Chapter 361: Chapter 262: Entered Taishang Laojun’s Eight Trigrams Furnace (2)

’So it seems,’ Yang An thought.

"Workshop Master, please help me!"

For an Innate Flesh Mushroom, failing to break through its limits meant death. With successful precedents already set, no one would refuse this chance.

He did his best to act the part of an Innate Flesh Mushroom.

...

An unknown amount of time passed. Yang An had lost all concept of it. By the time he returned to his own body, he had successfully "broken through" to the Early Stage of Corpse Transformation.

Inside the cave, Yang An gritted his teeth, his entire body trembling as if he could lose consciousness at any moment.

Of course, this entire agonizing display was just an act.

However, he truly couldn’t recall many of the details after being transported in the container.

He only remembered that after meeting the Workshop Master, the man had activated a pre-arranged Array. Inside that Array, he was to use the container’s body to begin his breakthrough into Corpse Transformation.

Within that Array, he had put on a show of preparing to break through. Just as his own aura reached its peak, his consciousness began to be extracted.

At this stage, Yang An forced himself not to release the Concealment Seal, as the time wasn’t right.

What followed was endless agony, which was something he couldn’t prevent.

It was like being plunged into molten lava, only to be cast into a land of extreme cold the next instant.

Countless insects gnawed at his soul, and finally, he was enveloped in a thick, warm liquid...

After the pain came a gentle warmth, and after that, more pain.

Yang An felt as if he’d been tossed into Taishang Laojun’s Eight Trigrams Furnace, tormented over and over again.

The entire process lasted for an unknown duration. It was like taking a trip through the cruelest of Hells—a trip that seemed to span endless years.

Though he didn’t know how much time had passed, Yang An was fortunate that his resolve remained firm. He released the Concealment Seal right at the very end, so in the Workshop Master’s eyes, he had succeeded smoothly.

To protect his greatest secret, any amount of suffering was worth it.

"Judging from the condition of Broken Hand and the others, although you’ve successfully broken through the limitations of an Innate Flesh Mushroom, there’s a high chance the price for it will spiral out of control in the near future. You’ll need to constantly adapt.

Furthermore, you’re the first I’ve seen whose physical body and soul are in harmony, with no signs of instability. Nevertheless, there will still be side effects."

When Yang An’s consciousness returned to the Tree of Flesh and Blood, the container used for the transportation had completely vanished. This is what the Workshop Master had told him.

In the end, something unexpected still occurred, drawing the Workshop Master’s attention.

Yang An was different from the other members of the Scripture Defector Association. He wasn’t an Innate Flesh Mushroom to begin with, so it was inevitable that a situation like this would arise. These things were beyond his control.

Fortunately, the Workshop Master didn’t seem to have any suspicions.

Yang An seized the opportunity to change the subject, bringing up Bow Lady and asking the Workshop Master if he had a Magical Artifact that could house her.

The Workshop Master agreed to craft one for him within two months, but on the condition that Yang An do something for him.

As for what that was, the Workshop Master didn’t say. He was the same as always, loving to be cryptic.

And so, Yang An became the fifth person in the Scripture Defector Association to break through to the Corpse Transformation realm.

After leaving the Tree of Flesh and Blood, Yang An kept up the act for a while longer, just to be safe. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He didn’t know what the side effects were, but acting like he was in pain seemed like the right move.

"You little brat, what are you doing?"

Seeing the pained expression on Yang An’s face, a confused Bow Lady asked.

She had no idea what Yang An had been through, as she wasn’t a member of the Scripture Defector Association.

And as for Bow Lady, Yang An wasn’t worried.

If Bow Lady were a spy the Workshop Master had placed by his side, or if the Workshop Master had tampered with her in some way, he would have been able to identify it with his ability when he first obtained her.

The absence of such information meant that Bow Lady was nothing more than a pure Magical Artifact, and the Workshop Master had no intention of monitoring him.

Bow Lady had been with him for so long; you could say she knew more about Yang An’s affairs than anyone.

If not for the trust he had in his special ability, Yang An would never have been so at ease with her.

He fobbed her off with a random excuse and stayed in the foul-smelling cave for another day.

At dawn the next day, Yang An left the cave.

Next, he needed to find Qing Xin. After resolving the matter in the Four Buddha States, he would return to the Great Virtue Temple.

Having resolved two pressing matters in one trip, Yang An was now free of lingering concerns.

From now on, he could focus on being an undercover agent and raising his Cultivation Level as quickly as possible.

...

「Four Buddha States, Bai’an City.」

Bai’an City was the main city of the Four Buddha States. Normally, it was under the protection of the Glazed Tower, making the entire city exceptionally safe.

But now, with Demon Fiends rampaging throughout the Four Buddha States, the devastation had spread far and wide. Many places had suffered disasters, and although the chaos hadn’t yet reached Bai’an City, a solemn atmosphere had already fallen over it.

Inside the Glazed Tower, Qing Xin and a group of Monks knelt respectfully on the ground.

Before them stood a colossal Golden Buddha Statue.

Projected upon the Golden Buddha Statue was the illusory figure of Hai Shu Bodhisattva, making the statue seem as if it had come to life.

"Qing Xin, has the Buddha’s Son not been found yet?"

Qing Xin remained prostrated on the ground, trembling with reverence and fear, not daring to raise his head.

"Reporting to the Bodhisattva, Qing Xin has ordered all the cities in the Four Buddha States to search for the Buddha’s Son’s whereabouts, but to this day, we have found no trace of him. I’m afraid..."

He didn’t dare to speak the rest of his sentence.

Three days had passed since the Buddha’s Son was abducted by the Demon Fiends, yet there was still no news of him.

No one knew if the Buddha’s Son was dead or alive.