Preparations for the Journey Home

Xilai allowed the vengeful spirits and ghosts to devour his flesh and blood. Soon his body was covered with gaping wounds, and his face even revealed bare bones. He no longer had a handsome appearance, but he showed no sign of pain. Instead, he felt a sense of relief that his wish had been fulfilled.

After the ghosts devoured his Essence Blood, they were also infected by his will, their resentment vanished, and they were freed from their obsessions. Half of them bowed to Xilai after regaining their senses, while the other half remained angry and resentful, spitting and cursing. But in either case, they broke free from their restraints, and their figures gradually disappeared.

In the end, all things ceased to exist, and all returned to silence.

The suppressed injuries on Xilai's body erupted all at once, blood splattered, spring returned to the earth, and the Bodhi tree behind him, which had long since withered, sprouted anew after being nourished by the Essence Blood.

Although it is a sacrifice, it does not mean death, but rather a rebirth in another form through dedication.

Xilai formed the "Nirvana Heart Seal" with his hands, which dissolved into the Buddhist prayer beads. He then handed it to Henzhen, saying, "This item is the inheritance of the Heart Seal Lineage; I entrust it to you."

Henzhen opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to refuse. Instead, she said, "I'll only keep it for you. If a suitable successor comes along in the future, I'll hand it over to him."

Xilai smiled nonchalantly, not exposing the other party's insincerity, and clasped his hands together, chanting. "Drums beat in the vast ocean, bells resound on Mount Sumeru. The Mirror of Karma suddenly shatters, leaping out of the void."

Then he closed his eyes and passed away peacefully with a smile.

Henzhen held the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, remaining silent for a long time, her eyes seemingly filled with tears.

A moment later, she said to Xilai's corpse, "You want to ask someone for a favor, but you won't even pay them. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Since you have nothing of value, I'll take this body."

After saying that, she activated the unique possession technique of the Monster Race, and her body gradually merged with Xilai's. Her originally broken corpse was also quickly restored, and soon she was back to normal, and her wounds were healed.

Then, Xilai's body began to writhe and deform, and his skeleton changed accordingly, making a rattling sound. After a moment, the body had completely transformed into Henzhen's appearance, except that he no longer had deer antlers and fish scales, and looked just like Human Race.

The following morning, Glazed Temple welcomed a new disciple.

"Everyone says that the Buddha's teachings are boundless. Can you, my mortal race, truly convert a Monster Race who sincerely seeks enlightenment?"

Chapter 402 Preparations for the Return Journey

At the Heavenly Martial Alliance headquarters, Si Ming, bandaged up like a mummy, lay in a rocking chair basking in the sun, looking like a cripple being pampered. He appeared to be in much worse condition than when he first arrived in the Barbarian Continent, truly becoming the "Sick Young Master."

The injuries sustained from fighting the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King were extremely severe. All his meridians had burst, and his internal organs were riddled with ruptures. His heart was so badly injured that it felt as if it had been crushed by an invisible giant hand. When Fashan came to treat his injuries, his first reaction was not how severe his injuries were, but rather that he was still alive despite such severe injuries—it was a biological miracle!

Given the extent of the damage to Si Ming's internal organs, it's fair to say that these organs have lost 90% of their function. Let alone an ordinary person, even Grandmaster would be dead beyond any hope of survival. Yet, he is still alive, and even if left unattended, his injuries will at most fail to heal, and even the King of Hell cannot take him away.

The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, his physical strength is exceptionally high, and even with less than one percent of his Jing Essence remaining, he still possesses more than ordinary martial artists; secondly, his bones and muscles, tempered by the Vajra Demon-Subduing Power, and his bloodline, tempered by the Asura Divine Power, are also remarkable. The former maintains his physical framework, preventing his body from deforming, while the latter can carry more energy to nourish the physiological functions of various parts of his body.

