The Artificial Stone Chambers

"Ascension from the Netherworld, mastering Yin and Yang, nurturing all things!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was the oldest among them and had also come into contact with ancient scripts in the Heavenly Court.

After examining each other, the two exchanged a glance and had a vague idea of what was going on.

"Is it that person?" Divine Lord Zhenyuan asked doubtfully.

"Ascension... can one ascend to sainthood only through the death of the physical body?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with the same doubt. "Or is this an opponent she captured, thus being immersed in this place?"

It's not hard to guess who owns the stone chamber. Even if the inscription inside doesn't mention Houtu Niangniang, there are only two cultivators who could have been involved in this matter.

Daoist Hongjun's Daoist temple is in Zixiao Palace, while Houtu Niangniang's Daoist temple has always been hidden and difficult to find.

Both Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan suspected that this was the sacred site of Houtu Niangniang.

"The Purple Cloud Palace is located at the eye of the North Sea. Could it be that when Daoist Hongjun ascended to immortality, he placed his physical body inside the eye of the sea?"

Zhang Xuezhou had never witnessed ascension and was unsure whether the physical body could transcend dimensions.

If the physical body cannot transcend dimensions, it is understandable that cultivators leave behind remnants of their bodies.

If the physical body can transcend dimensions, then this skeleton has nothing to do with the Goddess Houtu.

"I've heard that in ancient times, some cultivators were skilled at raising corpse treasures, using corpses as incarnations to drive their Law Power and accomplish tasks that required long-term commitment," the Buddha's disciple interjected. "Perhaps this is a corpse treasure!"

"These remains look extremely malevolent. They may have previously absorbed the flesh and blood of Daoist Ran Deng. The Buddhist disciple is skilled in Fire Technique; why not burn them completely to prevent this place from becoming filled with Evil Qi!"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't easily persuade Divine Lord Zhenyuan, but he didn't hesitate at all to persuade the Buddha's disciple.

Firstly, the Buddha's disciple's body was tempered and he was not afraid of attacks; secondly, the opponent's Prajna Heart Sutra had cultivated the True Solar Fire, which was extremely effective against evil spirits.

If the Buddha's disciple's abilities are insufficient, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could still deliver a finishing blow with the Southern Bright Fire.

However, after repeated observations, he found no trace of Yin Soul spirit on the demon bone, so he had no choice but to let the Buddha's disciple test the waters first.

Thus have I heard: All things have their own dharma!

The Buddha's disciple did not hesitate. After all, he had almost lost his soul while soaking in the spring water, and the Daoist Burning Lamp had not yet recovered. The Buddha's disciple indeed had great feelings about this evil pool and wished he could burn all the evil things to ashes.

If Zhang Xuezhou and the others hadn't opened the stone chamber, preventing him from usurping the throne, the Buddha's disciple would have already grabbed the remains and burned them.

He strode forward and reached out to grab the demon bone.

In the blink of an eye, the Buddha's disciple felt the flesh and blood in his hands being absorbed by the corpse, which caused his body to shine with golden light, and the True Solar Fire, activated by the Heart Sutra, was instantly drawn up.

"I have entered the True Self Realm and guided my body's circulation to be in harmony. You have been unable to absorb my flesh and blood for many days. How could you possibly harm me now!"

The True Solar Fire is the highest level of Yang Fire, with the highest temperature among all heavenly fires, and its pure combustion is extremely violent.

When the Buddha's disciple in the Sole Self Realm burns Tian Jiu, he can only char the opponent's body; when the Buddha's disciple in the True Self Realm burns Tian Jiu to ashes, he can burn it to ashes.

The Buddha's disciple did not doubt that his attack had failed; what made him wary was that this evil pool was gradually causing his thoughts to become stagnant, and he also remained cautious about the corpses.

Like a wax figure being burned, the demon bone in his hand melted rapidly, turning into white ash that fell to the ground.

"It's a black lotus!"

Only after the body was almost completely burned did a black lotus flower, the size of a wine glass, emerge from the bones.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, finding the strange object left after the demon's body was burned somewhat unexpected.

"Lotus flowers again?"

Zhang Xuezhou was also somewhat surprised, feeling as if he had recently encountered a calamity involving lotus flowers.

