Chapter 285: "Perhaps You Should Address Me as an Evil Deity."

Chapter 285: "Perhaps You Should Address Me as an Evil Deity."

"High Immortals, save us!!!"

The Li Family Patriarch's eyes were filled with terror, and he burst forth with a speed he had never experienced before. He didn't bother with the small paths anymore; instead, he crashed into fake mountains and walls, running in a straight line towards the outer courtyard of the Li Family residence.

When the Li Family residence was initially constructed, they had specifically considered feng shui. All the paths through the woods were not straight but winding.

There were fake mountains, water features, flowers, and trees.

The living environment was quite pleasant and aesthetically pleasing, but in the face of fleeing for their lives, all these features became meaningless. The shortest distance between two points was a straight line.

The Li Family servants standing around stared at their master, who was running wildly, their faces filled with unease and bewilderment, unsure of what was happening.

The Li Family Patriarch's first wife, however, stood calmly in her original spot, gazing at her husband's departing figure without any extra movements or words, remaining silent.

"High Immortal, save us! Save us!!!"

As the Li Family Patriarch rushed out of the courtyard, he suddenly realized that the few great immortals hadn't gone far. They were hovering in the air, looking down at the Li Family residence, which had been separated from Hong City and lifted into the sky, seemingly a thousand feet high.

The Li Family Patriarch slammed on an emergency brake, stopping in his tracks. He swallowed hard, looking at the split earth in front of him and the dense cloud layer below, his eyes filled with shock.

When had the Li Family been cut off from Hong City? Why hadn't he felt a thing?

There wasn't a hint of tremor on the ground.

The Li Family's grand formation showed no reaction, and he didn't feel any difference in his senses. What kind of tremendous power was this?

"Supreme Immortal..."

Without time to think, the Li Family Patriarch knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with fear, about to say something.

Just then, the leading immortal spoke in a detached tone, "Step aside. This isn't something you should involve yourself in."

"Yes."

The Li Family Patriarch took a deep breath and, with eyes full of trepidation, walked behind the group of high immortals. It was clear that the immortals weren't oblivious to the strangeness in the Li Family; they had already noticed it and were prepared.

If that was the case, then it meant his suspicions were correct—there was something amiss with those who had been resurrected through sacrifice.

"Come out."

Chen Qiu, with his hands behind his back and standing high in the air, held the Heavenly Umbrella and looked down at the Li Family residence below with a smile. "I've come to invite you out for a chat. Surely you'll give me this face, won't you?"

In truth, when he entered the Li Family residence, he had already sensed something amiss. A dense, foul aura flowed beneath the Li Family residence, an aura that felt somewhat familiar to him. He had encountered a similar aura in the massive underground cave beneath the Fat State of Daxia, filled with countless resentful spirits.

But the reason that underground cave had such an aura was due to the presence of countless resentful spirits, constantly emitting their grudges day and night.

The Li Family residence, however, was located in a bustling area with ample human activity. How could it emit a similar aura?

Especially after learning that the Li Family Patriarch had resurrected his deceased family members by sacrificing blood and flesh, his sense of unease intensified. If it were an ordinary person, they might have expressed envy, saying that the world was full of wonders.

But he was different. His vision and knowledge far surpassed those of the people on a First Rank Continent.

He was well aware that resurrection was not entirely impossible in this world.

For instance, some entries could achieve resurrection, but it required becoming a wandering soul and waiting for tens of thousands or even thousands of years, stretching time to an extreme length. Or, during the collapse of the Netherworld, one could exploit loopholes to achieve resurrection.

The former was the rule of the Heavenly Dao, and the latter was its loophole.

However, resurrection through the sacrifice of blood and flesh was clearly not the former, as the cost was not equivalent. As for the latter, it was also obviously not the case. If neither of these applied, there must be something sinister at play.

But he hadn't intended to get involved in this matter, as he was just passing by and didn't want to meddle in affairs unrelated to him. However, when the Deceptive Buddha mentioned that only the Qiong Wang Continent had experienced the collapse of the Netherworld, he felt that something was amiss.

He only felt that something was off, and didn't think much of it.

After leaving the Li Family residence, the Bai Family Patriarch immediately contacted him through divine sense transmission, informing him that he knew of three First Rank Continents that were experiencing the collapse of the Netherworld in the coming days. However, he hadn't mentioned it in the ancestral hall, fearing it might cause some trouble.

Between the Deceptive Buddha and the Bai Family Patriarch, he naturally trusted the latter more.

