Tao Qian's remarks startled the women.

The monk official before them looked old and frail, drowsy, seemingly devoid of any mana, yet he was a Jialan Protector God? One should know that such dharma-protecting divine spirits could only be nurtured by profound Buddhist Sects. Among the 3,800 Buddhist temples, only places like Great Freedom Temple, Dharma Cakra Temple, and Vajra Temple would clearly have a "Jialan God".

And there was one in Qiantang, an ordinary city?

Just as they were filled with doubt, Tao Qian continued,

"Evil Country is a blight of the Buddhist Sect, thus naturally capable of spawning Jialan Protector Gods."

"To enter, evil people merely need to shout, 'I am willing to lay down the butcher's knife.'"

"Good people, however, require the Protector God to open a Convenient Gate."

"The poor monk knows some secrets and understands that Lingtian City, being adjacent to Evil Country, must frequently suffer from the blight of Buddhahood. Elsewhere in Qiantang at the sight of Buddha they bow, but only the citizens of this city grow resentful, scared, and fearful at the sight."

"That's why the poor monk revealed his true form as a member of the Human Clan to show that he is not a Buddhist evil demon."

During this conversation, Tao Qian pointed to the Blood Tile Army still being consumed by karmic fire.

The women now understood, the old monk before them was originally the gatekeeper Jialan of Evil Country.

But for some unknown reason, he was devoid of mana.

Tao Qian, of course, understood why: the old monk was a "Divine Spirit" who cultivated Fortune and Wish Power. Without people offering incense to him, naturally, he would be frail and weak, and it was already strange enough that he could even manifest physically.

Naturally, if this Jialan Protector opted for some pretense, intimidating the surrounding mortals to build a "Jialan Temple" for him, he could quickly possess impressive mana.

But he was a Good God, and had not done such things, and thus he remained weak.

That is why Tao Qian did not use his Drive God Divine Power.

He could have simply stomped his foot and summoned the old monk official directly.

Logically, by now, this old Jialan should have opened a Convenient Gate for Tao Qian.

Yet, after listening, the old potato-headed monk shook his head even more earnestly, his face filled with even deeper sorrow, and refused, saying,

"Buddha's son, don't blame me. It's not that I fail to recognize goodwill, but I truly do not wish for such a good person as you to send his life away in vain."

"I may be visually unclear, but I can still see that Buddha's son's cultivation should be around Cavernous Mystery. Although the Evil Country is not old enough to be too ferocious, it is still not something that a mere Cavernous Mystery can overthrow, even with this Bodhisattva by your side, once you enter that country, you won't be able to oppose those heartless brutal demons."

"Just so you know, before you came here, three Cavernous Mystery Buddhist Practitioners had already perished there."

"And each time, it was I who opened the gate."

"I can't bear to do it again this time."

The old monk's words sounded reasonable.

However, upon hearing this, Tao Qian suddenly smiled and boasted,

"Old Jialan hasn't smelled good incense for a long time, and your Dharma Eye is obstructed, so it's no wonder you failed to see my foundation."

"It's also good for you to know, old Jialan, that I am a disciple of Qingjing Zen Master, a Hidden Cultivator from the South Sea. I cultivate the Sublime Dharma of the Buddhist Sect and have mastered demon-subduing techniques. I have suppressed the Free Buddha Son Shenxiu Monk and made all demons cower before me. I possess divine powers that can gather sweet rain and amass gold and silver, and I have a treasure that can capture an army of a million God Demons."

Before he finished speaking, Tao Qian began to show off like the great True Master, suddenly raising his hand and casting a spell.

He first summoned a sweet rain to cleanse the afflicted Lingtian City, then casually brought mountains of gold and silver to the city.

Then, he took off the cloth bag from his waist and in a sudden move, packed the whole Lingtian City, including the townspeople and the Jialan Protector God, inside.

Half a moment later, he released them all.

The townspeople were all in disbelief, as if they had witnessed a tremendous miracle.

At that moment, they heard the Wu Gou Buddha Son ask the old monk:

"Old Jialan, look again, should this poor monk go to Evil Country or not?"

"Go, you should go!"

The old monk official, previously full of sorrow and compassion, finally showed a smile, repeatedly responding.

Old Jialan had no mana, but after all, he was a Divine Spirit.

His eyes were still good, and once Tao Qian boasted and showed his saintly powers, he immediately knew this Buddha's son had significant origins.

