The Buddhist Sect Revealed

The four stared unblinkingly at the crimson radiance. A blast of scorching heat surged out from within, instantly setting the surrounding seawater to boiling. The sight before them was completely contrary to their expectations. Wiping away their joy, they looked at each other in bewilderment. They had thought attacking this spot might reveal a doorway or the full extent of the formation sealing the entrance, never imagining such a scene. Inside seemed to be an active subterranean fire vein, rather than the Buddhist ruins they had envisioned. Just as the four were at a loss, the crimson light abruptly stopped leaking outward and rapidly contracted toward the center. The scorching aura was forced back, and the formation threatened to revert to its original state in the blink of an eye. If the crimson light vanished, their previous attack would have been all for naught. The Fire Jade Centipede could not hold out for long. No matter what, they had to enter the Jinghai Sect while the insect formation was still sustained! Seeing this, Qin Sang and the others exchanged glances. "Continue!" Valley Master Mu barked. The serpent spear cast a cold, eerie gleam, as if a great serpent had come back to life in that instant. Qin Sang was of the same mind. Having come this far and even committed the Fire Jade Centipede, he had no reason to give up, regardless of whether the Jinghai Sect lay within. Without hesitation, he pushed the Jinchen Sword to its limit, transforming it into a golden rainbow. Qi and Wang were not slow either. Their banner array revolved, and an even more concentrated azure-blue water sword manifested. The four Nascent Soul cultivators held nothing back now. Black, gold, and blue. The naked eye could perceive only the strange light emanating from the three attacks, converging onto a single point in an instant. The control of the four Nascent Soul cultivators was exquisite to the finest degree. Their assault was compressed to the utmost, erupting violently the moment it struck the crimson radiance! What followed caught everyone off guard. The crimson light ceased shrinking. After a fleeting pause, it surged out in all directions far faster than before, boiling the sea once again. Surging out with it was an exceptionally berserk red-flame aura—suppressed for countless years, it was finally unsealed and unleashed with the help of Qin Sang and his companions! Sensing the might of this aura, the faces of Qin Sang and the others changed dramatically. Not only did they not dare charge forward, but they instinctively retreated in unison to avoid its brunt. At the same time, provoked by the crimson radiance, the contours of the formation finally became visible! Wherever the crimson light passed, faint golden Buddhist light materialized out of thin air. Each ray of Buddhist light was a barrier, thin as a cicada's wing, layered upon layer. When all the Buddhist light emerged, it presented an extraordinary spectacle. The barriers formed by the Buddhist light gathered together, coalescing into an unopened Buddhist lotus, shut tight! The Buddhist lotus bud was the full form of the entire formation. Inside the Buddhist lotus, the crimson light crashed and raged wildly. The dazzling Buddhist light vied with the crimson glow. Within their field of view, only red and gold radiance could be seen. Only Qin Sang, aided by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, could vaguely make out something unusual at the heart of the crimson light. That was very likely where the entrance to the Jinghai Sect lay. However, neither Qin Sang nor Valley Master Mu dared approach the Buddhist lotus rashly at this moment. They obediently drew back to the side, waiting to see what would happen. "Could this really just be an undersea fire vein?" Cultivator Qi murmured. "It shouldn't be that simple," the female cultivator Wang shook her head. "Why would the Jinghai Sect be built over an undersea fire vein on the verge of erupting? And if it was erupting, why didn't they relocate, instead expending immense effort to lay down a formation to seal it?" ... They tensely watched the shifts within the Buddhist lotus as they spoke. Thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind. A sudden sense of foreboding seized him, and he turned to ask, "Around the Kongling Sea, how many Nascent Soul cultivators are there?" "There aren't actually many good places in the Boundless Sea. Nascent Soul cultivation grounds are set far apart, and everyone minds their own business. Apart from us, the only one nearby is Realized Master Chijie, the current island master of Nine Precepts Island. What came to mind, Daoist Brother?" Cultivator Qi looked over in surprise. Qin Sang pointed at the Buddhist lotus. "I want to know: if news leaks, how many people will be drawn here? How fast will they arrive?" Before his voice had even faded, *Rumble!* A clap of thunder suddenly roared from within the Buddhist lotus. The clash between the crimson light and the Buddhist lotus had reached its peak. The Buddhist lotus quaked. Under the shine of the Buddhist light, the surroundings turned into a golden sea. Yet the aura of the crimson radiance was not the least bit inferior—indeed, it was even stronger, piercing through barrier after barrier of Buddhist light. Amid the thunderous roar, the Buddhist lotus burst open! In an instant, a red-gold shockwave surged outward in all directions at visible speed. "Not good! Scatter!" Sensing the power of the wave, the four immediately paled. The red-flame aura accumulated for who knew how long, compounded by the shattering of the Buddhist Lotus Great Formation—if these two entangled forces struck them, they would likely meet disaster. *Bang, bang, bang...* One after another, the four figures broke through the sea's surface and flew into midair, staring ahead in horror. *Boom!* A colossal red-gold pillar of light soared into the sky. Neither in scale nor in momentum was it comparable to the phenomenon Cultivator Qi had witnessed before. The four craned their heads in unison, unable to see the end of the pillar. The light showed no sign of fading; if anything, it raged with growing intensity. Monstrous waves surged skyward. The tranquility of the Kongling Sea was completely torn to shreds. Their expressions shifted erratically. What Qin Sang feared had come to pass. The two forces showed no signs of waning, and they had no way to suppress them. If this continued, cultivators ten thousand li away would likely be alerted by the anomaly. Once such news spread, it would inevitably sweep across most of the Boundless Sea with utmost speed, drawing other Nascent Soul cultivators. Fortunately, it would take time for those people to arrive. Qin Sang and his group should be able to enter the Jinghai Sect much earlier. ... In the distance. Old Man Hunmo and Realized Master Chijie also witnessed this scene. Realized Master Chijie was momentarily stunned. He too realized that if they did not find a way inside soon, the rivals they would have to face next would not just be the four ahead. He could not help feeling glad that he had possessed the foresight to invite Old Man Hunmo. Meanwhile, Old Man Hunmo stared fixedly at the red-gold pillar of light, his eyes growing considerably darker and more sinister. "Good for nothing, ruinous to everything!" Old Man Hunmo snorted furiously, slamming his black bamboo staff down hard. Realized Master Chijie shot him a surprised glance, unsure why he had lost his composure. ... "What do we do now?" Both Qi and Wang looked toward Valley Master Mu. They wore wry smiles. "Did we rack our brains and go to all this trouble only to pave the way for others?" Valley Master Mu pondered for a moment, dove into the water to investigate, and then returned to the surface, shaking his head slightly. "The ripples produced by the clash of these two forces are still growing stronger. We cannot see what is truly happening inside. Even if we were to force our way in, we would be facing a nine-out-of-ten chance of death." "Charging in now would mean ten deaths and no life!" Qin Sang suddenly interjected, giving the seabed a deep look. "Beneath the entrance, there are bound to be other dangers—such as a guardian formation! Our only choice now is to wait until this red-flame aura weakens before making another attempt. Otherwise, if we have to withstand the red-flame aura while dealing with other crises, even the four of us joining hands would find it hard to protect ourselves."