If that was the case, then it meant this Deceptive Buddha had lied. But why would he lie? Was it to lure him to the Qiong Wang Continent? What was his purpose? He wasn't sure, but he did know one thing—this Deceptive Buddha had targeted him.

Since it concerned him, he couldn't ignore it.

After Chen Qiu's words, there was no response from within the courtyard.

Moments later, a storm of wind and rain howled in, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Chen Qiu held the Heavenly Umbrella, his clothes fluttering in the fierce wind, as he looked down at the Li Family residence with detachment. "Since you're unwilling to come out for a chat, I'll have to invite you out."

Just then—

"Boom!"

The Li Family residence's gate was suddenly blown open by a powerful shockwave. A group of servants with pale faces and red-rimmed eyes, brandishing sharp blades, had tied up all the Li Family members and placed them in front of them. They held a large knife to the necks of the Li Family members.

A woman in a red dress, surrounded by these servants, walked slowly forward, looking at the Li Family Patriarch standing behind Fat Dragon with an expressionless face. "Husband, why are you making such a ruckus?"

"Make them leave."

"Otherwise, your family and your son will die by the blade."

"Hehe."

The Li Family Patriarch looked at his son, who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with fear as he cried for help. He licked his lips, feeling a sense of reluctance. He had known there was something wrong with this woman, but he hadn't expected there to be more than one.

The people he had resurrected in recent days, including these servants, seemed to have changed in some way.

"Good boy."

Fat Dragon patted the Li Family Patriarch's shoulder in consolation. "Close your eyes. It might be a little less painful that way."

"Alright."

The head of the Li Family nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then obediently closed his eyes and retreated, even withdrawing his Divine Sense. It was clear that he was prepared to be a turtle, ignoring the tragedy unfolding before him.

Chen Qiu smiled lightly, gesturing with his hand, and countless heavenly thunders carrying terrifying might gathered above the Li Family's courtyard. If these thunders struck, the entire Li Family's courtyard would be reduced to ashes, completely vanishing from the world.

The woman in the red skirt within the courtyard paled slightly, her body trembling under the oppressive might of the thunders above. The actions of the head of the Li Family further infuriated her, and she could no longer maintain her composure. Her voice became sharp and grating.

"Husband, do you really want to watch them die because of you?"

"Do you really want to witness the annihilation of the Li Family today?"

"Look at your son; they're all pleading for your help right now!"

"Ugh, enough."

The head of the Li Family, who had already turned away and crouched on the ground, immediately turned to face his once most beloved wife, his expression serious.

"First."

"The Li Family is called the Li Family because I'm surnamed Li. As long as I'm alive, the Li Family won't be exterminated."

"Second."

"Sons can be born again, and wives can be found again. If I die, everything will be gone. It's foolish to exchange irreplaceable resources for replaceable ones."

"Third."

"These sons also seem a bit off. They look like they're cut from the same cloth as you."

"Most importantly, threatening me with my wife and child is useless. You even pretend to be some big shot, but can't you see who's really in charge here?"

"Are you crazy, threatening an Immortal with my family?"

"Or do you think the Immortal will listen to my advice?"

"Stupid woman!"

"You're right." Chen Qiu nodded seriously, acknowledging her words.

"Indeed."

Fat Dragon also sighed and patted the man beside him, "Clear logic, he'd make a good accountant."

"Good, good, good!"

The woman in the courtyard, her anger reaching its peak, waved her right hand fiercely, ordering, "Kill them!"

The servants, their faces ashen and eyes bloodshot, didn't hesitate. They raised their sharp blades and beheaded the Li Family members they had tied up.

In the blink of an eye, almost half of the Li Family members were lying in a pool of blood.

"And now?"

The woman glared at the head of the Li Family, her eyes piercing, "Do you think I'm joking? No matter what you do, get these people out of here first!"

"Yes, sir."

The head of the Li Family pointed to the other half of the Li Family members kneeling on the ground, "There's still the other half left, won't you kill them too?"

Fat Dragon looked at the middle-aged man with a strange expression. Was this guy a pervert? How could a normal person witness the annihilation of his family so calmly? He had thought that the man had accepted the reality out of helplessness.

But it seemed there was not a trace of sadness on the man's face.

Could he be an outsider?

Is this not your family? Or did your wife cheat on you? Are these not your sons?

At this moment, Chen Qiu had lost his patience. His index finger trembled, and as countless thunders roared, they engulfed the entire Li Family's courtyard.

"Boom, boom, boom!!!"

