Chapter 1693
Chapter 1693 (Raw 1705):
Yang Qing put away the White Jasmine Flower petals. She did not dare to consume them directly as carefreely Xiao Chen had.
Firstly, doing so would be a waste. Secondly, Yang Qing could not digest them so quickly.
Xiao Chen was different. He possessed a Great Desolate Eon bloodline. His physique had also reached the level of a Major Primal Core Venerate already.
After he consumed the three White Jasmine Flower petals, the Taiji diagram in his dantian grew larger by twenty percent.
The effect on his cultivation was not particularly good. Xiao Chen felt that his cultivation increased by only twenty percent.
This was much weaker than the legendary increase of ten years' worth of cultivation. Much of this was due to Xiao Chen's cultivation bottleneck.
However, the White Jasmine Flower's effect of compressing and condensing Veritable Essence Energy was extremely obvious. That Taiji diagram became even more realistic.
The Yang Essence Energy and Yin Essence Energy moved slowly in Xiao Chen's body, shining faintly. He felt replete with energy.
The Life Juice Source had cleansed Xiao Chen's physical body, strengthening his physique. The White Jasmine Flower improved his cultivation and purified his Veritable Essence Energy. These two complemented each other well—one inside and one outside—bringing him boundless benefits.
Obtaining this White Jasmine Flower before breaking through to the Primal Core Realm was a godsend for Xiao Chen.
Once he broke through, the inside and outside would complement each other, allowing his strength to improve further.
Aside from this, he also discovered another effect. His Buddha-like heart became much stronger after consuming the petals.
The White Jasmine Flower truly had boundless wondrous uses, astonishingly so.
"Ah!"
Just at this moment, a miserable cry pulled Xiao Chen and Yang Qing's attention.
The two saw fifty Bloodthirsty Macaques grabbing a young man in the forest, five hundred meters from the path. He ended up in a bitter battle.
That person got careless, and the Bloodthirsty Macaques bit him. Blood spurted out of his wounds.
"Quick! Quick! Quickly go and save Senior Brother Ma!"
That young man's companions waiting at the path charged out immediately to help him. Those two people were not slow. However, by the time they rushed over, that Senior Brother Ma already fainted. He was pale, and teeth marks dotted his body.
That Senior Brother Ma held a White Jasmine Flower in his hand. The two rescuers appeared rather sad.
This harvest was somewhat not worth the cost. They obtained one White Jasmine Flower, but it resulted in the strongest of the three, that Senior Brother Ma, ending up half dead, losing his chance to continue searching for fortuitous encounters.
More importantly, the injuries of that Senior Brother Ma were not something that would heal easily.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, something strange happened. An earthshaking roar came from the depths of the jungle as countless large trees were uprooted.
An enormous, thirty-odd-meter-tall black ape appeared, snarling.
"Be careful!"
"It's a Major Primal Core ferocious beast, the Black Iron Demon Ape!"
Those two cultivators were late-stage Minor Primal Core cultivators. It would be rather difficult for them to face this Black Iron Demon Ape, so they quickly took the initiative to attack it using Martial Techniques.
However, the skin of that Black Iron Demon Ape was as hard as iron. The attacks of the two did not break its defenses at all.
"Pu ci!"
A spiritual light appeared in the Black Iron Demon Ape's scarlet eyes as it swung two mountain-like palms, smacking the two away.
The beast then snatched the White Jasmine Flower in the unconscious man's hand and trampled him to death.
Finally, the surviving two fled to the path and could only watch as that White Jasmine Flower was carried far away.
Clearly, not just anyone could try to obtain benefits from the jungle and succeed.
There were Buddhism's five trees and six flowers, as well as many other herbs. The White Jasmine Flower was just one of them.
However, it was not easy to obtain these things safely.
Only true experts would be able to reap some benefits. This was the principle throughout the Fiendish Demon Battlefield.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Xiao Chen entered deep thought. The environment in the jungle was very complicated. Going in to explore was just too risky.
Even a Major Primal Core Venerate could only try their Luck outside, to see if they could discover these rare plants among the trees by the path.
However, to Xiao Chen, this place was simply too interesting. The Buddhist Śarīra Pearls served as a cheating device.
As he walked up the path to the Buddha Seeking Platform at the summit, his harvest far surpassed the total of what everyone else collected.
As Xiao Chen proceeded, he occasionally felt a warmth on his wrist. Then, he would reveal a smile and charge into the trees.
Xiao Chen was different from those who had to take a risk and explore the jungle to search. He only needed to rely on his feelings to find his target.
