The Seven Mansions Sector

With the infusion of demonic fire, the Ruyi Pearl came to resemble nothing so much as a black demon pearl. A fine Buddhist treasure, defiled by demonic fire, could hardly be called anything other than a demonic artifact now. Sinking his mind into the Mani Pearl, Qin Sang sensed that the astral protective barrier was still present. It was strengthened and sustained by the power of the demonic fire, making "astral fire barrier" a more accurate name for it. The demonic fire served as the barrier's source of power. It was certain that not only demonic fire, but other spiritual fires could undoubtedly be absorbed by the Mani Pearl as well; the stronger the spiritual fire, the more formidable the astral fire barrier would be. Discovering this characteristic of the Mani Pearl filled Qin Sang with both shock and delight. He was shocked by the artifact's profound ability to accommodate all fires—judging by his own understanding of artifact crafting, such a feat should have been utterly impossible! At the very least, Qin Sang had yet to discover where the limit of the astral fire barrier's power lay. As he continuously channeled the Nine Nether Demonic Fire into it, the barrier strengthened accordingly, showing no signs of plateauing. He was delighted because obtaining such an extraordinary treasure would grant him an immeasurable boost. He excelled at controlling fire. Blessed by fortune, he had acquired two top-tier spiritual fires—the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and the Nanming Primordial Fire—and had never lacked offensive methods. However, he fell somewhat short when it came to defense. Previously, he had relied on the astral protective barrier of the Ruyi Pearl, but after breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage, he had found that barrier somewhat lacking. As an artifact master, he had once considered crafting a tailored protective magic treasure for himself, but rare spiritual materials were hard to come by, and his energies were thoroughly consumed by the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus*, so the idea had remained shelved. Each time he encountered danger, he had either relied on the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's ability to see through illusions to warn him in advance, or depended on his superior movement arts to swiftly escape disadvantageous positions and maneuver around his opponents. Yet once cast into an environment where danger lurked everywhere, this shortcoming was laid bare. A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Qin Sang's choice had usually been to retreat whenever possible, even if it meant missing out on opportunities. With the Mani Pearl in hand, the situation was completely different! When channeled into the Mani Pearl, an offensive spiritual fire like the Nine Nether Demonic Fire transformed into a sturdy astral fire barrier, second to none in defensive power. The drawback was that he could not have both offense and defense at once; he had to maintain the demonic fire's unity with the Mani Pearl to sustain the astral fire barrier. To this day, the demonic fire remained Qin Sang's most handy and frequently used offensive technique, and he could not abandon it. Without using his natal spirit sword, the sword formation was slightly less potent; the Sun God Bird was plenty powerful, but lacked agility. Of course, using the astral fire barrier to fend off an opponent's attacks would heavily consume Qin Sang's True Yuan, though compared to that drawback, this was negligible. He would simply have to adapt to the situation, relying on his mastery over the demonic fire to switch between offense and defense at any moment—a true test of his ability to seize the right tactical moment in battle. Musing over this, Qin Sang drew back the demonic fire and suspended the Mani Pearl before him. He refined it slightly, finding the process unexpectedly smooth—presumably because he had refined the Ruyi Pearl before, which saved him a great deal of trouble. Just as he was about to check whether the Mani Pearl possessed any other functions, a thought suddenly came from his avatar. *Whoosh!* The Mani Pearl transformed into a beam of Buddhist light. Just like the Ruyi Pearl, it could be retracted into his dantian. Qin Sang rose, flew up to the canopy of the forest in a flash, and looked up at the Five Elements Divine Restriction. Having just emerged from the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, he had gained a rough grasp of how the Five Elements Divine Restriction operated. The rosy clouds encircling the mountain were all external manifestations of the Five Elements restrictions. The core of these restrictions consisted of the Five Elements Divine Restrictions, arranged according to the principle of mutual generation among the five elements, each divine restriction exhibiting distinct phenomena. For example, within the region of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, firelight flickered, and the clouds there resembled a sunset ablaze with