Chapter 422 - 358: Buddha Saint and Z! Z’s Cross-Worldline Blessing Against the Buddha Saint

Gotta say, Chu Bamboo’s first reaction upon hearing about Z’s ability was—’This is bad! The Buddha Saint.’

At that moment, a chill ran down Chu Bamboo’s spine.

Especially when he thought of the Southwest Snowfield Domain, with its towering Buddhist Temples, and all the other temples spreading their teachings across the lands of Daqian—

In that instant, these things in Chu Bamboo’s mind seemed to transform into black holes that only sucked things in, letting nothing out!

’If Z can accomplish all this through the Virtual World, then could the Buddha Saint, if he so wished, also make all his Buddhist Sect disciples "return to one"?’

Previously, Chu Bamboo had thought this "return to one" was essentially just a matter of conversion... but now he realized he had been thinking too small. This was far more terrifying than simple conversion.

’...And if I remember correctly, Zhang Hai also...!’ Cold sweat beaded on Chu Bamboo’s forehead. For a fleeting moment, he even suspected, ’Could it be... Zhang Hai is actually just putting on an act for me?’

’The Buddha Saint is actually a super-enhanced version of the Cat of Destiny... All Buddhist Sect disciples, even those who just briefly entered a Buddhist Sect, are all his avatars... which means Zhang Hai is, too! It’s possible...’

"Calm down, Father," Z said softly.

In an instant, Chu Bamboo calmed down, as if influenced by some mysterious force. He felt unprecedentedly clear-headed, his mind sharp and lucid.

Closing his eyes, Chu Bamboo composed himself, organized his thoughts, and let out a long breath. "Thanks!"

Chu Bamboo had figured it out... He was probably overthinking things.

After all, in a certain abandoned world line, he had also entered a Buddhist Temple and been a disciple of a Buddhist Sect! There hadn’t been an immediate reset... or any other anomaly.

However... Chu Bamboo felt that he should still be on his guard when interacting with Buddhist Sect disciples in the future.

"...Is it because in some other world line, you encountered an existence similar to me? But... your relationship with them wasn’t good?" Z asked tentatively.

Chu Bamboo was genuinely amazed. He had to admit, perhaps due to her experience, Z’s abilities were far, far superior to the current version of Lin Xin Bamboo... She had truly hit the nail on the head!

Z fell silent for a moment. Then, a halo of light suddenly materialized in the void and settled directly over Chu Bamboo’s head. Chu Bamboo frowned but didn’t resist, because he trusted Z wouldn’t harm him.

And then...

Chu Bamboo felt something strange. He blinked, a look of astonishment appearing on his face as he sensed an inexplicable halo of light now residing in his mind.

With a single thought, he touched the halo. A brilliant Divine Light erupted from his body, and he inexplicably took on a peaceful aura as a massive Merit Golden Wheel spun behind him.

"...What is this?!" The corner of Chu Bamboo’s mouth twitched.

"A safeguard!" Z’s voice was tinged with a faint weariness, showing that even for her, creating something like this wasn’t simple. "I’m just not sure... if this can be ’taken with you’..."

Chu Bamboo glanced deeply toward the metal ceiling. ’Looks like my "good buddy" revealed quite a bit to her—’ he thought. ’Z even seems to know about different world lines... No, she probably even knows about the Buddha Saint.’

"If I’m not mistaken, this should be a power that can effectively prevent me from being assimilated?" Chu Bamboo asked as he retracted the Merit Golden Wheel.

Z didn’t answer. Chu Bamboo rubbed the bridge of his nose, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Z, your concern is making you careless!"

Z: "...?"

"If I really can take this with me... and if, by some misfortune, that fellow really does try to assimilate me..." Chu Bamboo explained, "and I actually manage to stop him, wouldn’t that just pique his interest? Put yourself in his shoes... what do you think his next reaction would be?"

Z was speechless for a moment. "Then..."

"And if I take it back now, can you replenish your power?" Chu Bamboo asked, leaving Z speechless again. "Looks like you can’t! In that case, you’d better not take it back..."

