Quinn Shepherd's vision was suddenly swallowed by darkness. When his consciousness returned, he was shocked to find himself inside a stone effigy!
"What just happened?"
He opened his eyes and tried to move them—only to realize that his new 'eyes' could actually turn. Then he tilted his head and discovered his consciousness now had a head.
He lowered his gaze and saw that his awareness had merged completely with the 'stone effigy.' Its arms and legs had become his own!
Normally, consciousness has no shape. But now, somehow, his awareness possessed a form—strange beyond belief!
He sensed that this 'stone effigy' was a kind of spirit—neither pure energy nor pure soul, something bizarre and hard to explain.
"Spirit Embryo Treasury, Spirit Embryo Treasury... Could this effigy be my Spirit Embryo? Did my consciousness entering the stone awaken it? Is this what the Spirit Embryo Treasury really means?"
Quinn's Spirit Embryo blinked, and in that instant, he understood a great deal.
The human body contains seven Divine Treasuries. The Spirit Embryo Treasury is the first, but it's sealed—ordinary people can't open it, so the Spirit Embryo never awakens.
But for those with a spirit body, the treasury is naturally open. All it takes is the right spirit blood to guide the consciousness into the Spirit Embryo and awaken it.
Spirit Embryo—this is the vessel that contains my consciousness.
Divine Treasury—could it be that the gods didn't grant people a Spirit Embryo, but deliberately sealed it away?
Just as he reached this thought, yuanqi surged in from outside and entered the sea of light. The tiny Spirit Embryo began to inhale these threads of energy, drawing them in through its nose—each breath felt wonderfully soothing.
With every breath the Spirit Embryo took, Quinn's yuanqi grew noticeably more refined!
Not only that, Quinn discovered his Spirit Embryo was absorbing golden light from the sea as well. The gold mingled with the yuanqi, threading through it—though he had no idea what it actually did.
He tried to make the Spirit Embryo stand, but found the tiny infant couldn't even get up, let alone move around.
How does a Spirit Embryo move? Hmm, better ask the Village Chief and Granny Sue about it when I get back.
Just as Quinn was pondering this, his awareness snapped back to his physical body and he opened his eyes.
Violent coughing echoed from the temple. The monster wasn't dead—she lay sprawled before the Buddha, hacking up blood in great gouts. Quinn considered this for a moment, then stepped through the temple gate.
Seeing him actually walk into the ancient temple, the monster was both shocked and delighted, scrambling to her feet.
As Quinn approached, he began chanting: "Qi ke duo sa mo ye, bo re bo re sa mo ye, qi ke duo bo re sa mo ye!"
"Abomination! You dare act out again?"
The monster shivered in terror. Behind her, the golden Buddha statue began to tremble, radiating golden light as its chains rattled and yanked her down to her knees!
"Om mani padme hum!"
The Buddha's voice boomed, and the monster was refined until she spat blood, left utterly drained.
Quinn stopped reciting the demonic sound, and the Buddha's chant ceased after just one line. The monster gasped for breath beneath the statue, trying to rise—until Quinn uttered the demonic sound again. She shrieked and scrambled behind the Buddha, only to realize he had only spoken a syllable or two before stopping.
"You're a demon..."
The monster peeked out, her voice hoarse and terrified as she stared at Quinn striding into the temple hall: "You're the demon! You're the real monster here!"
Quinn didn't answer. He walked straight to the Buddha statue, hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow Grandpa Blind's advice. He bowed solemnly and said, "Since childhood, I've been weak in the kidneys and frail in body—prone to premature loss of vitality..."
The monster's eyes bulged as she coughed blood and snickered, "Kiddo, you say you're weak in the kidneys in front of a Buddha? That statue's not going to 'nourish' you!"
Quinn glared at her, "Qi ke duo sa mo ye..." (Note: This is a phonetic rendering of the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum.' In Buddhist tradition, this chant is believed to purify karma and invoke compassion. Here, Quinn uses it to trigger the Buddha's power against the monster.)
The Buddha statue trembled, "Abomination!"
The monster was terrified, begging for mercy, "Don't chant! Spare me!"
