Great Cultivator

Whether the Jinghai Sect was truly this vast or it was merely an illusion cast by the formation remained unclear. With the help of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang carefully observed their surroundings. Gradually, he made some discoveries, though none were enough to change their current predicament. Another four hours passed. They had no idea where they had ended up. Not only did the strange winds show no sign of subsiding, but they grew increasingly violent and relentless. *Whoosh... whoosh...* The howling wind roared in their ears. From the outside, they appeared to be standing in a sea of fire. Infused with the crimson flame aura, the strange winds swept over them like streaks of flowing fire, drowning them in heat and scorching them at every second. At the same time, they had to stay vigilant against the occasional drops of golden liquid. The four focused their minds, not daring to let their guard down. They had a premonition that a new change was about to occur! "Wait..." Qin Sang suddenly called for the group to halt. Under their startled gazes, Qin Sang stared fixedly ahead. After a brief hesitation, he suddenly sped up, holding the bronze mirror overhead as he dashed forward. Valley Master Mu and the other two hurriedly followed. Before long, the four abruptly ground to a halt, gazing at the sight before them with eyes filled with mixed surprise and delight. At this moment, the space ahead was no longer empty, filled entirely with crimson and golden light. The brilliance was blinding, blocking their path and stretching boundlessly in every direction—above, below, left, and right—with no end in sight. The crimson light undoubtedly emanated from the crimson flame aura. Here, the crimson flame aura was exceptionally dense, transforming into a sea of fire. Even before drawing close, they felt the unbearable, sweltering heat. And this was after it had been venting for quite some time. The source of the golden light was a multitude of flickering swastika runes that drifted up and down in the sea of fire, some having completely merged with the crimson flame aura. Their earlier deduction was confirmed here. Over countless years, the crimson flame aura truly had fused with the formation. Battered by the crimson flame aura, the swastika runes were hard to distinguish in their original form. Only after observing carefully for a long time did Qin Sang and the others realize that the swastika runes had originally formed golden statues of countless Buddhas and arhats—a Thousand Buddha Wall! By now, however, it was disfigured beyond recognition. Valley Master Mu turned to look at Qin Sang. Before he could ask, Qin Sang took the initiative to say, "The Myriad Spirit Fruit is behind the Thousand Buddha Wall." "It seems we must pass through the Thousand Buddha Wall," Valley Master Mu nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowing slightly. "Over there!" Cultivator Qi let out a low cry, pointing toward a spot where the crimson and golden lights intersected. It looked remarkably like a crevice. "You two were right earlier—there are both pros and cons, and this is our chance!" Cultivator Qi said in delight. "Once we pass through this Thousand Buddha Wall, does that mean we can enter the Jinghai Sect?" "How could it be that easy?" Qin Sang threw cold water on his excitement. "Though we've had to remain constantly vigilant along the way, we haven't actually encountered any mortal peril. The Myriad Spirit Fruit is still far from us, and this Thousand Buddha Wall is by no means the end. As this poor Daoist sees it, we are likely only on the outer perimeter of the grand guardian formation." "With things like the golden liquid around, this is merely the outer perimeter?" The expressions of Qi and Wang both turned somewhat unsightly. If not for Qin Sang and Valley Master Mu, the two of them would likely not have made it very far on their own. Valley Master Mu's expression remained unchanged as he said in a deep voice, "Since we have come this far, let us take things as they come. First, let us look for a spot where we can cross through." The four carefully flew closer to the Thousand Buddha Wall. The nearer they got to it, the tighter their nerves wound. Although the crimson flame aura had fused with the runes of the Thousand Buddha Wall, this fusion was far from harmonious. Instead, the two forces devoured and clashed against each other, reaching a delicate equilibrium. If they wanted to cross the Thousand Buddha Wall, they were bound to disrupt that balance and trigger a joint onslaught from both powers. If they waited longer until the crimson flame aura waned to a certain degree, the danger would decrease substantially, but their advantage of entering ahead of everyone else would be completely lost. Trapped within the formation, they could not glimpse its full scope. No one knew whether subsequent entrants would encounter another transformation of the formation altogether. The four searched along the Thousand Buddha Wall. Before long, they locked onto three cracks. Qin Sang secretly channeled his Heavenly Eye divine ability to observe the fluctuations of power around the fissures. After careful analysis, the four settled on the one that appeared smallest. This crack lay between two arhat statues. The faces of the two arhats had already been consumed by the crimson flames. On one of them, twisted facial features were barely discernible, yet devoid of any Buddhist semblance; instead, it resembled an evil ghost born from fire. Around the fissure, the swastika runes trembled unceasingly, highly unstable. "Fellow Daoist Mu, you and I will strike together and breach it from here. We'll force our way through in that split second before the Thousand Buddha Wall and the crimson flame aura close back up," Qin Sang said, pointing to a spot within the crack after staring at it for a while. Valley Master Mu nodded and turned to Qi and Wang. "You two will be responsible for fending off the strange winds. Do not let aftershocks from elsewhere interfere here." "Understood!" Qi and Wang nodded, each summoning their magic treasures as they watched their surroundings. Qin Sang also instinctively had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly survey the area. In truth, the strange winds here raged without pause, offering nowhere to take cover. Even if a fifth person were present, it would be impossible for them to hide nearby without being detected. He was merely staying vigilant out of habit. Having confirmed there was nothing amiss around them, Qin Sang and his group acted according to plan, closing in on the Thousand Buddha Wall. Yet none of them noticed that far in the distance, two illusory figures were approaching them. It was none other than Old Man Hunmo and Realized Master Chijie. An invisible barrier surrounded them, produced by the Nine Precepts thumb ring. Though it appeared flimsy, it could draw upon a portion of the spiritual formation's power for protection, so the strange winds did not attack the barrier, passing over them as if they did not exist. As a result, they moved silently through the strange winds without causing a single ripple. However, veins bulged on Realized Master Chijie's hand as he gripped the Nine Precepts thumb ring. His expression was also visibly strained. The grand formation had been altered, making it difficult for the old token to exert its original effect. This barrier could not be maintained indefinitely, and it was only effective in the outer perimeter. While Qin Sang's group could not see them, the two could clearly spot the anomalies within the strange winds ahead, locking onto Qin Sang and the others' positions. Qin Sang and Valley Master Mu were completely oblivious to this. Coming right up to the Thousand Buddha Wall, they spared no effort in channeling their true essence to ward off the external forces. Only upon getting close did they realize that the crack was far wider than they had imagined. The crimson flame aura and swastika runes were intertwined, constantly shifting. Qin Sang and Valley Master Mu exchanged a glance and summoned their respective magic treasures in unison. The Jinchen Sword was sufficient. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* The serpent spear and Jinchen Sword shot forward side by side, plunging fiercely into the crack. They had chosen their timing and position with great finesse, avoiding directly provoking an eruption from either force. Due to their differing roles, Qin Sang was positioned slightly ahead. *Pfft!* A narrow void opened within the fissure, after which the surrounding crimson and golden radiance began squeezing inward. That brief window was their best opportunity! Qin Sang was delighted. His figure shifted slightly, and just as he was about to call for the others to follow him in, alarm bells suddenly rang in his heart—the Heavenly Eye Butterfly sounded a warning! "Careful!" Qin Sang's face fell drastically as he roared in anger.