plumnovel Chapter 119 Even Dharma Images Get Beaten Up
Chapter 119 Even Dharma Images Get Beaten Up
The moment those eyes pressed down, the entire mat felt as if it had been struck by a hammer.
Click.
First, the seam edges cracked.
Below the audience seats, old wrinkles were breaking out.
The onlookers who had been watching the spectacle moments before suddenly collapsed to their knees. Some slammed their foreheads into the ground, too afraid to even scream. The soldiers were even more direct, their weapons falling first, followed by their knees, their heads almost touching the cracks in the brickwork.
Pigsy was cursing for half his sentence when his neck was bent under the weight.
"Damn... this bald guy is serious."
The ground beneath the Bull Demon King's feet was sinking. His legs creaked as he braced himself, his teeth gritted, and his horns flashed with a blue light, but he was still pressed down by that oppressive force.
Red Boy was the first to lose control, blood streaming from his nose. His Fire-Tipped Spear slammed into the ground, and he had to use it as a crutch to keep from collapsing.
Yang Jian stood the most steadily.
But the third eye on his forehead had already cracked open, and blood was streaming down his face.
Chen Fan felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his chest.
It's not heavy.
It's a traffic jam.
He couldn't even breathe.
The half-body image stood in the crack, its Buddha light dim, instead appearing old and worn, like burnt paper ash. It was precisely this kind of decaying, grayish thing that made one's bones ache from the pressure.
It didn't speak.
He took only half a step forward.
boom!
Both sides of the seam sink simultaneously.
At the edge of the table, three rows of bystander soldiers exploded into a bloody mist.
Some people who witnessed this scene turned as white as paper.
"Faxiang killed someone..."
"Isn't it a projection?"
"Who said it's fake? How could this fucking be fake?"
The voice was trembling violently.
The entire audience panicked even more.
Tang Sanzang suddenly looked up, blood still at the corner of his mouth, but first stared at Sun Wukong.
"Wukong!"
This sound brought Chen Fan back to his senses.
Sun Wukong was still standing.
The afterimage of the ultimate golden headband was still lingering above his head, but the thing was already unstable. Because the words "I only recognize this life" had acted like a nail, first pushing that old conviction aside.
Now that the Dharma image is pressing down, it's like personally tearing open that old shell a little more.
Sun Wukong raised his head, his shoulders gradually lifting upwards.
creak.
That wasn't a ground noise.
It was his bones cracking.
He twirled the golden cudgel in his hand, and the end of the cudgel slammed into the ground.
"Press me down?"
He grinned, his smile a little fierce.
"Old Sun hates this the most."
next moment.
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
The figure shot straight into the sky.
There was no probing.
There was no detour.
It was a blow, aimed straight at the face of that Dharma image!
"Get down here!"
boom!
The blow struck, cracking through the air like a shell. The face, barely half-cleared, was distorted by the impact. A crack appeared on the forehead, shooting upwards from between the brows, and the Buddha's light flickered.
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
The next moment, it exploded.
"It's cracked?"
"Did Sun Wukong shatter the Buddha's image?"
"How is this possible!"
"That's the Buddha!"
One of the people observing the sutra looked up and was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
Chen Fan, however, had no time to listen to any of this.
He saw it more clearly.
Sun Wukong's blow was indeed powerful, but the crack was shallow. The Dharma body was still there, and its killing intent was even stronger. It raised one hand and pressed it down, and a giant Buddha's palm appeared in mid-air, slamming down on Sun Wukong's head.
"Monkey King, don't fight it one-on-one!"
Chen Fan let out a roar.
At the same time, Yang Jian made the first move.
"Three-pointed double-edged sword, open!"
With a flick of the blade, it pierced straight at the side of the Buddha's palm.
The Bull Demon King's eyes turned red, white breath spewing from his nostrils, and he charged forward with his iron cudgel.
"A mere Dharma Master dares to act like a big shot? Old Niu will give you a good beating today!"
Red Boy was even more decisive.
Open your mouth.
The Samadhi Fire instantly transformed into a fiery dragon, burning upwards along the edge of the Buddha's palm.
"You bald monk, you just pressed down on my father, pay it back first!"
boom! boom! boom!
Three attacks came crashing down at the same time.
The Buddha's palm tilts first.
It cracked again.
Finally, it exploded in mid-air.
The golden flames and black fire mixed together, exploding until the seams turned red.
Taking advantage of this opening, Sun Wukong flipped over and struck again with his staff, aiming to smash the Dharma Image's neck.
Faxiang finally spoke.
"evil creature."
The sound wasn't loud.
The entire audience's ears went blank for a moment.
Chen Fan's palm suddenly burned hot, as if something was staring at him. He immediately looked down and saw that the True Core was throbbing violently in his palm, a throbbing unlike usual, more like it was startled.
wrong.
This thing isn't just for show.
It's looking for something.
Who should I contact?
Find him!
"Tang Sanzang!"
Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine, and he almost shouted it out.
"Page three! Press it!"
Tang Sanzang was already enduring it. The old contract in front of him was still tattered, and the Buddhist seal was wrapped around his wrist. When he heard this sound, he didn't even think and directly slapped open the tattered scripture in his arms.
Splash!
Turn to the third page.
There were no Buddhist scriptures on that page, only lines of crooked black characters. It looked like someone had written it with blood, or like something had grown out of the paper itself.
greedy.
bully.
To seize.
occupy.
With each word that emerged, the atmosphere at the banquet became one step heavier.
Tang Sanzang pressed two fingers on the paper, his voice hoarse.
"You keep saying you've let go."
"This page contains your true insights."
The page of original sin text flew up together, like a black net, covering the chest of the Dharma image.
Faxiang took a half-inch back for the first time.
It was this half-inch that gave Chen Fan the opportunity.
"Delete the true kernel!"
Chen Fan pushed his palm forward.
The true core had been pushed to its limit and turned white. The fragment of the newly stolen Other Shore Engine master plan inside flickered, as if it were biting at the descent passage behind the Dharma Image.
Chen Fan stared at that line.
That's not a door.
It's more like a pipe that's been attached.
The reason why the Dharma Image can suppress this area is because of it.
"Delete this section!"
The veins on his forehead were bulging.
The true core shuddered.
The next instant, a section of the old Buddha light behind the Dharma image was suddenly empty.
It's like someone has taken a knife and cut off a piece from a painting.
The Dharma image paused in its movements.
The entire audience was stunned.
"The passage... is gone?"
"Did Chen Fan cut off Faxiang's escape route?"
"Are you crazy? This is unacceptable?"
Pigsy, using his nine-toothed rake, climbed up, laughing so hard he was panting.
"Well done! Old Chen, you're really cheeky, I love it!"
Without that section of the descent passage, the Dharma form was noticeably weaker.
The black text on Tang Sanzang's page was pressed down even more heavily.
Sun Wukong seized the opportunity and swung his staff again.
Yang Jian slashed his right arm diagonally.
The Bull Demon King forcefully pushed against the left shoulder.
Red Boy's fire dragon went straight into the crack.
boom!
A loud bang.
The Dharma image has a crack in its chest.
This time it's not fine lines.
It's a large area.
It stretched from the chest to the shoulder, like a porcelain statue being hit by a heavy hammer, the old Buddha aura inside crumbling down.
