So damn overpowered!
Chen Kuang couldn't help but cheer inwardly.
Truly, it was as if someone had brought him a pillow the moment he dozed off. Given the current situation, this newly refreshed passive ability was nothing short of a timely boon, perfectly resolving his greatest worry.
What he feared most right now was falling into the trap of Xiuzhu's threat. If that boy decided to betray him and reveal his identity to the three demonic masters, then Chen Kuang would instantly become isolated and helpless within the Pure Land.
But now, with the "Usurper's Refuge" passive in hand, as long as he didn't expose himself, he could safely remain undercover. No matter what Xiuzhu said, even if he blurted out the whole truth face-to-face, those three demonic masters would never suspect Chen Kuang's identity!
A gleam flashed through Chen Kuang's eyes.
This passive skill... was more than just concealment. It altered others' perception, rewriting reality with an unbreakable rule.
Naturally, as far as he was concerned, the more outrageous the cheat, the better.
But with all his recent experiences, he had come to understand: this world lacked nothing... except a fully manifested "Heavenly Dao".
That absence was the root of why even the Celestial Vastness Realm could only appear within dream-realms, and why the path beyond Saint remained broken.
The Heavenly Dao, was, in essence, the governing laws of this world.
And many of the passive abilities he had obtained... were effectively rewriting those laws.
Each one a personalized Heavenly Law, only applicable to him.
Moreover, these "personalized laws" were far more complex than the world's natural laws, intricately woven from countless strands of Dao.
Chen Kuang had long suspected the origin of this status panel of his. While he'd once had no clue, it now felt increasingly clear.
"But it's still too early to dwell on this. I should first figure out how to survive those three demonic masters."
Shaking his head, Chen Kuang drew his thoughts back.
From the moment he stepped into the Pure Land, he had already become a crucial piece used by both the demonic masters and Xiuzhu in their own respective games.
Xiuzhu's true intentions remained unclear. But judging from the clues, he clearly aimed to prevent those three demons from executing their Māra ritual, a plan of internal-external coordination to summon the Heavenly Demon.
Meanwhile, those three demonic masters, having mistaken Chen Kuang for one of their own, likely sought to exploit his identity as the heaven-sent Lionheart reincarnate, to carry out the blasphemous act of using Buddha to destroy Buddha, summoning Māra through a false Enlightened One.
After all, Chen Kuang was completely unqualified, riddled with vice, defiled in every spiritual sense, yet was now recognized by the Pure Land as a Buddha-Child.
And his current body wasn't even human anymore!
Could there be a more effective way to corrupt and obliterate Buddhist tradition than this?
Yet ironically... Chen Kuang couldn't afford to expose his identity.
He desperately needed the recognition of the Pure Land's Chan Masters. This acknowledgment was the most advantageous outcome for him.
After all, wasn't this exactly what he came for, to deceive the Pure Land and impersonate a Buddha-Child?
"Sigh..."
Chen Kuang exhaled deeply.
If he had remained ignorant of the Heavenly Demon's identity and motives, even if their plan would annihilate Buddhist heritage, it wouldn't have concerned him at all.
So what if it was destroyed?
He wasn't really a disciple of Buddha anyway.
Even Huo Hengxuan, who had taught him the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique, had been a disgraced, banished disciple of Garan Temple.
As long as the outcome was in his favor, why not ride the wave? It would've spared him a great deal of trouble.
But not anymore.
If those three truly succeeded, if the Pure Land were utterly shattered, the consequences would go far beyond the fall of the Wugou Pure Land. It would tip the entire war between Humanity and the Night Barbarians into irreversible collapse.
This was no longer a mere doctrinal struggle.
It would become a war of racial annihilation.
No matter what Xiuzhu's origin or purpose was, at this moment, Chen Kuang had no choice but to stand on the same side as him.
Suddenly, that ethereal woman's voice rang softly in Chen Kuang's ear once more.
"You've finally arrived..."
Chen Kuang nearly leapt to his feet in shock.
But he calmed himself quickly, his gaze falling upon the towering, luxuriant Bodhi tree before him.
This time, he could sense it far more clearly.
The woman's voice... was coming from this tree!
"Don't tell me... the 'woman' Huo Hengxuan pined for all his life... was this tree?"
Chen Kuang's lips twitched, and a bizarre thought popped into his head:
"Is this... what they call a 'plant girl fetish'?"
Come to think of it, who would've expected this Bodhi tree to actually possess consciousness, and have become a tree-spirit within the Pure Land...
Chen Kuang found it odd.
Though the monks of the Pure Land were notably tolerant of the demonic races, and even cherished many legends of their interactions with them thanks to the Buddha's past deeds, this seemed to go too far.
In fact, sects like the Department of Shennong that harbored hostility toward the demon races were the minority.
Still, for a tree-spirit to be openly worshipped within the Pure Land, kneeling and offerings and all, wasn't that a bit much?
Chen Kuang furrowed his brow, something about this didn't sit right.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he closed his eyes, releasing his divine sense and attempting to communicate with this Bodhi spirit.
"Were you... waiting for Huo Hengxuan?"
Chen Kuang didn't beat around the bush. He laid everything out in full:
"Back then, his swordsmanship was poor. You told him no matter how he wielded it, it never looked right. Later, he joined the army, honed his blade, and finally mastered a true Good Sword Technique. He wanted me to bring it back, for you to see."
He paused. With no response from the tree, he continued:
"If you're wondering what became of him, he's dead."
"He died in the Liang Kingdom, thousands of miles away. Gave his life for the nation, loyal to his Emperor. He perished alongside the Holy Protector of the Great Zhou, and in death ascended as a false Saint, though only a Master in life."
Still... the tree-spirit remained unresponsive, as if it didn't comprehend his words.
After what felt like a long silence, it merely repeated, once again:
"You've finally arrived..."
Chen Kuang's brow furrowed even deeper. Doubt began to cloud his mind.
This Bodhi tree... did it even possess complete sentience?
Without full spiritual awareness, it couldn't truly be called a demonic race member. At best, it was just a higher-tier spiritual treasure of heaven and earth.
Just like those slightly smarter spirit beasts, they were seen as pets, not true demons.
But this didn't make sense.
How could Huo Hengxuan have developed such deep feelings for a non-sentient tree-spirit?
And more than that, from the way he spoke, he clearly regarded her as a full-fledged individual, even saying she looked down on him at times. There was no way she could have been this dull.
Could it be... he'd misunderstood, and found the wrong one?
Chen Kuang tried a few more times, but with no success. Eventually, he could only give up for now.
Under the veil of night, the leaves of the Bodhi tree rustled softly in the wind.
Suddenly, a faint, silent crack opened in its thick trunk.
Beneath the bark, was pulsing crimson flesh, eerily like human muscle and blood.
The flesh breathed subtly, rhythmic and alive. A bead of fresh blood welled up, trailing down the trunk and dripping onto the grass below.
And from within that living tissue, a single clear, human eye slowly opened.
Blood pooled around the eye, flowing like tears.
The soft, mournful sob of a woman vanished into the wind...
By the following day, Xiuzhu came knocking at the meditation room.
Chen Kuang, dressed in monastic robes, followed him to the Grand Hall of Garan Temple.
Today, the three Grand Chan Masters would officially reveal Chen Kuang's identity to the entire monastic community of Garan Temple.