A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

The room was pitch black, and Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.

Within the Faxiang Sect, there was a morning bell and an evening drum, but no night watchman's clapper sounded. Duan Rong sat up until late at night, not knowing what time it was.

He suddenly opened his eyes in the darkness, got out of bed, walked to the window, and gently pushed the window open a crack. Looking out through the crack, he saw a waning moon in the clear, black night sky, already somewhat westward.

Judging from the position of the moon, it's already late at night.

Duan Rong closed the window and stood in the darkness. The Ten Thousand Crows Fire Scarf had been tied around his waist the whole time; before this, he had only concealed his dantian. In this way, even under the divine sense probing of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was still a mortal.

Of course, as an unknown craftsman, no Nascent Soul cultivator had investigated him during this period of time.

But tonight, Duan Rong will use the Ten Thousand Crows Fire Scarf to conceal his entire body.

He had already refined the Myriad Crows Fire Scarf. With a thought, the Myriad Crows Fire Scarf tied around his waist began to wriggle, and then a large number of black crows flew out, covering Duan Rong's entire body, including his face and scalp.

In the darkness, these black dots were inconspicuous, but the next moment, the dense black dots covering Duan Rong's entire body suddenly transformed into clusters of tiny flames.

The countless tiny, scattered flames illuminated Duan Rong's face in the darkness, making him look like a demon.

The flame flashed by, melting and disappearing deep within Duan Rong's skin.

In an instant, an extremely intense burning sensation came and went quickly, and Duan Rong let out a long sigh. Now he was concealed by the Ten Thousand Crows Fire Scarf, and under any divine sense probing, he was completely invisible.

Suddenly, Duan Rong flashed, like a ghost, directly passing through the door and standing in the dark corridor.

The entire Craftsmen's Building was deathly silent. Duan Rong stood in the shadows and glanced at a dim lamp at the end of the corridor.

The next moment, he bent over, and several streams of law power surrounded his body, transforming him into a wild cat.

With its black fur and eerie blue eyes, it resembled a ghost of the night.

This kind of illusion would normally be useless against cultivators above the Cave-Penetrating Realm, because they could see the power of laws surging around him at a glance.

However, with the concealment function of the Ten Thousand Crows Fire Scarf, even in the eyes of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he appeared as a black-furred raccoon. This was not an illusion, but a genuine transformation of supernatural power.

The raccoon nimbly darted along the shadows of the corridor and soon emerged from the Craftsmen's Building.

It followed the path, bypassing many buildings, and finally squeezed through the gap between two buildings, revealing a rather desolate place in front of it.

Those caves are located in this desolate place.

Under the cold light of the waning moon, the jagged rocks gleamed with an eerie, desolate beauty.

The black raccoon cat turned its head to determine the direction, then headed towards a certain rocky outcrop. That was the location of the cave formed by the giant mountain statue.

Bathed in the cold moonlight, the raccoon dog moved about, keeping an eye on its surroundings.

The Faxiang Sect does keep some cats and dogs, but since these creatures live in a temple, they are required to eat vegetarian food. They generally don't roam outside at night, so even if Duan Rong transforms into a raccoon dog, he still needs to be very careful.

Soon, it arrived at the rocky area where the giant mountain statue cave was located.

It wandered around the rocks for a while and soon found a cave entrance. The entrance was not very big and was the same size as the entrance to Cave No. 3.

The raccoon squatted there, the cold moonlight shining on its black velvet-like fur, giving it an eerie sheen.

Suddenly, the raccoon opened its mouth, and a surge of power of law erupted out.

The power of the law surged and transformed into a bone flute.

The raccoon suddenly stood up like a human, reached out its paw and grabbed the floating bone flute, then placed it horizontally to its mouth. A melodious and poignant flute melody then drifted into the quiet and eerie night...

If you only listen to the flute music, it is very poignant and beautiful, and it is intoxicating.

But if someone were to see that this beautiful flute music was played by a raccoon dog on a bone flute under such a waning moon, in a desolate mountain rock... wouldn't that send chills down one's spine?
How can a raccoon dog play the flute?

And such moving flute music?
Could it be someone's soul? Or perhaps a demon in disguise?
A raccoon dog playing a flute in the desolate landscape under a waning moon—it's truly eerie!

Not long after the flute music began, Duan Rong felt a powerful divine sense sweep across his location, originating from the depths of the cave.

That time, when Duan Rong was with Tang Xiong, they passed by Cave No. 1 and heard faint chanting coming from inside. Duan Rong knew that the talisman array covering the cave did not block out sound.

If the chanting from inside the cave can be heard from outside, then similarly, if there are sounds outside the cave, then those inside the cave should also be able to hear them.

It was for this reason that Duan Rong used his flute to enter the cave late at night to test the guard's reaction.

