The Damaged Buddha Relic

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Damaged Buddha Relic

"What?"

Chen Lin's expression finally changed.

Seeing this, Situ Kong finally revealed a faint smile. In his eyes, Chen Lin simply couldn't refuse this temptation. "I came across this thing by chance during a mission in the Demon Prison, but I couldn't figure out what it was for. It was only after I reached Peak Xiantian Realm and gained a deep understanding of the soul that, by sheer coincidence, I discovered it could slowly weaken the soul."

"It truly weakens it; it doesn't merely suppress it. Of course, I don't know what effect weakening the soul might have. But for you, Junior Brother, surely you wouldn't pass up even the smallest chance of surviving?"

Situ Kong looked at Chen Lin meaningfully. Apart from Gu Yuetian, a powerful member of the Demon Race from several hundred years ago, no one had ever survived with a Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body. He was sure Chen Lin couldn't refuse.

Chen Lin's expression shifted between light and dark. Situ Kong was right: he couldn't refuse this temptation. Even so, he slowly shook his head and said calmly, "Would it be possible for you to take it out now, Senior Brother, and let me have a look? I can make my decision afterward."

"Of course."

Without hesitation, Situ Kong slapped the Storage Bag at his waist. A flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing an object. He immediately tossed it toward Chen Lin.

Chen Lin's eyes flickered. He reached out, caught it, and examined it closely.

It was a gray, oval-shaped object with half of one end missing, about the size of a pearl. It looked as though it had been weathered for countless years and was close to crumbling. In his palm, it was entirely unremarkable.

"Buddha Relic (Damaged), a relic formed within the body of an enlightened monk. It contains a secret Buddhist scripture inheritance."

"Main quest activated: The Contractor must obtain the Buddha Relic (Damaged) within one month and acquire the scripture inheritance."

"Quest completion rewards: 1. Ten Foundation Strengthening Pills. 2. The Contractor automatically comprehends one skill from the Harry Potter world—Legilimency. 3. One precious item from another plane, drawn at random. Quest failure penalty: 30,000 Death Energy deducted. Note: If Death Energy falls below zero, the system will execute the Host's elimination protocol. Current Death Energy remaining: 5,307 points."

"Fuck!"

Chen Lin's mouth twitched, veins bulging on his forehead. He nearly flung the Buddha Relic in his hand away.

"Damn it! Main God Coffin, are you trying to screw me over? Thirty thousand Death Energy deducted?! Why don't you just rob me?!!"

Chen Lin seethed with rage, cursing furiously in his mind. The main quest could have come earlier or later, but it had to appear at this exact moment. Thirty thousand Death Energy—how could he possibly get that within a month? Wasn't this forcing him to enter the Demon Prison and fight that terrifying Yin Corpse in the Sea-Opening Realm?

"Brother Situ, I don't mean to doubt you, but it's hard to believe that something so unremarkable really has the ability to weaken the soul."

After calming himself, Chen Lin deliberately put on a skeptical expression and asked hesitantly.

Though the Main God Coffin had forced him to risk a trip to the Demon Prison, Chen Lin naturally wouldn't agree to Situ Kong's proposal so easily. He meant to squeeze the greatest possible benefit from this venture.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother. I stake my honor on it: this thing truly does have the wondrous effect of weakening the soul."

A trace of awkwardness flashed quickly through Situ Kong's eyes. He seemed to realize that offering up such an inconspicuous little thing did look like a scam. But he soon continued solemnly, "Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses are generally much weaker than cultivators of the same rank. Even if it reaches the Sea-Opening Realm, it'll have very few supernatural abilities and will have to rely on its own comprehension..."

Seeing Chen Lin's noncommittal expression, a flash of pain crossed Situ Kong's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "How about this: Yin Corpses in the Sea-Opening Realm condense a 'Yin Corpse Fire Seed' in their minds. You must know how valuable one is, Junior Brother. I can decide on the spot that, besides this item that can weaken the soul, the Yin Corpse Fire Seed will also be yours to deal with."

"But if you don't seize this chance, I'm afraid you won't have any hope of surviving in the future."

After speaking, Situ Kong gave Chen Lin a meaningful look. "The three of us have already accepted the mission, and there are ten days left on the mission timer. You don't have to give me an answer right away, but I hope to hear from you within five days."

"Fine. I accept."

To Situ Kong's surprise, Chen Lin, who had clearly still been hesitating a moment ago, suddenly agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Oh? You've made up your mind so quickly, Junior Brother? Good! This will naturally improve our chances of dealing with that Yin Corpse." Situ Kong froze, then was overcome with joy. He cupped his hands toward Chen Lin. "In that case, I'll go back and make some preparations. I'll contact you within two days at most."

