When Qin Sang and his three companions arrived, what met their eyes was the sprawling ruins of a collapsed golden palace.
The smoke and dust had yet to settle. Judging by the traces, a grand array had originally stood here, only to be broken by brute force.
No one knew what method the demon marquises had used to breach the array; there had not been the slightest ripple beforehand, yet the grand array had fallen in an instant.
One had to realize that over countless years, most of the golden palaces had already been visited by others. Those that remained were either exceptionally well-hidden or impossible for ordinary cultivators to crack open.
The four swiftly swept their divine sense across the ruins. Nothing remained but broken bricks and shattered tiles; the treasures inside had already been thoroughly looted by the demon marquises.
"What was that golden light that flew out first? Could it be the supreme treasure consecrated in this golden palace?" Real Person Youhuang looked around, voicing her doubt.
Because the ruins had suffered too much devastation, it was impossible to tell what the palace had originally been used for, making it impossible to determine the origin of that golden light.
Even so, Qin Sang and the others believed Real Person Youhuang's guess might well be true. The golden light was likely the demon marquises' objective; otherwise, they would not have chased it into the Nine-Bends Astral River.
To escape from being surrounded by demons, the golden light was very likely an extraordinarily sentient spirit treasure, perhaps having even birthed an artifact spirit!
At the very least, it was connected to the secrets deep within the Jushan Diocesan Altar.
Not having laid eyes on the treasure yet, they harbored no greed for something intangible, but the current situation was undoubtedly in their favor.
"Those demon marquises have varying flight speeds. In chasing the golden light into the astral river, where perils lurk on all sides, they will inevitably be forced to scatter. This is a fine opportunity," Real Person Guyun said in a low voice.
Everyone looked up toward the Nine-Bends Astral River.
Neither the demon marquises nor the golden light were anywhere to be seen, and the phenomenon of ten thousand lights shining in unison across the river was waning from its peak.
To seize the chance amidst the chaos, they would also have to pursue them into the depths of the Jushan Diocesan Altar, which inevitably meant taking some risks.
Both Daoists turned their gaze toward Real Person Zhijian, who was the initiator of this operation.
Qin Sang pondered to himself. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had advanced, and regardless of the might of her new divine ability, her innate Heavenly Eye divine ability was bound to have progressed significantly. The more complex the situation and restrictions, the greater the field for her talents.
With the Heavenly Eye Butterfly giving warnings, most dangers could be avoided.
Real Person Zhijian looked over, silently inquiring his opinion. Qin Sang nodded gently, agreeing with Real Person Guyun's suggestion.
The four thus sped straight toward the Nine-Bends Astral River. As they drew close, they sensed two auras rapidly converging on them—it was none other than Real Person Zhang and Venerable Zhenru.
The six reunited by the banks of the astral river.
Only upon drawing close did they realize that actual river water flowed within the astral river, yet it flowed from low ground to high. At its end stood a waterfall, where the inverted stream ascended straight into the highest heavens.
Dots of starlight resembled fish swimming in the astral river, but when the Heavenly Eye Butterfly pushed her Heavenly Eye divine ability through the water, she saw only an empty void.
Yet any cultivator who had entered the Nine-Bends Astral River knew that the starlight concealed dangers. One had to cross as quickly as possible and not let it get close.
Real Person Zhang wore a solemn expression when mentioning this, and Qin Sang harbored some caution in his heart.
*Splash!*
The group leapt into the astral river, stirring up waves as the genuine sound of water echoed in their ears.
A chill radiated from the river water. Soon after, the group saw specks of light drifting over. At first, it was only a few nearby, but before long, the surroundings were disturbed. Densely packed specks of light converged like ravenous, man-eating fish. Even with their formidable cultivation, a chill ran through their hearts.
Qin Sang activated the Lotus Seal, treading upon lotuses as he dodged the approaching points of light. His movements were nimble and seemed quite effortless.