After a few breaths, the dust dissipated in the storm, and the Li Family's courtyard had completely vanished, reduced to dust and disappeared from the world. The woman, the servants, and all the Li Family members were nowhere to be seen, having vanished without a trace in the attack.

Only a single Deceptive Buddha remained, surrounded by crimson light, floating in mid-air with his legs crossed. The statue-like Buddha had opened its eyes at some point, its pupils filled with resentment and hatred as it glared at Chen Qiu.

Though its lips didn't move, a voice echoed through the air, like ventriloquism.

"We had no connection in the past, and no grudges today."

"Why destroy my destiny for no reason?!"

"Hey."

The head of the Li Family laughed upon seeing this, "I knew it, this Deceptive Buddha is alive. With such a bizarre appearance, it couldn't possibly be just a statue."

"Hmm?" Fat Dragon frowned, looking at the man, "You knew this Deceptive Buddha was up to something, and you still used it?"

"I had no choice."

The middle-aged man shook his head, "Even if something has a 99% chance of happening, people will act as if they didn't see it. When faced with an opportunity that can change your life, even if you know something is amiss, how can you resist the temptation? Especially when it's just a feeling and you haven't actually seen anything."

"As the saying goes, a single leaf can block the sky. Can a single leaf really block the sky? It's just covering your eyes."

"It's not the leaf that blocks the sky, but your own inner greed."

"As the ancient saying goes..."

"Alright, you're talking too much." Fat Dragon spoke expressionlessly, "I was just asking casually, you don't need to show off your knowledge here. It's a bit stiff."

"As you wish, Immortal."

"It's true we had no connection in the past."

Chen Qiu stood in the air, calmly examining the Deceptive Buddha, who showed great apprehension towards him. This eased some of his anxiety, but during that strike, the Deceptive Buddha didn't seem to have suffered much damage.

His attack was not at full power, only a tenth of its might, and that was after being weakened by the Heavenly Dao Shackles. Still, it was shocking that the Deceptive Buddha could withstand it without any apparent injury.

"But today, a grudge has formed."

"Why did you guide me to the Qiong Wang Continent? Why did you scheme against me?"

"Scheme against you?"

The Deceptive Buddha, momentarily enraged, laughed, "I don't even know you, why would I scheme against you? You asked me yourself, which lower-ranked continent has the lowest-grade collapse of the Netherworld?

I'll tell you, did I make a mistake in my answer?"

"No."

Chen Qiu shook his head. "In fact, there are several First Rank Continents in this series that also experienced the Netherworld Collapse, why didn't you mention those and specifically pointed me to Qiong Wang Continent? What's your intention behind this?"

"I'm plotting against your mother!"

It was evident that this Deceptive Buddha wasn't skilled in polite conversation, and his temper was rather unstable. At this moment, he was emotionally agitated, screaming hysterically, "Just because of this, you're going to ruin my destiny?"

"Am I all-powerful? I'm asking you, am I the Heavenly Dao, or am I an omniscient Immortal Emperor?"

"How the hell would I know which Lower Rank Continents in this series have experienced the Netherworld Collapse?"

"Huh? You tell me!"

"I only know about Qiong Wang Continent. In recent days, it has undergone the Netherworld Collapse. I'm not aware if other continents have experienced it. I can only tell you about Qiong Wang Continent. What's wrong with that? Huh, I'm asking you!"

"Just because of this, you're going to ruin my destiny? Do you know how long I've been preparing for this opportunity? Huh!"

"Plotting against you, plotting against you!"

"I don't even know who you are, so what's the point of plotting against you? A few Body Integration Period cultivators coming to a First Rank Continent to have fun, is that it? Is there no end to this?"

". . ."

Chen Qiu stood expressionless in the air, immersed in a long silence. The Deceptive Buddha spoke sincerely, as if he wasn't lying, and what he said made sense. After all, the Deceptive Buddha wasn't the Heavenly Dao and naturally couldn't know everything about all periods.

Knowing only that Qiong Wang Continent had experienced the Netherworld Collapse, there was indeed no issue with mentioning it.

"So, you weren't plotting against me?"

"Yes!"

The Deceptive Buddha's face turned excited as he looked at Chen Qiu. After sensing that the killing intent in Chen Qiu's words had weakened, he quickly found a new topic to make up for it. "This is a groundless disaster. So, today we can consider ourselves acquaintances, and..."

"But you just cursed at me," Chen Qiu said expressionlessly in a soft voice.

". . ."

This time, it was the Deceptive Buddha's turn to fall silent. After a moment, he spoke hoarsely without expression, "So, you won't kill me just because I cursed at you earlier, right?"

