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Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss

The yellow-browed man's eyes flashed with cruelty as he said, "Sinister? Show me how sinister you can be!"

"If you have the guts, kill me with one strike. Words are meaningless," Zhong Shan glared at the yellow-browed man, provoking him intentionally. Zhong Shan wanted to incite an attack to trigger the Black Jade Talisman within him, which would protect him in a life-threatening situation.

"Hmph!" The yellow-browed man snorted coldly. He was already intent on killing them, and since Zhong Shan was courting death, he would oblige. The man flipped his hand, and a colossal golden palm materialized, exuding a vast and overwhelming aura.

As the golden palm bore down, Zhong Shan felt the terror of its power. It contained the force of rules—rules of lightning among them, explaining its immense power. Most Imperial Extremity Realm cultivators could wield such an attack.

The enormous golden palm descended. For an ordinary Nascent Soul or even a Body Fusion stage cultivator, this strike would be fatal. An Imperial Extremity Realm cultivator could already perceive the existence of rules, making their attacks boundlessly powerful.

Zhong Shan, fearless, stared angrily. Behind him, Mr. Corpse was moved by Zhong Shan's act of shielding him. Taking a deep breath, he prepared a secret technique, but as the golden palm approached within five zhang, he halted his spell. The golden palm dissipated.

"Ssshhh—"

A dull sound rang out.

"Boom—"

All the floating rubble around them fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

A section of a whip suddenly protruded from the yellow-browed man's forehead, his head pierced through. Blood mixed with brain matter and fragments of bone spurted out, blocked by the whip.

The yellow-browed man was dead, his hand still poised to strike Zhong Shan. Behind him, a ten-meter-long whip extended back into the hand of a black-clad woman.

"Zhong Shan, I just saved you!" Nian Youyou said with a smile.

"Ssshhh—"

The whip coiled back into Nian Youyou's palm, leaving the yellow-browed man's corpse to fall, his face frozen in frustration.

A beam of yellow light suddenly flew from the yellow-browed man's body. Zhong Shan was about to use the Eight Extremes Heaven Tail to devour it.

"Ssshhh—"

Mr. Corpse cast a spell, capturing the yellow light, which turned into a stream of yellow energy in his hand. He clenched his fist and then tucked it into his sleeve.

"This is useful to me," Mr. Corpse said simply.

Zhong Shan nodded, not caring further. The Imperial Extremity Realm primordial spirit was not something he urgently needed.

"Thanks!" Zhong Shan said to Nian Youyou.

Although he might have been fine, and the Black Jade Talisman's counterattack might have sealed the yellow-browed man, there were always exceptions. Perhaps it wouldn't have sealed him, or Mr. Corpse might have died. Thus, Zhong Shan's gratitude to Nian Youyou was heartfelt.

"Thank? How exactly do you plan to thank me?" Nian Youyou asked, her face lighting up with an inexplicable joy. This joy had started from the moment she met Zhong Shan a few days ago, a strange sense of comfort and delight as if she hadn't seen him for a long time and was now finally reunited.

Zhong Shan: "..."

"Is this your subordinate? The technique he used to collect the primordial spirit was quite peculiar," Nian Youyou said, looking at Mr. Corpse.

"Indeed. This is Mr. Corpse," Zhong Shan introduced.

"From the Longevity Realm, Real Person Nian Youyou," she introduced herself to Mr. Corpse.

Mr. Corpse gave a slight bow but did not speak, making Nian Youyou look at him curiously.

"Where are you headed? How did you end up in this den of thieves?" Nian Youyou asked.

Zhong Shan looked at Nian Youyou with a hint of surprise, realizing she had been following him all along, watching him enter this den of thieves.

"That Sekong was supposed to take us to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Who knew we'd encounter this situation!" Zhong Shan said, spreading his hands.

"The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? How do you plan to enter? It's very strictly monitored right now!" Nian Youyou said with curiosity.

"We have this!" Zhong Shan took out the token given by Jin Chan, while Mr. Corpse showed his token from Jian Ao.

"You also have the Eighty-One Tokens?" Nian Youyou asked, wide-eyed with surprise.

"Is that what they're called?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Come on, I'll take you to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!" Nian Youyou also took out a token to prove she was headed there as well.

The three of them took to the skies, following Nian Youyou northward.

"There are only eighty-one of these tokens. How do you have one too?" Zhong Shan asked in puzzlement.

Rolling her eyes, Nian Youyou responded, "Why can you have one, but I can't?"

