Chapter 1511: True Clean (4k)

The aura emanating from the Pagoda of Purification touched the luminous barrier at the entrance of the Exquisite Pagoda. It silently merged with the barrier, allowing Qin Sang and Liu Li, who were enveloped in the aura, to pass through and safely reach the other side.

Qin Sang's tense mind relaxed slightly. The moment they stepped into the Exquisite Pagoda, all the commotion from behind them was blocked by the luminous barrier. The pagoda's interior was unusually quiet, and the fluctuations of the flames outside could not penetrate it.

As the dazzling golden light faded, Qin Sang saw a relatively short corridor ahead, seemingly leading to a hall at its end. The corridor's material matched that of the Exquisite Pagoda itself, emitting a jade-like luster that caused the entire passage to shimmer with multicolored light. Qin Sang activated his spiritual sense, swiftly scanning the corridor walls, but detected no danger. Everything in the corridor seemed normal, and there didn't even appear to be any restrictions. However, Qin Sang knew it couldn't be that simple; the walls surely concealed hidden intricacies, though he couldn't discern them.

Just then, Qin Sang felt the Pagoda of Purification vibrate lightly in his palm. The sensation became clearer: the target seemed not to be on this floor, but higher up, most likely at the very top of the pagoda. Qin Sang glanced up, then took out the Misty Snow Pills he had seized from Hall Master Yin, distributing them to Liu Li and his avatar, hoping to restore even a little strength. He then led the way, stepping inside. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he gestured for Liu Li to follow, and they quickly traversed the corridor, arriving at the scene within the hall.

The sight before them greatly surprised both of them. The hall was completely empty. There were no magic treasures or elixirs, not even statues or murals. It was a pipe dream to try and analyze the origins of the Exquisite Pagoda and the stele space from any clues.

Just then, the Exquisite Pagoda suddenly began to vibrate. Qin Sang looked back and saw pandemonium outside the luminous barrier, a veritable dance of demons. The horde of demons had recovered and shaken off the fiery energy waves. They had expended enormous effort to retrieve the Exquisite Pagoda from the depths of the flames, only for someone else to seize the spoils. How could they possibly accept this? What was even more infuriating was that the Exquisite Pagoda had allowed only Qin Sang and Liu Li inside, blocking everyone else. They feared that in a short while, nothing would be left. Although Qin Sang possessed a spirit treasure, the demons were numerous and powerful; as long as they remained cautious, they wouldn't necessarily be afraid. In that instant, Qin Sang and Liu Li became thorns in their sides, and the demons, with unprecedented unity, launched a frenzied assault.

With the Exquisite Pagoda having broken free from its seal, the flames on the circular platform were now at their weakest. Under the combined assault of the demons, the flames extinguished one after another, and the ring of fire encircling the pagoda quickly dissipated, leaving only the luminous barrier as a single layer of defense. Led by the Great Sage Sky Roc, the demons unleashed their various powers, and attacks rained down upon the luminous barrier. Great Sage Sky Roc had already reverted to his human form, his expression exceedingly grim, his gaze like an arrow, as if it could pierce the barrier and crush Qin Sang and Liu Li to dust.

Having not had time to look closely before, Qin Sang now realized there were indeed many familiar faces, including his old acquaintance, Bi Fang. However, he didn't see the figure of the Old Devil of Chaos; he wondered if the old devil was hiding nearby or healing his injuries in the back. Qin Sang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Restrictions in the clouds, bone formations underground, and spiritual flames within the cave—from outside to inside, the power steadily intensified. Yet, the golden luminous barrier was not as sturdy as he had imagined. Under the continuous assault of the demons, the golden light gradually showed signs of dimming, causing the Exquisite Pagoda to vibrate. It might hold out for far less time than Qin Sang had estimated. This was highly illogical! Life was unpredictable, and surprises always arrived unannounced. If Tong Lingyu and the others couldn't arrive in time, he would have to uncover the secrets of the Pagoda of Purification and the Exquisite Pagoda before the golden barrier shattered. If he could control the Exquisite Pagoda, all problems would be easily solved! Realizing this, Qin Sang no longer hesitated. His figure flickered as he rushed toward the stairs, with Liu Li following closely behind. The two rapidly ascended within the Exquisite Pagoda.

