According to the jade slip, the Buddhist Sect divided its cultivation realms differently from ordinary cultivators.
The lowest rank was called an Emissary, encompassing both the qi refining stage and the foundation establishment realm. The vajra realm encompassed both the golden core and nascent soul realms. Above those were the Arhat and Venerable realms, but while such realms might have existed in the Ancient Cultivation Era, they were entirely absent from the present Immortal Cultivation World.
Nian Kong had reached the vajra realm, equivalent to a cultivator's golden core stage. In the present day, he would have been powerful enough to hold an entire nation in check.
Even back then, this had been a qualitative transformation, stirring the jealousy of one of his junior brothers, Nian Qing.
A flaw in a Buddhist cultivator's heart was a terrifying thing. Demonic qi had corrupted Nian Qing, giving rise to a demon spirit. He had ambushed Nian Kong and stolen his Buddhist artifact, the Demon-Cleansing Lotus.
It was the giant lotus onto which they had dripped their blood.
Many things had happened afterward.
The final outcome was that Nian Qing's demon spirit and a wisp of Nian Kong's remnant soul had both taken refuge inside the Demon-Cleansing Lotus, with Nian Qing in control.
But Nian Kong had also activated a formation, trapping the Demon-Cleansing Lotus within this space.
Nian Kong had left the jade slip and drawn people here so that his successor could control the formation and refine away the demon spirit.
If the formation had already failed, they were to report what had happened here to his sect at the Demon-Suppressing Temple on Cangyun Mountain in the Hanhai Kingdom, or find another cultivator capable of dealing with the demon spirit and bring them here to destroy it.
After learning all this,