"Mm. I also have to go to the market to buy some materials for dealing with ghosts, so I won't see you out, Senior Brother." Chen Lin cupped his hands toward Situ Kong expressionlessly.

Watching Situ Kong leave, Chen Lin's eyes flickered, turning gloomy. He turned and went back inside.

"A Yin Corpse in the Sea-Opening Realm..."

Chen Lin recalled what the jade slip had said about Yin Corpses.

Yin Corpses were divided into human corpses and demon corpses. Most came from the bodies of human cultivators or Demon Race cultivators. After being affected by Yin energy, their corpses gradually developed a wisp of soul, which cultivated while retaining the memories they'd had in life. They were far weaker than others of the same rank.

But this time, they were dealing with a Yin Corpse a whole major realm above him. He'd better be careful.

After thinking it over, Chen Lin took all the items he'd robbed from Jiang Hong and the other two out of his Storage Bag. There were only 132 Low-Grade Spirit Stones and 21 spirit pills, along with some Dharma Artifacts, pills, and other things. But they were all low-grade goods. After glancing at them, Chen Lin lost interest and simply opened the spatial trading system.

"Fire Spirit Sword, quality: low-grade. Evaluation: A shoddy Dharma Artifact, crafted with appalling technique. Would you like to trade it? Yes/No."

"Yes."

"Randomly selecting an exchange item... Selection in progress... Selection complete. Contractor has received twelve Spirit Stones."

"Ice Soul Mirror, low-grade Dharma Artifact. Evaluation: A shoddy Dharma Artifact, crafted with appalling technique. Would you like to trade it? Yes/No."

"Yes."

"Randomly selecting an exchange item... Selection in progress... Selection complete. Contractor has received four spirit pills."

As Chen Lin traded all the useless items to the Main God Space, he couldn't help reflecting that these outer disciples really did have it rough. They didn't even own a single decent Dharma Artifact.

If Jiang Hong and the other two knew what Chen Lin was thinking, they would have spat blood and cursed him out. As outer disciples, they couldn't bear to spend their Spirit Stones and spirit pills on Dharma Artifacts, using everything for cultivation instead. Among Earth-Rank disciples, having a few Dharma Artifacts already meant you were doing pretty well!

After trading away all the useless items, Chen Lin rubbed the Storage Bag at his waist with satisfaction. His gains weren't bad.

Next, he naturally needed to visit the market and buy some Dharma Artifacts and talismans that could counter ghosts.

The Myriad Demon Sect had a market of its own, though it had generally sprung up spontaneously, run by disciples from the various branches. It was located in a valley at the center of the Seventy-Two Branches of Myriad Demon and had been set up specifically for lower-level disciples to trade or buy the materials they needed for cultivation. The market also had a rule: no forcing sales or robbing others within its bounds. After all, given the Myriad Demon Sect's chaotic rules, the market would have been pointless otherwise.

After getting everything in order, Chen Lin stood and walked out of the courtyard, heading toward the market.

A little under half an hour later, Chen Lin arrived at the market.

The Myriad Demon Sect's market covered nearly a hundred acres and looked bustling. Most of the Demon Race cultivators there were in the Xiantian Realm. There were also Demon Cultivators in the Sea-Opening Realm, but they were very rare. Chen Lin had only spotted three after walking around for a while. Presumably, most of the goods traded here were meant for Xiantian Realm Demon Cultivators, and disciples in the Sea-Opening Realm wouldn't be interested.

"Found in the Demon Prison: three Baleful Bones from the spine of a mid-Xiantian Yin Corpse! Can be used to craft Mid-Grade Dharma Artifacts! Only twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Come take a look!"

"Breath-Concealing Oblivion Pill! Take it and enter a state of suspended death. It can evade the senses of experts in the mid-Xiantian stage. Excellent for ambushes or escaping pursuit! Only thirty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Don't miss out!"

"Great Strength Talisman! Stick it on your body to gain twenty thousand jin of strength out of nowhere! Only twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones! An absolute bargain!"

Demon Race cultivators of all shapes and sizes had set up stalls along the roadside, laying out all kinds of cultivation materials and calling out to passersby. Among them, Chen Lin felt as though he'd wandered into a street market for odds and ends back in his previous life. The feeling stirred his emotions, almost making him feel like he'd been reborn into another life.

"Freshly captured! A human female cultivator who's reached the Xiantian Realm! Come have a look, everyone! Heh heh, such tender skin, such a pretty little face—she'd make a fine Cauldron. And that ** taste... Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Suddenly, a shrill, grating voice hawking wares snapped him out of his thoughts. Chen Lin froze and turned toward the source of the voice.