Chapter 360

Chapter 360: Finding a Bargain

The terrifying Heavenly Tribulation raged for a full quarter of an hour before slowly dissipating, leaving behind a landscape of devastation. As for Jie Yan Chan Master, not even a trace could be found.

Fang Lie did not dare to fly into the center of the Thunder Tribulation until the dark clouds completely cleared. There, he saw a large area of freshly turned earth, the forest utterly destroyed, as if the ground had been flipped upside down.

However, the Yi-wood Divine Lightning filled the area with its essence, making it very suitable for plant growth. It wouldn’t be long before this place transformed back into a lush forest.

Fang Lie was not interested in the environment; he was most eager for the treasures left behind by Jie Yan Chan Master. However, after searching for a long time, he found nothing.

This was quite normal; with such a terrifying Thunder Tribulation, even Jie Yan Chan Master, as a Fire Tribulation Immortal, had perished without a trace. His storage pouch would hardly have fared better.

Suddenly, the old bird spoke, "Something isn’t right. That fool Jie Yan might be dead, but the Eighteen Arhats would not be so easily destroyed. They represent the essence cultivated over a lifetime by the Thunder Tribulation Immortal, nurtured for countless years by the high monks of the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Even if they cannot withstand such a terrifying Thunder Tribulation, they should not end up completely obliterated!"

"But I’ve searched for so long and found nothing!" Fang Lie shrugged helplessly.

"You’re only looking on the surface. The Śāriputra relics might have been blown underground by the Thunder Tribulation. Use your Earth Eye Divine Skill to search beneath!" the old bird instructed.

Fang Lie did not dare to be careless and hurriedly followed the old bird’s advice, activating the Earth Eye Divine Skill to specifically look below the ground.

Jie Yan Chan Master’s Thunder Tribulation covered a radius of several dozen miles. Trying to find something the size of a longan fruit buried underground in such a large area was anything but easy.

As Fang Lie activated the Earth Eye Divine Skill, he carefully observed inch by inch, making sure he left no stone unturned.

After half an hour of searching, he found nothing. An hour later, he still had no luck.

Fang Lie felt a bit frustrated, but trusting the old bird, he continued his detailed search, determined not to give up until he uncovered something.

In the end, it truly seemed that heaven rewards the diligent. After two full hours, Fang Lie finally discovered a unique pearl buried over ten yards underground.

He immediately felt a rush of joy and quickly dashed over, using his Magic to draw it to him. Holding it in his hand, he saw it was a golden Śāriputra relic, covered in countless divine patterns, resembling Buddhist scriptures. Faintly, he could even hear the chanting of high monks.

However, compared to its original appearance in Jie Yan Chan Master’s possession, Fang Lie noted that the relic had dimmed greatly, its aura significantly weakened, and it no longer seemed to possess the qualities of an Eighth-rank Treasure.

Fang Lie was shocked and hurriedly asked the old bird, "Bird Bro, what’s going on? Why does this not seem like an Eighth-rank Treasure?"

"It clearly suffered severe spiritual damage and has dropped in rank!" the old bird said helplessly. "Now, it is at most a Seventh-rank mid-grade!"

"Damn!" Fang Lie couldn’t help but curse. "An Eighth-rank high-grade treasure reduced to a Seventh-rank mid-grade from a single Thunder Tribulation? Does that mean it dropped four or five levels?"

"Just be content!" the old bird said with a bitter smile. "Under such a terrifying Thunder Tribulation, being able to maintain its form and only lose value is already quite remarkable. If your White Dragon Divine Sword were in hand, it would likely have turned to scrap metal!"

"Is the White Dragon Divine Sword really that weak?" Fang Lie asked in surprise.

"It’s not that it’s weak; it just serves a different purpose. It’s a weapon for killing, meant to withstand Heavenly Tribulations, so it appears ineffective," the old bird explained. "You must remember, unless absolutely necessary, do not use cutting treasures for protection; otherwise, it can easily lead to trouble."

"Understood!" Fang Lie nodded, then added gloomily, "It’s just a pity that this Eighth-rank high-grade treasure has been ruined!"

"Hehe, it’s not completely wasted; there is still a chance for recovery!" the old bird replied with a smile. "Besides, its essence is not heavily damaged, so recovery will certainly be quick!"

"How does it recover?" Fang Lie asked excitedly.

"Very simply; there are two fast methods. One is to have a high monk use their own Buddhist power to nurture it, and it could take up to a hundred years to restore to Eighth-rank, and within a thousand years, it could be completely healed!" the old bird explained.

"A thousand years? That’s far too long! Besides, where am I supposed to find a Buddhist bald devil?" Fang Lie shook his head. "No, let’s try another method!"

"The other method is faster; it could take just a few years!" the old bird smiled. "But it would require a lot of Wonderful Bodhi Fruits."

"How many?" Fang Lie hurriedly inquired.

"At least over ten thousand!" the old bird said solemnly.

