Li Qiang looked around excitedly. Smoke swirled around him, and faint red lights flashed intermittently amidst the flickering light. Strange sounds swept by like the wind.
Li Qiang seemed to sense something peculiar about the sound. With a slight thought, he sat cross-legged in Nascent Soul- air and focused his mind into his nascent soul. The sound immediately came clearly, and it was so beautiful and melodious. He didn't have time to think about it and concentrated on memorizing it repeatedly.
Fortunately, he had learned the variations of music in the Heavenly Melody City, so memorizing these beautiful sounds was not difficult at all.
Li Qiang was immersed in the beautiful sound, but after a while, the tone suddenly changed, as if endless sorrow was surging into his heart with the sound. Then, an angry tone followed, which made people furious.
These sounds perfectly express human emotions, such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. What's peculiar is that they are not explained with language, but rather through the rise and fall of tones, sometimes even just a few syllables, which clearly convey the mood.
Slowly, the sound faded away.
Li Qiang continued to sit cross-legged, practicing his internal energy, repeatedly reviewing the sounds he had memorized until he had completely mastered them before standing up. He still felt a little regretful because he hadn't memorized the very first part. He didn't know what the use of these sounds was, but in the most secretive places of the Buddha Sect, he understood that everything was worth collecting, including sounds.
The surroundings were empty; the massive pillars were nowhere to be seen. Li Qiang felt extremely strange. He hung in mid-air, utterly bewildered, thinking, "What's going on? There's nothing at all in this famous Buddha Sect secret cave. How am I supposed to get out? Sigh, I'd better stay away from places like this in the future."
He flew around the center but didn't find anything invisible. Frustrated, he yelled and unintentionally used the voice-changing technique he had just learned.
With an angry shout, lightning and thunder suddenly erupted all around. Li Qiang was startled and quickly shut his mouth. Miraculously, the thunder and lightning stopped immediately.
He seemed to realize something, thinking, "What did I just do?" He repeated the sound he had made earlier, but all around was quiet and still. He paced around anxiously, inwardly cursing himself for being an idiot. He clearly sensed something, but he just couldn't grasp it.
Everything around him fell silent, not a sound could be heard, a quiet that was unsettling. Li Qiang shifted uncomfortably, coughed loudly enough to startle even himself, and then started yelling incoherently for a while before stopping, bored.
Unwilling to be trapped in the secret cave, Li Qiang began to rush outwards, choosing a direction and flying rapidly. The surroundings were azure, like flying in the blue sky, but everything was blue, making it impossible to tell where he was. Li Qiang felt he had flown extremely far, perhaps hundreds of kilometers, when he stopped and looked around. A flash of blue light appeared before his eyes, and he almost cried. After flying for so long, he was still in the same place. He knew he was truly trapped.
A wave of sadness washed over him, and he let out a long sigh, "Sigh..." He unintentionally used the voice changer again. The air suddenly became very humid. Li Qiang stretched out his hand, looked up in surprise, and wondered, "What the hell? It's raining here?" Suddenly, he realized that he had used the strange voice changer he had heard when he first came in, and that seemed to be the key.
He immediately sat cross-legged in mid-air and tried to hum a modified melody. Sure enough, as soon as the joyful melody came out, the sky was filled with rosy clouds, and the colors of the entire space changed, creating a beautiful scene. The joyful melody suddenly disappeared and the sorrowful melody rose again. Instantly, wind and rain raged, and large drops of rain filled the space.
Li Qiang was both surprised and delighted. His tone shifted, and his anger erupted, instantly accompanied by lightning and thunder, a scene of rage. Then, a calm, gentle change in tone emanated, and everything around him seemed vibrant with life. Li Qiang felt as if he were in springtime, with a warm breeze caressing his face, and his mood became extremely cheerful.
Li Qiang could hardly believe his eyes. Countless flower buds appeared out of thin air around him. As they grew rapidly, he recognized them at a glance—they were lotus flowers. Gradually, the buds bloomed, their delicate petals seemingly glistening with dewdrops. Everything felt so real.
Hundreds of lotus flowers bloomed simultaneously, instantly transforming the surrounding area into a sea of flowers. Each lotus flower was a foot in diameter, appearing enormous. Li Qiang slowly stopped humming.
