Tao Qian and Duobao had agreed on a plan and were just about to act to seize the treasure.

Suddenly, that vile curiosity aroused again, and the People Species Bag was untied.

A gentle weigh of the bag's opening and instantly tens of thousands of light points descended, rolling on the ground like gourds, filling the three streets and six markets before them.

The Ten Thousand Demons lay prostrate on the ground, bodies feeble and weak, reeling in a daze, groaning incessantly.

At this moment, without much fear, they were all puzzled and called out:

"That Buddha's son, what treasure is this, what is it called?"

"No need to ask him, such a fine object must consume a great deal of mana to use, how many hours can he last? We are undying and will eventually exhaust him to death. When that time comes, we'll feast on his flesh and soul, naturally understanding the details of this object."

"Such a fine treasure, this Buddha's son, he couldn't have come from the Free Temple, could he?"

"Close enough, quite formidable indeed."

"Pity he wandered into our Evil Country and now he can't get out."

Seeing the Ten Thousand Demons still babbling, Tao Qian only smiled.

Looking at the Record in his mind, he confirmed that this place was indeed sealed off, and they could struggle all they wanted.

Suddenly, he took out a round Wa Dang and, without any courtesy, smashed it directly onto the Evil Mirror in front of him.

A fine Demon Buddha Treasure was no match for a tile from the roof of the Toad God from the Outer Realm.

With a crisp crack, it shattered completely.

Then, under the incredulous gaze of the Ten Thousand Demons, the entire "Evil Country" began to fade in color.

Buildings, streets, cities... all vanished.

Even the majestic and glorious Glazed Palace collapsed into nothingness like a bubble with a popping sound.

In its place was a sea.

A dark, viscous, polluted sea, supporting the feeble body and soul of the Ten Thousand Demons.

Where the Evil Mirror stood, there was an extraordinarily alluring black lotus, as auspicious as one could be, large as a millstone, and yet still unopened.

Seeing the black lotus, the Ten Thousand Demons all felt a connection, their souls pledged within it.

Just as they were puzzled, they saw that strange Buddha's son, while taking out an awe-inspiring and imposing Copper Tripod from the treasure cloth bag, cruelly revealed a harsh truth for the Ten Thousand Demons:

"This thing is called the 'Demon Buddha Evil Lotus,' corresponding to the authentic Buddha Treasure, the Merit Golden Lotus."

"After the lotus blooms, it can be refined into a Lotus Platform."

"With each incremental grade, its power surges unimaginably."

"The Demon Buddha Temple has been established for many years, and their highest achievement is only a Twelve Grade one."

"This budding lotus has yet to bloom, not to mention grading, it isn't even a Lotus Platform yet, but it remains one of the rarest Buddha Treasures."

"This lotus requires the absorption of all people's evil thoughts and karmic obstacles to grow, and often needs some fertilizer."

"You all, wrapped in sins with not a trace of humanity, are the best fertilizer."

"To be honest, even if this poor monk hadn't come today, not as your destined calamity, you wouldn't have many days left to live."

Having said that, a look of fear finally appeared on the faces of the Ten Thousand Demons.

They were beasts, but not one of them was foolish.

Seeing the actions of Tao Qian, they knew that this Buddha's son intended not only to take the Demon Buddha Evil Lotus but also to deal with them all.

Realizing this, the tens of thousands of beasts grew even more terrified.

It was a pity that the numbing effect of the People Species Bag was still in place, otherwise they would likely have all begun to retaliate like madmen.

They all had a premonition: better to die by their own hands than at the hand of this person.

At the same time, they all pondered and recalled: with such an all-consuming approach, which Great Sect did this Buddha's son belong to?

The Ten Thousand Demons were unable to resist and could only weakly curse, argue, and beg for mercy... their shameful behavior all too evident.

"It's useless, you can't kill us; as long as the Evil Country exists for one day, we are undying."

