Chapter 412 - 242: Coming Clean, the Patriarch’s Test! (Part 2)

Soon, Su Mu exhaled lightly, with a stream of Vast Qi flowing in his eyes.

"Not bad, the amount of Vast Qi has reached forty-eight strands, with this increase of fifteen strands, I’m getting very close to fifty strands."

At this moment, Su Mu felt his brow center tremble, foreseeing that when the Vast Qi within him accumulates to fifty strands, he will undergo a small transformation.

In the state of introspection, Su Mu also saw that the surface of his liver was flowing with the light of green wood, exceeding two-thirds of it, and in addition, the rest of his internal organs had a faint golden glow circulating.

"With the Relic Buddha Light blessing my organs, the efficiency of tempering the Five Viscera in the coming period can be maintained at several times the usual speed, possibly completing the entire Five Viscera Tempering within a few months... This alone is worth several Azure Blood Five Elements Pills, indeed worthy of a Buddhist cultivator in the Arhat Realm."

"At the same time, after Washing Marrow, all my hidden injuries and risks are gone, bringing my martial foundation closer to perfection; this alone is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

In addition, from this visit to Vajra Temple, Su Mu not only achieved his wish by acquiring the Secret Technique of the Little Vajra Secret Realm, but also unexpectedly gained at least two Fifth Grade ancient scrolls.

The gains from this trip to Vajra Temple are indeed substantial, practically a full harvest.

Thinking of this, Su Mu’s lips slightly curved upwards, feeling quite satisfied with the harvest of these seven days.

Feeling the Relic Light infused into his body slowly dissipate, Su Mu realized that the seven-day limit had been reached, and he stood up to bow towards the green lotus in the center of the lotus pond.

"Thank you, Master Kongshe, for bestowing the Relic Light, this junior takes his leave."

The green lotus swayed, and finally, the Formless Arhat did not appear, but a beam of Buddha light from the green lotus sent Su Mu out of the Relic Tower.

At midnight, the Relic Tower trembled without wind, the copper bells at the eaves resonating in unison, and Zen Master Chanjing and the others outside suddenly opened their eyes.

"Amitabha Buddha, Layman Li is about to come out of the tower..."

The gate of Buddha light opened, and a figure stepped out amid the light, and when the radiance faded, the monks’ pupils shrank suddenly.

They saw that every inch of the person’s skin shone with a glazed light, radiant under the night, seemingly reborn compared to seven days ago.

"Thank you, masters, for your protection. I have gained somewhat from this venture, and I shall now descend the mountain."

Su Mu frowned slightly as he descended Jinmen Mountain.

Zen Chanjing and several other old monks of Vajra Temple noticed the frown, exchanged glances, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief, understanding that Li Feiyu had only gained marginally and did not obtain the Vajra Secret Method, which was fortunate.

...

On the thousand-step staircase of Vajra Temple, a sharp screech suddenly sounded.

The Dragon of Spiritual Power at Su Mu’s brow center also surged hotly, and he looked quite solemn.

"Thank you, ancestor, for resolving the crisis for this young one!"

Only the mountain wind howled, and while Su Mu spoke first, he received no response. Yet, he knew that the Sun Family Ancestor within the Fish-shaped Jade Pendant was surely awake.

After several breaths.

The Fish-shaped Jade Pendant on his chest trembled slightly, and then a proud voice emanated from it, not resounding in his ears but directly in Su Mu’s mind.

"Hmph!"

A soft snort frightened the Dragon of Spiritual Power at his brows and the Gu Insect in his chest into silence, "Young one, you need not thank me. A grand Arhat Realm Buddhist cultivator repeatedly troubling a mere Middle Third Grade junior like you is truly shameless. Only those bald donkeys of the Buddhist Sect could commit such disgraceful acts, so I could not stand by and watch."

Using both "shameless" and "disgraceful" consecutively, the proud voice undisguisedly conveyed disdain and loathing for the Buddhist Sect, as if holding a great grudge against them.

Upon hearing this, a sense of realization flashed in Su Mu’s eyes, confirming his prior suspicions.

The words of the Sun Family Ancestor verified Su Mu’s guess; during the Ancient Mountain Lord Temple event, it was Master Kongshe himself who intervened when Su Mu rang the Ancient Bell, triggering the Sect Protection Array of Vajra Temple.

