Heart Demon Main Body

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "How did you know it was the Inner Demon?"

The old monk's expression suddenly turned ferocious. The character "slave" on his forehead became more pronounced, and strands of Black Mist began to seep out.

This wisp of mist was highly unusual. Cultivators below the Ascension Realm could not see it at all.

But Gu Mo saw it clearly. He could also sense that the wisp of black mist was continuously eroding the old monk's will.

At once,

Gu Mo pointed a finger and used Nascent Soul Power to restrain the wisp of black mist. Yet he had no way to eradicate it completely, for tracing it to its source revealed that the black mist had already penetrated deep into the old monk's Divine Sense.

"Amitabha!"

The ferocity vanished from the old monk's face. He suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground, continuously chanting a Buddhist calming mantra. Faint golden light spread from his body. Though it was still mixed with Black Qi, the golden light was clearly able to suppress it.

After quite a while, the monk slowly opened his eyes. The aura he gave off had changed, becoming tranquil, with the stillness of an ancient well undisturbed by ripples. He slowly said, "Thank you, benefactor. This poor monk harbored an obsession without realizing it and gradually became a Demon Slave. I have already committed grave errors. It is too late."

Gu Mo said gravely, "Answer my question."

The old monk said, "This poor monk is Zhiku, a disciple under Venerable Monk Huineng of the Great Zhou Kingdom. Two months ago, I was ordered by my master to guard the Demon Cave. The Heart Demon Main Body is sealed within that Demon Cave. Therefore, my descent into demonic cultivation must have been caused by the Inner Demon's disturbance. That is why I knew."

Gu Mo asked in surprise, "Where is this Demon Cave? And how can you be certain it is the Heart Demon Main Body?"

Venerable Monk Zhiku said, "Venerable Monk Huineng is a born sage, One Who Knows From Birth. Many years ago, he prophesied that Great Zhou would be destroyed at the hands of a Peerless Demonic Cultivator. To prevent the devastation of all living things, he spent decades seeking a way to deal with that demon.

"Until thirty years ago, when he came to Feilai Mountain in Wutong City and discovered an underground cavern. Within it was the Heart Demon Main Body that had vanished seven hundred years ago. Venerable Monk Huineng then established Feilai Temple on Feilai Mountain. For decades, he sealed it there, arranging for his disciples to chant scriptures and worship Buddha day and night, pouring in the purest Buddhist Power to eliminate the Inner Demon's demonic power.

"Two months ago, I was ordered to guard the Demon Cave for half a month. It was during that time that I failed to heed the holy monk's warning. The holy monk had said that cultivating near the Demon Cave made one especially susceptible to invasion by the Inner Demon, which would affect one's mind.

"But at that time, my cultivation had reached a bottleneck. I could not resist, and cultivated near the Demon Cave. I harbored a lucky hope, thinking that no one had been invaded by the Inner Demon for so many years. Besides, I had often guarded the Demon Cave over the years and had never discovered anything amiss. I even suspected the holy monk had made a mistake, so I did not take his warning too seriously.

"It was during that cultivation that I broke through my bottleneck. At the moment of breakthrough, I gained an insight and believed that I had received Buddha's Enlightenment, comprehending the Great Dao. I thought that by delivering ten thousand people into bliss, I could sit upon a Lotus Platform. So I found an excuse to descend the mountain, then came here.

"Because desire dwelled in my heart, the Inner Demon seized the flaw and magnified it without limit, causing me to fall into demonic cultivation. During this time, I used a Mental Secret Method to beguile the common people into coming here to enjoy bliss, endlessly stimulating their minds and ultimately guiding them to commit suicide and journey to the Blissful World.

"Amitabha.

"This poor monk is incompetent. I was beguiled by the Inner Demon and deserve to suffer punishment in Avici Hell.

"Benefactor, take care!"

As the old monk spoke, the character "slave" on his forehead began to emerge again.

Then,

The old monk's expression became extraordinarily ferocious. He swiftly raised his hand and violently struck his forehead with his palm.

Bang!

With a thunderous boom, the old monk's slap smashed his own forehead apart. Brain matter and blood splattered everywhere, and he instantly lost all life.

