Chapter 36

When he broke through the second level, it seemed to happen naturally, and everything went smoothly. Qin Sang was originally proud of himself, thinking he was a cultivation genius, but now he couldn't help but start to doubt himself.

Even if he wasn't a genius, he could accept being average, but he couldn't be a fool, right?

He didn't know if this situation was normal, but with no progress for such a long time, his patience was gradually wearing thin, and he couldn't help feeling anxious.

Without his master's guidance, Qin Sang could only figure things out on his own. Since breaking through the second level went so smoothly, but now he was stuck at a bottleneck, could there be other reasons besides the cultivation technique itself?

For example, the medicinal bath.

After the Blood Robe Tower stabilized, Qin Sang had found an opportunity to return to Sanwu City, but he didn't see Jixin Daozhang and Mingyue. It was said that not long after the fire at the Daoist temple, they had given the temple to the disaster victims and left the Great Sui by boat.

Calculating the time, it was exactly when the Prince of Dongyang and the Prince of Zhen Shui raised their banners in rebellion.

Unable to find Jixin Daozhang, Qin Sang had to think of other ways. He had also gathered a few formulas for consolidating the foundation and nurturing the essence at the Blood Robe Tower, but unfortunately, they were not as effective as the medicinal bath.

Suddenly, the courtyard gate was knocked on.

Water Monkey said softly from outside, "Hall Master, General Zhou has arrived."

Qin Sang's face lit up with joy, and he quickly got up to tidy his clothes, shouting, "Please him in quickly!"

Not long after, Water Monkey led a middle-aged man in armor into the room. The man walked up to Qin Sang and bowed, "This humble soldier, Zhou Mingguang, pays respects to Mr. Qin!"

On the surface, Qin Sang was a strategist for the Princess of Dongyang, without any official position, and people outside the Blood Robe Tower called him Mr. Qin.

Qin Sang extended his hand to support Zhou Mingguang, glanced at him, and smiled, "General Zhou, we are old acquaintances, no need for such formalities. I am deeply grateful for your trouble in coming to Hunwu County, and I am worried about delaying the military affairs of the Inspector General."

Zhou Mingguang was a confidant of General Mu. Two months ago, when Ning County fell, Qin Sang had met him once.

General Mu had broken through Ning County without losing a single soldier, earning great merit. With the Princess's recommendation, he was promoted to the Right Inspector General of the Brave Camp. Zhou Mingguang, riding on his success, became a General of the Crossbow Corps, commanding the crossbow soldiers.

Qin Sang was also officially promoted to the Hall Master of the Blood Robe Tower, though the official documents had not yet arrived.

The only thing that annoyed Qin Sang was that Wang Liu, who had delayed military affairs, not only escaped punishment but also picked up a big reward during the attack on Jiangzhou, and was now the Right Inspector General of the Xuanwei Camp.

"I dare not!"

Zhou Mingguang had personally witnessed the hellish scene at Chu Dazhuang's residence and treated Qin Sang with utmost respect, "Mr. Qin, the Inspector General has entrusted me to greet you. The Inspector General originally wanted to come and pay his respects in person, but due to urgent military affairs, he had to lead his troops to the Northern Bottle State. However, the Inspector General has entrusted the Crossbow Corps under his command to me, with five hundred divine crossbows at your disposal!"

"Excellent!"

Qin Sang clapped his hands, his face beaming with joy. He had shared most of the military achievements with General Mu and had stayed in Hunwu County for so long, all for these crossbow soldiers.

His goal, of course, was the Xuanji Temple in Hunwu County!

After learning from Yuanjue Shangren that the Xuanji Temple contained the legacy of a cultivator, Qin Sang had been thinking about how to get his hands on it.

His lightness skills were not as good as those of the top martial artists, and he couldn't sneak into the Xuanji Temple silently. Although Yuanjue Shangren was dead, the Xuanji Temple still had innate experts and countless top-notch martial artists.

Of course, he could use the power of Yan Wang to kill quietly, but the Xuanji Temple was known as a holy site in the Great Sui, and if the news of the high monks' demise spread, it would cause a great stir throughout the Great Sui.

