Even if it was just for show, the Crown Prince wouldn't be foolish enough to bring out forbidden books from the palace to decorate the place.

So after getting a general feel for the Crown Prince's residence and leaving a demonic thought at the Crown Prince's outer residence to monitor the situation, Ishihara Akira returned home with all the knowledge he had recorded while searching the library and continued to accompany Qin Mengyao in practicing martial arts.

……

Then, in the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed, and just as the New Year was approaching, Ishihara Akira finally received feedback from the demonic thoughts he had left at the Crown Prince's outer residence—the Crown Prince had passed away.

Ishihara Akira was taken aback, and immediately used his Divine Speed ​​Technique to cross space and descend to the residence of Crown Prince Yang Yuan outside the palace.

With a sweep of his mental energy, he located the whereabouts of Crown Prince Yang Yuan—

At this moment, he was sitting in his study, flipping through a rare book. Apart from a maidservant serving him, there were two guards outside the door. As for any other hidden guards, Ishihara Akira did not notice them.

Of course, even if there were undiscovered masters, it wouldn't matter. Given the current social environment where immortals don't appear and martial saints dominate the world, Shi Yuanzhang wouldn't necessarily escape unscathed, but he wouldn't face any danger to his life. Therefore, without hesitation, he took another step and appeared in front of the two guards who, judging from their robust qi and blood, were probably at the Innate Martial Master level of the Internal Organ Refining realm. Without giving them a chance to speak, his powerful Ghost Immortal-level spiritual power instantly rushed into their minds, using the effect of the Heaven-Shattering Earth-Shattering Technique to trap their consciousness in a cycle of reincarnation.

Then, Ishihara Akira slipped into the study once more.

Suddenly, Yang Yuan, who himself was close to the cultivation level of a ghost immortal and whose senses were more acute due to his cultivation of the Future No-Life Scripture, and who even had the ability to act on impulse, looked up and saw Ishihara Sho suddenly appear in the room.

Without hesitation, the maidservant immediately escorted the prince to his side.

It was only at this moment that Ishihara Akira discovered that this maid was actually a martial arts master at the Innate Internal Organ Refinement level.

Unfortunately, it meant nothing to Ishihara Akira. With just one glance, the maid's gaze froze, completely under Ishihara Akira's control.

"Who are you, and why do you trespass into my residence?" Yang Yuan was startled but remained calm, displaying composure even in the face of a collapsing mountain, and questioned Ishihara Akira in a low voice.

"Judging from your self-cultivation skills alone, you truly deserve to be Hong Xuanji's disciple and the Crown Prince of Daqian. Unfortunately, none of these identities are of any use to me. After all, the fact that I dared to come to you means that I have enough confidence to deal with the trouble caused by my actions. Therefore, if the Crown Prince does not want to get hurt, or completely lose the opportunity to ascend to the throne because of his impulsiveness, I would appreciate your cooperation."

"What does Your Excellency wish to obtain from me, the Crown Prince?" Yang Yuan asked, frowning.

“The future is without birth,” Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"What if I, the Crown Prince, refuse?" Yang Yuan countered.

"Then I'll have no choice but to force myself on the Crown Prince. But I can't guarantee what kind of harm that will cause him," Ishihara Akira said, spreading his hands in a helpless manner.

"Are you so sure you can easily take me down?" Yang Yuan asked in surprise.

"Although I am quite bold, I am not reckless. I naturally decided to make my move against you at this time only after carefully investigating your situation. Otherwise, how could I have found your residence outside the palace?"

When the Crown Prince bought this house, he didn't do so in his own name. Instead, he had his subordinates do it in their names. The reason given for the purchase was to house his family. However, even the best-laid plans can go awry, and the Supreme Dao's intelligence network is indeed quite impressive. This led to the discovery of the house and the confirmation that it was indeed bought by Crown Prince Yang Yuan for himself to receive foreign officials.

After all, the Crown Prince colluding with foreign officials is something that the emperor greatly fears, whether in the world of Yangshen or in normal historical timelines.

After all, who can be sure that your collusion with foreign officials is to facilitate your future ascension to the throne and take control of the court, or that you want to sideline your father now and become emperor ahead of time?

It's naturally better to be more discreet.

Chapter 441 Seizing Merit

Seeing that the conversation was useless, Yang Yuan stopped arguing. With a thought, he revealed the five faith halos he had cultivated. The light shone brightly, making Yang Yuan look like a sacred figure depicted in a painting, full of holiness.

But then, the halo behind Yang Yuan's head trembled, and five figures with different appearances, seemingly like gods, suddenly flew out from it and guarded Yang Yuan's body.

"Then let me see if you really can easily subdue me as you say," Yang Yuan said with a faint smile, still sitting in his chair, looking at Ishihara Sho in the room with interest.

Then, without his command, the immortals dressed as golden-armored generals, flying fairies, true martial Taoists, refined scholars, and ordinary low-class figures all moved at once and launched an attack on Ishihara Akane.

The first to arrive was the golden-armored general, wielding a red-tasseled spear, who thrust at Ishihara Sho like lightning.

Then came the True Martial Taoist, wielding a Taoist sword, who launched an attack on Ishihara Sho from the Spirit side.

Then came the magic of the flying fairy, the things thrown by low-class people that were hard to classify as hidden weapons, and the powerful attacks formed by the articles written by refined scholars.