Looking at the old monk's corpse,

Gu Mo felt no ripples in his heart. He slowly rose and entered the main hall. It was still bustling with voices inside. No one cared that the old monk had died. Even though the commotion outside had been considerable, no one spared it a second glance. Even the young monk who had previously guided Gu Mo and the others still sat motionlessly in his chair. Everyone was immersed in their own affairs, immersed in the most extreme pleasure.

"Big Brother!"

Ye Chen suddenly called out from upstairs.

Gu Mo looked up.

Ye Chen had a pale face. "Do you want to come take a look?"

"At what?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled.

"The kitchen."

Gu Mo tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, and his figure drifted up to the second floor like a ghost. His wet, cold boots stepped on the greasy wooden floor, making faint creaking sounds.

Gu Mo followed Ye Chen deeper inside. Ye Chen stood beside a heavy wooden door, his face uglier than the leaden rain clouds outside. He pointed toward the dim yellow light and rolling steam spilling through the crack in the door.

"Inside..." Ye Chen's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was dry. "Big Brother, see for yourself."

Expressionless, Gu Mo reached out and pushed open the door that seemed to separate two worlds.

Before them was Human Purgatory.

This was an enormous kitchen, its stove fires blazing. More than a dozen bare-chested cooks were working numbly. Their movements were practiced and precise, even carrying an eerie rhythm, but their eyes were hollow as dust-covered glass beads, turning a blind eye to everything before them.

From the beams overhead, thick iron hooks pierced deeply through ankles, suspending naked human bodies upside down!

Men, women, old people, and children were all among them.

Some were still quite "fresh," their skin pale as blood ran down their inverted heads and hair strands, dripping into huge wooden basins below with monotonous, horrifying sounds of "drip, drip."

The blood water in the basins was already half full, thick and blackened.

More corpses had been processed to varying stages. A burly cook expressionlessly swung a heavy cleaver. With a muffled splat, he easily removed a thigh. Jagged white bone and dark red muscle fibers were exposed at the severed end, while Blood Beads seeping from the cut rolled across the chopping board.

On the stove, murky broth boiled in enormous iron pots, and steam filled the air. Floating on the surface were several chunks of meat, boiled white and slightly swollen.

A servant emerged carrying a basin of meat, preparing to serve it to the guests downstairs.

Gu Mo could not help saying, "That is human flesh."

The servant chuckled. "Their souls have ascended to bliss, while their skins remain in the mortal world to grant bliss to others. This is great merit. We are all the same. When people like us ascend to the Blissful World, our skins will likewise remain for others to enjoy."

"What lofty enlightenment."

Gu Mo said no more and allowed the servant to leave.

Ye Chen had kept his face turned away throughout, not daring to look any longer. Once the servant had left, he finally turned back and said, "Big Brother, everyone here has gone mad. They have all been affected by that old monk's Mental Secret Method and the formation made from Ba Lin Stone."

Gu Mo waved his hand. "Let's go. When I fought that old monk just now, I already damaged the formation here. Now that the old monk is dead, these people will likely regain their senses before long."

Ye Chen's expression was solemn. "I am afraid these people will go insane!"

"Not necessarily," Gu Mo said.

"Why?" Ye Chen asked in confusion. "Is this scene not shocking enough? They ate so many people. Some might even have eaten their own wife, children, old and young?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "This world has always been one where people eat people. They will adapt somehow, won't they?"

As he spoke, Gu Mo and Ye Chen went downstairs, called the Yun Family Brothers, and the group of four departed swiftly without pausing in the slightest.

Just as they walked out of the manor,

"Ahhhh—!!!"

An inhumanly shrill scream suddenly erupted from the brightly lit manor behind them! The cry was filled with ultimate agony, bewilderment, and the despair of a worldview collapsing in an instant!

It was like lighting a fuse!

"Ahhh—!! What have I done?!"

"Th-this... what kind of meat is this?!"

"Mother! Mother, why are you... why are you in the pot?"

"Bleurgh... bleurgh..."

"..."

One after another, heart-rending screams, wails, vomiting, shattered cries, and frenzied curses... like countless rusty saws, instantly tore apart the rain-soaked night's deathly stillness! These sounds were no longer the clamor of "bliss" from before, but the purest, most primal, most despairing wail of humanity!

Hearing the chaotic wails from the manor behind them, Ye Chen and the Yun Family Brothers all felt their hearts grow heavy and could not help looking back.

That brightly lit manor now resembled the hell of legend. Its towering gate was like a monster with its blood-filled maw wide open.

