Chapter 402: An Ancient Scripture

The demonic rooster strutted forward, eagerly anticipating the centipede carcass. Just as it was about to take a bite, the ginseng, with a swift flick of its roots, snatched the body away. It tore off a tiny piece and tossed it to the rooster.

"This is potent stuff. You can't swallow it all at once. I'll keep the rest for you and give you a little bit every so often."

The ginseng expertly stored the centipede carcass.

Cluck! Cluck!

The demonic rooster protested, deeply dissatisfied. Damn it, is this something a ginseng should be doing? It looked at Lin Fan with pleading eyes, hoping the magnificent human would speak up for it.

However…

"The ginseng has a point. It's good that it's keeping it. You can have a little bit later."

The demonic rooster despaired. It knew no one could help it now. Lowering its head, it looked at the tiny fragments of the carcass on the ground and reluctantly swallowed them.

Moments after swallowing, the demonic rooster felt a surge of power within its body. If it could speak, it would have shouted, "I'm overflowing with power! I'm going to explode!"

The eighth-level demonic hero rooster had arrived.

Its aura had slightly improved.

It looked a bit more imposing.

Long Shen hadn't left. He felt something was off about this temple. Although Pudu Cihang's strength was somewhat weak, this wasn't his temple, so he couldn't assume there were no treasures just because the resident deity was weak.

So far, he hadn't found anything good, but this group was still searching. He'd wait and see what they found, and then ask for a share. Surely, that wouldn't be too much to ask.

Lin Fan's goal of having an intense battle with strong opponents had been fulfilled. He was satisfied and wanted to return.

One-Eyed Man hurriedly waved, asking Lin Fan to wait. They wanted to search the temple thoroughly and uncover its hidden secrets. They were among the first to arrive, and leaving now would only benefit those who came later.

Lin Fan and Old Zhang stayed in the temple, chatting idly. Long Shen's thoughts were on a completely different track, making it difficult for him to join their conversation.

To be honest, he felt there was something strange about them, but their strength was undeniable. If there truly was a problem, they wouldn't have reached such a realm. With such a powerful individual on this planet, those arrogant star races were probably in for some trouble.

He knew this but didn't want to tell them. It would be good for them to suffer a bit. He had already instructed his clan to be low-key and not too arrogant. As their ancestor, his words carried weight; no one dared to refute him.

"Found it! I found something!"

Jin Shangwu's voice came from afar.

Full of joy, he had clearly discovered a treasure.

Everyone gathered around. In a corner, a passage had opened up in the ground. The moment it opened, lights within the passage illuminated it.

Faced with such a situation, no one dared to go down alone. They needed Lin Fan by their side; only then would they feel safe.

If Hao Ren knew this, he would definitely raise his prices. I knew Lin Fan was important to you, but I didn't expect him to be this important. Not raising the price would be an insult to the Lin Fan I personally nurtured.

"Scriptures! These are all scriptures!"

Three walls were lined with bookshelves filled with various Buddhist scriptures, all rare editions. It was unclear what material these scriptures were made of, but despite the erosion of time, they remained intact.

Long Shen slowly examined them, searching for a particular aura. Soon, he was drawn to a scripture in the corner. A scripture that caught his attention couldn't be ordinary.

The Long Agama Sutra

The characters on the cover contained a certain charm, likely written by a powerful individual, someone perhaps no weaker than himself, Long Shen. Though much time had passed, the unique charm remained.

"This scripture is at least seven thousand years old," Long Shen muttered.

One-Eyed Man observed Long Shen's every move. Of everyone present, Long Shen was the only outsider and, besides Lin Fan, the strongest.

Any action from him must indicate the discovery of something important.

One-Eyed Man approached Long Shen, stood on tiptoe, and saw the title. Surprised, he said, "This is a classic of Hinayana Buddhism. Although it belongs to Hinayana, it holds a high position in Mahayana Buddhism as well, considered one of the ten great Buddhist scriptures."

"You know about it?" Long Shen asked. He knew nothing about Buddhist matters. If Little Rulai were here, he would likely recognize the scripture's origins at a glance.

"It's recorded in some Buddhist manuscripts," One-Eyed Man explained.

Long Shen pondered for a moment, then said directly, "This scripture is the oldest among all the scriptures here. It should have been written by a powerful individual, no weaker than me, at least seven thousand years ago."

Upon hearing this, One-Eyed Man, though not entirely understanding the implications, felt that it must be truly remarkable.

Long Shen continued, "How about you give this scripture to me?"

