Chapter 3: The End of Life-Borrowing

Fake.

So fake, it left Shen Bai speechless.

Like some cheap special effects.

But for Wuhua, it seemed to be a source of immense pressure.

’Strange. An illusion this fake shouldn’t have any effect on me at all.’

Shen Bai stroked his chin, thinking to himself.

After a moment of careful thought, Shen Bai understood why.

The Purifying Heart Spell.

This Divine Power possessed two Attributes: Clear Heart and Neutral.

And the Locust Tree’s bizarre attack method was illusion.

In other words, this Divine Power of Shen Bai’s rendered the Locust Tree’s strangeness ineffective against him.

Of course, it still had some effect, like producing these obviously fake images.

As Shen Bai was thinking this, the fake phantoms all rushed toward him in unison.

To anyone else, it might have been terrifying, but with a wave of Shen Bai’s hand, the phantoms vanished in an instant.

Silence returned to the surroundings, with only the massive Locust Tree swaying incessantly.

Shen Bai turned his head, his brow furrowed slightly.

Wuhua still had that tormented look on his face, muttering to himself.

"Beast! You beast!"

"Today, I shall Transform into the Furious Vajra to slay this demon!"

"If heaven had not given birth to me, Wuhua, the path of Buddhism would be like an endless night!"

"Hahaha, you flatter me, you flatter me! I merely study the Buddhist Teachings from time to time. I am unworthy of the title ’Master’."

Shen Bai: "?"

’I think I’ve stumbled upon something incredible. This young monk seems to have a repressed side.’

’As expected, everyone in this world has two sides to their personality.’

As Shen Bai thought this, he felt that if Wuhua continued like this, things were going to get out of hand.

At that moment, the Qi emanating from Wuhua’s body was growing increasingly unstable.

Shen Bai thought for a moment, then placed a hand on Wuhua’s shoulder.

The next moment, an ancient incantation flowed from Shen Bai’s lips.

As the ancient incantation emerged, an ethereal, otherworldly aura emanated from Shen Bai, making him seem like a Banished Immortal who had descended to the mortal realm.

And as the incantation continued, Wuhua, who had been on the verge of madness, gradually began to calm down.

The conflict in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a look of composure.

"Was I trapped in an illusion?"

"Was it Donor Shen who pulled me out?"

"This... what scripture is this? How can it have such a miraculous effect?"

Wuhua posed his three soul-searching questions, feeling only that Shen Bai had become even more mysterious in his eyes.

He was a skilled fighter, intelligent, and knew a mysterious scripture.

A person like him would be fought over tooth and nail by the major powers in Fenglin State, especially given how young he was.

Shen Bai smiled. "It’s just a little trick."

The Purifying Heart Spell could not only be used on oneself but on others as well, though the effect was slightly diminished.

Wuhua gave a wry smile. "Donor Shen, I am no match for you. You are the true young prodigy. It was arrogant of me to be considered an expert of Xuanxin Temple’s younger generation."

Shen Bai clapped Wuhua on the shoulder and said, "The world is full of experts. If you have this kind of thought every time you meet one, it will be very difficult to improve."

Wuhua nodded and pressed his palms together. "I was caught up in appearances."

Shen Bai said no more. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Wuhua and walked toward the Locust Tree.

The closer they got to the Locust Tree, the more realistic the illusions became.

But to Shen Bai, the illusions were still far too fake.

The Purifying Heart Spell was like a Sacred Text from the heavens, constantly spreading across the island.

Following behind Shen Bai, Wuhua couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

He felt that as Shen Bai chanted the incantation, it was as if he were surrounded by thousands of Immortals—mysterious and terrifying.

The originally difficult task seemed to have become as simple as eating and drinking.

After a few breaths’ time, the two of them arrived in front of the Locust Tree.

The Locust Tree feebly extended its branches, mustering all its strength to unleash its illusory powers, but in the face of Shen Bai, it was pale and powerless.

"It’s time to end this."

Shen Bai drew the Longsword from his waist.

The sword flashed, its magnificent righteous Qi blazing like the scorching sun.

Shen Bai slashed with his sword, and a massive gash appeared on the Locust Tree’s trunk.

The entire Locust Tree began to tremble, shuddering weakly under the force of the blow.

A wisp of ash appeared at the top of the tree. Gradually, under Shen Bai’s Longsword, the entire Locust Tree turned into a sky full of embers.

Two wisps of Evil Qi drifted out and then entered Shen Bai’s body.

Shen Bai’s face remained expressionless, but inside, his heart was blooming with joy.

He had thought he would get one wisp of Evil Qi from this trip at most. He never expected to end up with two.

’It makes sense, though,’ he thought. ’This Locust Tree came from Xuanxin Temple, so it was an extremely powerful bizarre entity. Getting two wisps of Evil Qi is to be expected.’

It could only be said that Shen Bai was the Locust Tree’s natural counter.

On the ground, the mutilated corpse of the female disciple from the Hundred Medicines Valley had not disappeared.

But once the Locust Tree was destroyed, the pained expression on the corpse’s face relaxed into one of peace.

Wuhua went forward to examine it, then pressed his palms together. "No resentful energy has formed. Even after suffering such a fate, her heart remained as clear as a mirror in death. A disciple of the Hundred Medicines Valley indeed."

Shen Bai gazed at the corpse and said, "Let’s give her a burial."

Wuhua nodded. "Donor Shen, please wait while I chant the scriptures to guide her soul."

Passages of Buddhist Scripture flowed from Wuhua’s mouth, filled with a sacred aura.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wuhua stopped.

Working together, the two of them buried the body in the center of the island.

Wuhua extended his hand, holding the Buddha Bead out to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Wuhua smiled. "If it weren’t for you on this journey, Donor Shen, my chances of survival would have been slim. The Abbot once said that even monks are human and should remember their debts of gratitude. Please accept this Buddha Bead as a gift."

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you afraid the temple will blame you? This Buddha Bead was given to you by the Abbot."

Wuhua shook his head. "It was meant to be used anyway, and it only has one use left. Now that the Locust Tree is dealt with, the Buddha Bead has fulfilled its purpose."

Shen Bai thought for a moment before taking the Buddha Bead.

He needed Deceitful Objects. Since Wuhua was offering it, there was no reason to refuse.

"Let’s go. It’s time to head back," Shen Bai said.

On this trip, not only had he gained two wisps of Evil Qi, but he had also acquired a Deceitful Object. For Shen Bai, this was a huge score.

Once he returned, he could rapidly increase his strength.

The thought of being able to qualitatively transform the Purifying Heart Spell and use a wisp of Evil Qi to appraise the Buddha Bead made Shen Bai wish he could run back immediately.

Wuhua nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Donor Shen, you should be careful for the foreseeable future."

Shen Bai was already about to leave. Hearing Wuhua’s words, he asked, puzzled, "Is something big happening soon?"

Wuhua nodded. "The Observatory’s inspection is imminent. That is what’s happening."

Shen Bai was slightly confused. "They’re inspecting officials. What does that have to do with me?"

The Observatory’s inspection was indeed important, but the one who should be most worried was the County Magistrate. He himself was just an ordinary citizen who was a bit better at fighting; it had nothing to do with him.

Wuhua sighed. "Xuanxin Temple cooperates with the Observatory to eliminate bizarre entities, so we have a good relationship. We’ve learned some news from the Fenglin State branch of the Observatory."

"This time, the inspection in other places is just an inspection. But Fenglin State is different."

"Besides the inspection, there is one other matter..."