The Temple of the Kidney is complete! The Demon-Subduing Tree!

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With a single command from Chen Huangpi, endless black smoke erupted madly from within him, surging out of that strange and sinister Temple of the Kidneys. Wherever the black smoke passed, it stained his meridians, flesh, bones, and skin as if ink had been poured over them, turning everything pitch black.

Yet, unlike the previous times when he donned the skin of the Death-Seeking Ghost and transformed into something grotesque and evil, his body did not become misshapen this time. No horns sprouted from his head, nor did scales appear on his body. Instead, countless gold-and-black characters, resembling flowers, birds, fish, and insects, materialized and danced across his skin, alive and ceaselessly shifting about.

The billowing black smoke, the moment it burst forth, rushed towards the blood-red pillar of light that crashed down from the heavens above. In an instant, the pillar was swallowed and snuffed out by the smoke.

The black smoke was uncanny—devouring and corrupting all it touched. The Demon Tree was terrifying; previously, it had been the embodiment of disaster. Now, revived by the old Taoist in the purple robe, it was more dreadful than ever, an even greater calamity. Though it had not regained its full strength, for the Taoist had devoured its entire canopy, the pillar of blood-red light it emitted was stronger than any strike it could have managed at its peak.

Yet even so, it was powerless against the black smoke within Chen Huangpi. Still, the smoke merely consumed the pillar of light and did not attack the Demon Tree itself.

Seeing this, the brass oil lamp cried out anxiously, “Chen Huangpi, use your black smoke to destroy it! What are you waiting for?”

The lamp was terrified, thinking Chen Huangpi was being reckless.

Chen Huangpi offered no explanation. Gritting his teeth, he commanded coldly, “Kidney Temple, come forth!”

At his words, the Temple of the Kidneys manifested from within him. The brass oil lamp’s eyes widened in shock.

It had long known the temple resided within Chen Huangpi, ever since he had forcibly opened its doors to battle the mutated idol. Back then, only a faint outline had appeared—the temple was not yet fully formed.

But now it was complete. The oil lamp beheld its entirety: a vast, ancient, and imposing temple, yet brimming with grotesque energy. The Temple of the Kidneys was composed of two interconnected parts, forming a horizontal I-beam shape. The main gate lay in the center, flanked by arched extensions, all covered with layers of living flesh and sinew.

A temple shaped like kidneys, pulsing with life.

With each pulse, a strange, demonic aura radiated invisibly outward, spreading in the blink of an eye—across Jingxian Monastery, Yuqiong Mountain, and even farther.

Within the reach of this aura, all beings except Chen Huangpi were affected.

The brass oil lamp fixed its gaze hungrily on the temple’s gate, eyes brimming with greed and longing.

“To possess the Kidney Temple is to ascend to divinity instantly!” it cried, its voice crazed. “Anyone who stands in my way, I will kill!”

Fortunately, the lamp itself was a peculiar thing. As soon as it spoke, a struggle flashed across its eyes. Instinctively, it ignited its own wick, instantly regaining clarity of mind—only to be filled with terror.

“Heavens, Chen Huangpi, your temple is far too evil! Quick, knock me out—I don’t want to go in! I don’t want to go in!”

The oil lamp shrieked in horror.

It was truly afraid.

Without hesitation, Chen Huangpi struck its head, knocking it out cold.

At that moment, another greedy voice rang out.

“Hahaha, my chance has come at last!”

It was the mountain god of Fox Hill. Even though its incense power was exhausted and its idol was crumbling, it still charged forward like one possessed, hoping to seize the moment while the lamp was unconscious to enter the Kidney Temple and become a god.

But after only a few steps, its last bit of incense power was depleted. Unable to fly, it fell to the ground and crawled forward on hands and knees, like a sycophantic dog. By the time it reached Chen Huangpi, both its legs had snapped off.

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It dragged itself forward, clutching at the temple, exclaiming with excitement, “Treasure, treasure, you’re mine now!”

Chen Huangpi, his face darkening, knocked it out with a single punch—no hesitation at all.

“Master was right,” he muttered to himself. “Once the Kidney Temple is complete, the moment I open its doors, gods and evil spirits alike will go mad trying to enter. Even Huang Er can’t resist, let alone the Fox Hill God, who doesn’t even have the strength to fight back.”

But what about the Demon Tree?

Could it withstand the urge to enter the temple?

Chen Huangpi looked up at it.

The Demon Tree trembled violently. Within its enormous demonic eye—red moon for a pupil, night itself for its iris—emotions warred: greed, longing, madness, killing intent, all thrashing about in a frenzy.

There was but one temple, and only one deity could reside within.

The Demon Tree, the closest and most fearsome evil presence at that moment, was inevitably drawn to the temple. The urge to enter and become a god rooted itself in its mind like its own roots, impossible to tear free once it took hold.

Its massive trunk quivered. The sound of the branches shuddered in the night.

The Demon Tree was fighting back. Though it hated Chen Huangpi to the core, that hatred was now entirely overwhelmed by its compulsion.

