When the glow of the stupa pagoda touched the barrier of light at the entrance of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, it silently merged with it. Shrouded in the glow, Qin Sang and Liuli passed through with it, safely reaching the other side of the barrier.
Qin Sang's taut nerves relaxed slightly.
The instant they stepped into the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, all the clamor behind them was shut out by the light barrier. The interior of the pagoda was exceptionally quiet, unaffected by the surging flames outside.
As the blinding golden light faded, Qin Sang saw a corridor of modest length ahead, at the end of which seemed to be a grand hall.
The corridor was made of the same material as the body of the Linglong Pagoda, gleaming with a jade-like luster that bathed the entire corridor in iridescent colors.
Qin Sang pushed out his divine sense, sweeping quickly across the corridor walls, but sensed no danger.
Everything in the corridor was normal; there did not even seem to be any restrictions.
Yet Qin Sang knew it could not be that simple. Profound mysteries were surely concealed within the walls; he simply could not decipher them.
Right then, Qin Sang felt the stupa pagoda tremble gently in his palm. The resonance grew clearer—its target did not appear to be on this floor, but higher up, most likely at the top of the pagoda.
Qin Sang glanced upward. He retrieved the Feixue Pills seized from Hall Master Yin and shared them with Liuli and his incarnation—recovering whatever strength they could was better than nothing. He then took the lead, stepping inside. After confirming there was no danger, he gestured for Liuli to follow. They swiftly traversed the corridor and took in the view inside the hall.
The sight before their eyes took both of them by surprise.
The hall was completely empty.
Leave aside magic treasures and pills—there were not even statues or murals. Finding any clues to piece together the origins of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and the stele space was an utter impossibility.
At that moment, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda suddenly shuddered.
Qin Sang looked back. Outside the barrier, utter chaos had erupted—a veritable riot of demons and fiends.
The assembled demons and fiends had recovered from the shock and shaken off the flaming shockwaves.
They had expended immense effort to dredge the Linglong Treasure Pagoda from the depths of the flames, only for someone else to pluck the fruit of their labor. How could they accept this?
Worse yet, the Linglong Pagoda had granted entry exclusively to Qin Sang and Liuli while shutting everyone else out. If this continued any longer, there would likely be nothing left for anyone else.
Though Qin Sang possessed a spirit treasure, they had strength in numbers; as long as they remained vigilant, they had no reason to fear him.
In an instant, Qin Sang and Liuli became thorns in their sides and flesh. United as never before, the horde of demons and fiends launched a frenzied assault.
With the Linglong Treasure Pagoda breaking free from the seal, the flames on the circular platform were already on their last legs.
Under the demons' concerted barrage, the flames were extinguished one after another. The ring of fire encircling the pagoda quickly burned out, leaving only the barrier of light as protection.
Led by Great Sage Tianpeng, the demons and fiends unleashed their divine abilities, raining attacks onto the light barrier.
Great Sage Tianpeng had resumed his human form. His expression was dark as night, his gaze piercing as arrows, as though he could penetrate the barrier and tear Qin Sang and Liuli to shreds.
Having had no time to look closely earlier, Qin Sang now realized there were quite a few familiar faces among them, including his old acquaintance Bi Fang.
However, Old Man Hunmo was nowhere to be seen. It was unclear whether the old devil was lurking in the shadows or nursing his wounds in the rear.
Qin Sang's brows knit imperceptibly.
Restrictions in the clouds, the bone formation underground, the spiritual fire within the cavern.
From outside to inside, each layer had grown steadily more formidable.
Yet the golden barrier was not as sturdy as he had imagined. Under the relentless onslaught of the demons, its golden light began to show signs of dimming, causing the Linglong Pagoda to shake. It might hold out for far less time than Qin Sang had estimated.
This defied all reason!
The world was unpredictable.
Surprises always arrived unbidden.
If Tong Lingyu and the others failed to arrive in time, he had to uncover the secret between the stupa pagoda and the Linglong Treasure Pagoda before the golden barrier shattered.