"Uh?" Zhong Shan rubbed his nose and laughed.

"Every thousand years, the Grand Nirvana Festival is held, and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss distributes eighty-one tokens to the top virtuous cultivators in Shenzhou. Most of these top cultivators give the tokens to their disciples. My master gave this one to me. And you? Aren't you supposed to be pursuing fame and fortune? How did you get one? And how did you get one for your subordinate too?" Nian Youyou asked, looking at Zhong Shan with surprise.

It was truly amazing. Nian Youyou had once inquired about Zhong Shan from Bei Qingsi, learning that his master was only at the Nascent Soul stage. How could he have such tokens? Yet Zhong Shan had managed to get two.

"One was given by a friend, and the other was from Jin Chan," Zhong Shan said truthfully.

"What? The future Jin Chan Buddha? The one who fought alongside you on the battlefield?" Nian Youyou asked in shock.

"Yes, why?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

Nian Youyou just stared at Zhong Shan as if trying to see through him. Why would the future Jin Chan Buddha give Zhong Shan this token?

"The future Jin Chan Buddha? What does that mean?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Oh, it's a term used in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. There are three Buddhas in the Pure Land: the Past Amitabha Buddha, the Present Guanyuan Buddha, and the Future Jin Chan Buddha. They are the strongest in the Pure Land and among the strongest in all of Shenzhou, just a step away from transcending mortal fate to achieve immortal destiny," Nian Youyou explained.

"Three Buddhas? Each of them the strongest below immortals?" Zhong Shan asked with a frown.

"Yes. Originally, the Pure Land was already unbeatable with just two Buddhas. Now, with the addition of Jin Chan Buddha, they will be even more formidable," Nian Youyou said with a deep breath.

"When did you arrive here?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Since we last parted, I've been here. By the way, I need your help with something," Nian Youyou said.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan asked in confusion.

"You have incredible luck. I need your help to catch a pet," Nian Youyou replied.

"A pet?" Zhong Shan looked at Nian Youyou warily.

"Of course. You just need to catch it for me," Nian Youyou said.

"Where is it?" Zhong Shan asked with a peculiar expression. After all, if even Nian Youyou couldn't manage it, how could he?

"It's in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Don't give me that look! I just saved you, and I'm only asking you to help me catch a small beast. Will you help or not?" Nian Youyou said with a hint of displeasure.

"Alright, I'll do my best!" Zhong Shan could only nod.

"That's more like it. Don't worry, I trust your luck! With such poor natural talent, yet advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in such a short time, it's clear how extraordinary your encounters have been and how lucky you are. Just stand there, and the beast will come running to your feet. All you need to do is step on it to keep it from escaping, and I'll pick it up," Nian Youyou said with a playful smile.

Zhong Shan: "..."

Mr. Corpse, standing nearby, broke into a cold sweat listening to this.

Five days later, the three of them arrived at the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss as described by Nian Youyou.

Seeing the Pure Land from afar, Zhong Shan was astonished. This was the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?

In the distance stood a golden mountain. The area at the foot of the mountain was vast, but aside from a dense forest, there was only a single monastery. The monastery, in both size and appearance, seemed like a typical earthly monastery, occupying merely about ten acres.

Could this be one of the four great holy lands known for accumulating virtue, the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Outside the monastery, about twenty small groups sat. Some wore Taoist robes, others wore monk's habits. In groups of two or three, they sat piously at the perimeter.

As they flew closer, Zhong Shan looked curiously at the signboard in front of the monastery. It had four embossed characters:

Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!

Looking at Nian Youyou, Zhong Shan felt almost duped. How could this tiny place be the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? But his rational mind told him that this likely was the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Indeed, it was!

Suppressing his inner doubts, Zhong Shan pointed at the twenty small groups sitting cross-legged outside and asked, "Who are they?"

"I mentioned earlier that the eighty-one tokens are given to top cultivators. These top cultivators often give the tokens to their favored disciples. Inside, there are many favored disciples of top cultivators. However, these favored disciples are not necessarily as strong as I am. The people sitting outside are the protectors of these second-generation disciples. For instance, those five monks in hemp robes are from Daming Temple. The abbot of Daming Temple gave the token to a junior in the Golden Core stage. These five were specially assigned to protect him. But without a token, they are not allowed inside," Nian Youyou explained, pointing to the five monks with sorrowful and solemn expressions.

"Daming Temple?" Zhong Shan looked at the five waiting individuals.

(To be continued)