Chapter 0: Xinting Has Something to Say
Qin Gou, holding Gu Feiyan and with Qin Yuan on his back, led the way to the end of the white stone staircase. After passing through a mist-like barrier, the surroundings changed drastically.
The three instantly appeared in a magnificent temple.
Incense smoke curled around the surroundings. Directly opposite them stood a colossal ancient Buddha statue, built from stones and as large as a small mountain. The ancient Buddha had kind eyebrows and eyes, smiling as he held a flower. His lifelike eyes seemed to see through all the joys and sorrows of the world, bringing a sense of peace to the heart.
“Good!”
Suddenly, an aged voice echoed in the ears of the three. With a ‘boom,’ the red-lacquered main gate of the temple slammed shut, completely isolating the temple where the three were from the white stone staircase outside.
Those other cultivators who failed to enter the temple would likely be expelled from the secret realm instantly.
“Master, Mistress, look!” Qin Yuan patted his small head, transforming back into the guise of a fake Celestial Master. He pointed into the distance.
On the offering table beneath the grand and solemn ancient Buddha, a dazzling seven-colored gem lay there, completely unguarded and openly placed.
A gentle light enveloped the bodies of the three like flowing water, forming light cocoons of varying sizes, protecting them securely.
“What does this mean? There are light cocoons to protect us again. Is it to prevent greed from causing us to fight over the treasure?” Qin Gou asked in confusion.
Gu Feiyan gently nodded, “The owner of this secret realm must have been a highly respected enlightened monk.”
“That seven-colored gem must be the legendary top-tier Emperor Weapon exclusively for Eye-type Spirit Tools. Mistress, please accept it,” Qin Yuan’s eyes flashed with excitement, his expression beaming.
“Alright.”
“Wait a moment.”
Qin Gou reached out, shielding Gu Feiyan, and surveyed the surroundings. He said vigilantly, “We cannot rule out unforeseen dangers. My strength is the greatest now, so let me retrieve it.”
At this critical juncture, Gu Feiyan would never throw a tantrum. She obediently nodded and said, “Be careful. If anything goes wrong, I’ll save you immediately, just like before.” As she spoke, she took off the black whip from her waist.
Qin Gou smiled knowingly and strode towards the offering table beneath the ancient Buddha statue.
Halfway there, having separated himself slightly from Gu Feiyan and Qin Yuan, Qin Gou stopped. Instead of taking it with his own hands, he unleashed his invisible spiritual power to telekinetically seize the seven-colored gem.
Suddenly, only Qin Gou’s protective light cocoon shattered.
An unforeseen event occurred. With a deafening roar, the ancient Buddha statue, which had been inanimate, suddenly raised a pair of enormous hands and, with unbelievable speed, mercilessly slammed down towards Qin Gou, as if trying to crush an insect.
Everything happened too fast. Qin Gou didn’t choose to retreat. With his beloved behind him, he charged forward madly. But those giant hands seemed to cling to him like a curse, determined to kill him.
The space within the temple was not large. Considering the reach of these giant palms, Qin Gou found it difficult to escape. While dodging, he pinned some of his hopes on the substitution ability of the ‘Celestial Master’s Soul.’
In such a critical moment, facing a mountain collapse, Qin Gou remained calm and collected. However, he had ultimately overlooked one point.
In an instant, two familiar figures appeared on either side of him without hesitation, their gazes resolute, willing to sacrifice their lives.
“Little Qin, hurry.”
“Dad, Mom…”
“No!”
Qin Gou roared like a wounded wolf. In a flash, he unleashed all his abilities: Stone Spirit, Myriad Seed, Celestial Master’s Soul, Impermanence Staff Sword, using every skill he possessed, all to save the two women beside him who were willing to sacrifice themselves to fulfill him, Qin Gou.
Yet, it was all in vain.
Under the impact of the ancient Buddha’s giant palms, their bodies shattered like mirrors.
In the blink of an eye, they were like castaways who had finally managed to pop their heads out of the water. To their astonishment, they found themselves back by the red-lacquered gate where they had first stood. Everything that had just happened was merely an incredibly real illusion.
For a moment, the three looked at each other, seeing the lingering fear in their eyes.
“You…” Qin Gou wanted to get angry, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“Great goodness!”
Suddenly, that aged voice rang out again. The seven-colored gem placed on the offering table was swept up by a beam of light and flew directly into Gu Feiyan’s hand.
Immediately after, two more beams of light shot out from the ancient Buddha statue’s eyes, falling into the hands of Qin Gou and Qin Yuan respectively.
Qin Yuan received a top-tier Emperor Weapon, an Eye-type Spirit Tool, exactly the same as the one in Gu Feiyan’s hand. After integrating it with his own Eye-type Spirit Tool, it could advance, and due to the extremely high quality of this Emperor Weapon, the Spirit Tool might even undergo some incredible mutations after advancing.
What Qin Gou received was a string of ancient-looking prayer beads, likely a Magic Treasure.
Qin Yuan looked at the Emperor Weapon in his hand with surprise, then at the prayer bead bracelet in Old Qin’s hand. This was vastly different from the legend he knew. Back then, after this secret realm opened, the cultivator who finally passed the test only brought out a seven-colored gem. After integrating it with his Eye-type Spirit Tool, his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, and he quickly became a prominent figure in the Cultivation World.
The other seven-colored gem he had and the prayer beads in Old Qin’s hand were things that had never appeared even after this secret realm was opened several more times by others, despite a thorough search.
Qin Gou secretly thought, “System, scan this string of prayer beads.”
“Ding. Analysis complete.”
Magic Treasure: Desireless Bracelet.
When carried by the host, it can completely conceal one’s cultivation fluctuations, making the host appear no different from a mortal on the surface. Unless one directly touches the host’s body with spiritual power to investigate carefully, one cannot discern the actual depth of the host’s cultivation. It is illusory and indistinguishable.
“Special Tip: This treasure can be directly sold to the mall for fifty thousand Merit points.”
“Didn’t you refuse to exchange my other weapons for you before?”
“This treasure is peculiar…”
“Then wouldn’t I be an idiot to exchange it for you?” Qin Gou smiled faintly and put the Desireless Bracelet on his wrist. It was both useful and aesthetically pleasing, truly a good treasure.
On the ground, a golden vortex swirled, identical to the entrance through which Qin Gou and the others had entered the secret realm.
“Master, let’s go out.”
Qin Gou asked in confusion, “Is this secret realm over? So soon?”
Qin Yuan pursed his lips and smiled, “It is said that this secret realm can be opened multiple times. Each time, the method of opening, the trials, and the rewards are completely different. And A’Yuan has already obtained what he wanted most.”
“I see.”
A moment later, the three finally left the secret realm and appeared outside the dilapidated wild temple. The moment Gu Feiyan emerged, she returned to her original age.
“The Celestial Master is out!”
“Haha, Celestial Master Qin is the last to come out. He must have thoroughly explored this secret realm and gained countless rewards. Celestial Master, we must have contributed to your successful opening of this secret realm, right?”
Qin Yuan, remembering Old Qin’s previous teachings, offered the crowd a polite yet subtly sharp smile.
Just then, an unparalleled beauty parted the crowd and walked straight towards Qin Gou and the others. “Liar, I’ve been looking for you for a long time. Come here quickly.”
Qin Gou touched his nose and quickly walked to Zhao Xinting’s side.
Zhao Xinting cast a solemn glance at Qin Yuan, gestured outwards with her hand and said word by word, “Xinting has something to say!”
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