Chapter 2411 - 2411: Half of a Plaque

Without further thought, Ye Qing and his companions hurried downstairs to the room where the Sha Men members were staying. As they entered, they immediately saw the Sha Men members with expressions of astonishment. Their faces mirrored Ye Qing's—equally surprised and shocked, as if something beyond comprehension had occurred.

In the middle of the room, Cui Yulong held the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, his face also filled with bewilderment. Meanwhile, the Bloody Monk stood not far from him, holding the box of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, deep in thought. He muttered constantly, seemingly trying to process something he found unacceptable.

"What happened?" Ye Qing quickly asked as he walked towards the Bloody Monk, saying, "Blood Robe Sect Leader, what is going on?"

Before Ye Qing could reach the Bloody Monk, the monk suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing blood-red, resembling an enraged beast. This look startled everyone, and Ye Qing dared not approach any further. He was aware of the Bloody Monk's condition; the monk's heart demon was formidable, and once it erupted, he couldn't control himself. In such circumstances, not just Ye Qing, but even those closest to him wouldn't dare to get near!

"Sect Leader!" The Sha Men members quickly knelt down, their faces filled with shock and concern. Though the Bloody Monk occasionally succumbed to his demonic nature, it must be said that he treated them well, and they held him in great respect.

The Bloody Monk seemed oblivious to their calls, his blood-red eyes slowly scanning everyone present, finally settling on Cui Yulong. He then began walking towards Cui Yulong, step by step.

Cui Yulong was also startled, not understanding why the Bloody Monk was fixated on him. He retreated two steps, but the Bloody Monk continued advancing, clearly targeting him.

"Sect Leader!" Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu hurried over, positioning himself in front of Cui Yulong, urgently saying, "If Yulong has done something wrong, you can punish me instead, don't..."

Before he could finish, the Bloody Monk suddenly reached out, grabbing his collar and hurling Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu aside.

Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu was not weak; recently, as the Bloody Monk returned to Sha Men, he had been training them daily, and now the Sha Men members were generally at the level of top-level masters. However, before the Bloody Monk, even such a top-level master was insignificant. After all, the Bloody Monk's strength was unparalleled; even the best of peak masters might not withstand a few moves against him.

The crowd was alarmed when they saw the Bloody Monk throw Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu, yet surprisingly, Cui Yu landed on his feet without a hint of instability, as though he had been placed there gently, baffling everyone.

Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu was stunned for a moment and then realized the Bloody Monk had no intention to harm him. Given the Bloody Monk's power, had he meant to harm, that action would have been fatal.

"Sect Leader..." Cui Yu turned to look at the Bloody Monk but was at a loss for words. He didn't understand why the Bloody Monk was targeting Cui Yulong in particular, but Cui Yulong, after all, was his brother, which worried him deeply.

Ye Qing had already positioned himself next to Cui Yulong, unsure whether the Bloody Monk was lucid or possessed. But, Cui Yulong was Ye Qing's friend, so Ye Qing couldn't just stand by. Even if he wasn't a match for the Bloody Monk, Ye Qing's Buddhist and Taoist Magic endowed him with strong resistance. At a critical moment, he might help Cui Yulong withstand an attack from the Bloody Monk.

The Bloody Monk paid them no mind, reaching Cui Yulong and suddenly thrusting the wooden box he was holding in front of Cui Yulong, coldly asking, "Where did this box come from?"

"Huh?" Cui Yulong hesitated, himself astonished moments before, not knowing what had angered the Bloody Monk. Surprisingly, the Bloody Monk's question was completely unexpected.

"Where did this box come from?" the Bloody Monk asked again, with an extremely cold tone. Yet fortunately, he seemed not to intend any harm, still leaving his curiosity about the box unresolved.

"This wooden box was bestowed upon me by the Purple-robed Elder!" Cui Yulong said. "At that time, I carried the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade to the Western Frontier, near the Brahmanism area. However, the blade's scabbard was lost, and I couldn't find a replacement that could hold the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade. Furthermore, the blade's evil nature began altering my disposition, turning me increasingly ruthless. Later, I met the Purple-robed Elder, who discerned the blade's sinister nature and gifted me this box to contain the blade's scabbard!"

Saying this, Cui Yulong glanced at the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in his hand, murmuring, "I must admit, this box is highly effective; it can suppress the blade's evil nature. For years, it's controlled the blade's malignancy, preventing it from overtaking me."

