Pagoda Treasure Tower

The disciples of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and the monks of the Three Flowers Temple all turned their heads at the same time, looking at the open gate of the Pagoda.

"Where there's entry, there's exit!"

Du Nan Jingang spoke calmly, a ring of fire burning behind his head, bringing scorching heat that made those around him feel as if they were in the sweltering heat of summer.

This is the territory of Sanhua Temple. The pagoda is a Buddhist School treasure. Even if the dragon energy is taken away, it will eventually come out. Trying to steal the dragon energy right under the nose of the Buddhist School sect is not so easy.

Although Du Nan Jingang hadn't considered that the dragon energy would be taken away before, even if such a situation were to occur, he didn't believe that the dragon energy could leave the Floating Pagoda and the Three Flower Temple right under his nose.

"Amitabha!"

The abbot of Sanhua Temple, witnessing the death of his beloved disciple and successor, was overcome with grief and said:

"The Pagoda opens once every sixty years, for twelve hours each time. Once the time is up, the gate will close automatically. Vajra of Salvation, let those who suffer hardship remain inside the pagoda forever and bear the consequences of their evil deeds."

Wearing a hood that revealed only half his face, Irbu laughed and said, "That's not a bad idea."

Jingxin nodded.

Those of the third rank cannot enter the pagoda, but Bodhisattvas of the first rank can. There is no need to wait until sixty years have passed, when the atmosphere in Aranya is no longer so tense, and a Bodhisattva will come to take away the dragon energy.

Unfortunately, it's hard to say whether the dragon's energy will still be given to him by then.

The Buddhist School did not lose the dragon's energy, but it did lose a great fortuitous opportunity. Upon thinking of this, Jingxin inevitably felt anger.

"Amitabha!"

He immediately began to chant Buddhist mantras in a low voice to calm his emotions.

Zen masters cultivate their minds and follow the path of idealism, unlike martial monks who indulge in drinking, eating, and killing without restraint.

"This is bad."

Li Lingsu hissed and analyzed, "With Vajra and Master Linghui guarding the tower gate, we must defeat them if we want to get support from the outside."

But even with the Warlock's fancy tricks, it's impossible to shake the guardian Vajra, let alone with a spiritual master present.

Mu Nanzhi frowned, her arms tightening unconsciously around the little white fox.

"Pulse"

At this moment, Sun Xuanji uttered another word, and then he lightly stomped his foot, causing the array patterns engraved on the cannon platform to light up one by one.

Sell? What is he going to sell?

Li Lingsu couldn't understand at all, and before she could think about it, she saw the shells in the basket fly up and finish loading.

Immediately afterwards, with a series of booming sounds, the fifteen cannons retreated in unison, firing shells from their barrels.

The bowstrings of the ballistae vibrated in unison, and bolts as thick as bowls and as tall as a person were launched.

Du Nan Jingang dodged to block the entrance of the pagoda, raised his hands, and pushed them forcefully into the sky.

He unleashed an invisible wall of air, like ocean waves, causing the ballistae to snap in mid-air and the cannonballs to explode.

Clusters of fire exploded in mid-air, like dazzling fireworks.

Boom boom boom!

The second wave of attacks followed immediately, but the target was no longer Du Nan Jingang and his group. The turrets had appeared behind the tower at some point and were pouring fire downwards.

Mu Nanzhi stood on the edge of the cannon platform, watching the shells bombard the Futu Pagoda, causing the walls to crack and peel off piece by piece, revealing the dark golden pagoda body inside.

Before long, the pagoda became mottled, with irregular dark gold patterns intertwined with the white walls.

The white walls and black tiles are merely a disguise; the pagoda itself is a Law Treasure, a Law Treasure nurtured by a first-rank Bodhisattva for countless years.

Such dense firepower couldn't budge it an inch. Just as Li Lingsu was feeling a sense of wonder, her vision blurred and the turret teleported away again.

In the void where the cannon emplaced, Irbu's figure suddenly appeared. Sun Xuanji sensed the danger in advance and avoided the Spirit Master's attack.

The two sides chased each other in the air, but Sun Xuanji ignored Yilbu and stubbornly kept firing downwards.

He forced Du Nan Jin Gang to make a move.

The Dongfang sisters and the monks of Sanhua Temple once again escaped into the first level of the Floating Pagoda. Compared to Xu Qi'an's artillery output inside the pagoda, Sun Xuanji's artillery power was several times stronger.

Even a fourth-rank martial monk wouldn't dare to accept the challenge lightly.

Du Nan Jingang stood motionless in front of the tower, protected by his Vajra Divine Power, so the power of the cannons posed no threat to him.

"Sanhua Temple is destroyed, so be it. We can rebuild it. I want to see how many cannonballs and crossbow bolts you have."

The Vajra of Salvation hummed.

"Curse Killing Technique!"

After missing his target again, Irbu chose to unleash the wizard's signature move.

However, the curse-killing technique failed to work. Without a medium, casting the curse-killing technique from a distance was not strong enough to break through the protection of the formation and affect Sun Xuanji.

