Chapter 423: Chapter 280: Quitting the Undercover Mission, No More Working for Free

"This is an Upper Grade Forbidden Artifact Fragment. With it, you should be able to obtain Lamp Burning’s Sea of True Essence. Go quickly and return at once."

The clone’s very purpose was to witness this so-called Buddha of Lamp Burning. Regardless of whether Lamp Burning was real or fake, its task was simply to ascertain the truth. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

A Gradeless Buddhist Shrine could only be formed from a Sea of True Essence. The fact that someone possessing one could still move freely within the Joyful Shrine Association further confirmed Hai Shu’s suspicions.

If he could obtain the True Essence and transform his Demon Barrier, perhaps attaining Buddhahood would be within reach. Even if this karmic connection meant taking the worldly blessings left behind by a True Buddha, it was what he, as a Bodhisattva of Great Virtue Temple, was meant to do.

This was all for the sake of Great Virtue Temple.

Only by giving rise to a True Buddha could they unify the entire Treasure Temple Domain and set their sights on the Central Continent.

The ugly, featureless clone departed at once. It had come in silence and left in silence. The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall remained peaceful and serene within, but viewed from the outside, the fissures spreading from it had grown more numerous and reached even farther.

...

Yang An left Great Virtue Temple with Guang’an in tow and didn’t stop for a moment.

He had long suspected that the Round Gate Four Pavilions were connected to the Eternal Prison. Since Elder Zhuan Yu had specifically assigned him this task, the consequences were bound to be severe.

And because today was the Joyful Shrine Association, he didn’t need a reason for anything he did.

But for safety’s sake, it was best to get as far away as possible.

In less than fifteen minutes, Yang An had already carried Guang’an hundreds of li away.

After his advancement to Zombie God, his speed was far greater than before. He was only holding back because Guang’an’s physical body couldn’t withstand such high velocity; otherwise, he could have traveled even farther.

Along the way, he sensed the auras of many monks from Great Virtue Temple. ’They must be taking advantage of the Joyful Shrine Association to temporarily leave Great Virtue Temple and cause trouble.’

Many of the cities he passed along the way had already been looted and ravaged by these very monks.

The pitiful mortals, as always, assumed Demon Fiends had come to wreak havoc, little knowing that the real perpetrators were the very people who, on a normal day, appeared to be their protectors.

Of course, upon seeing such things, Yang An still took it upon himself to clean things up a bit.

He couldn’t save everyone in this world, but for things happening right in front of him, doing something was better than nothing.

What’s more, the offenders were a pack of these shaven-headed thugs; he had every reason to intervene.

After all, Yang An had always considered himself a person with a conscience. He was a transmigrator, and that was the most fundamental difference between him and the people of this world.

"Your Highness, where are we going?"

Guang’an, carried in Yang An’s grasp like a chick, finally couldn’t help but ask. His whole body was screaming in fiery pain.

The speed at which Yang An was flying was simply too fast. The wind rushing at him felt like a volley of sharp knives, constantly scraping away at his flesh, bringing pain that eventually gave way to numbness.

Yang An, of course, didn’t know where they were going either. His only goal was to put distance between them and Great Virtue Temple, so he had been flying in one direction since leaving, making sure only not to leave the Ten Thousand Buddha State.

Having now traveled far enough, Yang An thought for a moment before bringing Guang’an to a halt, landing on a mountaintop.

Seeing that Yang An still hadn’t answered, Guang’an couldn’t fathom His Highness the Buddha Prince’s thoughts and simply followed close by his side.

With the help of His Highness the Buddha Prince during this Joyful Shrine Association, he had broken through to the Visceral Stone realm. This already surpassed Guang’an’s own expectations, and he had nothing else he needed to do.

As an Attendant Monk, it was only natural for him to obey His Highness’s commands.

Looking at the vast, empty surroundings atop the mountain, the stifling pressure that had built up for so long inside Great Virtue Temple could finally be released. This was far better than all the fighting and killing at the Joyful Shrine Association.

Yang An waited quietly. Since Elder Zhuan Yu had tasked him with destroying the Round Gate Four Pavilions, now that they were utterly demolished, the elder would surely receive the news immediately.

Sure enough, before long, Elder Zhuan Yu’s familiar voice suddenly echoed in Yang An’s mind.

"Disciple, where are you at this moment?"

Evidently, Elder Zhuan Yu’s other spies could no longer track Yang An’s whereabouts, hence the question.

"Replying to you, Master, your disciple has temporarily left Great Virtue Temple and is now in an unnamed mountain deep within the Ten Thousand Buddha State."

"Excellent, excellent. Originally, my order to destroy the Round Gate Four Pavilions was just a sudden whim, so I didn’t require you to succeed. I never thought you’d actually do it. I am most gratified.

Now that you have destroyed the Round Gate Four Pavilions, Great Virtue Temple will know no peace. This presents a perfect opportunity for our Golden Thread Pavilion. We will have new operations soon, and you will need to continue to lie low and play your part in them. This is very important."

"..."

’Three years, and then another three years... When will it ever end?’

Yang An had no desire to respond, but on second thought, even if he weren’t an undercover agent, he would just have to return to the Golden Thread Pavilion. From that perspective, his situation wouldn’t really change; he would just be cultivating in a different location.

’As long as this Rule Seal is on me, it doesn’t matter where I am. It’s all the same.’

The only solution Yang An could think of was to seek help from the Workshop Master. Previously, the Workshop Master had been busy with no time to spare, but now might be a good time to inquire if he could help remove the Rule Seal that Elder Zhuan Yu had placed upon him.

If it could be removed, he would no longer be under Elder Zhuan Yu’s control. He could leave the Treasure Temple Domain, this land of constant strife, and travel to other lands. From then on, he would be free to roam the vast world.