Clash of Divine Abilities

*Bang! Bang!* The swastika runes across the crater's surface bulged repeatedly. As Old Man Hunmo and the others battered the restrictions on the Golden Peak and the stupas, the seal was pushed to the brink of collapse. Anomalies erupted one after another, not just in the herb garden, but across the grounds. Purple trailing flames drifted through the air, darting erratically and compounding the chaos. Pavilions and towers collapsed or exploded, one after another, amid unending booms and rising billows of smoke and dust. Similar scenes played out across the Jinghai Sect in rapid succession. Amid this near-apocalyptic devastation, the disturbance in the herb garden seemed unremarkable enough that it did not arouse the immediate suspicion of the Nascent Soul cultivators. *Rumble...* Endless purple mist surged forth, billowing and spreading across midair until it nearly filled that entire expanse of space, making it impossible to overlook. As the purple mist expanded, an assortment of Buddhist restrictions flared and clashed, sending violent tremors through the surrounding mountain range. Within it, glimpses of the herb garden's interior flickered into view. Though partially obscured by the purple mist, it was not enough to block the sight of those Nascent Soul cultivators. Charred earth stretched far and wide. Withered spirit trees stood dead. A lamentable waste. Suddenly, everyone's gaze froze. Amid the desolate ruins flickered a splash of vibrant life—an intact patch of the herb garden. Though the spirit herbs appeared wilted and listless, they clung tenaciously to life under the scorching demonic flames. "The Night God Flower!" "That's a Mystic Yin Epiphyllum... the main ingredient for the Mystic Longevity Pill!" ... The newly arrived Nascent Soul cultivators halted abruptly, gasping in disbelief. The Mystic Longevity Pill was a precious elixir capable of extending lifespan, and ranked among the finest of all such pills ever known to have surfaced; the value of the Mystic Yin Epiphyllum could well be imagined. Among the other spirit herbs revealed in the garden, several were no less valuable than the Mystic Yin Epiphyllum, and the rest were all treasures capable of tempting any Nascent Soul cultivator. Herbs like the Mystic Yin Epiphyllum had indeed appeared in the cultivation world before. Qin Sang had read about them in ancient records and instructed Tan Hao to conjure their likenesses. Qin Sang had deliberately avoided those peerless celestial herbs of legend; though grander, they were also far more likely to arouse suspicion. These were more than enough to make the hearts of the Nascent Soul cultivators outside race. "An herb garden!" someone whispered, without the slightest doubt. Judging from the patches of scorched earth, most of the herb garden had been destroyed by the blazing heat, and only the most precious herbs, protected by the strongest restrictions, had managed to endure until now. Given the sheer power of the sect-protecting grand array and the seal, one could easily imagine how formidable this sect had once been; it was only natural for them to possess spirit herbs of this caliber. Before the stupa, Realized Master Chijie paused in his efforts to break the restriction upon seeing the herb garden, while the Nascent Soul cultivator to his left wore a look of utter regret. Had he known, he would have chosen the herb garden without hesitation. The treasures inside the stupas and the Golden Peak might not even match those spirit herbs! Before the Golden Peak Hall, the strength of the restriction was already at its dying breath. Neither Old Man Hunmo nor Primordial Lady Yuyi was immune to temptation; both were startled by the herb garden and momentarily distracted. Herbs like the Mystic Yin Epiphyllum held immense appeal even for Old Man Hunmo. His gaze locked onto the spirit herbs within the purple mist, and upon seeing some of the newly arrived Nascent Soul cultivators veer off toward the garden, a dark, murderous intent erupted in his turbid eyes. Feeling the murderous aura radiating from Old Man Hunmo, Primordial Lady Yuyi felt a chill run down her spine. Just then, Old Man Hunmo seemed to notice something. His expression stiffened abruptly, his eyes turning pitch-black like demonic orbs, and he whipped his head around, his face dark with fury. "Who's there?!" Only at Old Man Hunmo's furious shout did Primordial Lady Yuyi sense the abnormality. An unusual ripple had disturbed the Golden Peak Hall's restriction—a ripple that did not stem from their own attacks, but from an entirely different direction! At the same time, the power of the restriction was draining away at an alarming rate. The next moment, *crack!