Among the lotus flowers, a golden flower gradually grew larger, leaving Li Qiang dumbfounded. The golden lotus grew bigger and bigger, reaching a diameter of one meter, its petals spreading out to reveal a golden lotus seedpod inside. Li Qiang flew above the golden lotus to observe it closely.
Suddenly, wisps of white light shot from the tips of the pink lotus petals, and the petals danced with the light, instantly filling the space with swirling lotus petals. Li Qiang was pushed towards the golden lotus by the dancing petals, and he was completely helpless against those seemingly delicate petals, falling awkwardly onto the lotus seedpod in the center of the golden lotus.
Li Qiang watched helplessly as shimmering golden threads shot from the tips of the golden lotus petals, quickly enveloping him. He knew he had to find a way to break free of this confinement to have any chance of escaping. Since entering the secret cave, every step had been fraught with danger, every move perilous. A slight misstep could mean the loss of even his Nascent Soul. He simply didn't know what to do next.
Jinlian began to move rapidly, and Li Qiang couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope that Jinlian would send him out of the secret cave. He nervously watched the scene outside the golden light barrier. It seemed as if the world had turned upside down outside. Roars, thunder, explosions, and all sorts of strange sounds rang out in a series. The bizarre and colorful lights made Li Qiang tremble with fear. He had no idea what was happening outside.
The golden lotus paused slightly, then began to spin rapidly. Li Qiang noticed that the golden lotus was shrinking rapidly. He forced himself to remain calm, and suddenly, he found himself sitting cross-legged on a golden lotus-shaped futon. In front of him was another golden futon, upon which sat a Baldy old man, carefully examining him.
The surroundings were chaotic and indistinct, seemingly neither above nor below. However, for him, the presence of someone was better than being all alone. Judging from the person's appearance, he seemed to be a Buddha Sect.
The man was bald, with a red dot between his eyebrows, and had extremely long eyebrows that hung down to his knees where he was sitting cross-legged. His face was covered with layers of wrinkles, and he squinted his eyes, which shone with a soft light. He wore a white robe that shimmered with a faint white light.
He let out a long sigh and said in a very pleasant, extremely gentle voice, "Hello, my destined one!"
Li Qiang smiled wryly and said, "A person with affinity? I don't understand! May I ask if you are a member of the Buddha Sect? Who are you?"
The old man closed his eyes, and after a long while, he said, "I never expected that after waiting for so long, it would be cultivators who arrive. Alas, it seems I can't wait any longer... I am the only Buddha Sect elder remaining here, so you can call me Elder Zhi. In any case, it is your destiny to be able to come to the Chaos Realm. I have no time to wait any longer. You must have relied on the Buddha Sect's supreme treasures— the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads and the Jadeite Leaf— to reach this place." He opened his eyes and looked at Li Qiang, "With your cultivation level, you shouldn't be able to get here, so I can only say that you are a person of destiny."
Li Qiang was stunned by what he said, and upon reflection, it did make some sense. He had somehow ended up here, as if by some strange twist of fate; otherwise, it would be hard to explain. Fortunately, he had never had any prejudice against any particular sect or faction, so he laughed and said, "Hehe, Elder Zhi, if you say it's fate, then it's fate. I will heed your teachings."
Elder Zhi seemed to see right through Li Qiang. A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out as he repeatedly said, "Good! Good! Good! I never expected there to be such a person in the Cultivation Realm." He appeared very pleased and continued, "Although you are not a successor of our Buddha Sect, you meet our Buddha Sect's selection criteria. Entrusting this matter to you fulfills a wish of mine, and I can leave this place in peace."
Li Qiang asked in surprise, "What matter does Elder Zhi wish to entrust to me?"
He is now very humble. Ever since he witnessed the incredible methods and Law Treasure of the Buddha Sect, he has developed a deep reverence for the Buddha Sect. Moreover, he is naturally intolerant of anyone or anything. He likes to associate with everyone, from ordinary people to highly skilled cultivators, as long as they are compatible. Even if the person opposite him is a Buddha Sect master or an enemy of the Cultivation Realm, he doesn't care.
Elder Zhi smiled and said, "The vast universe is boundless. The Buddha Sect distanced itself from this place because it found the legendary Land of Ultimate Bliss. The conflict between Buddhism and Daoism was for this key to escape suffering. In the end, Buddha Sect obtained it, and thus, Buddha Sect disappeared from this realm. Hehe, perhaps you don't understand now, but as your cultivation level increases, you will have a profound understanding."
