Free Web NovelChapter 187: Chapter 180: Suppression by Buddha’s Will
He stepped through the gate of the Stairway Hall, a doorway shimmering with spatial ripples.
An intense feeling of weightlessness and distortion immediately enveloped him.
Light and shadow swirled madly before his eyes, as if he had been plunged into a rapidly spinning vortex.
A moment later, his feet touched solid ground, and the surrounding scene snapped into focus.
Qi Yun found himself in a strange and wondrous land.
He looked up. The sky wasn’t azure blue, but a dusky yellow tinged with a faint golden radiance, as if perpetually steeped in some gentle, magnificent Buddha Light.
There was no sun, no moon, no stars.
Only the glow that filled the heavens provided any light.
The ground beneath his feet was firm yet felt gentle to the touch, a rare shade of dark gold.
Looking around, he saw rolling mountains and hills.
But the mountains themselves were peculiar. Many had smooth, rounded contours, resembling colossal Buddhas sitting cross-legged or reclining Arhats.
Faint, naturally formed patterns resembling blurred Sanskrit and Buddha statues could be seen on the rocks, exuding an air of tranquil solemnity.
The vegetation, too, was entirely different from the outside world.
Trees had gnarled, twisting branches, and most of their leaves were palm-shaped or circular, glowing with a jade-like sheen.
The air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and the clean, bitter fragrance of some unknown plant. A single breath made one’s Heart and Spirit involuntarily yearn for tranquility.
But this seemingly peaceful Buddha’s Pure Land was also filled with incongruous signs of decay and deathly stillness.
Many mountains bore enormous cracks, as if cleaved by some invisible, titanic force. Places that should have been lakes were nothing but dry, cracked beds.
In the distance, he could even see enormous rock fragments suspended in mid-air, along with twisted, shattered eaves of palaces.
All of this testified to the collapse and destruction this Mirror Heaven had once endured.
This was the Shiyi Realm of Milo Mountain.
’Truly worthy of a Buddhist Cultivator’s Mirror Heaven. Peace and tranquility permeate everything.’
’If this belonged to a Demon Cultivator, I’d probably be hit by a wave of malevolent energy that wants to flay me alive by now.’
As soon as he had that thought, Qi Yun’s brows furrowed slightly.
He felt a distinct unease, as if two invisible weights were pressing on his shoulders, making his True Essence circulate a fraction slower than it did in the outside world.
Moreover, an inexplicable feeling of irritation began to rise within him.
It was like a gnat, trying to burrow into his Heart and Spirit and disturb his peace.
’He’s been dead for years, and his Mirror Heaven has degraded into a Shiyi Realm, yet the lingering Daoist Intent of the Buddhist Sect can still so clearly suppress the Demon Dao...’ Feeling this omnipresent, repulsive force, Qi Yun clicked his tongue in wonder.
’It just goes to show how formidable this Buddhist Cultivator Arhat’s Buddhist Cultivation must have been when he was alive. Even in the Foundation Establishment Realm, he was likely far from being weak.’
He pursed his lips slightly. With a Heart Thought, he began to suppress the auras of his Nether Spring Bone Technique and Soul Refining Banner, concealing them as deeply as he could.
These two techniques carried the heaviest traces of the Demon Dao and were thus the most obviously suppressed.
Sure enough, as the auras of these two core Demon Techniques were suppressed,
the feeling of a weight on his shoulders and the irritation in his heart eased by more than half.
Although his True Essence circulation still wasn’t as smooth as it was outside,
it was at least within an acceptable range.
’Thankfully, my primary Innate Qi Heart Method is balanced and moderate, not some purely sinister Demon Technique.’
’Otherwise, the suppression in this place would likely be even more severe.’ Qi Yun thought, secretly relieved.
He gave his sleeves a gentle shake, casting aside the lingering discomfort of entering a strange land. His gaze regained its clarity and sharpness.
The immediate priority was to find Burning Karma Valley.
Only Inner Mansion elites at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer or higher could enter Milo Mountain. Furthermore, since this Shiyi Realm was not yet officially open to the public and was strictly managed, no detailed maps of the area were sold on the open market.
