Chapter 1424: Buddha Hall Stone Statue

Qin Sang moved quickly, gathering the most valuable spiritual herbs and placing them into jade boxes. Among them were the Spirit Lamp Flower, his most prized possession, and another spiritual herb that could aid Tan Hao's breakthrough.

*Dong!*

Suddenly, a bell chimed. The sound was melodious, echoing throughout the entire Jinghai Sect. Qin Sang stopped what he was doing and turned his ear to listen. The bell's sound had a strange rhythm.

With the Jade Buddha guarding his soul, Qin Sang felt nothing unusual, so he turned his gaze to Tan Hao. Tan Hao's eyes were slightly closed, his expression serene. The agitation he had felt moments ago upon hearing Qin Sang's intention to contend for a magic treasure with a grand cultivator had calmed considerably. Qin Sang marveled, listening intently, but couldn't pinpoint the source of the bell.

"Is it a magic treasure, or what?" Qin Sang asked curiously.

Such a treasure, capable of calming the mind, would undoubtedly benefit cultivators. It would be excellent if he could take it; even if he couldn't use it himself, he could bring it back to Qingyang Temple.

Tan Hao shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. "The sound of the morning bell and evening drum doesn't come from a magic treasure; otherwise, I wouldn't have had to stay here. It seems to originate from a peculiar restriction, but the elder didn't specify whether it's a technique of the Jinghai Sect or part of the original demon-suppressing seal."

"The cultivation world truly holds endless wonders," Qin Sang mused, feeling his horizons broadened once more.

He put away the spiritual herb Tan Hao needed, tossed the jade box to him, then straightened up. Looking at the uneven medicinal garden, he said, "It's almost time. They've started breaking the restrictions, so we should prepare as well."

As he spoke, a black shadow flashed into the garden. Tan Hao was startled by the Nascent Soul Talisman Puppet's sudden appearance. Seeing the puppet obediently stand behind Qin Sang, he gained an even deeper appreciation of Qin Sang's strength.

"What a pity..." Tan Hao glanced at the remaining spiritual herbs. These remaining spiritual herbs were also considerably valuable, even rare in his estimation.

Qin Sang smiled. "One must be willing to give to gain. Only by blending truth with illusion can you deceive their eyes. Wait for my signal here. When the time is right, destroy the medicinal garden's restrictions, revealing the spiritual herbs in the mist. Then, activate your Misty Rain Gourd to create illusions of these same spiritual herbs, mingling them with the real ones."

With that, Qin Sang handed Tan Hao a jade slip, instructing him to study it meticulously and memorize every detail, ensuring the illusions would be indistinguishable from reality. Tan Hao, guided by the Ghost Mother, understood Buddhist restrictions, and with full preparation, could create chaos in the medicinal garden.

The Misty Rain Gourd was a top-grade magic treasure, originally belonging to a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Boundless Sea. He had provoked the Ghost Mother, who then killed him and conveniently passed the Misty Rain Gourd to Tan Hao. Tan Hao had indeed gained considerable benefits during his time accompanying the Ghost Mother. This treasure was an illusion-type magic artifact; its spout could spray mist, creating highly realistic illusions. Possessing this magic treasure spared Qin Sang a great deal of trouble.

Tan Hao nodded and took out the Misty Rain Gourd. It was a stone pot, smaller than a palm, with swirling dark clouds carved into its surface. Mist constantly condensed at its spout, gently rippling.

"Although it's a top-grade magic treasure, my cultivation is too weak; I'm afraid they'll easily see through it," Tan Hao said with some worry.

"The purple flowing fire in the void will interfere with their sight and judgment. Besides, just distracting them for a moment is enough for me to do many things," Qin Sang reassured him.

His plan was to use the anomaly in the medicinal garden to divert Old Man Hunmo's attention. He would then seize the treasure amidst the chaos and escape through the secret passage. However, figuring out how to elude Old Man Hunmo and other pursuers after securing the treasure still required careful thought.