It wasn't just the Buddha's light that fell down.
There's something else.
Dark fragments, each with strange patterns on its edges, fell from the crack. Chen Fan's eyes lit up at just one glance.
Fragments of the overall diagram of the Other Shore Engine!
And it's even more complete than the ones I managed to snag before!
"receive!"
Chen Fan released the true core pull with a flick of his wrist.
As soon as the fragments fell, they were pulled in by a suction force. Several envious bystanders tried to pounce, but as soon as they stretched out their hands, the residual Buddhist pressure on the fragments caused their arms to explode on the spot.
"ah--"
Screams filled the air.
The remaining people didn't dare to fight over it anymore and could only watch helplessly as Chen Fan took it away.
The system notification sound exploded in Chen Fan's ears three times in a row.
I didn't look at the rewards in detail.
He is now only focused on the Dharma image.
This thing hasn't been returned yet.
If you don't get a refund, there will be more trouble.
Sure enough, after the Dharma Image's chest split open, its eyes became even more intense. It stopped pressing down on anyone else and fixed its gaze directly on Chen Fan.
That look was like a knife scraping along the flesh.
Chen Fan felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost spat out blood.
Tang Sanzang immediately shouted, "Don't look at it!"
Chen Fan lowered his head, but his palms felt even hotter.
Faxiang slowly reached out his hand.
It's not about hitting.
It means to arrest.
Its target wasn't Chen Fan himself, but rather the device inside Chen Fan's body.
The amoral system is shaking violently.
Chen Fan's expression changed instantly.
"It's touching the system!"
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes widened in shock.
"You dare touch him?"
With the next strike, Sun Wukong pressed down on the target, the tip of the staff emitting a piercing crack as it slammed down almost touching the face of the Dharma Image.
Yang Jian pierced the rift from behind with his three-pointed, double-edged sword.
With a roar, the Bull Demon King's arms bulged with veins, and his iron cudgel struck the back of the Dharma Image's knee.
Red Boy is the most ruthless.
He slashed the fire-tipped spear against his palm and used the blood to set it ablaze.
"Samadhi, burn the root!"
The fire suddenly shot up.
The lower part of the body is straight and curled.
Faxiang finally couldn't hold on any longer.
The entire bust swayed backward.
More fragments fell out from the crack in its chest.
Tang Sanzang pressed the third page of original sin text into the crack, the black characters sticking on one by one like nails, making the entire Dharma image tremble.
next moment.
boom!
The entire Dharma image was struck and slid back to the edge of the crack.
It's not scattered.
It's a retreat.
It stood in the crevice, half of its body already faded. The face blurred again, leaving only a pair of eyes, still staring intently at Chen Fan.
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
Then, it exploded with a bang.
"They've cancelled! They've really cancelled!"
"They repelled the Buddha's Dharma form!"
"What kind of monsters are these people?!"
Among the spectators, some knelt and shuffled backward, while others scrambled to get away, as if afraid that Chen Fan and his group of lunatics would take them down with them at any moment.
Pigsy, carrying his rake, spat out a "pui" sound.
"Stop pretending to be so important, you still have to get out!"
The Bull Demon King was panting heavily, his face trembling with laughter.
"That's all the Dharma Image is capable of."
Yang Jian remained silent, only pressing his sword down, his Heavenly Eye fixed on the crack.
Sun Wukong is more direct.
He slung the golden cudgel over his shoulder and raised his chin at the Buddha statue.
"remember."
"This is the first step to collect interest."
Faxiang finally spoke.
The voice was softer than before, but colder.
"The real body won't have to wait long."
After saying that, it began to disperse.
The old Buddha's light receded into the crack layer by layer.
The oppressive force that had been suffocating on both sides of the seam dissipated.
Chen Fan, however, did not relax at all.
wrong.
something wrong.
When the Dharma image faded away, that last glance was too long.
It doesn't sound like he's making threats.
It's like... making a mark.
He looked down at his palm.
The eukaryotes are still beating.
The dancing became increasingly chaotic.
Immediately afterwards, the system panel in his mind, which hadn't turned red for a long time, suddenly popped up.
It's not the usual misspelling.
It was a glaring, blood-red color.
[Warning: High-level lock detected]
[Warning: The system's source is being pulled by a similar entity]
[WARNING: Recall agreement forcibly activated]
When the last line of text appeared, even Chen Fan froze for a moment.
[Recall Begins for Products from the Same Source]
Chapter 211 Same Origin Recall
As soon as the blood-red panel exploded, Chen Fan's vision went black.
It's not that kind of vague, insincere blackness.
It felt like someone had taken a hammer and slammed it into the system panel on his forehead.
He stumbled and almost knelt down.
The core in his palm, which had been throbbing, suddenly shrank as if someone had pulled it from within.
"Chen Fan!"
Tang Sanzang was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately reached out to help.
Chen Fan raised his hand to block it, his jaw clenched tightly.
"Don't touch me."
No sooner had he finished speaking than another sharp sound rang in his mind.
[Recall progress: 7%]
[Core module begins reflow]
[The plot-driven usurpation function is fluctuating]
The next instant, Chen Fan felt a tightness in his chest, a sweet taste in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Pigsy's eyes widened in surprise.
"Holy crap, this crappy system of yours even has a backlash effect?"
Sun Wukong rushed in front of him and slammed his golden cudgel on the ground.
"Who's pulling him?"
No one answered.
But suddenly something was wrong with the desolate battlefield around us, where the battle with the Dharma Form had just ended.
The scattered fragments of Buddhist seal light, the remnants of celestial contract patterns, and the ashes from the burning of the old contract all drifted to one place.
It's not going up into the sky.
It was directed at Chen Fan.
To be precise, it drilled into the space between his eyebrows.
Chen Fan's temples throbbed, and garbled images kept flashing before his eyes.
The old panel at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
The prompt sound when activating the unethical system for the first time.
The announcement in white text from the Journey to the West system.
The revision department corrected those cold, hard calibration entries.
These things were originally quite separate.
Now everything's mixed up.
Like three rivers suddenly colliding, with waves crashing one after another.
"Monkey King, take half a step back."
Chen Fan supported himself on his knees, his voice a little hoarse.
Sun Wukong did not retreat; instead, he stepped forward half a step.
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me who's messing with you."
Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, a line of bloody words exploded in his mind.
[Overall diagram of the Other Shore Engine detected]
[Identification Successful]
[Archiving Agreement Rebooted]
[The unethical system begins executing the parent chain]
matrix.
The moment those two words were uttered, the hairs on the back of Chen Fan's neck stood on end.
He always thought his system was unorthodox.
It's a vulnerability.
It was an external plug-in that was forcibly pried off from the outside of the pilgrimage plate.
Now it seems that's not the case.
It has an origin.
Moreover, this origin, the Journey to the West system, and the Correction Department's system all came from the same womb.
Tang Sanzang stared at his face and asked in a low voice, "What did you see?"
Chen Fan had just uttered the word "general" when he suddenly froze.
His aura visibly diminished.
The fierce aura that had accumulated from breaking through several rounds earlier collapsed piece by piece.
The dark lines on the back of my hand are starting to fade.
The wheel-shaped mark in his palm sometimes lit up and sometimes disappeared.