flame. There were distinct boundaries on both sides of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. To the west, the clouds were dense with a murky yellow hue, which should correspond to the Earth-phase Divine Restriction located to the left of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction. Inferring from this, the Metal-phase Divine Restriction lay to the left of the Earth-phase Divine Restriction, positioned almost around to the shaded northern slope of Mount Dishou. Qin Sang had suspected there would be anomalies in the Metal-phase Divine Restriction and had ordered his avatar to keep a close watch; now it was confirmed. In the Metal-phase Divine Restriction, specks of starlight twinkled, dyeing the clouds like golden morning glow. At this moment, however, the clouds there were churning violently. Though the light had not waned—in fact growing even more dazzling—there was a disjointed sensation about it. The energies were colliding, and conflicts had arisen within the divine restriction. This discordance was not very obvious and was obscured by layers of surrounding clouds, yet it could not escape Qin Sang's discerning gaze. Nor was Qin Sang alone. Su Zinan, Mo Xingdao, the Poison King, and Master Huaiyin—with their cultivation levels, none of them lacked keen vision. These signs were more than enough for them to make their judgment. After pondering for a moment, Qin Sang made up his mind immediately: he would enter the Metal-phase Divine Restriction to investigate! Having newly acquired the Mani Pearl, if he returned to the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, his ability to withstand the heavenly fire would be greatly enhanced, yet breaking through the restriction would still take considerable effort. The Metal-phase Divine Restriction was undoubtedly affected by something. For them, even the slightest flaw appearing in a restrictive formation could be seized and turned into an advantage, allowing them to easily find a way through. There was no reason to pass up a shortcut! With his mind made up, Qin Sang prepared to move, but before doing so, he recalled his avatar. His objective on this trip was the Wordless Jade Wall behind the Five Elements Divine Restriction. Within the Five Elements Divine Restriction, breaking the restrictions was the primary priority; it would not be too late to release his avatar to lend a hand when it came time to fight others. With the Mani Pearl, his true body's safety was assured. The avatar was a cut below the other figures here, not to mention that bizarre, elusive expert lurking in the shadows; having the avatar out might only drag him down. Having recalled his avatar, he tucked the Fire Jade Centipede inside his sleeve. Qin Sang's figure darted forward as he entered the Five Elements restrictions once more, unaware that Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao had also withdrawn from the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction and made the exact same choice. Fortunately, the restriction spanned a vast area, so the two parties did not run into each other along the outer fringes of the clouds. Qin Sang soon ventured deep into the clouds and reached the edge of the Metal-phase Divine Restriction. Unexpectedly, though the clouds had looked so brilliant from the outside, up close Qin Sang was met with a murky, somber vista. Various arrays and restrictions flashed through Qin Sang's mind. Quite a few could produce such a sight, but none seemed to match. Unable to discern anything definite, he could only test it himself. Qin Sang summoned the Jinchen Sword, brought forth the astral fire barrier for protection, and took a step inside! In an instant, heaven and earth spun. All surrounding clamor vanished, and the light dimmed alongside it, plunging almost into deep night. In the vast, boundless mountains and wilds, Qin Sang's figure stood alone, rendering the surroundings all the more desolate. Absolute silence reigned. In the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, heavenly fire fell like rain, yet here it was dim and quiet—two exact extremes. Standing on solid ground, Qin Sang looked down. Beneath his feet, the rocks were coarse and rugged, the slope steep, surrounded by jagged boulders. There was no road here, but that did not hinder him from climbing upward. “Is this the actual mountain body of Mount Dishou?” Qin Sang was surprised. Through the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he confirmed that these rocks were no illusion; they truly existed. He had actually been sent directly into the mountain—where was the Metal-phase Divine Restriction? Qin Sang swept his gaze around, then, struck by an intuition, snapped his head upward. High in the firmament, stars hung suspended. There was no moon here, only swaying starlight. Compared to the true heavens and earth, the stars here were somewhat sparse, unable to even form a complete river of stars, as though the sky were incomplete. The starlight was also rather faint. Qin Sang gazed upward, standing motionless for a