Chapter 683
The Sealed Ruler-Shaped Magic Weapon
"Open it for me!"
"boom--!!!"
Another deafening roar! Although the dark golden lotus platform was made of extraordinary material, how could it withstand Lin Zhu's powerful kick? The entire lotus platform, along with its base, was kicked off the ground and flew up, then slammed heavily into the wall behind it with a dull thud. The lotus petals twisted, the base shattered, and the hidden mechanisms inside were exposed!
Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, the sounds of demolition resumed! And this time, they were even louder than when they kicked the Buddha's throne! In any case, the sounds of dragon roars, Buddhist chants, and energy explosions outside were deafening, so Lin Zhu's little commotion was completely drowned out.
At this moment, Lin Zhu had completely entered "treasure hunting mode".
His movements were bold and unrestrained. Whenever he saw a place that seemed to have a precious light or a special structure, he would either kick it, punch it, or use the God-Slaying Spear as a crowbar!
Wherever it went, it left a trail of destruction: fragments of the Buddha's golden body, the remains of the Bodhisattva's lotus platform, and all sorts of exquisite Buddhist decorations... all reduced to ruins!
Arrogant! Utterly arrogant to the extreme! To wreak havoc and ransack the Great Thunderclap Temple, the highest holy site of Buddhism, is to utterly disrespect the Western Paradise!
However, at this very moment, the Dragon Clan and the Western Paradise were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle outside, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, and the dragon's might and Buddhist light clashing and intertwining in a scene of utter carnage.
The nine true dragons were incredibly powerful, especially the Ink White Dragon Emperor, who put immense pressure on Amitabha Buddha.
The defensive line formed by the three thousand Buddhas is already in grave danger, with Buddhas and Arhats constantly falling and their blood staining Mount Ling.
The attention of the entire Western Paradise was almost entirely drawn to the life-or-death battle outside. Who had the mind or the energy to care whether thieves had broken into the Great Thunderclap Temple or whether they were destroying it?
Just as Lin Zhu was happily demolishing the house and Xi Tian was suffering repeated defeats, a simple and profound Buddhist light, yet filled with a mixture of shock and anger, suddenly shot out from outside Mount Ling and instantly joined the battle!
It was none other than Dipankara Buddha, who had been sent by Tathagata to the Chaos Dojo beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens to report the situation to the Sage of Guidance! He rushed back as fast as he could!
However, upon returning to Mount Ling, Dipankara Buddha was stunned by the sight before him! Nine terrifying ancient dragons were attacking Mount Ling with madness. A large piece of the roof of the Great Thunderclap Temple was missing, the Buddha's light was dim, screams were constant, and the Buddhas of the Western Paradise were suffering heavy casualties. Amitabha Buddha was struggling to hold on!
"What...what happened?! Our house was forcibly demolished?!"
Dipankara Buddha was horrified. He had only gone to deliver a message, how could his home have turned into such a mess?! Why would the Dragon Clan suddenly attack his door, and fight so fiercely?!
But he didn't have time to think it through, nor did he have time to check the situation inside the Great Thunder Temple. He quickly shouted and summoned his natal spirit lamp to join the battle and help Amitabha Buddha resist the attack of the Ink White Dragon Emperor!
As a Buddha of the past, Dipankara Buddha possessed profound cultivation, having already reached the upper level of Quasi-Saint, and his strength was even greater than that of Tathagata! His addition was like injecting a powerful stimulant into the Western Heaven's defense line, which was on the verge of collapse!
Immediately, Amitabha Buddha's pressure was greatly reduced, and the defense of the Western Paradise camp was also slightly stabilized. Although they were still at a disadvantage, the speed of their defeat was slowed down.
"Huh? It seems like they've brought more help from outside? Is the pressure lessening?"
Lin Zhu, who was searching through the ruins of the Buddha's throne, keenly sensed the change in the atmosphere of the battlefield outside.
He secretly extended his divine sense to perceive the situation and discovered that Dipankara Buddha had returned and was fighting against the dragon.
Lin Zhu stroked his chin, looking at the ancient Buddha throne of Dipankara that he had kicked to pieces, and then felt the battle outside that had been slightly prolonged because of Dipankara's involvement. Suddenly, a strange sense of "gratitude" arose in his heart.
"Oh dear, it seems I've misunderstood the Western Paradise."
Lin Zhu nodded solemnly at the air and muttered to himself.
"They're not all hypocrites who only know how to fight amongst themselves. Look at this Dipankara Buddha, he still knows to come back and protect his homeland when it matters."
Although his skills are just so-so, his dedication... well, that deserves recognition! To thank him for giving me more 'treasure hunting time,' I've decided to... more thoroughly 'search' his seat, as a sign of respect!
Having said that, Lin Zhu became even more motivated! He rushed to the hidden compartments exposed by the shattered dark gold lotus base and began to search carefully.
