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

Before the solemn pronouncement of Abbot Faji, imbued with Buddhist authority, had faded from the air above the ruins, Jiang Yining had already pressed the dark golden relic in her palm tightly against her heart.

She slowly raised her eyes, reddened by the firelight, and looked past the devastation on the ground to the magnificent Buddhist image in mid-air.

"The rules mentioned by Abbot Faji apply to the Buddhist disciples of the Great Thunderclap Temple, but Fan Chenxin had already returned the Buddhist disciple token to you before stepping into this sea of ​​fire."

Jiang Yining's voice was hoarse but carried an unyielding strength. She ran her fingertips over the relic, feeling as if she could still feel the person's last heartbeat.

"Today, he used his identity as Fan Chenxin, and his ordinary flesh and blood, to shield the people of the city from 100,000 flames of the heart."

Faji sighed softly, and slowly extended the purple-gold alms bowl in his hand, a gentle yet irresistible circle of Buddhist light enveloping Jiang Yining's palm.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Jiang, you are mistaken. Although he returned the token, this body of Buddha's relics was ultimately baptized by the Merit Pool of the Great Thunderclap Temple. The return of the relics to their source is the ordained destiny of Heaven."

The guiding light emanating from the golden bowl had just touched Jiang Yining's fingertips when the dark gold relic suddenly emitted a faint yet stubborn resonance.

The relic, which should have flown into the alms bowl with the Buddha's light, was abruptly turned back in mid-air and fell back into Jiang Yining's palm. It even emitted a wisp of warmth, soothing the karmic lotus below her collarbone, which had been forcibly severed and left with scorched lines.

As Faji watched this scene, his fingers, which were moving the prayer beads, paused slightly, and a complex pity flashed in his eyes, which had seen many vicissitudes of life.

Jiang Yining gripped the relic tightly again. The charred lotus pattern was faintly visible between the tattered collar, becoming the most irrefutable witness to this life-or-death sacrifice.

"Your Excellency, please see clearly. It's not that I'm unwilling to give it up, but that this relic itself doesn't want to go with you."

She tilted her head slightly, forcibly suppressing the stinging in her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of mockery and resolve.

"He was trapped by your life-protecting scriptures for half his life while he was alive, and now he has lost his life. I will never allow anyone to use Buddhist rules to decide his final destination."

Faji retrieved the purple-gold alms bowl, but did not use his semi-saint level cultivation to forcibly seize it. He simply put his hands together and bowed deeply to the relic.

"Since the relic has a spirit, this humble monk will not insist. I only wish to lead the monks here to recite the Rebirth Mantra for him for three days, thus fulfilling this bond between master and disciple."

Jiang Yining did not refuse the farewell. She turned her back to the sky full of Buddhist light, took out a clean brocade handkerchief from her storage bag, and used the pure spiritual spring water seeping from the Qingling wood to wipe away the ancestral fire ash that had stained the relic bit by bit.

Her movements were extremely gentle, as if even the slightest force would hurt the vanished person. Each drop of spiritual spring water that fell carried away a trace of charred blackness, revealing the original warm, dark golden luster of the relic.

After cleaning the relics, she took out a wooden box carved from thousand-year-old amber wood and neatly put in the old Buddhist beads that had been swallowed countless times by the fire spirit falcon, as well as the half-burnt handle of the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp, along with the relics.

On the banks of the moat outside Tianhuang City, the last ley line ravaged by the ancestral fire still emits wisps of smoke.

Jiang Yining carried the wooden box to the center of the scorched earth, used the Soul-Devouring Vine to lift a huge, uncarved blue stone from the depths of the ground, and placed it steadily on the riverbank.

She did not inscribe the title of the Buddhist disciple of the Great Thunder Temple on the stone tablet, nor did she inscribe the sins of the transgressors, nor even leave a single word about the merit of saving 100,000 people.

This is a clean, blank monument. She only wishes that the name Fan Chenxin will henceforth belong only to her and April, no longer burdened by any heavy shackles.

Jiang Siyue, carrying the Fire Spirit Falcon whose left wing was tightly bandaged, ran to the wordless monument with her short legs, her eyes red like a frightened little rabbit.

The little girl took out the half of the spirit fruit she had been reluctant to eat from her bosom, carefully placed it on the bluestone base, and then reached out and plucked a short red feather that had just grown from the tail of the fire spirit falcon, gently pressing it next to the spirit fruit.

"Uncle Fan, April is saving the spirit fruit for you, and also giving you the big red rooster's tail as compensation. Don't be afraid here all alone; April and your mother will come to see you often."

The child's tender, tearful voice became the final straw that broke Jiang Yining's composure.

She knelt down and hugged her daughter, who was sleeping soundly beside the wooden box, tightly in her arms. She wrapped the small body in her large cloak, and a hot tear finally fell onto the cold blue stone tablet.

Lou Xiaotian, carrying the Overlord Spear and dragging his still-healing right shoulder, stood quietly three steps away from the stone tablet, not moving an inch all night.

He looked at Jiang Yining's thin yet stubborn back, without going up to ask for any promises about the future. He simply silently drove away all the wandering spirits and wild beasts that tried to approach, guarding her undisturbed grief in his own way.

Pei Yunji remained in the city, where he used his inner ancestral seal to suppress the remnants of the formations that were trying to retaliate. He methodically collected the blood samples and evidence of Pei Henian's crimes and worked through the night to repair the star map bone plate that had been affected by the ancestral fire.

He knew that what Jiang Yining needed most right now was time to say goodbye, so he took on all the complicated follow-up tasks himself, just to wait for her to sort out her emotions and stand up again.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon the wordless monument, Jiang Yining finally stood up, holding the sleeping April in her arms.

She carefully placed the wooden box containing the relic deep into her dantian, wrapping it layer by layer with the core vitality of the Myriad Spirit Divine Wood. The grief in her eyes had been replaced by a chilling coldness.

"The Merit Pool of the Great Thunderclap Temple could not have been lost for no reason. The poisonous fire of the Divine Realm could infiltrate the Martial Spirit Realm silently. There must be a huge network behind this."

Jiang Yining looked at Lou Xiaotian beside her, her tone as calm as a stagnant pool, yet brewing a storm powerful enough to overturn the heavens and earth.

"Fan Chenxin risked his life to protect this city. I can't let him die without knowing why. Before I leave here, I want to cut out all the rotten flesh hidden in the shadows, piece by piece."

Lou Xiaotian put away the Overlord Spear and draped a robe with a green wood scent over her shoulders, his deep eyes reflecting her current appearance.

"Whoever you want to kill, my gun will slit their throat for you, even if it means turning this desolate city upside down, I'll go with you."

Just then, Pei Zheng, holding a communication jade slip, hurried over from the direction of the city gate, his expression showing a hint of solemnity.

He stopped in front of Jiang Yining and lowered his voice to report the news that had just come from the side branch council, afraid of disturbing this land that had just been pacified.

"Pei Henian woke up and said that Fan Chenxin's death could save his life."