This was only on the surface. When Qin Sang reached the opposite bank of the Nine-Bends Astral River and glanced back, his mind finally relaxed.
Behind him, the points of light were crowded together. He did not know what would happen if one were engulfed by them, nor did he wish to experience it firsthand.
Real Person Zhang and Real Person Zhijian had walked in front and stepped out of the Nine-Bends Astral River first. When Qin Sang emerged, he saw them standing by the bank discussing something. Then, Real Person Zhang raised his hand and lightly tapped the void, sending a snow-white talisman flying from his fingertips.
Qin Sang landed behind the two and took in the view ahead.
Reaching this side of the Nine-Bends Astral River meant entering the interior of the disordered space. Not far to their right stood an inverted sword peak.
The sword peak was incomparably steep, with not a single blade of grass or plant visible within the fissures. The stone was pitch-black as ink, seemingly capable of swallowing the nearby light. The space around it appeared warped, radiating an eerie mystique.
Directly above their heads lay the edge of that cluster of floating vines. Long vines hung down like pythons waiting to devour people, ready at any moment to drag anyone who drew near into a cage.
Directly ahead was a colossal funnel spanning several thousand zhang across, spinning without a moment's pause. White light radiated from inside the funnel, stretched by the swirling force into slender threads.
Deep within the funnel seemed to lie a bizarre space; through the distorted light, one could make out what appeared to be the shadows of pavilions and towers.
It spun quietly like that, flanked by floating auspicious clouds. It emitted no outward suction, but anyone who saw it knew it was bound to be extraordinarily perilous.
All sorts of surreal sights, unseen in the outside world, were everywhere here.
Auspicious clouds filled the spaces between these disordered wonders, forming cloud paths that interlinked like a web leading in all directions.
Following the cloud paths was the safest way here. Reaching the end of a cloud path did not mean there was no way forward; it merely meant the way ahead was blocked by ancient ruins, and as long as one possessed the ability to cross them, one could continue onward.
"This Jade Dust Swan Shadow Talisman of mine can capture a wisp of the opponent's aura even in places where the qi is chaotic. It is a top-grade tracking talisman, though it works best when cast shortly after they have passed through..."
Real Person Zhang explained in brief, then flicked his finger. The talisman shot out and shattered with a bang midair.
The others had also prepared their tracking techniques, but upon seeing this, they stayed their hands, knowing their methods were inferior to this Jade Dust Swan Shadow Talisman.
Once the talisman exploded, it turned into falling snowflakes. A blizzard swiftly expanded, blanketing the banks of the astral river.
In the next breath, a white swan was born from the snow. Pure white and remarkably majestic, it bobbed its head left and right, beat its wings vigorously, and flew toward one of the cloud paths.
Real Person Zhang had kept his eyes half-closed while driving the talisman. Suddenly opening them, he pointed in the direction the white swan had flown. "The demons have all gone that way!"
Each displaying their respective movement arts, the group quickly gave chase.
The cloud paths were intricate. Tightly tailing the white swan, the group shuttled between magnificent, bizarre spectacles one after another.
Beholding these rare sights, Qin Sang also felt his horizons broadened.
Two places left the deepest impression on him, both formed by divine abilities lingering from ancient times.
One was a colossal stone fist standing alone in the void, as though sculpted from rock. Even now, one could sense the terrifying fist intent contained within it; it was difficult to fathom just how potent that fist intent would be were it to erupt.
The other was merely a modest azure halo, yet before even getting close, Qin Sang felt a sense of palpitation, as if that halo were one of the most horrifying things in the world.
One could well imagine the might of ancient grandmasters.
Real Person Youhuang had been right: taking a stroll here made one realize one's own insignificance, which served to inspire oneself.
As the white swan kept flying ahead, they remained quietly on guard, yet they found not even a shadow of the demon marquises.
Right then, the white swan ahead suddenly halted, circling in place instead of moving forward. There were clearly no demons nearby, nor was the talisman's power exhausted.
"Eh? They might have gone inside..."
