Sarira

Just as Cousin had said, the old monk didn't dare to chase after them at all.

After resting for a long while, Cousin gradually regained his mobility. He quickly sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing for a moment, then slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

"Finally able to move."

Once his cultivation was fully restored, he couldn't help shaking his stiff hands and feet before cupping his fists in gratitude again. "I really owe you for the rescue."

Hanyu waved his hand and said with a smile, "It was just a coincidence. Let's first figure out how to get the Sarira out."

"Getting the Sarira isn't hard."

Cousin confidently pulled a stack of iron sheets from his bosom. Under Hanyu's incredulous gaze, his hands moved like lightning, quickly assembling them into a black iron umbrella.

"What's this for?"

Hanyu looked at the black umbrella and asked curiously.

Cousin stroked the ribs of the umbrella and smiled faintly. "This is something I developed specifically to counter the mechanisms my family designs."

There was no denying that the people in this Ziqiang Sect were somewhat problematic—one was Yixian, who found trouble wherever he went and loved to run around, and the other was this one, who was enthusiastic about dismantling his own family's mechanisms.

The two jumped down from the platform and landed back by the Artificial River. No sooner had they touched the ground than a massive tide of Red Insects surged toward them.

This time, Cousin was much calmer. He opened the black Iron Bone Umbrella and beckoned Hanyu closer.

The insect tide seemed to have encountered its natural enemy; the moment the umbrella opened, they trembled and lay motionless on the ground.

Cousin pointed at the red bugs on the ground with interest and explained.

"This thing is called a Scorpion Tail. The name was given by my great-grandfather. It's also something our family bred. If you ever break into some great cultivator's tomb and run into these, you can be sure it's a tomb designed by our family. They love putting this boring stuff in graves."

Hanyu was utterly astonished. What kind of family was this? From the way Cousin talked, it sounded like most great cultivators' tombs were handled by them.

"I've always thought these bugs were useless. They act like this whenever they smell a natural enemy, but my family never took my idea seriously."

Cousin sighed in frustration.

"Why would a bred insect have a natural enemy?"

Hanyu asked curiously.

"They always thought these bugs were useful, so I bred their natural enemy."

This was a true prodigal son in every sense—specializing in dismantling his own family's various mechanisms!

Hanyu silently grumbled to himself.

Passing by the stone chamber with the well, Hanyu glanced from a distance. The well mouth was silent, but who knew if an old bald monk might leap out.

They continued straight for several dozen meters when Cousin suddenly stopped them. At the intersection ahead stood a Dragon Head Statue, its whiskers flying and mouth wide open in a fierce image.

Cousin opened the umbrella again and took two steps forward. The dragon's mouth suddenly spewed a scorching blast, and a torrent of flame erupted instantly.

The fire snakes lashed against the umbrella's surface and were absorbed one by one. More importantly, the two standing behind the umbrella didn't feel even a hint of heat. Cousin even turned back to smile.

"This mechanism is average. It's just a flamethrower device with a Spirit Stone stuffed inside. When it senses a tomb raider, it releases high-temperature flames. You could force your way through, but you'd lose a layer of skin."

Though Cousin made it sound easy, Hanyu was secretly amazed. He'd only ever heard of Spirit Stones being used to grow spirit herbs; this was the first time he'd seen one combined with mechanism arts.

The two advanced behind the umbrella, and sure enough, after passing a certain area, the dragon head stopped spewing fire. A few more steps and they saw the ceiling of the passage covered in dense, tiny holes.

"This is the real killer move. Step in there, and it sprays Corrosion Water from above. This stuff can melt even iron. If a person took a full bath in it, you could skip the coffin."

Cousin looked up at the holes and explained.

Hanyu immediately grew cautious and pressed closer. The two moved slowly, step by step, into the area.

The moment they stepped inside, the Corrosion Water began spraying from above, like a torrential downpour, constantly battering the umbrella's surface. Strangely, the umbrella's surface remained completely unharmed upon contact.

"Let's speed up. If the water gets too deep, our feet won't be protected by the umbrella."

Cousin turned to warn him. The two nodded in tacit understanding and quickened their pace, hurrying through the Corrosion Channel.

Looking back at the impenetrable curtain of water, Hanyu was stunned. First the poisonous insects, then the wall of fire, then the Corrosion Water—what kind of price had the old monk paid to force his way in back then?

Ahead was the end, a Stone Gate. Cousin closed the umbrella first, strode forward, and pushed the gate open.

