Chapter 135: Fake Goddess and New Goal

Chapter 135: The Fake Celestial Maiden and a New Goal

These past few days, the civil servants of the Demon-Slaying Division had been utterly miserable.

While Zhao Changhe challenged the enemy on the long street with heroic spirit soaring to the heavens, they were ransacking rooms and interrogating cultists; while Zhao Changhe returned to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion for a mutual cultivation session with the chivalrous young lady, they were still outwitting and battling foes, with some even wounded and bleeding.

Tracking down and capturing Maitreya cultists in such a vast city was no easy task; it would take at least a month to complete. Not to mention the distant matters—just the White Lotus Temple, which they had razed that night, required two or three days to search every nook and cranny.

Today, a Demon-Slaying Division officer left to search the temple’s storeroom discovered a young woman piled in a corner among a heap of clothes. When they pulled her out, she was tied up and had been starving for days, barely alive.

Upon questioning, she claimed to be the Picked Flower Celestial Maiden of the White Lotus Temple… A few days ago, she had been inexplicably knocked unconscious, knew nothing, and woke up like this. She even asked what year it was.

The Demon-Slaying Division had its own undercover agents within the Maitreya cult. Gong Chaoqun had known earlier that a Maitreya celestial maiden was planning to seduce Zhao Changhe and had even intercepted Zhao Changhe on the road to warn him about the celestial maiden’s illusion techniques. Later, it became clear that the celestial maiden sent to seduce Zhao Changhe was indeed called the Picked Flower Celestial Maiden… So where did this starving Picked Flower Celestial Maiden come from?

Gong Chaoqun sensed something was wrong and quickly sent Tang Buqi to find Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe hurried to the Demon-Slaying Division and saw that the Picked Flower Celestial Maiden looked haggard, with a faint resemblance to the previous celestial maiden, but overall quite different—almost unfamiliar.

He crouched in front of her and asked, “Do you know me?”

The Picked Flower Celestial Maiden looked dazed for a long time before replying, “Are you… the Bloodthirsty Rakshasa, Zhao Changhe?”

Zhao Changhe twitched the corner of his mouth. “Yes. Did you guess that from my appearance?”

“I saw you enter the White Lotus Temple.”

“…And then?”

“I only know you went to see Supreme Buddha Fayuan, but I don’t know what you discussed.” The Picked Flower Celestial Maiden recalled with difficulty: “Earlier, Supreme Buddha Fayuan told me that if Zhao Changhe came, it might be my mission… But that day, before I received the order, I suddenly lost consciousness.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression grew increasingly strange.

It seemed someone had knocked out this woman and taken her identity… Not to mention the imposter’s purpose, but if that person was a fake celestial maiden, how did she fool the Maitreya cultists?

Oh, right… Zhao Changhe tapped his head—that woman had disguised herself to look like Yue Hongling, always appearing as a very similar version, so the other Maitreya cultists didn’t think twice…

How fascinating. This girl, as a fake, actually used the opportunity to impersonate Yue Hongling and stayed within the Maitreya cult. That night when the White Lotus Temple was attacked, she even resisted! Absolutely incredible.

Thinking further, Zhao Changhe could even imagine a more interesting process:

For some unknown reason, the fake celestial maiden had knocked out the real Picked Flower Celestial Maiden. Most likely, she hadn’t intended to impersonate her at first; she had another purpose. That would explain why she remained in the White Lotus Temple afterward—she had something to do.

But just after she knocked her out, someone outside called for the Picked Flower Celestial Maiden to go on a mission and pretend to be Yue Hongling…

At that point, the fake celestial maiden was in a bind. She couldn’t exactly wake the real one and make her do the job, could she?

So, taking advantage of her location—a clothing storeroom with a dressing room nearby—she simply changed into a red warrior outfit, applied a bit of heroic makeup, and boldly walked out to carry out the mission as the Picked Flower Celestial Maiden.

Ordinary Maitreya cultists wouldn’t think twice. They escorted her to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion and even touched up her makeup to make her look more like Yue Hongling.

The more he thought about it, the more amusing it became. What was even funnier was that when she sat in the room waiting for him, Zhao Changhe, she was probably rolling her eyes, figuring out how to muddle through this broken mission. Then the real Yue Hongling jumped in, knocked her out, and stuffed her under the bed.

At this thought, Zhao Changhe almost burst out laughing.

No wonder she had been so cooperative afterward, pretending to have completed the mission and done something with Zhao Changhe, covering it up flawlessly. The real Picked Flower Celestial Maiden wouldn’t have acted that way. He had been foolish to think the real celestial maiden hadn’t been thoroughly brainwashed…

Though he didn’t know her original purpose, nor what changes in her thoughts had led her to come and actually give him qi and engage in dual cultivation, or what she intended… the cause and process should be about right, more or less.