Real Person Zhang landed beside the white swan, sensed for a moment, and turned his head toward the left side of the cloud path.
Real Person Zhijian also brought out a jade sword, sensed for a few breaths, and nodded in agreement with Real Person Zhang's assessment.
*Crash... crash...*
To their left lay a curtain of rain.
The rain poured torrentially, its interior dim and murky, severely obscuring visibility.
Strangely, the raindrops were not clear water, but yellowish-brown muddy water that splattered upon the ground in filthy mud spots.
Though no danger behind the rain curtain was visible for the moment, none dared let their guard down.
"While the talisman's power hasn't dissipated, let us cut through here! Everyone, be careful."
Real Person Zhang gave a word of warning and took the lead into the rain curtain. The others exchanged glances and followed in succession.
It was also because they had strength in numbers that their misgivings were lessened; otherwise, they would have had to consider whether to press the chase or lie in wait here for their quarry to come to them.
*Patter! Patter! Patter!*
Raindrops battered against their bodies.
Qin Sang stirred his vitality and blood, rousing his protective astral force to keep the rainwater from touching him.
After walking cautiously for a while and seeing no abnormality around them, the group could not help feeling a bit surprised.
Suddenly, Qin Sang's ear twitched. He heard an unusual splash, and the others heard it as well, their gazes turning in unison.
They saw a raindrop hit the ground, but instead of merging into the muddy water, it twisted and sprouted limbs and a head, rapidly swelling at the same time. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a mud figure thirty feet tall, resembling a mud golem. Its faceless countenance faced them, sending a chill down their spines.
"Scattering Beans into Soldiers!" Real Person Guyun blurted out.
Such a sight closely resembled the legendary grand divine ability of the Daoist sects.
What Qin Sang focused on was the mud figure's strength. Clearly an inanimate object formed from muddy water, it actually radiated an aura like a living being, comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator!
*Pfft!*
Mud splattered as the mud figure turned into a grey shadow, pouncing violently toward Real Person Youhuang, who was closest to it.
The mud figure raised both arms in an embracing posture, seemingly intending to clasp her tightly.
Real Person Youhuang gave a soft snort. Her jade-like finger flicked a flower seed, shooting it into the mud figure's chest.
Immediately following that, the flower seed took root and sprouted. Stems and roots crawled all over the mud figure's body in an instant, blossoming into a gorgeous spiritual flower atop its crown.
Moments later, the spiritual flower withered, and the mud figure stiffened on the spot, covered from head to toe in cracks like parched earth before shattering and dissolving back into the muddy water.
The spiritual flower was originally a manifestation of a Daoist art, and it vanished at the same time.
This mud figure was merely the beginning. Right after, the group heard that sound ringing out incessantly as more than a dozen mud figures climbed to their feet all around them simultaneously.
However, having witnessed Real Person Youhuang slay the mud figure, everyone was much relieved; it appeared the mud figures possessed no bizarre or arcane abilities.
Without needing any reminder, the group hastened their pace, bringing out their respective magic treasures and divine abilities to charge outward.
The torrential rain poured down, and the mud figures seemed endless.
Faced with the siege of mud figures, most of the group employed thunderous means to eliminate them as swiftly as possible.
The sight around Qin Sang was particularly unique.
Whenever a mud figure drew near, it would be caught and pulled by a strange force. After struggling slightly, it would begin circling around Qin Sang; though merely inches away from him, it could not harm him in the slightest.
Gradually, more and more mud figures gathered around Qin Sang. With a gentle jolt of his arm, a thunderous explosion rang out, and all the mud figures detonated to death, their mud splattering in every direction.
Looking at the emptied space around him, Qin Sang nodded in satisfaction. Having contemplated these two Buddhist seals for many days, his efforts had finally borne fruit.
He was now able to merge the Demon-Subduing Seal and the Altar-Turning Seal, combining hardness and softness, and its performance was indeed remarkable.