It can be said that almost instantly, all of Ishihara Sho's escape routes were blocked, leaving him with no choice but to take the hits and unable to dodge.

However, Ishihara Akira remained calm. He activated the Golden Light Mantra and enhanced it to the maximum extent he could. He then dodged the golden-armored general's spear and grabbed a sash, using the spear as a shield to block the Taoist's sword. He then kicked the Taoist away and transformed into a bolt of lightning, dodging the fairy's magic and the lowly figure's sneak attack. He looked up at the mountains created by the refined scholar's poetry and books, visualized Vajrapani in his mind, and directly manifested the image of Vajrapani behind him. He then raised his fist and punched, causing the refined scholar's poetry, books, and landscape to explode under the bombardment of Vajrapani, turning back into invisible primordial energy that surged in all directions.

Then, Ishihara Sho's body transformed from solid to ethereal, splitting into nine. Eight of them were left to deal with the attacks of the five ghost immortal-level divine soul statues. Ishihara Sho himself passed through the void and appeared directly in front of Yang Yuan. To Yang Yuan's astonishment, surprise, and disbelief, Ishihara Sho flashed and entered Yang Yuan's mind.

The next moment, Yang Yuan's expression changed, and he appeared in a farmer's house...

However, it is not depicted as a human, but rather as a rural mongrel dog.

Most importantly, he was being held down on a stone platform, and another man who looked like a butcher was washing a knife with water, as if he was about to kill him, which made Yang Yuan struggle violently.

It's just a mongrel dog; with its neck pinned down, how could it possibly be a match for a human?

So, not long after, with the butcher's swift stroke, a dog's head fell to the ground with a "thud," ending its life.

Then the scene shifts again, and Yang Yuan appears at the farmer's house once more. However, this time he is no longer a dog, but a chicken. But the treatment is still the same. The owner grabs him by the neck and presses him against the edge of a large bowl. With a slash of a sharp blade, fresh blood flows from his neck.

Then it changed again, from a chicken to a pig...

They turned from pigs into sheep.

They changed from sheep to cows.

In short, he transformed almost every human being and animal.

But their fate was always the same: to be killed and eaten by their masters.

This not only had a significant impact on Yang Yuan's mind, but also continuously weakened his spiritual resistance, making his spiritual power weaker and easier to control.

So, following the six domestic animals, Yang Yuan encountered various identities that were either very easy to die or extremely unpopular, such as becoming a beggar, a courtesan, a servant in a noble family of the Yuan Mongol Empire, a slave in the Shenfeng Kingdom, and a border soldier of the Daqian Dynasty. He then experienced all kinds of hardships until his death.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Yuan's world finally changed, and he returned to his familiar environment—the imperial palace.

However, he was no longer the future Yang Yuan, but had become his younger self, around eleven or twelve years old. He seemed to have come to the Royal Library for some reason and was searching for the secret manuals he wanted to cultivate...

Bull Demon Mighty Fist, Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist, Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, Wheel of Life and Death of All Heavens, Scripture of Creation, Scripture of Unborn Future...

Various names that could not be found elsewhere, or were known only to certain individuals, or were the very essence of a sect's lineage, began to appear in Yang Yuan's field of vision. He then selected, chose, and studied them.

Naturally, he was also taken into the past by Ishihara Sho, who was hiding in the shadows and taking the opportunity to replicate his memories.

Unfortunately, Yang Yuan had only glanced at many things and hadn't read the whole thing. Therefore, he only remembered fragments of many things—such as the Creation Heaven Scripture, the fundamental inheritance of the Dao of Creation, and the Yang Mystic Scripture. They were not suitable for him to record or use as a reference for cultivation.

Fortunately, Ishihara Akira didn't expect to find too much good stuff in Yang Yuan's memories. As long as the fundamental goal of his operation, the Future Life Sutra, was complete, that would be enough.

So after a long time, Yang Yuan finally took out the martial arts technique he longed for—the Future Without Birth Scripture.

Afterwards, Yang Yuan returned to the East Palace with the Future Without Birth Sutra, dismissed the servants around him, and sat alone in the study to carefully and earnestly read the contents of the Future Without Birth Sutra.

……

After a long time...

Of course, this refers to Yang Yuan's perception of time. In reality, it would only be about half a cup of tea's time, less than ten minutes, before Ishihara Akira's figure reappeared beside Yang Yuan. Then, he activated the Future Without Birth Sutra, which he had cultivated alongside Yang Yuan in the illusion, and with one hand, he grabbed the back of Yang Yuan's head. The five layers of faith halo behind Yang Yuan's head twisted like a piece of rubber being stretched...

Then it broke away from Yang Yuan, whose consciousness was still suppressed, and flowed into his body along with the power of Ishihara Sho.

Suddenly, a torrent of noise and din surged toward Ishihara Sho's soul, shaking it like some kind of attack.

This must be the backlash from forcibly seizing someone's cultivation achievements.

Or perhaps it's the poison of incense?

However, Ishihara Akira had anticipated this. He calmly changed the technique he was using, transforming it into the Past Amitabha Sutra from the three sutras of the past, present, and future, thus stabilizing his soul and mind. Then, he activated the power of the Heavenly Demon and easily devoured the strange power carried by the noise and interference. Next, he restarted the Future Unborn Sutra. The fivefold halo of faith that originally belonged to Yang Yuan was officially refined by Ishihara Akira and became his own.

Chapter 442 Chinese New Year