Ren Qing had extensive experience modifying and refining techniques. As a result, he encountered very few bottlenecks while altering the Pratyekabuddha Body, making the process seem effortless.
However, in the eyes of the other monks, his behavior appeared rather strange.
As the Buddhist Son of the Laughing Lion Arhat, Zong Qing should have had little difficulty climbing Three Bodhis, yet he stubbornly remained in a corner with his eyes closed, chanting scriptures.
Countless suspicious gazes were fixed on the motionless Ren Qing. Some of the bolder monks had even begun to harbor dangerous thoughts.
Had Ren Qing not displayed such astonishing strength earlier, some monks would likely have already attacked Lion Buddha Temple and used them to fill their stomachs.
Having remained within Three Bodhis for such a long time, they were kept alive by Buddhist Qi, but their thoughts had gradually been eroded by the Secret Transmission Buddhist Qi.
In Ren Qing's view, the potential of all ten thousand monks present had already been completely drained.
He had used Ghost Shadow to inspect them and discovered that Secret Transmission Buddhist Qi had seeped into their bodies and souls. There might even be hidden contingencies left behind by All-Beings Buddha.
The value of these ten thousand monks was actually inferior to that flock of fine-wool sheep.
Ren Qing paid no attention whatsoever to the discussions around him. Calm and unhurried, he continued deducing the Pratyekabuddha Body while simultaneously stalling for time to refine the Forbidden Corpse.
Since he intended to make a major move, he might as well summon the Corpse Immortal. Preparing for that was like installing a timed bomb. There could not be the slightest mistake.
Moreover, he sensed that after arriving at Three Bodhis, the Secret Transmission evil Buddhas paid less attention to him.
Perhaps they were convinced that Ren Qing had no way to leave Three Bodhis and that his Buddhahood was already guaranteed. Little did they know they had attracted a walking disaster.
Every now and then, Ren Qing could feel distorted monks observing him from various parts of the colossal statue above. Their eyes were filled with greed.
During this period, he quietly used the abilities of The World Is Like a Dream to probe dreams and found no Earth Immortal-level existence within Three Bodhis.
Even monks from the same Lion Buddha Temple could not avoid the evil thoughts festering in their hearts.
Thinking about it, if Nameless Ascetic had already transcended the mortal body, there was no way he would only be plotting against Arhat factions. The scale would not be so small.
With the means of Bodhisattvas and Earth Immortals, they could casually manipulate populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands or millions. Unlike the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect, which seemed so petty.
As time passed, the surroundings gradually fell silent within only a few days.
Ren Qing sensed that the Secret Transmission evil Buddhas were becoming increasingly impatient. They wanted him to climb to the top of the statue as quickly as possible and become one of the Ten Spiritual Bodies.
Seeing this, he became even more patient. While his main body attracted attention, Ghost Shadow hid within the shadows of the monks and went ahead to investigate.
At the same time, the Pratyekabuddha Body had already been successfully perfected.
Originally, Ren Qing had intended to use the Pratyekabuddha Body as a template to create a new Jailer technique. However, he discovered that several key difficulties simply could not be resolved.
Whether it was Secret Transmission Buddhist techniques or orthodox Buddhist techniques, the Buddhist Qi they produced was an exceptionally sinister form of technique aura.
If Buddhist Qi were easy to control, those Buddhist Sons cultivating Buddhist techniques would not have been driven to such despair that they resorted to every possible method to delay their fate.
In the end, Ren Qing turned his attention toward Body Cultivation and created a martial body art specifically designed to seal Buddhist Qi.
[Pratyekabuddha Martial Body]
[Created by Ren Qing. Suitable for the Calculus Disease Seed. It condenses a Stone Buddha Core within the dantian, using it to seal Buddhist Qi.]
Ren Qing's Pratyekabuddha Martial Body clearly bore traces of the Dead Man's Sutra and could be cultivated up to the Yin Difference Realm.
The improvement in strength provided by the Pratyekabuddha Martial Body was actually quite limited. Even at the Yin Difference Realm, it merely increased the capacity of the Stone Buddha Core.