"You, who come from a Great Sect as a Buddha's son, why don't you understand the principle of the unity of Demon Buddha? You can't exterminate us."

"If you're here to take the treasure, then take it; why speak of sins and destinies, it's terribly hypocritical."

"Great Master, spare our lives, we still have our uses, you cannot kill us."

"Buddha's son, please realize our souls are within the Evil Lotus, even if you take the Evil Lotus, you can spare our lives. It would be better than wastefully killing us."

"Daoist friend, this poor monk is willing to pledge allegiance to you, and offer all the Secret Books from my body like the 'Han Mountain Vajra Sutra,' 'Yanfu Demon God Palm,' 'Shipi Refining Demon Skill,' and many Han Mountain Buddha Treasures, just begging you to spare my life."

Compared to cursing, there were more pleas for mercy.

Of all these pleas, the words of Mijia Monk, the traitor of the Han Mountain Temple, stood out the most.

Sadly, he was first met with the mockery of other Evil Demons, and then with the disregard of Tao Qian.

"Ha-ha-ha... Mijia, you fool, you've squandered all your cultivation only to chicken out like this."

"Heh, it's obvious you all haven't heard of the secret tale about Master Mijia; it's rumored that Han Mountain Temple's Mijia Monk had a deep affection for his Master, Zen Master Xingyin, to the extent of mutual affection, so much so that they even cultivated the Dragon Yang Secret Technique together, making them a pair of divine companions."

"Who would have thought that on the night Cheng Arhat rebelled, the renowned Mijia Monk would voluntarily join the Demon Buddha Temple, leading Shipi Arhat around the Great Prohibition of Han Mountain and ultimately betraying over a hundred high monks of Han Mountain Temple. Before stepping into Steamed Buddha City, Zen Master Xingyin renounced his ties with Master Mijia, berating him for sowing such evil causes, insisting that he must taste the evil consequences and would not die well."

"Tsk tsk, seems that prophecy is coming true."

"No wonder Master Mijia managed to reach the fourth level, while we did not have such ability."

...

The Ten Thousand Demons who now mocked Mijia Monk obviously didn't do so out of a sense of justice.

All of the Ten Thousand Demons had a premonition that a great terror of death and obliteration of their paths was approaching. With their bodies weak and paralyzed, they couldn't even resist or take their own lives.

Therefore, they directed all their malice towards Mijia Monk.

The monk had somewhat regained his strength, the six arms cradling the scripture and sacred relic, laboriously crawled toward Tao Qian.

It appeared as though he wanted to fall to his knees before Tao Qian, pleading for mercy.

Unfortunately, Tao Qian saw through his intentions at a glance, they were nothing more than a desperate attempt to strike back in his struggle for survival.

With a cold laugh, Tao Qian paid him no heed.

He threw the Yu Ding in his hand, which surged with the powerful mana from within Tao Qian's body and the fortune of the Human Dao.

This Ancestor God Treasure suddenly expanded dramatically, flipping upside down, and enveloping the entire Evil Country—including the Ten Thousand Demons and the Demon Buddha Black Lotus.

Before the Ten Thousand Demons were incorporated into the tripod, they finally heard a telepathic message from Tao Qian,

"My fellows, the true hour of your calamity has arrived."

"I hope you can hold out a little longer. Inside this tripod, both the fortune of the Human Dao and the Karmic Fire of All People are more than enough."

Hearing these words from Tao Qian and beholding the terrifying sight churning from within the tripod,

Among the Ten Thousand Demons now transformed into refining materials, those Evil Demons who had only recently joined the Evil Country reacted.

They were shocked beyond belief and shouted incredulously,

"It's the Yu Ding! This is one of the Nine Provinces' Twelve Treasures, the Yu Ding of the Ancestor God!"

"He's not Buddha's son; he's Tao Qian—the one wanted by the Spirit Treasure Dao!"

"How is this possible? How dare he set foot in Qiantang?"

...