The most critical issue is that the built-in permissions that had been helping him tamper with the nodes were acting like a faulty connection, flashing and then going black intermittently.
Chen Fan raised his hand and tried to open a storyline.
no response.
Order again.
A cold, impersonal message popped up on the panel.
[Permission Delay]
"Hold."
This time, Chen Fan really cursed out loud.
This is not a minor problem.
This means that his strongest trump card is being taken back from the table.
Pigsy understood as well, and his face turned ugly.
"Should we retreat first? You're like a deflated balloon now."
"Get out of here my ass."
Sun Wukong glanced at him sideways, his tone sharp.
"Can you escape now?"
Pigsy opened his mouth, but couldn't reply.
If the source of the system is really recruiting people, then it doesn't matter where you retreat to.
These are not pursuers.
This addresses the root cause.
Chen Fan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forcibly suppressed his anger.
"Eukaryote".
When he uttered those two words, Zongwu had already moved.
The large black-feathered bird remained perched on the broken wall without uttering a sound, as if waiting.
Upon hearing Chen Fan speak, it spread its wings and swooped down.
Before anyone could react, the true core on Zong Wu's chest lit up.
It's not the astigmatism I had before.
This time it looks like it's been burned through.
A ring of black and gold patterns expanded from the core and wrapped around Chen Fan's palm.
The fragment of the true core in Chen Fan's palm also trembled.
As soon as the two waves connected, a low humming sound immediately filled the air.
Like two pieces of iron that were meant to be joined together, they finally fit into the groove.
[External frequency suppression access]
[Recirculation speed decreased]
Current progress: 12%
Chen Fan let out a long breath, finally regaining some balance.
Zhu Ganglie stared in disbelief.
"This bird is actually quite useful."
Zongwu glanced at him coldly, not even bothering to shake its feathers.
Tang Sanzang also raised his hand, pulled out a wisp of the remaining Buddhist seal from between his eyebrows, and pressed it into the true core light circle.
"I'll hem the edges for you."
The white dragon horse also stepped forward, its dragon energy flowing through the crack in the ground, sealing off a three-zhang radius around Chen Fan.
The situation was barely brought under control.
The system stopped leaking.
But Chen Fan knew in his heart that this was only temporary.
Like blocking a flood.
The fact that stones are placed on the embankment does not mean that the water has not come.
Sun Wukong stared at him.
"Can you speak now?"
Chen Fan nodded, closed his eyes, and tried to sort out the jumbled images in his mind.
Soon, a projection appeared on its own.
It's not the flat text box like in the system panel.
It is a huge old map.
The blueprints were tattered and covered in lines.
One circle within another.
It resembles a mechanism, or a formation.
There is an empty space in the very center.
The three main lines extend outwards from the center.
The one on the left reads "Journey to the West".
The line on the right says "Revision".
The bottom line is the darkest color, as if it was added later.
The four characters above are crooked and slanted.
Lacking morality and going astray.
Zhu Ganglie stared for a long time, his lips twitching.
"Your system's original name is quite awful."
Chen Fan didn't respond to that.
His gaze was fixed on the top of the overall map.
There is an even older line of text there.
Matrix engine.
There was also a damaged sign next to it, as if someone had deliberately scraped off half of it.
When Tang Sanzang saw this picture, his breath hitched.
"The Journey to the West System, the Correction of the Master System, and your Immoral System... are all derived from it?"
"almost."
Chen Fan lowered his voice.
"I used to think of them as opposites. Now I see them not as opposites, but as a division of labor."
Sun Wukong frowned.
Speak like a human.
Chen Fan raised his hand and pointed to the three lines.
"The Journey to the West System is responsible for guiding people back to the predetermined path. The Correction Department is responsible for repairing faulty nodes. My Moralityless System was not originally a pure cheat; it was also part of the mother system, but it went astray, or... it was deliberately dismantled and thrown out."
After he said that, everyone fell silent.
Pigsy started the cursing.
"So, you took the scrap parts thrown out of their workshop and wrecked them all the way there?"
Chen Fan glanced at him.
"Scrap parts? Have you ever seen scrap parts dismantle Buddhist threads like this?"
Pigsy choked.
I've never seen that before.
Then it's not a defective part.
That was a murder.
Tang Sanzang stared at that "immoral and deviant path," and his gaze slowly changed.
"The Tathagata was not simply making a mark just now."
"right."
Chen Fan nodded.
"He was attacking the overall blueprint of the Other Shore Engine. As soon as that thing moved, my side was spotted. Now it's not him coming to arrest me, it's the system itself wanting to go back."
Sun Wukong grinned, a rather fierce grin.
"It's more disgusting for your own people to betray you than for outsiders to attack you."
Chen Fan looked at the slowly ticking recall progress on the panel and suddenly smiled.
His smile wasn't strong, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
Tang Sanzang was the first to realize something was wrong.
"What are you thinking about now?"
"I've figured something out."
Chen Fan raised his head.
"We've been banging on doors from the outside. We've been banging on the doors of Heaven, the Buddhist temple, and the Cultivation Department. Now, look what's happened, the doors have opened a crack by themselves."
Zhu Ganglie's heart skipped a beat.
"Don't tell me you want to climb back up this thing."
Why not?
Chen Fan countered with a question.
"It wants to call me back. I can stop it for a while, but not forever. Since that's the case, I might as well not try to stop it."
Even the white dragon horse couldn't help but look up at him.
"You're using yourself as a hook."
"right."
Chen Fan stared at the master plan.
"Follow the recall chain to find the mother engine. Figure out who created these three systems. And see who threw out the amoral system."
Tang Sanzang frowned slightly.
"Too dangerous."
"Risk is what makes money."
Chen Fan spoke very frankly.
"We've come this far, and on the surface, we've won spectacularly. But as you've all seen, there are hidden agendas behind Buddhism and Heaven. If we don't uncover these hidden agendas, we'll only be winning the scraps."
Sun Wukong hoisted the golden cudgel back onto his shoulder, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"I like hearing that."
Zhu Ganglie wanted to persuade him further, but when he opened his mouth, he could only manage to utter one sentence.
"Then you have to make sure you don't get turned into an idiot halfway through."
That's why we need to suppress it.
Chen Fan looked at Zong Wu, then at the others.
"My functions will be unstable for a while. There might be plot changes, permission access issues, and data loss. You guys will have to cover for me."
Sun Wukong said directly, "Get to the point."
"First, push all actions forward and backward. Stop splitting up the lines. Second, seal away everything involving old contracts, system fragments, and the Buddhist treasury; I'll review it personally. Third…"
Chen Fan paused, his voice even lower.
"If I ever get dragged into the recall chain, don't try to bail me out. Just dismantle it directly along the line."
Tang Sanzang's face darkened.
I won't accept that.
Sun Wukong also sneered.
"Come on. When you pulled me out of the mountains, you spoke so grandly. Now that it's your turn, you're telling people to let go?"
Chen Fan was taken aback.
Pigsy clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Well, karma really does come fast."
The atmosphere was already very tense, but these few words managed to ease it a little.
Chen Fan didn't say anything more, but just looked at the system panel again.
The bright red warning is still there.
The progress is stuck at 12% and hasn't increased any further.
However, the overall projection did not disappear.
On the contrary, it became even clearer.
Below those three main lines, a previously blurred area slowly began to reveal new characters.
