Chapter 171 - 147: Bodhi Seed in Hand

Chapter 171: Chapter 147: Bodhi Seed in Hand

Zhang Ji knew he had been exposed.

After retracting his Spirit particles and entering a state of Spiritualization, he could suppress his energy signature to a minuscule level. If another person’s Spirit particles swept over him without paying close attention, they would just think they had scanned a rock.

But there was no accounting for the fact that this monk before him had X-ray vision!

"Are you still unwilling to show yourself, Benefactor?" Huiji called out. "Then this humble monk will have to invite you out with grand ceremony!"

As his voice fell, the sound of chanting emanated from Huiji’s body. The scriptures on his kasaya robe glowed, materializing into golden chains that shot swiftly toward Zhang Ji.

Seeing this, Zhang Ji could no longer remain hidden. He raised a hand and struck out with his palm.

BOOM!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The force of his Primordial Qi palm collided with the golden chains, creating a shower of sparks. The chains were forced back and hovered in the air.

At the same time, Zhang Ji also unleashed a beam of Yin-Yang Primordial Qi from his fingertip.

DANG!

A cyan flame appeared on Huiji’s neck. The finger attack hadn’t even broken through his defense.

The material strength of his special Spiritual Alloy body was truly extraordinary.

’You can only say that this stuff, Spiritual Qi, is a real cheat!’

"Amitabha!"

Huiji chanted the Buddha’s name and raised a hand. A swastika symbol appeared in his palm, and a golden swastika grew as it flew through the air, heading straight for Zhang Ji.

Even before the swastika got close, Zhang Ji could already feel the intense heat.

This heat was unique. His Dela blood couldn’t absorb it, and his Qi Body struggled to block it. The high-temperature particles pierced directly through his Primordial Qi and struck his body, leaving carbonized marks on his Jade-Threaded Robe.

’I can’t hold back anymore!’

Worried about failing due to a simple mistake, Zhang Ji cast aside his concerns about exposing too much. In an instant, he mobilized the Primordial Qi in his body, which surged out from his Qi Veins. He fully activated his Qi Body and Spiritualization.

He blasted out with his palm again.

Flower-Blooming Buddha: Annihilation.

An aura of compassion manifested as a condensed purple Palm Seal flew out, crashing into the golden swastika.

Violent Spiritual Power and Primordial Qi surged everywhere. Zhang Ji’s Palm Seal pushed the massive swastika back relentlessly until it shattered, then continued on toward Huiji.

VMMMM!

A golden, Buddha-light Shield manifested from the kasaya on Huiji’s body, covered in densely packed defensive Spirit Patterns. However, it quickly shattered, and the Palm Seal slammed directly into him, pushing him backward.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Along the way, all buildings were obliterated and the terrain was completely altered. A scar several kilometers long appeared, as if a plane had crashed and skidded off a runway.

Huiji was covered in fine cracks. Even his Spiritual Alloy body could barely withstand that palm strike.

"No Spiritual Power fluctuations? A Body Cultivator? And what’s with this Palm Skill? It actually carries a hint of compassion?"

Huiji’s voice was a little agitated, and his otherwise expressionless, solemn face seemed to show a hint of surprise.

"Bodhi Temple will not let this go! You’d all best watch yourselves, Benefactors!"

His final words drifted back as Huiji transformed into a streak of golden light and sped away.

Zhang Ji had intended to chase him and ask some questions, but he suddenly sensed a presence appear behind him.

He descended from the air and landed in a small alley.

A monk with a weakened aura and half his face smashed in appeared before him.

"You guys took too long. I almost died..." Kong Jue said with a hint of complaint.

Zhang Ji fell silent.

He pretty much understood what was going on.

’I’ve been dragged into the background plot.’

’What a coincidence to arrive now.’

The man before him should be Kong Jue, a defector from the Bodhi Xuanxue Research Institute and a Late-stage Golden Core Spirit Cultivator.

He was here to join the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order.

In the future, he would be known as the Ant-Feeding Monk, a truly horrifying figure.

And it was obvious that he had been mistaken for the person from the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order sent to meet Kong Jue.