"Whoosh!"
After a while, Xiao Chen returned once more with a White Jasmine Flower.
"A White Jasmine Flower!"
"It's him again. Where is he from?!"
After Xiao Chen easily collected another White Jasmine Flower, the eyes of the disciples from other sects on the path, busily searching for herbs, went green with envy.
However, Xiao Chen did not care. He carefreely swallowed three petals and left the remaining two to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing shook her head, refusing, "I did not contribute to obtaining this White Jasmine Flower. I don't want it."
Xiao Chen smiled and insisted, "Take it. This is just the start."
After saying that, he shoved the petals to Yang Qing.
Following that, the two seemed like they were taking a stroll on the mountain path. However, Xiao Chen would easily obtain a rare plant every few moments.
This formed a very stark contrast to the anxious expressions of other people.
Aside from the White Jasmine Flower, Xiao Chen kept collecting all sorts of rare Buddhist plants. This could be said to be a rewarding journey for him. Of course, he focused on the White Jasmine Flower.
This rare flower would melt in the mouth and continuously purify his Veritable Essence Energy.
As Xiao Chen consumed more, he felt the effects becoming increasingly obvious. As his Veritable Essence Energy continuously underwent cleansing, it became clear and crystalline. The impurities were slowly removed.
A strange and very pungent odor wafted from his body due to the impurities washed out from the Veritable Essence Energy.
Fortunately, when a strong wind blew, the strange odor disappeared. Otherwise, he would have been somewhat embarrassed.
The more joyous thing for Xiao Chen was that his Buddha-like heart improved as well. The Buddhist light remained withdrawn on his forehead, but his aura became increasingly refined. If not for Xiao Chen's long hair fluttering in the wind, people might even mistake him for a temple monk.
As Yang Qing observed Xiao Chen's changes, she muttered to herself in confusion.
"What a fellow! He is just a half-step Primal Core Veritable Personage. To think that he monopolized eighty percent of the rare plants on this Buddha Seeking Mountain!"
"This Buddha Seeking Mountain has always been our exclusive domain!"
Four or five bald monks gathered together.
As these monks saw Xiao Chen's burgeoning harvest, their dissatisfaction deepened. They glared at Xiao Chen's and Yang Qing's figures, rage flashing in their minds.
Cultivating Buddhism did not make people kind individuals. To many, it was just a means of growing stronger.
One could cultivate a Buddhist sect's Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques without following all of its disciplines and commandments.
The cultivation of the Buddhist sects depended on beneficence, aspirations, and incense.
The monks who cultivated aspirations and incense suffered from fewer restrictions than the monks who cultivated beneficence.
The reason was easy to understand. If these monks were a group of otherworldly ascetics, they would not be able to survive in this world where the law of the jungle reigned.
"Senior Brother Yan Feng, you are a disciple of the Profound Light Temple, which is no weaker than that Purple Flame Sect. That fellow relies mainly on his swift Movement Technique and strong physical body. Coincidentally, Senior Brother Yan Feng cultivates the Major Shifting Movement Technique and the Indestructible Iron Body, which completely counters him," a monk from a Rank 3 temple suggested.
The moment this was said, the other monks all nodded and expressed their agreement.
No matter where one was, a Rank 4 sect posed a very strong threat. If such a sect came to settle accounts with these monks later, the temples they were in would not be able to bear the pressure.
As the largest temple of the Potala Mountain, the Profound Light Temple was different. It would not fear the Purple Flame Sect at all.
"Alright! I'll go test him out. We can't just keep watching as he cuts us off from our fortuitous encounters."
A sharp light flashed in the eyes of the yellow-faced monk known as Yan Feng as he decided.
By this point, Xiao Chen had already traveled two-thirds of the mountain path. His harvest was plentiful, well worth the trip.
He had been in the Fiendish Demon Battlefield for only a little more than a day. His current harvest could be said to rank among the top.
If he had gone to the Ten Thousand Weapon Pavilion, the Ten Thousand Book Library, or the Ten Thousand Flower Garden, he would not have gained such a harvest. It could only be said that he chose the right place by opting for the Buddha Seeking Platform.
Just as Xiao Chen collected another White Jasmine Flower and prepared to leave the jungle, a strong Buddhist Might suddenly appeared on the path. This Buddhist Might merged with the strong wind, containing the rage of a guardian deity, trying to force him back.
However, there were several Bloodthirsty Macaques behind.
"Where did this Buddhist sect evil monk come from?" Xiao Chen showed rage on his face. This was trying to push him into a dead end.