He also carries the Investiture of the Gods on his back. The list contains Nezha, who was once in the form of a lotus flower. The Goddess Houtu descended to the mortal world with a lotus flower beside her. There is a thousand-petaled golden lotus in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool. And now, another lotus flower has emerged.

The lotus flower in the palm of the Buddha's disciple has clearly transcended the material state, resembling a divine soul.

Zhang Xuezhou instinctively pinched a Nanming Flame in his palm as a precaution, but before they could examine it, the two saw the black lotus in the Buddha's palm, like the lingering sunset, turn into specks of black light in his palm and then disappear completely.

"Where did Lotus go?" asked Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

What is this lotus flower?

The Buddha's disciple glared at the black lotus that had vanished from his palm, then looked at the ashes of the corpse, realizing he might have gotten himself into trouble.

He saw the black lotus disappear, yet he also felt that the lotus still existed, and even 'stared' at him.

After asking a question urgently, Divine Lord Zhenyuan remained silent, unable to find the answer, while Zhang Xuezhou pondered and compared the two scenarios repeatedly.

He had seen this kind of pure energy before; one was the power of the Principle of the Spider God Liao Meng, and the other was the world origin of Tiger Feather, but Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to determine which one the Black Lotus was.

But no matter which one it was, Zhang Xuezhou felt that none of them were good.

The former is difficult to use and can only be used as a countermeasure, like the Wind and Thunder Blade weakening Tiger Feather, and its actual effect is unknown. The latter belongs to other cultivators, and the possibility of seizing the fortuitous opportunity is low, and it will inevitably lead to pursuit and trouble.

"Perhaps it's a derivative of the Seven Treasures Thousand-Petaled Golden Lotus," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Or perhaps it's the inner core remaining from this demon's bones!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not directly mention his own guess, but instead offered two possibilities that were close to reality.

"The Seven-Jeweled Thousand-Petaled Golden Lotus could indeed become a demon," said the Buddha's disciple. "Such a scourge cannot be allowed to remain; only by destroying its true form can it be completely eradicated!"

The Buddha's disciple had a solemn expression.

He looked at Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan, wanting to go out and check the situation, but fearing that the two leaders would notice and target him.

At this moment, he only hoped that the Sect Master Jieyin and others would discover the anomaly outside and then come here to check the situation.

The other party will inevitably clash with Zhang Xuezhou and his group. If he suddenly attacks, he might be able to subdue them instantly, thus gaining the upper hand in the Western Sect.

Never before had he so desperately hoped that the poisoned spring water would flow into the Eight Treasures Merit Pool quickly, or cause a blockage and abnormal water flow, so that people would come to check.

Very few people from the Western Sect can pass through this area of Bifeng; only the Buddha's disciples and the Sect Master Jieyin, or perhaps those under the Sect Master Jieyin's protection, are able to do so. It is extremely difficult to add others, and in such a place, it is very likely to result in a situation of fighting one-on-one.

"There might be High Antiquity blood sacrifice inscriptions left here. If we can follow this path to dissolve the stone layers and guide its destruction, this evil pool will be much harder to harm people in the future!"

The Buddha's disciple had some ulterior motives. He actively participated in exploring the stone chamber and found some ways to stall for time. He even hoped that the two of them would keep turning into Stone Transformation, thus opening up a passage to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan didn't delay either, and the two of them simultaneously cast spells to investigate.

There was no need for Buddha's disciples to reason with them; Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan were also interested in excavating the sites of these ancient cultivators.

The enemy was trapped in a stone chamber more than ten feet deep, protected by the Bifeng Cave, which was a natural fortress.

This area may not have been like this back then; it was only after the entire area was transformed that it developed into such a unique environment.

Through continuous destruction, the two unearthed three more stone chambers, which were symmetrically laid out with the stone chamber where the demon bones had been soaked, and also revealed hidden passageways with spring water.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that digging hundreds of feet to reach the Eight Treasures Merit Pool would be quite difficult. However, if there were traces of artificial arrangement here, the difficulty of digging through from underground would be greatly reduced.

He was preparing to endure the next few days when he heard a series of dull sounds coming from outside, as if a hammer was striking wood.

"Someone's coming!"

This startled him, and he quickly stopped the Technique Method he was casting.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan raised his eyelids and also turned to hide behind the stone chamber, while another Buddha disciple quickly prostrated himself on the ground.