"This Buddha's son has a Divine Mysterious Body, both internally and externally unified, unparalleled in divine powers, and that cloth bag treasure is even more mysterious, making me want to kneel before him."

"If he goes, perhaps he could really destroy that Evil Country."

"If it could be achieved, even if I am reduced to ashes, I would be willing."

Once his mind was set, Old Jialan still did not immediately open the Convenient Gate.

Instead, he offered another gesture of respect and telepathically questioned Tao Qian,

"Buddha's son, do you know that Qiantang Province is under the rule of Demon Buddha Temple?"

"Whether it's Evil Country or other strange blight lands, they are all faces of the Demon Buddha, related to the foundation of the Buddha Country."

"If Buddha's son destroys this country, although it will not harm the Demon Buddha Monks, there will be some mystical responses, creating obstacles."

"If so, the several Arhats of Demon Buddha Temple might become discontented."

Hearing this, Tao Qian immediately smiled and decisively replied,

"The poor monk understands."

"Old Jialan, do not worry, not just the Evil Country, the poor monk also intends to eradicate the other blight lands."

"There is also a wonderful plan in place to keep those few Arhats from being able to harm me."

Hearing Tao Qian speak thus, the old monk official no longer hesitated.

His heart filled with joy, he sat cross-legged, his weathered face beaming with a smile, and his body emitted a Buddha Light.

His body faded away, gradually transforming into a golden gate.

Behind the gate was a small Secret Realm, not clearly visible.

Tao Qian did not delay, he spoke briefly to Yunrong, saying, "I'll be back shortly."

Then he teleported inside.

No sooner had he walked away than everyone seemed to sense something and looked together at the several thousand Blood Tile Army. This chapter was first seen on MV^LEM^PYR.

Unbeknownst to them, their cries of agony had ceased, and the thousands of Beastly Monk Soldiers, versed in Evil Techniques, including hundreds in the Energy Introduction and Refining Realm, and dozens in the Foundation Establishment Realm, as well as the leading Fa Zhao Evil Monk in the Transcend Mortality Realm, could not withstand the burning of karmic fire, and all dissolved into puddles of pus, dead to the last.

Seeing this, the city dwellers of Lingtian City clicked their tongues with a relieved expression on their faces, silently thinking, "Good, that's well killed, if Buddhist monks treated the evil with such killer instincts, then this Buddha deserves some respect."

...

Tao Qian, naturally, was unaware of the simple thoughts of the townspeople as he surveyed his surroundings.

When he first heard of Evil Country, he assumed it to be a chaotic, foul-smelling place.

However, what entered Tao Qian's eyes was an apparently prosperous city. Outside the city, dense fog swirled in all directions, murky and unresolved, the inside was pulsing with rainbow lights, as if nurturing even more things.

Standing in the city, Tao Qian saw wine houses, song halls, color shops, tea houses—all there should be, as if some festival was being celebrated. The streets and markets were adorned with lanterns, bustling with people—an extremely lively scene.

Just by the view, one would think this was a prosperous southern city during a peaceful era.

Looking further at the people in the city, whether men or women, old or young, each had a calm appearance, showing no sign of malevolence.

Tao Qian had yet to act when his arrival caused some noise, and now voices reached his ears.

"Look quick, another newcomer."

"Time to eat, come on, send him up."

"What a handsome monk, could he be here to drive out demons?"

"There aren't that many Buddha's sons seeking death. Most likely another lascivious, flower-picking monk; such scoundrels, foul yet intriguing are somewhat chewable."

"Wonder if he's a mortal or a cultivator? How evil is he? Can he help Master Mijia reach the fifth level?"

Amid such talk, five or six burly men and women came laughing toward him.

They bombarded him with questions about whether he was a cultivator or here to drive out demons.

Tao Qian shook his head and replied with a strange smile,

"I only know some spells and have introduced Source Qi but have never refined Qi."

"Having offended a mighty enemy with nowhere to run, I ended up seeking refuge in Evil Country."

"Since everyone here is senior to me, please teach me well."

With these words, the whole street erupted in joy. They didn't restrain him but merely jostled him towards the deeper parts of the city.

There, two striking buildings emerged straight from the ground.

One was a patchy, foul-smelling tower with eighteen levels, reaching into the clouds, grand and towering.

The other was a cold stone platform, ten zhang high, on which hung an ancient mirror facing east, with the words: No good person stands before this Evil Mirror.

