Chapter 1540: 戒刀

The Human World

The Human World

Reverend Chengyuan’s cultivation was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul mid-stage, just one step away from the late-stage.

At this moment, he astonishingly possessed power comparable to that of a Grand Cultivator!

This secret art was actually a double-edged sword; once its duration ended, Reverend Chengyuan would need to meditate for decades to recover from the depletion.

Yet he used the art without hesitation.

The opposing side had two experts of the same cultivation stage.

External reinforcements could not arrive in time.

The temple's protective spirit array primarily served to defend against external enemies. Since the opponents had already succeeded, they would surely focus on escaping, which would greatly reduce the array's restrictive power.

The sarira was formed from Patriarch Hongyi's failed breakthrough, making its function easy to infer.

Reverend Chengyuan had been stuck at the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul late-stage for years, unable to glimpse the path forward. The sarira's significance to him was self-evident; it could not be lost.

Even at an immense cost, he would not hesitate!

Reverend Chengyuan was an enlightened monk. Meditating in the Zen hall for decades was common for him, and his mental fortitude was among the strongest in the world; rarely could external matters disturb his thoughts.

Yet now, Reverend Chengyuan's face was filled with killing intent, his gaze sharp as a knife.

The sarira concerned a contention for the Great Dao.

If he missed this opportunity, his cultivation might forever stop at this stage in his lifetime.

When cultivators encountered such an opportunity, they would certainly hold nothing back and fight to the death!

Qin Sang's attention shifted from the sarira and fell upon Reverend Chengyuan. Perceiving the change in Reverend Chengyuan's aura, his gaze slightly deepened, knowing he had met a powerful foe.

*Swish!*

His Phoenix Wings flapped rapidly. Qin Sang's movements were fluid and seamless, turning into a flash of lightning. In an instant, he flew out of the pagoda forest and escaped towards the temple's exterior.

Although his escape speed was fast, it was not as swift as Reverend Chengyuan's teleportation aided by the spirit array.

Just as he crossed the large bamboo forest behind Zhulan Temple, Qin Sang saw the void in front of him ripple, and Reverend Chengyuan's figure appeared out of thin air, blocking his path as if teleporting.

Reverend Chengyuan's figure had not yet fully solidified when a flash of blade light suddenly erupted.

The blade light originated from Reverend Chengyuan's heart.

The blade was only four fingers long, shaped like a bird's feather, and as light and thin as gauze.

This was a Precept Blade!

It was also Reverend Chengyuan's natal magic treasure.

The Precept Blade.

The Blade of Precepts.

Yet in Reverend Chengyuan's hands, it was an undeniable weapon of slaughter.

Since meditating on the cliff face, Reverend Chengyuan's hands had not touched blood for a long time. The Precept Blade was sheathed, like a fierce tiger caged, but its killing nature was not gone. All the killing intent in Reverend Chengyuan's heart had merged with the blade's intent, nurtured over many years.

Once unsheathed, its light seemed to split the sun.

A killing aura filled the autumn air, and a mournful wind swept the path!

Qin Sang's vision was completely filled by this Precept Blade, as if the sun itself had been split in two.

It was already late autumn.

Affected by the blade intent, the surroundings became even colder, as if entering deep winter.

“It's not a pseudo-spirit treasure.”

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression calm.

Sensing the Precept Blade's aura, he judged it to be a top-grade magic treasure.

He wondered if it was a special advantage unique to Buddhist cultivators.

Qin Sang had noticed that many Buddhist cultivators in the Western Desert had stronger divine sense than cultivators of the same stage.

As expected, Reverend Chengyuan's divine sense had reached the Transfiguration stage, allowing him to cultivate the "Soul Sacrifice Art," but the Precept Blade's power was still within the scope of a magic treasure.

This showed that secret arts like the "Soul Sacrifice Art," used to nurture pseudo-spirit treasures, were not common knowledge even in the Central Plains; at least, they were not widely known in the Western Desert.

After encountering the Eight-Scenery cultivator last time, Qin Sang had thought that, apart from the Sun God Tree, his other magic treasures would not hold much advantage in the Central Plains. Therefore, he had overestimated Reverend Chengyuan's strength as much as possible and did not act rashly.

Of course, it was also possible that Reverend Chengyuan was focused on breaking through and unwilling to be distracted by external matters, as cultivating the "Soul Sacrifice Art" required significant mental effort.

