Cinian, looking desolate, let out a laugh, the smile tinged with bitterness.
"It must be that cursed disciple. He died so easily... Too good for him..."
Shanhai should be kneeling in front of the ancestral hall, repenting for his sins.
Nanli blinked. "Shanhai? Isn’t he the successor of the sect’s leadership? What would he gain by tampering with this scroll?"
After all, Buddha’s Light Illuminates All was Divine Buddha Sect’s supreme technique. Destroying it was of no benefit to the sect.
Cinian shook his head slowly. "No, my master had another great disciple, someone with even greater Buddhist talent. He was originally intended to succeed my master as the sect leader."
Upon hearing this, Nanli understood.
"So, this other great disciple must have been one of the people who got possessed by the technique, right?"
Cinian’s expression darkened in sorrow, and he nodded.
"The truth is, we were too narrow-minded, thinking it was all our fault. We never suspected that the scroll itself had been tampered with."
"At that time, Divine Buddha Sect was the strongest in the Upper Realm. But after this incident, our strength was severely weakened, and we were soon suppressed by Penglai Island and the Seven Peaks Sect."
"Shanhai... that cursed disciple... he ruined many of our fellow sect members for his own selfish gain. It’s unforgivable!"
Had it not been for Nanli helping them uncover the truth today, he would still be unaware of this.
Now, he could only think of tearing Shanhai to pieces!
But unfortunately, Qingwu had already destroyed Shanhai and his followers with a single strike.
Despite the frustration, Cinian quickly regained his composure and looked at Nanli expectantly.
"Nanli, since you were the one who helped create this technique, do you think you can extract the trace of dark energy from it?"
He couldn’t find it when he had first studied the scroll, so he didn’t hold out much hope for himself.
"This scroll is a cultivation tool that I forged when I became a deity. With my current abilities, I cannot undo it." Nanli said with a solemn look on her face.
Cinian, unable to hide his disappointment, muttered, "It must be fate."
It seemed that in the short term, they would be unable to restart the cultivation of Buddha’s Light Illuminates All and restore Divine Buddha Sect’s former glory.
"Let me hold onto it for now. I’ll study it further." Nanli offered.
At this moment, Shandu, still coughing up blood, was semi-conscious.
He weakly opened his eyes and, through blurred vision, saw Cinian. With the last of his strength, he reached out and grabbed his master’s sleeve.
"Shandu..." Cinian hurried over to his side. "You have to hang on!"
"Master... when I die... remember... remember..."
"Speak, I’m listening." Cinian’s tears fell in streams.
Shandu took a deep breath and said, his voice barely audible but determined:
"I don’t like dark, damp places. After I’m gone, please bury me somewhere with bright sunlight, fresh air, and clear water."
"When you come to pay respects, don’t forget to bring roasted chicken, boiled chicken, sunflower chicken, abalone chicken, ginger scallion chicken... cough cough. And don’t just bring chicken, bring some wine too! You know what kind of wine I like, Master."
"Master, please don’t be too sad after I leave, take good care of yourself..."
"Senior brother!" those Shans cried out, their voices full of sorrow.
Cinian wiped away his tears, his voice choked. "Shandu, I will take care of myself, but... but the offerings you asked for are too many. Can you reduce them a little?"
"Master, don’t you want me to rest in peace?"
"I don’t, but my ability is limited."
Shandu’s head tilted, and he nearly stopped breathing.
But on the other side, Nanli had finished drawing the Wound-Healing Talisman.
This talisman contained a great deal of her power and spiritual energy.
She pressed the talisman onto Shandu’s body, and he immediately felt a little better.
Maybe... he could hang on a little longer!
"Master, hurry and bring the food to me. After I eat, I’ll die a full ghost..." Shandu said weakly.
Cinian, realizing the intricacy of Nanli’s talisman, was furious. He brushed Shandu’s hand away. "Once you’ve recovered, go buy the food yourself!"
Shandu, still weak, replied, "I’m already done for... how can I go anywhere..."
Nanli’s face turned pale. "This talisman contains a lot of my energy. Your internal organs and injuries will heal over the next few days."
If he concentrated, he could feel the warmth spreading through his body. His injuries were slowly healing!
He had thought he was going to die, but Nanli had helped him !
At that moment, his nose tingled, and he felt like he could no longer hold back his tears. He was so overwhelmed with emotion!
His face flushed red, his blood almost rushing to his head.
Nanli frowned and said, "Don’t be too happy yet. This talisman can save your life, but you exhausted all your spiritual energy earlier, your Dantian is damaged, and your inner core has cracks. After you heal, your cultivation will be weakened. At worst, you could become an ordinary person."
As soon as these words were spoken, Shandu’s heart sank.
He had spent so many years cultivating, and though he wasn’t aiming to become a Buddha or a god, he had hoped to become a powerful Buddha Cultivator.
Now, he had to abandon his dream.
Staring blankly at the sky, he muttered, "It’s fine. I’ve saved my life. I should be grateful and not ask for anything more."
Cinian sighed. "I’m glad you can think like that."
"Senior brother, even if you become an ordinary person and lose all your cultivation, you’ll always be our senior brother!" those Shans said with firm expressions.
Nanli then added, "But there’s still a chance. Your inner core has only minor cracks. If you take a Five Elements Nascent Soul Pill and try to break through, I can assist in repairing your inner core. If successful, you could become a Nascent Soul cultivator."
One of the disciples immediately asked, "What if it fails?"
"That’s obvious," Cinian snapped. "He’ll be turned into minced meat!"
Nanli, though, wasn’t dissuaded. "Don’t talk like that. The method may be risky, but you’re right, the Five Elements Nascent Soul Pill is extremely rare, and only a few remain in the world."
It wasn’t that he didn’t care about his disciple, but this was too difficult!
Those Shans understood and pressed their lips together, urging Nanli:
"Master is right, this is too risky."
"Yes, yes. It’s better to forget about it."
"Actually, senior brother could live a normal life, and that would be fine too."
The Five Elements Nascent Soul Pill was something only the Shi Family could provide.
The Shi Family was one of the four great families of Jiuzhou Town.
With their vast medicinal fields and many family members skilled in alchemy, they stored a wealth of alchemical knowledge.
Most of the medicinal pills circulating in the Upper Realm came from them.
Even major sects sought their help for medicinal needs.
While not the strongest family, they were certainly the wealthiest.
Thus, many independent cultivators swore loyalty to the Shi Family, and a simple phrase summed it up:
"A single roar from the Shi Family, and thousands of soldiers come to greet you!"