The chanting of Buddhist scriptures resonated.
Blood light obscured the sun, and the earth shook violently. A murderous aura filled the heavens and the earth. In that grim, blood-colored Asura World, a ferocious Buddha statue, a hundred zhang tall, appeared behind Chen Mo.
The Buddha had countless arms, some holding sharp swords, others wielding spears and hammers, but all the weapons were stained with crimson blood.
The metallic sounds produced, along with the overwhelming killing intent, were extremely domineering and fierce.
This was no benevolent Buddha saving the world; it was clearly a demon god who would slay even deities.
The moment the Buddha appeared, the world fell into silence, as if plunged into a hellish realm, surrounded by darkness and devoid of color.
Sha Luo and the others stared in shock, their eyes wide as copper bells, utterly dumbfounded by the scene.
The King Kong Magic Ape was the first to feel true fear and terror. Its soul trembled, and it dared not even think of resisting.
A glint of light flashed in Chen Mo's eyes, and then he fiercely slapped the air with his right palm.
Above the Buddha, countless divine weapons moved in unison, colliding with each other.
All the Buddha's arms began to converge, and the weapons in its hands disappeared. Soon, all the arms merged into two.
The two arms clapped together, producing a deafening sound wave.
Then, the Buddha's right palm thrust forward.
With immense pressure, it slammed into the King Kong Magic Ape.
A burst of blood mist exploded into the sky.
The King Kong Magic Ape's life force dissipated, and it collapsed into the river.
Yet, the Buddha's attack did not stop. Its massive blood palm pierced through the ape's body and struck the river, causing it to dry up momentarily.
In the riverbed, a massive crater in the shape of a blood-red palm appeared.
"Ding, you have slain a fourth-tier Magical Beast, the King Kong Magic Ape. Reward: 4,800 Luck Points."
At this moment, Chen Mo's Luck Points had surpassed the ten thousand mark, accumulating to a total of 11,500 points.
Seeing the ape's death, Chen Mo immediately knelt on one knee.
It was his first time using the Hell Stupa, and he hadn't expected the Dharmakaya to drain all the Dou Qi from his body in an instant.
He quickly swallowed a few high-grade Elixirs and, before Sha Luo and the others could approach, stood up, pretending to be unharmed.
"Grand Pavilion Master, are you alright?" Sha Luo and the others hurried out from the surrounding forest. As they approached, Sha Luo asked.
"Just a minor matter," Chen Mo said. "Quick, go check if the Magic Core is still there."
Sha Luo didn't doubt him. After all, the Grand Pavilion Master was someone who could even defeat a Dou Emperor. A fourth-tier Magical Beast was indeed a minor matter.
Not long after, Sha Luo's voice came from the ape's corpse, "Grand Pavilion Master, its Magic Core is still intact."
"That's good," Chen Mo sighed in relief.
Sha Luo approached and handed the Magic Core to Chen Mo, saying, "It's just a pity about the fur."
With such a massive hole, even if it were skinned, it wouldn't be worth much.
Chen Mo didn't take it. Instead, he said, "Exchange it for cultivation resources and Cultivation Art Dou Skills. The Lofty Cloud Pavilion is currently expanding and needs these things."
Seeing that Chen Mo didn't even want the valuable fourth-tier Magic Core, but instead cared about the construction of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion, Sha Luo felt a surge of motivation.
It seemed that the Lofty Cloud Pavilion was not just a plaything for this young master.
Today's hunt had come to an end.
The group hurried back to Desert City before nightfall.
Nalan Yanran had been waiting at the city gate for quite some time. The guards, recognizing her as a member of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion, not only refrained from driving her away but also brought her some fruits to help her beat the heat during her wait.
Sha Luo and the others tactfully left first.
"Senior Sister, you've finally finished your seclusion. I've missed you so much," Chen Mo exclaimed as he picked Nalan Yanran up and lifted her over his head.
"Put me down! There are people around," Nalan Yanran blushed furiously, too embarrassed to face anyone.
"There are people, but no one's watching," Chen Mo said, planting a kiss on her cheek. He then glanced around, and the guards, understanding the situation, politely turned their backs.
"Junior Brother, you—" Nalan Yanran, both embarrassed and annoyed, pinched his waist and said, "Put me down already!"
Having had his fill of teasing, Chen Mo obediently set her down.
"Junior Brother, Elder Gu He has sent a letter. The Alchemist Convention, held once every eight years, will take place in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire in two months. He wants to know how your alchemy studies are coming along," Nalan Yanran said, smoothing her clothes and taking out a letter from her Storage Ring.
"Well..." Chen Mo had been focusing all his efforts on cultivation recently and hadn't practiced alchemy at all.
Although Gu He had praised his talent for alchemy, Chen Mo wasn't particularly interested in it. His true intention in becoming Gu He's disciple was to secure a steady supply of elixirs in the future.
From the looks of it, Gu He had been treating him well so far.
It seemed he would have to put some effort into alchemy in the coming days.
"Senior Sister, please reply to him and say that I'm doing well and will definitely register on time."
Nalan Yanran nodded and said, "I heard from the others that you've been hunting Magical Beasts recently. Were you hurt?"
"Your junior brother is quite capable, haven't you seen that? How could I get hurt?" Chen Mo teased with a playful wink.
Nalan Yanran's face turned red again. "You, you, I'll pinch you to death!"
"Hehe, you can't catch me. I can fly."
"Come down here!"
"No way."
As they playfully bickered, Nalan Yanran handed a bottle of elixirs to the guards as a token of gratitude before they left.
Their laughter echoed as their figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, in the Black-Corner Region.
A faction known as the Xiao Sect had been steadily rising to prominence and establishing its foothold.
In a moderately sized tavern.
The crowd here was a mix of all sorts—ruthless criminals, mercenaries who lived by the blade.
But without exception, no one dared to cause trouble in this tavern.
Besides having close ties with the Sky Serpent Mansion, the tavern's owner was also a powerful Dou Emperor.
...
In Desert City.
Inside a room, Chen Mo was busy with a scroll, dripping blood and signing his name.
After finishing, he took out a gleaming dagger from his Storage Ring and approached the Seven-Colored Tiny Snake.
"Little snake, little snake, if you just give me a drop of your blood and sincerely leave your Snake Mark on this paper, you can have as many Fire Lotus Seeds as you want. How about it?"
The snake seemed to understand, flicking its tongue.
"Good girl."
After collecting the blood and sealing the mark, everything was set.
As the Contract burned in the flames.
There was a kind of telepathic connection between Chen Mo and the Seven-Colored Tiny Snake.
Several more days passed.
Chen Mo was counting the days.
The Fantasy Egg was about to hatch.
Sure enough, at noon.
The eggshell cracked.
Some people have criticized the idea of becoming Gu He's disciple as being quite toxic. Today, I will address this.
First, it was Gu He himself who approached Chen Mo, expressing his desire to take him as a disciple. This, I believe, has nothing to do with flattery.
Second, if Chen Mo wants to quickly enhance his strength, he needs a powerful and resourceful mentor.
Third, why specifically Gu He? Well, since you've joined the Yunlan Sect, it wouldn't make sense to look elsewhere. What would the people of Yunlan Sect think?
Lastly, and what everyo
ne is most concerned about, is Yun Yun's fate.
There's no doubt about this—Yun Yun belongs to Chen Mo, and she is the first female lead.
Having explained all this, if you still find it toxic, there's nothing more I can do.
(End of Chapter)