Chapter 1539: Sharira Relics

Zhulan Temple had only one Venerable left.

After discussion, Qin Sang and Liuli decided to seize it by force!

Liuli used the Moonlight Bodhisattva to pique Venerable Chengyuan's interest, luring him to the front temple while secretly deploying the Ice Soul Divine Light.

The Ice Soul Divine Light was formless and insubstantial, making it one of the most suitable divine abilities for ambush in the cultivation world. Liuli kept the divine ability concealed. Even though Venerable Chengyuan controlled Zhulan Temple's protective spiritual array, he detected no abnormality in Liuli.

When Venerable Chengyuan appeared, Liuli acted without a word. The Ice Soul Divine Light was suddenly unleashed!

Crackling sounds abruptly filled the air. The sound of freezing echoed through the void, immediately drowned out by Venerable Chengyuan's furious roar. However, by the time he heard the noise and sensed something amiss, he had already fallen victim to the attack. Without the slightest warning, the space around Venerable Chengyuan solidified. Having just teleported from the cliff wall, he had, in essence, walked right into a trap, directly entering the Ice Soul Divine Light.

Venerable Chengyuan had not expected anyone to be so audacious as to act within Zhulan Temple. Relying on the temple's protective spiritual array, he could exert power beyond his cultivation realm!

A blue light burst forth. An intense chill permeated the air. Ice materialized in the void and spread rapidly. Venerable Chengyuan's figure appeared within the ice. His face, contorted with rage, showed even deeper wrinkles, but through the distorting ice, his body and features appeared somewhat comical.

Liuli unleashed the Ice Soul Divine Light to its fullest extent. With a planned attack against an unsuspecting target, Venerable Chengyuan was indeed caught. Inside the ice, chilling energy took form, rapidly expanding and closing in, threatening to engulf Venerable Chengyuan. If sealed by the Ice Soul Divine Light, Venerable Chengyuan would be at the mercy of his assailant.

*Crack!* A thin layer of ice spread across Venerable Chengyuan's kasaya. The chill had already penetrated his protective true essence, invading his body. Venerable Chengyuan would find it impossible to escape!

Although the situation appeared critical, there was no panic in Venerable Chengyuan's eyes. His opponent possessed formidable cultivation and an unparalleled divine ability, but she had not chosen the right time or place. Unless she could impede the temple's spiritual array or sever Venerable Chengyuan's control over it, such a move could not pose a fatal threat to him.

Venerable Chengyuan believed that this Taoist nun, having cultivated to such a realm, could not be a fool. Had she not considered the spiritual array's influence? Since she acted this way, there had to be a reason! As the crisis approached, Venerable Chengyuan calmly began to analyze the situation. Zhulan Temple's alliance with the six major temples, which allowed them to occupy the seven major oases of the Vast Sea and expel other forces, had indeed made many enemies. However, among his known adversaries, this Taoist nun was not one of them. There was no past grievance between them. Her intention didn't seem to be to kill him.

In a flash, a thought struck Venerable Chengyuan. "The Scripture Repository! The Treasure Vault!"

This person was a decoy! Venerable Chengyuan immediately understood that the Taoist nun's accomplice must be lurking within Zhulan Temple! The Taoist nun wasn't seeking revenge; she was luring him to the front temple to cooperate with her accomplice in stealing treasures.

Qin Sang and Liuli's plan was indeed very simple, and they never expected it to completely deceive Venerable Chengyuan. However, even if Venerable Chengyuan saw through their intentions, his first thoughts would be of the Scripture Repository, which housed precious cultivation techniques and secret arts, and the Treasure Vault. Who would have guessed their true target was the Pagoda Forest, which enshrined the relics of past eminent monks?

"Insolent ruffians!" Venerable Chengyuan was enraged. A resonant hum, like a grand bell, emanated from his body, reverberating throughout Zhulan Temple, shaking the hearts of all who heard it. A rich Buddhist light emerged from Venerable Chengyuan, subtly manifesting a phantom copper bell. It was inscribed with thirteen horizontal lines, each depicting a Buddha or Bodhisattva.

As the phantom copper bell burst forth from his body, the ice shards on Venerable Chengyuan were immediately shattered. However, the Ice Soul Divine Light was not so easily broken. The hastily formed phantom bell quickly became covered in a layer of white frost, then cracks appeared, threatening to shatter it. Nevertheless, the time gained by the phantom bell was enough for Venerable Chengyuan to reactivate the grand array and teleport to safety!

"Return to the mountain, seal the temple!" Venerable Chengyuan's command echoed throughout Zhulan Temple. The monks of Zhulan Temple, having heard the roars and sounds in succession, were utterly bewildered about what was happening. In their panic, upon hearing their Patriarch's command, they rushed towards the back mountain.

Venerable Chengyuan's figure vanished into thin air before Liuli. The Ice Soul Divine Light struck empty space. Liuli had anticipated this. Ignoring the stunned temple steward beside her, she looked up towards the Pagoda Forest in the back mountain. Instead of retreating, she advanced, flashing and soaring up the mountain.