Chen Fan initially thought he was seeing things.
He stared at it for a moment, then his breath hitched.
That's not a function description.
It is not a regular module.
It looks like a permissions bar.
It was hidden very well.
Like something that shouldn't be shown prematurely in the overall master plan.
There are only six characters on it.
Unethical administrator privileges.
Before Zhu Bajie could see clearly, Chen Fan had already grabbed the true core in his palm, his eyes narrowing sharply.
Sun Wukong noticed his expression and immediately asked:
"What did you see this time?"
Chen Fan did not reply.
Because the next moment, a tiny cursor suddenly lit up after those six words with a "snap".
It's like someone deep inside the system just clicked on this section.
Chapter 212 The Unethical Administrator
As soon as the cursor lit up, Chen Fan tensed up.
He didn't order it.
It wasn't the usual pop-up window from the system.
Someone has opened the door.
Sun Wukong took a step forward, holding his staff horizontally in front of him.
"say."
"Your face looks worse than when Tang Sanzang sees meat."
Tang Sanzang's lips twitched, but he didn't respond.
Pigsy craned his neck out, stretching it out as far as it could go.
"Old Chen, don't scare me. What does it say on there? Does it mean you'll get rich?"
Chen Fan looked down at the true core in his palm.
The master diagram in the eukaryote is still spinning.
It goes round and round, like someone is turning a lock inside.
Those six characters hung at the very top.
Unethical administrator privileges.
There was another line of very small gray text at the end.
Current status: Unverified
Unverified.
In other words, you can get in.
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched, and his mind raced.
The bright red warning sign at the front made it clear.
The recall of products from the same source has been initiated.
The Buddhist community wanted to drag this anomaly back to its source.
Logically speaking, once such a recall takes hold, the company will be severely damaged, if not completely wiped out.
But now, the recall channel has opened up the outer perimeter as well.
This is the opportunity.
"Brother Monkey, hold on for me for three breaths."
"Anyone who touches me, beat them to death."
Sun Wukong didn't even ask why. He simply raised his hand, twirled his golden cudgel, and stood directly in front of Chen Fan.
"You go about your business."
"If anyone dares to reach out, I'll smash their claws first."
Tang Sanzang also stood to the left, flicked his monk's robe, and the prayer beads in his hand clicked.
"This humble monk will not reason with you today."
Pigsy grunted twice and hoisted his nine-toothed rake.
"Alright, whoever ruins Old Chen's plans, Old Pig will crack their skull open first."
Chen Fan didn't waste any more words.
He directly pressed his divine thoughts into his true core.
Upon entering, the surroundings instantly changed.
There was no sky, no earth.
The light was all intersecting.
Some are thick, some are thin, and they are densely packed together, as if the entire quest flow of the Three Realms has been stitched together.
In the very center is a golden passageway that plunges into the depths.
That is the way of calling back the Lord.
The Buddhist hand is reaching out along that path this way.
Chen Fan glanced at it once and then stopped looking.
That place is off-limits now.
He walked along the edge.
It's not the feet that walk, it's the thoughts.
There was indeed an opening in the outer area.
The opening looked like it had been pried open; there were thin cracks along the edges, and several strings of talismans that hadn't been cleaned off were still hanging there.
Chen Fan recognized him at a glance.
This is the outer landing port of the Other Shore Engine.
Last time, he only managed to get a feel for the chart by using homologous oscillations.
This time, the recall was carried directly to his doorstep.
"Alright, since we're already here..."
"If I don't go in, wouldn't I be letting you down?"
He raised his hand and pressed it.
The moment the palm touched it, the opening suddenly contracted.
Immediately afterwards, a bunch of notifications popped up from all directions.
[Abnormal access detected]
Wild-type homologous markers detected.
[Permission verification in progress]
Verification failed.
[Preparing for Cleanup]
"Go to hell with you."
Chen Fan cursed and then slapped the old Buddhist pattern that he had peeled off from the Dharma Image back onto the core.
With a buzzing sound.
The prompts paused for a moment.
The gray text resumes scrolling.
[Historical residual traces detected]
[Source: Management Tributary]
[Temporarily connected]
[Connection successful]
The next moment, those six words lit up completely.
[Illegible administrator privileges have been activated]
Chen Fan almost burst out laughing.
He really pulled it open.
It's still fake.
Even a fake one is enough.
After all, he doesn't deserve to be a real administrator.
But the most wonderful thing about this thing is the word "fake".
The most disgusting thing is when the lie is not completely convincing.
The moment Chen Fan had that thought, the permissions panel immediately expanded.
It has limited functionality.
There are only three.
[Low-level Journey to the West quests temporarily suspended]
[Minor Adjustment to Task Reward Distribution]
[Proxy Interface Trace Reading]
simple.
rough.
It's not fancy at all.
Chen Fan's hands were hot after reading it.
This is not about permissions.
This is clearly a license to rob.
outside.
Pigsy was swinging his rake and smashing down a charging Guanjing phantom soldier, shouting as he did so.
"Is Old Chen ready yet?"
"If this doesn't get better, my back will break!"
Sun Wukong smashed the three chains with a single blow and let out a cold laugh.
"Stop yelling."
"The longer he stays, the more he'll profit."
Hearing this, Chen Fan felt even more at ease.
Try the first one.
He casually pulled up a low-level pilgrimage quest that was already running.
It's written very clearly above.
Side Quest: Replenish the new pilgrimage group's supplies
[Rewards: A merit package, a small wish-granting pond, and three Buddha seed seeds]
The new pilgrimage group.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
The Buddhist community has certainly not been idle.
While the main group is struggling to manage the situation, they've already started preparing backup supplies.
It's a beautiful idea.
He raised his hand and tapped the ban button.
[Should the current task be temporarily banned?]
"Yes."
Snapped.
That task flow immediately went black.
The collection point that followed was immediately locked.
At the same time, several thin lines in the distance trembled simultaneously, as if someone was running and the paving stones under their feet suddenly disappeared.
Chen Fan grinned.
Comfortable.
Closing one gate is not enough.
He flipped through it again.
[Side Quest: Containment Displacement - The Tale of Jin Chanzi]
seal up.
[Branch Quest: Guide the sand river template to be reset]
seal up.
[Side Quest: Selection of Candidates for the Clean Altar Messenger]
seal up.
Three times in a row.
Alarms suddenly went off in the surrounding area.
But this fake access was clearly somewhat useful; the alarms only flashed but didn't actually fire.
Chen Fan found himself increasingly amused as he read on.
"So you've finally met your match."
But the best part is yet to come.
He immediately opened the second one.
The destination of mission rewards has been slightly adjusted.
This is even worse than a ban.
A ban is like strangling someone.
"Slight adjustment" means taking money out of the other person's pocket and then kicking them while doing so.
Chen Fan immediately identified a large number of resource packages prepared by Buddhist sects for the backup pilgrimage team.
The names are all very respectable.
[Westward Journey Backup Support Package]
[Eight-Part Accompanying Guard Preparation Pool]
[Golden Cicada Correction Special Award]
Chen Fan was too lazy to look closely.
All cut off.
Please select a new destination.
When the panel popped up, Chen Fan didn't even think twice before tapping it.
[Destination: Chen Fan]
The system paused for a moment.
