**Chapter 1096: The Evil Buddha Possession**
Raindrops the size of beans pelted the ground, splashing up mud mixed with blood.
Flying insects swarmed around the lightbulbs encased in lanterns outside.
In the chaotic courtyard, two martial monks suppressed their nausea as they carried buckets, cleaning up the scattered limbs and entrails of Runan.
Abbot Haixin, now freed from his torment, was deeply grateful to Yan Shouyi. Seeing Yan Shouyi covered in blood, he kindly suggested he take a shower.
Thanks to the tree demon abbot’s years of hoarding wealth—though most had been offered to Runan—the remaining funds had been used to expand and renovate Side Temple, equipping it with modern amenities, including a water heater.
In the bathroom, Yan Shouyi stripped off his blood-soaked clothes and stood under the showerhead, letting the water wash away the blood and grime.
Raising his hand, he noticed that the malevolent energy and the purple dragon aura in his palm had grown denser, proof that Runan had been no innocent—killing him had been justified.
It was just a shame this realization came too late.
The evil Buddha statue sat in a niche in the bathroom. Yan Shouyi hadn’t yet figured out its secrets, so he didn’t dare let it out of his sight.
He began washing his hair.
Shampoo lathered into foam between his fingers, then trickled down into his eyes.
He had to rinse it off, rubbing his eyes to clear away the suds.
But then he remembered the statue and instinctively glanced over.
The evil Buddha was still in the niche, its eerie smile unchanged, motionless.
**"Hmm… maybe I’m overthinking it."**
He closed his eyes again, but less than half a second later, unease prickled at him.
He opened his eyes.
The statue was still there.
Closed them, opened them.
Still there.
Closed, opened—
**The statue was gone.**
Yan Shouyi’s body stiffened. He frantically scanned the room.
**The statue had vanished without a trace.**
The next second, he looked up—just in time to see the statue **plummeting from above, diving straight into his body!**
**"Shit!"**
Panic surged. This thing had **completely evaded** his senses, and now it had **invaded him!**
Was this how Runan had been possessed?
What would happen now? Would he lose himself like Runan had?
**…Oh, right. I already have an inner demon. I’m pretty much messed up already.**
A dark chuckle escaped him at the absurdity.
But jokes aside, the fear was real. No one wanted an **uncontrollable, malevolent entity** lurking inside them.
**"Hehehehe!"**
A high-pitched, sinister laugh echoed—**from inside his own body.**
The evil Buddha was **laughing at him.**
**"You’re inside me?"** Yan Shouyi asked calmly.
**"Hehehe! You’re a bold one! Of all the hosts I’ve invaded, you’re the first not to panic! Impressive!"**
The voice seemed genuinely pleased.
Before Yan Shouyi could respond, a wave of dizziness hit him.
**Memories—Runan’s memories—flooded his mind.**
He braced himself against the wall, taking deep breaths until the disorientation passed. Then, he began sifting through the fragments.
The earliest memory showed Runan discovering the tree demon at Side Temple and deciding to **steal a relic** from Zhengde Temple to enlighten it.
Back then, Runan’s intentions had been pure—the tree demon, after a millennium of cultivation, could become a benevolent abbot, benefiting the people.
But while stealing the relic, Runan had found the **evil Buddha statue hidden beneath it.**
That single contact had allowed the statue to **invade him.**
At the time, Runan hadn’t understood what the statue was. He hastily enlightened the tree demon abbot before returning to Zhengde Temple, where the statue **began its corruption.**
It **assaulted Runan’s mind**, trying to take control. But Runan was a disciplined martial monk. Through meditation and scripture, he **resisted for three whole years.**
Three years of torment, with barely any moments of clarity.
When coercion failed, the statue switched tactics—**temptation.**
It had a unique ability: **mind control.**
One day, a female worshipper came to Zhengde Temple to pray. The statue **took control of her and seduced Runan.**
Already mentally unstable, Runan succumbed, **breaking his vows.**
That single lapse **shattered his resolve.** He surrendered completely to the statue.
From then on, he used its power to **enslave women**, indulging in depravity.
To gain more of the statue’s power, he drank **the blood of twenty chickens daily**—requiring vast sums of money.
That was why, three years later, he ordered the tree demon abbot to **extort worshippers.**
Eventually, Zhengde Temple’s abbot noticed something amiss. He confronted Runan, identifying the **evil Buddha** inside him and offering to exorcise it.
But by then, Runan had **no desire to repent.**
He **murdered the abbot**, framing him for his own crimes. The abbot was **disgraced**, his corpse **desecrated and abandoned in the wilderness.**
From that day, **nothing held Runan back.**
His atrocities escalated—until he met **Yan Shouyi.**
No chance to explain. No chance to control Yan Shouyi’s mind.
**Just death.**
After absorbing these memories, Yan Shouyi’s expression darkened.
**An evil Buddha was inside him.**
And it would **relentlessly corrupt his mind**, trying to turn him into a slave who drank chicken blood to sustain it?!
**Bastard!**
**"Hehehe! Now you understand!"** The statue’s voice rang out. **"I showed you those memories to make one thing clear—defying me leads only to ruin! But if you cooperate, I’ll grant you power! Wealth! Women! All within your grasp!"**
Yan Shouyi remained unmoved. **"I already have wealth, power, and women. I don’t need you."**
**"Oh?"** The statue sounded surprised. **"Then what do you desire? I can make it happen!"**
**"There is one thing,"** Yan Shouyi smirked. **"I’d like to pry you out of me, stuff you down a toilet, and flush you into the sewers."**
**"YOU INSOLENT—!"**
The statue **raged.** **"You dare reject my generosity?! Then suffer the consequences!"**