However, for Ren Qing, simply forming the Stone Buddha Core was sufficient.
After all, the Stone Buddha Core was essentially equivalent to a bizarre object. It could be forcibly stripped away through the Stomach World and would not affect his foundation.
Ren Qing spent thirty years of lifespan mastering it, then returned to focusing on refining the Forbidden Corpse.
The surrounding monks had clearly begun to lose their minds. Even Zong Shen was no exception, constantly drooling over Ren Qing's body.
A violent wind howled.
The face of Void Buddha appeared in the sky, stirring the dense Buddhist Qi.
Ren Qing had become like Tang Monk journeying west for scriptures. All around him were demons and monsters coveting his flesh, hoping to attain enlightenment through consuming him.
Yet he still did not move.
He intended to draw out Song Zongwu, who should have been the Tathagata Buddha, but Three Bodhis seemed to contain only two evil Buddhas.
A cold smile appeared on Ren Qing's lips. If they were merely evil Buddhas at the Yang Spirit Realm, there was no need to deploy the Forbidden Corpse at all. He could suppress them single-handedly.
The pseudo-dragons formed from his arms had already spread throughout the outside world.
The moment Ren Qing activated Walk Among Mortals, he could instantly escape far away from Three Bodhis.
All-Beings Buddha's patience was gradually exhausted. The surrounding monks no longer recited scriptures and had lost interest even in the corpses falling from above.
Instead, they stared fixedly at Ren Qing.
His aged figure draped in a kasaya appeared extraordinarily conspicuous amidst the monster-infested Three Bodhis.
"Laughing Lion Buddhist Son..."
"Laughing Lion Buddhist Son!!"
"Laughing Lion Buddhist Son!!!"
Ren Qing opened his eyes.
Before him stood ten thousand monks with rigid expressions. All-Beings Buddha's voice was coming from their bodies.
Faces belonging to All-Beings Buddha protruded from the monks' chests and abdomens. His expression had become somewhat venomous as he continuously roared:
"You can start climbing now. Once you reach the summit of Bodhi, you'll become a Buddha. I'm waiting for you up there. We're all waiting for you up there. Come! Come!!!!"
Bang bang bang bang...
The physically weaker monks immediately exploded, scattering minced flesh and shattered bones through the air. The already thick scent of blood was swept into the wind.
Then All-Beings Buddha's presence vanished completely.
The monks slowly regained awareness and immediately noticed that Ren Qing had stood up. Yet before long, they were once again controlled by the hunger in their hearts.
Flesh and blood littered the ground.
They rushed forward to fight over it.
Many monks also lunged toward Ren Qing, but he killed them effortlessly. This move from All-Beings Buddha was already a warning directed at him.
After eating their fill, the monks recovered a small measure of rationality and began climbing the statue once more.
Stimulated by All-Beings Buddha, at least three to four thousand monks joined the ascent.
All kinds of bizarre and grotesque mutations appeared across their bodies.
Zong Shen was among them.
The venomous expression on his face contained not the slightest trace of his previous kindness.
The madness of the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect was fully evident.
Compared to the emotionless Buddhas of orthodox Buddhism, the evil Buddhas of the Secret Transmission Buddhist Sect magnified greed, anger, ignorance, and malice countless times over.
Ren Qing stepped closer to the statue.
The aura around him immediately rippled, revealing Buddhist Qi unique to Secret Transmission Buddhist techniques.
Although he was merely borrowing Buddhist Qi through the golden core, it was unquestionably more flexible than relying on Dreamflower.
The thousands of climbing monks simultaneously swallowed.
Then they abruptly stopped.
For some reason, a strange voice appeared in their minds.
"Eat him, and you too can become Buddhas."
The voice was hoarse and ancient, but it did not belong to All-Beings Buddha or Void Buddha.
An illusion appeared before their eyes.
A colossal Buddha sat upon a Lotus Throne of Skulls. Its expression was at times sorrowful and at times joyful, impossible to describe.
The Buddha possessed six arms and nine heads.
The countless blood-red pupils covering its body inspired bone-deep terror.
