Chapter 50

Open the shrine.

A section of golden finger bone immediately came into view.

This finger bone had only two joints, its entire body golden yellow, yet its spirit was restrained and not dazzling, giving a feeling of warmth, moisture, and roundness.

As Qin Shuo gazed at the golden finger bone, many characters quickly appeared on the Taotie Cauldron:

【Ingredients: Saint Relic Bone, Longxiang Relic!】

【Refining Conditions: Vajra Buddha Nature (minor achievement), Vajra Body (minor achievement), Longxiang Intent (minor achievement)】

【Note: To cultivate Longxiang Force, one must first achieve the Vajra Body! Only with the Vajra Body can one master Longxiang Power!】

【Refining Effect: Divine Ability·Great Longxiang Force (minor achievement), Four Symbols Power, shaking heaven and earth!】

"Saint Relic Bone?"

Seeing these four characters, Qin Shuo's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing slowed by half a beat.

Could the owner of this golden finger bone in life possibly be the legendary Martial Saint?

Otherwise, why would the Taotie Cauldron call him a Saint?

And when he saw the last line of the refining effect, he suddenly fell into an uncontrollable great joy.

"Divine Ability! It's actually a Divine Ability!"

Qin Shuo was no longer calm.

The hand holding the shrine trembled from excessive excitement.

This golden finger bone actually contained a Divine Ability!

That is a heavenly means only Martial Saints who have penetrated creation and stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Path can master, possessing the mysterious mighty power to move mountains and overturn seas, fill valleys and cut rivers.

If he could refine it and obtain its Divine Ability, in this vast world, where could he not go?

Qin Shuo's emotions surged, his blood boiling throughout his body.

This is true great fortune, a great opportunity that can defy heaven and change fate, yet now it has fallen into his hands.

"Looks like I'll still have to do more good deeds in the future!"

Qin Shuo couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth upward, and the resentment in his heart vanished completely.

Earlier, he had been reflecting on whether he had been too rash, using the Burning Blood Secret Technique to take revenge for an unrelated girl.

Now it seems, in the dark, there is heavenly will.

This time, he suffered no loss, and even gained greatly!

Placing the Longxiang Relic into the Taotie Cauldron.

After confirming the wooden shrine box in his hand held no further mysteries, Qin Shuo then turned his gaze to the Longxiang Golden Body Divine Intent Map on the wall.

Previously, from a distance, his attention had been drawn to the Divine Intent Map on the kasaya.

Now, drawing near, he discovered that besides the Divine Intent Map, there was also a line of small red characters, as if written in blood, carrying a bloody aura.

Qin Shuo focused his gaze, only to see written above:

"This old monk of Yunzhou Dalong Temple, Longxiang Monk, in pursuit of the Demon King Xiaoyue Tianlang, rushed here, unexpectedly injured by his sneak attack, knowing my life force is about to be exhausted, thus I leave this writing, awaiting a predestined person……"

The Longxiang Monk's cultivation was not shallow, and the testament he left was equally resounding in every word, giving a feeling of broad-mindedness, openness, and integrity.

According to his testament, this Longxiang Golden Body was created by the Longxiang Monk after comprehending the Buddhist Supernatural Power Great Longxiang Force, combined with what he learned of the Arhat Golden Body.

After achieving it, one not only possesses an indestructible Vajra Body, but can also cultivate the strong and domineering Longxiang Power.

He left this external cultivation secret art, born from Buddhist divine powers, hoping to meet a predestined person to pass on his robe and bowl, and after his death, to cremate his corpse and send the resulting relics to the Dalong Temple Buddhist Pagoda for rest.

Seeing this, Qin Shuo couldn't help but smile faintly.

This Longxiang Monk was indeed confident, actually predicting in life that he would certainly be able to produce relics.

And indeed, as he expected, Yuan Gang and his two brothers, after cremating his corpse, actually produced Buddha Bone Relics.

But soon he was stunned.

According to the hint on the Taotie Cauldron, that Longxiang Relic is a Saint Relic Bone, could it be that the Longxiang Monk in life was a Martial Saint?

But that's not right!

How mighty is the power of a Martial Saint?

Although Qin Shuo has never seen it with his own eyes, he has also learned from books and from Wei Yuan that it is a state nearly divine, possessing the power to destroy heaven and extinguish earth.

Such a powerful one, how could he be killed by a sneak attack from a Demon King?

Qin Shuo was full of doubts, and continued reading downward.

The red characters were not many; after explaining the origin of the Longxiang Golden Body and the wish for Buddhist Pagoda rest, the Longxiang Monk, in an extremely solemn tone, instructed:

"Demon King Xiaoyue, cunning and treacherous, although already severely wounded by me and his demon elixir shattered, but his spirit is strong, possibly not completely dead, lurking secretly in Songyang Prefecture, causing chaos among the people. Hope my inheritor will soon go to Dalong Temple for aid, taking advantage of the Wolf King's weakness to completely eradicate him, forever eliminating future troubles!"