Li Qiang hadn't expected Elder Zhi to bring up the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism. Curious, he asked, "What kind of key is that?"
"This is a metaphor; in reality, it is a divine artifact. Alas, for this artifact, both Buddhism and Daoism suffered heavy casualties, both sides were severely weakened, it's truly lamentable!" He paused for a moment, then continued, " The Buddha Sect once imprisoned seven of the Cultivation Realm cultivators of the time, sealing them in several locations, two of which were on the Western Continent, respectively in..."
Li Qiang interrupted him, laughing, " The Mystic Suppression Pagoda in the Sea of Wronged Souls, and the Great Illusion Buddha Realm, right?"
Elder Zhi's long, long eyebrows twitched slightly as he said, "That's right. There's another place on Qianjie Star where two are imprisoned, and another place in the desert of Lingyuan Star where one is imprisoned. There are two more that even I don't know the details of; it's an unnamed planet. If you have the chance, release them. I will give you the spiritual techniques and Law Treasure to dispel their imprisonment."
Li Qiang had never expected things to turn out this way. He greatly admired the Buddha Sect's actions and said with a smile, " Qi Junsha from the Mystic Suppression Pagoda and Wu Chen from the Great Illusion Buddha Realm have already emerged. As for the other experts, I will do my best to rescue them."
Elder Zhi nodded. "Alright, that's one thing. The other is much more difficult." Elder Zhi's expression turned serious. "During the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism, in the final stage, three experts from the Cultivation Realm who had reached the Mahayana Realm fought a final duel against the Buddha Sect. Originally, the Buddha Sect was no match for them, but the Buddha Sect had already obtained that divine artifact. At the last moment, the Buddha Sect activated that artifact, completely crushing these three experts who were about to enter the Immortal Realm. Their physical bodies were reduced to ashes. But no one expected that one of them would retain a fragmented body and even forcibly devour the Nascent Soul of the other two, using this as a foundation to cultivate into the demonic path. Alas! This is the sin committed by the Buddha Sect sect, so someone must stop them."
Li Qiang pointed exaggeratedly at his own nose and asked, "You're not talking about me, are you, old man?"
"Yes, it's you!"
Li Qiang scratched his head and suddenly laughed, "Are you kidding me? Our opponent is a master who has entered the Mahayana Realm, while I'm just a newcomer to the Cultivation Realm. How could I possibly defeat him? Hehe, you've finally found someone with a destiny, you're not going to send him to his death right away, are you? Even if I agree to your request, what's the use if I can't complete the mission? Don't you think so?"
On the surface, he appeared carefree and jovial, but in his mind, he was rapidly calculating the pros and cons. He would never do something so suicidal. He said this to test Elder Zhi's attitude.
Elder Zhi was well aware of Li Qiang's thoughts. He smiled slightly and said, "Of course, I won't send you to your death. That person's name Li Yuwei, and after entering the demonic path, he became known as Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch. He has been hiding in a secret cave of the Wild Plains Buddha Sect, and he will soon emerge..."
Li Qiang asked in surprise, " The Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch? What's the relationship between him and the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand?"
Elder Zhi smiled bitterly, "That's his second Primordial Spirit. He has three Primordial Spirit in total. From the very beginning, he cultivated the most terrifying Devil Artifact in the Black Devil Realm. Only recently has his Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand reached its full potential, so he calls himself the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch. His emergence has brought immense harm, alas!"
Li Qiang asked, puzzled, " Elder Zhi, since you know all this, why don't you go and kill him?"
Elder Zhi squinted and said, "I have no way to leave. The Chaos Realm must be guarded by people from the Buddha Sect. I will be leaving soon. The Chaos Realm, which was opened by the divine artifact, is about to close. If I don't leave now, I will never be able to get out. Although I discovered that Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch was cultivating in seclusion in the secret cave a long time ago, I was unable to stop him."
Li Qiang sighed, "If the kid hadn't come here, wouldn't you have waited for nothing?"
Elder Zhi chuckled at Li Qiang's words, "There are arrangements in the the Unseen, and it's beyond your control. Hehe, a cultivator like you... is truly special. Don't worry, I only asked you to stop him, not to destroy him. You can't destroy Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch. He will naturally be reduced to ashes when his Heavenly Tribulation arrives. Moreover, he has completely lost his former memories and is acting entirely on the instincts of a demon."
