Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Abbot Kongwen interrupted the potentially escalating confrontation by turning the prayer beads in his hand, his aged voice carrying an undeniable Buddhist authority.

"Since Benefactor Jiang has agreed to this heaven-reaching karmic connection, this old monk will lend you the ancient Buddha relic for a while."

"However, this baptism concerns the lives of the Five Treasures and the foundation of our Buddhist sect, and cannot tolerate the slightest interference of extreme yin energy or killing intent."

"On this occasion, only Fan Chenxin is required to accompany the Dharma Protector. The other four male benefactors bear the burden of unforgivable sins and must immediately leave the gates of the Great Thunderclap Temple."

Gu Qinghan's pure Yang sword intent cut a bottomless crack in the white jade slab beneath her feet, and the chilling sword energy forced several young monks around her to retreat repeatedly, her long, frosty white hair dancing wildly in the wind.

"You old bald monk, you're practically asking for death."

"My daughter is going through a life-or-death ordeal inside, and you think you can just drive us down the mountain?"

Feng Liuyun toyed with a ball of scarlet Nirvana True Fire in his hand. The flames, carried by the wind, blackened the white marble pillar beside him, raising the surrounding temperature. His handsome face was full of mockery.

"The rules set by the Great Thunder Temple are truly ingenious. They drive us fathers out of business and leave one Buddhist disciple, whose mind has long since broken the precepts, to protect Sister Ning."

"Do you bunch of vegetarian monks really think my temper is made of clay?"

Yu Luofeng emerged halfway out of the void, his extremely yin ghostly energy spreading beneath his feet into a rolling black mist, a cruel smile on his pale, handsome face.

"If I don't descend the mountain today, does the abbot intend to use your sect-protecting formation to test the depth of my half-saint cultivation?"

"At worst, I'll turn all the monks on this mountain into ghost generals, and then let's see who can stop me from staying or leaving."

Ao Lin stepped forward with his arrogant dragon horns, unleashing the full pressure of a true dragon at the peak of the Heavenly Monarch Realm, which shattered several incense burners nearby.

"My daughter is suffering inside, and I'm sitting on these steps. If anyone dares to drive me away, I'll tear down this dilapidated temple and drain your merit pool."

Jiang Yining tossed the Bodhi bead into her storage ring, her purple-gold eyes revealing impatience. Her mid-stage semi-saint aura swept over the shoulders of the four men.

"Shut up, all of you."

"This is the territory of the Great Thunderclap Temple. I need to borrow their ancient Buddha relics to remove the remaining poison from the divine realm from the Five Treasures."

"If the four of you insist on overturning the debate platform at this critical juncture and cutting off the Five Treasures' path to survival, then don't ever appear in front of me and the children again."

These words instantly extinguished the arrogance of the men. They knew Jiang Yining's bottom line when it came to protecting her own, and none of them dared to joke about Wu Bao's life.

Jiang Yining stepped forward and grabbed Gu Qinghan's wrist, which was holding the sword.

"Gu Qinghan, look at me."

"Once the residual poison from the divine realm is removed from the Five Treasures' bodies, their meridians will become so fragile that they cannot withstand external spiritual energy. They must be nourished with the Heavenly Fragrance Life-Sustaining Grass from the cold spring at the bottom of the far north ice plain."

"Only someone like you with pure Yang True Essence can enter that place; anyone else would face certain death."

"I'm giving you the trump card for prolonging life with the Five Treasures. Now go and retrieve it for me."

Gu Qinghan lowered his eyelashes and looked at her fingertips resting on the back of his hand. The originally frenzied sword intent gradually subsided and returned to the scabbard, and his frosty white eyes were filled with an unyielding obsession.

"I know you're deliberately trying to get rid of me."

"Yes, I'm trying to get rid of you, because no one else can do this."

"Wu Bao's life is in your hands, are you going or not?"

Gu Qinghan gripped her hand tightly, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed it hard, revealing his inner struggle. In the end, he gave in under her gaze.

"I'll go."

"When I return with the medicine, if this monk dares to cross the line even slightly, I will raze your Great Thunderclap Temple to the ground."

Jiang Yining turned to meet Feng Liuyun's seemingly smiling yet enigmatic eyes, and her tone returned to its usual clear and calm.

"Feng Liuyun, take Sibao down the mountain to Kuhai Town to investigate the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce."

"Although Jingtan has turned to ashes, there are definitely still hidden mobs and networks spread by the remnants of the Divine Realm within the Chamber of Commerce. If we don't eradicate these rats completely, they will bite us sooner or later."

"I want you to use the true fire of Nirvana to drag out those spies hiding in the dark corners and burn them to ashes."

Feng Liuyun shook the dust off the hem of his brocade robe, then leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low, husky voice that only the two of them could hear.

"I, the young master, will naturally handle the tasks assigned by Sister Ning perfectly."

"But we need to calculate the cost of this beforehand. You'll have to drink peach blossom wine with me for at least three days and three nights, and you'll have to personally pour the wine for me."

Jiang Yining raised her hand and pushed his face away, her eyes filled with a cold, businesslike demeanor, completely unmoved by his attempts to flirt.

"As long as you find conclusive evidence to eradicate the chamber of commerce's hidden dangers, I'll drink ten jars of peach blossom wine with you."

Sanbao poked its furry head out from behind, its blood-red heterochromatic eyes glaring at Yu Luofeng, waving its little fists and giving commands.