Venerable Chengyuan's figure appeared above the Scripture Repository. The temple's treasures were paramount. Therefore, without waiting for a decisive battle with Liuli, Venerable Chengyuan decisively teleported back to the rear mountain to prevent thieves from stealing treasures amidst the chaos. The Scripture Repository was located at the mountain peak, with the Treasure Vault adjacent to it.

Immediately upon appearing, Venerable Chengyuan shook his sleeve. A golden stream of light shot out, emitting a piercing, sword-like shriek as it rushed towards the sky and exploded at high altitude. In an instant, layers of golden clouds spread out, and Buddhist light illuminated the land, resembling the scene of a Buddha's descent described in Buddhist scriptures. Mortals throughout the entire oasis could see the golden Buddhist radiance. Devout Buddhists were filled with ecstasy, prostrating themselves and praising the Buddha.

This was actually a signal Venerable Chengyuan used to send warnings, allowing the six major temples in other oases to see the celestial anomaly and send reinforcements. It had not been used since the alliance of the seven temples. As he sent the signal, Venerable Chengyuan's gaze quickly swept over the area below. His reaction was undeniably swift, but the outcome was beyond his expectation: everything around the Scripture Repository was normal, and no infiltrators were found.

Venerable Chengyuan was momentarily stunned. In his estimation, at least one of the Taoist nun's accomplices, possibly more, should have infiltrated Zhulan Temple by now; otherwise, they wouldn't dare be so brazen! The enemy was concealed, while he was exposed. Being targeted by an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator, and one who had clearly been planning for a long time, Venerable Chengyuan felt a strong sense of alarm and immediately sent out the warning. Unexpectedly, no one had infiltrated that area at all.

Just then, a loud sound came from the direction of the Pagoda Forest, and demonic flames shot into the sky!

It was noon. The scorching sun hung high in a cloudless sky. The blazing sunlight fell upon the Pagoda Forest, yet it could not dispel the chilling aura within.

As Liuli launched her attack, Qin Sang also began his operation. In Zhulan Temple, the Pagoda Forest held an extraordinary status due to enshrining the ancestors of previous generations, and thus received significant protection. However, since it contained only ordinary relics, its defenses couldn't be as stringent as the Scripture Repository, otherwise Qin Sang would have faced considerable trouble. With the help of the Sky-Eye Butterfly, breaking this kind of restriction was not particularly difficult. The Pagoda Forest's restrictions were already deeply imprinted in Qin Sang's mind, having been analyzed and rehearsed countless times.

Qin Sang quietly appeared at the edge of the Pagoda Forest. Before him lay an invisible barrier. He trusted Liuli's abilities, dismissing all other thoughts and focusing intently on the barrier. However, Qin Sang's pupils appeared somewhat unfocused, as his mind was linked to the Sky-Eye Butterfly, fully activating its divine ability. In the 'vision' of the Sky-Eye Butterfly, the barrier materialized. What was once empty space before him now appeared as a golden net. Golden threads crisscrossed, forming a dense net that enveloped the Pagoda Forest. The net extended outwards, eventually disappearing into the void, merging with the temple's protective spiritual array.

Only during grand Buddhist sacrificial festivals would the three Venerables open the Pagoda Forest. Normally, the monks guarding the pagodas dared not disturb the ancestral masters and did not know how to open it.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. His spiritual consciousness surged out of his Purple Mansion. The Fire Lotus also flew out from between his brows. Guided by his spiritual consciousness, it divided into wisps of docile demonic flames that slowly drifted towards the 'golden net'. The demonic flames gently adhered to the 'golden net'. Qin Sang's control over the demonic flames had reached a state of exquisite perfection. The chosen points on the barrier were all critical locations, determined through countless simulations. Silently, the demonic flames began to merge into the 'golden net'.

Qin Sang was fully focused, daring not to be distracted. This step was the most crucial part of the entire plan. At this moment, Venerable Chengyuan had just been ambushed by Liuli and must have reacted by now, moving to protect the Scripture Repository. If Qin Sang made a mistake and drew Venerable Chengyuan to the Pagoda Forest prematurely, all their efforts could be in vain.

Outwardly, the golden threads on the net gradually turned black, replaced by demonic flames. In reality, the true process of breaking the restriction was breathtakingly intense, a severe test of Qin Sang's mental fortitude. He did not directly force a passage through the barrier, as doing so would inevitably alert Venerable Chengyuan. His plan was to proceed cautiously, disrupting several key nodes of the barrier to weaken its defensive power to a certain extent, then make a final push into the Pagoda Forest, leaving Venerable Chengyuan no chance to stop him.

When Venerable Chengyuan appeared above the Scripture Repository, with golden clouds obscuring the sky, the golden net appeared to rot, developing several unsightly black spots. From start to finish, the disciples responsible for guarding the spiritual array did not detect Qin Sang's actions.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly, his eyes flashing brightly. He suddenly raised his hand and pressed it against the 'golden net'. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* The demonic banner flew swiftly, and demonic flames instantly took shape. Qin Sang's arm muscles flexed. A fiery demonic dragon coiled around it as he slammed his heavy fist onto the golden net.

