Chapter 49: Treasure Trove

Lin Jing felt nothing from the demonic aura of the first floor; his evaluation was that it was inferior to a Soul Confusion Pill.

He stepped forward toward the stairs leading to the second floor, waiting for the Buddha’s light to bathe him and strengthen his mind.

However, after waiting for a long while, his pace slowed more and more, yet the so-called Buddha’s light never appeared. Instead, more demonic energy fluctuations seeped from the walls of this floor, causing Lin Jing to frown.

The Pine Leaf Squirrel also sensed something was wrong. It poked its head out from the monk’s hat and nudged Lin Jing. Why was it different from Elder Mo’s description? Where was the Opportunity? Surely Lin Jing’s jinx hadn’t come true, and something had gone wrong the moment they arrived?

“That’s impossible…” Lin Jing hesitated, taking a slight step back, wondering if he should head back first.

Thinking about it now, cultivation should be steady and solid, taking it one step at a time.

“Let’s go back.”

The Pine Leaf Squirrel agreed. After saying that, Lin Jing turned around to leave, suppressing his curiosity.

Unfortunately, an anomaly finally occurred. The seeping demonic energy condensed into a snake. However, this snake… was as small as a loach and looked extremely weak, as if it would die in the next second.

“Eminent Monk, please stay!” the black loach shouted.

Lin Jing stopped his stiff footsteps and looked at the black loach with a troubled expression.

Eminent Monk?

Me?

Lin Jing pondered inwardly.

Testing the waters, he said, “So many years have passed; it seems it is time to strengthen the Seal of this pagoda.”

“Eminent Monk!” The black loach was startled. “This small demon already knows its mistakes; please give this small demon a chance to repent!”

“The pagoda’s Seal is still very firm! It was only after this small demon paid an immense, painful, and irreversible price… that a sliver of consciousness leaked out. It can’t cause any impact at all!”

“Having been sealed here for many years, this small demon has sincerely repented. I beg the Eminent Monk to undo the Buddhist Seal. I am willing to acknowledge the Eminent Monk as my master, become a Demon Servant, accompany you, and turn over a new leaf.”

Lin Jing watched it coldly, his expression gradually becoming arrogant.

“How bold, you Prodigy, still trying to deceive people’s hearts!”

“This doesn’t look like the sincerity of someone who has repented.”

The Pine Leaf Squirrel’s heart raced inside the hat. Beast Master, what are you doing?

“Ah!” The demon steeled its heart and said, “This small demon understands. I am willing to reveal the location of my former Treasure Trove to show my loyalty.”

Hearing this, Lin Jing felt there must be some secret involved, so he looked at the snake demon expressionlessly.

“This small demon’s Treasure Trove is located at ‘Heavenly Yin Mountain’ on the border of the Desolate Domain and the Sky Domain. However, only I can open the entrance to the Treasure Trove. You can go look for it, Eminent Monk. If you find it, you can come and take me as a servant; this small demon is willing to offer everything obtained from the Grotto-Heaven!”

Before Lin Jing could speak, a golden Buddha’s light suddenly pierced through the pagoda walls wrapped in demonic energy fluctuations, illuminating the entire floor from all directions.

Accompanied by the snake demon’s shrill scream, a phantom condensed within the Buddha’s light.

It was a refined young monk dressed in white robes.

He looked at the loach-like snake demon, then at Lin Jing, reflecting slightly.

“You, you, you…” Seeing this white-robed monk, the black loach looked terrified. However, the monk only sighed and said, “So many years have passed, Immortal Devil Serpent, your perception has actually declined this much.”

“Exerting such effort just to leak a sliver of consciousness to seek help from an ‘Eminent Monk’ who is actually a ‘Qi Training Stage Cultivator’ in disguise?”

“If the Demon Kings who were once your subordinates found out, I wonder how they would mock you.”

After the white-robed monk finished speaking, the black loach was stunned. It looked carefully at Lin Jing but still couldn’t see through anything.

It wasn’t until the white-robed monk waved his hand that the Illusion Dao True Qi enveloping Lin Jing and the rat dissipated.

Seeing the previously omnipotent Eminent Monk turn into a young beast-taming Cultivator, the black loach rolled around in the puddle several times. The atmosphere on the scene was deathly silent.