That’s why Huiji had attacked to kill from the very beginning.

’Wait, the reason Huiji was hunting Kong Jue wasn’t because he defected, but because he stole the Bodhi Seed from the Bodhi Xuanxue Research Institute as an initiation offering.’

’According to the backstory, Kong Jue was supposed to abandon the Bodhi Seed to save his own life this time.’

’But now, the plot seems to have changed...’

Zhang Ji’s gaze fell on the small wooden fish ornament on Kong Jue’s waist. If he remembered correctly, that should be a custom-made Sumeru Space folder. It was equivalent to a portable grotto-heaven, with at least one hundred square meters of space and a built-in Tier Three Spirit-Gathering Array—a high-end item.

’The Bodhi Seed is probably inside.’

Kong Jue seemed to notice Zhang Ji’s gaze. He slapped his waist, and a thumb-sized Bodhi Seed appeared in his palm, which he then tossed to Zhang Ji.

"Take it. Stealing this thing cost me more than half my life. Now, take me to see Aunt Liu," Kong Jue said.

Zhang Ji caught the Bodhi Seed. Looking at the profound Spirit Patterns covering it and feeling his mind suddenly clear, he found the situation was getting interesting.

"Fellow Daoist, you may have misunderstood something. I’m also here to join the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order," Zhang Ji said with a smile.

"What?"

Kong Jue’s expression changed slightly. He was about to try and snatch the Bodhi Seed back from Zhang Ji, but it was too late. With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ji had already stored it in the Ship of Hope.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" Kong Jue growled, his mangled half-face contorted as he gritted his teeth.

Facing a cultivator who could injure his own martial uncle in a direct confrontation and force him to retreat, he couldn’t see any way to get the item back.

How could he have expected something so coincidental to happen here?

Anyone else in his position, encountering a Nascent Soul cultivator who even helped him repel a powerful enemy, would have assumed he was from the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order. They would never have guessed he was from somewhere else.

Hadn’t Huiji made the same mistake?

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked Zhang Ji without a second word.

"You never asked, Fellow Daoist," Zhang Ji said, feigning helplessness.

Kong Jue could only swallow the loss and cursed aloud, "A bunch of scum living in ratholes! How could they mess up an arrangement like this?!"

"And who might you be calling scum, Fellow Daoist Kong Jue?"

Suddenly, an ethereal female voice rang out, cutting off Kong Jue’s cursing.

A woman with features so exquisite she hardly seemed real emerged from the mist, stopping a short distance in front of Zhang Ji and Kong Jue.

She wore a thin, bright red garment that outlined her beautiful figure. One could vaguely glimpse details through the thin fabric, but trying to get a clear look proved impossible.

This now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t appearance was the most alluring.

The Baina Lady, Aunt Liu!

One of the core members of the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order, specifically responsible for recruitment.

An Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Her entire appearance was stitched together from the skin of various beautiful cultivators she had sought out, which was why she looked so exquisite.

If you were good-looking and caught her eye, it was definitely not a good thing.

She possessed a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, the Bone-Piercing Needle. Refined using ancient methods, it was the real deal. A strike from it would not only wound the body but also defile the Divine Soul, inflicting dual-layered pain with lingering negative effects. It guaranteed you would never forget her "kindness" for the rest of your life.

"I was talking about those rogue cultivators, of course! Always killing people and stealing their goods, utterly shameless!" Kong Jue said through gritted teeth.

His words were a subtle double entendre, clearly directed at Zhang Ji as well.

But all he could do was curse. There was nothing else he could do.

If it weren’t for Aunt Liu’s arrival, he wouldn’t have even dared to make such a mild jab.

The law of might makes right was even more direct here than on Origin Star.

On Origin Star, there was at least some semblance of civilization. The powerful cared about their reputation and tried to conceal their more predatory acts.

But here, people devoured others without any pretense. To squeeze out the very last wisp of Spiritual Qi from someone’s body, they wouldn’t even spit out the bones.

The most terrifying part was that this wasn’t even a metaphor!

’Sooner or later, I’ll have to get rid of this monk. He’s the type of person with no bottom line. Whether as a teammate or an opponent, the guy is nauseating. Letting him live and get involved in my affairs will only bring me trouble.’