"Ghost Daddy, take Big Brother Bao to collect the Yin Spirit Grass from the back mountain. It's material for me to refine my body. Don't make Mother angry here."

Yu Luofeng snorted coldly, but in the end he couldn't bear to offend the little girl, so he turned around and disappeared into the ghostly mist with Da Bao.

Ao Lin was urged by Er Bao to go to the outer sea area to search for traces of the Star Abyss Beasts with an abacus. Reluctantly, he transformed into a dragon shadow and flew out of the mountain gate.

She defused a potential conflict that could have easily escalated into a war between demigods with just a few words, her skillful methods leaving the observing monks in awe.

The white jade square in front of the main hall finally quieted down, with only the clear sound of wind chimes rustling in the wind.

Abbot Kongwen chanted a Buddhist prayer and then led the monks of the Vinaya Hall back to the inner hall to retrieve the ancient Buddha's relics, making final preparations for tomorrow's baptism.

Night gradually enveloped this ancient mountain temple, which was perpetually filled with the scent of incense, completely burying the hustle and bustle of the day.

A softly lit glass lamp illuminated the two figures, one large and one small, on the bed in the side courtyard.

Jiang Yining sat on the edge of the bed, holding Wubao in her arms and gently coaxing him, her movements incredibly gentle.

The little girl was traumatized during the day and now felt completely insecure while sleeping, her nine illusory fox tails thrashing about in the brocade quilt.

"Mother, don't go. April is afraid of black bugs."

Wu Bao let out a weak whimper, her little hands tugging at Jiang Yining's clothes, creating a crease, her nails digging into the fabric.

Jiang Yining rested her chin on her daughter's fluffy head, her hand stroking her back repeatedly, her voice filled with a tenderness she would never normally show.

"Mother won't go anywhere; she'll stay here and watch over our April."

"Those bad bugs have all been chased away by Mother, so no one can bully you anymore."

A purplish-gold chaotic vitality overflowed from her fingertips, weaving into dozens of palm-sized spirit butterflies in mid-air.

The spirit butterflies fluttered their glowing wings and danced around Wu Bao's cheeks, leaving behind specks of warm light.

Enveloped in that warm and gentle primal power, Wu Bao gradually relaxed his furrowed brows, and his breathing became steady and long.

Fan Chenxin carried a sandalwood tray to the half-open window of the side courtyard. His moon-white monk's robe looked particularly aloof and otherworldly in the night.

The tray held the Nine Palaces Spirit Gathering Array Plate, which would be used for tomorrow's baptism, with faint Buddhist light flowing across its patterns.

He saw the scene inside the room through the carved window, and a look of undisguised astonishment and shock flashed across his handsome face.

The woman who had dominated the debate platform during the day, whose semi-saintly aura forced the entire disciplinary hall to bow down, was now tenderly tucking a baby into bed.

The sharpness in her eyes and brows was completely melted away by the glow of the glass lamp, revealing a softer side than anyone else's.

The maternal radiance emanating from within was more vivid and lifelike than the clay Bodhisattvas enshrined in the main hall, carrying a warmth that could scorch the soul.

Fan Chenxin stopped in her tracks, her fingers holding the tray tightening slightly.

His unwavering detachment from worldly desires, cultivated for 120 years, trembled before this ordinary human scene, and for the first time he understood what true entanglements in the mortal world meant.

Jiang Yining had already noticed the commotion in the courtyard. She put Wu Bao down, covered him with a blanket, and then turned around and opened the door.

"Master, are you standing outside in the cold wind in the middle of the night because you're planning to fall ill tomorrow and have me preside over the baptism in your place?"

Fan Chenxin took a step forward, holding the tray in her hand, trying to suppress the irregular heartbeat in her chest.

"This humble monk has come to deliver the Nine Palaces Spirit Gathering Array Plate for tomorrow's baptism."

"This array requires you to infuse it with your primordial energy beforehand so that you can achieve a true resonance with the ancient Buddha's relics in the secret chamber tomorrow."

Jiang Yining reached out her fair fingers to pick up the jade array plate carved with intricate runes in the center of the tray, her movements frank and natural.

The night breeze carried the cool, woody scent from her cuffs into the air, seeping into Fan Chenxin's body with her breath.

When she picked up the array plate, her fingertips inevitably brushed against the back of Fan Chenxin's hand, which was gripping the edge.

The moment their skin touched, Fan Chenxin's fingers flinched, and the heavy array plate slid down the edge of the tilted tray.

Jiang Yining held the base of the array plate with one hand and supported his wrist with the other. The force was not strong, but it was enough to stir one's heart.

"Master, you seem quite restless these past few days; you can't even hold a tray steadily?"

"This humble monk has lost his composure; please forgive him, benefactor."

Fan Chenxin hurriedly pulled her hand back from her palm, lowering her eyes and not daring to look directly into her insightful purple-gold eyes.

Jiang Yining leaned against the door frame with the array plate in her hand, her gaze falling on his thin shoulders.

"Tomorrow will be a tough battle. Will your three sections of Buddha's bone, which haven't fully healed yet, be able to withstand the violent power of the relic's vows?"

"A monk does not lie. This humble monk will fight to the death to protect the Five Treasures and will not allow any remaining poison from the divine realm to harm her in the slightest."

"I don't need you to fight to the death, I need you to live well and be the core of my formation."

Fan Chenxin turned and disappeared into the deep night. The Bodhi beads she never parted with were burned by the residual heat from her fingertips, leaving a tiny, unhealable crack.

"This humble monk understands. Please rest early, benefactor."