The land occupied by the False Buddha centers around the Great Zhou Imperial City, spanning roughly a hundred miles in radius.
Beyond this area, the corrupted monks of the False Buddha no longer roam.
Li Muyang speculated that this region marked the boundary where the False Buddha and its monstrous creatures could live peacefully.
Once they left this land, the False Buddha—this abomination spawned from the Mortal World—would likely invite the wrathful strikes of the Heavenly Eye Earth Monarch from the heavens above.
Otherwise, there was no reason for this creature to obscure the Heavenly Eye Earth Monarch’s gaze within the Great Zhou Imperial City.
After shifting his mindset, Li Muyang stopped attempting to kill the False Buddha.
Instead, he fled toward the outskirts alongside Miao Fengjun, finding the task noticeably easier.
The illusions conjured by the Xuanji Talisman slowed down the False Buddha’s efforts, and the evil spirits it frantically unleashed could not block the duo’s path of escape.
Under the nighttime sky, Li Muyang and the Headless Sacred Monk fought and retreated, eventually making it to the wilderness beyond the city walls.
Cold, unfeeling gazes from solitary monks wandered across the wasteland, their hostile stares burning into the fleeing figures of Li Muyang and Miao Fengjun. Yet, the monks did not attack.
At the far edge of the horizon’s boundary, an Evil God emerged, active only in the nighttime.
The monks formed an invisible array as they roamed, exerting all their strength to prevent the Evil God from crossing into this land.
Though their eyes radiated hatred toward Li Muyang and Miao Fengjun, they were incapable of mounting an attack.
Li Muyang and the Headless Sacred Monk flowed effortlessly through the swarm of monks, while behind them surged a black tide—a relentless army of evil spirits.
These malevolent entities spawned by the Mortal World had been driven to the Ancient Resentment Well by the Sword Cultivators of the Mysterious Sword Sect, where they cowered under the False Buddha’s protection.
Now, endless waves poured forth, their overwhelming numbers blotting out the heavens and clouds—a sight that sent a chill down the spine.
Yet, these vast numbers remained merely that—vast and lacking true strength.
The False Buddha radiated dazzling light as it pursued them with its evil spirits, but even so, it couldn’t stop Li Muyang’s advance.
Soon, Li Muyang and Miao Fengjun broke through the boundary where the monks roamed, stepping into the wilderness beyond.
A gargantuan Evil God loomed, gliding coldly under the moonlight.
This Evil God had neither limbs nor extremities, but its human-like torso was covered with countless slender, green hairs.
The endless green hairs swayed in the void, possessing an eerily harmonious yet lethal beauty.
Li Muyang and the Headless Sacred Monk froze, recoiling in horror upon seeing this deity.
Both were veterans of Black Cloud Fort and well-acquainted with the Evil Vein Clan.
The entity before them, known as the “Old Lord of Spirit Valley,” ranked among the most terrifying of the Ancient Resentment Well Evil Gods, feared even by the most seasoned Immortals.
Who would’ve thought they’d encounter such a monstrosity upon escaping?
Li Muyang inwardly cursed his luck, preparing to reload his game save while attempting to evade the looming threat.
However, with a sudden explosion under the moonlit sky, the entity’s green hairs struck Li Muyang in a single instant.
[You have died. Game Over.]
“…Looks like the Evil Gods from the Ancient Resentment Well have quite the grudge against the False Buddha.”
Li Muyang muttered to himself, watching the defeat CG displayed in his view.
The appearance of such commanding Evil Gods at the borders of the Great Zhou Imperial City suggested the False Buddha—a foreign usurper within the Ancient Resentment Well—was considered a provocation for claiming its lands and proclaiming itself divinity.
Li Muyang reloaded the save file and entered the game again.
This time, he and Miao Fengjun fled in a different direction.
The escape sequence played out similarly—the army of evil spirits endlessly pursued them, the False Buddha battled the illusions spawned by the Xuanji Talisman while continuing its chase.