’Most importantly, I took his Bodhi Seed, his initiation offering. We’re basically enemies now. This monk just lacks the strength and opportunity; otherwise, he’d definitely want to kill me too.’

Aunt Liu sized up Kong Jue and Zhang Ji. She didn’t seem to mind the extra person and simply said, "Both of you, please come with me."

With that, she waved her hand, and an exquisite, dark red shuttlecraft appeared on the ground, its hatch already open.

Kong Jue strode forward and went straight inside.

Zhang Ji followed him in.

Although the shuttlecraft looked to be only about ten meters long from the outside, the interior space was extremely vast, as large as a mansion, and fully furnished.

Aunt Liu also entered the shuttlecraft and activated it.

Through the transparent windows on either side, they could see the scenery rapidly flying by.

Aunt Liu handed Kong Jue a medicinal pill and said, "Take this Healing Spirit Pill for now. Wait until we reach Master Yu Yi’s grotto-heaven for proper healing."

Kong Jue didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the pill and swallowed it, then sat down cross-legged nearby and began circulating his Spiritual Power to refine the pill and heal his injuries.

As for Zhang Ji, Aunt Liu handed him a canned beverage and asked, "May I know how to address you, Fellow Daoist?"

She had actually arrived earlier than Kong Jue thought, and had even witnessed the moment Zhang Ji forced Huiji to retreat.

The reason she hadn’t intervened sooner was, first, she wasn’t completely confident she could repel Huiji herself. Second, she wanted to wait until Kong Jue was pushed to his absolute limit before acting, so as to increase his gratitude toward their organization.

Who would have expected Zhang Ji to show up out of nowhere?

Based on Zhang Ji’s performance, Aunt Liu felt he had to be at least a mid-to-late stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

A cultivator of this level was unlikely to be an undercover agent from another faction.

Not unless those factions’ leaders had their brains scrambled by a Heart Demon.

"Zhang Ji," he replied.

"Where do you come from, Fellow Daoist? And why do you wish to join us?" Aunt Liu asked.

"I am an Ancient Cultivator. During a great calamity long ago, my Sect sealed me within a Spiritual Source. I have only recently escaped, only to find the world has changed completely from what it once was. I found it very difficult to adapt. While browsing the consultation services of Silk Tree Technology on the Spirit Net, the screen suddenly changed, and I saw your promotional message. I learned that you plan to destroy all Spiritual Technology and return the world to its original state of cultivation. This aligns with my own philosophy, so I came to find you..." Zhang Ji explained.

This was the story he had prepared in advance.

No one would believe any other story, and it would be much harder to gain their trust.

’Too many loopholes.’

But saying he was an ancient being sealed away until the present day was plausible.

The predecessor to the Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order was founded by a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator who had also been sealed in a Spiritual Source until recently.

That would be the very "Master Yu Yi" who had recently failed in his attempt to break through to the Tribulation Crossing Stage while in seclusion.

’He was a truly unlucky fellow.’

’Sealed for 300,000 years, he emerges into the End of the Dharma Era, painstakingly gathers a huge pile of Spirit Stones to attempt a breakthrough, only to succumb to Qi deviation and have his body and soul perish.’

Of course, the current Blood and Flesh Ascetic Order would never admit this internally.

They would only blame Master Yu Yi’s death on a conspiracy by the cultivators of the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Floating City.

Then they would continue to delude their followers, strengthening their will to overthrow the rule of the Celestial Dao Alliance.

"I see. That explains it," Aunt Liu said with a nod.

She believed Zhang Ji’s story.

After all, the feeling that Zhang Ji was out of place was too obvious.

He didn’t have a single modern Spiritual Artifact on him, wore a mask on his face, and constantly used a technique to conceal his aura to the point that no Spiritual Power fluctuations could be felt. At a glance, he was the very picture of a reclusive Ancient Cultivator from the Ancient Times who spent long periods hiding and cultivating in a grotto-heaven. His social skills were practically nonexistent, and he was so full of retro elements that he was just short of calling people ants.