"Yun Song, Yun Qing," Gu Mo asked, "do you know of Feilai Temple?"

Yun Song hurriedly said, "Yes. It is Northern Zhou's Imperial Temple. Its abbot, Dharma Master Huineng, is Northern Zhou Kingdom's holy monk. A major reason the Northern Zhou Court moved to Wutong City was because Venerable Monk Huineng was here.

"Northern Zhou as a whole believes in Buddhism, and Master Huineng is the spiritual leader of Buddhism. Even among the rebels, many believe in Venerable Monk Huineng. After the Northern Zhou Emperor and his ministers fled into Wutong City, they were able to recuperate and rebuild. Aside from Wutong City's geographical advantage of being surrounded by water on three sides, a major reason was that Venerable Monk Huineng personally went to negotiate with the rebel alliance."

Gu Mo said in surprise, "Venerable Monk Huineng holds such a high position in Northern Zhou?"

Yun Song thought for a moment, then said, "Northern Zhou is a small nation. Its martial arts foundation is far inferior to that of great nations such as our Da Gan, Chu Kingdom, and Later Qin. A Peak First-Rate Martial Artist in our Da Gan could count as a regional Grandmaster here in Northern Zhou.

"But even under such martial poverty, Venerable Monk Huineng was rated Sixth Under Heaven on the Martial Arts Ranking. After Ye Nantian, the Worship Moon Sect Master, was killed by you, Venerable Monk Huineng became the New Fifth Under Heaven.

"Furthermore, six of the Northern Zhou Heavenly Ranking Ten Grandmasters came from under Venerable Monk Huineng. Naturally, his standing is extraordinarily high. Not to mention Northern Zhou now being divided among various rebel factions—even when the Imperial Court Regime was stable, the emperor had to show Venerable Monk Huineng respect."

After hearing Yun Song's explanation, Gu Mo understood.

Although those below the Ascension Realm could not entirely disregard armies in this world, that referred to armies of great nations and only when they were prepared. In a small nation like Northern Zhou, anyone among the Top Ten Martial Artists Under Heaven could stroll through the Northern Zhou Imperial Palace as though walking on level ground.

Not only was Venerable Monk Huineng himself among the Top Ten Under Heaven, his disciples were also Northern Zhou's strongest martial force. Naturally, his status was extremely high. Monks were already experts at reasoning, and they also possessed martial arts that made you unable to refuse to listen to their reasoning. That was simply unsolvable.

"We will go directly to Feilai Temple," Gu Mo said.

Yun Song asked in confusion, "We are not going to see the Northern Zhou Emperor first?"

"Mhm."

Ye Chen asked in confusion, "Big Brother, why did we suddenly change the plan? Did that old monk say something just now?"

"He said the Heart Demon Main Body is in Feilai Temple..."

Gu Mo then recounted Venerable Monk Zhiku's words to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen said in astonishment, "No way. At the Inner Demon's realm, has it still not detached from its main body? Even if it has not, it is not something Venerable Monk Huineng could seal, is it?"

Gu Mo nodded slightly. "I also find it strange. But the old monk was not lying, and the Demonic Nature controlling him truly carried the Inner Demon's aura."

Ye Chen said, "I just cannot make sense of it. How could Venerable Monk Huineng seal the Inner Demon? And the Inner Demon has clearly been active all along. It nearly crippled me. Dabie before, and that Previous Generation Number One Under Heaven Ling Xiao you mentioned—they both encountered the Inner Demon and did not dare ascend to face it.

"All of this shows that the Inner Demon moves freely. Even if its main body has been separated, with the Inner Demon's strength, dealing with a Venerable Monk Huineng should be effortless!"

Gu Mo said, "I cannot make sense of it either. But we came to Northern Zhou this time to find the Inner Demon. Feilai Temple is a clue. Whether it makes sense or not, we will know once we go see."

"True."

Three days later, Gu Mo and his group entered Wutong City.

Yet the sight within the city was deeply disappointing.

As the capital, it was bleak and desolate. On both sides of the streets, most once-bustling shops had their doors and windows tightly shut. The door panels were covered in chopping and hacking marks, or pasted with government notices long soaked through by rainwater, their writing blurred beyond recognition.

The few shops still open were empty of customers. Shopkeepers huddled behind their counters, their eyes numb yet wary. Most striking of all were the Beggars curled beneath eaves and against walls. They wore ragged clothes and were little more than skin and bones, like discarded burlap sacks trembling in the cold rain.

