Chapter 2488

"Is there still hope for them, wife?" Yan Aohan asked Zhu Yanyi.

Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Yes, there is. I will return to refine pills for them. Once the pills are ready, we will distribute them. Taking them will cure them. However, first, we must find a specific medicinal guide."

"What kind of guide?" Yan Aohan asked.

"Near where the Hundred-Flower Rice grows, there is a type of grass. It looks withered and yellow, similar to ordinary dead grass. But on its yellow leaves, there are bumps that look like beetle shells. This herb is called 'Dead but Not Stiff.' I need the root of this 'Dead but Not Stiff.' Only with this root can I refine the medicine."

Since Zhu Yanyi had identified the cause, she naturally knew how to solve the problem.

Yan Aohan listened and paused briefly in thought. "I will notify King Qinguang and ask him to collect it." Although it might not be in that specific realm, if Hundred-Flower Rice appeared there, 'Dead but Not Stiff' might also exist.

Yan Aohan immediately sent a message to King Qinguang, then took Zhu Yanyi back.

Upon returning to the Yan Palace, Zhu Yanyi began preparing other ingredients. "I have all the other herbs here. The only one missing is 'Dead but Not Stiff.' Without it, we cannot save these souls." Zhu Yanyi sighed. "I hope King Qinguang finds it in the place she is going."

"Do you suspect 'Dead but Not Stiff' is not in the realm King Qinguang is investigating?" Yan Aohan asked.

Zhu Yanyi nodded. "I think it is very likely not there. You know the saying, 'The epiphyllum blooms only for Venerable Waiduo.' This has a backstory. Similarly, for the Epiphyllum Rice to appear and be harvested, only monks can do it. So, I worry this Epiphyllum Rice might grow in any realm. The realm King Qinguang went to was just my guess. I hope it is there."

"Is it most likely growing in the Evil Buddha Realm?" Yan Aohan instantly understood Zhu Yanyi's concern.

Zhu Yanyi nodded. "I am indeed worried about that." She sighed again. "But perhaps I am overthinking it. The item might just be there."

Zhu Yanyi only hoped she was overthinking it. Otherwise, she did not know how to obtain 'Dead but Not Stiff.'

"It does not matter," Yan Aohan said, looking at Zhu Yanyi with gentle eyes and a smile. "As long as the item exists, even if it is in the Evil Buddha Realm, so what? We can still go there."

"But right now, we cannot fall out with the Evil Buddha," Zhu Yanyi pointed to her belly. "I must first unload this cargo. Besides, I have not yet made a name for myself in the Immortal Realm."

Although the Azure Sovereign Sect was stable, gaining fame required participating in the Tianyun Competition. However, the Tianyun Competition was still about forty years away.

Yan Aohan laughed at Zhu Yanyi's words. "Wife, you are worrying too much. Even if we go to the Evil Buddha Realm, we do not necessarily have to confront the Evil Buddha. We are just going to gather herbs."

Just gathering herbs. Even the monks of the Evil Buddha Realm could not forbid that.

Zhu Yanyi paused at these words, then slapped her head hard. "My head… I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't even consider this point. I was wrong."

Yan Aohan rubbed Zhu Yanyi's head and said, "No, you were not wrong. You are just concerned about the souls of the Yan Realm. Because you are the Yan Queen, you have your responsibilities as the Yan Queen."

"Husband, I am not as great as you say," Zhu Yanyi said, feeling a bit shy.

Yan Aohan rubbed Zhu Yanyi's head. "So, are you not worried now?"

"No, I am not worried," Zhu Yanyi said slowly. "But I have a doubt now. The effect of the Epiphyllum Rice has no contagiousness. Instead, it has a certain Buddhist nature, mostly promoting a clear mind and few desires. Could those monks distributing the Epiphyllum Rice be trying to develop successors for the next life?"

Zhu Yanyi’s worried expression made Yan Aohan laugh. He said, "You are actually right. It is very likely they are developing successors for the next life."

"(⊙o⊙)… What are you talking about?" Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan.

"If this is truly done by the Evil Buddha Realm, it is likely they are trying to develop believers for the next life. Do you not know? Sometimes, the Evil Buddha can descend into the world," Yan Aohan explained to Zhu Yanyi.

Zhu Yanyi blinked. "When I was in the mortal realm, I also saw some things that science could not explain. For example, spirit mediums communicating with the Underworld, allowing the living to talk to the dead. Although I thought it was fake, they could know things about the deceased's life without any investigation. That is a skill, right? Is the Evil Buddha descending into the world like that?"

"Roughly yes," Yan Aohan explained. "Buddhas need followers from ordinary beings. So, Buddhas always have representatives in the world. These representatives can communicate with them. The Evil Buddha descending into the world is similar. The Evil Buddha chooses a person as their representative, then divides a strand of their divine consciousness. Through this person, they carry out various faith activities in a mortal realm to gain faith."

Yan Aohan paused here. "But regardless, the Evil Buddha has very few believers. So, to collect faith, they must cultivate believers themselves. Therefore, they make them eat Epiphyllum Rice first, making them calm and peaceful from birth. Then, when some monks slightly intervene to guide them, the Evil Buddha’s goal is achieved."

Zhu Yanyi listened and rubbed her forehead. "The Evil Buddha’s ambition is a bit too big."

Yan Aohan nodded slightly. "The ambition is indeed a bit too big. But fortunately, we discovered this ambition before it fully unfolded. If we remove the effect of the Epiphyllum Rice from these souls, he will not find targets to guide."

Zhu Yanyi listened, resting her chin on her hand, looking emotional. "Do you think the Evil Buddha thinks we are all stupid, so she tries to scheme against us like this?"

Yan Aohan smiled. "Anyway, with you here, it is hard for him to scheme."

Zhu Yanyi nodded. "To prevent any chance, after removing the effect of the Epiphyllum Rice, I will purify them. This way, they will at least not be in danger in their next life."

Zhu Yanyi truly intended to give the Evil Buddha no chance at all. She wanted the Evil Buddha to know that as long as she, Zhu Yanyi, was here, any conspiracy would turn into a pile of dung.

After speaking, Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan smiled. They both had confidence now. All that remained was to wait for news from King Qinguang.

King Qinguang arrived at the Thirteenth Realm of the East. He found the environment of this realm acceptable, seeing that the environment had not been destroyed. Therefore, he nodded in satisfaction.