Besides these obvious injuries, there were other hidden dangers, but most of them were resolved thanks to the all-out treatment at Glazed Temple. All that remained was quiet recuperation. The medicated cloth wrapped around Si Ming's body was coated with "King of Hell's Sigh," a medicinal ointment made from various heavenly materials and earthly treasures such as Tianshan snow lotus, thousand-year-old ginseng, and thousand-year-old lingzhi. It was said to be able to save anyone except the dead, and its medicinal power was extremely strong.

Ordinary people would get nosebleeds just from smelling the odor, because they are too weak to tolerate such treatments. Even when used to prolong the life of a martial artist, the odor is usually only applied to the area near the heart on the chest. Only Si Ming's physical condition is strong enough to withstand the "whole-body therapy." Now he is itchy every day, but he can't move, which is tormenting him. His willpower has been boosted.

Originally, there was still Power of Anomalies remaining in Si Ming's body. Fortunately, Hongdou, who inherited the power of the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, was there and absorbed all of this Power of Anomalies. Otherwise, even with the divine medicine "King of Hell's Sigh", it would have been difficult to recover.

Furthermore, since all of his meridians were torn apart, even if he recovers in the future, his cultivation of Internal Cultivation will be much less effective. When Fashan mentioned this, he felt extremely guilty, feeling that his side had caused a peerless genius to lose his potential to advance and become stronger, which was a great sin.

But Si Ming knew that even if his meridians were completely restored, he wouldn't be able to cultivate Internal Cultivation. After all, he wasn't following the traditional path to cultivate Internal Cultivation, so it wouldn't be of much use to him. Rather, it was a matter of breaking down and rebuilding. His reborn meridians might not show signs of depletion, and he might have a chance to cultivate orthodox Internal Cultivation.

Beside Si Ming lay a golden Buddhist weapon, radiating a gentle light. Under its illumination, the surrounding vegetation grew rapidly, with pear trees and grapevines blooming and bearing fruit out of season. It was none other than the Wheel Wheel-Turning King Sword.

Although this Buddhist sword was a divine weapon forged by the Glazed Temple over a hundred years, consuming countless manpower and resources, they wouldn't be so stingy as to discard a useful tool after Si Ming had made such a great sacrifice for eliminating the Spirit King. Considering that the Wheel-Turning King Sword had the effect of stimulating life force and healing injuries, they gave it to Si Ming as well. In any case, this sword was created to eliminate the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, and now that his fate was sealed, keeping it would only add another weapon to the arsenal. It would be better to use it to repay a debt of gratitude.

Si Ming readily accepted the sword. It was an exquisitely beautiful Buddhist sword, with patterns so delicate they were visible down to the micrometer level, and the creases were only visible under a microscope. Moreover, the sword was made of a special material that looked like it was made of pure gold. It would automatically glow in the dark, combining artistry and nobility with a regal air and religious aura. It was a papal sword. Even if it had no other use, carrying it around to show off would make people envious.

Moreover, the Wheel-Turning King Sword is not merely for show. While it may not be as sharp as Murong Qing's "Moon God's Tear," it possesses the ability to suppress inner demons, cure chronic illnesses, and stimulate vitality. Furthermore, when worn, it provides a certain amplification effect when using Buddhist School martial arts, and it has a restraining effect against evil creatures such as Monster Race and Ghost Race.

Such a practical and gorgeous weapon was something Si Ming had no reason to refuse. More importantly, it could make people grow hair quickly!

Once he spreads the word, there will definitely be many "patients" suffering from midlife crises waving large sums of money, begging him for help. Among these patients, there will certainly be many wealthy businessmen with tens of millions in assets and high-ranking officials who are extremely powerful—not everyone can cultivate martial arts to the point of "growing hair from a bald head".

Besides the Wheel-Turning King Sword, this battle also yielded the Purple Primal Emperor Slash. When the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King transformed, the power of his self-destruction shattered the Crimson Blood Divine Blade, yet this evil blade remained undamaged, demonstrating its exceptional durability.