If he could take control of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, all difficulties would be resolved!
With that thought, Qin Sang hesitated no longer. His silhouette flickered as he dashed toward the stairs.
Liuli followed closely behind.
The two rapidly ascended inside the Linglong Pagoda.
The second floor, the third floor, the fourth floor...
In the blink of an eye, they reached the sixth floor, with only the final floor remaining.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Qin Sang and Liuli exchanged bitter smiles; the first six floors were all completely empty!
They had deployed a spirit treasure, provoked an entire horde of demons, and risked their lives to break into the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. If they came away empty-handed, who would ever believe them?
They could only hope the seventh floor would not disappoint them.
Qin Sang took a deep breath, strode up the stairs, and finally laid eyes on something the first six floors lacked.
At the very center of the seventh floor stood a circular jade pedestal.
Three treasures rested upon the pedestal.
Upon seeing them, Qin Sang's gaze was instantly drawn to the item on the left. Delight appeared on his face, mixed with surprise and astonishment.
It was none other than the Killing Sword fragment he knew all too well!
And there was not just one piece.
Two Killing Sword fragments had actually been joined together!
Without a sword spirit, the fragments could not merge seamlessly, and the fissure running between them remained clearly visible. Together, the two pieces formed the complete character "Earth" (地)!
"Earth Killing..."
Remembering the character "Killing" (杀) on the fragment in his possession, Qin Sang murmured to himself, "Is Earth Killing Sword the name of this sword?"
The Killing Sword fragments he had sought for so long lay right before him.
Yet Qin Sang did not rush forward. Staring at the fragments, he fell into deep thought.
For the scene here was starkly different from what he had seen at the bottom of the Nether Valley!
The bottom of the Nether Valley had been utterly desolate, permeated by Nether Qi.
Compared to the Nether Valley, the environment inside the Linglong Pagoda was pristine.
That earlier Killing Sword fragment had been wedged among loose rubble, as though discarded in haste, whereas these two seemed to have been placed here with deliberate care.
Most importantly, where was the cultivation method?
Qin Sang's eyes flickered, sweeping across the other treasures on the jade pedestal.
An oblong jade box.
A jade slip.
Through the jade box, four slender threads formed of soft green luminescence were faintly visible.
Qin Sang bypassed the jade box and looked toward the jade slip, beckoning with his hand.
No mishap occurred; the jade slip trembled and flew into Qin Sang's palm.
Qin Sang activated his divine sense and quickly scanned the contents of the jade slip. As the shock in his eyes deepened, he pulled his attention away at once and turned to Liuli. "Send a message to Hall Master Jiang immediately! This place is dangerous—evacuate at once!"
After reaching the seventh floor, Liuli had remained standing by the staircase. Facing the treasures, her demeanor remained aloof and tranquil, devoid of any greed.
Hearing Qin Sang's words, Liuli was taken aback. Though she did not understand why, she trusted he would not speak without reason. She promptly produced the golden toad Hall Master Jiang had given her and flicked its back.
*Snap!*
The golden toad spat out a bead.
Liuli caught it between her fingers. Her lips parted slightly, and a wisp of white vapor surfaced inside the bead.
The white vapor squirmed and shifted rapidly, finally congealing into several characters.
Liuli stuffed the bead back into the golden toad's mouth. The toad's eyes shifted, and with a pop, the bead shattered and dimmed, the white characters within dissolving without a trace.
Meanwhile, Qin Sang sank his mind back into the jade slip.
The words recorded in the slip were not numerous, but the content was extraordinarily rich, answering most of Qin Sang's doubts.
Having read the first part, Qin Sang finally understood the full picture of what had transpired!
The treasures within the Linglong Pagoda, the Jinghai Sect's seven-story stupa and lingzhi ruyi, Xuantian Palace's seven-story pagoda...
All of them had been left behind by Xiaoxiangzi!
Even the Sacred Ground of Xuantian Palace had been discovered by Xiaoxiangzi together with the founding patriarchs of Xuantian Palace's various branches; before that, no one had known of its existence.
