Soon, Jiang Xuan was the first to reach the source of the light. What came into view, however, was a ruined palace complex—scattered broken stones everywhere, and fragments of ancient tiles that seemed to whisper untold stories of the past.
Perhaps long ago, a remarkably magnificent civilization had flourished on this land, but over the passage of time, it gradually declined until it was utterly destroyed, leaving only these shattered walls and ruins behind.
The light originated from an ancient temple not far away. A single green lamp flickered softly like a tiny flame, casting a faint glow. Merely approaching the temple, everyone felt their hearts calm considerably.
In front of the temple stood an ancient Bodhi tree, gnarled and sturdy like a dragon, yet its trunk was completely withered. The whole tree was only about three or four meters tall, with a few scattered green leaves shimmering crystal-clear, glowing faintly with a radiant light.
The ancient temple, the green lamp, and the Bodhi tree together painted a scene imbued with infinite Zen tranquility.
"Why is there a temple here? Is this some kind of alien civilization's relic?"
"A temple and a Bodhi tree—where exactly are we?"
As the group reached the temple's entrance, an inexplicable feeling surged within each of them, as if recalling ancient times when Buddha preached, saving all beings—a faded historical painting steeped in the atmosphere of bygone eras.
"There's a plaque over there with some writing."
They saw a rusted bronze plaque hanging above the crumbling temple, engraved with four ancient characters, winding like dragons and snakes, radiating endless Zen aura.
"寺"
"大"
Zhou Yi, having some knowledge of ancient Chinese characters, read aloud the first and last characters.
"Great Thunder Sound Temple. Perhaps this really was once Buddha's sacred ground," Jiang Xuan said.
While the others were still discussing and marveling, Jiang Xuan entered the temple.
"Whether this is truly Buddha's sacred ground or not, it doesn't matter to us. Let's see if there's anything useful inside," Jiang Xuan said as he moved toward an intact Bagua (Eight Trigrams) incense burner.
The Bagua burner was entirely purple-gold in color, shaped like a gourd, finely carved with Bagua patterns. It was small and exquisite, broad at the top and narrow at the base, mounted on a pedestal with three legs suspending it in midair, with symmetrical handles on both sides—clearly a precious Bagua incense burner.
At that moment, Jiang Xuan led the way, followed by Ye Fan and Pang Bo, then Wang Ziwen and Zhou Yi.
"That Bodhi seed cannot be touched. It's Ye Fan's exclusive destiny. Ye Fan can take it because it's left by Shakyamuni Buddha to repay the karmic connection of restoring the sacred body," Jiang Xuan explained.
"On the other hand, what if that Bodhi seed contains a sliver of Shakyamuni's divine consciousness? This kind of fate is like holding a hot potato—it's akin to exposing your coordinates to a near-Emperor. The water here is too deep, too risky to grasp."
Soon, everyone had made some discoveries.
Jiang Xuan found a ritual blade and a small cracked Buddha statue. The ritual blade was an ordinary Buddhist artifact, but the damaged statue was far from simple.
Despite its severe damage, the Buddha statue exuded a mysterious aura. This very statue was the near-Emperor forbidden artifact that Li Xiaoman had found in the original timeline.
Though heavily broken, its connection to the Emperor rank allowed it to still unleash near-Emperor-level power.
With such a forbidden artifact in hand, Jiang Xuan had leverage against any sacred sect or noble family.
He did not continue searching afterward, as most items here were fragmented relics. Once they entered the Beidou star region later, these Buddhist artifacts would become obsolete. No need to be greedy.
Besides, the artifacts found were sufficient to face the upcoming divine crocodile.
Ye Fan found a bronze lamp, entirely jade-green, with a burning flame flickering at the wick. The light brought calm to the soul.
At this moment, Pang Bo did not do as in the original timeline by taking down the Great Thunder Sound Temple plaque. Instead, he found a half-broken Vajra (diamond scepter). After lightly dusting it off, it still radiated dazzling golden light. The Vajra's material was unknown but gave a sense of weighty grandeur.
Jiang Xuan admired the Vajra greatly, thinking it would pair well with his demon-subduing staff techniques. However, his mind was busy; he was also very skilled with the broken ritual blade techniques.