Yet Li Muyang and the Headless Sacred Monk once again managed to break through the boundary and reach the outer wilderness.
But this time, Spirit Valley Old Lord did not appear.
What appeared was another powerful Evil God.
[Old Lady of Incomplete Insects]
With a menacing and grotesque chuckle, the hunched figure of an elderly woman emerged under the moonlight, killing Li Muyang instantly.
[You have died. Game Over.]
…
“This False Buddha sure is unpopular… Seems like it must be exceptionally formidable,” Li Muyang muttered.
Despite the nightly harassment from so many Evil Gods, the False Buddha had still managed to conquer a hundred-mile radius from the Great Zhou Imperial City over the years, evidence of a deeply-rooted scheme.
Realizing the danger stems from external forces, Li Muyang once again altered his strategy.
And on his third attempt, he encountered yet another Evil God.
Fortunately, this third Evil God was weaker than the previous two, allowing him and the Headless Sacred Monk to last for over ten seconds before being killed.
[You have died. Game Over.]
Staring at the defeat CG in his view, Li Muyang remained unfazed.
He reloaded the save file, entered the game, and repeatedly sought alternative escape routes.
Finally, Li Muyang tested every conceivable direction.
After seventeen consecutive deaths, he accurately mapped out the distribution of Evil Gods wandering the boundary beyond the hundred-mile radius.
Altogether, there were thirteen Evil Gods, varying in strength, with the strongest being Old Lady of Incomplete Insects and Spirit Valley Old Lord—absolute titans among the deities.
Even the weakest Evil Gods possessed True Immortal-level power.
Through repeated attempts, Li Muyang pinpointed the weakest one among them and focused solely on breaking through in that direction.
After thirty-six consecutive defeats, Li Muyang finally succeeded in escaping the territory of the wandering Evil Gods.
But the cost was separation from the Headless Sacred Monk and the acquisition of a thirty-three-day-long DEBUFF.
During the DEBUFF’s duration, Li Muyang would lose all rationality and self-awareness, wandering aimlessly through the wilderness, unable to control his body.
Thankfully, Princess Pingyao remained vigilantly by his side, ensuring his safety.
No matter how many attempts Li Muyang made afterward, the outcome didn’t change.
While he could escape the Evil Gods’ range of influence, their power inevitably contaminated him, temporarily robbing him of reason and consciousness.
This explained his separation from the Headless Sacred Monk, as Miao Fengjun had also succumbed to the DEBUFF contamination.
Closing and reopening his eyes with resignation, Li Muyang’s consciousness returned to the Mortal World.
For the thirty-three days of DEBUFF’s effects, he was forced to remain idle.
With no alternatives, he returned to the Mortal World.
Li Muyang soared into the sky, heading toward Jiuyuan City.
Sitting idle was wasteful—he might as well check in on Yu Chan’s situation.
But Li Muyang had only flown for six days and nights before being intercepted by the Third Miss aboard a flying boat.
Amidst the wilderness, the boar demon Third Miss arrived stepping onto her flying boat, barring Li Muyang’s path.
“Li Muyang!”
The Third Miss and Liu Lian’er stood atop a luxuriously sculpted jade-white flying boat, shouting toward Li Muyang from afar as he sped toward his destination.
Immediately, Li Muyang changed direction, quickly converging with the pair.
“Have you found Yan Xiaoru yet?” Li Muyang immediately asked upon landing.
It was meant to be a straightforward question.
But the Third Miss and Liu Lian’er exchanged a glance, their expressions suddenly tinged with subtle unease.
Finally, Liu Lian’er spoke up: “Senior Brother Li, we’ve seen Elder Yan.”
“But Elder Yan’s situation is a bit…”
Liu Lian’er hesitated, seeming reluctant to continue and revealing some visible discomfort.
Li Muyang’s heart sank sharply, his expression suddenly grim.
“…She’s already dead?” That was the worst possibility Li Muyang could imagine.