The world of consciousness was pitch black, like a realm of chaos, devoid of any light.
In the midst of this darkness, the sound of metal stamping on the ground echoed.
Following this, a calm and clear voice spoke.
"Benefactor, why do you risk your life to enter hell?"
The tone was devoid of any emotion, neither sorrowful nor joyful, as if it could see through all things in the world.
Shen Zhao clasped his hands together and bowed towards the direction of the voice: "This humble monk, Ranhui, greets the Holy Monk Xuanzang."
As soon as the words fell, stars appeared, illuminating the dark void.
"Fellow Buddhist, you aren't afraid of Hell, and you tread the sea of blood. What is your purpose?"
"To seek the true scriptures from the Holy Monk!"
"Seeking the true scriptures, what do you desire?"
"To sever karmic hindrances and shatter illusions!"
"What are karmic hindrances?"
"Birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, the seven sufferings of life, and traversing the five realms of existence—all are evil hindrances."
"How does one overcome them?"
"By establishing the Four Right Efforts, and having the Vajra suppress the karma."
"Having committed the sin of killing, how can one become a Buddha?"
"Through the three insights of the mind, Wukong, Wuneng, and Wujing, ultimately achieving Bodhi."
"If a Buddha creates karma, what punishment should they receive?"
"Arhats clear the path, as I am the one to sever it."
The twinkling Brahma stars gradually dimmed. Following that, the rhythmic sound of metal stamping on the ground was heard once more, coming closer.
"Amitabha!"
Vast, compassionate light dispelled the chaos. A compassionate monk, his body entwined with Brahma energy, walked slowly towards Shen Zhao, each step creating a lotus flower.
At the same time, the surrounding void transformed abruptly into an Asura field, a place strewn with corpses.
The compassionate monk acted as if he didn't see anything, his eyes only on Shen Zhao, who was close at hand.
"Buddhist friend, I am Xuanzang, and I have been waiting for you here for ten thousand years."
Shen Zhao respectfully returned the greeting, "Master Xuanzang, this humble monk is in your presence."
"By accepting this wish, you will bear all sins. Have you thought it through?"
"This humble monk, Ranhui, will certainly not fail the entrustment of the Holy Monk."
"If that is the case, I am willing to bestow upon you all my life's teachings, and I will leave my unfinished wish to you, Buddhist friend, to complete!"
"Ranhui, accept the great vow of the Holy Monk to save the world!"
As soon as the words fell, a brilliant Buddha light burst forth from Xuanzang's body, and his last remaining consciousness transformed into knowledge, all of which entered Shen Zhao's mind.
In an instant, all of Xuanzang's lifelong cultivation methods were imprinted in his mind, and Shen Zhao gradually entered a state of meditation...
After an unknown amount of time, the inheritance was complete. A seven-colored Buddha halo appeared behind Xuanzang's head, a sign of perfect merit.
With the completion of the inheritance, Xuanzang's figure also gradually began to become transparent.
"Amitabha, after ten thousand years of waiting, I have finally met a fellow practitioner. The West feels it, and it will comfort my compassionate heart. Buddhist friend, I have imparted the Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture in its entirety. Now, my merit is complete, and I should enter Nirvana.
Before parting, I will give you another gift, called the Buddha's Executioner. Each one is formed from my hundred years of foundation. I hope you will make good use of them, Amitabha."
Xuanzang's figure gradually turned into Brahma stars, which scattered and dissipated in the space of consciousness.
"Amitabha!"
Shen Zhao performed a final Buddhist salute towards Xuanzang's disappearing figure.
When Shen Zhao regained consciousness, a tragic sound of battle reached his ears.
And the remains of Xuanzang before him had already turned to dust.
Amidst the smoke and dust, a string of thirty-three rough prayer beads formed a visible bracelet.
"So Xuanzang had long hidden the Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture within the Journey to the West, everything is predestined!"
Shen Zhao picked up the Buddha's Executioner, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He had felt the compassion of the Buddhist in Xuanzang's world of consciousness, that was the sorrow for the suffering of all beings, the helplessness towards the Demons' world-harm, and the confidence in an unpredictable future.