Although his divine sense swept across the area, due to the concealment effect of the Ten Thousand Crows Fire Scarf, it only detected emptiness. However, he could still capture the drifting flute music with his divine sense.

Even though there is no space at all, why does the sound of a flute drift from this place?

Duan Rong was betting on the curiosity of the people in the cave. No one could help but be curious about such a strange thing.

And once the guard comes to investigate, he will see something even stranger.

This was a complex and interconnected scheme.

Sure enough, a moment later, Duan Rong noticed a figure standing in the shadows at the cave entrance, scrutinizing him, or more accurately, scrutinizing a raccoon playing a flute.

At this moment, the flute music became even more mournful, and tears even streamed down the raccoon's face.

The person who had been standing in the shadows of the cave finally emerged, standing in the cold moonlight. Looking at the raccoon dog, he demanded, "What kind of demon are you?! Why can't my divine sense detect you?!"

As Duan Rong played his flute, he looked up and saw a monk in a gray-white robe. The monk had a thin face and a tall, upright figure. He was holding a string of prayer beads in his hand, and even now, he was still holding the beads one by one, without stopping.

Duan Rong knew that this was a Buddhist practice, where one kept prayer beads in hand and even recited Buddhist mantras while sleeping. If one could recite until one's mind was completely focused, that would be true meditative concentration.

It seems this monk's cultivation is still insufficient. If he truly possessed meditative concentration, he would remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed. Why then did a wisp of flute music follow him? Clearly, he was moved.

Duan Rong's plan that night was merely a test. If it didn't work, he intended to try another method the next day. But unexpectedly, it struck without hesitation.

"Since you won't speak, I'll kill you!?" the monk suddenly shouted, about to make his move.

Just then, the flute music suddenly stopped, and the monk paused involuntarily.

The raccoon took the bone flute, its deep blue eyes looking at the monk, and actually spoke, saying, "Master, why be so abrupt?"

When the monk saw that the raccoon cat had actually spoken, his pupils contracted even further, and his face turned very ugly.

Just then, a tiny, firefly-like glow suddenly appeared.

The moment that cold light appeared, it shot towards the monk's brow.

The monk's eyes were cold. The Faxiang sect was located in the heart of the Moheyanqi Desert, a place covered in yellow sand. How could there be fireflies here?

The moment the firefly shot towards him, the prayer beads in the monk's hand suddenly shone with golden light.

A golden light struck the firefly that was shooting towards it, and the firefly was extinguished instantly like a candle flame.

As the fire was extinguished, even shattered illusions of divine souls surged forth, only to vanish in a flash!

"A soul illusion?!" The monk looked at the raccoon cat with a cold expression, immediately feeling as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

By the cold moonlight, Duan Rong stared at the prayer beads in the monk's hand. The prayer beads were clearly no ordinary object; it was not surprising that they could extinguish the spots of Mars's light, but what was truly strange was that they could instantly bring to life the illusory realm of the soul contained within them at the very moment of extinguishing the light.

Duan Rong did not hesitate any longer, nor would he give the monk in front of him a chance.

If we lure them out this time and fail to capture them in one fell swoop, it will alert them and make things even more difficult later.

In an instant, Duan Rong had a thought, and suddenly large patches of firefly light appeared around the monk.

The fireflies enveloped the monk in a sea of ​​light, bathing him in a green glow.

The next moment, swarms of fireflies rushed toward the monk.

"How dare you, you fiend?!"

The prayer beads in the monk's hand shone brightly again as he waved them at the fireflies that were rushing towards him. But the fireflies were so numerous that they resembled a sea of ​​light.

By this time, the monk had already decided to retreat, but it was too late.

Several fireflies had already entered his brow.

The next moment, with a thought, Duan Rong caused the dense sea of ​​fireflies to vanish on their own.

At this moment, the monk stood there blankly, his eyes glazed over, like a stone statue.

With a thought, Duan Rong scanned the monk's body, and in a flash, he stood beside him. The instant he stood there, the power of law surged around him, and he transformed from a raccoon into a human form.

He reached out and grabbed a ruler from the monk's lower back.

Duan Rong gripped the array ruler, thinking to himself, "Read the spirit of the artifact."

Then, a data panel shimmering with a faint light appeared. Duan Rong didn't even glance at it, but thought to himself, "Devour."

Then, the data panel collapsed and disappeared.

The spirit within the array ruler only showed some instructions on how to use the talisman array and the array ruler, so Duan Rong didn't even look at the data panel. More importantly, his time was very tight. Staying here for even a moment longer would increase the risk of being exposed, so he had to speed up.

The spirit of that array ruler only contained some knowledge and methods, without much enlightenment. Therefore, with Duan Rong's current spiritual strength, he digested and absorbed it in just a moment.

The moment he finished digesting and absorbing the information, he already knew why these caves were guarded by cultivators at the Cave-Nether Realm. It was because the use of this array ruler required the application of the power of laws.