They ascended past the second, third, and fourth floors... In a blink, they reached the sixth floor, with only the top floor remaining. The atmosphere grew increasingly solemn. Qin Sang and Liu Li exchanged bitter smiles, as the first six floors were all empty! They had used a spirit treasure, angered a horde of demons, and risked entering the Exquisite Pagoda. If they gained nothing from it, who would believe them? They could only hope the seventh floor wouldn't disappoint them. Qin Sang took a deep breath and quickly ascended the stairs, finally seeing something that hadn't been present on the previous six floors.

In the very center of the seventh floor was a circular jade platform. Three treasures rested on the platform. Upon seeing them, Qin Sang's gaze was immediately drawn to the treasure on the left, his expression revealing pleasant surprise, along with a touch of unexpectedness and astonishment. This was none other than a fragment of the Killing Sword, something Qin Sang was intimately familiar with! And it wasn't just one. There were actually two Killing Sword fragments pieced together! Without a sword spirit, the fragments couldn't perfectly merge, and the crack in the middle was clearly visible. Together, the two fragments formed a complete character: '地' (dì, meaning "earth" or "ground").

"Di Sha..." Qin Sang, recalling the '杀' (shā, meaning "kill") character on the fragment he possessed, murmured to himself, "Is 'Di Sha Sword' the name of this sword?" The Killing Sword fragments he had sought for so long were now before him. Qin Sang, however, did not rush forward. He stared at the fragments, falling into deep thought. This was because the scene here was completely different from what he had seen at the bottom of the Netherworld Valley! The bottom of the Netherworld Valley was exceedingly desolate, permeated with netherworld energy. Compared to the Netherworld Valley, the environment within the Exquisite Pagoda was far too pristine. The other Killing Sword fragment had been carelessly thrown among jumbled rocks, whereas these two appeared to have been placed here calmly and deliberately. Most importantly, where was the cultivation technique?

Qin Sang's gaze flickered as he scanned the other treasures on the jade platform: a long, rectangular jade box and a jade slip. From within the jade box, four slender threads of green phosphorescent light faintly emanated. Qin Sang bypassed the jade box and looked towards the jade slip, extending his hand to summon it. No unexpected event occurred; the jade slip merely vibrated and flew into Qin Sang's palm.

Qin Sang activated his spiritual sense, quickly scanning the contents of the jade slip. The surprise in his eyes deepened, and he immediately withdrew his spiritual sense, turning to Liu Li. "Quickly, send a message to Hall Master Jiang! This place is dangerous; evacuate immediately!" After reaching the seventh floor, Liu Li had remained motionless at the top of the stairs. Facing the treasures, her expression remained calm and detached, showing no ripples of emotion or greed in her eyes. Hearing Qin Sang's words, Liu Li paused, not understanding why, but trusting that Qin Sang wouldn't speak idly. She immediately took out the golden toad that Hall Master Jiang had given her and lightly tapped its back. A crack sounded, and the golden toad spat out a pearl. Liu Li reached out and pinched the pearl, her lips moving slightly as a wisp of white energy appeared inside the pearl. The white energy writhed, rapidly transforming, and finally solidified into several characters. Liu Li placed the pearl back into the golden toad's mouth. The toad's eyes moved, and with a crack, the pearl shattered, losing all its luster, and the white characters inside vanished without a trace.

