The White Dragon suggested, “Then, how about we dig the soil up and take a look?”
Scarlet Heaven Sword opposed this. “There isn’t anything good that can be dug out from an ancient Buddhist temple like this. Temples such as this usually suppress some great monster or ancient demon, after which Buddhist techniques and zen powers are used to make the creature ascend. It was especially so during the ancient era-out of ten Buddhist Temples, nine would have ancient demons beneath them, and these ancient demons were great bringers of calamities. There were even times when a Ninth Stage ancient demon would end up coming out.”
Song Shuhang thought about it seriously. Senior White wouldn’t land in a land with no treasures. When he brought Shuhang to the main world, they landed on the ice above this temple. And now, as Shuhang tried to relocate him inside the Inner World, he appeared in this temple.
Song Shuhang became increasingly certain that there were treasures hidden in this temple.
However, he really had no way of locating the treasure. Even the White Dragon and Senior Scarlet Heaven Sword could not feel the aura of any treasure.
The White Dragon and Scarlet Heaven Sword were both existences that had touched upon the Immortal Realm. Despite that, even they were unable to sense anything. This temple was truly strange!
Actually, if I spin Senior White around and hurl him away… there should be a high chance of finding where the treasure is.
Suddenly, this terrible idea emerged in Song Shuhang’s mind.
He was mainly thinking about Senior White’s clone, and the scene where he had used his main body as a throwing weapon.
No, no, I can’t do that. If I do that, I will definitely die. Song Shuhang shook his head vigorously, and threw this terrible idea out of his mind.
After Senior White’s clone dared to hurl away his main body… Retribution came not too long later.
Therefore, he absolutely could not go through with this.
This kind of death-seeking behavior would normally result in a character not lasting more than one episode in a TV series.
Song Shuhang murmured, “I must exercise restraint. I want to be someone who can live until the ending, or maybe even until the sequel.”
“…” The White Dragon.
“…” Scarlet Heaven Sword.
“If there is no other way, I can only use my ultimate skill.” Song Shuhang stretched out his hand and brought out the treasured saber Broken Tyrant before placing Senior White on top of it.
“What ultimate skill?” Senior Scarlet Heaven Sword asked curiously while floating in the air.
“Great blood-letting technique!” Song Shuhang shouted. He partially took off the Defiant Whale Warrior’s Glove on his left hand, and touched the floor of the ancient temple with his fingertip.
He activated the secret appraisal technique.
As long as the secret appraisal technique was used to obtain information and clues about this ancient temple, he could properly search for the treasures rather than snooping around like a headless fly. It would be even better if he could find the exact location of the treasures through the appraisal.
Golden runes emerged from Song Shuhang’s eyes and fell on the temple floor.
On Song Shuhang’s right hand, dozens of wounds opened and blood spilled. This ancient temple had a long history, which increased the cost of the appraisal.
Song Shuhang didn’t dare to operate the technique at full power… If the cost were too high, he would immediately stop the secret appraisal technique.
As his realm improved, his control over the secret appraisal technique became stronger and stronger, and now he no longer had to worry about accidentally appraising something so powerful that he’d end up dying from blood loss.
“Honestly, your great blood-letting technique makes me feel terrified every time I see it,” Senior Scarlet Heaven Sword said. A person spurting out blood for no reason was simply too abnormal. “But its effect is amazing,” Song Shuhang said, chuckling. After that, he suddenly thought of something. “Right, I should have turned on the smoke mode just now. That way, I wouldn’t have to spew out all this blood.”
“…” The White Dragon.
“…” Scarlet Heaven Sword.
The golden runes transformed into a clock that turned counterclockwise. The clock turned unceasingly until the runes finally returned to Song Shuhang’s eyes.
Subsequently, the information acquired through the appraisal technique emerged in Song Shuhang’s mind. (This is an ordinary stone formed from the cooling and hardening of magma around two billion years ago. It was brought here by junior monks of the Stars Temple 10,000 years ago, cut into stone slabs, and laid into the temple floor. Due to the protection of the Stars Temple’s formation, it remained in its original state and was not damaged. In addition… it seems to have the temperature of a junior monk.)
After that, there was nothing else.
“…” Song Shuhang.
The White Dragon asked, “How is it? Did you get any useful information?”
Senior Scarlet Heaven Sword asked, “Have you found any clues that lead to the treasure?”
Song Shuhang remained silent, and he looked up at the sky.
He wanted to obtain information on the entire temple. However, after having sprayed out so much blood, he only acquired the information related to this single slab of stone.