"Ten thousand Wonderful Bodhi Fruits for one Eighth-rank high-grade treasure? Is it worth it?" Fang Lie frowned.

"It definitely isn’t worth it; it’s a huge loss. This treasure could have been exchanged for ten thousand Seventh-rank Treasures." The old bird said, "Especially this item, which is a Buddhist treasure. It’s very different from our style; even if it is restored, it cannot use all its power!"

"I understand, then let’s put this matter aside for now. After all, I don’t lack treasures; I only lack cultivation!" Fang Lie said impatiently, "There are still 17 Śāriputra relics to find. It’s really frustrating!"

"Ha ha, from here on it won’t be so troublesome!" The old bird quickly replied, "This set of treasures is connected; since you have found one, I can help you search for the others based on it!"

"Really?" Fang Lie asked in surprise, "Didn’t you say you couldn’t help me until I officially became a Token Lord?"

"Some things have different levels of importance~" The old bird grinned, "To help you get the treasured item from Great Thunder Sound Temple, I can assist with this small matter. Helping you means helping the Mo Sect!"

"Ha ha, I understand now!" Fang Lie’s eyes lit up, "You mean, I should hand this item over to the sect to negotiate with Great Thunder Sound Temple?"

"This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!" The old bird laughed, "Great Thunder Sound Temple dispatched Jie Yan Chan Master here, which is against the rules, especially with this item. They won’t resist returning it. After all, these eighteen Śāriputra relics come from their ancestors, so even if this one is damaged, they will spare no effort to reclaim it. At that point, we can ask for whatever we want!"

"Ha ha, I get it!" Fang Lie said, his spirit lifted, "Tell me, where’s the next Śāriputra relic?"

"Hmm~" The old bird focused for a moment, "On the left, ten miles away, thirty-five feet underground!"

Without hesitation, Fang Lie flew straight to the location and quickly found the second one.

"This is so convenient!" Fang Lie exclaimed joyfully, "Hurry, where’s the next one?"

Thus, with the old bird’s help, in just half an hour, Fang Lie found a total of eight Śāriputra relics! If this trend continued, in an hour at most, Fang Lie would gather all the relics.

However, just then, an unexpected guest appeared.

It was Monk Kongtang, who had been scared away by Fang Lie last time. He was the one who had informed Jie Yan Chan Master of Fang Lie’s presence. While waiting for Jie Yan Chan Master, he had exhausted his blood essence and sought a place to recuperate.

But unexpectedly, just as he was resting peacefully, he sensed a terrifying force of Heavenly Tribulation. Jie Yan Chan Master’s tribulation was so great, and as he crossed it in the air revealing the Eighteen Arhats, people within thousands of miles could feel the changes.

Especially Monk Kongtang, a disciple of Great Thunder Sound Temple, who sensed the aura of the Eighteen Arhats. He was stunned, as this was so astonishing; he never imagined that an Eighth-rank Treasure, ranked among the top five in Great Thunder Sound Temple, would suddenly appear here.

Without a doubt, this must have been brought in by Jie Yan Chan Master, and he was currently using it. Besides the Fire Tribulation Immortal, no one else was qualified to wield it.

However, Monk Kongtang could not fathom why Jie Yan Chan Master would need to use the Eighteen Arhats to deal with Fang Lie. Did it mean the Fire Tribulation Immortal couldn’t handle Fang Lie alone and needed this Eighth-rank Treasure? Monk Kongtang couldn’t believe such a thing.

Finally, while Monk Kongtang was lost in his thoughts, the Thunder Tribulation ended.

According to Monk Kongtang’s estimation, Jie Yan Chan Master had likely killed Fang Lie. Therefore, he hurried there, planning to congratulate Jie Yan Chan Master and see if he could gain some benefit.

However, by the time Monk Kongtang exerted great effort to reach the scene, he only saw an ecstatic Fang Lie and not a trace of Jie Yan Chan Master.

At that moment, Monk Kongtang felt a chill run through him. Could it be that the victor of the battle between Jie Yan Chan Master and Fang Lie was Fang Lie?

Even seeing Fang Lie in person, Monk Kongtang couldn’t believe it.

But just then, Monk Kongtang suddenly saw Fang Lie casually playing with several Śāriputra relics, which were the very prototypes of the Eighteen Arhats of Great Thunder Sound Temple.

With that, he could no longer doubt it. The proof was in front of him; Fang Lie not only killed Jie Yan Chan Master but also seized the Eighth-rank top-grade treasure belonging to Great Thunder Sound Temple!

Reaching that conclusion, Monk Kongtang was instantly flustered, standing there in shock, almost unsure of what to do.

At the same time, Fang Lie spotted Monk Kongtang, rekindling his old hatred.

Fang Lie suspected Jie Yan Chan Master didn’t just stumble upon him; in such a vast Lost Forest, with the presence of white fog hindering divine sense exploration, Jie Yan Chan Master could only find him with assistance.

The only person Fang Lie had encountered since coming here was Monk Kongtang before him. So it was clear that this guy had informed Jie Yan Chan Master!