Chapter 1402: Buddhist Successor

As long as there's no backlash, cultivators share a much closer bond with their innate spirit worms than with other spiritual insects. This relationship is comparable to that with one's innate magic treasure – exceptionally intimate. The more affectionate and trusting a spirit worm is towards its master, the higher the success rate of the Spirit Ascension Ritual.

It can be said that the Spirit Ascension Ritual is tailor-made for innate spirit worms, and it must have originated from the Witch Clan. Qin Sang wondered if the Witch Clan in Canglang Sea knew about the Spirit Ascension Ritual. This thought flashed through his mind.

He knew very little about the Witch Clan's legacy, but he could tell that the Spirit Ascension Ritual was incredibly complex, far from an ordinary secret art. Obtaining the Spirit Ascension Ritual alone would make this trip worthwhile, regardless of whether he could enter the Pure Sea Sect. Feeling reassured, Qin Sang then turned his attention to the Three Spirits King Array.

The Three Spirits King Array was not complicated; the three spirit worms only needed to assume a "Three Talents" formation, requiring precise control from the array master. Another requirement was that the three spirit worms must not fiercely resist during the activation of the worm array, which meant Qin Sang needed to soothe the Fire Jade Centipede. Additionally, a sacrificial altar was required.

The altar could be prepared in advance and simply placed when setting up the array. However, each altar could only be used once. The previous altar had already been used for the Jade-Carrying Bee. Over the past three days, the cultivator surnamed Qi went out and brought back the necessary spiritual materials. Valley Master Mu had refined a small portion, but it would take another ten-plus days to complete the full refinement. After a brief study, Qin Sang flew over to help.

While they were busy, far away, beneath the empty expanse of water, a person lay silently in wait. This location was also within the Ethereal Sea, but the individual was extremely cautious, hiding far away, at a considerable distance from Qin Sang and the others. Consequently, the Heaven-Eyed Butterfly did not detect this person.

The person wore a black robe, and on their right thumb was a yellow jade thumb ring engraved with two prominent square characters: "Nine Precepts." This individual was none other than the current Island Master of Nine Precepts Island, True Master Chijie. This "Nine Precepts" thumb ring was passed down from Chijie's master, True Master Nine Precepts. Both master and disciple had somewhat unusual dharma names. Some speculated that Chijie's name might be derived from his possession of the Nine Precepts thumb ring. However, no one dared to comment on it in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

At that moment, True Master Chijie completely suppressed his aura, remaining hidden underwater, sitting cross-legged and motionless. His hands were clasped over his knees, supporting a yellow spherical pearl. Inside the pearl was a scene of rippling water, and deep within the ripples, Qin Sang and his companions' busy figures were faintly reflected. However, the image was very blurry due to the great distance, clearly indicating that True Master Chijie was worried about being discovered and thus dared not spy openly. Nevertheless, this was sufficient.

True Master Chijie stared intently at the pearl. Upon seeing the scene, a trace of anxiety appeared in his eyes. "Do they really have a way?" he murmured to himself.

His gaze shifted to the new face – Qin Sang. Then, True Master Chijie let out an almost imperceptible sigh before silently retreating.

Before long, True Master Chijie flew out of the sea and swiftly headed north. After leaving the Ethereal Sea and ensuring his safety, he suppressed his escape light and took out a profound black token. A look of struggle appeared in his eyes.

The token bore no extra patterns, only the two characters "Demonic Chaos." True Master Chijie gritted his teeth and abruptly channeled his true essence into the token.

A brilliant black light erupted! The token vibrated violently, suddenly emitting dense demonic qi. The "Demonic Chaos" characters on it twisted and gradually transformed into a vortex of demonic energy, from which a chilling wave emanated.

*Crack!* True Master Chijie's expression subtly changed, and he threw the token away. It shattered upon impact, dissolving into a cloud of demonic qi that vanished into thin air, and the surroundings returned to normal.

Afterward, True Master Chijie silently glanced north, then remained in place, seemingly waiting for something.

Days later, a black streak of escape light, brimming with demonic qi, appeared on the horizon, heading straight for True Master Chijie. True Master Chijie awoke from his meditation, flew into the air, and upon seeing the awe-inspiring escape light, his face lit up with joy. He quickly straightened his attire and bowed respectfully in the direction of the approaching figure, "Chijie greets Senior."

The newcomer was none other than the master of Demonic Chaos Island, Old Demonic Chaos! Despite both being Nascent Soul cultivators, Chijie treated him with the deference of a junior.

*Boom!* The sound of air tearing was deafening. Old Demonic Chaos made no attempt to conceal his presence, flying to True Master Chijie's vicinity in the blink of an eye.

Immediately, a cold voice echoed from within the escape light, "Chijie, that Demonic Chaos token was given by this old man to your master. Do you understand the consequences of daring to use my Demonic Chaos token?"

True Master Chijie's eyelid twitched, but his tone remained unusually calm. "This junior understands that unless it is someone personally gifted by Senior, anyone else who uses the Demonic Chaos token must pay a corresponding price!"

"As long as you know!" Before the words even faded, a figure landed before True Master Chijie. It was an old man with a benevolent face, dressed in a grey robe with a full head of white hair. It was difficult to imagine that Old Demonic Chaos, who commanded awe across the boundless sea and even the entire Northern Sea, would appear in such a guise.

His back was slightly stooped, and he held a black bamboo staff. The moment he withdrew his escape light, his aura also completely retracted, leaving no trace of formidable presence. He appeared like an ordinary elderly man.

However, the instant True Master Chijie saw Old Demonic Chaos, even someone as powerful as himself felt his heart tighten, and his movements became even more cautious.

Old Demonic Chaos's eyes seemed somewhat cloudy as he looked at True Master Chijie and spoke indifferently, "Considering you are Nine Precepts' only successor, as long as you provide a reason that satisfies me, this old man can overlook this matter."

"Thank you, Senior!" True Master Chijie did not appear pleased by this but instead adopted a solemn expression. "This junior has discovered the ruins of an ancient sect. There are things inside that are very important to me, but others have also found the ruins. The opposing party is numerous and powerful, so this junior could only bravely ask Senior for your assistance."

"Mere ruins of an ancient sect?" Old Demonic Chaos snorted coldly. Seeing Old Demonic Chaos's displeasure, True Master Chijie's heart pounded anxiously, and he quickly added, "This sect has an extraordinary origin; it is a rare Buddhist sect in the cultivation world, called the Pure Sea Sect!"

Upon hearing "Pure Sea Sect," Old Demonic Chaos's eyes flashed, but he remained silent. True Master Chijie dared not keep him in suspense and continued speaking quickly, "Many years ago, my master was fortunate enough to obtain a portion of the Pure Sea Sect's legacy and considered himself a Pure Sea Sect successor. Later, he occupied Nine Precepts Island precisely to search for the Pure Sea Sect ruins. My master only knew that the Pure Sea Sect was in the Ethereal Sea. He spent countless years searching without finding a single clue, eventually dying with regret. This junior thought the Pure Sea Sect had completely vanished, but unexpectedly, an anomaly suddenly appeared. I was about to investigate, but someone got there first..."

"Nine Precepts! Chijie! So that's it!" Old Demonic Chaos looked towards the Ethereal Sea and chuckled, "In the entire Boundless Sea, those who know of the Pure Sea Sect's existence are fewer than can be counted on two hands. And I thought I was the only one who knew the Pure Sea Sect was in the Ethereal Sea. So, you master and disciple are Buddhist successors; this old man never realized it back then. Nine Precepts hid himself very deeply." He seemed to have a considerable understanding of the Pure Sea Sect, which surprised True Master Chijie.