And the high-level disciples who did have the strength to enter were either too preoccupied to bother or were solely focused on their own treasure hunts.
No one could be bothered to draw and sell maps just to earn a bit of "pocket money."
If he wanted to find his target, he had to rely on himself.
Qi Yun raised his right hand and silently began performing a finger calculation.
The nascent Power of the Divine Soul within him rippled, combining with the Blood-Drawn Profound Mechanism technique.
His Heart and Spirit sank into a meditative state as he used known information—"Burning Karma Valley," "Fire Element," "upheaval"—as a guide.
He began to divine its approximate direction and distance within this world.
After a short while, his entire left arm suddenly split open with countless bloody cuts. The fingers forming the spell seal faltered for a moment, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes.
A vague but relatively clear sense of direction had already formed in his mind.
He turned, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the sensation came.
The distant sky there seemed even more dusky yellow than the rest, and he could even see a faint, ominous-looking shade of dark red.
’That must be the place.’
Qi Yun wasted no more time. A wisp of Pure Qi dispersed, smoothing over the wounds on his arm. With a slight sway, his entire body instantly transformed into a faint, formless stream of Pure Qi. He silently rose a foot off the ground and shot off in his chosen direction, moving with both speed and stealth.
When the stream of Pure Qi that was Qi Yun was still hundreds of miles from Burning Karma Valley,
a sudden event transpired in a hollow ahead, one filled with bizarrely shaped rocks!
BOOM—!!!
A violent explosion erupted. A ferocious shockwave mixed with scorching fire and shattered rock swept outward in all directions like a furious tide.
The blast was so powerful that it even caused the nearly invisible stream of Pure Qi that was Qi Yun to ripple violently.
It nearly knocked him right out of his stealth state and revealed his physical body!
’Have I been discovered?’
Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed instantly, a cold light flashing within them.
He covertly formed a Spell, pushing his Gathering Form and Scattering Qi Divine Technique to its absolute limit. His form grew even fainter.
At the same time, his Divine Sense extended toward the epicenter of the explosion as cautiously as the finest strand of spider silk.
He secretly gathered his True Essence. Although his Nether Spring Bone Technique and Soul Refining Banner were suppressed,
they were now primed for combat, ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice.
Ever since his Gathering Form and Scattering Qi had been upgraded, no Cultivator below the Foundation Establishment realm had ever seen through his stealth—not even those at Qi Refining Great Perfection.
But in the next moment, an angry roar from within the swirling dust and smoke made him pause.
"Shi Xin! You little bastard!"
"I was kind enough to give you the tip, and you try to burn the bridge after crossing it? You want to take it all for yourself!"
"And I was so sincere with you!"
It was a man’s voice, filled with monstrous rage and the sting of betrayal.
Hmm?
’He’s not after me?’
’Infighting?’
Hearing this, Qi Yun’s tightly clenched Finger Technique slowly relaxed. He felt a little more at ease.
’So, it’s just dogs biting dogs.’
Before the thought had even finished, two figures burst through the thick smoke and dust, facing off from a distance.
On the left was a man in a brocade robe with a somewhat effeminate face. His expression was livid, his eyes blazing with fury. It was Zhu Qing, the one who had just shouted.
On the right stood a young, casually dressed Daoist with a cynical, playful smile on his lips.
He was toying with a Compass that flickered with Spiritual Light. This was Shi Xin.
Facing Zhu Qing’s accusation, Shi Xin sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Zhu Qing, cut the crap! ’Sincere with you’? You’re making my teeth ache with all this nonsense!"
"We’re both Holy Sect Disciples, a pair of thousand-year-old foxes. Don’t play the innocent little bunny with me."
"You gave me the tip because you had your eye on my unique Dharma Gate for breaking Restrictions. You just wanted to use me to open that secret location, didn’t you?"
"Otherwise, would you have really shared such a prize with me for free?"
He paused, his smile growing wider, yet also colder.
"And now... I’ve personally confirmed the secrets deep within Burning Karma Valley. I know its exact location and the trick to getting in, so I no longer need you as my ’stepping stone.’"
