Becoming a Demon

After Yimo and Juzi left, they returned to their lodgings, found the electric scooter they had borrowed from Tiger Aunt, and then leisurely drove around the town a few times, greeting the residents who seemed normal and without any problems, chatting for a bit, inquiring about who had been sick recently, and taking precautions. After confirming that no one was following them, they finally headed towards the Temple.

After yesterday's murder and arson, the Temple was now a ruin. When Yimo entered the Courtyard, the Temple Abbot sitting cross-legged on the ground with his back to him, his voice hoarse, and he was still chanting scriptures.

The three dead Little Monk had already been pulled from the rubble by the abbot and were now completely covered with a cloth in front of him.

If you look closely, you can see that the abbot's hands are red and black, as if he had been burned. This suggests that the fire in the Temple had not yet been extinguished, or had just been extinguished, when he rushed in and carried out the bodies of the Little Monk one by one.

Yimo parked his electric scooter beside him, took off his helmet, walked over to the Temple Abbot, and looked at his profile.

The Temple Abbot was a very tall and strong man with a full beard. The description "big and burly" would be most appropriate. If he were not wearing a kasaya, he would be easily mistaken for a woodcutter or butcher based on his appearance. His eyes were very piercing, the kind that could make people feel a lot of pressure.

He must have been up all night; his face was ashen, with dark circles under his eyes and faint traces of blood.

To be honest, compared to the Temple Abbot, he now looks more like a trapped Wilderness, his eyes completely red, filled with ferocity and Killing Intent, which are clearly visible!

"Sigh..." Yimo, then bowed sincerely several times to the three Little Monk' corpses, and said calmly, "All forms are illusory."

"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed."

"Master, please accept my condolences."

Upon hearing this, the Temple Abbot, without even looking at Yimo, said in a low, hoarse voice, "The Buddha spoke of eight sufferings in life."

"Birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, encountering those one hates, not getting what one wants, Flourishing of the Five Aggregates"

"Although I was ordained as a monk at a young age, I am still living in this world, burdened by this physical body. Even if I recite scriptures every day, I can see and hear them, watching my three Disciple grow up little by little, teaching them obscure and difficult scriptures, and eating the five grains of this world together every day. How can I possibly believe that all phenomena are illusory!"

"What, it's happening again!"

"Like a dream, a bubble, a shadow!!"

"Please accept my condolences?"

"I... can't do it!!!"

In the end, the Temple Abbot roared, his voice filled with resentment echoing through the ruins. Where was the semblance of a monk in these mountains and forests?

Yimo just looked at him Jingjing without saying anything more.

Even Temple Abbot are human beings, and in the face of dramatic changes, they ultimately cannot escape worldly desires.

Temple Abbot speaking, he turned to look at Yimo: "Outsider, what business do you have here!"

"The calamity that befell Box Town was brought about by you outsiders!"

Yimo did not deny it. Seeing that the Temple Abbot actually nodded, he said calmly, "Let's join forces and kill the evil spirits wreaking havoc in Box Town completely and eradicate them forever."

Upon hearing this, the Temple Abbot's expression turned serious. He stared at Yimo's face for a moment, then frowned and said, "Why should I believe you!"

"How could you outsiders possibly genuinely care about Box Town!"

"I have no confidence that I can defeat that evil spirit, and I'm prepared to fight to the death!"

"What makes you think you can completely kill that demon?!"

"I'm trapped in this Box Town. If I don't kill that evil spirit, it will kill me. How can it not matter?" After saying Yimo suddenly laughed, "Hahaha... Who in this world isn't selfish?"

"You're right, why should I care about the future of Box Town?"

No... really no!

"But!" Yimo's tone turned icy, his voice as cold as ice, and Blood Moon gradually appeared in his Left Eye, "Anything that threatens my life, I will kill..."

"At all costs and by all means!"

"Hehe... Master."

"You did it for revenge, I did it to survive."

"Our goals are the same."

"But which is stronger: your desire for revenge, or my will to survive?"

"Those evil spirits are beyond your ability to deal with, and beyond my ability to deal with myself..."

"Let's cooperate! If we join forces, I'm confident I can kill those evil spirits!"

Upon hearing this, the Temple Abbot looked at Yimo and frowned slightly. "After you die, you will go to Hell."

Yimo nodded. "If Hell really exists."

"Master, you too have fallen; our fates are the same."

The Temple Abbot aback upon hearing this, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter. "Hahaha... so our endings are the same!"

Are you saying I want to Hell with you?

"If Buddha won't save me, I'll save myself; not for the Other Shore, but for the sea!"

Even if I were to transform into a demon and plunge into that Sea of Suffering, what harm would it do!

"Hahaha... I can team up with you!"

"But!"

"How can you guarantee that if we join forces, we can kill that evil spirit!"

"Instead of wasting time with a sharp-tongued brat like you, who's just making a fool of himself here!"

Temple Abbot laughing, his gaze lingered on Yimo's face, awaiting his response.

Yimo looked uncomfortable. He took out a piece of paper he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and handed it to the Temple Abbot: "This is my plan; I need your help."

Upon hearing this, the Temple Abbot frowned and took the paper. Then, looking at the full page of text, a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face, and his voice trembled as he said, "You... are the real evil spirit!"

Upon Yimo scoffed, "Heh... is that so?"

"Perhaps..."

"If we fail, let's all be buried together in this Box Town..."

"Master, this is my promise."

"I pledge this promise with my own head, the lives of all 600 people in the town, and the lives of everyone in the town!"

The Temple Abbot looked at the paper in his hand, his hand trembling slightly.

A moment later, he suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, violently tearing the paper into countless pieces, then tossing them triumphantly into the air. "Hahaha... Hahaha..."

"Okay, okay... okay, okay!"

"Since you have such determination, then I will also transform into a demon and join you in slaying all those demons!"

As the wind rose, the scraps of paper that were originally filled with plans were swept into the sky and quickly disappeared without a trace.

The sky grew increasingly dark, as if a downpour was imminent.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Yimo had already made a secret agreement with the Temple Abbot.

Yimo didn't know what the Temple's Special Item were.

But...

From day one, he has been controlling the People's Harmony in this Game, the so-called NPCs.

The Temple Abbot... was merely another piece placed on a chessboard that he had already laid out most of!