Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Lost Treasure of the Thousand Buddha Temple

Page (1/3)

“Hah—thank goodness for this Cloud Star Garment; I nearly perished from his deadly, perilous strike just now.” Both men had their schemes in mind, yet the Killing Arhat had not anticipated Lin Feng’s secret technique, inherited from a wandering immortal. Coupled with the searing Pure Yang Earth Blue Flame, the foreign monk was now reduced to ashes.

From the smoldering remains, Lin Feng retrieved his treasured flying sword and examined it closely. Two small characters were engraved on the blade: “Impermanence.” This flying sword was broad and thick-backed, its chrysanthemum patterns linked in a continuous line. As the blade shimmered, an ominous aura of bloodshed faintly emanated from it, a testament to countless lives it had claimed.

“Is this the Killing Arhat’s mustard seed storage pouch?” In the sword’s light, he noticed a string of aquamarine conch beads. The Buddhist tradition held seven treasures—gold, silver, amber, coral, conch, glaze, and agate—often used by monks to stabilize temples and craft ritual implements, praying for peace and prosperity. This conch was sourced from the ocean’s deepest shells, refined with spiritual materials to serve as a storage pouch.

The conch bead prayer string contained twenty-seven beads, each glowing with a gentle azure light. Attempting to unlock it using his own incantations proved futile.

“Could it be a difference in Dao or magic? The Yin clan belonged to the demonic sect, the Killing Arhat was a foreign monk. If so, there must be a thousand different mantras to open a mustard seed pouch! No, there must be another reason...” In the dim light, he fingered the beads one by one, suddenly catching a faint thread of insight. Slapping his forehead, he exclaimed with delight, “Of course! After constant use, spiritual energy inevitably seeps into the artifact, forming a layer of restriction—a spiritual power seal!”

Overjoyed, he carefully infused spiritual energy into a single bead. Sure enough, there was a subtle barrier within. Increasing the energy input, he soon heard a bubble-like pop. One by one, he broke the seals on all twenty-seven beads, finally unlocking the prayer beads. The Killing Arhat’s private treasures were laid bare before him.

A cursory glance revealed mostly various blades; only one was a low-grade spiritual weapon—a monk’s crescent blade. Disappointed, he found, in a wooden box wrapped in silk, a silver-white stone the size of a fist. A primal spirit stone! A fine treasure indeed! Lin Feng wrapped the stone carefully, keeping the crescent blade, the conch prayer beads, and the gold and silver items, discarding the rest.

Only then did he take a closer look at the abandoned Buddhist pagoda. Dust lay thick, cobwebs wove elaborate patterns, and beams of light filtering through illuminated the remaining statues with an air of mystery and solemnity.

The desk was dilapidated, the incense burner shattered; this forgotten sacred Buddhist site had long since been swallowed by the river of time.

“Though I am no disciple of Buddhism, having come upon this place, I shall offer a stick of incense.” Lin Feng retrieved a bundle of Buddhist incense from Yi Luo’s belongings, lit it, arranged it neatly, and placed it before the statue.

Just as he turned to pay his respects, a rumbling sound echoed. The entire statue collapsed. The earlier tremors had cracked what little remained, and now it crumbled into dust. The relentless passage of time had finally shattered this Buddha statue into nothingness among mortals.

Page (2/3)

From the rubble of the collapsed statue, a faint light suddenly shone through.

“Huh? What’s this...”

He approached and lightly tapped the ground with his sword. The floor’s fissure suddenly split open, revealing countless rays of golden brilliance piercing the darkness beneath.

“A secret treasure chamber!” Lin Feng’s excitement grew. He gently carved an opening and peered inside, dazzled by the blinding golden glow filling the room.

Leaping down, he stood amid a sea of gold and jewels. The treasures, sealed away for countless ages, were revealed for the first time: golden Buddha statues, glazed lamps, pearls, agates, strings of beads, Buddhist scriptures, and pagodas—all gathered within this compact chamber spanning several dozen feet.

He casually picked up a scripture. The moment it touched his hands, it disintegrated into dust.

“This must have once been a thriving temple, now all that remains are these jewels, the rest returned to dust.” He sighed softly, admiring the treasure chamber’s contents.

Gold and silver were mere external possessions; one brings nothing into life nor takes anything in death. On a small gilded pagoda, he found the former owner of these treasures: the Thousand Buddha Temple. The scriptures crumbled at a touch; after so many years, the paper was long withered.

In a golden cabinet in the chamber’s corner, he found two square treasure boxes, carved from golden sandalwood and heavy to the touch.

Opening one, he found a golden scroll inscribed with raised dark gold characters, densely arranged like a swarm of tadpoles. At the top was a line of seals, reading: “Secret Scripture of the Lotus of the World’s Dharma.” Beneath the tiny dark gold script, a faint golden Buddha was watermarked, crowned with sun, moon, and stars, seated on a blooming lotus, meditating with one hand raised. Surrounding him were three Vajras and two Bodhisattvas, their solemn divine manifestations radiating myriad lights.

“A secret scripture! The true text of the forbidden Buddhist secret scripture? The monks of the Thousand Buddha Temple must have treasured this, hiding it here to study at their leisure...” Lin Feng carefully lifted the golden scripture, fearful it might crumble. The thin, delicate scroll felt cool to the touch, made of some unknown material.

Page (3/3)

After securing the scripture in his mustard seed jade disk, he opened the second sandalwood box—and froze.

Lined with yellow brocade inside lay a black ice stone, identical to the one exchanged at the Xuan Cang Pavilion.

The second fragment of the Seven-Part Sky Seal! Holding this ice stone, Lin Feng’s shock was beyond words. Suppressing the urge to test it with the Stone Tiger gifted by Master Liang, he began to think carefully.

Regardless of who created the Seven-Part Sky Technique, the Thousand Buddha Temple’s monks had placed this ice stone fragment alongside the secret scripture, showing how highly they valued it. Yet without the Stone Tiger from Master Liang, how had they uncovered its hidden secrets? To ordinary eyes, it was merely a piece of ice stone.

The original owner of the Seven-Part Sky Technique had said the Stone Tiger was essential to unlocking the fragments of the seal. But it seemed there might be other ways to glimpse this secret.

Puzzled, Lin Feng hesitated but finally took out the Stone Tiger. Gently touching it to the ice stone and focusing intently, nothing happened.

“Huh? Could this not be a fragment of the Seven-Part Sky Seal? Impossible!” He compared it to the earlier stone; both were nearly identical. Placing the two stones and the Stone Tiger together, a loud rumble sounded, and that calm, desolate voice returned in his mind.

“With two fragments of the seal unlocked, you can now cultivate my Seven-Part Sky Technique’s human section heart method. This method condenses the blazing sun’s energy, directing it to the upper Dan Tian at the Great Que point, called the Flame Heart, equal in power to the Dan Tian itself. At this level, the practitioner must find the third fragment before forming the nascent embryo; otherwise, progression to the next stage—the Fusion Flame Realm—is impossible. The Flame Heart realm uses fire as its foundation, offense, and defense, drawing strength from nature itself, far surpassing internal alchemy and Qi refinement.”

“To forge the Flame Heart requires enduring the burning pain of the skin. I trust the inheritors of the Seven-Part Sky Technique can withstand this torment and achieve realms beyond ordinary men. This heart method runs counter to the great and small cycles of Qi circulation, gathering internal flame energy, and must be tempered by true fire to succeed. Patience is paramount...”