Li Qiang perked up upon hearing this. "That's more like it, haha. What should we do? I'll listen to you."
"Do you know how to use the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads you carry?"
Li Qiang chuckled and said, "I know a little bit, just using it randomly. Hehe, it seems quite powerful; I've been using it a lot lately."
Elder Zhi couldn't help but laugh. This little fellow really had no inhibitions. He said, "Demonstrate it for me, hmm, you shoot it at me."
Li Qiang was startled. "Old man... he's attacking you? You're too powerful." He knew that even someone as strong as Qi Junsha, Loose Immortal, would be forced back by a four-layer superposition if caught off guard, let alone someone who had now mastered a five-layer superposition.
Elder Zhi smiled slightly and said, " The Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads are something I cultivated, so don't worry, feel free to show them to us."
Li Qiang was speechless, thinking, "Wow, that's amazing! No wonder he acted so cocky."
Elder Zhi remained calm and composed, observing the situation with confidence.
Li Qiang braced himself and said, "Be careful, clumsy!" He quickly formed hand seals, and in an instant, countless colorful ribbons gathered together, and a bright rainbow shot out from his palms. Suddenly, the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads around his neck lit up, and the eighteen beads flew into the rainbow.
Li Qiang flicked his wrist and shouted, "Go!" Rainbow emitted a rumbling vibration and rushed straight at Elder Zhi. As soon as Rainbow made its move, he realized that this time Rainbow was much stronger than the previous one.
The golden lotus beneath Elder Zhi's seat suddenly emitted a golden light, silently shattering the rainbow. He nodded and said, "Not bad! Not bad! You have mastered the most basic techniques. Combined with the power of the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads, you are already considered a master in the Cultivation Realm."
He began explaining how to use the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads and the Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands, mentioning six defensive talismans that could be interspersed within offensive talismans, allowing for complete control over the attack's power. He chuckled, "The simplest way to use it is with one defensive talisman and one offensive talisman—that's the Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder. Once you've mastered it, you can unleash it without hesitation. You can try it."
Li Qiang remembered that when he first started exploring, the six attack talismans were extremely weak when used individually; they were meant to be used in combination with defensive talismans, something he hadn't considered at the time. He quickly stacked the two talismans together, and a beam of red light shot out as he raised his hand. Elder Zhi also slightly raised his hand, and a beam of red light shot out as well. The two beams of red light collided with a loud crackling sound, followed by a tremendous shock. The golden lotuses beneath the two men simultaneously emitted golden light, dissipating the enormous impact.
Li Qiang gasped in shock. Goodness, that's incredibly powerful!
Elder Zhi smiled and said, "You can explore it slowly; there are many other combinations you can use. Also, the ' Golden Lotus Jade Throne ' you sit on is a Buddha Sect secret treasure with endless uses; I'm giving it to you for self-defense." He added, "These two items are for you. One is Jade Pupil Slip containing Buddha Sect esoteric cultivation methods, some of my own insights are also recorded inside. The other is Buddha Finger; wear it on your finger. It contains many Buddhist secret treasures; the usage is in the Jade Pupil Slip. You can practice it when you have time."
Two treasures emerged from Elder Zhi's body and slowly flew towards Li Qiang. Li Qiang reached out and grabbed them. The Jade Pupil Slip was about the size of his palm, black in color, and as smooth as jade. He put it into his bracelet.
The Buddha Finger was actually just a ring. He casually put it on his finger, only to be surprised to find that it was also a storage ring. The space inside was no less than his own Tanbo Bracelet. The ring was filled with many items, stacked on top of each other, almost completely filling the space. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, so many things!"
Elder Zhi smiled and said, "Many of the items here are rare materials for refining weapons, and there aren't many secret treasures. There are some things I hope you can pass on to... those believers who admire Buddha Sect. It's a pity they can't go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss."
Li Qiang, who had been fiddling with the ring on his finger, nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's no problem. I know quite a few people like that."
"Only elders of the Buddha Sect sect are authorized to wear the Buddha Finger. As long as someone is a disciple of the Buddha Sect, just show them the Buddha Finger, and they will understand. Also, the Buddha Finger can be made invisible..."
Li Qiang immediately understood his meaning and laughed, "Well, I won't show it to the people in the Cultivation Realm. If they mistake me for an elder of the Buddha Sect, hehe, I'll be in deep trouble. Don't worry, I'm not that stupid." He suddenly thought of another question and asked, "Old man, what method do I have to stop Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch? His strength is much higher than mine."