Right at the inception of opening the Sacred Ground, Xiaoxiangzi had discovered the stele space.
After departing the stele space, he had resealed it for another purpose, which was why Xuantian Palace knew nothing about it.
The contents of the jade slip were indeed penned by Xiaoxiangzi, merely summarizing the purpose of all his arrangements in concise terms.
Qin Sang had no way to learn the fine details, but by piecing together his previous discoveries and deductive reasoning, he could outline the general chain of events.
Before Xiaoxiangzi rose to prominence, Xuantian Palace did not exist. The Yinri Realm had been just like the present Crescent Moon Realm—filled with a myriad of sects, scattered and disjointed.
At the time, legends of an ancient immortal sect circulated in the Yinri Realm. Greatly intrigued upon hearing them, Xiaoxiangzi summoned the various sects.
With the full assistance of the sects, they actually found the legendary site—what was now Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground.
Considering the immense effort put forth by the various sects, Xiaoxiangzi did not monopolize the Sacred Ground. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to forge an alliance among the Yinri Realm's sects, founding Xuantian Palace so they could govern the Sacred Ground together.
His goal in doing so was aligned with his sealing of the stele space.
For prior to this, a little-known demonic calamity had struck the North Sea, originating from the demon-sealing land beneath the Jinghai Sect!
At the time, the demon had been on the verge of breaking through the seal. Fortunately, Xiaoxiangzi was already a powerhouse of the Deity Transformation stage, and his timely reinforcement of the seal spared the North Sea from devastation.
Yet Xiaoxiangzi was acutely aware of how terrifying the demon was. The power of a seal wore away with time and could not last forever; if the demon's vitality was resilient enough to survive within the seal, the day of its escape would inevitably come—a day when Xiaoxiangzi would no longer be around.
To this end, Xiaoxiangzi had made numerous preparations.
One was passing down Buddhist teachings, tasking the Jinghai Sect with guarding the demon-sealing land in perpetuity to watch over the seal.
The demon-sealing land possessed unique chimes of morning bells and evening drums, which were immensely beneficial to cultivation—even Nascent Soul cultivators could reap rewards from them. It was a treasure land no less wondrous than Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground.
Another layer of preparations was right here.
After entering the stele space, Xiaoxiangzi had discovered that the spirit formation here was unique. If properly utilized, it could serve as a contingency against the demon.
Naturally, the spirit formation in the stele space could not compare to the demon-sealing restriction; otherwise, Xiaoxiangzi would have lured the demon here back then.
Back then, the demon had been resealed. Tormented within the seal year after year, it would grow progressively weaker. By the time it amassed enough strength to assault the seal once more, its cultivation would certainly have fallen far from its peak.
When that time came, the cultivators of the North Sea, joining forces, would have a chance to slay it.
If the demon proved too difficult to subdue, they were to lure it to the Sacred Ground and seal it here!
The demon was bound to be cunning; getting it to walk into a trap would be no simple feat.
This brought things to the lingzhi ruyi Old Man Hunmo had obtained at the Jinghai Sect—it was the perfect bait.
This treasure was an ancient treasure that Xiaoxiangzi had acquired in the Sacred Ground, inextricably linked to the stele space.
Xiaoxiangzi had tested it: once the Sacred Ground opened, a resonance would be triggered across a vast surrounding sea area, causing abnormalities to manifest in the lingzhi ruyi.
Xiaoxiangzi had intentionally left the lingzhi ruyi with the Jinghai Sect so that the demon could easily seize it; afterward, ways could be devised to lure it to the South Sea and open the Sacred Ground.
The ice demon crystal had also been crafted by Xiaoxiangzi's own hands, originally kept as a prized treasure of the Xuantian lineage.
Even if the ice demon crystal had not absorbed sufficient energy, in times of urgency, its origin essence could be expended to forcefully open the Sacred Ground, though it would require a much longer time to recover afterward.
Knowledgeable and experienced, the demon would certainly recognize the extraordinary origin of the lingzhi ruyi. When following its trail to uncover an ancient ruin, how could it resist the temptation?
