Wandering Swordsman |

Then, Jianzhen stopped wasting words and went straight to seizing the Buddha's relics.

During their exchange, the sinful monk's movements were unpredictable and his footwork was strange, completely unlike the orthodox martial arts of Shaolin. Instead, he exuded a cold and sinister aura.

With a light touch of his toes, his figure moved like smoke and mist, as if the air itself made way for him.

The sinful monk, bound by the black iron chains, roared like thunder. With a sudden jerk of his arms, the entire underground palace vibrated, and rubble fell down in a shower.

However, Jianzhen, like a leech, brushed past the sinful monk's back, his right hand like a venomous snake's tongue, precisely reaching into the lotus platform beside him.

"Relic!" Shen Mo's pupils shrank sharply. That legendary Buddhist treasure had actually been taken away by Jianzhen!

Even more bizarrely, the moment the relic fell into Jianzhen's palm, the sinful monk, who had been raging like a beast, suddenly froze as if his soul had been ripped away. His hands, which were about to make a move, slowly fell down, the chains rattling, and he seemed to be nailed to the spot by some invisible force.

Beneath the mask, those eyes—deep, cold, yet filled with indescribable compassion—stared straight in the direction Jianzhen had left, showing no intention of pursuing him.

Without hesitation, Jianzhen moved with lightning speed and disappeared into the shadows in the direction of the underground palace exit in a few leaps.

He was completely focused on escaping, his mind taut like a string, and he didn't notice at all—just as he passed the corner of the broken wall, Shen Mo was hiding less than three feet away from him.

Jianzhen sped past him, and Shen Mo was about to get up and follow when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and up to the top of his head.

He suddenly stopped.

The sinful monk... slowly turned his head, and the two narrow holes on his mask were facing the spot where he was hiding.

The firelight from the underground palace slanted across the bronze mask, casting a cold, bluish glow.

Behind the mask, a pair of eyes—as black as ink, yet faintly revealing a warm, jade-like luster—were locked onto him!

Shen Mo felt a chill run down his spine, and his blood seemed to freeze in an instant.

"Impossible..." His heart pounded with shock. "How could he have discovered me? Even Jianzhen didn't notice. I was hiding so well..."

But that gaze, that look... was exactly the same as the look his mother gave him before she died, a look he remembered from his childhood! Gentle, sorrowful, yet hiding an unspeakable secret.

In that instant, Shen Mo almost blurted out the word "Mother".

But he suddenly bit his tongue, and the sharp pain brought him back to his senses.

"Absurd!" he angrily rebuked himself. "How could that sinful monk, imprisoned here, possibly be my mother? My mother has long... long since turned to dust! The resemblance in her eyes is merely a result of my wavering mind!"

He forced himself to suppress his surging emotions and quickly scanned the sinful monk's body—the monk did not move or make any sound, but simply stood quietly, as if that glimpse just now was nothing more than an illusion under the flickering firelight.

"Authenticity is key!" Shen Mo gritted his teeth, quickly regaining his composure. "This treasure of the Central Plains, the relic, must not fall into the hands of evil cultivators overseas!"

Without further hesitation, he silently slipped out of his hiding place and sped off in the direction where Jianzhen had disappeared with a few leaps.

After Shen Mo's aura disappeared, the sinful monk remained standing motionless. Beneath the mask, his eyes slowly closed, as if sighing, or perhaps resigned.

Only the iron chains swayed gently, emitting a low, mournful sound.

......

The night was as dark as ink, and the wind howled behind the cliffs of Mount Song, as if heaven and earth were holding their breath in anticipation of the impending change.

Jianzhen leaped down the withered vines on the edge of the cliff, her clothes fluttering like the wings of a night crow.

He sped along, his heart pounding like a drum, not from fear, but from ecstasy—the Buddha relic lay quietly in his palm, white as jade, warm and smooth as cream, faintly radiating a calming Buddhist light.

He could almost feel the immense magical power contained within, surging like a river, waiting for him to guide it into his body so that it could completely open up his dantian, which he had been struggling to stabilize for many years.

"Finally... finally got it!" he murmured, his voice trembling, his eyes flashing with an almost manic light.

He found a secluded mountain hollow, with a giant rock behind him and a deep valley in front of him.

Surrounded by the sound of pine trees like the sea and the moonlight like a ribbon, it is the perfect place to refine relics.

He sat cross-legged, focused his energy, held the relic in front of his brow, closed his eyes and concentrated, preparing to draw upon his internal energy to merge with the relic—as long as he succeeded in refining it, his meridians, which had become unstable due to the cultivation of evil overseas techniques, could be rebuilt with the pure power of Buddhism, and he would be reborn, perhaps even reaching a higher level in martial arts!

However, just as he focused his mind on his dantian and began to draw in his true energy—

A dark shadow swooped down like a falcon, so fast that even the wind couldn't whistle!

Shen Mo's robes fluttered like battle flags, his face was covered by a black cloth but his eyes were like lightning. His right hand grabbed at the air, and his inner strength surged out like a tide, turning into an invisible force that went straight for the relic in Jianzhen's palm!

"Buzz—!"

The relic was attracted as if by a magnet, and suddenly it slipped from Shen Mo's hand, drawing a silvery arc of light as it flew straight into Shen Mo's palm!

"What? Telekinesis!" Jianzhen suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking to needle size. His true energy surged back instantly, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat. He almost went into a qi deviation on the spot!

Before he could react, Shen Mo had already landed and rolled, his body still unsteady, but without hesitation, he stuffed the relic into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp—

"Gulp."

A soft sound, yet it exploded like thunder in the deathly silent valley!

"you--!!!"

Jianzhen was struck dumb, jolting upright. His eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead like writhing earthworms. His hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers, yet he felt no pain. His lips trembled, his teeth grinding together, and a hoarse sound, like the dying howl of a wild beast, escaped from between his teeth.

"Who are you!...Do you even know what you swallowed?! That's a Buddha relic! A priceless treasure of heaven and earth! Is it something a lowly ant like you is worthy to touch?!"

His inner energy surged violently, instantly withering the surrounding vegetation and cracking the rocks beneath his feet. With a single step, the ground collapsed, sending rubble flying like rain. He suddenly spread his arms wide, as if to tear the sky apart or crush Shen Mo alive.

Even if it means tearing you apart, I will get you back—!!!

The roar echoed through the cliffs, startled birds into flight, and even drowned out the distant sound of the Shaolin Temple bells.

At that moment, inside the Shaolin Temple—flames soared into the sky!

Countless monks held torches, their robes fluttering, their faces solemn and hard.

The bell tolled rapidly like a drumbeat, its warning echoing throughout the entire temple.

Master Huikong stood in front of the Mahavira Hall, his white eyebrows furrowed, his prayer beads broken into several pieces, which rolled to the ground and were left unpicked up.

"The relics have been stolen!"

"Seal off the mountain gate immediately!"

"We must never allow the relics to be taken out of Mount Song!"

Torches, like dragons, snaked along the temple walls, illuminating angry and sorrowful faces. The theft of a Buddhist treasure was a devastating blow to Shaolin.

However, at this moment, the relic had already entered Shen Mo's stomach.