In the Ancient Resentment Well, Li Muyang watched the sunrise at the horizon and exhaled deeply.
Another night of the hunt.
As a Nightwalker, he could hunt evil creatures in the darkness and level up far faster than ordinary Puppet Masters.
Now, the dolls behind him had reached impressive levels—the highest SSR-grade doll was leveled up to LV73, while the lowest was at LV61.
Once Li Muyang trained all his puppets to their peak levels, he would head to the capital of the Great Zhou and challenge the pseudo-Buddhist figure in the royal palace again.
The sunlight illuminated the lands around the Ancient Resentment Well. When Li Muyang returned to camp, Ding Liang, the driver who had slept soundly all night, and the old servant Deng Bo, both awoke.
After a simple meal of dry rations, the three continued on their journey.
They had no specific destination; they simply chose a direction and kept moving, clearing out any evil creatures they encountered along the way.
But this time, their journey was quickly interrupted.
Because in a town ahead, they ran into someone familiar.
Standing at the town gate was the Headless Divine Monk, balancing a severed head in his hand and smiling warmly, as many townsfolk knelt fervently before him in worship.
This scene was identical to the first time Li Muyang had encountered the Headless Divine Monk.
He was somewhat taken aback.
“Miao Fengjun, that old demon, is at it again with his mystifying tricks to slay monsters and save the day?”
This old demon had vanished after escaping from the capital of Great Zhou, and Li Muyang had thought that he had finally abandoned his pursuit of killing the pseudo-Buddhist figure and returned to the Mortal World.
But it turned out he was back in the Ancient Resentment Well, practicing his old tricks…
Li Muyang was puzzled and decided to stay temporarily in this town with Ding Liang and Deng Bo.
But it wasn’t until nightfall, when the entire town had been transformed into a desolate and silent ghost town, that the Headless Divine Monk, cloaked in white robes and exuding an aura of sacredness, finally arrived under the moonlight.
“It has been a while, my friend.”
With one hand clasped in prayer and the severed head balanced gracefully, the Headless Divine Monk greeted Li Muyang like an old acquaintance.
Li Muyang suspiciously fixed his gaze on the monk and said, “I’ve been watching you all day outside the town. You’ve been standing there, basking in the villagers’ adoration… What is it? Being a savior feels so good that you can’t bear to leave?”
Li Muyang had thought that Miao Fengjun, upon noticing his appearance, would swiftly step aside for a private conversation.
But unexpectedly, the old demon insisted on waiting until nightfall, long after the townsfolk had dispersed to their homes, before making his move.
The two locked eyes, yet Miao Fengjun remained unbothered by Li Muyang’s sardonic remarks.
He chuckled lightly and said, “The Incense Fire Vow Power from the townsfolk is an essential pillar that sustains this body of mine.”
“Without collecting their vow power, this golden body of mine won’t hold up for much longer.”
With the Heavenly Eye Earth Monarch looming in the background, two visitors to the Mortal World couldn’t afford to speak openly.
Still, Li Muyang understood.
Miao Fengjun’s golden Buddha body was, in fact, powered by Incense Fire Vow Power.
No wonder he resorted to impersonating a benevolent Buddhist monk and slaying demons.
After a brief pause, Li Muyang spoke, “I’m refining my puppets. Once all my puppets are trained to perfection, I will once again march into the royal palace of Great Zhou to challenge the pseudo-Buddhist figure and slay that monster.”
Li Muyang and Miao Fengjun had an agreement.
Li Muyang hoped that Miao Fengjun would continue to assist him.
But this time, Li Muyang felt let down.
The Headless Divine Monk shook his head regretfully and said, “This time, I fear I cannot help you.”
“I’ve found a new substitute catalyst, one that can replace the monster in Great Zhou’s royal palace, and it is much weaker than that pseudo-Buddhist figure.”
“From here on, my friend, you must walk your path alone. Forgive me for bowing out…”
Previously, Miao Fengjun had pledged to join forces to slay the Otherworldly Demon God, but now, he abruptly decided to abandon the mission.
Li Muyang furrowed his brows as he glared at him, his gaze sharp and unkind.
Since the two were no longer allies, Li Muyang’s current strength should be enough to kill this Headless Monk.
The LV99 Princess of Pingyao was a top-tier force beneath the True Immortal realm.
Coupling her might with the Xuanji Talisman, along with numerous new cards stored in Li Muyang’s inventory—
As the saying goes, the many could crush the few; he had a high chance of killing Miao Fengjun, who had yet to reach the True Immortal realm.
But just as Li Muyang was about to act, the Headless Divine Monk seemingly perceived his intentions and laughed kindly, persuading him otherwise.
“Jiang Xiaoyu, my friend, aren’t you curious why I dare to meet you even though I have no intention of helping you? Could it be that I am unaware of the consequences of breaching our agreement—that you might try to kill me?”
The monk’s words gave Li Muyang pause.
He frowned, then demanded, “Speak! Give me one good reason not to kill you!”
Jie Zijiu had painstakingly elevated the Princess of Pingyao to LV99, making her Li Muyang’s strongest asset thus far.
This was his only chance to contend with Miao Fengjun.
Once the game was completed, there was no guarantee that he would have such formidable forces again.
After all, this game existed solely to kill Miao Fengjun.
Li Muyang’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
The Headless Divine Monk chuckled and said, “Jiang Xiaoyu, my friend, in my possession are over eighty statues of Fairy Qinghe… Does this condition tempt you to hold back?”
Miao Fengjun’s words made Li Muyang’s heart skip a beat.
He had long wondered why Tianyuan Continent lacked statues of Little Wild Grass.
By all logic, Tianyuan Continent should have statues dedicated to Little Wild Grass.
After all, the earth cracked after Little Wild Grass’s death.
Now, Miao Fengjun’s words made Li Muyang understand the truth.
“… You left behind a disorganized sect in Tianyuan Continent, instructing future generations to collect statues of Little Wild Grass?”
Miao Fengjun, capable of leaving behind numerous secrets to influence the cultivation of Tianyuan Continent’s beings, could surely leave instructions urging those who practiced his secrets to gather statues of Little Wild Grass.
As expected, the Headless Divine Monk smiled faintly and affirmed it.
“Indeed. I established a legacy that collects statues of Fairy Qinghe. Two thousand years ago, the entire Tianyuan Continent’s statues of Fairy Qinghe had been gathered.”
“Today, eighty-nine statues of Fairy Qinghe rest in my hands.”
“I am willing to swear a Blood Oath. If you promise to come to me after killing the pseudo-Buddhist figure, these eighty-nine statues of Fairy Qinghe will be yours.”
“One continent’s entire collection of Fairy Qinghe statues—this is the fruit of my legacy’s efforts over millennia, saving you immense trouble.”
Miao Fengjun’s words made Li Muyang’s heart pound violently.
He now possessed numerous Little Wild Grass statues.
Most of the cultivation world had been scoured clean, and he had previously obtained several Little Wild Grass statues from the Otherworldly Demon God atop Heavenly Candle Peak.
Now, with the addition of Tianyuan Continent’s statues, Li Muyang could almost complete the revival of Little Wild Grass!
Such temptation…
Li Muyang frowned and stared at Miao Fengjun, then said slowly, “Fine! Swear the Blood Oath!”
“The statues of Little Wild Grass—I’ll claim them from you later.”
“In exchange, I’ll wait until I have killed the pseudo-Buddhist figure in the palace before coming after you. I’ll give you time!”