Even the image seemed to be speechless at this operation.
The next instant, a series of golden lights were forcibly pulled out from the reward pools, like fishing lines, and whizzed towards him.
[Successfully extracted]
You have obtained: 18 Wisdom Crystals
You have received: 7 spare Buddha-pattern pouches
You have obtained: Template Positioning Fragment x3
You received: Proxy interface index x1
[You have been granted: Special privileges with a buffer period of 30 breaths]
Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
It really worked.
This isn't just touching it.
This means they confiscated the Buddhist monastery's secret stash of money.
And they copied it right under their noses.
Just then, a sharp shriek suddenly erupted from the other side of the perimeter.
A high-pitched female voice came from afar.
"Who touched the preparation pool!"
"Who dares to change the reward allocation!"
Then came another cacophony of voices.
"It's blocked? The quest is blocked?"
"The candidate line for the Clean Altar has been cut off!"
"Why didn't I receive a receipt for the quicksand template?"
"Quickly check the administrator password!"
Chen Fan almost laughed so hard he lost his balance.
The Buddhist community is clearly in complete chaos.
They never dreamed that the person who came to raid their base wasn't an insider, but this cheater.
He quickly scanned through everything he had just intercepted.
The first fragment, as soon as it touched the surface, revealed a line of text.
[Bajie Template Positioning]
There is also a blurry image below.
It's not like Zhu Bajie is now, that hotheaded guy.
It is a deeper level of template coordinates.
Like a backup core hidden beneath the Pure Altar system.
If Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) truly understood this, he could probably peel off the very skin that Buddhism had prepared for him.
The second fragment also lit up.
[Sha Wujing template positioning]
Chen Fan's eyes flashed.
There was indeed a pit on the other side of the Liusha River.
It seems that the position of the Curtain-Rolling General was not simply a demotion to the mortal realm from beginning to end.
The Buddhist temple buried templates there.
No wonder so many of the earlier plot lines went around Sha Wujing.
The third one is even more ruthless.
[Guanyin Proxy Interface]
There are only five characters.
A trail of flowing white light hung behind it.
Just as Chen Fan was about to take a closer look, the white light suddenly trembled.
A very soft female voice leaked out from inside.
Very close.
It felt like someone was speaking right next to his ear.
"I've found you."
Chen Fan felt a sudden chill run down his spine and raised his hand to break it.
But that interface has already bitten back.
The surrounding space suddenly trembled.
A white mark pressed down from the far distance, like a thin needle, pointing straight at him.
Outside, Sun Wukong suddenly turned around.
"Chen Fan!"
The next moment, the eukaryote became extremely hot.
Chen Fan was ejected directly from that restricted space, taking half a step back, his sleeves were even torn by the impact.
As soon as Zhu Ganglie saw him open his eyes, he quickly moved closer.
"How did it go? Did it work out?"
Chen Fan opened his arms.
Three golden lights hung above the palm.
A pig-shaped dish.
A fleeting shadow of quicksand.
There was also a thin, long white line, like a hook that hadn't been properly put away.
When Tang Sanzang saw the white line, his face immediately darkened.
"This is... something from Guanyin's side."
Sun Wukong stared at Chen Fan, his eyes full of question marks.
"You've infiltrated a Buddhist monastery?"
Chen Fan let out a breath and the corners of his mouth turned up.
"almost."
"I also took all their spare rewards."
Zhu Ganglie was taken aback at first.
Then both of his eyes widened in surprise.
"You took them all?"
"Not a single one was left?"
Chen Fan nodded.
"Nothing was left."
Zhu Ganglie slapped his thigh and laughed so hard that his pig teeth showed.
"Great! That's wonderful!"
"They've been eyeing Old Pig's spot at the altar all day long, and now they've even ripped their pants off!"
Tang Sanzang's eyelids twitched as he listened.
The Buddhist reserve reward can be intercepted at any time.
This is more than just a slap in the face.
This is like riding on someone's face to collect protection money.
Sun Wukong was even more direct, raising his hand and patting Chen Fan on the shoulder.
"Well done."
"I'll go next time too."
Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, the white line in his palm suddenly stood up on its own.
Like a silk thread that has come to life.
The surrounding air suddenly felt heavy.
Everyone looked up at the same time.
A pale white light appeared on the horizon at some unknown time.
It's not glaring.
But no one can pretend it doesn't exist.
A voice came from the light.
Not big.
Yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Chen Fan".
"Now that we've found the interface..."
"It's time to see me."
Chapter 213 Guanyin Interface
The white light did not press forward.
It hovers on the horizon, as if looking at people through a thin veil.
Everyone can see it.
Nobody can touch them.
Sun Wukong raised his hand first, and his golden cudgel slammed into the ground with a "thud." He grinned and cursed, "The Buddhist sect never tires of this charade of pretending to be a god or a ghost. If you want to see me, come out! Who are you trying to scare by hiding in the light?"
There was no movement within the white light.
Two breaths later, the sound finally faded.
"The true body does not enter this place."
"There's an interface here; enough to discuss."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
interface.
This word shouldn't have come out of Guanyin's mouth.
At least, it shouldn't have been said so smoothly.
Pigsy leaned closer and whispered, "Master, this woman is starting to sound more and more like you."
Tang Sanzang looked up at the light, and slowly spun the nine-ringed staff in his hand, leaving a mark on the ground with the end of the staff.
"She didn't come to fight."
"They've come to dig a hole."
The white dragon horse transformed into human form and stood behind without saying a word, staring at the ball of light, its eyelids twitching twice.
Last time the Dharma image descended, it almost tore the seams off.
This time it came easily.
The lighter the better, making people even more uncomfortable.
The white line in Chen Fan's palm was still standing upright, like a needle, pointing directly at the horizon.
He raised his hand and spread it out.
The eukaryote throbbed in my palm, as if it were recognizing a person.
"What do you want to talk about?"
A soft laugh came from within the white light.
Not high, not cold.
On the contrary, it's as if I've been waiting for this sentence.
"First of all, Chen Fan."
What you're touching is only the outer layer.
"I know a little about the system."
"I don't have any full-core processors either."
As soon as he said that, the expressions of several people on the field changed.
Pigsy was the first to explode.
"Bullshit! How many years have you Buddhist sects been using that Journey to the West approach? You're telling me you don't know about all-core processors?"
Sun Wukong's eyes grew even fiercer, and he raised his staff, pointing it at the ball of light.
"Stop talking nonsense. If you didn't know, how could you have trapped Old Sun like that?"
The voice in the light wasn't in a hurry.
Knowing something doesn't mean you have control over it.
"I can see the trajectory. I can't see the source."
"The true core in your hand is something even Buddha wanted to touch completely."
Even Tang Sanzang frowned at this.
That's a very strong statement.
It's also very toxic.
Guanyin is not here to show weakness.
She was giving a reminder.
This thing is more complicated than they had guessed.
Chen Fan ignored the anger and instead took two steps forward.
"continue."
Sun Wukong tilted his head to look at him: "You actually listened?"
"Listen before you start criticizing, it's worth it," Chen Fan replied.
The white light seemed to be a little closer.
It could also be an illusion.
The voice was lowered.
"I'll make a deal."
"Lend me your eukaryote."
"I'll give you the coordinates of Pigsy and Sandy's loss of control."
In a word.