On the contrary, it was Irbu who was hit by a cannon shot and flew backwards in a somewhat disheveled manner.

Li Lingsu, however, was not happy at all. His perspective remained unchanged. At first glance, Sun Xuanji seemed to be handling things with ease and had the upper hand, but in fact, the Buddhist School was the one that remained completely unmoved.

"A fight has broken out outside."

"Are the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy here to meet us? Should we break out?"

"Are you looking for death? Didn't you see the guardian deity guarding the door?"

"Now we can only pin our hopes on that supervisor's second disciple."

The Leizhou warriors were well aware of their situation; seizing the treasure and defeating the Buddhist School did not mean the matter was over.

The key is to leave the Pagoda safely. Fortunately, the enemy has a third-rank expert, and so does our side. The Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy is handling two opponents with ease, which is truly impressive.

At the south-facing window, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, and Tang Yuanwu gathered. The Zhenfu General, leaning on his spear, glanced back at Xu Qian in blue robes in the distance and whispered:

"It seems we can't get out?"

Tang Yuanwu's expression was grave, his brows furrowed. "The Floating Pagoda is only open for twelve hours. If we can't leave before then, we'll be trapped here to die."

Yuan Yi added, "Sun Xuanji cannot possibly defeat two third-rank officials, especially with the guardian deity among them. We cannot place our hopes on him."

Li Shaoyun clicked his tongue, frowned, and said with a pained expression, "I think that old monk is quite easygoing. Why don't we ask him to send us out?"

The Commander glanced at the tower spirit, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, and shook his head, saying:

"He won't even help Buddhist School monks, why would he help us?"

"Try it, it doesn't cost any money."

Li Shaoyun, carrying his gun, walked over, put his hands together in a respectable gesture, and said, "Master, please let us out."

The old monk lowered his eyes and smiled, "The road is under your feet, benefactor; you may leave."

Li Shaoyun's eyes flickered, then he suddenly knelt down, clasped his hands together, and cried out in grief, "Master, I have a ninety-year-old mother to support and a young child crying for milk. Please, for the sake of this large family I have to raise, send us out!"

The old monk was slightly moved and asked, "How old are you, benefactor?"

Twenty-five.

Do you have any siblings?

"No, no, my Li Household has a tradition of only one son per generation."

The old monk asked, "Your mother was sixty-five when she gave birth to you?"

Li Shaoyun's face suddenly froze, and his voice caught in his throat. He opened his mouth, trying to find a suitable explanation for himself, but he was speechless.

I thought to myself, "Damn, this tower spirit can actually keep count?"

Li Shaoyun left, cursing under his breath.

He returned to Yuan Yi and Tang Yuanwu's side, his face grave. "This is bad. This old monk is not only ruthless, but he also possesses unfathomable mathematical abilities."

The leader of the Double Blades Sect and the Commander-in-Chief stared at him expressionlessly.

"I seem to see the words 'vulgar brutes' in your eyes," Li Shaoyun said unhappily.

"No."

"We don't find warriors vulgar."

"I feel like you guys are subtly mocking me. What should I do now?" Li Shaoyun said helplessly.

The leader of the Twin Blades Sect remained silent, while Yuan Yi turned to look at Xu Qian.

"He's the only one we can rely on."

"Now is the best opportunity to unseal Shen Shu and release this arm. We can piece together Shen Shu's soul and use the power of the severed arm to resolve our current predicament."

Xu Qi'an slowly approached Shen Shu's severed arm. Throughout this process, he kept a close eye on the tower spirit's reaction, testing its limits.

Surprisingly, the old monk of the tower lowered his palms and eyes, ignoring everyone inside the tower, including Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an stopped three zhang away and examined Shen Shu's severed arm. It was a left arm, bluish-black in color, with bulging muscles, smooth lines, and perfect proportions. It was more like a work of art than an arm.

It was bound by nine dark gold chains, each as thick as a finger, with the other ends of the chains embedded in the ground, walls, and pillars.

"Try waking it up first."

Xu Qi'an glanced sideways at the old monk of the pagoda spirit, and seeing that he was still so Buddhist, he was slightly pleased. He gently tapped the fragment of the earth book and took out the anklet that his sister-in-law Bai Ji had sent from afar.

Ding ding ding!

He gently shook the anklet, and the bell jingled crisply.

The bell continued to ring, and after a dozen seconds, Xu Qi'an saw the left index finger of the severed arm twitch.

The scene gave him the illusion of watching a horror movie.

With the clear ringing of the bell, the fingers moved faster and faster, and it came to life completely. The severed arm used its fingers as feet and crawled quickly, but it was firmly bound by the chains. It struggled left and right, and the chains snapped straight.

Xu Qi'an gripped the ankle bracelet, his expression stiff as he backed away, inching backward.

His face was extremely pale, because he sensed a strong malice emanating from the severed arm, no less than that of the leader of the Earth Sect.

It was already known that Shen Shu was no good person. Whether it was the evil he displayed when possessing Heng Hui or the occasional crazy tendencies he showed, it all told Xu Qi'an that Shen Shu was a dangerous person.