* A fracturing sound rang out from behind the mysterious stone statue. A crack split across the secret door, from which a plume of black flame slithered out, transforming into a fiery serpent that lunged straight toward the treasures in the hall. Qin Sang had seized the opportune moment and struck decisively. Having learned some of the Golden Peak restriction's patterns from Tan Hao and closely observed his rivals breaking through it, Qin Sang was able to control his actions, forcing open a gap while minimizing damage to the restriction as a whole. Combined with the distraction caused by the disturbance in the herb garden, this two-fold edge prevented his rivals from intercepting him immediately, winning him precious time. Snatching the magic treasures was not the end; escaping unscathed was the only true success. Otherwise, Qin Sang would find himself facing five Nascent Soul cultivators alone, one of whom was a great cultivator! *A thief!* The thought flashed through Primordial Lady Yuyi's mind. Realizing how impeccably timed the disturbance in the garden had been, she understood in an instant and was seized by fury and shock. *Snap!* Old Man Hunmo clenched his withered hand around the black bamboo staff. Dark, abyssal light erupted from it as he thrust it forward like a spear, piercing clean through the barrier of light formed by the restriction. At the same time, the Hunmo Token appeared in his other hand and slammed brutally onto the Golden Peak restriction. *Boom!* The Golden Peak shook violently, as if on the verge of collapse. Radiating from the Hunmo Token, countless fractures webbed across the light barrier; it seemed on the brink of shattering. Yet at this very moment, the fiery serpent had already shot into the hall, darting toward the altar table at blinding speed. Its clear objective was the pure pearl that Old Man Hunmo and Primordial Lady Yuyi had coveted for so long. Between top experts, victory or defeat hung on an instant. Even if their breakthrough was delayed by a mere breath, it would be enough for the serpent of fire to sweep the hall clean of treasures. Old Man Hunmo let out a cold snort. Dividing his focus, he drove the Hunmo Token with one hand while the black light at the tip of his bamboo staff twisted like a living creature and shot forth. Midway through the air, the black light writhed and vaguely coalesced into the form of a giant hand. Primordial Lady Yuyi also understood what hung in the balance and made the most prudent choice. Her supple figure blurred, pressing tight against the light barrier. She thrust out her hand, her fingernails shooting out into crimson demon claws that dug furiously into the barrier with a piercing, screeching scrape. Meanwhile, the Red Phoenix Evil suddenly drew inward as the male spirits surged forward wave upon wave, throwing themselves heedlessly against the restriction's counterattacks to bash a fissure through the barrier of light. The Red Phoenix Evil slipped silently through the gap, only slightly slower than Old Man Hunmo. *As expected of a great cultivator...* Concealed within the secret passage, Qin Sang sensed what was unfolding outside through the crevice and sighed inwardly. Despite all his meticulous arrangements, the outcome had fallen short of his expectations. Old Man Hunmo had reacted faster than anticipated, rendering his plan to sweep away all the treasures impossible. ... Inside the Buddhist hall, silent for who knew how many years, three uninvited guests had now arrived. More precisely, three divine abilities. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire took the shape of a fiery serpent. The black demonic light condensed into a demonic hand. The Red Phoenix Evil retained the form of a red silk ribbon. Three powers invaded the hall from three different directions, all sharing an eerily identical target: the pure pearl! In the end, Qin Sang had seized the initiative. Moreover, the pure pearl rested on the right side of the altar table, closest to the stone statue. The fiery serpent coiled around the pure pearl first. Right before the eyes of Old Man Hunmo and Primordial Lady Yuyi, half of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire peeled away, tore through a layer of protective light, enveloped the pure pearl, and snapped back!