After reading the testament, Qin Shuo developed considerable fondness toward this Dalong Temple Monk he had never met.

At the point of death, still able to miss the people of Songyang, he is not lacking as a righteous person.

Storing the kasaya into the Taotie Cauldron, Qin Shuo began to search around the wooden house.

This is Yuan Gang's training ground, and also the safest place in the entire Black Dragon Stronghold, where many valuable items are hidden.

Qin Shuo dug three feet into the ground, searching inch by inch, letting no valuable item slip by.

These are all gains from the Black Dragon Stronghold's robbery and plunder, ill-gotten wealth, which he takes without guilt.

Finally, Qin Shuo searched out approximately five hundred taels of silver, and also some valuable hairpins and ornaments, all packed and taken away by him.

Before leaving, he looked back at the wooden house.

After confirming there were no more valuable items here, he resolutely departed, striding toward the Black Dragon Stronghold direction, his mood extremely relaxed.

When he returned to the Black Dragon Stronghold again, he found two familiar figures on the training field.

"Senior Brother Lin, Senior Sister Song……"

Qin Shuo greeted from afar, not expecting the two to have actually found this place.

"Qin junior brother."

Lin Feng and Song Yan turned their heads in unison, the worry in their eyes vanishing instantly, as if a great burden had been lifted.

"Qin junior brother, you scared us to death—how did you come all by yourself to the Black Dragon Stronghold?"

Senior Brother Lin Feng wore a worried expression, his gaze sweeping over the corpses littering the square as he said, "Were these bandits all killed by you?"

"Hmm." Qin Shuo nodded.

"These bandits just happened to be the Yuan Clan Brothers who had attacked Third Senior Brother Zhan Bai earlier; I saw their traces from the massacre of the convoy on the road and followed them all the way here."

Afterwards, he revealed the Yuan Clan Brothers' atrocity of publicly humiliating a girl and attempting to violate her.

Song Yan's eyes turned red as she listened, her fury blazing to the heavens.

As a woman, she could empathize more deeply than Qin Shuo and Lin Feng with the girl's despair, shame, and helplessness at that moment.

She clenched her pink fists so tightly that her finger joints cracked with a sharp sound, clearly revealing the fury and killing intent in her heart.

Upon hearing that Qin Shuo had slain the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command with a single arrow, she could not help but slam the table and cheer,

"Well done! These beasts who have lost all humanity deserve to be hacked to pieces!"

Song Yan's voice was icy cold, brimming with killing intent; she wished she could slaughter these already-dead bandits again to vent her anger.

"In this way, the greatest threat to our journey to the prefectural capital has been completely eradicated, leaving us with no further worries."

Compared to Song Yan's anger and emotion, Lin Feng was far more rational, quickly realizing the benefits of the Black Dragon Stronghold's destruction for their trip to the prefectural capital.

In the end, the three buried the unfortunate girl, set fire to the stronghold, and returned the way they came.

The Longxiang Golden Body and the sage's relic were of utmost importance, so Qin Shuo kept silent about them.

As the saying goes, the innocent man who carries a jade is guilty of a crime.

Although he trusted Lin Feng and Song Yan's character relatively, one should not be without caution toward others—there was no need to test human nature in this way.

Moreover, the Longxiang Monk had stated in his last will that the Xiaoyue Yaowang's soul was powerful and likely not dead, possibly still lurking within the borders of Songyang Prefecture.

If the news leaked and the opposing side learned that he had inherited the Longxiang Monk's legacy, they might vent their grudge over the shattered elixir upon him, who is merely a successor at the Inner Strength Great Perfection stage.

As for seeking aid from Dalong Temple and sending the Longxiang Relic to be enshrined in its Buddhist pagoda, Qin Shuo had not yet considered it.

First, he did not wish to involve himself in the dispute between Dalong Temple and the Xiaoyue Yaowang.

Second, since the Xiaoyue Yaowang could inflict mortal wounds upon the Longxiang Monk, his power must be terrifyingly extreme; with Qin Shuo's Inner Strength Great Perfection cultivation, the enemy might merely yawn and cause his soul to scatter—such a risk was not worth taking.

Third, the Longxiang Relic contains martial divine abilities; even if it were to be returned, he would first need to master those abilities.

Otherwise, all his arduous struggle, fighting to the death with the Yuan Clan Brothers, would have been in vain.

With the bandit threat gone,

the medicinal convoy, under the escort of Qin Shuo and his two companions, advanced full speed into the mountains, everyone relaxing as their tension eased.

"The Eighth Lord's divine skill is unmatched—on this journey to the prefectural capital, we need worry no more."

Upon hearing that the Black Dragon Stronghold had been destroyed, Wang Fugui chuckled obsequiously, flattering Qin Shuo with a fawning smile.

Qin Shuo smiled but said nothing.

He had always treated such praise as something heard and forgotten, never taking it to heart.

The convoy sped along the rugged mountain path.

Although Qin Shuo and his companions had delayed somewhat on Erlong Mountain, they ultimately reached the next relay station before nightfall and successfully checked in.