Next, Qin Sang was just about to follow up on his momentum when his heart stirred. Sensing a gaze fixed upon him, he looked up and saw Venerable Zhenru.
Venerable Zhenru held a cudgel; with a flash of staff shadows, a mud figure exploded to death.
When their eyes met, Venerable Zhenru did not shrink away. He smiled kindly at Qin Sang, gave his wrist a flick, and with two consecutive cracking sounds, the two mud figures nearing him were blasted flying.
Then, Venerable Zhenru planted the cudgel on the ground, tucked it under his arm, and pressed his palms together before his chest, offering a respectful salute to Qin Sang from afar.
Since their encounter, Qin Sang had not spoken with Venerable Zhenru, but Qin Sang had noticed that Venerable Zhenru had been glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally just now.
It was likely because of the *Seven Master Buddha Seals*.
The Buddhist seals contained Buddhist doctrines. As Qin Sang continually tested them, it certainly could not escape Venerable Zhenru's eyes.
In this world where Daoism reigned supreme, Buddhist lineages were few and far between. Small wonder Venerable Zhenru took notice of him.
"What fine divine abilities, Daoist!" praised Venerable Zhenru.
"You flatter me! The Venerable speaks too highly of me."
Qin Sang bowed with clasped hands in return. Hearing Venerable Zhenru invite him to visit Jingtai Temple as a guest, he agreed.
...
More mud figures charged forward. After their brief exchange, the two resumed battling the mud figures.
The further forward they went, the stronger the mud figures grew. Fortunately, they encountered no mud figures at the Deity Transformation realm.
Joining forces, the group finally broke through the encirclement, crossed the torrential rain zone, and reached the other side. The white swan's perception became clear once more, and it sped forward.
They pressed forward quickly for another stretch.
Real Person Youhuang seemed to spot something and suddenly stopped. Calling out to halt everyone, she pointed to the right. "I remember that sea of light. Last time, we got there, sensed the danger, gave up exploring further, and pulled out."
The group peered ahead. In the right-forward distance, amidst layered fantastical sights, there were several patches of blue light separated by great distances. It was evident that the expanse of the blue sea of light was exceedingly vast, though most of it was obstructed from view.
Although the sea of light was situated to their right rather than directly ahead, the further they ventured, the more dangerous it became; along the same line of depth, the level of danger would not differ by much.
If they kept pursuing, it would not be long before they had to be wary of the threats from the diocesan altar itself first. Yet having still not seen any trace of the demon marquises, misgivings inevitably arose in their minds.
They had come to hunt demons, not for some indispensable grand fortune that had to be fought for at all costs; none wished to engage in a life-and-death struggle.
Discerning everyone's concerns, Real Person Zhang pondered aloud, "This poor Daoist noticed a stone platform on our way here. It had no strange fluctuations and was very tranquil. Why don't we first set up a grand array there? Should an accident occur, we can retreat to this spot and use the spirit array to hold off the enemy. What do you think?"
The group exchanged glances and found the plan viable. They immediately turned back and soon located that stone platform.
The stone platform was exceptionally flat. After a brief inspection revealing no danger, they settled on which array to use and joined hands to lay it out.
Real Person Zhijian took out an array plate bristling with talisman swords, and Real Person Zhang assisted him in setting up the array plate on the stone platform.
Qin Sang and the other three remained on the cloud path. Following Real Person Zhijian's directions, they drew a kind of sword talisman in midair.
As the talisman phantoms took shape, they flew toward the stone platform in succession and melded into the array plate. The talisman swords on the plate grew brighter and brighter, faint sounds of sword howls echoing out.
With their concerted efforts, more than half of the spirit array was completed in short order.
Right at that moment, Real Person Zhang abruptly turned to look into the depths. Listening for a moment, his face shifted drastically, and he shouted, "Not good!"
The group hurriedly looked over. From the depths, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted, blinding in its intensity. The halo formed by the golden light instantly swallowed illusion after illusion, sweeping across all directions.
The void shuddered!
Chapter 1788