After all, Zen Master Chanjing and others know very little about the Sect Protection Array, so after Su Mu neutralized the array and acted on the Ancient Bell, they couldn’t help but ask him where he learned Array Dao.

The one who acted was not Zen Master Chanjing and others, but Master Kongshe himself.

"Young one, you are quite perceptive... but is that all you wish to say?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu took a slight breath, knowing that what was meant to come would inevitably come, and there was no escaping it.

"Forgive me, ancestor, this junior acted out of necessity."

The mountain wind continued to howl, Su Mu’s heart in his chest beating rapidly, and finally, the proud voice spoke playfully.

"Out of necessity?"

"Do not say that I am not giving you a chance, young one; speak what you wish to say."

Instead of immediately acting, the Sun Family Ancestor was willing to give him a chance to speak, and Su Mu narrowed his eyes, seeing a glimpse of life within this tribulation.

Given the immensely proud nature of the other party, who would act for him when Master Kongshe trenchantly intervened, he must be a proud and lofty person. Arguing would only lead to death.

Moreover, Su Mu had no intention of arguing. He had killed Sun Li, and he dared to admit it!

"Everything is as the ancestor has seen; this young one’s life was not under his own control. A few years ago, I was forced to come to Qingyun County, working odd jobs at the Blacksmith Shop in Qingshui Town."

"About six months later, I gained the favor of Master Zhou Mountain at the shop, so I progressed from doing odd jobs to becoming an apprentice. After more than half a year, I made some progress in the Forging Art, so Master Zhou Mountain allowed me to open the forge to forge weapons alone as an apprenticeship test."

"The Jade Pendant originally belonged to Sun Li, who was under Master Zhou Mountain along with me. On that day, I encountered a group of murderous bandits on my way back to the village, including Sun Li."

Upon reaching this point, there was not a trace of fear in Su Mu’s eyes as he continued indomitably and calmly.

"If the ancestor wants to avenge Sun Li, take this young one’s life now!"

With these words, Su Mu could clearly hear the sound of his heart beating within his chest and felt what it meant to endure seconds like years.

The weight of not controlling one’s destiny—being at the mercy of others—was suffocating, his body like being plunged into a cold abyss, seemingly watching helplessly as the warmth within was stripped away piece by piece.

Yet, the imposing figure on the steps remained as steadfast as a mountain, unwavering.

"Hmph, do you think the ancestor is as foolish as that bald donkey?"

A cold laugh quickly shattered the oppressive atmosphere, "If my descendants fall to this state, dead is dead, it’s merely a worthless individual sharing my surname, what’s that to me?"

"You have a good character, maintaining calm, not belittling yourself..."

Hearing this, Su Mu’s heavy breaths grew more measured; unbeknownst to him, the Gang Force in his Dantian had nearly come to a halt, and his clothes were soaked in cold sweat within a few brief moments.

"Had you acted against that young girl that day, the ancestor would not have given you the chance to speak these words today... You, young one, possess something of the demeanor of a Pre-Qin Martial Artist, which I admire."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu’s heart moved.

He realized that the "young girl" the Sun Family Ancestor referred to was naturally Li Lu.

It turned out that the Sun Family Ancestor had awakened as soon as he met Li Lu. In hindsight, Su Mu felt no sense of narrowly escaping disaster, only realization.

Su Mu was not a saint, but he acted with a clear conscience. On that day, he never harbored a trace of killing intent toward Li Lu. Whether the Sun Family Ancestor had awakened or not did not change anything, as this tribulation never fell on him.

"Perhaps the forewarning from the Dragon of Spiritual Power at my brows that day was not due to Li Lu... but the Sun Family Ancestor within the Jade Pendant."

Thinking of this, Su Mu let out a slight sigh of relief, having gained a newfound understanding of the temperament of the Sun Family Ancestor within the Jade Pendant, knowing that such a proud individual would not make further moves.

"Thank you, ancestor, for sparing my life."

Su Mu immediately bowed in salute, and solemnly spoke again, "May I ask why..."

Before he finished, the Sun Family Ancestor directly interrupted with a snort.

"Put away your probing thoughts, don’t think I don’t know what you’re considering. I’ll take it as a favor, but now you can’t help the ancestor at all..."

"However, since your character pleases the ancestor, I shall teach you a method. In the future, if faced again with the shamelessness of an Upper Third Grade old and undying, use this method to awaken me."

"But if you trouble the ancestor over trifles, I’ll sever you with a sword first."