"That's right."

"I advise you to think thrice. The reason I'm being so courteous to you is merely to avoid wasting my foundation. A junior at the Body Integration Period is not qualified to speak to me like this in front of me at my peak."

"So, you're not at your peak now?"

"That's not important. What's important is that I want you to understand that as long as I'm willing, I'm not necessarily weaker than you."

"Not necessarily weaker than me?"

"We can cooperate. At least, if you're thinking of acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, you can stop for a moment. I'm not an evil deity. Although my name sounds a bit strange, I'm actually a good person."

"Brother Qiu," Fat Dragon whispered in Chen Qiu's ear, "Being able to see through your Body Integration Cultivation at a glance, this is definitely not something someone from a First Rank Continent can do. His previous cultivation might have been quite strong, at least at the Body Integration Period."

". . ."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly. "Chat?"

"Chat."

The Deceptive Buddha nodded earnestly and sincerely.

After a few breaths.

Chen Qiu summoned the Celestial Palace and had it hover over the air, while the crowd formed a circle and sat at the entrance of the Celestial Palace. The Deceptive Buddha, sitting on the ground, took the lead and spoke with a serious expression, "First of all, I need to clarify something."

"Although I'm called the Deceptive Buddha, I have never actively killed a person. Everything I do is based on equitable exchange. Is there a problem with that?"

"Equitable exchange is the fundamental rule of all rank continents. Even the rewards from the Heavenly Dao are based on equitable exchange, right?"

"Although sometimes the things I bestow might indeed bring about slaughter, but the person who buys the knife and goes to kill is not the fault of the knife seller, right? Otherwise, the one with the highest sin value should be the Heavenly Dao. If not for those entries, the Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm, and such, there would be much less slaughter in this world."

"Before we begin this discussion, I'd like to make a statement. I'm a good person, so I hope you won't look at me with prejudice.

"Hehe."

Fat Dragon, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, poured a cup of tea for everyone. Then, with a strange tone, he said, "Good, it's been a while since we had a tea talk. The first speaker has finished, please proceed with the second speaker."

"Umm..."

The Lord of the Li Family, sitting next to the Deceptive Buddha, silently raised his right hand. "My wife and children have all died at your hands just now."

"Nonsense!"

The Deceptive Buddha immediately roared in anger, "How could I have killed them? It was clearly..."

But upon seeing Chen Qiu's expression, he quickly retracted his head and spoke softly, "Anyway, it wasn't me. Besides, you fool, don't you realize that in the entire Li Family, only you are normal? Your family members aren't really your family."

"Don't put this blame on me."

"Your Li Family has been haunted by malevolent spirits for several years, and many have died. It was during this time that those spirits possessed your family members. It was only after you met me and invited me to the Li Family that I was able to suppress these spirits in the Li Family, preventing them from harming Hongcheng."

"That woman who spoke earlier was possessed by a spirit. I'm not in cahoots with her."

"Her rank is too low."

"With my intelligence, how could I possibly use your family as a bargaining chip? That would be too foolish. In the years I've been in the Li Family, I've done nothing but make a deal with you. You asked me to revive your family, and I did it. I haven't done anything wrong."

"Is that so?" Fat Dragon raised his eyebrows. "Although I'm not the third speaker, I'd like to interject. Those family members you revived don't seem like normal people."

"Naturally."

The Deceptive Buddha rolled his eyes impatiently. "That's resurrection! Do you think it's as easy as eating vegetables? Saying resurrect and it happens? I merely recreated a few identical bodies based on his memories and filled them with his memories. But as soon as they were created, they were possessed by those spirits."

"But that has nothing to do with me. This is no longer within the scope of our agreement.

"You're nothing but a swindler." The scholar sitting beside him spoke with a calm demeanor, "If it's not a true resurrection, then don't call it a resurrection."

"How can you call me a swindler?!" The Deceptive Buddha's tone turned sharp with indignation, his voice rising, "What do you mean by swindler? If I take your jade and sell you copper, that's a swindler. But I take your copper and give you copper in return, how can that be considered swindler?!"

"This is a fair exchange. The stakes I collect are completely equivalent!"

"And who says physical resurrection isn't a resurrection? If not, could he ever find a woman exactly like his late wife in this lifetime?"

"That makes sense."

Fat Dragon nodded again, feeling that something seemed a bit off, but the first impression was indeed somewhat reasonable.

"Moreover—"

The Deceptive Buddha rolled his eyes in annoyance, "He's aware of this matter too, how can you say I deceived him?"