long time. He felt as though eyes were embedded in those stars, watching him, the Qi of all the stars having locked onto him. It was as if he had been cast into an ocean of stars, severed from heaven and earth. As he watched, the starlight gradually brightened, yet the ground remained dim and quiet—the stars shone upon Qin Sang alone! The stars reflected in Qin Sang's pupils. His heavenly eye divine ability peered through the essence of the stars: they were actually radiant swords hanging high in the sky! “This is... a sword formation!” Qin Sang realized. A sword formation had replaced the function of the Metal-phase Divine Restriction here, maintaining the mutual generation of the five elements. Qin Sang could not help but wonder how the array master had achieved this. Before long, he uncovered the secret. These stars formed from sword intent did not number the full heavenly circuit, which was why they appeared sparse, yet their positions corresponded to astronomical alignments. Of the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols, only a single Symbol had been taken! “The Seven Mansions of the West! The White Tiger constellation!” Qin Sang was shaken. The creator of the formation had actually used swords to emulate the constellations—what staggering audacity! The White Tiger belonged to metal, symbolizing slaughter. No sooner had this thought arisen than Qin Sang felt as though razor-sharp sword Qi pointed at him from every direction, cold and murderous. Even through the astral fire barrier, an uncanny stinging sensation prickled his skin. Little did he know that this was one of the pinnacle sword formations of the Metal-phase Hall—the Seven Mansions Sector Sword Formation! The Seven Mansions were the lunar mansions of the White Tiger. The swords bore heaven and earth, drawing down the celestial constellations; when the White Tiger descended into the mortal realm, it represented the very zenith of sword-slaughter in this world. In the past, the sword cultivators of the Metal-phase branch had assembled in force to lay down the Seven Mansions Sector Sword Formation, slaying myriad demons during the demonic tribulation and achieving immortal renown. Employing the Seven Mansions Sector Sword Formation here could not have been more fitting. ... The Poison King and Master Huaiyin had circled Mount Dishou in their search. They had noticed the anomaly in the metal direction long ago, but having too little information, they had not acted rashly. After completing a circuit, they indeed found something. They uncovered multiple traces of battle, deducing the movements of the combatants and their likely identities from the subtle clues left behind. “This should be the work of Old Daoist Zilei,” the Poison King said, pointing at a scorched clearing in the mountain forest. All vitality had been eradicated from the vegetation here, yet a unique aura of lightning lingered underground. The Poison King was well acquainted with this aura—it belonged exclusively to Daoist Zilei, the abbey master of Bajing Abbey. “Bajing Abbey's lightning art is exceedingly difficult to practice. Very few can even cross the threshold, and those who achieve mastery are fewer still. In this age, only Old Daoist Zilei has reached such a realm. Even looking across all the abbey's past masters, his talent ranks among the very best.” The Poison King drew in a wisp of the aura, purple Qi swirling in his palm, unsparing in his praise of Daoist Zilei. He was also cautioning Master Huaiyin not to underestimate the man. Relations between Daoism and Buddhism had historically been decent, but Bajing Abbey's appearance here without informing Ganlu Zen Monastery gave much food for thought. Master Huaiyin nodded. He had long known of Daoist Zilei's renown, and witnessing the aftermath of his battle with his own eyes, he could not help but sigh that seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times. Judging by the battle traces, both sides consisted of two top-tier powerhouses, and the other side had practically been hounded and battered by Daoist Zilei and Daoist Hegao—or perhaps they had simply been desperate to escape and unwilling to become bogged down in a fight. “I smell the aura of yin demons,” Master Huaiyin said, pressing his palms together. The Poison King chuckled darkly. “It is unquestionably Old Demon Fan's *Myriad Demons Yin Classic*. By the looks of it, the old demon was even forced to unleash the ninth transformation of his Ten Thousand Illusions Nether Lotus, barely managing to withstand Old Daoist Zilei's lightning art—not even fearing that the lightning might shatter his lotus. As for the other person, their aura is somewhat mixed, though their strength is by no means weak...” Master Huaiyin followed the trail to the edge of the clouds and said with certainty, “Their chase led right here!” The Poison King looked toward the depths of the clouds, observing the turbulent spectacle. “The anomaly may well have been caused by them. As Master can see, this mountain is sealed by the Five Elements restrictions; entering from any direction will lead straight into a divine restriction. Since we haven't found any trace of that old scoundrel, we might as well follow behind them.” Master Huaiyin had no objection. The two stepped into the clouds and soon arrived at the sword formation. ... Elsewhere within the Seven Mansions Sector Sword Formation. Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao met with an ordeal similar to Qin Sang's, fending off the lethal onslaught of the sword formation while observing the stars and sensing the formation's Qi to search for a way out. ... At the foot of Mount Dishou. Passing by the Metal-phase Hall, the nuns faced a difficult choice. Yanyue Nunnery had inherited the divine abilities of both the Metal-phase and Water-phase branches, making the ruins of both halls immensely appealing to them. In addition, an anomaly had appeared on Mount Dishou, and the immortal palace whose whereabouts remained unknown also held earth-shattering fortunes. Four places—where should they go? In the end, the old nun decided to split their forces into two paths, having discovered that the Metal-phase Hall had not yet been visited by anyone. With no others in sight nearby, it was relatively safe. Leaving behind half of their party whose cultivations were somewhat weaker, the old nun repeatedly exhorted them to know when to stop and retreat while ahead. The Metal-phase Hall had been built by array masters commissioned from the Earth-phase branch. Though not as intricate as the thousands of halls and myriad pavilions of the Earth-phase Hall, its scale was nonetheless vast, encompassing mountain ranges. Sword cultivators were fiercely independent and disliked having their cave abodes too close to others. Various sword formations had also been integrated into the arrays, nested ring within ring; every mountain peak was a sword, where disturbing a single part would move the whole. It was the most dangerous of the five halls. The other path was led by the old nun herself, taking most of the experts along, including Liuli. They first circled the foot of Mount Dishou. Seeing the tide of mist surging along the mountainside and the sea of clouds blanketing the upper reaches, they could tell at a glance how perilous it was. Refraining from ascending rashly, they decided to wait and observe a while longer, bypassing Mount Dishou to head toward the Water-phase Hall. Then, they were left dumbfounded. The Water-phase Hall was completely gone, frozen under a thousand miles of ice. The heritage of the Water-phase Hall had naturally turned to ash and smoke as well. “What a murderous fiend!” The nuns gritted their teeth in secret, yet there was nothing they could do. Setting aside the fact that they did not know who had done it, even if they did, the perpetrator was likely not someone to be provoked lightly. Sighing helplessly, the old nun noticed the Langhuan Jade Pavilion not far away and led her party over. Fortunately, the Langhuan Jade Pavilion remained intact, having escaped destruction. The old nun had long known that the first floor contained a topographic map of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Upon entering the pavilion, she was surprised to find the map undamaged. She hastily ordered the nuns to remain on guard while she activated the restriction. The Wuxiang Immortal Sect unfolded before the nuns. Liuli stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with the old nun, asking softly about the location of the teleportation array to the immortal palace. From the records of Yanyue Nunnery, the old nun had identified several places where the teleportation array was most likely to be located, but could not be sure which one it was; this topographic map could help her eliminate possibilities. Staring at the map, the old nun pondered for a long time, cross-referencing numerous ancient records with the sights she had observed upon entering. Ultimately, she eliminated three of the locations, but two remained uncertain. “The crest of the sheer cliff, and the forbidden ground in the north...” The old nun tapped twice. Liuli committed them to memory. Hearing the old nun and the others confer and decide to use the opportunity while other experts fought over the immortal palace to search for treasures in the Metal-phase Hall and Mount Dishou instead, Liuli unexpectedly resolved to seek out the immortal palace alone. The old nun worried that it would be too perilous for Liuli to face so many Great Cultivators on her own, and that the fortunes within the Wuxiang Immortal Sect were already more than enough for them to enjoy. Yet Liuli remained resolute. She had never forgotten her original purpose in coming to Zhongzhou. Searching for her master ran through the entirety of her life of cultivation; any opportunity or fortune could be cast aside. “I will be careful,” Liuli said decisively. She departed alone, stepping out of the jade pavilion. “Senior Sister, if you find a special sword scripture for nourishing swords with the Origin Soul in the Metal-phase Hall, please bring it back.”