Xian Qing'er's expression changed drastically. In an instant her face twisted into something hideous and grotesque. The little girl's body began to swell, and from her lower half came a series of chi-chi-chi cracking sounds. Jagged, bony legs pierced through her skirt and stabbed into the ground with metallic clacks, her body growing thick and long—like a giant centipede made entirely of bones!
From her upper back rose layers of bone armor, arching her spine upward. Several skeletal arms unfurled, each finger ending in razor-sharp bony talons!
Behind her head sprouted curved bone spurs like twisted deer antlers. Her face was ridged and sunken, indescribably terrifying. From her mouth burst a shrill, piercing shriek—like countless women screaming themselves hoarse all at once as she screeched:"You—get in here!"
Qin Mu looked up at the bone-covered woman-centipede, surprise flashing across his face. He shook his head."No."
The monster inside the temple let out furious, rasping roars. Its many legs skittered rapidly across the floor as it circled the temple again and again. Suddenly it lunged toward the ancient temple gate—but at that moment came a loud clattering sound. The entire oasis trembled as enormous chains swung violently.
Qin Mu quickly looked over. One end of those chains sank into the river, coiled tightly around the golden Buddha inside the temple, while the other end was shackled to the monster itself.
Large golden rings were embedded in the creature's body, and the chains were hooked through them. Each time she tried to rush out the temple gate, the chains yanked her back.
The monster clawed and snapped wildly, but she could not move even half a step beyond the threshold.
Qin Mu sat down calmly, resumed his breathing practice, and continued cultivating the Overlord Body Three Elixir Art, restoring his strength.
After some time, the creature quieted. Unable to break free, she abruptly turned around and rushed at the golden Buddha, shrieking:"Damn bald donkey! You trapped me here! Are you trying to starve me to death? This brat didn't offer incense—why won't you let me eat him?"
She slammed into the statue, but the Buddha remained unmoving. Enraged, she skittered around it in circles, knocking over the many human skeletons piled behind it.
Qin Mu glanced back and felt a chill in his heart—those bones were all human remains. Countless people must have died in this shabby little temple.
After a while, the monster quieted again. She carefully picked up each bone and returned them to their place behind the Buddha, then glared through bloodshot eyes at Qin Mu outside the temple.
"Bald donkey… a meal delivered right to your door… right to your door…"
She slithered back to the entrance, staring at the back of Qin Mu's head, drool flowing down like a small stream.
Soon after, she transformed again into the little girl Xian Qing'er, her clothing half undone. She giggled sweetly,"Young man, come play shameful games with me—"
But Qin Mu had excellent self-control. He ignored her completely. At last he restored his strength, his vital energy returning to its peak. After this day of arduous training, he felt his cultivation had grown significantly.
A thought stirred in his heart. He gathered his qi, recited the demonic chant, and once again struck at the barrier of the Spirit Embryo.
"Qi-ke-duo, Sa-moye, Prajna Prajna Sa-moye, Qi-ke-duo Prajna Sa-moye…"
The moment his vital energy surged toward the Spirit Embryo barrier, the temple shook with thunderous rumbling. Strange patterns beneath the golden Buddha's gilded surface began to glow with streams of crimson light beneath the gold leaf, and even the gold itself shone brilliantly!
Boom—!
Amid the violent tremors, the originally gold-plated bronze Buddha opened its eyes. A majestic, boundless pressure erupted outward. A thunderous voice filled Qin Mu's ears:"Demon spawn! How dare you blaspheme before me, chanting the True Words of a devil god! I shall subdue you with the True Words of Buddhism!"
The monster's face twisted in terror. The Buddha statue lifted its hand, tugged the chains, and dragged her helplessly forward until she was pulled right to its feet.
Thud.
The monster collapsed, forced to kneel by the Buddha's unbearable pressure, unable to move.
"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum! Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum! Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum…"
The golden Buddha chanted, its voice resonating like a true Buddha reciting divine scripture. The monster writhed in agony, the Buddhist sound crushing her soul.
Outside the temple, Qin Mu felt his mind thrown into chaos by the Buddha's chant. Yet at that moment, his vital energy struck the Spirit Embryo barrier—just as a celestial chant echoed from beyond the Nine Heavens, like gods reciting scripture from the vault of the sky.
The divine chant clashed with the Buddha's voice, amplifying itself and counterbalancing the pressure on Qin Mu.
"A perfect chance!"
Without hesitation, Qin Mu raised his voice and recited the demonic chant:
"Qi-ke-duo Sa-moye, Prajna Prajna Sa-moye, Qi-ke-duo Prajna Sa-moye!"
Inside the temple, the Buddha's voice boomed:"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum!"
At the same time, the divine chant from Qin Mu's brow grew louder:"Guan, Ming, Duan, Jing, Wu, Si, Jiang, You!Tian, Shi, Dui, Xi, Wei, Ling, Nu!"
All three chants overlapped.The obstacle before the Spirit Embryo barrier disappeared!
Qin Mu gathered all his strength, driving the Overlord Body Three Elixir Art, and hurled his vital energy against the barrier—
Crash—!
The river roared, waves splitting the banks. At the moment the waves smashed upon the shore, the barrier of Qin Mu's Spirit Embryo shattered with a deafening crack! His boundless vital energy surged into the Spirit Embryo divine treasury!
Then an even more terrifying torrent of qi erupted from within that treasury, flooding through all his limbs and bones— even his hair stood on end, charged with surging power!
The Spirit Embryo barrier—gone!He had broken through!
Qin Mu froze for a moment, then stopped chanting. The divine chant faded instantly. Inside the temple, the Buddha's voice ceased as well. The statue returned to stillness. The monster beneath it lay motionless, tormented nearly to death by the Buddhist sound.
Between Qin Mu's brows, the invisible wall that had blocked the Spirit Embryo all this time had finally vanished. The Spirit Embryo divine treasury now lay open, without any obstruction.
"I… I actually broke through?"
Unable to restrain his joy, Qin Mu cheered loudly in front of the temple.
He had drunk countless portions of the Four-Spirit Blood without awakening the Overlord Body. Yet now—thanks to the clash of demonic, Buddhist, and divine chants—he broke through by sheer coincidence. His small chest swelled with immense pride.
After calming down, Qin Mu thought,"The Spirit Embryo has opened. Since it's a divine treasury, surely a god must have left me some treasure…"
He closed his eyes and "saw" radiant gold between his brows. His consciousness cautiously entered the mysterious treasury.
There he found a strange space overflowing with brilliant golden light, like an ancient and sacred paradise.
His consciousness drifted through this ocean of light, bathed in its glow, feeling utterly comfortable.
He flew through the golden sea for what felt like a long time, finding nothing.
"Isn't this supposed to be the Spirit Embryo divine treasury? Why is there nothing here? Did the god take the treasure back?"
Puzzled, Qin Mu searched further.
Suddenly, he 발견 a stone statue standing alone in the sea of light—strange and out of place.
"A stone statue inside my Spirit Embryo? Is this the divine treasure?"
He circled it curiously. Up close, he realized the "stone" wasn't stone—nor was it jade. It was something translucent, neither hard nor soft.
Most strangely—the statue looked a bit like him.Except younger—like a two- or three-year-old version of Qin Mu.
"My statue is inside my divine treasury? Did a god carve a likeness of me and hide it here?"
Confused, Qin Mu reached out with his consciousness and lightly touched it—and immediately lost control.
His consciousness was sucked into the statue!