This was the greatest drawback of Light Magic. Unleashed at full power, it left nothing behind.

The Middle Grade Forbidden Artifact Fragment Qing Sha had possessed seemed quite good. It could split into four pieces or combine back into one. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

If Yang An had been able to obtain such a Forbidden Artifact Fragment and eliminate its drawback, it would have been like gaining four times the power for free.

Yang An sighed inwardly with regret. ’I’m starting to think I can only use my Techniques at critical moments, or when I don’t care about leaving anything behind. Otherwise, salvaging anything is just too difficult.’

’Once the Joyful Shrine Association is over, it’ll be time to master some other Techniques for everyday combat. I should save my Light Magic as my ultimate trump card.’

’The Earth Spirit Stele has fully awakened. With a treasure like this, I can learn any of the Techniques within it. Since I don’t have to bear their drawbacks, I don’t need to hold back.’

’For others, mastering more Techniques means suffering a greater backlash.’

’But for me, it’s the complete opposite. The more Techniques I master, the stronger I become.’

’I can’t just rely on Light Magic. I need to become more well-rounded.’

With Qing Sha dead, the space within the stele began to collapse. Fissures spread everywhere. Within a few breaths, as Yang An waited quietly, the scene before him shifted, and in an instant, he was back in the real world.

He put away the Demon Barrier he had obtained from Qing Sha and immediately spotted Guang’an in the distance.

Guang’an had been waiting at a safe distance, and the battle he had witnessed between Yang An and Qing Sha was utterly horrifying.

"His Highness the Buddha Prince, it’s wonderful to see you’re unharmed!"

he shouted. He could no longer sense Qing Sha’s aura and naturally knew how it had ended. He scampered eagerly over to Yang An.

At the site of the former pavilion, both the courtyard walls and the structure itself had been completely obliterated.

Yang An watched as the massive Stone Stele shattered completely. At the same moment, a disgusting, foul stench suddenly permeated the entire Great Virtue Temple.

’It seems the Round Gate Four Pavilions really were destroyed after Qing Sha’s death.’

Yang An made a snap decision: he would leave Great Virtue Temple for now, while the Joyful Shrine Association was still underway.

’This way, even if the Great Virtue Temple investigates and traces it back to me, it’ll be better to face their hostility outside the temple than trapped within it.’

Without another word, Yang An grabbed Guang’an and flew swiftly away from the Great Virtue Temple.

’As for why he brought Guang’an along... it was, of course, to leave himself an escape route.’

’If things blow over, he’ll still need this stand-in’s identity.’

...

At the Great Virtue Temple, spiderweb-like cracks began to spread out from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.

Within moments, the fissures spread for over a thousand meters, covering the ground like a dense network of wounds.

From these fissures, a faint, mist-like black gas seeped out, filling the Great Virtue Temple with a foul stench.

Inside the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Hai Shu Bodhisattva sat quietly upon his Lotus Platform, his eyes slowly opening.

Qing Sha was dead.

’Why were the Round Gate Four Pavilions destroyed?’

’De Ji did it.’

He wasn’t surprised that someone would do such a thing during the Joyful Shrine Association.

Qing Sha always came out to vent his frustrations during the Joyful Shrine Association. This time was no different, except he ran into De Ji.

What surprised Hai Shu was that De Ji had actually managed to kill Qing Sha—the Guardian of the Round Gate Four Pavilions and the strongest Zombie God in the Great Virtue Temple.

’To think that De Ji has grown so much in the short time since the Joyful Shrine Association began.’

Before this, his own avatar had clashed with De Ji and had nearly been killed.

’This new Buddha’s Son of the Great Virtue Temple... his growth rate and combat power are both outrageously high.’

"The Round Gate Four Pavilions, the Eternal Prison... This is truly a hassle."

Feeling the increasingly restless presence beneath the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Hai Shu sighed.

At the same time, inquiries came in from the other Bodhisattvas of the Great Virtue Temple, all asking what had happened to the Eternal Prison.

As the direct Guardian of the Eternal Prison, he couldn’t escape the others’ accusations, even as a Bodhisattva, when something went wrong under his watch.

’Fortunately, I know who the culprit is. As long as I solve this problem, I can appease the others.’

’First, I’ll placate them, then I’ll deal with the Eternal Prison.’

Soon, a figure entered the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall in complete silence, despite the doors remaining shut, and knelt on one knee before Hai Shu Bodhisattva.

It was a Monk with no facial features, but with a face on the back of his head. His entire body was covered in dense Buddhist Mantras that resembled black fur.

This was the very avatar Hai Shu had sent out before, the one that had nearly died at De Ji’s hands but ultimately managed to escape.

He noted that thanks to the Joyful Shrine Association, the avatar’s Cultivation Level had successfully broken through to the Zombie God realm. Its progress was also remarkably fast.

Hai Shu had originally believed this avatar would be enough to defeat De Ji. But now, seeing that even Qing Sha had been killed by him, he could no longer gauge De Ji’s true strength.

’It seems it’s still far inferior to De Ji. It might not even be a match for Qing Sha.’

Hai Shu contemplated for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I will shield your presence from detection, so you need not worry about the three prohibitions. Furthermore..."

With a slight wave of his hand, a mass of his own flesh and blood squirmed, detached itself, and fell onto the avatar, merging into its body.