At this moment, a crowd had gathered in front of the palace and high platform.

A pathway was left clear for the evil newcomers to approach.

As Tao Qian was nudged forward, another person had already climbed the stone stairs and stood before the Evil Mirror.

The man, quite handsome, once he stood before the mirror, dark light surged, and the evil deeds of his life began to flash scene by scene.

His body and soul separated, and his true nature was suddenly revealed—as a disgusting mass of flesh with meaty tendrils and oozing putrid yellow slime.

After the reflection ended, his mutated soul was pulled into the mirror.

In the next instant!

A burst of black light erupted, threads of black vapor streamed from the Evil Mirror, and everyone in the city got a share.

Thick and thin, long and short.

Most of it streamed toward the glazed palace, swallowed by nearly a thousand figures inside.

From the first to the fourth level, there were cultivators.

The first level had the most—mostly those in the Energy Introduction and Refining Realm, the number decreased further up, but the cultivation was higher.

The one sitting at the highest point was also a young monk. Wearing only a kasaya on his lower body, his build was robust and his face rugged, possessing three heads and six arms, surrounded by nine dark blue Demon Flames—a veritable Great Demon.

As Tao Qian observed, the explanations of those burly men and women filled with malice reached his ears.

They undercut each other, but it gave Tao Qian an understanding of the arrangement here:

In short, Evil Country, recently formed, currently had only this one "Evil Mirror City."

To enter this country and city, there wasn't just one way.

After all, it was a bizarre land of evil, with portals and secret paths throughout all of Qiantang, though none guarded by divine spirits.

Some evildoers were even forcibly brought here.

Now, the city housed about tens of thousands of evildoers, mostly mortals or lowly cultivators who knew only one or two evil techniques and hadn't even managed Energy Introduction.

With nearly a thousand cultivators who had reached the Energy Introduction Realm, they could reside in the glazed palace, where they could cultivate and enjoy various pleasures.

The higher one went, the greater the benefits.

Currently, the strongest in Evil Country was an evil monk named Master Mijia.

Reportedly, a true inheritor of Han Mountain Temple, after betraying his sect, although he received rewards from Shipi Arhat and his cultivation neared the Realm of Ultimate Happiness, his mutation intensified—which would inevitably lead to his destruction in the outside world, violently perishing on the spot, thus he had no choice but to hide in Evil Country.

Every time a newcomer arrived, they must walk before the Evil Mirror, reflecting their true nature of their soul, pledging it inside the mirror, and their lifetime of evil thoughts would be shared among the citizens.

Only then would they truly become "a citizen of Evil Country."

In other words, the tens of thousands here were all vile, inhuman beasts, either having no way to survive outside or unable to endure the mutations and having no choice but to come.

During the mirroring, the people below would evaluate the newcomers' lifetime of evil deeds.

Like now, various voices drilled into Tao Qian's ears:

"Hey, this kid is quite interesting. Originally a beggar, he was taken in as a foster son by a wealthy family, and he hid well in his youth. But after he came of age and accidentally found a volume of the Yin Gathering Technique, his true nature was fully exposed. Not only did he drug and violate over a dozen female family members, but after his deeds were exposed, he even killed his foster father and the whole family… His evil thoughts are the most savory, he should indeed enter our Evil Country."

"This couple is not bad either. The man is a beast, the woman is licentious. They opened a black shop selling buns, trapping and murdering passersby—not to mention they also engaged in trafficking infants. This could indeed be called utterly inhuman. If they hadn't cultivated any spells, they should have entered the Evil Tower."

"Still, this general's evil thoughts are the most delicious. His soul is filled with only one instinct: to kill. In his youth, he killed domestic poultry and small animals. When he grew up, he killed his parents and relatives, killed his comrades and enemy soldiers in the army, and when mad, even his own wife and children weren't spared. It's unknown whether it's his nature or because he cultivated the Killing Heart Technique… Wow, directly to the third level, truly formidable."

...

"It's your turn, handsome monk, come show us your life."

"Talking about offending a major enemy, seems like you've done too much flower-picking evil and have nowhere left to run."

"Go up quickly, you're the last one today."

"Master Mijia is just one step away from reaching the fifth level; perhaps your evil thoughts are what he needs. If successful, Master Mijia will surely reward you."

Amidst the shoving, Tao Qian, now expressionless, slowly walked onto the so-called Evil Mirror stage.

ps: To be continued.