As the Stone Gate swung open, a cloud of dust billowed out, choking the two for a good while. When the dust settled, Hanyu turned to look inside.

Beyond the gate was a very large room, as big as the White Bone Temple. Against the left wall were many chests, presumably burial goods. Hanyu wondered what a high monk, and a high-level cultivator at that, would have as funerary objects.

Cousin seemed uninterested in the burial goods but was instead drawn to the mural on the right wall.

Hanyu followed his gaze and felt his mind waver. His expression changed—it could still affect a person's mind!

The mural was a White Bone Diagram. A pile of bones sat in a twisted, chaotic space, empty of everything, while a group of skeletons were devouring each other.

"This is the most valuable thing here—the Hungry Ghost Path Contemplation Diagram!"

Cousin pointed at the mural and smiled.

Presumably, when the old monk had come in back then, it was for this Contemplation Diagram.

Hanyu's heart tightened. If just the mural had such power, how formidable would it be once the divine ability was fully realized?

"As long as you constantly visualize this diagram in your mind, once your Sea of Consciousness is imprinted with this Hungry Ghost Diagram, you can begin cultivation. When it's perfected, it counts as a divine ability. Want to give it a try?"

Cousin suddenly suggested.

Hanyu was taken aback, seeming somewhat tempted.

"Want to give it a try?" Little Glazed's voice rang out in his mind.

"Try it and I'm dead! If visualization counted as cultivation, I'd croak on the spot." Hanyu's face darkened as he replied inwardly.

After watching for a while, the cousin lost interest and turned his head away.

Curious, Hanyu asked, "Why aren't you learning?"

The cousin waved a hand dismissively and said, "There's already a copy of this thing at home, drawn by an elder himself."

"Besides, if you cultivate this without a compassionate heart that pities all beings, you'll end up just like that old monk—falling into the demonic path."

Hanyu couldn't help but grow curious about his cousin's background—the endless array of mechanisms, the casual familiarity with all sorts of obscure secrets.

Both of them seemed to have lost interest in the visualization diagram. In truth, that single requirement of a compassionate heart was enough to shut out the vast majority of people.

In the very center of the room, instead of a coffin, there was a stone bed. On it, a skeleton sat cross-legged in a meditation posture.

The two stepped forward and saw that the skeleton's pale yellow monk's robe was faintly glowing—no doubt the light of the Sarira.

Hah~ptoo~

At that moment, a pill was suddenly spat out from the Glazed Bottle inside his mind.

Hanyu's expression turned strange. He secretly turned his head aside to communicate.

"What are you doing? Why are you spitting out a pill for no reason?"

Little Glazed's aggrieved voice came through. "It wasn't me. The Glazed Bottle spat it out on its own. It seems to have some interest in the Sarira."

This was getting more and more absurd. Ever since he'd leeched off Young Master Xiao's luck for thirteen years, having an Artifact Spirit emerge from the bottle was one thing, but now even the bottle itself was starting to have its own ideas.

Muscle Strengthening Bone Fortifying Pill: The user gains a sturdy physique. Side effect: Complete lack of self-control around food, with an urge to eat.

Hanyu stared blankly at the pill. So in the Glazed Bottle's eyes, this skeleton was malnourished!

And the pill's effects were as ridiculous as ever.

Hanyu wanted to take the Sarira, but his cousin stopped him with a shake of his head. "This is, after all, an old friend of the family. Let me take it."

With that, he faced the skeleton on the bed and slowly bowed, murmuring, "A descendant of an old friend comes to disturb you. Today, in a time of need, I borrow the elder's Sarira."

After bowing three times, the cousin straightened up and walked toward the skeleton. He gently lifted the monk's robe, reached inside, and soon pulled out something faintly glowing, shaped like a quail egg.

It was neither stone nor jade. The cousin held it for a moment, then handed it to Hanyu.

"In the Dungeon, I saw you were pretty fast. When we go down, I'll take the lead with my mechanisms. You wait on the sidelines, and the moment you get a chance, slam that Sarira into the Old Bald Donkey."

The cousin assumed Hanyu had low cultivation, so he volunteered to take the forward position as bait.

The moment the Sarira touched his hand, the Glazed Bottle in his mind grew ecstatic, as if it wanted to break free from his body.

Hanyu's face changed color, and he quickly shouted to Little Glazed in his mind, "Hold it down for me..."