"Young hero, you're finally awake! Quick, the array is breaking, and that lady seems like she can't hold on any longer."
Zhou Yu, seeing Shen Zhao awake, immediately got excited and wanted to step forward.
"Your grand wish, I shall inherit!"
Ignoring Zhou Yu, Shen Zhao just gripped Buddha's Executioner tightly, his eyes firm. He slowly stood up, then strode out of the Land Without Buddha with a resolute air.
Outside the door, the three chief seats and their disciples were already locked in a fierce battle with Mu Qiuyao.
Mu Qiuyao, relying on her Great Mysterious Dao Body and Emperor-Grade Swordplay, although only at the sixth rank of the Supreme Realm, was still able to fight back and forth with the Wrathful Bright King and the other two. Six of the nine disciples had already died under her sword.
However, as time passed, Mu Qiuyao's stamina and spiritual energy couldn't keep up with the consumption. She was now relying entirely on sheer willpower to hold on, just to wait for Shen Zhao to wake up.
"Mu Qiuyao, surrender obediently and become a Buddha Flesh Lotus!"
"Fairy Dynasty Empress, you shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess!"
"No one can save you today!"
The three elders simultaneously struck out with a palm.
"Yellow Springs Sword Intent!"
Mu Qiuyao's sword momentum shifted, and a killing intent surged, instantly transforming into sword intent that condensed on the ordinary iron sword.
However, the ordinary iron couldn't withstand such a terrifying aura of death, and cracks gradually appeared.
"Hold on, just one more strike!"
Mu Qiuyao steadied the sword, then leaped into the air, instantly transforming into thousands of sword forms.
"Nine Stars Sword Art: Break the Army and Sweep the World!"
The sword qi immediately surged downwards, forcing back three figures. At the same time, another Supreme Realm, Grade Two monk was directly engulfed by the sword qi and turned into blood powder.
However, after this move, Mu Qiuyao's longsword could no longer endure the strain and shattered. She was also affected by the residual force of the three palms, her lips turning red as she was sent flying and landed.
The moment she landed, Mu Qiuyao kept retreating. Just as she was about to stumble and fall, she suddenly felt a warm hand press against her lower back, steadying her.
"Kid, you're finally awake."
Shen Zhao frowned, didn't reply to her, and his eyes were fixed on the two disciples from the three figures who were approaching.
"Get back!"
With a roar, Shen Zhao directly raised his fist to meet them, and with a single "thump" of a punch each, he sent them to their deaths.
"Shen Zhao!"
"It's you!"
The three of them were immediately filled with rage upon seeing Shen Zhao.
Wrathful Bright King raised his palm and swept his monk's robe: "Excellent. Since you've obtained Xuanzang's inheritance, then we'll just eliminate you directly, once and for all!"
Yu Chenlun said, "Even if you have Xuanzang's inheritance, so what? It'll take at least three to five years for you to fully mature. Killing you now is still as easy as flipping a hand!"
Tan Beixi said, "Lost souls and karmic hindrances, it is only right that you are eternally annihilated!"
Shen Zhao looked up indifferently, then extended a finger: "One move. You only have one chance! After one move, you'll be done!"
"What a joke!"
Wrathful Bright King roared, instantly mobilizing his core energy.
The other two did the same.
The three of them chanted in unison, and immediately, Buddhist energy surged into the clouds.
Vaguely, a Dharma image of Shakyamuni appeared behind the three of them.
The three of them pushed their core energy to the limit, each unleashing their strongest move, converging into a giant Buddha hand. This hand carried the pressure to destroy the heavens and earth as it slammed towards Shen Zhao and the other two.
Shen Zhao inhaled deeply, concentrating the true energy in his dantian, which momentarily swelled his chest.
"Zhu Long's Roar~~"
An extreme sonic wave, blessed by the chanting, instantly transformed into a five-clawed golden dragon. With the dragon's opening roar, the Buddha hand shattered completely.
The sound waves from the impact shattered the illusory images of Buddhas, sweeping directly over the three figures, instantly turning the Land Without Buddha into ruins.