As long as the demon could be lured into the stele space, one could manipulate the spirit formation to seal the demon right here!
And the formation tool to control the spirit formation was none other than the stupa pagoda in Qin Sang's hand.
By holding the stupa pagoda, one could enter the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and manipulate this spirit formation.
To accomplish this, Xiaoxiangzi had spared no effort in contemplating the formations of the stele space and discovering their key nodes.
Worried that the demon might detect something amiss and see through the scheme, Xiaoxiangzi had not dared—nor had the capability—to alter the spirit formation excessively; refining the stupa pagoda had been his limit.
Once activated, the spirit formation could not be reversed; there was only a single chance.
Fearing that someone might use the stupa pagoda to eliminate rivals and slaughter their fellow cultivators, squandering the opportunity and violating his original intent, Xiaoxiangzi split the stupa pagoda in two, placing the pieces in Xuantian Palace and the Jinghai Sect respectively.
Qin Sang had no way of knowing how Xiaoxiangzi had instructed the two sects at the time.
As events had proven, worldly affairs were unpredictable, with far too many variables.
Plagued by frequent internal turmoil and beset by external woes, Xuantian Palace had suffered repeated setbacks, losing far too much of its heritage and forgetting the solemn injunctions of its forebears.
As for the Jinghai Sect, whether because they could not reach Xuantian Palace and received no response, or because some unforeseen crisis arose, the entire sect had perished alongside the demon.
The secrets were lost to history, leaving the stele space sealed and forgotten until today.
Had Ghost Mother not unsealed the ruins of the Jinghai Sect in search of the sea chart, drawing in Qin Sang and Old Man Hunmo, the lingzhi ruyi and the stupa pagoda would still have remained hidden from the world.
Who knew when the secrets here would ever have seen the light of day?
Qin Sang would likely have had to spend a great deal of time just to deduce that the Killing Sword fragments were hidden in this place, and then find another way to open the stele space—gods knew what year or month he might have finally succeeded.
The Killing Sword fragments and the jade box were the "rewards" left behind by Xiaoxiangzi.
In the jade slip, Xiaoxiangzi explained that he had acquired one fragment by chance and recognized it as a remnant of a peerless treasure. Regrettably, he had been unable to wield it. Though he had searched far and wide, he only found another fragment in Zhongzhou, after which all leads ran cold.
Believing that other fragments must also have fallen into this realm, he had left the two pieces here, hoping that those who came after would continue the search.
As for the treasure within the jade box, it was none other than the Spirit Calming Incense whose renown Qin Sang had heard long ago!
Xiaoxiangzi wrote:
"Any disciple sent by the two sects who dares come here bearing the stupa pagoda must be a virtuous and noble soul concerned for all under heaven, one resolved to offer themselves to feed the demon and regarding death as returning home.
"The Spirit Calming Incense and the remnants of the supreme treasure are your reward."
Reading these words, Qin Sang could not help feeling a twinge of shame.
He was afraid he was going to betray Xiaoxiangzi's original intention.
Still, he could not help but be grateful to Xiaoxiangzi.
To others, the Spirit Calming Incense was an invaluable treasure, but what Qin Sang valued most were the Killing Sword fragments and the contents of the jade slip.
The latter half of the jade slip held the sea chart to Zhongzhou that Qin Sang had yearned for day and night, along with several secrets of Zhongzhou recorded by Xiaoxiangzi!
The gains this time were so immense that even with Qin Sang's composure, he could not suppress a surge of excitement.
With no time to inspect those secrets closely for now, he opened his eyes, turned around, and looked down toward the entrance of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda.
The Linglong Treasure Pagoda shook with growing violence as the demons and fiends assaulted the light barrier with reckless abandon.
At this moment, a line of poetry that was utterly fitting for the scene surfaced in Qin Sang's mind. Under Liuli's puzzled gaze, he murmured softly:
"Leaving behind a vast expanse of white... truly clean!"
Chapter 1510