Nine Precepts Thumb Ring

"They have already gone in," Realized Master Chijie whispered. He gently turned the Nine Precepts thumb ring on his other hand, concealing the unease and excitement in his heart. Old Man Hunmo and Realized Master Chijie revealed themselves before the Buddhist lotus. The crimson flame aura and the Buddhist lotus clashed relentlessly against each other in chaotic turmoil. There was no way Qin Sang and his companions could have left behind any traps or ambushes here, so neither of them was concerned. Even now, apart from Qin Sang's group of four, they remained the only Nascent Soul cultivators present in the Kongling Sea. Of course, it was also possible that other Nascent Soul cultivators had arrived in secret without showing themselves, having eluded both the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and Old Man Hunmo's spiritual senses. Old Man Hunmo said nothing. He stared fixedly into the center of the pillar of light. Within his cloudy eyes, an eerie blackness seeped out from his pupils, transforming in an instant into demonic eyes. Where his pupils had been were now two tiny vortexes, seemingly capable of swallowing light itself, reflecting the profoundly deep shadows beyond the door. After a moment, Old Man Hunmo's eyes returned to normal. He let out a light cough and asked, "Are you certain that the 'Nine Precepts' can guide us through the Jinghai Sect's grand guardian formation?" "Indeed!" Realized Master Chijie hesitated slightly, not daring to speak with absolute certainty. "Barring any unforeseen accidents... My master obtained this ring from the skeletal remains of a Jinghai Sect Buddhist cultivator. It is likely a token belonging to an elder of the Jinghai Sect." "Accidents?" Old Man Hunmo sneered. "Barring accidents, Jiujie would have found the Jinghai Sect long ago. Why would he have had to wait until now?" Realized Master Chijie did not dare argue. Old Man Hunmo was speaking the truth. Back then, the information his master, Jiujie, had acquired was extremely limited. At the very least, they had known nothing about the Buddhist lotus formation outside the Jinghai Sect. "We will discuss it once we are inside." Old Man Hunmo tapped his black bamboo staff. A burst of invisible, colorless power erupted, enveloping them both. Realized Master Chijie had originally intended to summon his own defensive treasure, but upon seeing this, he switched to a silver halberd and followed closely behind Old Man Hunmo. Passing through a fissure in the Buddhist lotus, they entered the pillar of light. The raging phenomenon slammed against their protective barrier. The black bamboo staff in Old Man Hunmo's hand trembled faintly, occasionally flashing with an emerald-green glow, but the protective power shielding them remained solid as an iron fortress. Step by step, Old Man Hunmo walked toward the entrance with steady, unhurried strides. The difference in ease compared to Qin Sang and the others earlier was stark. Seeing this, Realized Master Chijie felt an added measure of awe toward Old Man Hunmo. He gripped his silver halberd tightly, poised to react to any sudden change. Before long, they arrived before the door. After surveying it for a moment just as the others had, they stepped inside. *Whoosh!* The moment they crossed the threshold, a scorching gale blew straight at them. Old Man Hunmo raised an eyebrow and pointed his bamboo staff forward. Instantly, a thin barrier of light condensed in front of him, keeping the raging wind at bay. Unexpectedly, the light barrier lasted less than three breaths before developing countless pinprick holes, looking as if it were being corroded by something. In an instant, countless golden beams pierced through the barrier, shooting toward them like a storm of golden needles. Old Man Hunmo let out a soft exclamation of surprise, but remained entirely unruffled. With a flick of his sleeve, a token flew out, appearing identical to the Hunmo Token that Realized Master Chijie had destroyed earlier. However, this Hunmo Token was noticeably far thicker and heavier. The token swelled as it met the wind, instantly expanding to the size of a door and completely shielding the two behind it. *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...