The flower core of the Lotus Throne of Skulls split open.
Countless voices called out the word "Tathagata," causing the monks to unconsciously repeat it as well.
When the illusion disappeared, only a single thought remained within the monks.
To replace Ren Qing.
They all chose to remain where they were, waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity to divide and consume the flesh of a Buddhist Son.
The battle beneath the tree had already descended into complete chaos. Every monk's reason had been twisted by the evil Buddhas, transforming them into man-eating monsters.
Although Ren Qing did not sense the Tathagata Buddha directly, he did detect something unusual.
Killing intent appeared on his face.
Once these monks actively absorbed Secret Transmission Buddhist Qi, even if they did not become evil Buddhas, it would be nearly impossible for them to return to normal.
Leaving them alive would only create more slaughter.
Ren Qing pressed both hands down forcefully.
His body shot upward into the sky.
The moment he touched Three Bodhis, the Stone Buddha Core within him was continuously stimulated by the statue and began growing on its own.
"Eat... eat... eat..."
The monks surged toward Ren Qing in a frenzy.
Their mutated bodies made them resemble multi-limbed insects, allowing them to move effortlessly across the statue's surface.
Ren Qing did not reveal any Jailer techniques.
Instead, he quietly activated Heavenly Phenomenon and Earth Form.
His palm merged with the five mountain peaks within the Stomach World.
On the surface, it appeared ordinary.
In reality, it carried an indescribable weight.
A single palm strike descended.
It was Ren Qing's first time directly manifesting all five mountain peaks. The moment he swung his arm, he felt the inertia threatening to tear apart his flesh and bones.
Without the support of his zombie body, his physique would never have endured it.
Blood rained down from the sky.
Hundreds of monks were instantly reduced to severed limbs and chunks of flesh, crashing to the ground and staining the surrounding area crimson.
"Hehehehehe..."
All-Beings Buddha let out a wild laugh and shouted approvingly:
"Now that's what I call a Buddha. Kill more people. They're all stepping stones beneath your feet."
The sound of sheep bleating rose one after another.
Under All-Beings Buddha's influence, lambs immediately began to gestate within the corpses. They grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The fine-wool sheep were clearly born from the monks' souls.
They even retained memories from their previous lives, their expressions filled with terror.
Ren Qing struck out with another palm.
The remaining monks were all blasted from the statue.
Observing All-Beings Buddha's methods, Ren Qing could not help but complain inwardly.
Of all things to imitate, he had chosen to imitate the Supreme Heavenly Demon, the Black Goat.
He probably wouldn't even know how he died.
However, after noticing the fine-wool sheep, Ren Qing immediately instructed Ghost Shadow to emerge from the cracks in the statue before they fully matured.
Ghost Shadow concealed itself beneath dense Buddhist Qi.
It drifted through the flock and quickly devoured all several hundred sheep, handing them over to Li Tiangang within the Stomach World for resettlement.
Ren Qing advanced effortlessly to the knee area of Three Bodhis.
There sat a lump of deformed flesh.
Facial features and limbs could barely be discerned.
Beneath the folds of flesh were tens of thousands of hidden tentacles, which were absorbing nutrients from the surrounding monks.
"Laughing Lion Buddhist Son, this old man is different from those mindless mortals. I've been free of greed, anger, ignorance, and hatred for centuries..."
"Hurry and take me up there. There are plenty of Lotus Thrones of Skulls. Both you and I can become Buddhas."
He rambled on endlessly, his tiny eyes fixed on Ren Qing.
What greeted him was a kick.
How could the Flesh Monk withstand the weight of a mountain?
He immediately died, body and soul extinguished.
Ren Qing looked upward.
Similar distorted monks could be seen everywhere.
The closer one got to the summit, the more bizarre and horrifying their forms became.
Within the three heads of the statue, several silhouettes could vaguely be seen.
Ren Qing exerted force through both legs and transformed into a blur as he continued upward.
The surviving distorted monks either wanted to devour Ren Qing's flesh or shouted the name "Zong Qing," worshipping him as a true Buddha.