At this point, Qin Sang once again immersed his mind in the jade slip. The jade slip didn't contain many characters, but its content was incredibly rich, answering most of Qin Sang's questions. After reading the first part, Qin Sang finally understood the full story! The treasures of the Exquisite Pagoda, the Seven-Story Pagoda of Purification, the Lingzhi Ruyi of the Pure Sea Sect, and the Seven-Story Pagoda of Profound Heaven Palace—all of them were left behind by Xiao Xiangzi! Moreover, even the Profound Heaven Palace's sacred ground was discovered by Xiao Xiangzi along with the patriarchs of several Profound Heaven Palace factions; no one had known of this place before. At the very beginning of establishing the sacred ground, Xiao Xiangzi discovered the stele space. After leaving the stele space, he re-sealed it for a different purpose, which was why Profound Heaven Palace remained unaware of it. The content in the jade slip was indeed from Xiao Xiangzi, merely outlining the purpose of all his arrangements in a very brief manner. Qin Sang couldn't learn the specifics, so he could only combine his previous discoveries with his imagination to piece together a general outline.

Before Xiao Xiangzi's emergence, Profound Heaven Palace did not exist. Hidden Sun Realm, much like the current Waxing Moon Realm, was fragmented, with numerous scattered sects. At that time, a legend of an ancient immortal sect circulated in Hidden Sun Realm. Xiao Xiangzi, upon hearing it, became greatly interested and summoned all the sects. With their full assistance, they actually found the legendary place, which is now the Profound Heaven Palace's sacred ground.

Considering the great efforts made by the various sects, Xiao Xiangzi did not monopolize the sacred ground. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to promote an alliance among the Hidden Sun Realm sects, establishing Profound Heaven Palace and allowing them to jointly manage the sacred ground. His purpose in doing this was consistent with sealing the stele space. This was because before this, a little-known demonic upheaval had occurred in the Northern Sea, originating from the Demon Sealing Land beneath the Pure Sea Sect! At that time, a demon was about to break free from its seal. Fortunately, Xiao Xiangzi, already a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator, stabilized the seal in time, thereby saving the Northern Sea from a demonic catastrophe.

However, Xiao Xiangzi deeply understood the demon's terrifying nature. The sealing power would wane over time and could not last indefinitely. If the demon's vitality was resilient enough not to die within the seal, there would eventually come a day when it would break free, and by then, he would no longer be present. For this reason, Xiao Xiangzi made numerous arrangements. One of these was to pass down Buddhist teachings, allowing the Pure Sea Sect to eternally guard the Demon Sealing Land and maintain the seal. The Demon Sealing Land had unique sounds of morning bells and evening drums, which greatly benefited cultivation, even benefiting Nascent Soul cultivators. It was a treasure ground no less valuable than the Profound Heaven Palace's sacred ground.

Another layer of arrangement was this very place. After Xiao Xiangzi entered the stele space, he discovered that the spirit formation here was very unique. If properly utilized, it could serve as a backup plan to deal with the demon. Of course, the spirit formation in the stele space could not compare to the demon-sealing restrictions; otherwise, Xiao Xiangzi would have led the demon here back then. At that time, the demon had been re-sealed and would be weakened by years of torment within the seal. When it accumulated enough strength to challenge the seal again, its cultivation would certainly be far less than before. By then, the cultivators of the Northern Sea, working together, would have a chance to slay the demon. If the demon proved too difficult to subdue, it could be lured to the sacred ground and sealed there!

The demon would undoubtedly be extremely cunning, and getting it to walk into a trap would not be an easy task. This is where the Lingzhi Ruyi, obtained by the Old Devil of Chaos in the Pure Sea Sect, came in; it was the perfect bait. This treasure was an ancient artifact, obtained by Xiao Xiangzi within the sacred ground, and it was closely connected to the stele space. Xiao Xiangzi had tested it: once the sacred ground was opened, a large area of the nearby sea would react, and the Lingzhi Ruyi would exhibit unusual phenomena. Xiao Xiangzi intentionally left the Lingzhi Ruyi in the Pure Sea Sect, making it easy for the demon to steal, and then planned to find a way to lure it to the Southern Sea to open the sacred ground.

The Ice Demon Crystal was also personally refined by Xiao Xiangzi, originally a treasured item of the Profound Heaven lineage. Even if the Ice Demon Crystal hadn't absorbed sufficient power, if necessary, its essence could be consumed to forcibly open the sacred ground, though it would then require a much longer time to recover. The demon, being well-informed, would surely recognize the extraordinary origin of the Lingzhi Ruyi. When it consequently discovered an ancient ruin, how could it not be tempted? As long as the demon could be lured into the stele space, the spirit formation could be controlled to seal the demon there!