This…

One-Eyed Man was reluctant. This scripture might be the most valuable item here. Giving it away would be a huge loss. Although Long Shen was powerful, he couldn't simply disregard their wishes.

His single eye darted around as he quickly formulated various solutions. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're stronger than me. When it comes to intelligence, it's hard to say who would win.

Besides, you have a high status, but can you be more shameless than me? One-Eyed Man had long been prepared to abandon all pretense of propriety. There were no juniors present, so what good was face anyway?

Long Shen was very interested in the scripture. After some thought, he said, "How about this? You lack cultivation methods. I can provide you with suitable cultivation techniques in exchange for this scripture. Rest assured, the cultivation techniques I, Long Shen, offer are not common goods. They are top-notch, no matter where you go."

To obtain the scripture, Long Shen was willing to pay a price. Although he didn't quite know its use, he simply wanted it.

One-Eyed Man said, "We can't give you the original. We can give you a copy."

Long Shen looked at him as if to say, Why are you being so difficult? I've already made such a generous offer. Why must you argue with me?

Do you not know who I, Long Shen, am?

One-Eyed Man wasn't foolish. The more Long Shen wanted it, the less he wanted to give it up. A being this powerful valuing the scripture meant it was definitely not something ordinary. What they needed most urgently now was to increase their strength.

Although the pressure was great, there was no immediate danger, thanks to Lin Fan's presence, which shielded them from all threats.

They still had enough time.

At this moment, the ginseng swayed its roots and said, "If you want this scripture, top-notch techniques won't do. In my opinion, you'll need at least a secret, non-transmittable Dragon Clan technique."

Long Shen's expression remained unchanged, but he asked curiously, "Do you know about this item?"

"Yes, I do." The ginseng, as always, spoke whatever came to mind. When it followed its previous two masters, it was utterly lawless. After witnessing Lin Fan's strength, it realized he could protect its lawlessness and completely let loose.

Long Shen smiled faintly. "Then tell us about it."

"I can't," the ginseng shook its head, with an air of I know, but I just can't tell you.

One-Eyed Man and the others cursed inwardly. You deserve to be beaten to death. If you know you can't say it, why bring it up? Don't you know everyone is curious?

Long Shen took a deep breath to calm his agitated heart. Given his status and identity, no one should hide anything from him. It wasn't a matter of wanting to hide it; it was a matter of not daring to.

But this ginseng had Lin Fan's protection, so even if he was annoyed, he couldn't do anything.

Long Shen said, "Why can't you say it? With me and Lin Fan here, who could possibly threaten you?"

"My previous masters told me not to tell anyone. Although they're gone, I'm still obedient." The ginseng was truly mischievous. Knowing it shouldn't speak, it still brought it up, purely to pique their curiosity.

Long Shen was curious about the ginseng's previous masters. The ginseng's existence would easily attract unwanted attention, and for its masters to suddenly disappear was unlikely. They would undoubtedly take the ginseng with them. If it was due to approaching lifespan, with the ginseng's healing properties and some precious medicinal herbs, extending their lives shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, these topics were somewhat irrelevant.

He had no idea what the ginseng's previous masters were thinking. The current issue was the scripture before him.

The ginseng, riding the hen, came to Long Shen. Its roots swayed. Long Shen smiled without speaking and handed the scripture to the ginseng. "We're all on the same side. Why don't you take a look and tell us a little about it?"

"Okay," the ginseng replied readily.

Long Shen was surprised by the ginseng's decisiveness. The ginseng took the scripture, pretended to read it carefully, then directed the hen towards Lin Fan. Halfway there, it suddenly put the scripture away and jumped onto Lin Fan's shoulder, placing its roots on its hips.

"I'm confiscating this scripture. My previous masters told me this thing can't fall into the wrong hands, or it'll cause trouble. None of you can look at it."

"Hmm?" Long Shen narrowed his eyes, a glint in them. No one had ever dared to play such tricks in front of him. The ginseng was the first. A strong person's dignity could not be offended; this was a universally acknowledged truth among the star races.

"Master, he's scaring me. I'm scared," the ginseng wrapped its roots around Lin Fan's neck, rubbing its head against his face, acting pitiful.

The demonic rooster looked up and wanted to vomit at this sight.

Shameless thing.

Usually, it bullies me relentlessly, and now it acts so pitiful. Does it have any shame at all?

Lin Fan smiled at Long Shen. "My ginseng is a little scared. Don't look at it like that; you'll frighten it."

Long Shen shook his head.

This ginseng's previous masters were probably not serious individuals either, to have raised such a creature.