Besides, what’s the deal with it having the ‘body temperature of a junior monk’?
The White Dragon saw Song Shuhang’s face, and asked, “Did the great blood-letting technique fail?”
Song Shuhang replied, “Hmm… I did get some information. This temple is called Stars Temple, but I didn’t get any other information on it besides that. Seniors, have you heard of this temple before?” Scarlet Heaven Sword replied, “Nope, never heard of it.”
The White Dragon replied, “I haven’t heard of it, either. There are thousands of branches of Buddhism, and the names of temples are as plentiful as the stars.”
Song Shuhang sighed, and used the healing technique on the Defiant Whale Warrior’s Glove to heal the injuries on his arm.
Let’s try again! This time, I’ll use the smoky state to prevent blood loss and to maximize the effect of the secret appraisal technique. I don’t believe that I can’t get more information on the Stars Temple! Both the body of smoke and Young Master Phoenix Slayer’s liquefied body were extremely useful skills, and when used together with the secret appraisal technique, the effects were simply amazing. Song Shuhang closed his eyes and concentrated on the monster core in his third dantian, preparing to activate the smoky state.
But at this moment, a Buddhist sound resounded from the blue lantern in the ancient temple.
The blood that Song Shuhang had spilled on the stone slab was cleaned just like how the dust in the temple was a few moments ago.
The blood disappeared…
In the next moment, Song Shuhang felt the scenery around him change.
Complete darkness filled his eyes. Song Shuhang inwardly wondered, This feeling… Is it a spatial technique? Was there a hidden spatial formation inside the Stars Temple? The White Dragon’s voice rang out. “Shuhang!” Scarlet Heaven Sword’s voice said, “Not good, he fell!”
Fell?
So, this isn’t a spatial formation…
Could it be that I activated a trap?
The voices of the White Dragon and Scarlet Heaven Sword were getting farther and farther away, just as if something was blocking them.
This Stars Temple was really weird.
Song Shuhang frowned slightly, and stretched out his hand. “Sun Finger!”
Light of virtue condensed on his finger and shone brightly, creating a radiant light. After doing so, he discovered that he was in a closed, hidden chamber.
All around were slabs filled with runes.
Am I under the Stars Temple? In a sealed place? Song Shuhang thought. Was it his own blood that caused a change in the blue lamp, resulting in him falling down here?
Could there be an ancient demon or monster sealed under the Stars Temple?
As Song Shuhang was in thought, a faint light swept across his body.
The light came out of nowhere, and Song Shuhang couldn’t avoid it.
as
As the light swept across his body, Song Shuhang had a familiar feeling—this light was like the one of that crystal pillar that judged a practitioner’s age at the Immortal Feast.
(Fifth Stage practitioner, at the beginning of condensing one’s golden core.]
A message was transmitted from the light, and reached Song Shuhang’s ears in a way similar to how sound was transmitted through the secret sound transmission method. The one speaking wasn’t using Chinese, but Song Shuhang could somehow understand what it was saying-it appeared to have its own translation capabilities.
Hmm… The crystal pillar at the Immortal Feast could appraise one’s age, while this light can appraise one’s cultivation? Song Shuhang pinched his chin.
Nevertheless, the appraisal of this weak light was quite accurate.
Song Shuhang was a practitioner who had only begun condensing his golden core.
It hadn’t even been a few days since he condensed his golden core; his life-bound whale core was still fresh.
(The challenge starts now.]
At this time, another sound reached Song Shuhang’s ears from the faint light.
Challenge?
The runes on the stone slabs around him shone brightly.
Subsequently, the scenery in the space that he was in changed. After a few breaths, the place had turned into a prairie.
“3D projection technology?” Shuhang knelt down and stroked the grass under his feet.
The feeling of soft grass and the smell of grassland reached his senses… He could even faintly smell the scent of cow dung and sheep dung.
An illusory reality?
It gave him the same feeling of a Seventh Stage Venerable’s illusory reality.
Did the runes in the hidden chamber have a similar function to the illusory reality?
While he was in thought, a figure swiftly moved across the prairie.
It was a hairy, great ape with a bald patch at the top of its head.
Hair loss?
No… It hasn’t lost its hair. Instead, it should have shaved it.
This was a great ape that had converted to Buddhism. It was dressed in monk’s clothing, so it shaving its head wasn’t strange at all.
Song Shuhang’s eyes lit up when he saw this great ape. So this is what a monkey looks like after becoming a monk.
“Benefactor, please guide me.” After the bald ape ran in front of Song Shuhang, it clasped his hands together and bowed slightly-similar to the voice that came from the faint light, this bald ape’s voice was also automatically translated.