Elder Zhi laughed, "What a clever lad! You've got it all ready. Here you go!"
Li Qiang noticed something new in his hand—a golden, spherical object, only the size of an egg, covered in golden spikes. Curious, Li Qiang asked, "What is this thing?"
Elder Zhi said seriously, "This is no ordinary thing..."
Li Qiang nodded repeatedly. "So it wasn't anything." The two of them simultaneously realized that their previous statements were seriously flawed and couldn't help but laugh.
"This is a Buddhist treasure specifically designed to ward off demons, called the ' Devil-Slaying Thorn.' It can be used in conjunction with the Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder devastating attacks on demons. You can simply store it in the Illusory Devil Pearl; there's no need for special training."
Li Qiang, holding the Devil-Slaying Thorn, was a little unsure what to do. He chuckled awkwardly, "Please explain clearly, how do I put it into the Illusory Devil Pearl? I really know too little about the Buddha Sect matters."
Elder Zhi laughed heartily, revealing a set of snow-white teeth, his long eyebrows arching upwards. After a moment, he stopped laughing and said, "Inject your True Essence Power into the Illusory Devil Pearl and the Devil-Slaying Thorn simultaneously, and at the same time, use your mind to inscribe eighteen talismans onto the Devil-Slaying Thorn. Be quick, and that will do." He admired Li Qiang because Li Qiang didn't pretend to know what he didn't; he knew what he did, and he didn't hide it at all when he didn't.
Upon hearing this, Li Qiang immediately took action. He already knew the eighteen talismans by heart, but he still had to be very careful to quickly inscribe them onto the Devil-Slaying Thorn. Fortunately, he had already mastered the cultivation method of the Primordial Beginning Sect's Shadow Dream Armor, which was of great help for this kind of thing that required mental inscription. Soon Devil-Slaying Thorn- Slaying Needle shone brightly. Suddenly, a thunderclap sounded, and the Devil-Slaying Thorn disappeared without a trace. However, Li Qiang could feel its presence very clearly, like something held in his mouth—invisible yet clearly perceptible. He smiled and said, "So simple."
Elder Zhi loosened the hand seal he was holding. He had originally planned to help Li Qiang when he was in trouble, but he didn't expect Li Qiang to finish it so easily and quickly. He knew very well that even some experts in the Buddha Sect might not be able to inscribe eighteen kinds of talismans so quickly. It required extremely strong mental concentration. Even if he did it himself, he wouldn't be much faster than Li Qiang.
He knew very well that Li Qiang's skills were far inferior to his own, and he couldn't help but wonder: How did this kid do that?
The two talked for a long time. Elder Zhi taught Li Qiang the incantation for controlling the Golden Lotus Jade Throne, and also told him about some other wonderful uses of the Golden Lotus Jade Throne. He also told him about some of the secrets of the Buddha Sect, hoping that Li Qiang could guide the remaining disciples of the Buddha Sect and give them some hope and help.
Li Qiang readily agreed; he never hesitated to help others.
Elder Zhi sighed and said, "Young man, it's time for me to go. Heaven has truly blessed the Buddha Sect, sending a cultivator like you who is unbiased. This is a blessing for the Buddha Sect and for the Cultivation Realm. Take care, young man. The Golden Lotus Jade Throne will take you out. Also, there is a Devil-Trapping Grand Array above the Buddhist site, which can be activated with the Golden Lotus." He lowered his eyebrows, raised one hand, and chanted a spell.
Li Qiang hurriedly bowed and said, "Farewell, Elder!" But in his heart he was thinking: What is this Devil-Trapping Grand Array?
The Golden Lotus Jade Throne spun rapidly, and Li Qiang knew that Elder Zhi was seeing him off. He was filled with emotion. So this was the outcome of the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism. The Cultivation Realm seemed to have won gloriously, but in reality, it suffered a crushing defeat. Even the three most powerful Mahayana masters were defeated so miserably, and the only one who survived even became a demon. It was truly lamentable. This was all caused by that so-called divine artifact.
Suddenly, he remembered something: wasn't the " Wrath of the Heavenly God " he'd heard about on Heavenly Court Star also a divine artifact?
No wonder cultivators like Qin Bantong were so surprised and anxious upon hearing this news; who knows what kind of storm this will stir up this time.