Qin Sang's dharma idol was an Azure Luan.
In this realm, the enmity between humans and demons ran deep as the ocean, an irreconcilable blood feud. Fearing he might arouse suspicion, Qin Sang had intentionally kept his dharma idol hidden.
Though the Azure Luan dharma idol had not manifested, it seemed to sense something and was stirred.
Ever since the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* entered its fifth layer, his Azure Luan dharma idol had gradually condensed from a phantom into something more solid.
In the years following his breakthrough, Qin Sang had constantly tried to probe the secrets of the dharma idol, yet with little success, and mastering the Azure Luan's lightning power remained a distant prospect.
Unexpectedly, at this very moment, the Azure Luan dharma idol demonstrated an unforeseen power.
Each breakthrough in realm for a Deity Transformation cultivator signified an elevation in their resonance between heaven and man. By virtue of their deeper comprehension of the might of heaven and earth, higher-stage cultivators could suppress opponents with weaker cultivation.
This threw the weaker party into utter disarray; in severe cases, their minds and spirits could be intimidated so thoroughly that they could not even muster the will to resist.
The disparity in realm was reflected even in divine abilities and Daoist arts. When casting the exact same Daoist art against an opponent in a higher realm, its power might be invisibly diminished under the suppression of celestial might.
As one side waxed and the other waned, the gap in combat strength widened further.
Because of this factor, even though Qin Sang possessed several powerful divine abilities, he had lacked confidence in challenging opponents above his realm after reaching Deity Transformation.
Yet this wood flood dragon was comparable to the mid Deity Transformation stage. Qin Sang was clearly inferior to it in cultivation, yet he felt no suppression whatsoever—far less than what he had felt facing that injured Thunder Turtle.
Judging from Real Person Youhuang's earlier performance, she had been exceptionally cautious when facing the wood flood dragon alone, employing various means to dodge its edge.
Although that was part of their plan, it was evident that she had been suppressed by the creature.
*The Azure Luan dharma idol can resist the suppression of celestial might from opponents...*
Having deduced the cause, Qin Sang was astonished.
With the protection of his dharma idol, he would no longer have to worry about being constrained when facing opponents of a higher realm in the future—though he did not yet know where the dharma idol's limits lay.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, yet Qin Sang's movements did not pause for a second; if anything, he became all the more composed.
*Whoosh!*
The spirit spear descended from the heavens with irresistible force, blasting through the pale-white flames and driving straight toward the wood flood dragon's crown.
A black vortex was reflected in the wood flood dragon's ferocious eyes. The spear tip glinted with razor-sharp brilliance, stinging its eyes and causing its pupils to contract abruptly.
*Roar!*
A ferocious beast like the wood flood dragon was exceptionally wild and unyielding. Tossing its head back, it let out a furious roar, baring horrifying fangs. In the breath it drew, half of the pale-white flames were sucked into its maw, then blasted out in a frenzied torrent.
*Boom!*
A pillar of pale-white fire slammed viciously into the vortex.
Two tremendous forces violently collided, instantly shaking heaven and earth as the black vortex was torn apart on the spot.
The spirit spear's momentum was still not spent. Spinning rapidly, it pierced through layers of pale-white flames, yet just as it was about to impale the wood flood dragon, signs of lag appeared.
Taking advantage of the opening, Qin Sang closed in, quietly channeling the Demon-Crushing Seal. He soundlessly pressed it against the wood flood dragon's flank, then suddenly detonated its force.
*Bang!*
Shards of broken scales flew everywhere.
The middle of the wood flood dragon's body caved in violently, bending into the shape of a bow in midair as a large expanse of scales shattered away, leaving behind a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Stricken by the heavy blow, the creature plummeted downward. Its tail thrashed wildly, sweeping against the peaks on either side and carving deep ravines into the cliff faces, filling the air with dust and crushed stones.
The wood flood dragon crashed into the sea of fire born from its own divine ability. Just as it was about to smash into the valley floor, a shrill shriek rang out from within the flames, and it forcefully arrested its descent, rocketing back out of the sea of fire.
Its ferocious eyes locked onto Qin Sang, brimming with rage.