With a thought, Duan Rong unleashed a burst of law power upon the array ruler. The ruler then transformed into a beam of yellow light, shooting out and striking the entrance to the cave.

In an instant, a screen of light appeared at the cave entrance, rippling like water under the moonlight.

As the array ruler spun rapidly, an opening appeared on the light screen. The opening was small, allowing only one person to pass through at a time.

The moment the opening appeared, Duan Rong had already slipped inside.

The moment he flashed into the cave, he released his full divine sense, which enveloped the entire mountain cave.

Under the influence of divine sense, everything inside the cave was clearly visible.

This cave is breathtaking.

Tang Xiong's description of it as being like the universe is not an exaggeration.

But Duan Rong had no time to spare; he needed to absorb the cultivation technique as quickly as possible and then leave.

In the darkness, Duan Rong's figure flickered, and the next moment, he appeared on the ear of a deity statue.

The statue's ears were enormous, allowing Duan Rong to stand steadily.

He stood there, placing his hand on the statue, thinking to himself, "Reading the spirit."

The next moment, a data panel shimmering with a faint light appeared in the darkness.

Artifact: Painted statue of Acala (Fudō Myō-ō)

Spirit Rank: 19
Absorption Requirements: Host's mental strength is at level 19 (met)

Devouring Effect: 22nd (incomplete) level of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, 23rd (incomplete) level of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, 24th (incomplete) level of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala, 25th (incomplete) level of the Great Vajra Realm Mandala
Despite the time constraints, Duan Rong still glanced at the absorption effect. Within this painted mountain statue were four layers of cultivation techniques, exactly the ones he needed to practice.

"Devour!" A cold glint flashed in Duan Rong's eyes in the darkness.

Only after the data panel in front of him completely collapsed, confirming that the artifact spirit had been devoured, did Duan Rong raise his hand, and with a flicker of his body, he appeared on the shoulder of another statue.

Just over ten breaths later, Duan Rong burst out of the cave. He struck the array ruler on the light screen with a burst of law power. The array ruler trembled and then turned into a ball of yellow light that shot into Duan Rong's hand.

Duan Rong moved swiftly and stood beside the monk, re-inserting the array ruler into his lower back.

Having mastered the technique, he was about to leave when he suddenly noticed the Buddhist prayer beads the monk was holding, illuminated by the cold moonlight.

Although I was quite curious about the prayer beads, I had no time to study them at the moment, and I couldn't take them with me.

He's still in the Faxiang School, carrying such a string of Buddhist beads on him. If he's exposed, wouldn't that be courting death?

Duan Rong's figure blurred, and he shot several feet away. Where he landed, the power of the laws around him surged, and he transformed into a raccoon cat once again, darting swiftly under the cold glow of the waning moon.

The raccoon returned to the Craftsmen's Building. In the shadows of the corridor, a blurry surge appeared around it, revealing Duan Rong's figure.

Duan Rong let out a long sigh in the darkness and then disappeared. The next moment, he appeared in his room. He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of water, and drank it down his throat.

He put down the water glass and suddenly felt very tired; he had been in a state of high tension the whole time. But despite the close call, he had finally obtained the technique.

Not long after Duan Rong returned to his room, the monk who had been standing outside the cave like a wooden chicken suddenly woke up.

Duan Rong didn't kill him. Killing someone within the Faxiang Sect would definitely cause a huge uproar. Although he had been there for a while, he didn't really understand the Faxiang Sect, let alone its true methods.

However, if the investigation continues, he, a newcomer to the sect, could very well become a suspect. Instead of killing him, Duan Rong pondered repeatedly and concluded that giving him a bizarre dream was actually the safest option for him.

The monk stood there, looking at the desolate and lifeless landscape before him.

He touched his face, wondering if he had just been dreaming. But was it really a dream?
The monk was suddenly startled and picked up the prayer beads in his hand. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and a faint golden light floated on the prayer beads. However, within that golden light, one could see that there were quite a few black spots on the prayer beads.

Those black dots are left behind from extinguishing the fireflies.

"Not a dream!?" The monk's face twisted in pain. He immediately took out his array ruler and rushed into the cave. After searching the cave, he confirmed that the four statues were as usual.

A deep sense of confusion involuntarily surfaced in the monk's eyes.

Since the statue is intact and I am unharmed, why did this demon come here?

Was it all just to make fun of me?
Moreover, the Faxiang Sect is a sacred Buddhist site. What kind of monster could possibly pass through the sect's grand formation and arrive at such a secret place as a mountain cave?

Everything seemed absurd and incomprehensible.

But if it was merely a dream, why did so many black spots appear out of nowhere on the prayer beads? Looking at the prayer beads in his hand, he was utterly confused. (End of Chapter)