And now, even the human fruit hanging from its branches were affected.

“Go in! Hurry, go in!”

“Become a god! Become a god!”

“Enter the temple! Ascend instantly!”

Countless human fruits screamed, their fervor overlapping in a mind-numbing cacophony.

“Demon Tree, what are you waiting for?” Chen Huangpi called. “Even your own fruits urge you to go in. Don’t hesitate! My temple isn’t a prison—once you’re in, I’ll treat you well!”

“I’m a good person. I would never deceive you!”

The Demon Tree shook, trembling uncontrollably, driven half-mad with rage, but unable to spare a thought for Chen Huangpi. All its will was focused on resisting the compulsion to enter.

Chen Huangpi saw this and grew anxious. The Demon Tree was truly terrifying, and unlike the temple, it was of the wood element, not water.

Water gives birth to wood.

Though the Demon Tree could enter the temple, it had a sliver of resistance. If it had been a water-aligned evil spirit, even one as powerful as this calamity, it would have thrown itself in without hesitation.

He thought, If only there were a water-aligned evil spirit here. If it entered the temple, my power would greatly increase. Even if I couldn’t defeat the Demon Tree, I could take Huang Er and escape.

But where could he find such a spirit? The moment the Demon Tree burst from the old monastery, it shrouded the entire Jingxian Monastery—escape was impossible.

Just then, the human fruits began to scream again.

“Demon Tree, Demon Tree!”

“There are more and more evil spirits outside!”

“They’re not like you—they don’t hesitate!”

“Go, hurry, go in!”

Hearing this, Chen Huangpi’s eyes lit up. Evil spirits had already arrived, only kept out by the tree.

A thought struck him.

“Demon Tree, think carefully,” he said. “There’s only one temple, and plenty of evil spirits outside. If you don’t go in, they will. Don’t hesitate—go in now!”

The Demon Tree still fought back, but the human fruit nodded in agreement.

“Chen Huangpi is right!”

“Brothers, the chance to enter is right here, but the Demon Tree hesitates. I’ve heard tales of mortals given the yellow robe, and this is just the same!”

“Don the yellow robe, don the yellow robe!”

“To die is glory, whether in failure or in daring! Tell the Demon Tree, I have earned merit!”

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The human fruit were all born of the Demon Tree, each possessing consciousness. Now, with the tree’s mind in turmoil, the fruits began to rebel.

They clustered together, forming a massive sphere. As they swung, the trunk of the Demon Tree wavered.

That motion was the last straw.

With that slight movement, the urge to enter the temple and become a god overwhelmed all resistance.

Boom!

In the vast demonic eye, all complex emotions vanished—only burning desire remained.

With a thunderous roar, the Demon Tree tore itself from the ground, and the sky-darkening barrier disappeared.

The blood-red moon hung high. Only now did Chen Huangpi see that, at some point, the summit of Yuqiong Mountain and the area outside Jingxian Monastery were crowded with evil spirits, blocked from entry.

These spirits were unfamiliar—never seen before. The temple had drawn them from who knows how far away.

Just as Chen Huangpi had expected, once the Demon Tree no longer blocked the way, the evil spirits rushed toward the temple gates without hesitation.

But before they could reach it, giant, twisting branches lashed out, stabbing into the spirits’ heads. New human fruit appeared upon the tree’s trunk.

These fruits, imbued with the Demon Tree’s will, all opened their mouths and howled madly.

The Demon Tree’s last trace of clarity vanished.

The next instant, Chen Huangpi’s world went black.

No, it was the Demon Tree blocking his sight. Countless winding branches wrapped around the temple—branches like arms, the trunk like a body. Madly, the Demon Tree tried to shove itself into the temple, but it was simply too massive—even now, countless roots still anchored it to the old monastery.

Frantic, the Demon Tree raged.

Chen Huangpi grew anxious as well. “Don’t be afraid, Demon Tree—I’ll help you!” he shouted.

With that, he brought his fingers together like a sword. Blades of pitch-black energy slashed at the roots.

Though this sword energy, formed from black smoke, was not as sharp or strong as pure essence, it was still deadly. With each strike, a root was severed, and at the cut, black smoke gnawed at the tree’s energy like maggots on a corpse.

The Demon Tree shuddered violently. Countless human fruits screamed, then turned to look at Chen Huangpi, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The pain shocked the Demon Tree back to awareness.

But it was too late.

Deprived of its roots in the outer world, with most of its body already inside the temple, it was like a fish on the chopping block, unable to resist any longer.

The temple pulsed with life, each throb generating an overwhelming suction.

With a wail, the entire Demon Tree was sucked inside.

Not just the Demon Tree—the endless black smoke vanished from Chen Huangpi’s body, all of it drawn into the temple.

The vast Temple of the Kidneys turned into a stream of light and shot back into Chen Huangpi’s body, returning to its place.

Chen Huangpi quickly focused his mind inward, eager to see what changes the tree’s entry would bring—only for his face to turn ashen.

“Am I seeing things? Where are my kidneys?”