Blood dripped copiously from its wound, yet the injury seemed to have little effect on it. The flesh beneath its scales contracted, quickly stanching the bleeding, and a bloody radiance rippled across the surface, gradually mending the wound.
*What a formidable physical body! What tough scales!*
Qin Sang's heart jumped. In the next instant, a foul wind blasted against his face, and a colossal claw filled his vision.
Though a flood dragon, it possessed four claws whose razor tips were like sharp swords; Qin Sang had no desire to feel what it was like to be impaled by them.
His instinct was to dodge, but at the final moment, he changed his mind.
The wood flood dragon could not kill him, and he had companions nearby watching his back. Where else could he find such a prime opportunity to hone himself?
With a shift in thought, Qin Sang's figure abruptly halted, as if he had been paralyzed with fright. Within him, his qi and blood surged, rumbling like muffled thunder.
*Swish!*
The dragon claw tore through his chest, yet caught only an afterimage.
Treading upon lotus blossoms, Qin Sang moved like a wraith, completely unscathed beneath the claw. Rather than retreating, he advanced, boldly hurtling toward the wood flood dragon's chest and abdomen.
Yet the wood flood dragon's combat instincts were keener still. Before Qin Sang could reach its vulnerable spot, another dragon claw swiped toward his head.
Shrouded in pale-white flames, the claw was like a flaming monstrosity. Wherever it passed, the void seemed to collapse under a terrifying pressure. In its fury, the beast sought to squash this bug into paste with a single swat.
For anyone else, under such crushing pressure, taking a single step would have been excruciatingly difficult, leaving evasion as the only recourse. But under the protection of his dharma idol, Qin Sang moved freely. Stepping upon empty air, he shot out through the gaps between its talons, forming the Wheel-Turning Seal with his left hand.
The flaming claw fell into the vortex of force generated by the Wheel-Turning Seal and hitched for a fleeting moment.
Cold light flashed in Qin Sang's eyes as he slammed out his right palm.
Before the wood flood dragon could pull back its other claw, the Demon-Crushing Seal struck true against its joint.
*Crack!*
Scales shattered and scattered from the joint as the claw twisted into an unnatural angle, showering blood across the sky.
The wood flood dragon listed heavily, crashing into the riddled cliff face with enough violence to shake the peak to its foundations, threatening to topple it.
Lashing out in agony, the beast roared in fury, whipping its tail back viciously toward Qin Sang.
At this moment, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. The protection of his Azure Luan dharma idol had actually failed—he was frozen in place, forced to watch the tail whip toward him at blinding speed.
Evidently, this was not caused by celestial might, but likely an innate immobilization divine ability inherent to the wood flood dragon.
The whipping tail brought a vicious gale. Even with multiple protective treasures, Qin Sang did not wish to endure such a blow.
Just as he was about to force his way free, a streak of black lightning descended from above. Real Person Guyun had finally arrived.
The spirit spear, having been repelled earlier, had fallen right back into its master's grasp.
Twirling the spear, Real Person Guyun charged fearlessly toward the wood flood dragon, whose physical body dwarfed his own.
Looking at his appearance alone, it was hard to believe this emaciated Daoist fought with such ferocity.
*Pfft!*
Guyun's grasp of timing was exquisite; the spirit spear sank straight into the base of the dragon's tail.
This happened to be a weak point in the dragon's scale armor, easily piercing through the base of the tail and pinning the dragon's body into the cliff.
Driven nearly mad, the wood flood dragon completely forgot about Qin Sang. Folding its body around, its gaping maw snapped toward Guyun.
Guyun had no intention of lingering. Knowing when to pull back, he yanked out the spirit spear and retreated.
In an instant, blood gushed like a spring.
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded: the bloody hole at the base of the tail closed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The tail, which had grown stiff from the severe wound, quickly regained its agility.
The same was true for its other injuries.
*What terrifying regenerative capability...*
Guyun's eyes narrowed slightly, yet showed no fear. If the wood flood dragon had only this much skill, it would not escape death today.
He even had the leisure to call out to Qin Sang, "Fellow Daoist, what courage! What fine methods!"
