Chapter 49: Night Thieves' Relics

  Suī fēng looked at the dagger in front of him, carefully stretching out his fingers to touch the hilt, and a chill ran up his arm. Suī fēng's entire arm trembled, and he withdrew his hand. Ling's expression changed, as usual, saying: "This is a Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade, it cannot be touched directly with one's hands, inner energy must be used."

  He nodded slightly, not daring to be careless, took a deep breath, and a stream of yin-yang energy flowed into his palm through his meridians, isolating his hand from the outside world. Only then did he try to touch it with his hand. Even so, he could still feel the biting chill. He grasped the dagger in his hand, waving it lightly, as if he could hear the sound of water vapor condensing in the air. Ling also nodded secretly "At a young age, your internal strength is not weak." But he reminded him, "Be careful to wrap the entire dagger with your inner energy, don't let out even a hint of chill."

  He nodded slightly, and continued to gather his internal energy, carefully wrapping it around the dagger in his hand. However, this internal energy wrapping was a completely different realm from isolating his palm, and the consumption of internal energy increased by at least a hundredfold. Moreover, controlling the internal energy was also an enormous challenge; if there was too little internal energy, it couldn't fully cover everything, while too much would make the entire internal energy layer unstable, prone to collapse.

  After trying several times with the wind, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he barely managed to seal the Frost Blade with his inner breath. The outside of the blade was wrapped in a faint black and white glow, as if there was a Taiji divine aura flowing on its surface, and the cold air in the room dissipated a lot, and the misty air around the blade also disappeared.

  Although the dagger was sealed by him with internal energy, his internal energy consumption was also extremely large, and it only lasted for about two incense sticks before his internal energy was exhausted. The entire black and white light halo suddenly dispersed, and the cold air that had been wrapped inside for a long time suddenly burst out.

  He waved his hand, dispersing the cold air that had sprayed onto his face. Ling nodded and said, "It's much better than I thought. The entire aura of the Cold Jade is basically sealed inside, with only a tiny bit of cold air leaking out. It's not easy for you to achieve this on your first try. I've been practicing for so long, but I can only barely seal its cold air and can't seal the aura of the Cold Jade. The Return to Heaven Technique is indeed extraordinary."

  Liáng Tuō ér's heart was secretly shocked, "Unexpectedly, in just a few short days of not seeing him, after learning the Heavenly Return Technique, he is now worlds apart from his past self. What exactly did he go through, how could he progress so rapidly?"

  For the next three days, Su Feng did the same thing every day, using his inner strength to seal the Cold Jade Dagger, persisting until his inner strength was exhausted, and then meditating to recover his breath. Every time his inner strength was exhausted and recovered, his inner strength would also increase a bit, until later he could persist for two quarters of an hour without dispersing his inner strength or leaking his breath.

  In three days, Su Feng finally saw Ling Yue Xi on the sickbed. Perhaps due to years of suffering from illness, her complexion was as pale as snow, just like she hadn't seen sunlight for a long time. Her face was extremely delicate, slender and weak, a heartbreaking beauty. Her big eyes, which sparkled occasionally, made Su Feng's heart ache.

  Three days later, in the late afternoon, Ling Leng gazed at the top of Shaoshi Mountain, a sunset paused, like a stream of Buddhist light, and said faintly: "Let's set off now."

  Taking advantage of the dusk, the three of them hastily climbed up the mountain. Fortunately, Mount Shaoshi is not as steep as Mount Tai, it's straight and tall but not rugged, and the monks on the mountain often go down to fetch water and beg for alms, and there are also various pilgrims going up and down, so there is more than one path up the mountain. All three of them had lightness skills, although the wind was thin, Ling and Liang's pace was not fast, and Feng followed with a phantom step, which was quite easy and comfortable.

  "I've already investigated, and there are no monks coming down the mountain at night, so we don't have to worry too much about our tracks. However, when we arrive at Shaolin Temple, we must not be rash. If we alert the monks, things will become much more troublesome." The low voice reminded in a suppressed tone.

  As I lifted my head to look around, I suddenly realized that the Shaolin Temple was already in front of me and could be seen through the dense forest, with a corner of the temple's yellow wall faintly visible.

  As the wind turned his head, Liang Tou'er, who was always calm and self-willed, put away his signature smile and replaced it with a serious expression. He said in a low voice: "The relics are stored in the tower forest at the back of the mountain. Wait until nightfall, then you can take action, and I will sneak into the temple to assist you. At that time, just like we discussed before, you'll distract Ming Wang, and I'll be responsible for handing over the relics to Feng. Little Wind, remember to seal the relics with your inner strength as soon as you get them, then think of a way to escape down the mountain without being detected. If someone asks you anything, just insist that you know nothing. Then we'll each make our own escape and meet again at the mountain villa."

  He didn't even turn his head and said, "Hmm, has your stuff arrived?"

  "What thing? What thing?" Feng wondered in his heart.

  Liang Ze'er responded, saying: "Don't worry, I've got it." As he spoke, he took out a wooden box from his bosom. This wooden box was extraordinary in quality, and at first glance, it seemed to be made of purple sandalwood that was at least over a hundred years old. The entire body was carved with a circle of various Buddhas, eighteen arhats guarding the Tathagata. Afterwards, Liang Ze'er took out a yellow silk brocade from his bosom and covered the purple sandalwood box with it.

  Suī fēng xīn li mí wèi hǎo qí, "zhè shì yào zuò shén me?" Suī fēng dī shēng wèn dào, tā bìng bù zhī dào Liáng tōu ér hé zhāi xīng zǐ suǒ yuē dìng de jì huà, zhǐ zhī dào shí hòu tā zhǐ yào àn zhe Liáng tōu ér suǒ shuō de qù zuò jiù hǎo le.