After the dragon's roar, everything returned to calm. The two sides, now facing each other, stared in silence, neither speaking first.
The next moment, the Wrathful Bright King clenched his fists, blood flowing from his seven orifices, and roared in anger: "Xuanzang! Ranhui! Ah~~"
"BOOM~~"
With a simultaneous explosion, the three figures immediately burst apart, dying instantly.
Mu Qiuyao breathed a long sigh of relief: "It's finally over."
"No, it's not over yet!"
Shen Zhao's eyes turned cold.
As soon as the words fell, black qi condensed above the entire City of Corpses, gradually gathering into an evil, blood-red cloud.
The evil cloud, filled with the mournful cries of a thousand Buddhas, finally descended upon the three corpses.
The shattered remains and the dust scattered in the air reorganized. After being enveloped and spun by a giant vortex, a black-robed monk with a face covered in Sanskrit characters appeared.
"Hehehe~~"
The evil black-robed monk emitted a laugh from the depths of hell, his crimson eyes fixed on Shen Zhao.
Mu Qiuyao felt uncomfortable all over, shrinking behind Shen Zhao, and asked, "What's going on?"
"The culprit of the Buddhist realm, the Evil Taint – unspeakable!"
"It is the Evil Taint?"
"Just a part of it."
Shen Zhao stepped forward, his expression grave.
The Unspeakable continued to emit strange laughter until it realized it was ineffective against Shen Zhao. Only then did it slowly speak, "You think you can deal with me just because you obtained Xuanzang's inheritance?
You're too naive. Even Xuanzang at his peak wasn't my match. What threat can you pose to me with the incomplete technique you've obtained now?"
Shen Zhao smiled coldly, "Although I inherited Xuanzang's will, unfortunately, I am not Monk Xuanzang!"
"What difference is there between you and him?"
"The biggest difference between me and Xuanzang is that Monk Xuanzang, even when killing, still intended to convert you; but I, Shen Zhao, Ranhui! From beginning to end, I have only one attitude towards you, and that is to kill!"
"Roar~~"
Unspeakable roared, and the entire world trembled.
"Kill me? Do you think you can?"
"Do you think I can't do anything to you just because you're a phantom? You'll have the honor of experiencing Xuanzang's legacy today!"
"I'm looking forward to it! Hahaha!"
The Evil Taint didn't seem to care about Shen Zhao's threat, signaling him to attack.
The next moment, Shen Zhao clenched the Buddha's Executioner.
In an instant, the Buddhist energy flowed through his meridians, directly reaching the depths of his qi sea, accelerating the activation of his true essence.
Just as the Evil Taint was focusing on preparing to counter Shen Zhao's attack, suddenly—
"Lost Souls Transformed to Precepts!"
In an instant, a closed barrier appeared around the Evil Taint, directly restricting its movements.
"You dare to trick me!"
The Evil Taint, feeling played, was instantly enraged, but Shen Zhao ignored it. Behind him, eight chains condensed from Buddha energy appeared.
"Buddha Net Heaven Array!"
The next moment, the Buddha chains tightly bound the Evil Taint, and no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
"You..."
"Are you surprised? Why didn't I use the Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture to kill you? That's because you are only a part of the Evil Taint. Using an incomplete Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture to eliminate you,
"Not only will it not bring any changes to the Buddhist realm, but it will also damage the foundation of the Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture, preventing you from acting so recklessly again! I'm not that stupid!"
The Unspeakable was stunned, unexpectedly his plans had failed.
"How long do you think this array can trap me?"
"A few years is enough! By then, I will have completely mastered the Blood Brahma Dragon Scripture, and the Evil Taint throughout the Buddhist realm will surely be purified. I'm never in a hurry!"
"Damn it! You are truly a more terrifying existence than Xuanzang, but do you think you can leave the Buddhist realm? When the Buddhist monks sense my predicament, they will surely tear you to pieces!"
"No need for you to worry, as long as I can make things difficult for you, then the purpose of this trip has been achieved!"
With that, Shen Zhao, along with Mu Qiuyao and Zhou Yu, left the Land Without Buddha without looking back.
-----------------------
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