In the small town, tens of thousands of outsiders knelt before the Buddhist Temple at sunrise, awaiting the summoning of the Buddha Light.

Many haven’t eaten in almost four or five days, yet their spirits are nowhere numb like those of refugees.

On the contrary, their eyes are filled with unprecedented vitality, a fervent worship that enables them to stand guard day after day, their will even stronger than the elite soldiers of the Imperial Court.

Chen Qing watched from a distance outside the town, his heart in turmoil.

The design by the overseer back then, now seems exceedingly cruel.

It has to be said that compared to Pu YunChuan, this overseer is the true master of manipulating human hearts. How do you make an ordinary person overcome despair and become confident?

It’s hard. Human despair is a layer of blows from life that keep on coming. When one is constantly faced with difficulties, and it’s crystal clear that no matter how they struggle, they must accept these sufferings, they become numb and desperate.

Under such conditions, to make them cheer up, you would need resources to completely change their lives, making them once again hopeful – much like Wei Gongcheng.

But that requires a hefty investment, spending real gold and silver to help them rediscover their purpose in life. For the Buddha inside the temple, it doesn’t need to pay such costs.

There is another thing in this world that can uplift people, which is brainwashing.

But what kind of brainwashing can make people believe in the shortest time?

Those adept at brainwashing know that the best way is to make them feel that they are extraordinary!

And here lies the perfect method...

What brainwashing could be more steadfast than your own belief in your extraordinariness?

In this life you are the epitome of mediocrity, having already lost all hope, but upon the awakening of your memories, you discover that you were once such a formidable character.

You too had stood on the summit of Cloud Mountain, once capable of determining the fate of most with a wave of your hand.

Here, whether they were generals, noble families, or even a powerful demon in their past lives, everyone’s will is reignited.

After all, what once was is indeed possessed, and the suggestion of Buddha Light tells you that you have the chance to reclaim everything from your past. What could be more tempting than that?

Chen Qing, looking at those devoutly kneeling people who were on the verge of starvation, knew that as long as they could reclaim their past, even if these people turned into Evil Ghosts, that would be acceptable.

But what would be their despair like when they finally realize they were only seeds?

This transition from glimpsing the light of paradise from hell, only to be suddenly thrust into the deepest abyss of hell, the resulting resentment is a thousand times stronger than that generated by the tragic death of ordinary spiritual bodies!

Add to that these people becoming a thousand times stronger than ordinary spiritual bodies once they regain some strength, the resentment they generate at this moment could be tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands or millions of times greater than ordinary people.

This is a delicacy settled by time, and these unawakened Buddhas are ready to feast at any moment!

"Brother Chen..."

A few peers from past lives followed behind Chen Qing, looking ahead in a ghostly manner: "We are all in the same boat. Our lives are entrusted to Brother Chen."

Chen Qing nodded: "The existence beneath that temple is no trivial matter.

We can hardly speak of trust in each other, but as long as interests do not conflict, sharing intel is just a convenience.

If we can support each other through this, having one more friend in this terrible world is surely not a bad thing, is it? "

"What Brother Chen said makes sense..." Zhou Yunsheng and the others nodded with wry smiles.

In the end, Chen Qing still convinced them to go and test the waters, while the reason why Chen Qing stayed behind was that he showed his value.

"If I die, the Technique will vanish. Only by staying safely outside can I provide you all with different perspectives and intel. What could any of you provide if you were out here instead?"

"How do we know that you will honestly provide us with intel? That you won’t betray us?" Those few people sneered in disbelief of Chen Qing.

But then again, these people were all greedy wolves in their past lives; how could they possibly trust anyone?

"My goal is intelligence, as is yours; cooperation is merely due to my usefulness.

As for trust issues, should a life-and-death crisis arise, you can completely betray my existence.

The thing beneath that Buddhist Temple will undoubtedly come for me; if I were not foolish, I would not deliberately entrap you, right? "

The few exchanged glances, each holding an eyeball in their hands. As long as Chen Qing wasn’t a spy sent by the Buddha, things were likely as he said. He had no reason to deliberately trap them, and as long as there was no betrayal, his usefulness already warranted keeping him outside.

"Then, we shall rely on Brother Chen."

"Take care..." Chen Qing clasped his hands in farewell: "I will do my utmost. If all turns out well, I wish you success in your journey. If this is a trap, I will inform you at the first opportunity. That is all I can promise."

This candidness somewhat reassured the others; had he said he would try his best to rescue them, that indeed would have been laughable.

After bidding farewell, the other three did not hesitate to head towards the location of the Buddhist Temple.

After all, they had planned to go there within the next few days.

No matter their doubts, they couldn’t resist the temptation.

Now, with Chen Qing’s techniques, they were already well-prepared and thus did not hesitate.

Only Li Yankong paused a moment longer.

He looked at Chen Qing, then at the woman following not far behind Chen Qing.

A flicker of complexity crossed the coldness in his eyes, and he bowed again: "Brother Chen, if I cannot return, and if you have the spare strength, I ask you to lend a hand and take my wife and two children to Jiangnan."

"I thought Brother Li wouldn’t care about them," Chen Qing said, smiling.

"As Brother Chen said, this life’s karma... is indeed karma," Li Yankong said with a slight smile.

"Very well..." Chen Qing nodded: "Go ahead, Brother Li, your wife and children will be taken care of by me!"

------------------------------------------

"Grandfather, there has been no news about the Space-Time Jade, and the Buddhas across the regions have not yet awakened. Why did you personally come to the North?"

Within the desolate Northern Territory, Old Liu and the young-looking child walked towards one of the Buddhist Temples, around which tens of thousands of people fervently worshipped. Only Old Liu and his companions could see the scent of blood amidst the gentle Buddha Light.

"Although the place where Chen Qing disappeared was thoroughly destroyed by the Destruction Law, I still managed to see something just before the Heavenly Thunder struck."

"Grandfather, what did you see?" the child asked, eyes lighting up.

"Chen Qing used a Spatial Forbidden Technique. If I’m not wrong, both parties used the Spatial Forbidden Technique at the same time, repelling each other. In the instant before the destructive Heavenly Thunder fell, they successfully escaped."

"In such a short time?"

"The Golem Forbidden Technique can attract each other; naturally, they can also repel each other."

"I see...." The child was instantly overjoyed, but then hesitated: "But how could you determine that Chen Qing is in the North?"

"From the direction Chen Qing was in, if nothing unexpected occurred, he is likely in the North."

"But the North is vast, finding Chen Qing who is skilled in Spatial Art would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack, wouldn’t it?"

"No..." Old Liu shook his head: "Chen Qing couldn’t control such a powerful Forbidden Technique; if he’s not dead, his Spiritual Power must have drained. He can’t use long-range Spatial Art. The only way to quickly regain strength and return to Jiangnan in the demon-infested North is one method."

"So that’s it!" The child caught on and immediately said, "Grandfather is the more clear-headed one. So, you activated Buddha Kingdom in advance, not only to deter other forces but also for this reason..."

"The Space-Time Jade is gone... The Eyes of Direct Death must be ours," said Old Liu with a cold voice. "This cycle of Reincarnation must come to an end!"

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