"So let’s part ways here. Don’t pester me any further."
"Otherwise, don’t blame me for forgetting we’re from the same sect!"
"Part ways? In your dreams, you blind fool!"
Zhu Qing’s fury became uncontrollable. He let out a cold snarl.
"Leave your life behind!"
He thrust both hands forward.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—!
Eight three-foot-long, pitch-black rods of some unknown material shot from his sleeves. They transformed into eight streaks of dark light that, following a profound trajectory, instantly embedded themselves in the ground in eight directions around Shi Xin!
The moment these eight Black Rods hit the ground, the twisted, blood-red Talismans carved on them flared to life, releasing a dense, bloody Evil Qi.
Eight columns of bloody Evil Qi shot skyward, instantly linking together to form a massive, blood-red cage that completely enveloped the hundred-meter area around Shi Xin!
In an instant, the light within the cage dimmed, and a Yin Wind began to howl.
The air filled with the nauseating stench of blood and the despairing aura of Evil Qi.
The ground transformed into a swamp of congealed blood, which gurgled and oozed with crimson bubbles. A powerful restraining and corrosive force pressed in on Shi Xin from all sides. freewebnoveℓ.com
Worse, a chaotic, violent will attempted to assault his Divine Soul!
This Eight Gates Ultimate Evil Stake was a complete set of Demonic Magical Artifacts. It could instantly create a domain of absolute evil to trap enemies, defile their spirit, and disrupt their mind. Its power was quite formidable.
Faced with this sudden deathtrap, the cynical smile on Shi Xin’s face didn’t falter in the slightest. On the contrary, a flicker of contempt crossed his eyes.
"A parlor trick. And you have the gall to show it off in front of me?"
He didn’t panic. The Compass he had been toying with suddenly stopped spinning,
and a beam of Spiritual Light shot from it toward one of the Black Rods.
At the same time, his other hand formed a strange Dharma Seal with lightning speed as he barked,
"Xun Position, wind disperses!" frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Li Position, fire ignites!"
Before the words had even left his lips, the bloody Evil Qi around the Black Rod in the "Xun" position—the one struck by the Spiritual Light—was thrown into chaos, scattered slightly by an invisible wind.
Meanwhile, on the corresponding Black Rod in the "Li" position, the blood-red Talisman gave a POOF and spontaneously combusted, erupting in an eerie blue flame.
Though it failed to destroy the Black Rod instantly, it clearly disrupted the stable output of its Evil Qi!
The entire blood-red cage formed by the Eight Gates Ultimate Evil Stake trembled, and a momentary flaw appeared in its integrity!
"What?!" Zhu Qing’s expression changed.
He clearly hadn’t expected his opponent’s understanding of Arrays and Restrictions to be so profound.
He had identified the nodal points of the Magical Artifact’s energy flow at a glance and disrupted them.
In that fleeting moment, Shi Xin moved!
Seizing the momentary weakness with perfect precision, he transformed into a streak of Flowing Light, preparing to force his way out of the cage of Evil Qi!
"Don’t even think about it!" Zhu Qing wouldn’t let him succeed. He pushed his True Essence to the limit.
The eight Black Rods flared with bloody light as he tried to mend the flaw and lock Shi Xin down.
The two of them began a chase, one inside the blood-red cage and one outside.
Zhu Qing’s Demon Techniques were vicious, his Evil Qi running wild.
Shi Xin, on the other hand, was nimble. He often used exquisite Restriction techniques to neutralize or deflect attacks. His own occasional counterattacks were cunning and aimed straight for vital points.
For a time, the mountain hollow echoed with endless explosions as the two fought, locked in a fierce stalemate.
’Hmm... with this intelligence being delivered right to my doorstep, it would be rude of me not to accept.’ Watching Zhu Qing and Shi Xin locked in their desperate battle, Qi Yun smiled faintly.
The next instant!
His hands clasped together, forming a profound Spell!
The aura around him first contracted sharply inward.
Then, a faint, golden radiance slowly began to emanate from him.
It was like... Buddha Light...
...