"Huh?"

Lord Li shook his head, his eyes filled with bewilderment, "What do I know?"

"So annoying."

The Deceptive Buddha scratched his head in irritation, then slapped the back of Lord Li's head. A flash of golden light passed by, and the bewilderment in Lord Li's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a clear and lucid expression.

Lord Li looked at Chen Qiu and the others with apologetic eyes, "Esteemed Immortals, this is all my fault."

"It's a long story."

"A few years ago, the Li family was inexplicably haunted by malevolent spirits. We often heard screams in the middle of the night, hair growing from under the bed, and blood handprints appearing on the paper windows under the moonlight."

"I tried countless methods, but I still couldn't disperse the malevolent spirits."

"Gradually, more and more members of the Li family died mysteriously, and those who remained seemed to have changed. I was powerless to do anything, and could only watch helplessly as all this happened, waiting for death in despair."

"But for some reason, the malevolent spirits didn't harm me."

"One day, I accidentally obtained this Deceptive Buddha statue and brought it back to the Li family's ancestral hall. After that, I suddenly noticed that the unrestrained malevolent spirits had quieted down."

"When I discovered that I could exchange this Deceptive Buddha statue for an equivalent value, I resurrected my deceased family members. However, they only had bodies and memories, and these memories were based on what I had in my mind."

"So, I sealed my memories and only kept the happy ones with my family. I recreated the Li family."

"A Li family where only I was normal."

"I know this is wrong, but I just wanted to be with my family. We did live happily for a few years, but recently, I've noticed something odd about these family members, so I sought help from the Immortals."

"Actually, I shouldn't have sought help."

At this moment, Lord Li's eyes were filled with regret, but he soon regained his clarity, and with a bitter smile, he said, "But it doesn't matter. After you Immortals leave, I can do it again and ask the Deceptive Buddha to resurrect my family."

"Hmph, keep dreaming."

The Deceptive Buddha chuckled coldly, "My destiny with you has already been severed. You still want to joke with me. After this, if fate allows, we'll meet again."

". . ."

Fat Dragon's face was filled with bewilderment, and he stared into the distance with a dazed expression for a long time before muttering, "This is so confusing, let me sort it out."

"First, there are three groups in the Li family: the malevolent spirits, the Deceptive Buddha, and Lord Li, right?"

"And Lord Li is aware of all this, but he wants to deceive himself. So, he sealed his family and the others possessed by the malevolent spirits, and continued to enjoy family bliss, right?"

"And you, Deceptive Buddha, your role in this is a fair exchange, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

The Deceptive Buddha nodded earnestly, "So, am I considered a demon?"

"But you ate human flesh."

"What are you talking about? Don't humans eat demons and dragons? I'm not human, so what's wrong with me eating human flesh? Moreover, I didn't even eat it. Human flesh is sour, who in their right mind would enjoy eating that."

"Then why do you need so much blood and flesh?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you implying? Everything in this world must follow the basic rules of the Heavenly Dao, right? Do you think creating those bodies can be done out of thin air? Of course, it requires certain raw materials."

"I use his blood and flesh to do his bidding, what's the problem with that?"

"Then what race are you?"

"I'm a demon."

". . ."

". . ."

Fat Dragon and the scholar, along with the others, stood silently with blank expressions.

"I need to clarify something."

The Deceptive Buddha raised his left palm and spoke earnestly, "Demon is my identity, occupation, and race, just like the word 'human' for your race. It's a term without emotions, but when humans use the word 'demon', it carries many negative connotations. There's a huge difference there."

"You could say it's like the difference between heaven and earth."

"Among demons, there are good ones and bad ones, just like there's a race called the Holy Spirit Race. Are all members of that race saints? As for demons, I'm neither a good nor a bad one, but I strictly adhere to the rules and fair exchange."

"Of course, demon is just my temporary identity."

"If we meet again in the future, perhaps you'll have to address me as an Evil Deity."

At this point, the Deceptive Buddha hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm not sure if you understand, but it's no secret. To reach the ultimate rank, you must set a rule for yourself and always adhere to it."

"Only by following this rule can you smoothly reach the pinnacle!"

"And each rule can only allow one person to reach the ultimate rank."

"This path is a single plank bridge. In the high-rank immortal world, two people following the same rule are mortal enemies, never resting until one of them is dead."

"And my rule is fair exchange."

"So, don't describe me as evil or good unless I die. I will never break this rule, as breaking it is equivalent to cutting off my path to immortality."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end