*Boom!* A thunderous roar shook Zhulan Temple. Inside the Pagoda Forest, the Buddhist pagodas shook violently, and the Buddhist light at their peaks flickered erratically. The barrier was suddenly breached, revealing a gap! Amidst the swirling demonic flames, a figure shot like lightning into the Pagoda Forest, heading directly for one of the Buddhist pagodas.

The Buddhist pagodas of Zhulan Temple were constructed from a yellow ore. It was said that this spiritual ore was not found in the Vast Sea and had been brought by the monks from their homeland when Zhulan Temple migrated. The pagodas varied in height but were regularly arranged and consistent in appearance, all being hexagonal single-story dense-eaved pagodas. Based on the eminent monk's contributions to the temple during their lifetime, the pagodas had a minimum of five tiers and a maximum of nine. The pagoda enshrining Venerable Hongyi's sarira had nine tiered eaves, making it one of the highest-standard pagodas in the forest.

*Swoosh!* Qin Sang appeared at the pagoda's summit. The sarira was within reach. Even with his composure, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards in a smile. Without hesitation, he reached into the Buddhist light and grasped the sarira.

"Let it go!" A furious roar came from above. A shadow appeared above the Pagoda Forest. Venerable Chengyuan, sensing something amiss, teleported over, but it was already too late to stop Qin Sang.

The touch was warm and smooth, like a precious gem. Qin Sang seized the sarira. Without even lifting his head, he immediately pulled back and retreated. Simultaneously, his spiritual consciousness converged in his palm, forming an illusory rune-seal that enveloped the sarira, adhering tightly to its surface, and then vanished. This was a secret technique taught by Xiao Xiangzi. If, unfortunately, the sarira turned out to be fake, he would have no choice but to engage Venerable Chengyuan and forcibly enter the Scripture Repository and Treasure Vault. After today, Zhulan Temple would undoubtedly be heavily guarded, and there would be no better opportunity.

As the rune-seal merged, Qin Sang immediately discovered the sarira's extraordinary nature, sensing a strange power within it through the seal. This power had been dormant within. Had it not been for Xiao Xiangzi's guidance, Qin Sang would have overlooked it even if he had obtained the sarira. No wonder Zhulan Temple had never detected it.

"It's real!" Qin Sang was delighted. Just as he was about to withdraw his spiritual consciousness and retreat, he suddenly 'heard' a faint sound. It sounded like something cracking. It wasn't heard by Qin Sang's ears but perceived by his spiritual consciousness, emanating from within the sarira! Immediately after, Qin Sang's expression tensed dramatically. For some unknown reason, the sarira in his hand suddenly became scorching hot, as if an original seal had been inadvertently broken by Qin Sang's probing action, causing the power within to become active, even erupt!

This situation was something Xiao Xiangzi had never mentioned; it was completely unexpected. Qin Sang hadn't performed the full secret art to refine the sarira; he had only used the first part to sense the power's presence and then immediately stopped. By normal logic, the sarira should not have reacted violently.

In Qin Sang's perception, the sarira was not originally a single, complete entity. Recalling how the sarira was formed, Qin Sang suddenly understood, vaguely guessing the reason. Back then, Venerable Hongyi failed in his breakthrough attempt with the aid of a unique treasure, leading to his demise. The outer 'seal' was likely formed from Venerable Hongyi's own essence upon his passing, merged with the yet-undepleted power of the unique treasure. This allowed the unique treasure to be sealed and preserved.

As time passed, the 'seal' gradually weakened and became increasingly fragile. For this reason, Qin Sang's slight probe, which touched upon that power, caused an anomaly in the sarira. The 'seal' could no longer contain the unique treasure's power, and after years of dormancy, it began to revive. Even without Qin Sang, over time, the internal imbalance of the sarira would have caused the unique treasure's power to erupt anyway.

For Qin Sang, this was also an unexpected crisis. In any other location, he could immediately sit in meditation and refine the sarira. Meditating on it within Zhulan Temple was tantamount to courting death. Qin Sang's expression subtly changed. His spiritual consciousness surged wildly into his palm, layer upon layer, enveloping the sarira, yet he could not prevent the power from erupting. He certainly wouldn't sit idly by and wait for death. His mind raced, and he activated the Fire Lotus, constructing a demonic flame seal.

Fortunately, the sarira's 'seal' had not completely shattered. Qin Sang's action truly worked, temporarily stabilizing the 'seal,' but it could only buy him some time. He had to escape quickly and find a place to refine it. Qin Sang secretly let out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Venerable Chengyuan's gaze shifted from Qin Sang to his hand, noticing the sarira's fluctuations. He immediately understood that Patriarch Hongyi's sarira was a unique treasure. It was laughable that Zhulan Temple had enshrined it for so long without realizing its true nature. The culprits had deployed two mid-stage Nascent Soul masters, going to such great lengths, indicating that the sarira's value must be beyond imagination.

"Thus have I heard!" Venerable Chengyuan clasped his hands together, his voice low. Having cast an unknown secret art, Venerable Chengyuan's bones and muscles resonated loudly within his body, and his aura surged dramatically!