* A dense flurry of crisp clangs rang out. The Hunmo Token and the two cultivators were pushed back again and again, but the sinister wind was finally fended off. Both remained unscathed. Old Man Hunmo turned the Hunmo Token to inspect it. Splatters of golden liquid coated its surface, but before he could scrape any off, they dissolved on the spot and vanished without a trace. "What is this stuff? It can treat true essence as though it were nothing? If there were any more of it, how could anyone bear it?" Even with Old Man Hunmo's vast breadth of knowledge, he could not fathom what the liquid was. Most of the Buddhist sects in the North Sea were concentrated in the relatively stable Crescent Moon Realm and had never grown into a significant force. Old Man Hunmo's understanding of Buddhism was merely superficial. He pondered for a moment, but unable to deduce the origin of the liquid, he turned his head and commanded Realized Master Chijie, "Take out the Nine Precepts thumb ring." "Yes!" Realized Master Chijie stowed the silver halberd and slipped the thumb ring off his hand. With Old Man Hunmo protecting him, he had no need to worry about his safety. Realized Master Chijie assumed the full lotus position, closed his eyes, and cradled the thumb ring in both hands. In an instant, Realized Master Chijie's aura transformed dramatically, taking on an air of sacred, solemn dignity that even prompted Old Man Hunmo to cast another glance his way. *A Buddhist cultivation method?* The thought flickered through Old Man Hunmo's mind. He shifted the Hunmo Token beside Realized Master Chijie and looked around, examining their surroundings. Evidently, they had already barged into the Jinghai Sect's grand guardian formation or some form of protective restriction. The moment they entered, the door had vanished. Trapped within the formation, it was impossible to discern their location. Chaos stretched out both above and below. They floated suspended in a void, touching neither heaven above nor earth below. That sinister wind had merely been the beginning. Old Man Hunmo could sense that further attacks were gathering to strike. Even in the lulls between attacks, the exceptionally dense crimson flame aura in the surroundings was not to be underestimated. The protective power enveloping them was being steadily depleted by the crimson flame aura. The conventional approach was to force one's way through by analyzing each shift of the grand formation, uncovering its patterns, and gradually unraveling it. The formation was masterless, so its operations would suffer delays; the chances of success were high, but it was far too slow. With the thumb ring from the Jinghai Sect in hand, Realized Master Chijie might be able to guide them effortlessly through the formation. And yet... The more Old Man Hunmo observed their surroundings, the graver his expression became. This crimson flame aura originally should not have belonged here, but now it permeated every corner, having completely usurped the host! No one knew what catastrophe had befallen the Jinghai Sect back then. For the crimson flame aura and the grand guardian formation to coexist for countless years, subtle changes must have crept in over time. No one could say for sure what kind of transformations had occurred, or whether this was even still the original formation. His thoughts racing, Old Man Hunmo turned to look at Realized Master Chijie. Realized Master Chijie was covered from head to toe in what appeared to be gold leaf, resembling an arhat, as he continuously poured true essence into the Nine Precepts thumb ring. *Buzz... Buzz...* The Nine Precepts thumb ring vibrated softly. Buddhist light radiated from the inscribed characters, fluctuating between bright and dim, as though calling out to something. Right then, Realized Master Chijie suddenly started awake. His body shuddered, and the thumb ring nearly slipped from his grasp before he clamped his hand around it. Without waiting for Old Man Hunmo to press him, Realized Master Chijie made several more attempts. After several successive tries, cold sweat was nearly dripping down his face. "This treasure can guide me to perceive the shifts of the formation, but it is extraordinarily difficult. I suspect it might only be effective on the outer perimeter of the grand guardian formation. The formation here... appears to have been altered," Realized Master Chijie said in a strained voice. This outcome was entirely contrary to his expectations. Old Man Hunmo's words had rung true! The Nine Precepts thumb ring was unlikely to grant them much of an advantage. Undeterred by the setback, Old Man Hunmo narrowed his eyes, a glint of chill flashing within them. "They must still be in the outer perimeter. Can you locate where they are? It seems... we must make our move as early as possible!"