Tan Hao took a deep breath and urged in a low voice: "Brother Qin, be careful!"

"Don't worry, I won't risk my life; I'll only act when I'm certain. If it's not feasible, we'll just split these spiritual herbs and leave," Qin Sang smiled calmly, and turned to walk towards the secret passage. The Nascent Soul Talisman Puppet followed closely behind. Tan Hao held the Misty Rain Gourd in one hand and a spirit talisman in the other, his mind taut.

Entering the secret passage, Qin Sang hurried towards the one leading to the Golden Summit. Not long after, Qin Sang's figure paused slightly, his expression grave as he looked ahead. The familiar interweaving red and gold light filled the entire secret passage. The layout of the Jinghai Sect came to mind: the secret passage wound around the mountain pass, leading to the Golden Summit. Qin Sang realized he was now at the edge of that very pass.

The walls of the secret passage were part of the seal. Upon close contact with the seal, the sight was different from the '卍' seal outside. The secret passage walls glowed with dazzling crimson, the aura of red flames within seeming ready to burst forth at any moment. On the surface of the walls, the sealing power manifested itself. It was clear that the seal had two layers. The outermost layer had countless tiny '卍' characters flowing, which were Buddhist restrictions. The inner layer was a restriction Qin Sang had never encountered, mysterious and complex. Qin Sang stared at it for a while, attempting to comprehend it, only to feel dizzy and lightheaded.

"It must be the work of an ancient mighty being." Qin Sang sighed lightly, no longer expending mental effort. At this point, he noticed the existence of fissure-like gaps within the inner layer of the seal, and most of the Buddhist restriction's power was used to suppress these areas. Thinking of what Tan Hao had said about the demon's awakening, Qin Sang nodded slightly, roughly guessing what had happened back then.

He looked at the seal on the wall, pondered for a moment, then continued forward. Soon, he reached the end of the secret passage; ahead was a stone door, tightly closed. Buddhist light circulated on the surface of the stone door. The entire Golden Summit Hall was sealed by restrictions, and the power of these restrictions was equally strong; the secret passage was no exception. Qin Sang couldn't see the scene inside the hall, but through Tan Hao's introduction, he already had a complete impression and knew the locations of those magic treasures. He first recalled what Tan Hao had said about the patterns of the Golden Summit Hall's restrictions, then raised his hand to gently touch the stone door, after which he made no further moves.

In front of the Golden Summit Hall, Old Man Hunmo and Feathered Robe Heavenly Monarch landed on the ground paved with golden bricks. The hall was magnificent and resplendent, with a total of seven doors; three of them were ajar but couldn't be entered, and the entire hall was covered with a layer of golden Buddhist light restrictions. Through the gaps in the doors, the scene inside the hall could be seen.

This was a Buddhist hall. In the rear of the hall, a golden Buddha statue was enshrined, grand and imposing; they were not Buddhists and couldn't tell which legendary Buddha the statue represented. On either side of the Buddha statue stood two monk statues as attendants. Strangely, next to the Buddha statue, there was also a human statue. This person stood with hands clasped behind his back, possessing sword-like eyebrows and eyes like stars. Dressed in a long, flowing gown, he stood on a square stone, level with the Buddha statue. Judging by his stature, his position seemed to be on par with a Buddha.

Seeing these statues in the Buddhist hall, Feathered Robe Heavenly Monarch's eyes showed confusion. It was too peculiar. Buddhist rules were strict, yet the Jinghai Sect had enshrined someone outside of Buddhism in their Grand Hall. Could it be a lay practitioner? Feathered Robe Heavenly Monarch gazed at it closely; even though it was just a stone statue, she felt this person had an extraordinary demeanor, certainly not an ordinary person. She thought through all the famous figures passed down through generations in the three realms of the North Sea, but none matched this person.

Lost in thought, Feathered Robe Heavenly Monarch didn't notice a glint flash in Old Man Hunmo's cloudy eyes!