"Western Frontier? Purple Robe Lama?" The Bloody Monk seemed to ignore Cui Yulong's subsequent words, repeating these terms several times, pondering something unknown.

"Blood Robe Sect Leader, what exactly happened?" Ye Qing softly asked beside him, "What about this box?"

The Bloody Monk didn't respond, appearing lost in thought. After a long while, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes no longer crimson, replaced by firm resolve, solemnly saying, "I need to go to the Western Frontier!"

"Ah?" Everyone couldn't help but be surprised, no one knew what the Bloody Monk meant, why did he suddenly decide to take a trip to the Western Frontier?

"Senior brother, why go to the Western Frontier?" The Wolf Monk asked incredulously, he was also very curious about the Bloody Monk's sudden decision.

The Bloody Monk glanced at the Wolf Monk, took a deep breath, and handed the wooden box in front of him, saying in a low voice, "Take a look at what material this wooden box is made of!"

"This wooden box?" The Wolf Monk took the wooden box, examined it forwards and backwards, and said, "Isn't this Ten Thousand Years Ice Silkworm Wood? Is there something wrong with it?"

"Hmph, can the Ten Thousand Years Ice Silkworm Wood suppress the demonic nature of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade?" The Bloody Monk retorted.

"It can't?" The Wolf Monk scratched his head, carefully examining the wooden box again, and said, "This is indeed Ten Thousand Years Ice Silkworm Wood, could it not suppress the demonic nature of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade?"

"Look carefully here!" The Bloody Monk pointed to a corner of the wooden box. The Wolf Monk flipped over that corner, examined it carefully for a while, and his face suddenly changed dramatically, exclaiming, "Isn't... this the plaque of our Xiaolin Temple?"

"What?" Everyone behind exclaimed, how could the wooden box used to store the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade become Xiaolin Temple's plaque? And what even is Xiaolin Temple's plaque?

"Master Wolf Monk, you didn't see wrong?" Ye Qing hurriedly walked over and asked.

"Absolutely not!" The Wolf Monk held the wooden box and said in a deep voice, "The plaque of our Xiaolin Temple was made by our ancestors using the trunk of the Bodhi Tree. Also, there are carvings on it, which is unique to Xiaolin Temple's plaque!"

"Bodhi Tree?" Ye Qing couldn't help but be shocked, he didn't expect such a legendary tree to really exist. Furthermore, the plaque of Xiaolin Temple being made from the Bodhi Tree trunk, it indeed has quite an unusual origin.

"Could it be the trunk of another Bodhi Tree, with similar carvings on it, and you recognized it wrong?" Huangfu Ziyu couldn't help but ask.

"Impossible!" The Wolf Monk decisively shook his head, saying, "The Bodhi Tree trunk is extremely rare to begin with, it hasn't reappeared for thousands of years. Moreover, the Bodhi Tree is not something one can just leave carvings on!"

"What do you mean?" Ye Qing asked curiously.

The Wolf Monk looked at Ye Qing and said, "Do you know Dragon Blood Wood?"

Ye Qing nodded, not only did he know, but he currently had two pieces of Dragon Blood Wood with him. The Dragon Blood Wood could be said to be the toughest known wood, even famed instruments can't damage it in the slightest, only something like the Xuanyuan Sword or Minghong Knife could harm it. Therefore, Dragon Blood Wood is also related to the whereabouts of the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife.

But now, why did the Wolf Monk suddenly bring up Dragon Blood Wood? Could it be that like Dragon Blood Wood, other than the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife, there is nothing else that can damage a Bodhi Tree trunk?

The Wolf Monk said, "Since you know Dragon Blood Wood, you should know, Dragon Blood Wood is exceptionally hard. Besides the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife, there's basically nothing else that can damage Dragon Blood Wood!"

"Yes!" Ye Qing nodded again, saying, "Is the Bodhi Tree just as hard?"

"The Bodhi Tree trunk isn't hard!" The Wolf Monk shook his head, then took a deep breath and said, "But in today's world, those who can leave marks on a Bodhi Tree trunk can probably be counted on one hand!"

"What?" Ye Qing was astonished and perplexed, not understanding the meaning of the Wolf Monk's words. He first said the Bodhi Tree trunk isn't hard, but then claimed that the number of people who could leave marks on it didn't exceed the fingers of one hand. How many is one hand, that's at most five people. Under such circumstances, why isn't the Bodhi Tree trunk considered hard?