Cultivators still prioritized their cultivation stage, and that time would be better spent seeking opportunities for breakthrough.

In any case, without a pseudo-spirit treasure, even if Reverend Chengyuan were a true Grand Cultivator, Qin Sang would not be afraid, let alone one whose power was forcefully elevated.

“Good blade technique!”

Qin Sang shouted, and the demonic banner in front of him rustled.

The blade light shot swiftly towards him, and Qin Sang was locked onto by the Precept Blade.

Although it was only a top-grade magic treasure, Reverend Chengyuan had nurtured the blade intent for countless years. With the Precept Blade's first unsheathing, its power was extraordinary and not to be underestimated.

For other Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators, a single misstep could lead to their physical body being split in two by a single strike.

Qin Sang felt a faint, sharp pain in his brow, and had the illusion that he was about to be split in half.

His expression remained unpanicked. His escape light abruptly stopped, and demonic flame shot out from his hand!

The black demonic flame transformed into a cloud of black smoke; wherever the flames spread, rocks and bamboo forests turned to ash. The demonic flame suddenly contracted inward, forming a blazing dragon that lifted its head and soared into the sky, charging directly towards the Precept Blade!

Having traveled in the Storm Belt for decades, Qin Sang had spent almost all his time cultivating the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus." His divine sense had greatly increased, and the Fire Lotus refined more demonic flame, naturally increasing the amount of demonic flame he could control, its power rising accordingly.

Sensing the imposing aura of the demonic flame dragon, Reverend Chengyuan felt a chill in his heart.

*Swish!*

The blade light cleaved into the demonic flame dragon, piercing directly from its head to its abdomen.

The thin Precept Blade was incomparably sharp.

The upper half of the demonic flame dragon was cut open, but its tail remained connected, transforming it into a two-headed black python.

But as the Precept Blade cleaved through the demonic flame, most of its blade intent was worn away. Qin Sang flapped his wings, simultaneously formed the Lotus Seal with his hands, and dodged sideways.

“A pseudo-spirit treasure!”

Reverend Chengyuan exclaimed softly, his fingers moving like a spinning wheel as he rapidly formed a hand seal.

In an instant, the mountaintop became shrouded in swirling winds and clouds.

The temple's protective spirit array unleashed ten thousand rays of golden light.

As the saying goes, "speed is paramount in war."

If the monks of Zhulan Temple could form an array in time and collectively control the protective spirit array to reinforce Reverend Chengyuan, the pressure on Qin Sang would greatly increase.

However, only an instant had passed since Qin Sang and Liuli made their move. The monks of Zhulan Temple had just been scattered throughout the temple grounds, each doing their own tasks. Even if well-trained, how could they possibly match the swiftness of Nascent Soul cultivators?

The disciples responsible for guarding the spirit array could only maintain its basic defensive capabilities, forming a golden barrier that covered Zhulan Temple. The speed at which they could change the array's formations was far too slow for the battle.

All the monks knew the situation was critical, their faces filled with anger, and they rushed towards the back mountain, scrambling to be first.

For now, Reverend Chengyuan had no choice but to multitask, personally controlling the array.

Qin Sang looked up. His eyes met with dazzling golden light and golden rain falling from the sky, making him feel as if thorns were pricking his back. He quickly urged the Ruyi Pearl within him to activate a protective energy shield.

At the same time, his hand seal changed, and the demonic flame soared into the air, transforming into a black cloud to block the incoming attack from above.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Golden light poured down like arrows, covering the sky and earth.

Flames flickered continuously within the black cloud, showing subtle signs of dissipation.

Reverend Chengyuan was relentless. His Precept Blade trembled, and just as he was about to strike again, he suddenly heard two strange "hum-ha" sounds, which caused his primordial spirit to vibrate.

“Mere trifles!”

A flush of color appeared on Reverend Chengyuan's sallow face. He opened his mouth and roared in anger as the sound of bells resonated continuously within his body, and phantom bell images flickered around him. However, their range was much smaller than before, only covering his head and shaking frequently.

He knew Qin Sang's divine sense was powerful and that he was a powerful enemy unlike any he had encountered in his life, so he naturally had to guard against such divine abilities that attacked the primordial spirit.

This bronze bell was a supreme defensive treasure, not only capable of protecting the body, but its bell sound also possessed special power that could protect the primordial spirit.

