Chapter 57: Token
The intense reaction gave Ye Chen his answer.
He looked at the figure bathed in golden light, his expression ice-cold. "Although I don't know why you're doing this."
"But from now on, there will be no Vajra Temple in Lei Province!"
Ye Chen's voice was firm and powerful, ringing out like thunder—deafening!
'How dare he! How could he say something like that right in front of the Abbot?!'
The crowd was stunned.
Although Ye Chen's combat prowess was unparalleled and his earlier performance had been utterly shocking, he still seemed to fall short when compared to the Abbot, a man famous for years and radiating profound authority.
In the eyes of many, aside from the elusive figure known as the Venerable Thundercry—reputed to be the strongest expert in Lei Province—the Provincial Governor and the Abbot of the Vajra Temple were the strongest publicly acknowledged experts.
Although no one knew which of the two—the Governor or the Abbot—was truly stronger, it was clear that based on Ye Chen's current performance, he was in no position to challenge these two figures who represented the pinnacle of power in Lei Province.
The Abbot did not grow angry at Ye Chen's words.
Instead, he looked at Ye Chen quietly with a gaze that held a trace of pity.
His nonchalance was like that of an old man watching a naughty child at play.
No matter how mischievous the child gets, you can't really take him seriously, can you?
"Perhaps the death of the Great Battle Buddha has given you some naive ideas."
"However..."
The Abbot spoke slowly, his frost-white hair falling before his eyes. "As long as I live, the title of Lei Province's number one sect will not change hands."
"I will come for you soon," he said with a faint smile, his withered old face a mask of wrinkles.
Ye Chen's expression was placid as he narrowed his eyes. "I will be waiting."
"Of course, if you're too old and decrepit to travel, I can just as easily come find you at the Vajra Temple."
"Heh heh heh..." The Abbot was still smiling. "Such a sharp-tongued child. I do hope you won't disappoint me."
"It's been a long, long time since I've met an opponent who could make me stretch my old bones."
As his words fell, the Abbot's phantom image slowly dissipated, the brilliant light quickly dimming.
The seal on the Storage Ring had finally been forcibly broken by Ye Chen!
"..."
Looking at the Storage Ring in his hand, Ye Chen's gaze flickered, momentarily speechless.
This was the first time he had spoken with the supreme expert of the Vajra Temple—the number one sect in Lei Province, and by extension, one of the most powerful individuals in the entire province.
The Abbot's words left his mind in turmoil.
'Why would someone like that make a move against the Qin family?'
'What kind of secret was the Qin family, who took me in, hiding? What could possibly attract the attention of such powerful Cultivators?'
Ye Chen unconsciously clenched his fists.
In any case, if the Vajra Temple was truly responsible for the destruction of the Qin family... then the Vajra Temple no longer had any reason to exist.
To say nothing of the fact that he and the Vajra Temple were already irreconcilably hostile.
'That guy has completely torn away all pretense with the Vajra Temple!'
Ye Chen and the Abbot's exchange had not been concealed in any way.
The onlookers had seen it all, and their hearts trembled.
'Can this young prodigy, just now revealing his sharpness, truly withstand the terrifying pressure of the Vajra Temple?'
As the man at the center of it all, Ye Chen paid little mind to the varied gazes of the crowd.
His thoughts churned. He had a nagging suspicion that the Qin family who had taken him in was involved in some earth-shattering secret!
Otherwise, why would everyone be so secretive? They clearly knew something, yet they never dared to answer his questions directly!
'Looks like I have to get stronger as quickly as possible!'
'My current strength can suppress ordinary Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivators, but that's obviously not enough!'
Ye Chen's gaze flickered.
With a thought, his consciousness began to sink into the Great Battle Buddha's Storage Ring.
He wanted to see what kind of treasure could make the Abbot of the Vajra Temple go to such great lengths to place such a powerful seal on this Storage Ring!
As he scanned the space within, the first things to meet his eyes were piles of Spirit Stones and spiritual materials stacked like small mountains.
One had to admit, as a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator, the Great Battle Buddha had been quite wealthy.
'A quick glance... there must be at least three to four million low-grade Spirit Stones here, right?'
'Not to mention seventy or eighty thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones, and four or five thousand high-grade ones!'
This fortune was almost enough to establish a major power in Lei Province!
To put it in perspective, when the Yan family had diverted just one million low-grade Spirit Stones from their treasury, it had been a major blow to them.
Of course, neither the Spirit Stones nor the various Spirit Pills and miraculous medicines managed to capture Ye Chen's attention.
Only one thing inside the Storage Ring deeply attracted Ye Chen's gaze.
It was a Token entirely engraved with golden patterns!
Ye Chen withdrew his consciousness, and the golden Token slowly materialized in his hand!
The Token was suffused with a faint golden light. Its design was archaic, and it emanated an ancient Dao rhythm, making it seem quite extraordinary!
Ye Chen's brows furrowed slightly; he couldn't tell the origin of this ancient Token.
But one thing was certain: this Token was anything but simple!
The reason the Abbot had placed such a strong seal on this Storage Ring was probably to prevent this Token from falling into the hands of others!
Ye Chen tried to inject his Spiritual Power into the Token.
Instantly, the Token seemed to be activated. A terrifying aura immediately spread out, and an astonishing power, surging like waves, roiled endlessly within it!
'Generally, a token is just a pass!'
'But this Token can actually be used in combat?!'
Ye Chen was taken aback. Even he was secretly alarmed by the terrifying aura the Token released upon activation.
If he could wield this Token to attack, he could probably suppress an ordinary Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator with ease!
Not only that, but the Token also seemed capable of mobilizing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
If he used this Token while cultivating, he could draw all the nearby Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to himself, significantly boosting his training efficiency!
These strange and varied functions made Ye Chen immensely interested in the golden Token.
He examined it closely and discovered that a small Array had been carved inside the Token by some unknown expert.
Although the Array was tiny, its power was exceptionally terrifying.
All of the Token's strange effects came from the power of this Array!
'The Cultivator who created this Array must have been at least at the Primordial Mansion Realm or higher!'
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and put the Token away.
No wonder the Abbot of the Vajra Temple valued this Storage Ring so highly.
It was because it contained such a treasure!