However, the right arm beneath Sangbo is mostly benevolent, while the left arm sealed in Leizhou clearly belongs to the "evil" camp, completely different from the friendly right arm.

"My cultivation is currently sealed, and Shen Shu (right) is in a deep sleep, leaving me without the ability to cope with risks."

Xu Qi'an's heart sank to the bottom.

"Damn it, this severed limb cannot be released. I'm certain that if I do, it will immediately turn on me. Moreover, it will undoubtedly be a huge disaster for the outside world; it will devour life and seize Essence Blood without hesitation."

He gripped the anklet tightly, feeling frustrated, angry, and helpless—emotions that were rarely seen in him now.

"Amitabha!"

The old monk Taling appeared beside him at some unknown time, smiling with his palms together.

Good and evil are often separated by a single thought.

Xu Qi'an was startled by his sudden conversation and took two steps back.

He was indeed watching me, or more accurately, he was watching Shen Shu. Xu Qi'an quietly hid the anklet and said carefully:

"This severed arm is filled with malice; who exactly was its owner?"

The old monk Taling said in a deep voice, "An extreme person embodies both good and evil."

"The second-rank Rain Master Nalan is suppressed on the second level, but this severed arm is suppressed on the third level, which shows that its master is an extremely terrifying figure. What consequences would it bring if it were to break free?"

While gathering information about Shen Shu, Xu Qi'an racked his brains for a good escape plan.

The old monk Taling's smile vanished, his face turning solemn. "Widespread suffering!"

"."

Originally, his trump card for escaping the Floating Pagoda was Shen Shu's severed arm.

If the right hand is so powerful, the left hand must be just as strong, but that's not necessarily true. After all, the monk is single, and the powerful arm that single people cultivate is usually the right hand.

Even if his left hand is slightly weaker, it won't be by much, and it should be more than enough to deal with the third-rank Vajra outside.

As it turned out, man proposes, God disposes; the severed arm imprisoned in the pagoda was a manifestation of divine malice.

"It must be very difficult to break its seal," Xu Qi'an said tentatively, composed himself.

The old monk Taling glanced at him and said:

Five hundred years ago, the Imperial Censor and the Buddhist School used this pagoda as a base to set up an array to seal away the evil spirits.

"The pagoda is Law Treasure of the Bodhisattva Faji. The first level has the precept of 'not killing'. Any cultivator below the third rank who is taken in will not be able to cause trouble."

"The second level is occupied by thirty-six Vajra statues, known as the 'Prison Suppressor,' which can suppress and kill even second-rank masters. When facing an enemy, the owner of this Law Treasure can mobilize the power of the Prison Suppressor to suppress the enemy."

"The two golden statues on the third level are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva Faji's great wisdom and the Pharmacist Buddha, possessing 70% of the original power. They can enlighten and save people, but they cannot fight enemies."

Enlightenment? My little Lingyin needs this. Xu Qi'an thought of his younger sister with her hair in a bun.

If the Great Wisdom Dharma Image could be used to Aperture Opening Lingyin, the foolish child would evolve from a poor student who couldn't even recite "At the beginning of life, what is inherently good?" into a top student who could recite the Three Character Classic backwards.

It can suppress, control, save lives, and enlighten minds—this Floating Pagoda is incredibly powerful. No wonder it's a magical Law Treasure crafted by a first-rank Bodhisattva.

Indeed, the Buddhist School chose to use it to suppress the deities precisely because of its high status and powerful effect.

If I had such a powerful Law Treasure, I wouldn't have had such a difficult time killing Emperor Yuanjing, nor would I have been so embarrassed when I confronted Xu Pingfeng.

Lost in thought, the old monk Taling asked again, "You have the ability to break the seal on the Supervisor, but you cannot break mine."

He knew, he knew everything. Xu Qi'an's face froze again.

Just as Xu Qi'an was thinking about how to deal with it, the old monk put his hands together and said gently:

"The Buddha said, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. This humble monk is willing to give you a chance to break the seal and release it."

Xu Qi'an was stunned.

Seeing his doubtful and bewildered expression, the old monk put his palms together and said:

"Monks do not lie."

Xu Qi'an still didn't believe it. "You really agree to let me release it?"

The monk Taling smiled and nodded.

Xu Qi'an turned his head and looked at the left arm that was radiating malice and constantly ramming against the seal.

Regardless of the consequences, let's release Shenshu first and fight our way out of Sanhua Temple. The dragon energy is of utmost importance; it cannot fall into the hands of the Buddhist School.

No, I can't control Shen Shu's severed arm right now. If I release it, it will inevitably go out of control, and I don't know how many people in Leizhou will die.

Two thoughts, like two little people, are colliding and fighting fiercely in my mind.

Xu Qi'an gripped the anklet tightly and then loosened it, then gripped it again, repeating this several times. He whispered:

"That's enough."

The old monk Taling smiled with satisfaction, "Good and evil are separated by a single thought. You have passed the test. From this day forward, you are the master of the pagoda."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently beckoned, and a faint golden light flew out from Xu Qi'an's arms.