Chapter 121: The Collapse of the Nine-Turn Exquisite Pagoda

Fa Mang was becoming restless. "Lei Xiang, say something! Helping me break free is in your best interest as well. After all, you don’t want to be trapped here for the rest of your life, do you? What is your third condition? As long as it isn't too unreasonable, I will agree to it. I can even offer you more benefits—aside from one item within this Nine-Turn Exquisite Pagoda, everything else is yours to pick."

"What is it?"

Fa Mang hesitated for a moment before admitting, "A sarira."

Lei Xiang chuckled inwardly. He had deliberately withheld the third condition to leverage more benefits for himself. Sariras were Buddhist relics, and they held no practical value for him; his cultivation technique, the Refined God Manual, focused on artifact crafting and had no use for such items. Only then did Lei Xiang slowly state his third condition.

"My third condition is for you to help me advance my cultivation. I don’t want to rescue you only for you to go back on your word, leaving me with no means of self-preservation. Although my Immortal-Shooting Spear is powerful—as you have witnessed—there is still a two-stage gap in our cultivation. If I reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, then even if you renege, I can use the spear to hold my own against you."

Fa Mang let out a long sigh. "That is no problem. I know the artifact-crafting techniques you practice; I can provide you with top-quality furnaces. Furthermore, my puppet-forging skills have some common ground with your path, so I can guide you in cultivating the Refined God Manual..."

Ever since Lei Xiang was imprisoned in the Nine-Turn Exquisite Pagoda, Fa Yin’s position had become even more secure. Beyond his daily cultivation, he received the offerings from the faithful, which had pushed his cultivation to the peak of the mid-stage Golden Core realm—he could breakthrough at any moment. Secretly, he commanded eleven organizations, codenamed Tooth-One through Tooth-Eleven, to plunder spirit stones. The wealth he had amassed over the years, if converted into premium spirit stones, numbered in the tens of thousands; his riches were truly beyond compare.

One day, while meditating in his zen room, Fa Yin suddenly opened his eyes. He felt a wave of terror as he sensed the sky, which had been clear only moments ago, becoming thick with dark clouds. Within those dense layers, countless bolts of lightning flickered, and in an instant, multi-colored lightning struck the rear mountain of the Jade Buddha Temple. He knew that location was where the Nine-Turn Exquisite Pagoda stood.

The pilgrims visiting that day watched the phenomenon in shock. The lightning struck frantically, but only at the site of the pagoda; the Jade Buddha Temple, less than a hundred yards away, remained unscathed. Many sighed in relief, believing it to be the protection of the Buddha.

Fa Yin, however, could no longer sit still. Such a celestial anomaly meant either a treasure had appeared or someone was undergoing a tribulation to breakthrough. He knew all too well who was trapped in the pagoda: his senior brother, Fa Mang, who had already been at the late-stage Golden Core Great Perfection years ago. If the seal were broken, Fa Yin’s life would be in jeopardy. Thinking this, his figure flickered and vanished from the room.

The lightning in the sky intensified, and the crowd around the Jade Buddha Temple grew, everyone hoping to get a closer look at this once-in-a-millennium event.

*Boom!*

With a deafening explosion, the onlookers watched in astonishment as the crystalline pagoda, which had appeared years ago, crumbled to dust. The lightning vanished, and the sky cleared. Immediately after, a gray cloth bag flew out, its opening facing downward, spraying a beam of white light. All the shattered fragments of the pagoda were sucked into the bag. The crowd cheered at the spectacle.

In truth, the most excited person was Lei Xiang at the base of the tower. He had broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, triggering the lightning tribulation and successfully shattering the pagoda's seal. Another person was also excited: Fa Mang, who had been trapped for centuries. "Congratulations, Lei Xiang! Quickly, help me break the final bindings."

Lei Xiang tucked away the Universe-One Bag filled with premium crystals, raised his Nine-Nine Immortal-Shooting Spear, and aimed at the crystalline node before Fa Mang. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a shout rang out: "You brat, how dare you!" A large man wearing a bamboo hat appeared beside Lei Xiang. Lei Xiang was startled; his spiritual sense could not detect the man, suggesting the hat had the power to block detection and provide concealment.