The bell sound scattered the "hum-ha" sounds, greatly weakening the power of the Soul-Seizing True Words. Moreover, Reverend Chengyuan's divine sense was already strong, so the damage he suffered was negligible.

Qin Sang had not hoped to severely injure Reverend Chengyuan with the "Soul-Seizing True Words."

His purpose was to create an opportunity for Liuli!

At the same time Reverend Chengyuan's primordial spirit was attacked, Liuli had already arrived and repeated her old trick: the Ice Spirit Divine Light silently spread beneath Reverend Chengyuan and suddenly erupted.

Unfortunately, the opponent was also a top-tier expert seasoned in many battles, so the same trick would be hard to pull off again.

Reverend Chengyuan had already known Liuli's movements. After shaking off the "Soul-Seizing True Words," he immediately teleported away, and as expected, the Ice Spirit Divine Light struck nothing.

A sharp glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes.

He had studied Zhulan Temple's protective spirit array for many years, and his effort was not in vain.

Using his Heavenly Eye divine ability, he sensed the changes in the spirit array's energy and could estimate Reverend Chengyuan's approximate location after teleporting. He immediately commanded the demonic flame, changed its direction, and charged towards an empty patch of void.

The timing was fleeting, and such a judgment was bound to have deviations. Moreover, the demonic flame was dispersed, and its power somewhat lacking.

Reverend Chengyuan appeared at the edge of the demonic flame's reach. His Precept Blade swiftly cleaved dozens of times around him, each streak of blade energy blooming like a lotus, cutting back the encroaching demonic flame.

At the same time, Reverend Chengyuan chanted a Buddhist name and formed a single-hand earth-touching mudra. A golden ring suddenly rose from the ground.

The golden ring appeared precisely beneath Qin Sang.

This was the only method Reverend Chengyuan could think of to keep the sarira after witnessing Qin Sang's strength. He had secretly concentrated most of the protective spirit array's power here, setting a trap.

Once entangled by the golden ring, Qin Sang would be trapped in a cage, and escaping would certainly require considerable effort. By then, reinforcements would have arrived, and experts from various temples would unite to trap the two thieves in Zhulan Temple, like catching a turtle in a jar.

The golden ring soared into the air, as swift as lightning.

Qin Sang seemed to be at his wit's end, his brows furrowed tightly.

Reverend Chengyuan slightly tilted his Precept Blade, aiming it at Liuli to prevent the Taoist nun from rescuing Qin Sang, while simultaneously fully activating the spirit array to imprison Qin Sang.

Just then, a cold light suddenly shot up from Liuli's location.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reverend Chengyuan glimpsed a small, strangely shaped seal, and his heart skipped a beat.

“Roar!”

The cold sun hung high, and the Tengshe revived.

Its roar echoed through the oasis. The mortals who were piously bowing heard the roar and looked up at the sky with faces full of terror, seeing a terrifying monster appear in the sky, brandishing its fangs and claws, tearing through the golden light, looking fierce and sinister.

The Buddha within the golden light disappeared, seemingly swallowed alive by the monster.

Everyone shed tears, crying and wailing.

The Four-Wheeled Tengshe Seal had been given to Liuli, and after many years of nurturing, it had recognized her as its master.

Liuli's cultivation was not as high as Tong Lingyu's, but in her hands, the spirit treasure's power seemed even stronger, and Liuli did not appear to be struggling much.

This was the biggest difference between a spirit treasure recognizing a master and the "Universal Treasure Art."

*Whoosh!*

The Tengshe swiftly lunged downward.

“A true spirit treasure!”

Reverend Chengyuan could no longer remain calm. His mind was greatly shaken, and he cried out in alarm.

True spirit treasures were extremely rare even in the Central Plains.

This was because spirit treasures were extremely difficult to refine. Even if someone painstakingly refined their natal spirit treasure to the level of a spirit treasure, after the owner's death, the spirit treasure's sentience would also die, and it would revert to a magic treasure, unable to be inherited.

Where exactly did this pair of ominous stars come from?

One possessed mysterious divine abilities and wielded a spirit treasure.

The other's escape techniques and divine sense were no weaker than a Grand Cultivator's, and he held a pseudo-spirit treasure.

Such individuals were rare even among the top sects in the Central Plains. When did these two top experts emerge in the cultivation world?