The Great Sui was watched over by Immortal Masters.

After much consideration, he decided that using secular power was the most stable approach. Facing five hundred divine crossbows, even the abbot of the Xuanji Temple would not dare to act recklessly, unless he wanted the temple to be destroyed.

Hearing that Qin Sang's target was the Xuanji Temple, Zhou Mingguang looked troubled, "Mr. Qin, I have heard that the Xuanji Temple has innate experts. With just five hundred crossbow soldiers, it might be... difficult."

"General Zhou, there's no need to worry!"

Qin Sang said confidently, "If the innate experts dare to kill, I will deal with them. The only concern is that the monks of the Xuanji Temple are rebellious and still loyal to the false emperor, refusing to submit to the king. That's why we need General Zhou to bring troops to intimidate them. If they recognize their faults and accept punishment, the prince does not wish to exterminate them... I have already prepared wine and meat to reward the soldiers. We will set out early tomorrow to avoid delaying the march. After the mission is accomplished, Qin Sang will certainly offer a generous reward."

"I obey your command!"

...

The next morning, Qin Sang led the Blood Robe Tower personnel to meet with Zhou Mingguang. After a quick meal, they marched swiftly and by noon, they had arrived at the mountain gate of the Xuanji Temple.

Ancient temples are hidden in the deep mountains.

The mountain wind rustled through the dense forest.

The path up the mountain was paved with half-step-wide green stone slabs, from the foot of the mountain to the temple gate, wide enough for five horses to walk side by side.

Xuanji Temple.

The three powerful characters exuded an ancient and solemn aura.

Two stone lions at the temple gate glared fiercely, their eyes fixed on the path.

Leaves fluttered down the high steps, and not a single monk was in sight. The two massive red doors were tightly closed, and inside, there was complete silence.

The autumn wind was bleak.

In front of the temple gate, there was a large, flat area. Qin Sang, dressed in ordinary soldier's armor, looked up at this holy site of the martial world, his gaze passing over the high outer walls to see the eaves and corners inside.

He could hear the tense breathing from inside the Xuanji Temple.

Zhou Mingguang waved his hand, and a series of footsteps followed. Over a thousand soldiers spread out in formation, and five hundred divine crossbows were drawn, their arrows pointed at the red doors.

Zhou Mingguang looked at Qin Sang, who nodded slightly.

"Change to fire arrows!"

Zhou Mingguang shouted, and just as he finished speaking, a deep and resonant Buddhist chant suddenly came from inside the Xuanji Temple.

"Wait!"

Then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from inside the Xuanji Temple, and the red doors were pushed open. A monk with a ruddy complexion and white eyebrows and beard stepped out first.

Behind him, a group of monks followed in a line, their faces filled with anger, holding staffs and pointing them at the soldiers.

Seeing the monk's robe, Qin Sang realized this must be the abbot of the Xuanji Temple, Abbot Yuanzhen, the junior brother of Yuanjue Shangren and one of the most respected figures in the martial world of the Great Sui.

"Amitabha."

Abbot Yuanzhen's eyes were filled with sorrow as he scanned the scene and focused on Zhou Mingguang, asking in a solemn voice, "I am Abbot Yuanzhen. May I ask the general's name?"

Zhou Mingguang replied in a deep voice, "I am Zhou Mingguang, a humble general under the prince."

Abbot Yuanzhen nodded, then his expression turned stern as he asked, "General Zhou, the Xuanji Temple is a place of monks who have always been compassionate, living with ancient lamps and Buddha statues, and not involving themselves in secular affairs. What crime have we committed to deserve such a large-scale military action?"

"Living with ancient lamps and Buddha statues?"

Zhou Mingguang's face was filled with ridicule as he laughed, "The monk soldiers who helped the false emperor defend Duling County and slaughtered countless soldiers of the Dongyang Principality, could they be from another temple?"

Abbot Yuanzhen's expression did not change as he countered, "General Zhou, you may not know, but those monk soldiers only learned their skills at the Xuanji Temple. After leaving the mountain, they have no connection with the Xuanji Temple. The reasons for this have already been explained to the prince, and you can ask him for confirmation."