"Quickly!" Fa Mang urged from within the formation, simultaneously sending a thought to release three silver-gray crystalline puppets. They swarmed the man in a formation. The man let out a strange howl, a layer of yellow light erupting around his body. With a swift movement, he struck the puppets, and in a single turn, they lay motionless on the ground.

Lei Xiang recognized the hat and deduced this was Fa Yin, Fa Mang’s junior brother. He acted decisively and pulled the trigger. With a soft *puff* and a flash of silver light, a violent explosion erupted at the crystalline node. Amidst the sound of cracking, accompanied by Fa Mang’s wild laughter and Fa Yin’s growl of frustration, the formation was finally destroyed. A bald, fleshy figure leaped out, spat out a beam of gray light, and lunged at Fa Yin. Fa Yin flicked the yellow light in front of him, and the two clashed.

Lei Xiang stood up, retreated over a dozen yards, and watched the brothers fight with a grin. He knew this wasn't a friendly sparring match, but a life-or-death struggle. After watching for a while, he felt he understood the combat patterns of peak Golden Core cultivators and prepared to end it. He now held an Immortal-Shooting Spear in each hand; since his breakthrough, his spiritual energy was enough to fire three shots.

The reactions of the two combatants were starkly different. Fa Mang rejoiced, "Brother Lei Xiang, strike now!" Fa Yin, however, shrieked in despair, "No!..." He wondered how the youth he had framed years ago was still alive and working with Fa Mang. He deeply regretted not finishing him off sooner.

*Snap!* Another white light flashed. *Boom!* A violent explosion followed. Fa Yin’s body was blown away, and even Fa Mang was lifted by the shockwave. A yellow light flashed from within Fa Yin’s hat, wrapping around his Golden Core as he attempted to flee south. At that moment, another white light flashed from Lei Xiang’s hand. *Boom!* Another explosion echoed. Fa Mang’s soul-light and the Golden Core were both shattered. Lei Xiang beckoned to retrieve the hat. Having fired three shots, his spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, but Fa Yin had not expected him to be capable of continuous fire; his death was well-deserved.

Fa Mang flew over, his face filled with sincere gratitude. "Brother Lei Xiang, thank you for your great kindness today. Anything you want in the Jade Buddha Temple is yours. From now on, your business is my business, and your enemies are my enemies..."

Lei Xiang smiled, revealing his small fangs. "Brother Fa Mang, I killed Fa Yin for my own sake as well. He was the one who had me trapped in that pagoda. I will take this hat and Fa Yin’s storage bag; the rest belongs to you and your Jade Buddha Temple."

The hat?

Fa Mang felt a pang of heartache. That was the 'Nine-Tripod Diamond Cover,' a treasure as famous as the pagoda itself. But since Lei Xiang had helped him so much, he decided to gift it to him. With that decided, Fa Mang laughed heartily, "Brother Lei Xiang, what are you saying? This temple is mine, and it is yours too. Come, let us drink and celebrate our freedom!"

"Wait!" Lei Xiang stopped him. "Now is not the time to celebrate. Do you know that Fa Yin organized a thieves' guild? I don't know the name, but I know he had eleven branches, from Tooth-One to Tooth-Eleven. We must eradicate this organization, or your temple’s future is not guaranteed."

Fa Mang’s eyes widened. "Such a thing? No wonder that brat was acting shifty. Very well, you can rest assured. My foundation in this temple is deep. I will have my trusted men investigate and wipe them out completely. Wang Jun! Inform everyone that Fa Yin conspired with thieves and has been executed on the spot. From today, I, Fa Mang, am the abbot again. No one is to leave for the next half-month without my orders. The temple is closed for a month; I will conduct a thorough investigation."

Watching the sturdy monk fly off, Lei Xiang smiled and said, "I will stay in the temple for a while. Please copy the concealment technique for me; I need to cultivate in seclusion. Of course, if you catch the leaders of the Tooth organization, please inform me. I wish to interrogate them myself. I will take my leave now." Having received the jade slip from Fa Mang, he flew toward an isolated peak.