Quinn stopped chanting, but the golden Buddha still recited a true mantra, refining the monster until she spat blood. (Note: In Buddhist context, a 'true mantra' is believed to have spiritual power, here used as a supernatural attack.)
Quinn looked around but found nothing of value. However, the mountain of bones behind the Buddha startled him—clearly, countless people had died in this ruined temple, victims of the monster.
The boy shook his head, "You hide bones behind the Buddha, making it your accomplice—covering your crimes and luring more victims. If I used the Buddha to finish you off, the merit would go to the statue. I won't do that. Demon, what treasures are hidden in this temple?"
The monster trembled, "What treasures do I have? That bald thief suppressed me here and took all the treasures!" (Note: 'Bald thief' is a colloquial insult for Buddhist monks or statues, commonly used in Chinese folklore.)
"Qi ke duo..."
"Don't chant!"
The monster forced a smile, "I've been here for years, and aside from occasionally satisfying my cravings, I've managed to gather some good things. Take them." With that, she struggled to her feet and crawled to the top of the hall, gently poking open a hidden compartment in the ceiling.
Items clattered out of the hidden compartment—mostly weapons and armor, along with a few garments, mostly women's underclothes made of fine material, clearly belonging to wealthy families.
"That's all," the monster said with a forced smile.
Quinn frowned, disappointed, "That's it? No miraculous pills or medicines?"
"If there were any, I ate them already."
The monster stretched her centipede-like body, joints cracking, and chuckled, "I've been trapped here so long, I wanted to eat everything. Pills taste better than people, so I didn't let any go to waste. Don't underestimate these weapons—they're treasures only found in the Six Directions Divine Treasury, naturally nurtured by one's own yuanqi, and called spirit weapons!" (Note: 'Six Directions Divine Treasury' is a cultivation realm where spirit weapons are born, according to the glossary.)
Quinn was skeptical, picking up a Wild Goose Wing Saber. It was surprisingly heavy, much more so than the butcher's knife on his back. Oddly, the butcher's knife was much larger, but not nearly as heavy as the saber.
The Wild Goose Wing Saber was long and narrow; the butcher's knife was broad and thick.
Quinn took down the butcher's knife and tapped it against the saber. With a clang, the saber snapped in half, its blade falling to the ground.
The monster stared wide-eyed at the butcher's knife in Quinn's hand, speechless.
Quinn, deeply disappointed, tossed the Wild Goose Wing Saber aside.
"That chopping board of a knife—who forged it?"
The monster gasped, "Spirit weapons nurtured by Six Directions masters break at a touch, but that chopping board knife of yours can't have been made by any ordinary person!"
Quinn stroked the butcher's knife, its blade icy cold, the chill sinking into his heart and lungs. The knife had been forged by Mute, the village blacksmith, whose work was so sought after that people from neighboring villages often came for knives, hoes, and iron plows.
"It's not made of ordinary iron!"
The monster foamed at the mouth, wanting to examine it closely but too afraid Quinn would chant again. "Touch it—does it feel cold? If so, it's Cold Iron Gold Crystal!" (Note: Cold Iron Gold Crystal is a top-tier forging material, extremely rare in cultivation worlds.)
Quinn was surprised and nodded, "It really is cold."
The monster cried out, "Using Cold Iron Gold Crystal to make a chopping board? And with such skill—just to make a knife like that? What a waste of materials and talent!"
Quinn glared at her, slung the butcher's knife onto his back, then picked up the weapons and treasures from the ground, carrying them outside to the temple entrance.
The monster was furious, "You already have such a good weapon—why take my things too?"
Granny said, anything you steal fair and square, you must take with you.
Quinn turned and grinned, "I stole these with my own skill, so I have to take them all."
The monster was furious, but didn't dare confront him—she could only watch helplessly as Quinn carried away everything she'd painstakingly collected.
"Do you have any bags or anything?" Quinn suddenly leaned in and asked.
"No!"
"Oh." Quinn pulled his head back.
The monster cautiously left the hall, only to see Quinn outside, chopping bamboo. Soon he made a raft, loaded the treasures onto it, and poled upriver with a long bamboo pole.
"What sort of troublemaker dares to rob me?"
The monster finally exploded, "Lawless brat! You even want a bag for your loot? I'm furious!"