Unfortunately, this evil blade recognizes its master, and currently only Hongdou, who inherited the bloodline of the Spirit King, can use it. Anyone else who wields it will suffer the fate of being devoured, their life essence being absorbed. Given Hongdou's combat skills and practical awareness, this evil blade is basically useless; it can only serve as an ornamental object. Unless she is possessed by Si Jingyu like last time, Hongdou is unlikely to use it in combat. What if she accidentally cuts herself?

"The medical standards here are still too backward. To speed up recovery, I must return to China to ensure everything goes smoothly."

The speaker was Murong Qing, who had been busy preparing to return to the Sea Continent these past few days, and the preparations were now almost complete.

Si Ming didn't look up, gazing at the sky, and asked in confusion, "Wasn't it said that Aniruddha Heavenly Eye's Buddhist Power was depleted and would take another six months to replenish?"

"The function of Aniruddha Heavenly Eye is positioning, providing spatial coordinates, so anything with the same effect can replace it," Murong Qing explained, then asked doubtfully, "Didn't the young patriarch of the Si Clan communicate with their clan's deity using Divine Arts? This connection can achieve the same effect, didn't she tell you?"

Communicating with the gods! Si Ming suddenly remembered that both Sea Continent and Barbarian Continent could use Divine Arts, and descending beyond space was not difficult for the gods, since they did not have physical bodies. As the young clan leader, Si Jingyu naturally possessed the exclusive mark of her clan's god. With her wisdom, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to come up with this method, but why had she never mentioned it before?

Moreover, judging from Murong Qing's words, it seems that she has already contacted the Lineage's exclusive deity.

Just then, Si Jingyu entered the courtyard from outside and said, "My talent in Divine Arts is only average. Communicating with gods across continents is not an easy thing. I only managed to do this recently because I made a breakthrough in my cultivation of Divine Arts. In the past few months, you have been busy in the Southern Martial World, working on the matter of killing the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King. Later, you even disguised yourself as the Buddha-Slaying Monk to infiltrate the enemy camp. Naturally, I didn't have a chance to tell you about this."

Something seemed very suspicious... Si Ming wisely chose to believe it and didn't ask any further questions.

Murong Qing glanced at Si Jingyu but said nothing, continuing, "We've obtained the ritual diagrams for opening up spacetime and establishing the Flesh and Blood Wormhole. Next, we just need to wait for the condemned prisoners from various countries to arrive, and then we can begin the ritual."

Speaking of which, Si Ming had almost forgotten about the ritual diagram. He had initially agreed to help Glazed Temple deal with the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King in order to obtain the ritual diagram from him, but he forgot to investigate it halfway through and was only focused on killing the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King. In the end, it was Divine General Li sent the ritual diagram over with Henzhen.

The ceremony required human sacrifices, which wasn't difficult. All the major vassal states had prisoners on death row, many awaiting execution in the autumn, and others serving life sentences. Keeping them imprisoned was a waste of food, so it was better to make use of them. Since the leader of the dignified Heavenly Martial Alliance had spoken, they dared not refuse, and easily gathered a hundred people.

Last time, the leader of the Crimson Eye Society needed to sacrifice the entire Lu Lineage Manor to allow the Monster Race army to pass through. This time, Si Ming and his group number no more than ten, so there's no need to open a large spatial tunnel; a hundred people can be sacrificed more than enough.

Si Ming suddenly remembered something and smiled, "If I go back, I can just make it in time for the college entrance exam."

Before leaving for the Nation of Beauty, he was a high school sophomore. Now, after spending almost a year in the Barbarian Continent, it's about time for him to go back.

Murong Qing said seriously, "You haven't learned anything in the past year or so, and you've fallen behind in your studies. If you want to get good grades, you have to study hard. Since you can't move around right now, you can use your brain more. I'll also help you catch up on your studies. There are still three months until the college entrance exam. With your foundation, as long as you're willing to work hard, you can catch up."

Si Jingyu interjected, "Isn't it unnecessary to go to such lengths? Since he's the disciple of Yan Jinghong, a Spirit Transformation expert, a simple greeting would suffice. Studying takes mental energy, especially such grueling study, which will only slow down his recovery."