When the great ape stood up, it was very tall. Song Shuhang only reached its chest.
“Guide you? Are we going to fight?” Song Shuhang looked at the bald ape.
This great ape possessed an aura at the Fifth Stage. However, the aura on its body was still unstable, which meant that it had also just entered the Fifth Stage.
Is the challenge to go against an opponent whose realm is similar to yours? Song Shuhang thought to himself.
“Roar!” At this moment, the bald ape made big strides toward Song Shuhang.
From the looks of it, was a monster practitioner that was used to relying on its body in fights.
The bald ape stretched out its hand and clenched its fist, smashing it towards Song Shuhang. When this fist was swung, the power of the monster core in its body erupted. Its fist became golden, and bursts of Buddhist sounds rang out. Song Shuhang raised his hand slightly and blocked.
“Clang!”
The fist of the great bald ape collided with Song Shuhang’s arm, making a loud noise like iron hitting iron.
Song Shuhang’s (Steel Hands Technique) skill automatically activated, causing his arm to assume the color of black iron.
The bald ape said, “Benefactor is powerful.”
As it spoke, it jumped up. Its limbs then bombarded Song Shuhang.
At the Fifth Stage, one could freely float in the air.
The bald ape took full advantage of this. Its legs didn’t need to be on the ground for it to be able to unleash attacks.
Song Shuhang calmly took on the violent attacks of the bald ape.
He used the (Virtuous Man’s Ten Thousand Mile Walk) movement technique, retreating rhythmically while moving his hands. Despite his movements looking slow, they were able to completely block the attacks of the ape.
Song Shuhang thought to himself, This is the assault of someone at the beginning of the Fifth Stage?
Aside from the (Steel Hands Technique) and the (Virtuous Man’s Ten Thousand Mile Walk), Song Shuhang did not use any other of his techniques or martial skills.
He merely stretched out his hand like he was playing a game of ‘whack a mole’, and deflected all the attacks of the ape.
In Song Shuhang’s eyes, the attacks of the ape were very slow.
The amazing effects of Song Shuhang’s eye aperture talent, ‘bullet time’, were displayed at this time.
After hundreds of attacks, the great bald ape was left gasping for breath.
It looked at Song Shuhang in disbelief. “Benefactor, have you really just entered the Fifth Stage Realm?”
Song Shuhang said, “Absolutely.” “Benefactor has such terrifying martial skills. Is Benefactor a body tempering practitioner?” the ape said. “Regardless, since I’m not your opponent in close combat, then this next attack will be my final attack!”
The ape suddenly opened its mouth, and a beam of light shot out from its mouth.
An energy attack?!
When it came to dealing with energy attacks, Song Shuhang had a very powerful innate skill for this, the demonic technique ‘strong teeth and good appetite’. With this skill, he could swallow the energy attack, and return it to the attacker at double its power.
Song Shuhang opened his mouth slightly…
However, he immediately gave up on the idea of using this skill.
This beam of light was shot out from the mouth of the ape… If he used that skill, wouldn’t that be no different from swallowing something that the ape had spit out?
… Come out, saber intent armor!
“Boom!!!”
The beam of light struck Song Shuhang’s body, and a dazzling light exploded.
The light from the explosion dissipated, and the ape narrowed its eyes.
A huge pit had been blown out on the grassland. Song Shuhang’s arms were crossed as he stood in the huge pit.
The saber intent armor covered his body, protecting him firmly.
The bald ape said, “Armor intent!”
It had accepted its defeat.
Compared to saber intent and sword intent, armor intent was much less popular. However, once armor intent was condensed, it would be very powerful.
“I lost,” the bald ape said. “Benefactor, you can continue to the next challenge.”
“Next challenge?” Song Shuhang’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me, great master, how many challenges are there?”
He was in a bit of a hurry…
“There are a total of 18 challenges. With Benefactor’s strength, you will definitely get past the 10th challenge,” the bald ape replied with its palms clasped together. After giving it some thought, Song Shuhang asked, “Great master, how powerful is the opponent at the 18th challenge?” The bald ape honestly replied, “The strength of the protectors in this trial corresponds to the strength of the Benefactor. Therefore, the strength of the 18th protector should be at the peak of the Fifth Stage with nine dragon patterns, and merely a step away from ascending to the Sixth Stage Realm.” Song Shuhang thought about it for a while, and said, “Great master, can we avoid wasting time? Can the next 17 protectors just come at me all at once?”
After all, there weren’t any restrictions placed on his life-bound magical treasure!