The entire audience erupted in cheers.
Pigsy's face twitched, and his ears stood up.
"Who are you calling out of control?"
Tang Sanzang stopped holding his staff.
Sun Wukong was even more straightforward, grinning coldly: "I knew it. What's the point of talking? After all that beating around the bush, you're still after the true core."
The white dragon horse took half a step forward, its eyes also darkening.
These conditions clearly indicate they're here to fish.
They traded their brother's whereabouts for access.
It's disgusting.
Chen Fan did not deny it.
He just stared at that ball of light.
"Let's make this clear first. What does 'out of control' mean?"
"And what makes you think you know where they are?"
This time, the white light lingered for a few breaths.
It's like weighing how much to put in.
"Zhu Ganglie and Juanlian are not scattered in the way you think."
"They carry the old template."
"Buddhism is restarting."
"It's not about bringing people back, but about using their shells to complete a full westward journey."
Pigsy's face turned black.
Say it again.
"Fix the lineup," Guanyin said calmly. "The original team is out of control. Let's rebuild a new one."
Tang Sanzang's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Alternatives".
"Yes," Guanyin readily admitted. "You can understand it that way."
Sun Wukong laughed.
He was laughing so hard his teeth were showing.
"What a compassionate Buddhist sect!"
"If we can't get enough people together, we'll just make it on the spot."
Pigsy's chest heaved violently, and the breath he exhaled from his nostrils stirred up the dust on the ground.
What he feared most along the way was not death.
It is that you are no longer yourself.
Now Guanyin has peeled away this layer of skin.
It was thrown in front of him, covered in blood.
Chen Fan looked at Zhu Bajie and suddenly asked, "Have you been having a lot of dreams lately?"
Pigsy was taken aback and turned to look at him: "How did you know?"
"I dreamt of the Milky Way. I dreamt of that armor. And a bunch of people you've never met before called you Marshal."
Pigsy opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Tang Sanzang turned his head and looked over as well.
The white dragon horse whispered, "Sha Wujing wasn't acting right a while ago either. He would stare blankly at quicksand and mutter things like 'on duty' and 'patrolling the river.'"
The room fell silent.
They knew there was a problem beforehand.
No one called it out on.
Now that Guanyin has made it clear herself, that unease has immediately become solid evidence.
The sound continued to fall from the white light.
"You've changed a lot of things."
"But some positions can't be severed simply by changing the name."
"Pigsy and Sandy are the pillars."
"Once the template fusion is complete, the new Journey to the West storyline will be forcefully suppressed."
"By then, it won't just be the two of them."
"You will all be put back in your original positions."
This statement is even harsher than the one before.
The veins on the back of Sun Wukong's hand bulged out.
"Who dares to press Old Sun's button?"
"If I can suppress you once, I'll want to suppress you a second time," Guanyin said. "You know this best."
Just as Sun Wukong was about to curse, Chen Fan raised his hand to stop him.
His mind works incredibly fast.
Guanyin will not appear or take action today, but will only send out messages.
This shows that she didn't dare to force the issue.
Or.
She's racing against time now.
Chen Fan suddenly smiled.
"You came in such a hurry, you can't just be looking to borrow the true core, can you?"
"You're worried that the Buddhist sect will complete the template integration first."
There was a moment of stillness in the white light.
That's enough for now.
Pigsy cursed out loud, "Damn it, I knew she was up to no good. She's using us as pawns."
Guanyin did not deny it.
"You were all involved in this from the start."
"I'm just giving you the first move."
Tang Sanzang coldly asked, "In Buddhism, whose side are you really on?"
"Asking this now is pointless," Guanyin replied quickly. "All you need to know is that I don't want to see a complete replacement team emerge."
"Why?" Chen Fan asked.
"Because then, many things can never be undone."
That's only half the story.
Chen Fan did not pursue.
He knew that for someone like Guanyin to speak up was already a blood sacrifice.
If you push her any further, she'll shut up.
Sun Wukong grew impatient.
"All that talk was nonsense. If you're really sincere, give up the position. Don't even think about getting the real deal."
"I can give you two coordinates first," Guanyin said.
Zhu Ganglie was taken aback.
"That was so satisfying?"
"I can provide the coordinates. Whether you can get the person depends on your abilities."
Tang Sanzang narrowed his eyes: "There's an ambush."
"Of course there are," Guanyin said frankly. "Do you think Buddhism is just for show?"
Sun Wukong chuckled angrily: "So you call this a transaction?"
"I'll give you the information. You rescue the person. If you actually get the person, then we'll talk about the core."
The white dragon horse whispered, "A scheme without any investment."
Chen Fan nodded inwardly.
This is more like Guanyin.
First, lead the people over there.
If the person is successfully rescued, she will have leverage to continue negotiations.
If they can't save people, they'll only get more deeply involved.
Either way, you're not at a loss.
But now, they have no choice.
Pigsy and Sandy cannot be lost.
Once the templates are successfully integrated, it won't just be a matter of saving two people anymore.
That means the entire team has to be replaced.
Chen Fan looked up and directly broke through the last layer.
"You give us the coordinates, and we'll go rescue them. After that, if you want to touch the True Core, you'll have to do it right under my nose."
"besides."
"I need to know exactly which part of the system you know."
It paused in the white light.
"We can talk."
"Bring the person out first."
"If you can't even do this one step, you won't be able to handle what comes next."
Sun Wukong spat, "You talk as if you think highly of people."
"I have always thought highly of you," Guanyin said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come."
Pigsy rolled his eyes: "Your praise is more disgusting than your insults."
Chen Fan ignored these verbal battles.
He's focusing on the key points now.
"Give me the coordinates."
Suddenly, two thin lines appeared in the white light on the horizon.
It's not broken.
It looked like someone tapped the light screen twice with their fingertip.
Immediately afterwards, two tiny points of light flew out and landed right in front of Chen Fan.
It was dark.
One gray.
Suspended in mid-air.
As soon as Chen Fan reached out and touched it, two images immediately flashed through his mind.
The first picture shows an endless expanse of black sand.
The sand was covered with handprints of people pulling people down.
In the middle is a broken well, with an iron chain tied to the wellhead, and the chain is covered with tattered religious plaques.
The second picture is of an abandoned granary.
The plaque on the door was crooked, with the word "Peng" written on one side and the other half burned away.
The warehouse was filled with broken armory frames, and at the deepest part stood a blood-red pillar.
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
"Quicksand Black Prison"
"The abandoned granary of Tianpeng".
Guanyin's voice fell again.
"The roller blind is in front."
"The canopy template is in the latter."
"If Pigsy had arrived even a moment later, it wouldn't have been just a dream."
Pigsy's face twitched violently.
"What do you mean?"
"That means," Guanyin said, enunciating each word clearly, "you're too late; a new Tianpeng will be made there first."
The air froze.
Zhu Ganglie was stunned for a moment.
The next moment, his face turned bright red, and he swung his nine-toothed rake and smashed it to the ground.
"Damn it, they dare to use my name to make counterfeit goods?"
With a loud bang.
A groove has appeared in the ground.
Several people who had been watching the spectacle from a distance were now terrified, their faces turning pale, and they scrambled backward.
One of them collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way, muttering, "They've gone mad, truly mad... Is the Buddhist sect even starting over with the pilgrimage?"
