Golden light blazed, as though a sun had sunk westward onto the earth and shone there.
The hazy golden light Shi Yi had seen earlier from outside the Buddhist kingdom had come from that place.
Such a phenomenon surely concealed an extraordinary opportunity. Unwilling to miss it, Shi Yi strode toward the source of the golden light.
At first, nothing unusual happened. Only the indistinct sound of Buddhist scriptures reached his ears.
As Shi Yi drew closer to the source, the chanting grew increasingly thunderous, shaking him to the core like the tolling of a great ceremonial bell. It made his soul tremble beyond his control.
Shi Yi gazed ahead. He was still a short distance from the source. At the rate the chanting was intensifying, it would probably sound like roaring thunder by the time he arrived.
He drew a deep breath. His Primordial Spirit assumed a solemn, majestic aspect and transformed into an ancient bell to resist the scriptures' influence. At the same time, his flesh cave heaven opened fully, spilling divine brilliance that formed ring after ring around him. His double pupils shone brilliantly, establishing a pure land centered on himself that no spell could invade.
Above his head, atop one of his ten starry cave heavens, a huge, ferocious Taotie threw back his head and howled. He opened his blood-red maw to devour all things, including the chanting of the Buddhist scriptures.
Once Shi Yi had done all this, the interference he suffered instantly diminished.
His spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace.
Before long, Shi Yi reached his destination. Crossing ruined monasteries and ravaged temples, he saw several enormous Buddha statues lying at odd angles across the rubble. Amid the ruins stood a golden pool half a zhang across, filled with a mysterious golden liquid.