Soon, he found a longsword under a pile of broken metal parts and some kind of special incense ash.
This sword is about three feet long and has an ice-blue color. The blade is not made of metal, but is composed of fine, sharp, and gleaming strange feathers, as if it were the essence of the most primordial wings of some divine bird!
The hilt of the sword resembles a bird's beak. When held in the hand, one can feel an incomparably sharp edge that seems capable of cutting through the void, as well as a faint, arrogance and ferocity belonging to a bird-like demon saint!
Two ancient Dao patterns are naturally engraved on the sword's blade—ice feathers.
"The Ice Feather Sword? This is... the Winged Immortal's natal magic weapon? A top-tier acquired treasure!"
Lin Zhu immediately recognized the origin of the sword. Yu Yi Xian, also known as Dapeng Golden-Winged Eagle, was originally a disciple of the Jie Sect, but later converted to Buddhism and became a disciple of Dipankara Buddha. He was extremely powerful, and his magic weapon was this Ice Feather Sword.
Lin Zhu remembered that Yu Yixian had been killed by some being in the Southern Continent. Unexpectedly, his natal magic weapon flew back to his teacher, Dipankara Buddha, on its own.
What a coincidence!
Lin Zhu sighed and weighed the Ice Feather Sword in his hand.
"When I slaughtered that hairy beast, I didn't have time to take this treasure with me, and I thought it was lost. I didn't expect it to run back to its hometown on its own, and I just happened to run into it again. It seems that this treasure is destined to be mine!"
He happily put away the Ice Feather Sword and then continued searching through the "legacy" of the Dipankara Buddha.
Unfortunately, apart from the sword and some miscellaneous jade slips containing ancient Buddhist cultivation insights that were of little value to Lin Zhu, as well as some special incense and medicine, no other powerful magic weapons or large quantities of merit-accumulating divine water were found.
"Tsk, that old man Ran Deng is even stingier than Lai!"
Lin Zhu muttered a dissatisfied remark.
But this did not dampen his enthusiasm in the slightest. On the contrary, having tasted success, Lin Zhu completely transformed into a highly efficient "demolition and treasure-hunting machine"!
He was no longer satisfied with just finding a seat for the Dipankara Buddha.
His gaze then fell upon the lapis lazuli lotus throne symbolizing the Medicine Buddha, the golden throne symbolizing the future smiling face of Maitreya Buddha, and the exclusive positions of several other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of high status and ancient aura!
"Tear it down! Tear it all down!" Lin Zhu, like a tiger among sheep, launched a frenzied demolition operation within the Great Thunderclap Temple! Wherever he went, whether it was the exquisitely crafted golden lotus throne of the Buddha, the decorative ritual implements inlaid with gemstones and radiating soft Buddhist light, or those seemingly sacred but potentially mysterious murals, reliefs, and lampstands... everything was destroyed and ransacked in the most brutal way!
In an instant, dust filled the air inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, stones flew everywhere, and fragments of precious light and Buddha's light flew together!
The once solemn and magnificent Buddhist temple was quickly transformed beyond recognition by Lin Zhu's "hard work," leaving the ground in a mess with not an inch of intact land. The lotus thrones of Buddha and Bodhisattvas were reduced to broken wood and scorched earth, and the exquisite decorations were reduced to dust.
Under this thorough and destructive "search," Lin Zhu's "harvest" gradually increased.
He retrieved a "Medicine Buddha Glass Bottle," a treasure of acquired spiritual value, from beneath the Medicine Buddha's radiant throne, along with several bottles of high-quality healing pills.
From the hidden compartment of Maitreya Buddha's future golden seat, they found an acquired spiritual treasure called the "Human Race Bag," as well as some incomplete texts on prophecy and causality.
From the disciples of several other ancient Buddhist monks, they also found some decent crafting materials, Buddhist secret medicines, and two reasonably powerful acquired spiritual treasures.
However, the biggest surprise came from even deeper within the ruins of the ancient Buddha's throne! After Lin Zhu had almost completely melted down and disassembled the dark gold metal base, he finally managed to pry out a ruler-shaped magic weapon that was sealed by multiple restrictions at a core node that was extremely hidden and slightly connected to the spiritual mountain's veins!
This ruler has a hazy, indistinct gray color throughout, neither gold nor jade. It is about two feet four inches long and corresponds to the twenty-four solar terms. The ruler does not have many ornate patterns, only markings and fine lines that seem to be naturally formed and subtly conform to the principles of heaven and earth.
It lay quietly in Lin Zhu's hand, yet it exuded a mysterious aura that was ancient, profound, and seemed capable of measuring heaven and earth, determining the universe, and weighing merit and fortune! Its grade had clearly reached the pinnacle of acquired treasures, faintly touching the edge of innate spiritual treasures!
"A measuring ruler for the heavens?!"