The other one looked even more displeased: "Then which one were we praying to before?"
Tang Sanzang glanced at them sideways.
Those few immediately shut up.
They didn't even dare to lift their heads.
Sun Wukong raised his staff, his eyes blazing with fire.
Which one to smash first?
"Dividing our forces won't work," the White Dragon Horse spoke first. "This is clearly forcing us to choose."
"Choose my ass," Pigsy gritted his teeth. "Let's go to the abandoned warehouse first. I'll twist that imposter's head off first."
Tang Sanzang said, "We can't drag the curtain over there either. If we really lock up that place in the quicksand, people will gradually disappear."
Sun Wukong looked at Chen Fan.
"You make the decision."
Chen Fan looked at the two coordinates in his palm and was already calculating in his mind.
Both places are in a hurry.
Both places are like traps.
The fact that Guanyin gave it so readily shows that the enemy couldn't wait for them to pass.
But what's even more troublesome is...
If Guanyin is right, Buddhism is rebuilding its complete lineup.
That means that there are more than one group of people watching them right now.
How much does the Heavenly Court know?
How far has Tathagata progressed?
And what about that newly emerged, unethical administrator privilege? Is it actually linked to these two places?
As Chen Fan was thinking, the True Core in his palm suddenly twitched again.
This time it wasn't just random jumping.
It was precisely off by an inch from that gray coordinate.
Tianpeng Abandoned Warehouse.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted slightly.
Is the eukaryote itself pointing the way?
Pigsy saw it too and immediately stepped forward: "What does it mean?"
Before Chen Fan could even speak, the white light on the horizon began to fade.
Guanyin's voice ended with a single sentence.
"remember."
"Once the substitute opens its eyes, most of the original owner will be erased."
"You only have one first move."
The white light dissipated.
Not even a trace of Buddhist chanting remained.
It's as if she never came at all.
The field was quiet for two breaths.
Pigsy got impatient first, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Don't go! You better make it clear, who applies it first, and how?"
No one replied to him.
Only the wind swirls the dust around the cracks.
Sun Wukong twirled his golden cudgel, his teeth grinding together.
"Old Chen, it's settled."
Tang Sanzang also looked at him.
The white dragon horse didn't say anything, but had already drawn its weapon.
Chen Fan looked down at the grayish-brown true core, then glanced at the black coordinates.
The unease he had just suppressed was pulled up again.
Because right now, at this very moment.
The black dot representing the quicksand and black prison suddenly cracked open.
A hoarse, low laugh came from the crack.
It's like someone is making an opening inside through countless layers of sand.
"Master..."
"You finally remembered me."
Chapter 214 Split Up to Rescue People
Even after the black light spot cracked open, the word "Master" still lingered within the crack.
Tang Sanzang's face twitched.
"Sha Wujing (Sandy)."
He only uttered two words before gripping his staff tightly.
Sun Wukong slammed his golden cudgel on the ground and grinned.
"Okay, perfect, let's take them all at once."
Chen Fan didn't rush to reply.
He first looked at the gray eukaryote.
The true core was still pulsating in his palm, pulsating even faster than before. The interface left by Guanyin hadn't dissipated either, like a thin layer of white light, clinging to mid-air. There were two coordinates on it, one black and one red, flashing intermittently.
A dark prison of quicksand.
A dilapidated warehouse.
Zhu Ganglie stood to the side, his face turning pale and then flushed, his ears drooping.
"Tianpeng Abandoned Warehouse... This name alone sounds like a bad place."
The white dragon horse sneered.
"What nice places have you lived in before?"
Pigsy stiffened his neck, wanting to retort, but after opening his mouth, he closed it again.
This time he couldn't argue.
The fact that the Heavenly Court could reduce the title of "Marshal Tianpeng" to the mere word "waste warehouse" speaks volumes. It wasn't about imprisoning people; it was about raising them like pigs in a sty.
The Bull Demon King kicked away the pebbles at his feet, and his nostrils spewed out thick breaths.
"What's there to discuss? Just take them back."
Red Boy perked up and slung his Fire-Tipped Spear over his shoulder.
"I'm going too. I'm going to burn down that dilapidated warehouse too."
Chen Fan raised his hand and pressed them down.
"We can't all rush in at once."
"These two places are far apart, one in the Heavenly Wasteland and the other in the Black Sands. They are guarded by different people."
"Our scoring line."
Sun Wukong turned to look at him.
"you say."
Chen Fan looked down and drew two lines on the ground.
"The first line of defense is to go to the Tianpeng Abandoned Warehouse. It's close to the Heavenly Court, and there are probably still Thunder Department soldiers and old Heavenly Soldiers guarding it. We need to be able to fight and demolish it by force."
He looked up at Sun Wukong and Yang Jian.
"Monkey, Erlang, you two go."
Sun Wukong grinned.
"That suits me perfectly."
Yang Jian stood to one side, his hand resting on his three-pointed double-edged sword, his expression indifferent.
"Can."
Chen Fan nodded on the other side.
"The second route is to the Flowing Sand Black Prison. That place is the pit that was once the Curtain Rolled Up. Black water, sediment, old crimes—it sounds sinister. It might not be a direct confrontation there; we might have to unlock the locks, pick people up, and remove the shackles."
"I'll go. Master will go. Zongwu will come with me."
Zongwu had been silent in the back, but upon hearing his name, he immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Understood."
Tang Sanzang nodded as well.
"This humble monk is leaving."
No one stopped them from doing this.
Sha Wujing called out "Master," so Tang Sanzang had no choice but to go.
The Bull Demon King frowned.
"And what about me?"
Chen Fan said directly, "You and Red Boy go back to Flower Fruit Mountain."
Red Boy glared.
"What? You're not including me in this awesome job of snatching people away?"
The Bull Demon King was also unhappy.
"You think I'm holding you back?"
Chen Fan shook his head.
"It's not that I dislike it, it's that it's more important."
He pointed to the top of his head.
"The Guanyin interface is already open. The coordinates have also been revealed. It's impossible for the Heavenly Court and Buddhism not to see it."
"If we go to rescue them, they will definitely retaliate. Huaguo Mountain must immediately reorganize its troops, check its lines of troops, set up defensive formations, and prepare a backup plan."
"Old Niu, you're the most reliable one to hold the line. Red Boy has enough firepower, so he's the most suitable to guard the mountain."
After hearing this, the Bull Demon King's expression softened.
He's reckless, not stupid.
This isn't a one-on-one battle; it's a two-front war to capture people while simultaneously defending the base. If Flower Fruit Mountain is empty, there'll be nowhere for the captured people to settle down.
Red Boy pursed his lips.
"Alright. I'll go back and set up all the fire formations around the mountain gate. Anyone who dares to come will be roasted first."
Just then, the layer of white light in mid-air swayed slightly.
The last words came from the interface left by Guanyin.
The voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
"You're not robbing people."
"It's their stolen right to choose."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white light disappeared.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Sun Wukong didn't say anything, but gripped the golden cudgel even tighter.
Yang Jian's eyelids twitched slightly, as if he had remembered something, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
Tang Sanzang softly chanted a Buddhist prayer.
As Chen Fan watched the white light completely dissipate, he felt relieved.
That statement is valuable.
Snatching Pigsy and Sandy isn't just about adding two old teammates.