It couldn’t be that she had deliberately knocked out the real celestial maiden and taken her identity just to get close to him. That made no sense and wasn’t necessary. If she wanted to approach him, a clean identity would be far more useful than that of a disposable celestial maiden.

“It’s nothing,” Zhao Changhe said after a long silence, turning to Gong Chaoqun. “This is just an ordinary Maitreya celestial maiden. Handle her as you would.”

Gong Chaoqun understood. “The previous one…”

“Please have the Demon-Slaying Division help investigate what kind of person that might be—quick-witted, decisive, with a wicked streak, and as uninhibited as a Maitreya celestial maiden…”

Gong Chaoqun’s expression grew stranger. “Wouldn’t it be easier for you to look into the Four Symbols Sect?”

Zhao Changhe was quite annoyed. “The Four Symbols Saintesses aren’t like that. They wouldn’t flirt with someone they don’t like. You’ve misunderstood quite a bit!”

Tang Buqi said sarcastically, “We certainly don’t know the Four Symbols Saintesses as well as you do.”

Zhao Changhe clenched his fist.

Tang Buqi took a step back.

Zhao Changhe ignored him and continued, “Another clue is that she genuinely knows Maitreya cult techniques. I now suspect her clumsy fighting at the time was due to unfamiliarity with simulating those techniques. She likely has a different foundational method, and her cultivation might not be too low, but compared to Yue Hongling, there’s a significant gap. Anyway, the scope isn’t too broad. See what you can find and let me know.”

Gong Chaoqun mentally sifted through this information, shook his head after a long while, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll go through it carefully.”

Tang Buqi’s gaze shifted between the two, his expression full of confusion.

Gong Chaoqun added, “There’s another matter that might interest you, Young Master Zhao.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“The correspondence between Fayuan and the Maitreya Cult Leader—you didn’t read it yourself when you gave it to me, did you?”

“No, there were so many letters. I didn’t have the leisure to go through them slowly. The rebels’ communications are your business.”

“True. Most of it is our concern, but one item might be useful to you.” Gong Chaoqun smiled. “In a letter from Maitreya to Fayuan, it mentioned that a treasure for nurturing baleful aura might be in the Jiangdong region, and Fayuan was told to keep an eye out. The most likely location is Jinling, where Maitreya currently is. Fayuan’s half-written reply said Yangzhou definitely didn’t have it, and he estimated Suzhou was more probable.”

Zhao Changhe listened quietly, and his breathing clearly grew heavier.

Tang Buqi asked beside him, “What is a treasure for nurturing baleful aura?”

Gong Chaoqun laughed. “The Maitreya cult preaches killing to attain Buddhahood. Many of their techniques are full of baleful and murderous energy. The more vicious a person, or the more they kill, the more powerful these techniques become. That’s why the Maitreya cult was once interested in recruiting Young Master Zhao—the Bloodthirsty Rakshasa fits their killing methods well. In fact, the Blood God Sect’s cultivation also encourages killing; the stronger the baleful aura, the more powerful one becomes. In the later stages of the Blood Fiend Art, blood energy alone isn’t enough—you need to kill to nurture baleful aura.”

Zhao Changhe didn’t interrupt. He understood the principle well.

Early on, to break through, he had even borrowed Wang Dashan’s head.

Why did every battle, especially when blood was spilled and lives taken, help him break through in the Blood Fiend Art? Why was his combat power at its peak after each breakthrough?

The basic principle of the Blood Fiend Art was based on this.

Tang Buqi continued asking, “So this baleful aura can also be nurtured by treasures?”

“Either treasures, locations, or special methods—there must be something. It can’t rely solely on killing.” Gong Chaoqun smiled. “Young Master Zhao gave us these letters, and I thought this piece of information might be useful to you, so I’m returning the favor.”

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath. “Thank you. It is indeed useful… very useful.”

Hadn’t he just been thinking about this?

He had already reaped the benefits of his physique. What he needed to consider next were things beyond the mortal realm.

This baleful aura was the most typical non-mortal aspect of his Blood Fiend Art. To break through to the sixth level and beyond, or even to glimpse the secret treasury, he had to focus on this.

But he couldn’t just go around killing people, could he?

And now, just as he turned his head, he had news.

He had been wondering where to go next—Wushan, the capital—all could wait for now.

If he wanted the subsequent techniques of the Blood Fiend Art but feared he couldn’t defeat Sect Leader Xue, then the best path was to improve himself first before going.

The next stop was settled: Suzhou.