Longevity Chronicles
Chapter 623 - 405: Burning Incense Buddha Mantra Nurtures Demon Monk, Wu Gou Buddha Son Performs Lion's Roar

Tao Qian and Yunrong, disguised as Wu Gou Buddha's Son and Miao Yin Bodhisattva, did not stay long in Steamed Buddha City.

Less than an hour after entering the city and stirring many storms, the two left under the concealment of a Forbidden Technique Array and headed directly for Qiantang Province.

This meant that Tao Qian had accepted the mission given by the True Lord of a Hundred Demons, Gao Yang—it was a walk-through with great benefits, and only a fool would refuse.

From Gao Yang's perspective, to avoid exposure and because Tao Qian also had the same intention, he agreed to proceed accordingly.

Before leaving, Tao Qian and Yunrong made arrangements mainly to ensure the safety of Duan Yuhong's life.

Should any change occur, this South Sea female cultivator could escape in an instant.

Of course, it was just a precaution.

Now, Gao Buxi was deeply poisoned and beyond saving.

To pose a threat to Duan Yuhong, it was necessary first to slay this direct descendant of the Gao Family, who was also greatly favored by Gao Yang.

...

Steamed Buddha City was a created settlement, located in a mountain range called "Emancipation Ridge."

It was unknown what mystique of the land had led the demon monk of the Demon Buddha Temple to choose this place to settle the lives of the hundred monks of Han Mountain Temple.

However, the eerie nature of this ridge was soon felt by Tao Qian and Yunrong.

The rugged mountains and secluded forests were dotted with Buddhist temples and towers.

Although most were crudely built, one could imagine how thriving the incense offerings were in the past.

The inhabitants of the dozen or so surrounding cities and counties likely all came here to pray and worship the Buddha, hence the name Emancipation Ridge.

Unfortunately, that was in the past.

Now the ridge, scarcely visited and devoid of life, fittingly represented desolation.

The cause was the local weather, which was excessively extreme.

At times, sad clouds and howling black winds prevailed; at others, heavy snow blanketed the sky, and ice fell like rain. There were also nameless gusts, fierce flames, sinister lightning, Fierce Ghosts, resentful souls, and other objects, including some Alien Strange Objects even Yuan Gong couldn't recognize.

Let alone mortals, even Demon Cultivators, without some formidable protective means, couldn't traverse this mountain.

The constantly changing harsh scenery was somewhat similar to Meiling when the Xuanpin Heavenly Gate Ten Absolute Array was laid out, but Meiling was temporary, whereas here it was constant and relentless.

Fortunately, both Tao Qian and Yunrong were Great Divine Power practitioners; otherwise, they really couldn't have crossed Emancipation Ridge.

"First there was Changliu Mountain, and now this Emancipation Ridge."

"The erosion from the Outer Realm onto this territory seems to be intensifying."

On the final leg of the journey through Emancipation Ridge, atop a barren, black-peaked lone mountain ravaged by various natural and strange catastrophes, a Buddha's Son and a Bodhisattva, travel-worn, hurried along.

The former furrowed his brows and looked back, sighing inwardly.

Tao Qian's thought was not a needless worry.

In fact, many ambitious individuals had already sensed the troubles.

Within the seventy-two provinces of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, permanent geographical changes seemed to be accelerating, turning the sea into mulberry fields and enhancing many unexplainable mysterious phenomena.

Incidents like the mutation caused by a Divine Corpse falling on Changliu Mountain, and the peculiar climate inside Emancipation Ridge, were actually not that unusual anymore.

The real challenge lay in those inexplicable phenomena.

Rumors said that even the cultivators from the Great Sects of Daoists, Buddhists, Demons, and Devils couldn't solve them.

After reflecting, the two crossed the mountain range and formally set foot in the heart of Qiantang Province.

Continuing forward, passing through several large markets and dozens of smaller county towns, they would reach the capital city of Qiantang Province, Qiantang City.

Speaking of which, Qiantang City was also an ancient capital.

That wasn't surprising anymore, as currently, in Tao Qian's world, Emperors were the least valuable.

"My lady, according to Gao Yang, Qiantang Province has now been completely transformed into an Earthly Buddha Country by Cheng Arhat in collusion with the Demon Buddha Temple."

"The local customs and scenes here are quite different from other provinces, but they do facilitate our movements."

"We two will use our identities as South Sea Buddhist Practitioners, worshiping at every mountain and entering every temple we encounter, heading straight for the Demon Buddha Temple in Qiantang City."

"There's a place along the way called Yinping City. It has a mountain called Yellow Cloud Mountain where a toad demon claiming to be the 'Swallowing Heaven Great Saint' resides, and we'll seize its life and retrieve the Toad Pearl."

Hearing this, Yunrong had no objections.

As soon as she heard the word "my lady," she smiled warmly, took her husband's hand—the father of their kitten servant's cub.

Summoning an auspicious cloud shaped like a lotus, the pair, resembling a couple from the Western Pure Land, ascended into the sky toward Qiantang City.

But neither of them had expected that just as they started moving,

The auspicious cloud drifted only a dozen miles before a commotion arose from the land below.

With Tao Qian and Yunrong's vision, they could see clearly with barely any effort.

Below was a Human Clan gathering spot.

Three or four small villages surrounded a small town.

Situated by the mountain and water, the resources seemed good; Tao Qian even spotted a silk factory outside the town.

It seemed a festival celebration was underway in the town; even during broad daylight, fireworks could be seen rising, and confetti floated, with at least ten thousand people gathered, cheering something.

Within the crowd, some sharp-eyed individuals spotted Tao Qian and Yunrong and immediately exclaimed in delight.

In one swift motion, ten thousand people kneeled down.

The movement was not only uniform, but these ten thousand people also simultaneously showed fervent expressions, beginning to recite some sort of scripture.

Before Tao Qian and Yunrong could clearly hear, a bizarre scene unfolded:

Smoke began to rise from the heads of esos uomini**.