It further tore open another gap in the old path of the pilgrimage.
If we manage to reclaim one, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sects will lose one pawn.
Just as everyone was about to move, a golden thunderbolt suddenly exploded in the sky.
boom!
The lightning didn't strike anyone; instead, it unfurled into a golden decree high in the sky.
The decree was issued, and every word shone brightly.
"The Jade Emperor's Heavenly Laws".
"Yang Jian, the True Lord of Erlang, if he continues to assist in abnormal scenarios and interfere with the operation of the Heavenly Laws, he shall be immediately stripped of his post, his seal of office, his military power, and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison."
As the last word fell, the wind around us turned cold.
Pigsy gasped in shock.
"Are you serious?"
The white dragon horse also frowned.
Yang Jian acted as if he hadn't seen it, and raised his hand to brush the dust off his sleeve.
"Are you done talking?"
No one responded from high above.
The scroll of the decree was still hanging there, its oppressive aura so strong that even the lesser demons nearby dared not breathe.
Yang Jian looked up, the vertical lines between his brows slightly brightening.
"Come and take it if you want."
"Don't try to scare me with this."
After saying that, he raised his hand and flicked it away.
A beam of silver light shot up and sliced the scroll of imperial edict in half.
With a hissing sound.
The gold paper broke in two and burned to ashes in mid-air.
The entire room fell silent.
Pigsy's mouth can fit a fist.
"I...I'll go."
Even the Bull Demon King was amused and slapped his thigh hard.
"Erlang, your temperament is just to my liking."
Tang Sanzang glanced at Yang Jian but didn't try to persuade him.
Having come this far, who doesn't know what they're doing?
Chen Fan glanced at Yang Jian a couple more times.
The Jade Emperor's decree came swiftly, indicating that the Heavenly Court was in a panic, especially Yang Jian. Previously, he could be considered somewhat neutral, but this decree forced him to choose sides.
As a result, Yang Jian didn't hesitate for even half a breath.
This is enough.
Chen Fan turned his head, flipped his palm, and the true core floated up.
A small gray core spun in mid-air, with thin white lines flowing inside. As soon as it appeared, everyone's eyes were drawn to it.
This thing is the root now.
The system root, the interface root, and the paths branch out from here.
Chen Fan looked at Sun Wukong first.
"Monkey, take this."
Sun Wukong reached out his hand.
"what?"
With a flick of his finger, Chen Fan caused half of the True Core to gleam with a faint light, as if a thin shell had been peeled off and fell into Sun Wukong's hand.
"I'll give you half of the temporary permissions."
Sun Wukong was taken aback.
"Permissions?"
"It can locate locations. It can interface with systems. If it encounters a block, it can force it open once. The number of attempts is limited, so use it sparingly."
Chen Fan added another sentence.
"I still have administrator privileges."
As he spoke, he spread out his other hand.
Two pages of scriptures appeared in the palm of my hand, thin sheets with edges that looked as if they had been burned, and faint words seemed to be swimming on them.
"I'll keep this one."
"I also have the master switch for the eukaryotic system. You only have enough to dismantle doors and rescue people, not enough to make arbitrary modifications."
Sun Wukong chuckled, took the half of the light shell, and pressed it directly into his chest.
That's enough.
"I'll just rescue a pig too, nothing too fancy."
Pigsy's lips twitched.
Who are you insulting?
Sun Wukong made him laugh.
"Whoever responds will be insulted."
Everyone around laughed.
The tense atmosphere eased a bit.
Chen Fan then looked at Yang Jian.
"Erlang, the biggest challenge for you is the Heavenly Court's pursuers. The True Core is half-power in the hands of the Monkey King. You finish them off, don't linger in the fight."
Yang Jian nodded.
"Know."
"Grab the person and leave. Anyone trying to stop us?"
He raised the three-pointed, double-edged sword, his gaze calm.
"Then cut it open."
Simple and straightforward.
Chen Fan then turned to the Bull Demon King.
"After returning to the mountain, first, seal off the outer perimeter. Second, recall all the demon troops who previously submitted. Third, leave a fast detachment to support us."
The Bull Demon King grinned.
"Don't worry. Anyone who dares to come to Flower Fruit Mountain, I'll send them crawling back home."
Red Boy added a comment from the side.
"It's best if we can't go back."
After the arrangements were made, everyone got up.
But Chen Fan was still on edge.
He stared at the black dot in the quicksand prison, feeling that something was off.
Sha Wujing's cry of "Master" didn't sound like a plea for help.
It's more like... they were deliberately lured there.
Zongwu took a step closer and lowered his voice.
"My lord, there may be more than just Roller Curtain over there in the Black Prison."
Chen Fan hummed in agreement.
"I know."
"The more this is the case, the more we need to go."
Tang Sanzang held his staff horizontally.
"I will go see him. If he still recognizes me as his master, then I will bring him out. If he is no longer the same person he once was..."
He paused after saying that.
The second half of the sentence was left unsaid.
But everyone understands.
If it really is turned into a ferocious beast that only bites people, then we have to finish this today.
Sun Wukong walked over and patted Chen Fan on the shoulder.
"Old Chen, be careful over there."
Chen Fan smiled.
"Take care of yourself first. Don't get struck by lightning and turned into a dried-up monkey as soon as you get to the abandoned warehouse."
Sun Wukong bared his teeth.
"I've had my fill of thunder from the sky."
Yang Jian had already turned around and was walking towards the red coordinates.
Sun Wukong followed, swinging his staff as he walked, each step making the ground feel heavy.
Zhu Ganglie looked in that direction, his expression somewhat uneasy.
"Are you really...really going to rob Tianpeng?"
The white dragon horse walked past him, casually tossing out a remark.
"You'd better pray that there's still a whole version of yourself inside."
Pigsy bristled on the spot.
"Can't you speak properly?"
No one cares about him.
On the other side, Chen Fan, along with Tang Seng and Zong Wu, headed towards the black coordinates.
As they approached the coordinates, the ground began to soften, like stepping into a layer of damp sand. Black mist crept up from their feet, carrying a cold, fishy smell. Tang Sanzang had barely taken half a step into the sand when a dry hand reached out and grabbed his ankle.
Zongwu swung his knife backhand.
Click.
The hand was severed on the spot and fell back into the sand.
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
"As expected, we weren't welcome."
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong and Yang Jian had already embarked on the crimson path leading to the ruins of Tianpeng Warehouse.
At the end of the path of light, dark clouds loom overhead.
Before we even got close, we could hear a rumbling sound coming from inside, like thunderclaps crashing down.
Amidst the thunder, there were also a few squeals of pigs.
Each cry was more agonizing than the last.
Zhu Ganglie stood there, his face trembling, and sweat beading on his forehead.
"This...could it really be me?"
No one answered.
At the same time, a door also cracked open in the black sand layer on Chen Fan's side.
The gate was three zhang tall, and it was covered with rivets and scratches.
A figure stood in front of the door.
The man was hunched over, leaning on a crescent-shaped shovel.
The blade of the shovel was covered in sand.
He slowly raised his head, revealing half of his face.
Tang Sanzang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the crimson sky, the gate to the abandoned warehouse slowly opened amidst the lightning, and an even louder squeal came from inside, shaking a corner of the clouds apart.