The Tengshe was fierce and ominous, and cold flames assaulted him.

How could Reverend Chengyuan still care about Qin Sang? He quickly teleported elsewhere to avoid its sharp edge.

Unexpectedly, the Tengshe suddenly changed direction and did not go to rescue Qin Sang. Instead, it merged with the demonic flame and, amidst countless astonished gazes, charged towards the barrier covering the sky.

*Boom!*

Golden light shot into the sky.

The surrounding mountains seemed about to collapse.

The large lake in the oasis stirred up unprecedented monstrous waves.

Cold flames and demonic fire covered the sky and earth, boundless flowing flames indistinguishable from each other.

The monks controlling the array were still following Reverend Chengyuan's will, focused on controlling the golden ring to imprison Qin Sang. How could they react in time?

They watched helplessly as the protective spirit array was slammed open from within, creating a crack.

At the same time, the golden ring dissipated due to the array's vibrations, revealing a flaw.

Qin Sang seized the opportunity to escape.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside the temple.

“Senior Brother Chengyuan, Kongyu is here to assist you!”

The voice boomed, approaching from afar.

Reverend Kongyu.

An eminent monk from Luoluo Temple, one of the Seven Stars of the Vast Sea, and a Nascent Soul mid-stage expert.

The name Luoluo Temple was a bit peculiar; it was named after a unique spirit tree in the Vast Sea, the Luoluo Tree.

Zhulan Temple was in the eastern part of this oasis, and Luoluo Temple was to its east, adjacent to it, making it the closest among the six great temples.

Reverend Kongyu was indeed the first to arrive.

The voice, propelled by true essence, resonated like thunder.

The next moment, an old monk in a kasaya appeared above Zhulan Temple.

Reverend Kongyu held a purple-gold alms bowl in his left hand, his gaze like lightning. He instantly spotted the cracked barrier and, with a flick of his wrist, was about to use the alms bowl to plug the crack.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind shot from an angle; it was precisely the Golden Sunken Sword.

From beginning to end, Qin Sang's external incarnation had been guarding outside the temple: first, to intercept reinforcements to prevent them from arriving too quickly, and second, to be ready at any time to cooperate from inside and outside to break the array.

The process of seizing the treasure was smoother than expected.

Qin Sang had not yet used the Sun God Tree.

There was still one outside!

The monks of Zhulan Temple saw Reverend Kongyu arrive as reinforcement, and the hope that had just ignited in their eyes was extinguished again.

Reverend Chengyuan, infuriated, laughed.

Three Nascent Soul mid-stage experts were causing a scene around the small Zhulan Temple. He truly didn't know whether to be angry or to feel honored.

*Swish!*

The sword energy approached.

Reverend Kongyu had not expected a powerful enemy to be lurking outside the temple. His heart was startled. He quickly turned his alms bowl, aiming its mouth at the sword energy, and it sprayed out purple-gold mysterious light.

With a "dong" sound, the sword light was swallowed by the purple-gold mysterious light. The Golden Sunken Sword's momentum was obstructed, Reverend Kongyu's figure trembled, and he shifted hundreds of feet horizontally.

Although he was not injured, he was unable to stop the enemies within Zhulan Temple.

*Swish! Swish!*

Two figures flashed out from the crack.

Outside the oasis.

Vast desert.

A few Bodhi trees stood solitary in the yellow sand, providing some shade for passing monks.

At this moment, a person sat cross-legged beneath the Bodhi tree.

This person wore a bamboo hat, concealing their face, but was dressed in heavenly robes and adorned with garlands, like a Bodhisattva in the mortal world. It was none other than the famous Moonlight Bodhisattva.

Monks stood in a circle around him.

Seeing Moonlight Bodhisattva's audacious attire, the young monks' eyes blazed with fury.

Reverends Chengzhen, Guanhui, and others could still ignore it, spitting as they argued, focused on their debate about scriptures.

Just as the debate reached its most intense point.

Reverend Chengzhen suddenly fell silent, lowering his head in surprise. He heard the jade pendant at his waist clang and split into two. All the monks changed their expressions upon hearing the sound and fell silent.

Something had happened at the temple!

“What, are you eminent monks admitting defeat already? Then leave behind all the scriptures from your temple's sutra repository.”

Moonlight Bodhisattva, unaware of what was happening, smiled faintly, his voice ethereal.