  Liáng Tuōér stared at the temple in front of him, where the lights were shining brightly, and said, "This is a Buddhist stupa housing the relics of a high-ranking monk." He hastily explained this one sentence, then fell silent again.

  The ancient temple in front of him was filled with solemnity, as if there was an inexplicable pressure in the air that made his heart skip a beat. "I suppose this is where those few great innate masters reside," thought Su Feng to himself. "Are innate masters really so extraordinary?" He couldn't help but think back to his encounter with Hua Jiu and Gong, but they hadn't given him such a feeling of trepidation. Not even Murong Xuanfeng's aura was as strong as this. Why was that?

  The sky gradually darkened, and after a very grand Buddhist chant, the lights in the temple also disappeared. The three of them looked at each other and knew that this was the evening lesson for the Buddhist disciples, and most monks would go to sleep after the evening lesson ended.

  Darkness descended, and it was considered to be the home ground of Liang Stealer and others. Only in the darkness could they possess a ghostly and extraordinary appearance. The temple gradually became dim and hazy, Ling still had a cold and stern face, unable to see any emotions, while Liang Stealer was also calm and composed, without a hint of impatience. After more than half an hour, most of the temple had quieted down, and the Buddha's light had also dimmed significantly. The temple was different from the secular world, even at night, the main hall would leave a lamp lit to show that the Buddha's light would never be extinguished, so there was no complete darkness.

  Liang Zei also knew this, and patiently waited for a moment before turning back to Suifeng and saying: "You wait here, if after an hour you still don't see me, then go down the mountain alone, and never come back here again."

  As the wind whispers secrets, I gaze at Liang Ze's solemn face and remain silent, nodding quietly. My heart is filled with a thousand emotions as I watch Liang Ze and Ling disappear into the night without looking back, heading towards Shaolin Temple. The two figures wear dark clothing, first hiding in the shadows of the dense forest, then taking several light steps to reach the outer wall's shadowy edge. Liang Ze takes one step forward, a crane soaring, while Ling simply touches the ground lightly and leaps over.

  Then there was a dead silence, no sound at all, as if nothing had happened. The Shaolin Temple remained as calm and peaceful as before.

  The moon is hanging high, looking at the peaceful temple in front of me with the wind blowing again and again, but my heart is getting more and more anxious. How can there be no movement at all? A stone thrown into the sea will still splash some ripples, let alone two people?

  Just as he was dazed and walking slowly in the forest, a loud shout suddenly came from the temple: "Master Xuandelan has passed away——" "Master Xuandelan has passed away——" The voice echoed one after another, like waves in the temple, each coming from a different direction, a total of nine echoes, it was Liang Ze's voice!

  The sound was like a thunderclap, and almost as soon as it fell, the entire temple suddenly boiled up like a pot, as if all the monks had rushed out of their respective meditation rooms to find the source of the sound.

  At this time, Liang Touer had already quietly climbed over the wall and hid in the shadow of the wall root. He silently watched as the entire temple suddenly became extremely lively from being extremely quiet, jumping from one extreme to another. Liang Touer secretly admired him, thinking that he had come up with such a method to create an opportunity for Ling.

  At the same time, four Buddhist chants suddenly rang out inside the temple, rising and falling in succession, with a loud and clear sound. In an instant, all the noise was suppressed, and all the commotion was quelled by the Four Great Heavenly Kings!

  The wind compared to just now is even more worried, the four great Ming Wang listened to this sound as if they were like Vajra in the world, extremely strong and powerful. If they were discovered by them, could they escape with their skills?

  No matter what the wind thinks, the situation on the field changes in an instant. The four great Ming Wang are still one step late. A magnificent golden light suddenly burst forth from the direction of the rear mountain, and even though it only lasted for a brief moment, it almost illuminated the entire sky and earth, with the faint sound of chanting by countless Buddhas. However, it also disappeared in an instant.

  "Thief, how dare you move the most precious treasure of our Buddha's gate!" Another loud roar, but this time it was only one person, and the momentum was even more powerful than the previous four. "No wonder Father said that the Buddhist sect should not be underestimated, legend has it that Shakyamuni had the power of a dragon and an elephant at the age of 15, today I see that it is indeed true." As he thought about this, he saw a golden light flashing through the air, following the roar, heading straight for the direction of the Buddhist pagoda in the back mountain.

  "Halt! Little thief, where are you running to!" Another thunderous roar, this time even more extraordinary, as if the entire temple resonated with it, giving rise to a soaring chant. Even from such a distance, the trees surrounding him were trembling incessantly, their leaves rustling in the wind. Indeed, the aura of the Water Dragon Chant that Muyong Xuanfeng had unleashed at the time was far beyond what anyone could have imagined. Truly, as Wang Changming said, a preeminent master is not someone who can be measured by ordinary people.

  "Huh……" Just as the wind was about to pass, a figure in black appeared from the direction of the distant Shaolin Temple's back mountain, flying swiftly through the air like he was treading on emptiness. It was indeed Ling, dressed in his night-traveling attire. Behind him, several zhang away, a golden light closely followed, and although Ling's speed was extremely fast, he still couldn't shake off the monk who was tailing him.

  "That's one of the Ming Wang? Indeed, as Liang Ze previously said, even they didn't have confidence in escaping a congenital expert. Xun Feng knew that he might need to take action soon and quietly made preparations."

  Even if he had stolen all the Lings in the world, he couldn't keep this speed up for long. Just as the wind was helping him wipe away his sweat, he somehow managed to increase Ling's speed by another 30%, and it shot straight towards the wall where Liang Stealer was hiding.

  "Didn't he know that Liang Ze was hiding there? What's the point of this, is there some special intention?" Su Feng was shocked, but also found it strange.