Yang An had fought him before and had a deep impression of the man.

He was the only one who had managed to escape from him inside the Great Virtue Temple.

But Yang An never expected that the back of the man’s head, which had been incomplete before, would now be so similar to Hai Shu’s.

’Could it be... he’s Hai Shu’s illegitimate son?!’

A bold idea leaped up in Yang An’s mind like a whale from the sea, but it sank back down just as quickly.

’Impossible. If a great Bodhisattva of the Great Virtue Temple was involved in something like that, it would be utterly absurd.’

’What’s more, once you start down the path of cultivation, you have to consider the kinds of beings you interact with, aside from mortals.’

Yang An completely understood the Cultivators of this world. No one wanted their partner to suddenly transform or suffer from their power’s backlash during an intimate moment.

Then there was only one explanation left.

’This man must be connected to Hai Shu Bodhisattva himself!’

Yang An suddenly recalled the Abbot’s avatar he had met in the Ancient Collection by the Xiyue River. Back then, the Monk named De Lan had used an avatar to perform the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell, thus avoiding the backlash from Light Category Techniques.

’This man...’

As Yang An was lost in thought, the ugly man who had been approaching at great speed stopped a hundred meters away from them, his predatory gaze fixed on Yang An.

That’s right, he was looking at Yang An with that featureless face, yet Yang An felt a distinct sensation of being watched, along with a trace of... dread that made his skin crawl.

’This shouldn’t be happening.’

’The man’s Cultivation Level is the same as mine, the Early Stage of Zombie God. Why is he giving me this feeling?’

’Is it because of Hai Shu?’

For some reason, Guang’an, who was beside him, had started to tremble.

"Your Highness..."

"If you want to live, then run."

Yang An said. He couldn’t be bothered with Guang’an, nor did he want to be. If a real battle broke out, it wouldn’t matter if Guang’an, his body double, died.

Hearing Yang An’s words, Guang’an no longer hesitated and immediately flew away, not wanting to stay here a moment longer.

"Does the Bodhisattva have a task for De Ji to perform?"

Gazing at the hideous man, Yang An spoke, testing the waters.

But after waiting for a breath, he received no verbal response. Instead, the surrounding temperature plummeted as if a sudden frost had set in.

The killing intent was so substantial it seemed to condense, feeling like solid ice.

Yang An understood. Regardless of whether this man had a direct relationship with Hai Shu, it was clear that Hai Shu wanted him dead.

’Why does he want me dead?’

’It can’t be because the Round Gate Four Pavilions were destroyed. I’d dealt with this man before then, and he gave me a very strange feeling.’

’Even though I nearly killed him before, his Cultivation Level is now just on par with mine, yet he still tracked me down.’

’If he wasn’t acting under orders, I’d write my own dharma name backward.’

’As for why Hai Shu wants me dead... I recall that before the Joyful Shrine Association, he was always very friendly to me. This ugly man also only appeared at the Joyful Shrine Association.’

’If this isn’t some baseless attack stemming from the Joyful Shrine Association, then it must be related to the Gradeless Buddhist Shrine I obtained.’

’As for my cover being blown, I haven’t even considered that. I don’t think I’ve exposed myself in any way.’

’The fact that I was able to obtain a Gradeless Buddhist Shrine is the main thing that sets me apart from others in the Great Virtue Temple. And it’s not a secret—everyone in the temple knows about it.’

’That has to be the reason.’

’And that brings me back to the purpose of the Joyful Shrine Association.’

’At first, when I heard the explanation from Guang’an and Qing Xin, I also believed the Joyful Shrine Association was held so the Monks of Great Virtue Temple could vent their inner Demon Barriers.’

’But that idea changed when I went on a killing spree during the Joyful Shrine Association and broke through from Corpse Transformation to Zombie God.’

’The Rules are clearly made to serve those at the top, without any regard for the bottom. The lower ranks of the Great Virtue Temple are plentiful—describing them as being as numerous as ants is no exaggeration.’

’Back then, I thought the purpose of the Joyful Shrine Association, a ritual of wanton slaughter, was to accelerate the growth of the Temple’s more powerful members.’

’But now, with this man appearing here specifically for me...’

’...I’m starting to see a bigger picture.’

’I thought about the current situation in the Treasure Temple Domain. On the surface, the Great Virtue Temple is stronger than the Golden Thread Pavilion, leaving the Pavilion in a suppressed position.’

’But I’ve been overlooking something crucial.’

’The Golden Thread Pavilion has the legendary Immortal Platform, something the Great Virtue Temple lacks.’

’Although rumor has it that the Great Virtue Temple has far more experts in the Insect Dao Realm than the Golden Thread Pavilion, it doesn’t matter how factions struggle against one another. Only the absolute strongest have the ultimate say.’

’Without an expert on the level of an Immortal Platform, the Great Virtue Temple will sooner or later be overthrown, or even devoured, by the Golden Thread Pavilion.’

’The Great Virtue Temple is desperate for an Immortal Platform to emerge!’

’That is the true, ultimate purpose of the Joyful Shrine Association. It’s a sign that the Great Virtue Temple senses the precariousness of its situation and will stop at nothing.’

’Within the Great Virtue Temple, the status of the Bodhisattvas in the Insect Dao Realm is supreme. No one can challenge their position.’

’So, if all that power—all those Demon Barriers—were concentrated onto a single person in the Insect Dao Realm, and you add my unique Gradeless Buddhist Shrine to the mix... those are the very factors that could give rise to an Immortal Platform.’

’Even if all of the Temple’s mid- and low-level members are wiped out, as long as it possesses an Immortal Platform and more Insect Dao experts than the Golden Thread Pavilion, the Great Virtue Temple will endure forever.’

’In the grand scheme of things, the lower ranks are nothing more than a renewable resource.’

Having figured all this out, Yang An started to understand why Hai Shu had chosen this moment to make a move against him.