On the day of the Joyful Shrine, every Monk within the Great Virtue Temple had the right to participate in the Joyful Shrine Association.

Qing Sha, Guardian of one of the Round Gate Four Pavilions, was somehow unaware that today was the day of the Joyful Shrine Association. Upon learning this, his violent nature immediately surfaced, and he became incredibly aggressive.

This gave Yang An the justification he needed to fight.

’Elder Zhuan Yu probably had me come destroy the Round Gate Four Pavilions on this day because he already knew this was what their Guardians were like.’

’That way, when I finally destroy the Stone Stele, it will just be seen as a consequence of my fight with the Guardian, rather than revealing my true objective.’

"Stay back."

He casually told Guang’an, who was standing beside him, to get clear. Once the fighting started, neither of them would care who was nearby.

Guang’an knew the situation was extremely dangerous. Hearing Yang An’s words, he scurried away, afraid he’d be left behind or caught in the crossfire if he was too slow.

BOOM!

Yang An and Qing Sha locked eyes. Qing Sha’s eyes quickly became bloodshot as a powerful aura erupted from his body, instantly blasting the pavilion and surrounding courtyard walls to pieces.

He raised a hand, clenching it into a fist with a series of sharp CRACKS.

"You say you’re the Buddha’s Son? You must be a new one. Did you know that even the previous Buddha’s Son was no match for me?"

"I’m forced to guard this place because those bastards are jealous of my talent! I’ve already reached the pinnacle of the Zombie Gods, and they fear I’ll break through to the Insect Dao. If I were to become a Bodhisattva, *they* would be the ones guarding this damned Stone Stele!"

Yang An was somewhat surprised to hear this backstory, watching Qing Sha speak with a sneer.

However, he didn’t agree with what Qing Sha was saying.

"You say you’re the strongest of the Zombie Gods? Then what does that make me?"

"You? You’re just an arrogant fool trying to achieve Buddhahood by relying on your past life’s body. Nothing more than a man who is about to die by my hand."

Qing Sha clearly didn’t take Yang An seriously, his eyes filled with contempt.

Yang An remained silent, not bothering to retort.

’Strength is proven through battle, not words.’

"Let’s see what you, the so-called Buddha’s Son, are really relying on. And in return, I’ll show you what a true Zombie God is."

Qing Sha suddenly drove his clenched fist into the Stone Stele at his feet. In an instant, the Sanskrit-engraved stele emitted a massive amount of black energy that snaked up from his hand and across his entire body like chains.

The black energy carried a terrifying aura that filled the air with a sinister chill, causing the temperature to plummet instantly.

As the black energy spread across Qing Sha’s body, it fused with his flesh, and his form began to twist and distort.

His black monastic robes and Kasaya instantly turned to dust. His body began to swell, and red patches appeared on his bald head, from which horns started to sprout.

His already bloodshot eyes rapidly turned crimson, brimming with killing intent and madness.

"Do you see? This is..."

Qing Sha’s lips curled into a smirk, as if he had been completely corrupted.

But before he could finish, a golden figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

BAM!

The next moment, the Stone Stele, which was rooted to the earth, snapped clean at its base. Qing Sha’s still-transforming body was sent flying backward, smashing through a palace and bringing it down in a shower of rubble.

Yang An shook out his hand. He had already entered the strongest form of his Jade Kala Vajra Body, and a smile played on his lips as well.

’You think I’d just stand here and watch you power up?’

’Die!’

VMMMM! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The ground shook. As Yang An kicked off, countless cracks spiderwebbed out from the point of impact. His figure shot forward like a cannonball, punching straight through the collapsed rubble to get to Qing Sha.

Qing Sha clearly hadn’t expected Yang An’s sudden move. The first blow had caught him off guard, but it hadn’t actually caused much damage. Besides, he had now finished his transformation.

As Yang An charged toward him again, Qing Sha raised a fist and threw a punch of his own.

His fist was wreathed in black energy. As he threw the punch, the energy dissipated, revealing a thick arm covered in complex black markings.

BOOM!

Their fists didn’t collide directly, but the force behind them did. The resulting shockwave sent everything within a several-hundred-meter radius flying, instantly clearing the area into a wide, open space.

From that single exchange, Yang An was knocked back more than ten meters. Qing Sha was also forced back the same distance, dragging the heavy Stone Stele with him.

He had now completed his transformation. His body had become immense, his muscles and flesh swollen, but his feet remained firmly connected to the Stone Stele.

Compared to his new size, the Stone Stele now looked comically small, reminding Yang An of an adult trying to ride a toy car.

But when Qing Sha saw that Yang An’s entire body was suffused with golden Dust—Dust that seeped from his pores with every breath and circulated endlessly through his flesh—his expression turned solemn.

"So it’s the Jade Kala Vajra Body! Excellent! The fact that you managed to learn it means you are indeed worthy of being my opponent.

But... you still have to die!"

Yang An was slightly surprised that Qing Sha could recognize the Jade Kala Vajra Body, but he said nothing.

’From their brief exchange, I can tell this guy follows the path of Body Refining,’ Yang An thought. ’His strength is in no way inferior to mine. Just as he claimed, he really is the strongest of the Zombie Gods. He wasn’t exaggerating about that.’