A startling light flashed in Lin Zhu's eyes! He recognized this famous magical artifact!
This is one of the signature magical treasures of Dipankara Buddha, possessing boundless power and numerous wondrous uses. It is said to be able to measure the distance between heaven and earth, weigh merits and karmic forces, and even influence the flow of fortune to a certain extent! Its power is absolutely comparable to Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff that stabilizes the sea), and may even surpass it in some aspects. Compared with the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand, they each have their own merits!
However, this measuring ruler was clearly left with an extremely powerful divine soul restriction and a mark of recognition by the ancient Buddha Dipankara. With Lin Zhu's current cultivation level and methods, he simply could not refine and use it in a short period of time.
But does Lin Zhu care? No, he doesn't!
"My darling!"
Lin Zhu stroked the cool body of the measuring ruler with great affection, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Although we can't use it for the time being, 'one cannot leave a treasure mountain empty-handed.' Such a precious treasure, if left in the Western Paradise, might be used by villains to wreak havoc on the Three Realms! As the God of Law Enforcement and Prison, I have a responsibility to temporarily 'keep' it safe until we ascertain its origins and decide what to do next!"
He found himself another plausible excuse, and then without hesitation, put away the measuring ruler. As for the restrictions on it? He'd figure that out later!
Thus, after Lin Zhu's "treasure hunt," which could be described as "plundering the entire place" and "strictly enforcing the law," the interior of the Great Thunderclap Temple was almost turned upside down! What could be dismantled was dismantled, what could be pried open was pried open, and what could be smashed was smashed.
Looking around, all that could be seen was devastation, with broken walls and fragments of various materials scattered everywhere. Where was the solemn appearance of this Buddhist holy site?
Lin Zhu stood in the middle of the ruins, patted the dust off his hands, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm, that's about it. It seems that the 'stolen money and goods' of the Western Paradise have been basically 'confiscated' by me in accordance with the law. This trip is a complete success..."
He was preparing to retire gracefully, taking advantage of the ongoing battle outside to make a quick getaway.
However, just as he turned around, his heel accidentally kicked a small, inconspicuous, dark red agate stone, about the size of a pigeon's egg, that had broken off from a shattered Buddha statue—
"Ding!"
A very faint, yet seemingly spiritually resonant, chirping sound came from the agate stone.
Lin Zhu paused, subconsciously looking down.
As he kicked the dark red agate stone, a faint yet pure golden halo seemed to flash within it. At the same time, an extremely elegant fragrance of lotus and the aura of merit, which cleared his mind and soul, was faintly emanated!
This aura... is somewhat similar to the merit water he previously plundered from Tathagata, but it seems to be more ancient, more refined, and more... closer to the origin?!
Lin Zhu's heart skipped a beat! He immediately bent down and picked up the seemingly ordinary dark red agate stone.
It feels warm and smooth to the touch, with a unique texture.
When he carefully probed a wisp of his magical power into it, he immediately sensed that the inside of this agate stone seemed to contain a small, independent water space filled with endless pure merit and innate vitality! Although the space was not large, the quality of the merit water was more than one level higher than the bottled divine water he had obtained before!
Moreover, this agate stone itself seems to be some kind of... spiritual source? Or perhaps, a crystallized fragment of some higher-level merit power?
A name instantly jumped into Lin Zhu's mind—
Eight Treasures Merit Pool!
This special spiritual object, containing the purest and most primordial power of merit and innate vitality, could only be born in the most core holy land of the Western Paradise, in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, which gathers immeasurable faith, washes away sins, and nurtures Buddhist disciples! This agate is very likely a "Spiritual Source Agate" formed by countless years of sedimentation and condensation in the Merit Pool!
Although it was just a small fragment, its appearance meant...
Lin Zhu suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented surprise! He gripped the dark red agate stone tightly in his hand, as if he had grasped the key to an even greater treasure!
"A fragment of spiritual energy from the Merit Pool?!"
Lin Zhu's heart began to beat faster than usual, and joy once again spread across his face, even more intensely than any previous harvest!
A new and bigger clue has emerged!
Lin Zhu gripped the dark red spirit agate fragment tightly, feeling the aura contained within it that was purer and closer to the origin than the bottled merit water he had obtained before. His brows furrowed slightly as he fell into thought.
He was not a complete novice who knew nothing about the Western Paradise; he had read many Buddhist scriptures in his spare time.
He clearly remembered that, according to the records, the foundation of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, one of the sacred sites of the Western Paradise, was this kind of "spiritual source agate"!
This agate is extraordinary; it is the essence of the earth's veins from the place where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is most concentrated and pure. Under extremely high pressure and a special environment, it took at least ten thousand years of sedimentation, compression, and condensation to form even a small piece. A palm-sized piece of spiritual agate can transform an area of one square meter into a blessed land, overflowing with spiritual energy! (End of Chapter)