First, there was the taste of spicy hot pot, then a slight fragrance.

It smelled like some kind of fruit, but not any kind Liu Zheng was familiar with.

He exhaled deeply, then took a gentle breath.

The scent of freshness and decay intertwined, causing his scalp to tingle again, and his body started to riot once more.

Every cell in Liu Zheng's body formed its own army, launching a war called survival against the surrounding cells.

One by one, the cells were killed and then turned into nutrients absorbed by the cells that killed them.

Because the intensity of the war was too high and the nutrients in his body were overly abundant, his body surface was constantly seeing sudden depressions and elevations.

Under an unknown influence, even the protruding flesh would automatically congeal, forming bizarre shapes, some animal, some plant, some human, and some non-human.

And this change was not only happening on the surface, but also inside his body.

Liu Zheng seemed to have turned into a humanoid ecosystem, or perhaps a miniature marvel created by some deity.

It would have been fine if it was just physical mutation, but soon, his consciousness also began to mutate.

He seemed to become a variety of creatures, experiencing their birth, growth, maturity, then slaughter, bloodletting, dismemberment, pickling, cooking, and finally falling into a bloody maw.

And he would soon become the owner of that bloody mouth, continuing the next cycle.

Between life and death, there is great terror, and now Liu Zheng didn't even know if he was alive or dead; this complete loss of control over body and soul was even more terrifying.

But soon, he could no longer feel even this terror.

The endless cycle of eating and being eaten ground everything into a sticky pulp, slipping into the eternally unsatisfied gut.

"Bodhisattva, by relying on prajnaparamita, has no obstacles in his heart. Because there are no obstacles, there is no fear, far away from inverted dreams, and ultimately attains nirvana."

"Therefore know that prajnaparamita is the great divine mantra, the great bright mantra, the supreme mantra, the unequaled mantra, capable of eliminating all suffering, true and not false.

"Thus the mantra is spoken: Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, Bodhi svaha."

A nameless monk's chanting voice arose again in the void.

"Thus the mantra is spoken: Gate, gate, paragate..."

At this moment, Liu Zheng was completely devoid of self-will, reciting the scripture like a repeater along with the monk.

"Hmm?"

Si Xue frowned, looking at the back of his head, where a Buddha's Light Wheel seemed to appear and vanish.

"Just listening to a few verses of scripture and he attained enlightenment, Buddha's Light Wheel even emerged, such strong Buddhist nature?"

She was somewhat incredulous.

Liu Zheng might have talent in cultivation, but definitely not in the Buddhist Sect.

"Anyone else is fine, but those bald donkeys wanting to snatch him from me? Not a chance."

Si Xue let out a cold laugh.

Although the Peacock had parted ways with the Buddhist Sect, her ancestors were genuine Buddha Mothers, of high status.

"Sword, come!"

With Si Xue's clear shout, a sheathed long sword flew out of the lake.

The scabbard was made of pure silver, with dragon and phoenix reliefs, red and blue gemstones representing the sun and moon, and ambers and turquoises representing the stars below.

Si Xue grabbed it, trying to draw the sword but felt a tremendous repulsion.

"You've absorbed Spiritual Energy for so many years, and now you don't want to exert any force? I'll give you one more chance, if you're still dissatisfied, then off to the kitchen as a fire poker."

She spoke calmly.

"Clang!"

With another effort, the long sword sprang forth with a matching sound.

The blade appeared like raw copper, with the hilt having five linked sections, engraved with runes and celestial bodies, clearly not meant for a swordsman's duel or battlefield fight.

"Can you, the Three-Five Evil Slayer, really cut off his evil?"

Si Xue casually waved the sword, and Sword Qi enveloped Liu Zheng like a purple aura from the east, only to be absorbed into his body like a clay ox into the sea.

"The Dao is formless, giving birth to heaven and earth; the great Dao is merciless, running the sun and moon; the great Dao is nameless, nurturing all things; I know not its name, but forcibly call it Dao."

"Of all things: some are clear, others turbid; some are active, others still; heaven is clear, earth turbid; heaven is active, earth still; male is clear, female turbid; male is active, female still; descending to the root while flowing to the branches, giving birth to all things. Clarity is the source of turbidity, movement the foundation of stillness; if humans are constantly clear and still, all of heaven and earth will return..."

In the void again, the voice of a Daoist chanting was heard, distant as if from the heavens.

"Thus the mantra is spoken: Gate, gate, paragate..."

The monk's chanting paused, then resumed louder.

"So noisy!"

Liu Zheng was already uncomfortable, and the chanting from both sides only tormented him further.

"Chant, chant, chant your damned mantra!"

Anger rose in his heart, feeding his courage.

Reaching out, he gripped a horizontal blade, dozens of meters long, appearing in his hand, with its blade aflame with fury.

"Everyone, shut the hell up!"

Liu Zheng bellowed, swinging the massive blade wildly.

"The Dao is formless, giving birth to heaven and earth; the great Dao is merciless, running the sun and moon; the great Dao is nameless, nurturing all things; I know not its name, but forcibly call it Dao..."

"Thus the mantra is spoken: Gate, gate, paragate..."

Seeing his ferocity, the chanting on both sides became even clearer, and the pace of the giant maw's swallowing quickened.

"So annoying, die already!"

Liu Zheng's anger peaked, and he raised the horizontal blade like a giant axe that could cleave the heavens.

"Hah!"

With one horizontal slash, the whole world was split in two.

The inextinguishable flames of rage burned along the cracked edges, consuming everything like a painting set afire.

"Yue!"

Liu Zheng opened his eyes, bent over, continuously vomiting on the ground.