The formation artifact that controlled the spirit formation was precisely the Pagoda of Purification in Qin Sang's hand. Holding the Pagoda of Purification, one could delve into the Exquisite Pagoda and manipulate this spirit formation. For this purpose, Xiao Xiangzi spared no effort, dedicating immense mental energy to comprehending the formation within the stele space and discovering its key. Fearing that the demon might detect an anomaly and see through his scheme, Xiao Xiangzi dared not alter the spirit formation too much, nor did he have the power to do so extensively; crafting the Pagoda of Purification was already his limit. Once the spirit formation was activated, it could not be reversed; there was only one chance. Xiao Xiangzi worried that someone might use the Pagoda of Purification to eliminate rivals, wantonly slaughtering fellow cultivators, wasting the opportunity, and going against his original intention. Therefore, he split the Pagoda of Purification into two halves, placing one in Profound Heaven Palace and the other in Pure Sea Sect.

Qin Sang had no way of knowing how Xiao Xiangzi had instructed the two sects at the time. As it turned out, the world was unpredictable, with too many unforeseen changes. Profound Heaven Palace suffered frequent internal strife, compounded by internal and external troubles. After repeated devastation, too much was lost, and the ancestors' instructions were forgotten. As for the Pure Sea Sect, it was unknown whether it was due to an inability to contact Profound Heaven Palace and receive a response, or some other unexpected turn of events, but the entire sect perished along with the demon. The secret knowledge was lost, and the stele space remained sealed until now. If the Ghost Mother hadn't opened the Pure Sea Sect ruins to search for a sea map, thereby attracting Qin Sang and the Old Devil of Chaos inside, the Lingzhi Ruyi and the Pagoda of Purification would not have emerged until now. The secrets of this place would not have seen the light of day for who knows how long. Qin Sang would likely have spent a very long time just to determine that the Killing Sword fragments were hidden here, and would then have needed to devise other methods to open the stele space, unsure of when he would finally succeed.

The Killing Sword fragments and the jade box were the "rewards" left by Xiao Xiangzi. Xiao Xiangzi stated in the jade slip that he had unexpectedly obtained one fragment, which he believed to be a rare and precious remnant. However, he was unable to wield it himself. After searching for a long time, he only found one more in Central Continent, and then there was no further news. He believed that other fragments must also have fallen into this realm, so he left these two here, hoping that future generations would continue the search.

As for the treasure inside the jade box, it was none other than the Spirit Suppressing Incense, which Qin Sang had heard of for a long time! Xiao Xiangzi's words were: "Disciples dispatched by the two sects, who dare to come here bearing the Pagoda of Purification, must be benevolent gentlemen concerned for the world, possessing the resolve to sacrifice themselves to the demon, facing death without fear. The Spirit Suppressing Incense and the supreme treasure fragments are your rewards."

Upon reading this, Qin Sang felt a flush of shame. He feared he was about to violate Xiao Xiangzi's original intention. Still, he couldn't help but feel grateful to Xiao Xiangzi. While the Spirit Suppressing Incense was a supreme treasure to others, what Qin Sang valued most were the Killing Sword fragments and the contents of the jade slip. The latter half of the jade slip contained the Central Continent sea map that Qin Sang had longed for, as well as some secret details of Central Continent recorded by Xiao Xiangzi! The magnitude of this gain was so immense that even Qin Sang, with his composure, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

He had no time to carefully examine those secret details for now. He opened his eyes, turned, and looked down towards the entrance of the Exquisite Pagoda. The Exquisite Pagoda was vibrating even more violently as the demons furiously attacked the luminous barrier. Just then, Qin Sang suddenly recalled a highly fitting phrase, and he murmured it under Liu Li's astonished gaze: "A vast expanse of white earth has settled... truly clean!"