Chapter 1741 - 1738: Heavenly Dao Stele
Hell Monk?
Hearing Li Chen suddenly mention this familiar yet unfamiliar name, Master Jingkong stood frozen on the spot.
Mo Zhan and Li Mengjiao also immediately turned their eyes towards Master Jingkong to see his response.
They naturally also knew who the Hell Monk referred to.
After a moment of silence, Master Jingkong answered truthfully.
"If I remember correctly, the Hell Monk should be my junior apprentice brother Jinghua. Unfortunately, he fell into the Demon Path, slaughtered hundreds of beings, and even stole our Fantian Temple’s treasured artifact, the Fantian Relics!"
Using concise language, after answering Li Chen’s question, Master Jingkong lifted his head and stared straight at Li Chen.
"I wonder why Master Li asks such a question?"
Li Chen smiled calmly and said, "Nothing much, I have seen the Hell Monk in Wuyu!"
Upon hearing this, Master Jingkong couldn’t help but hastily ask, "Oh, then where is my apprentice brother?"
Li Chen pointed to the ground and said, "He has already been killed by me!"
Hearing Li Chen’s words, Master Jingkong visibly paused.
Soon after, he clasped his hands together and silently chanted two verses of sutras for absolution.
"Amitabha Buddha. My apprentice brother entered the Demon Path, which leads to this outcome. It is destiny, but it is miserable for the hundreds of beings he harmed!"
After a moment of compassion, Master Jingkong asked again, "Since my apprentice brother was killed by Master Li, the Fantian Relics on him must also be with Master Li?"
Li Chen nodded, responding very straightforwardly, "Of course!"
Master Jingkong was slightly startled by Li Chen’s candid answer.
"Since this is the case, the Fantian Relics are the relics formed from the body of Fantian Old Ancestor at the time of his nirvana. They are a treasured artifact of our Fantian Temple. I wonder if Master Li could return them, our Fantian Temple would offer a generous reward!"
Li Chen smiled slightly and said, "That’s only natural, but before that, I have one request. As long as the mage agrees, these Fantian Relics will be offered promptly!"
After speaking, to demonstrate his sincerity, Li Chen intentionally took out the Fantian Relics and waved them twice before Master Jingkong.
Seeing that it was truly the treasured artifact of their Fantian Temple, the Fantian Relics, Master Jingkong couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
However, he quickly calmed his emotions.
These Fantian Relics are not only a symbol of their Fantian Temple but also an extremely rare Magical Treasure.
To have Li Chen offer such a valuable Magical Treasure as a bargaining chip, the request he makes surely will not be low, perhaps exceeding Jingkong’s capacity.
With this in mind, Master Jingkong clasped his hands together once again and said, "I wonder what request Master Li wishes to make. As long as this humble monk can accomplish it, I will certainly fulfill it!"
Li Chen smiled slightly and said, "It’s very simple, I heard your temple has a Nameless Heavenly Stele. I wish to observe it for a while; I wonder if that is possible?"
Upon hearing Li Chen’s request, Master Jingkong’s expression changed considerably.
The Nameless Heavenly Stele is the greatest secret of their Fantian Temple.
In their temple, the number of people aware of its existence is less than ten.
Even the Hell Monk, their apprentice brother Jinghua, is utterly unaware.
At the same time, Mo Zhan and Li Mengjiao looked at Li Chen and Master Jingkong with astonishment in their eyes.
From Li Chen’s questioning and Master Jingkong’s reaction.
It seems extremely likely that there is truly a Nameless Stele in Fantian Temple.
However, as for its significance, they remain clueless.
After a long time, Master Jingkong tentatively asked, "Indeed, our Fantian Temple does have a Nameless Stele, obtained by my ancestor Fantian Old Ancestor by chance. Few disciples are aware of this, may I ask how Master Li knows?"
Li Chen smiled slightly and casually asked, "If I say the Hell Monk told me, would you believe it?"
Upon hearing Li Chen’s words, Master Jingkong fell into silence.
He was somewhat skeptical of Li Chen’s statement.
Openly, his junior apprentice brother Jinghua couldn’t possibly know about the Nameless Stele’s existence.
But who knows whether he secretly uncovered this secret long ago?
At a life-and-death moment, revealing some crucial information to Li Chen to save his life isn’t impossible.
In fact, it wasn’t as Master Jingkong imagined.
He learned of the Fantian Temple’s Nameless Stele, not from the Hell Monk, but from the Sword Stele of Alcohol Sword Immortal Li Mubai.
In reality, such Nameless Steles, there are five of them altogether.
Moreover, the Stele is not of the Heavenly Domain but fell from a higher Plane.
Similar to the Heavenly Mechanism Stone.
However, the Heavenly Dao Laws on it far surpass those of the Heavenly Mechanism Stone.
Originally, it was one complete Stele, but during its descent, it was fragmented into five parts, each landing in a different place.
One of these pieces was obtained by Alcohol Sword Immortal Li Mubai by chance.
Which was the ancient Sword Stele he left in this central hall!
He meticulously researched the Heavenly Dao Laws on it, which earned him the title of the top expert of the Heavenly Domain Clan.
Unfortunately, with just one fragment beneath the incomplete Heavenly Dao, he couldn’t surpass the limits of life and death to ascend to higher Planes, and thus died with regret.
Aside from Li Mubai’s fragment, another piece was the Nameless Stele at Fantian Temple, once obtained by Fantian Old Ancestor.
As for the other three, he has no clue as to their whereabouts and can only search for them one by one.
However, he believes as long as he’s within the Heavenly Domain, he will find all five pieces, reassemble them, and have the opportunity to explore the Heavenly Dao further.
Seeing Master Jingkong lost in thought, Li Chen asked with a kind smile, "Master, have you made your decision?"
Upon hearing Li Chen’s inquiry again, Master Jingkong clasped his hands together once more and said, "Amitabha Buddha, this is a matter of great importance that I cannot decide; I hope Master Li can grant me a few days to report back to my master and give you an answer later!"
Master Jingkong’s response was within Li Chen’s expectations.
He casually tossed over the Dragon Subduing Staff and a Storage Ring he obtained from the ancient Buddhist temple.
Holding the Dragon Subduing Staff and Storage Ring, Master Jingkong was momentarily confused, staring blankly at Li Chen.
At this moment, he was utterly perplexed, not understanding what Li Chen intended.
Li Chen pointed at the Dragon Subduing Staff and said, "This item I randomly obtained under a deserted ancient temple. It should be a relic of a senior monk from your Fantian Temple, now returned to its rightful owner."
"As for the Storage Ring, it’s what I retrieved from the Hell Monk, also to be returned to its rightful place!"
Saying this, Li Chen smiled kindly and added, "This also serves to show my sincerity. If your temple agrees to my proposal, the Fantian Relics will be returned immediately. Otherwise..."
Mid-sentence, Li Chen intentionally left words unsaid, gazing at Master Jingkong with deep meaning in his eyes.
Master Jingkong understood the implication of Li Chen’s words. Furthermore, Li Chen, without requiring any promise, proactively returning the Dragon Subduing Staff and the Storage Ring of his junior apprentice brother Jinghua, indeed demonstrated enough sincerity.
With this realization, he clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully to Li Chen.
"Very well, I will certainly report Master Li’s words to my master and provide you a prompt reply!"