“A Beast Taming Sect Cultivator…”

“Qi Training Stage…”

“AAAAAAAAAAHHH!” The black loach suddenly flew into a rage, its fury reaching an insurmountable level. Looking at the innocent-faced Lin Jing, it screamed, “Damn Beast Taming Sect! Damn you! You’re a Cultivator of the Dao of Beast Taming, why the hell are you practicing the Illusion Dao!! I’m fuming!”

“Damn you, damn brat! You wait! Once I get out, I will definitely tear you into ten thousand pieces and wipe out your entire Beast Taming Sect!”

As it shouted, it was purified by a beam of Buddha’s light, leaving behind an innocent-looking Lin Jing.

Heaven be my witness, he was very innocent. Aside from chatting with this old demon for a bit, he was completely a victim and hadn’t done anything.

Where did such a huge amount of resentment come from?

“He decided to risk everything because of the Buddhist aura you manifested. After all, the Seal of this pagoda requires Buddhist methods to be undone,” the white-robed monk said.

“The Eminent Monk you manifested possessed great magic power, giving it hope of breaking the Seal. After all, the image you manifested is only the second Buddhist Cultivator to enter this pagoda in all these years.”

“Junior Lin Jing, a Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, greets Senior.” Lin Jing wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to transform into someone like Fa Hai for no reason?

“No need to be nervous.”

“For a Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect to have mastered such a profound Illusion Dao technique, it seems the outside world has changed quite a bit… This is a strand of my consciousness. I sealed it here precisely for situations like today.”

“Thousands of years ago, it was a great demon who feared nothing. I didn’t expect that today, in order to break the Seal, it would fall to such a pitiful state, actually crawling to seek help from a Qi Training Cultivator.” The white-robed monk found it amusing.

Lin Jing was speechless. Anyone would go crazy after being sealed for thousands of years.

Even the Monkey King was only suppressed for five hundred years.

“Little friend, there is one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear?” the white-robed monk continued with a smile.

Lin Jing’s heart skipped a beat, having a bad premonition.

“Senior, what is the bad news?”

“The bad news is that I sealed my consciousness within the pagoda, and this Seal is one with the pagoda itself. My consciousness being unsealed also means the overall structure of the pagoda’s Seal will loosen, and its effectiveness in sealing demons will gradually worsen.”

“This contingency was originally meant to be activated much later when it truly had the ability to break the Seal. I didn’t expect that a disguise technique would lead to a false alarm for all three parties.” The white-robed monk shook his head; it was an unexpected outcome.

Lin Jing’s face darkened.

So, the Demon Suppression Pagoda really is going to loosen?

“That is something that will happen decades from now. You don’t need to blame yourself or worry; just report it truthfully to your Sect.”

“Although its abilities are strange and hard to kill, its cultivation is not high and it is very easy to suppress. With the Demon Subduing Division around, it won’t be a problem.”

“Perhaps you can listen to the good news as well,” the white-robed monk said. “The ‘Treasure Trove’ the Immortal Devil Serpent just revealed consists of several seeds of exotic plants it obtained from a Grotto-Heaven after accidentally entering it and killing the Prodigies of various Sects in its early years.”

“Back then, it was hunted by various Sects not only because it was a scourge but also because they wanted the items from the Grotto-Heaven. Back then, it refused to speak no matter what. Today, it actually softened toward you, a Qi Training Cultivator, so it’s only natural it felt immense rage upon learning it was deceived.”

Rage all you want, Lin Jing didn’t care anymore. Anyway, there wouldn’t be another chance to meet.

“The news of this Treasure Trove might be of some use to your Beast Taming Sect, but I don’t know if the information is true or false. You will have to discern that for yourselves,” the white-robed monk said.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior.” Lin Jing took a deep breath. As long as it wasn’t all bad news, it was fine. After all, that Old Ancestor Wang… Batian seemed quite fierce.

“Since you entered the Demon Suppression Pagoda for the Buddha’s light, I cannot let you leave empty-handed. This Buddha’s light is my Buddha Core Divine Ability, which indeed has the effect of strengthening the mind. I see that you have an affinity with my Buddhist School. If you don’t mind, I will grant you a stroke of fortune; it is the destiny of our meeting.”

The young monk smiled as he spoke. Without waiting for a response from Lin Jing or the Pine Leaf Squirrel, he cast down the sky-filling Buddha’s light.