Occasionally, patrolling Soldiers brutally kicked aside bodies blocking their path, drawing a few faint groans that were swiftly swallowed by the rain and deathly stillness.

The entire city was shrouded in a heavy, suffocating gray decay, as if even the sky hung low enough to press the breath from one's lungs.

Yet in stark contrast, silk and bamboo music rang chaotically from the high-walled mansions, where extravagance was pursued to the utmost.

It perfectly illustrated the sight of reeking wine and meat behind vermilion gates while frozen bones lay by the roadside.

Gu Mo and the others did not linger in the city. They passed directly through the dying capital and arrived at the foot of Feilai Mountain on the western outskirts.

Unlike Wutong City's deathly aura, Feilai Mountain was lush and green, shrouded in mist.

As they climbed the winding yet tidy stone stairs, the air gradually became fresher, and even the rain seemed to soften somewhat.

But what surprised Gu Mo and the others was that they saw many monks descending the mountain along the way, every one of them carrying a bundle.

The farther up the mountain they went, the more descending monks they encountered.

Ye Chen stopped a young monk and asked, "Master, why are all of you descending the mountain?"

The young monk was very polite. When Ye Chen stopped him, he pressed his palms together and bowed. "Benefactors, if you have come to burn incense and worship Buddha, please return the way you came. Venerable Monk Huineng has dismissed Feilai Temple today."

"Dismissed?" Ye Chen was greatly startled. "Why?"

The young monk shook his head. "The holy monk gave no reason. He merely told us to descend the mountain and go as far as we could!"

"He gave no reason?"

"No reason."

Ye Chen frowned. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

"Amitabha. If you have no further business, this little monk shall take his leave!" The young monk bowed.

"Travel safely, Master. May the wind be at your back," Ye Chen said with cupped hands.

Watching the young monk depart, Ye Chen looked toward Gu Mo. "Big Brother, something is not right!"

There was no need for Ye Chen to say it. Gu Mo himself could see that something was wrong. As the Imperial Temple, Feilai Temple held a transcendent status in Northern Zhou. It had countless disciples and enormous influence; it could not possibly disband for no reason.

What was more, according to Venerable Monk Zhiku, Feilai Temple also sealed the Inner Demon. It required people to chant scriptures and worship Buddha over the long term, continuously channeling pure Buddhist True Qi to maintain the formation.

"Let's go. We will know once we get up there."

The four quickly headed up the mountain. Along the way, they encountered more and more monks. A rough count put the number close to a thousand. It was clear that the entire Feilai Temple had been dismissed.

The farther up the mountain they went, the fewer people they encountered. By the end, they could not see a single person.

At the summit stood a grand temple built against the mountainside. Blue bricks, dark tiles, upturned eaves, and elaborate brackets looked even more solemn and majestic amid the rain and mist.

Before the mountain gate, the three gilded characters "Feilai Temple" still emitted a warm sheen in the damp air.

But Feilai Temple was extraordinarily quiet at this moment, without a single sound. When they entered through the mountain gate, an aura utterly different from that at the foot of the mountain washed over them. The temple grounds were exceptionally clean. The Bluestone Slab Road had been rinsed by rainwater until it shone like a mirror, while ancient trees towered on either side, crystalline droplets hanging from their branches and leaves.

They walked for a long time, passing through several halls, yet did not see a single person.

Only at last, deep within the monastery courtyard, did they see a young monk with clear eyes and handsome features standing beneath a Bodhi Tree, dressed in a gray monk robe. The monk stood barefoot and still, his posture natural and relaxed.

"Little monk, why has everyone in the temple left while you alone remain?" Ye Chen walked over and patted the monk's shoulder.

The monk turned around and looked at Ye Chen.

At that instant, Ye Chen was slightly startled. Those eyes were incomparably clear, as pure as an infant's, yet as profound as the vast sea of stars, as though they contained boundless Wisdom and Compassion.

The monk pressed his palms together and offered a deep bow, his voice peaceful and gentle. "Amitabha. You have traveled far and must be weary, benefactors."

Gu Mo stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Holy monk, what happened that made you dismiss Feilai Temple?"

Ye Chen asked in surprise, "You are Venerable Monk Huineng? Aren't you nearly a hundred years old?"