As Ye Fan and Pang Bo continued their search, Zhou Yi and Wang Ziwen entered too. Seeing Jiang Xuan and the others each holding treasures, they quickly joined the hunt.
Later, Ye Fan found a begging bowl, similar to his prayer beads. The bowl appeared mostly intact, with a dull exterior but a faint purple-golden glow emanating from within.
"In Journey to the West, the Buddha's bowl was used to subdue demons like the Six-Eared Macaque. Fa Hai also used a begging bowl to capture Bai Suzhen. The bowl must be a powerful Buddhist artifact," Ye Fan thought, stopping his search when Jiang Xuan did.
"Many legends say that Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The leaves of the tree before the temple are crystal-clear. This tree must be extraordinary," Jiang Xuan approached Ye Fan, nodding knowingly.
The translucent leaves shimmered with green light, some flowing toward the distant Five-Color Altar, but most descended to the roots beneath their feet.
Ye Fan felt an inexplicable urge, crouched down, and cleared the soil around the tree roots, curious what could be absorbing the green light from the leaves.
Underneath, he found no other mysterious objects—only a single Bodhi seed, dull and gray, ordinary in color. What made it unusual was its size—about the size of a ping pong ball, while ordinary Bodhi seeds were typically no larger than a fingernail.
Ye Fan picked up the Bodhi seed and examined it closely. A look of astonishment crossed his face. Hidden faintly on the dull surface were natural patterns forming an image of Buddha.
Born Buddha.
This Bodhi seed was definitely extraordinary.
Suddenly, the few green leaves on the Bodhi tree began to radiate light at an accelerated pace, their vitality growing ever stronger. Several beams of green light surged all at once, flowing directly toward the Bodhi seed in Ye Fan's hand.
At that moment, Ye Fan finally realized that the value of this Bodhi seed might surpass even all the artifacts inside the temple.
"Jiang Xuan, here—take it, you handle this," Ye Fan said, handing the Bodhi seed over to Jiang Xuan.
"You found it yourself. This is your destiny, no need to be so polite," Jiang Xuan waved his hand.
No one had yet emerged from the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Jiang Xuan and Ye Fan left the Bodhi tree behind and re-entered the ancient temple.
By this time, seven or eight others had found their own artifacts. Zhou Yi discovered a broken bronze bell. When lightly tapped, a faint Buddhist chant could be heard. In the original timeline, Liu Yunzhi had found the Demon-Subduing Vajra; this time, he discovered a tattered monk's robe.
Some of the female students found meditation cushions and prayer beads, while Kaide found a broken wooden fish—on which a Bodhisattva of some unknown fruit rank was intricately carved, vivid and lifelike.
"It's time to leave. Back to the bronze coffin. Staying here any longer could be dangerous," Jiang Xuan said.
Seeing no more Buddhist relics left inside the temple, Jiang Xuan knew it was time to move on.
If they stayed longer, the Crocodile Ancestor's appearance would pose a serious threat.
Throughout the journey, everyone had observed Jiang Xuan's behavior and knew he was mysterious. Though they had doubts, none asked questions and chose to follow Jiang Xuan.
As they reached the temple entrance, Pang Bo suddenly had an idea and plucked the Great Thunder Sound Temple plaque down from above. The others were speechless and secretly regretted not thinking of it themselves.
The site of the giant coffin was not far from the Great Thunder Sound Temple—only about a thousand meters away. Soon, the group arrived in front of the massive coffin.
This treasure hunt in the ancient temple yielded the greatest gains for Ye Fan, followed by Jiang Xuan and Pang Bo. Many cast envious glances at Ye Fan's bronze lamp and begging bowl, but when their eyes fell on Jiang Xuan beside him, their envy gradually faded.
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan turned his head and violently swung the ritual blade in his right hand.
The Broken Ritual Blade Technique — Chaotic Red Dust!
A golden blade of light erupted from the ritual blade, slicing through the void. Several shadows that had silently approached were instantly shredded into blood mist.
"What's that?"
"Run!"
"Could it be monsters? Damn it!"
"Jiang Xuan, save me!" A female student at the back suddenly shouted.
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