He was praising Qin Sang's boldness in engaging the wood flood dragon in close-quarters combat.
Every gesture of the wood flood dragon carried the suppression of celestial might; one slip in response, and the consequences would be dire. In a battle they were certain to win, Guyun would never have taken such a risk.
Only someone hardened by hundreds of battles and supremely confident in their abilities would dare do so.
Qin Sang, however, seemed not to have heard Guyun's praise. Gazing at his hands, he was deep in thought.
At that moment, the wood flood dragon staged a comeback. Raising his spear, Guyun stepped forward to meet it.
Qin Sang looked up as well, clenched both fists, and surged forward again, flanking the wood flood dragon alongside Guyun from the left and right.
However, Qin Sang focused half his attention on himself—specifically, on two Buddhist seals:
The Demon-Crushing Seal and the Wheel-Turning Seal.
In the ensuing clash, Qin Sang continually struck with both seals in tandem, wearing a contemplative expression.
His sudden contemplation of these two seals, which he had mastered long ago, stemmed from a new insight he had gained into the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals* during the earlier fight, prompting him to try fusing the two seals together.
When his physical body had just broken through, Qin Sang had felt a faint inkling of this, but back then, he had not yet thoroughly comprehended the seventh seal, the Vajra Great Freedom Seal, and could not be certain.
Facing the wood flood dragon amid the ever-shifting flow of battle, a stroke of inspiration had struck him, finally confirming his theory: simply mastering all seven seals was not the pinnacle of the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals*!
The seven Buddhist seals could be fused together.
Though Qin Sang did not yet know what the ultimate outcome of the fusion would be, he could infer a good deal.
As the saying went, just as water possessed no fixed shape, once the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals* were cultivated to great completion, one would no longer be bound to any specific seal; every strike would contain limitless variations and unfathomable divine might.
*The potential of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals certainly doesn't end here!*
Qin Sang had never imagined that a secret art he had purchased long ago—one that had gone completely ignored at an auction—would reveal such extraordinary depth today.
Delighted by this epiphany, Qin Sang used the wood flood dragon to test and comprehend the secret art, beginning by trying to merge the Demon-Crushing Seal and the Wheel-Turning Seal.
One was hard and the other soft, complementing each other, and their forces were manifested externally, making them the easiest path to gaining an initial grasp.
While Qin Sang and Real Person Guyun engaged the wood flood dragon, Real Person Youhuang remained lurking at the bottom of the valley, biding her time.
She was busy at work.
The pale-white flames had already been recalled by the dragon to form a protective fiery armor. Without anyone noticing, the valley had become choked with vines, intertwined like a nest of giant pythons.
Youhuang's figure flashed continuously as she drove divine talismans into the roots of the vines one after another.
Strengthened by the divine talismans, an eerie sheen rippled across the vines, making them appear far more resilient.
Having completed her preparations, Youhuang looked up and sent a voice transmission to her companions.
Qin Sang and Guyun's eyes met for an instant before parting. Together, the two leapt above the wood flood dragon.
Guyun held his spirit spear obliquely, wielding it like a whip to lash brutally at the dragon.
Qin Sang repeated his earlier tactic, dodging the beast's attack and striking the center of its spine with a Demon-Crushing Seal.
The wood flood dragon was knocked from the sky once more.
Simultaneously, all the vines in the valley squirmed into motion, rearing their slender lengths like real pythons and swaying in the air.
As the dragon crashed downward, vines shot wildly toward it, wrapping it tightly into a bundle in an instant.
The wood flood dragon struggled frantically.
The vines stretched taut, the sounds of snapping echoing incessantly, yet countless vines remained bound tightly around it, with even more surging forward.
At this moment, the wood flood dragon was like a beast caught in a massive net, powerless to break free.
To make matters worse, Qin Sang and Guyun pursued it relentlessly, raining attacks on its vital spots.
As more and more vines ensnared the creature, Qin Sang and Guyun tacitly darted to either side of its head. Locking their palms like pincers onto the nape of its neck, they forced it downward with all their strength.
*Bang!*
The dragon's head slammed into the ground, shaking the earth.