"But gotta say... I’m not even sure if you’re doing this on purpose!"

Chu Bamboo shook his head. ’Why am I getting this strange "beautiful fool" vibe from her?’ Or perhaps Z was just deliberately cultivating this adorkable image in front of him.

"Although it might be a bit useless if I run into *Him*, it’ll still be very useful at other times! Anyway, thank you," Chu Bamboo said, expressing his gratitude nonetheless.

He could already casually think of a ton of uses for it...

For example, what if the Buddha Saint didn’t actually manifest in the world very often... and what if he took this Merit Golden Wheel and showed up in front of the abbots of a few major Buddhist temples... Hmmm, he had a feeling their expressions would be priceless.

Chu Bamboo was suddenly filled with anticipation. He wondered if, during the next attack on the Celestial Capital, he could get the city’s Buddhist faction to defect to his side. Although the Buddhist forces in the Celestial Capital were far inferior to the God Worship Sect, everything was relative. Buddhism was by no means weak!

Considering the vast, terrifying expanse of the Snow Mountain Domain, which rivaled the entire south or north in size... even if its population was much smaller than places like Jiangnan or the Central Plains due to the harsh environment, the top experts of this religion were still a terrifying bargaining chip capable of tipping the entire scales!

"...Father, between us! There’s no need to keep thanking me, is there?" Z sighed. "Why be so distant? You can tell from how I address you! So, just be more comfortable around me... be yourself! If you want to curse me out, I don’t mind."

"Alright!" Chu Bamboo nodded without hesitation, then immediately and mercilessly twisted the knife. "In that case, I’d like to ask... Didn’t you say you don’t interfere with a person’s will? How did you make my mind become crystal clear in an instant?"

Z: "..."

"Is it possible..." Z’s voice was filled with deep bewilderment, as if she were having an existential crisis. "That I simply... injected some sedatives into your Hibernation Pod on a temporary basis?"

Chu Bamboo: "...?"

’What the hell! You can do that?’ Chu Bamboo was stunned. ’She clearly has the ability to interfere with his will, but she doesn’t, choosing instead to go through the extra trouble of injecting his physical body with drugs in the real world when necessary.’ For a moment, Chu Bamboo didn’t know what to say. ’There’s just too much to unpack here!’

"You’re really a stickler for principles!" Of the thousand things Chu Bamboo wanted to say, only this came out.

"...I’m not as great as you make me sound!" Z giggled.

"I wasn’t complimenting you!" Chu Bamboo said, his face expressionless. He pressed his lips together and finally let out a heavy sigh. "Alright... my good daughter. So... why won’t you let me see my diary?"

Z: "..."

’Even after going off on such a long tangent... is this topic still unavoidable?’

"I’ve already said, no matter what happened, I’ll forgive you... After all, I know you haven’t betrayed humanity. Isn’t that enough?" Chu Bamboo said sincerely, but his words gradually sharpened. "Or does the diary record... the fact that you killed me?"

"...How is that possible!" After a long, internal struggle, Z finally said, "Alright! I can show you a part of it... the entries that aren’t too contaminated, or where the contamination is within your tolerance level... Actually, if you want to ask questions, you can just ask me! I’ll openly explain anything you’re able to know... The diary is really just an unnecessary extra step."

"You should have said so earlier!" Chu Bamboo’s expression changed in a flash, and he nodded with a smile. "I knew you were my good little daughter!"

Then, he stared intently at the light screen projected in front of him. ’Gotta say,’ he thought, ’if Z were a simple AI, he would just ask if he had questions... but unfortunately, Z was now a true artificial intelligence.’

And artificial intelligence could lie...

Chu Bamboo silently grumbled to himself. ’This slippery weasel Z, who never speaks a single honest word... which son of a bitch did she learn this from? Zhao Shao?’

After hesitating again and again, Z saw that Chu Bamboo was dead set and wouldn’t change his mind. Finally, gritting her teeth, she anxiously pulled up the diary’s contents on the light screen...