Venerable Monk Huineng smiled slightly. "I dare not accept the title of holy monk, but this poor monk's Dharma Name is indeed Huineng." He then bowed to Gu Mo and said, "If this poor monk is not mistaken, you must be Gu Mo Great Hero, the Current Number One Under Heaven."

"You have sharp eyes, holy monk." Gu Mo cupped his hands. "I am indeed Gu Mo."

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "The situation in Zhou Kingdom has been chaotic these past years, and little news from the outside has reached us. Few people now know that the Number One Under Heaven has changed. This poor monk happened upon your portrait by chance and was struck by your bearing. Only after asking did I learn that the youngest Number One Under Heaven in history had appeared. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary—an Immortal among men!"

"You overpraise me, holy monk." Gu Mo cupped his hands, then asked again, "Why did you dismiss Feilai Temple?"

Venerable Monk Huineng hesitated briefly. "Before answering, this poor monk wishes to ask Great Hero Gu something first. Why have you come?"

"To eliminate demons."

"What demon?"

"The Inner Demon."

"Amitabha." Venerable Monk Huineng pressed his palms together. "Since that is so, this poor monk can tell you the reason. I dismissed Feilai Temple because of the Inner Demon as well."

Venerable Monk Huineng pointed into the distance, toward a high tower at the mountain summit. "Great Hero Gu, please follow this poor monk up the tower and see for yourself!"

Venerable Monk Huineng then tapped the ground and flew away with his Movement Technique, like a wild goose flying south. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the high tower.

But the moment he landed atop the tower's peak, he discovered in astonishment that Gu Mo had somehow already been standing there.

"Great Hero Gu has excellent movement technique. This poor monk admires you."

Venerable Monk Huineng cupped his hands, then pointed down the mountain. "Demonic qi has already engulfed the entire city, even the whole Zhou Kingdom. At this moment, it is converging upon Feilai Temple. The demon is about to emerge into the world. That is why this poor monk dismissed Feilai Temple."

Gu Mo focused his gaze and circulated Law Qi.

At that instant,

He saw demonic qi filling the sky, continuously rising both inside and outside the city, converging toward Feilai Mountain.

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "Fifty years ago, this poor monk had a sudden premonition and learned that a great calamity would befall the human world. A Peerless Demonic Cultivator would descend and destroy the world. So I searched everywhere, and after twenty years, I finally found the demonic creature here. It was a most peculiar stone, its Demonic Nature towering to the heavens.

After consulting many ancient texts, this poor monk recognized that strange stone as the legendary Heart Demon Main Body. I set up a formation here to seal it, intending to erase its Demonic Nature. That seal lasted thirty years.

For those thirty years, the Heart Demon Main Body remained here, while the Inner Demon's Divine Sense stayed outside. Yet it seemed not to take this poor monk seriously, nor did it care much that its main body had been sealed. It came looking for this poor monk several times, but after failing to deal with me, it always left decisively.

But a little over a year ago, the Inner Demon suddenly began attacking Feilai Mountain frequently. Its Divine Sense also continuously caused trouble throughout the Zhou Kingdom, endlessly stirring up people's desires. The entire Zhou Kingdom was plunged into war; the imperial court rotted away, the martial world fell into chaos, and everyone's desires were unleashed as demonic qi began to spread.

During one clash between this poor monk and the Inner Demon, I learned from it that the reason it had suddenly begun targeting ordinary people was to condense a demonic-qi physical body. It wanted to kill someone who had undergone Physical Body Ascension. That was why, after guarding the gates of Heaven's Gate for hundreds of years, the Inner Demon had descended into the mortal world this time."

As he spoke, Venerable Monk Huineng looked toward Gu Mo and said, "Great Hero Gu, if this poor monk is not mistaken, that ascender of the physical body should be you, correct?"

Gu Mo nodded slightly, then said, "I'm rather curious, Venerable Monk. How do you know so much? And how were you able to contend with the Inner Demon? Even Su Qianqiu had little power to resist before it."

Venerable Monk Huineng said, "Because this poor monk possesses a kind of power capable of restraining the Inner Demon."

Gu Mo asked in surprise, "Such a power exists in the human world?"

Venerable Monk Huineng shook his head and said, "It does not exist in the human world, but it exists among the forbidden arts. This poor monk cultivates the Great Sun Demonic Art!"