From high in the sky, a sword flew in from beyond, descending like a startling rainbow and arriving in the blink of an eye.
Qin Sang felt the struggling force beneath him abruptly diminish. He looked to see Real Person Zhijian's spirit sword plunging straight through the wood flood dragon's crown, ending the ferocious beast's life with a single strike.
"Delightful!" Guyun laughed heartily.
Real Person Youhuang flashed into view, beaming with joy as she looked at the dragon carcass.
By then, Real Person Zhijian also flew back into the valley.
Earlier, he had been responsible for watching the perimeter to keep the battle's fluctuations from drawing unwanted guests, as well as delivering the final, fatal blow.
Everything had gone even smoother than expected.
"Dismember the beast's corpse quickly; this is no place to linger," Zhijian said, before setting off to sweep away any lingering traces in the surrounding area.
The group swiftly butchered the carcass, keeping what was usable and consigning the rest to the flames.
In the end, Real Person Youhuang received the demon core and essence blood.
Qin Sang and Real Person Guyun split the azure scales of the wood flood dragon evenly; if they could refine the scales into their Wind-Returning Armors later on, the armor's power could be enhanced further.
Real Person Zhijian took only several segments of demon bone.
While Youhuang took the lion's share this time, she would compensate them with Daoist Court merits.
Having tied up all loose ends, the four promptly departed from the area. After this battle, they had grown far more familiar with one another.
"This beast was roaming alone, which is why the fight went so smoothly. But do not assume it will always be easy. Deeper within the Sin Plains, if you cannot finish off a ferocious beast swiftly, you will easily attract another..." Zhijian said in a deep voice, primarily cautioning Qin Sang.
Qin Sang was somewhat preoccupied, continually turning over the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals* in his mind.
On the path that followed, they did not encounter a second Deity Transformation-level ferocious beast.
...
"We are less than a thousand li from our destination..."
Astride a mountain summit, Real Person Zhijian gazed toward the north.
Before his words had fully faded, a rumbling thunder echoed from ahead, and rolling clouds of dust and smoke could be seen along the distant horizon.
"Another beast tide! Something major must be happening ahead!"
Frowning slightly, Zhijian turned back and said, "We must rely on you two fellow Daoists once again."
Real Person Guyun glanced at Qin Sang.
Qin Sang nodded. "I'll clear the way!"
With that, Qin Sang leapt down the mountain. Zhijian and Real Person Youhuang restrained their auras and followed closely behind, while Guyun brought up the rear.
As they drew closer to their objective, they needed to conceal their presence as much as possible and avoid flying through the air to prevent detection.
Yet beast tides were ceaseless here, and constantly detouring around them would inevitably waste time. Thus, Qin Sang and Guyun took point; as body-cultivation strength practitioners, their power was contained entirely within their own bodies, allowing them to rein in their aura cleanly when striking.
Zhijian flicked his fingers to cast a mass of sheer gauze that concealed everyone's forms, leaving Qin Sang out in front to plunge head-on into the horde.
Alternating between the two Buddhist seals, combining hardness with softness, Qin Sang constantly comprehended and refined his technique.
Countless ferocious beasts brushed past them, either guided off course by invisible forces or gently repelled aside. Everything seemed to happen so naturally that even the closest beasts sensed nothing amiss, charging blindly ahead.
Like flowing water, the four drifted silently through the beast tide.
...
Even as the four rapidly approached their target...
To the north.
Two figures stood in a mountain col, gazing toward the horizon.
One stood ahead of the other, their difference in status unmistakable.
The person in front wore an immortal official robe symbolizing a Nine Heavens Golden Palace Imperial Censor of the Celestial Pivot Court, standing with hands clasped behind his back.
The other person stood half a step behind, none other than the dark-skinned strange man.
The two stared into the distance, witnessing a wondrous spectacle beyond ordinary imagination.
"This is the place this poor Daoist spoke of."
The Nine Heavens Golden Palace Imperial Censor seemed to recall some past event, a faint sigh tingeing his tone.
The dark-skinned strange man's gaze was solemn, unable to tear his eyes away for a long time.
Chapter 1784