Though some had come to their senses, it was meaningless now; it simply added to their regret.

What was to come next for these Evil Demon beasts was true torture.

Their bodies, wills, and souls would be scorched and eradicated piece by piece in the Human Dao's fortune and the Karmic Fire of All People.

They could feel this process distinctly.

Even the will of the Outer Realm Evil Gods couldn't resist this, let alone these lowly Evil Demons.

After consuming the entire Evil Country, Tao Qian straightforwardly stowed away the Yu Ding.

With a single thought, his Taoist body exited the portal and reappeared in Lingtian City.

To the outside observer, it seemed that Tao Qian had been toiling in that bizarre Evil Land for a long time; in reality, not even 15 minutes had passed—as Tao Qian had said, there and back in no time.

This Evil Land contained tens of thousands of Evil Demons.

It seemed a large number, but including the Mijia Monk, none could pose a threat to Tao Qian.

Of course, it was also because the "Evil Country" within Qiantang Province had only recently formed and was still feeble and immature; thus, allowing Master Tao Da to break in and unexpectedly snatch the true treasure inside.

Had it been the Evil Country ruled by the Demon Buddha Temple, Tao Qian would likely have met disaster upon entering it.

"To be earnest, I only had this one chance to get a Demon Buddha Evil Lotus."

"It's no wonder that Master would prefer to expose a false identity afterward to assist me."

Tao Qian was contemplating this in his heart, Th@is c*ha%pt#er was f&irs^t s#een$ on MV!^*L*E^M^!P$Y-R-.-

When he saw, before his eyes, the old Jialan, having returned from his state as a Buddha Light portal to a human form, grow increasingly weaker, aging another ten years in an instant.

Clearly, with the destruction of the Evil Land by Tao Qian, this guardian Dharma-protecting Divine Spirit had been severely wounded along with it.

Struck by this calamity, Old Jialan wore a joyful smile on his face, free from any trace of prior sorrow.

He began to pay his respects to Tao Qian, trembling and unsteady; the crowd quickly supported him.

They heard Old Jialan cry out, half in tears and half in release,

"Buddha's son is merciful, relieving this old one of the stubborn illness in my body and the great suffering in my soul."

"Born with the Evil Land, every time evil people entered, the sins they committed had to pass through my soul once more."

"And I could do nothing to stop them, only allowing them to escape their karma unscathed in that Evil Land."

"Even more tragic was knowing that once the Evil Land existed, Mortals had no hope left."

"Let those unrestrained Cultivators be; many more heinous thieves, murderers, and beasts who committed countless sins could escape punishment by hiding within that Evil Land."

"As time passed, all would turn to evil, and humanity would gradually be lost."

"Thank Buddha's son for taking action, removing this rotten tumor from Qiantang's All People."

"Comparatively speaking, I truly do not deserve the name Jialan Protector God; I, like my peers in the other four Evil Lands, am but a worm dwelling in the tumor."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt pity.

The Jialan Protector God was a Good God at birth and could have the potential to achieve true enlightenment in the jurisdiction of Guanyin Temple or Free Temple.

But in the Demon Buddha Temple's territory, it was akin to a Mortal being born into the wrong life.

To either persist in suffering or to fall and become an Evil God.

This Old Jialan was of the former.

"Regrettably, though the tumor is removed, the root of evil remains."

"As long as Qiantang is under the rule of the Demon Buddha Temple, the Evil Land can regenerate continuously."

"I cannot do too much, only end my own life, delaying the birth of the second Evil Country by ten years."

"Amithaba, well done, well done."

As these words were spoken, even Tao Qian was startled.

Looking over, they saw Old Jialan's originally frail body turn transparent; Buddhist Light fragments visibly fluttered away, piece by piece diminishing his form.

This god, who could have been immortal, chose to end himself for the sake of delaying the Evil Land's birth and preventing harm to Mortals.

(ps: Three chapters for monthly ticket.)