Chapter 1788: Treatment Experiences

The Mortal Realm

When Qin Sang and the other three arrived, they saw vast ruins where a golden palace had collapsed.

Smoke and dust had not yet dispersed. Judging by the traces, a powerful formation had once stood here, now forcibly breached. It was unclear what method the Demon Marquis had used to break the formation; there had been no prior fluctuations, yet the grand formation was breached in an instant. It was well known that over countless years, most golden palaces had already been visited, with only those extremely hidden or impenetrable to ordinary cultivators remaining.

The four quickly swept their divine senses over the ruins, finding only broken bricks and tiles. The treasures within had already been plundered by the Demon Marquis.

“What was that golden light that flew out first? Could it be the supreme treasure enshrined in this golden palace?” True Immortal Youhuang looked around, voicing his suspicion.

Due to the extensive destruction of the ruins, its original purpose was indiscernible, making it impossible to determine the origin of the golden light. However, Qin Sang and the others believed True Immortal Youhuang's guess might be correct. The golden light was likely the Demon Marquis's objective for this journey, otherwise, they wouldn't have pursued it into the Nine Bending Star River. To have escaped from a horde of demons, the golden light was likely a highly spiritual treasure, perhaps even one that had developed a spirit. At the very least, it was related to the secrets deep within the Jushan Zhizhi Altar.

They had not yet seen the treasure, so they felt no greed for something unseen. However, the current situation was undoubtedly very favorable for them.

“The Demon Marquises have varying escape speeds. Pursuing the golden light into the Star River, they will surely be forced to scatter due to the numerous dangers ahead. This is a good opportunity,” True Immortal Guyun said in a deep voice.

Everyone looked up at the Nine Bending Star River. Neither the Demon Marquises nor the golden light were in sight, and the phenomenon of myriad lights shining together in the Star River was fading. To seize the opportunity amidst the chaos, they too would have to venture deep into the Jushan Zhizhi Altar, inevitably taking certain risks.

Both True Immortals looked at True Immortal Zhijian, who was the initiator of this operation. Qin Sang mused, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had advanced. Regardless of the power of its new divine abilities, its innate Heavenly Eye divine ability must have greatly improved. The more complex the situation and formations, the more useful it would be. With the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's warnings, most dangers could be avoided.

True Immortal Zhijian looked over, silently asking for his opinion. Qin Sang nodded slightly, agreeing with True Immortal Guyun's suggestion.

The four then headed straight for the Nine Bending Star River. As they approached, they sensed two auras rapidly drawing near: True Immortal Zhang and Venerable Zhenru. The six met by the Star River.

Only upon closer inspection did they realize that true river water flowed within the Star River, but it flowed from lower ground to higher ground, culminating in a waterfall where the current flowed upwards towards the heavens. The twinkling starlight resembled fish in the Star River. However, when the Heavenly Eye Butterfly activated its Heavenly Eye divine ability to penetrate the river water, it saw only void. Yet, cultivators who had entered the Nine Bending Star River knew that the starlight concealed dangers; one had to pass through quickly and prevent it from drawing near. True Immortal Zhang's expression was serious when he mentioned this, and Qin Sang felt a degree of caution.

‘Whoosh!’

Everyone leaped into the Star River, stirring up waves, and the genuine sound of water echoed in their ears. A chill emanated from the river water. Immediately, they saw light specks drifting towards them, initially just a few nearby, but soon alarming the surroundings. The dense specks of light were like impatient piranhas. Even though the cultivators were not weak, they felt a chill in their hearts.

Qin Sang activated the Lotus Seal, stepping on lotuses, dodging the approaching light specks. His movements were light and seemingly effortless. This was merely superficial. When Qin Sang reached the other side of the Nine Bending Star River, he looked back and felt his mind relax. Behind him, countless light specks were crowded. Qin Sang had no desire to personally experience the consequences of being surrounded by them.

True Immortal Zhang and True Immortal Zhijian walked ahead, stepping out of the Nine Bending Star River first. When Qin Sang emerged, he saw them standing by the riverbank, exchanging words. Then, True Immortal Zhang raised his hand and lightly tapped the void, a snow-white talisman flying from his fingertip. Qin Sang settled behind them, surveying the path ahead.

Having arrived on this side of the Nine Bending Star River, they had entered the interior of the chaotic space. Not far to their right stood the Sword Peak, inverted and plunging downward. The Sword Peak was incredibly precipitous; not even a single blade of grass could be found among its rock crevices. The rocks were as black as ink, seemingly capable of devouring nearby light, and the space itself appeared distorted, strangely mysterious. Above them was the edge of the floating mass of vines. Long vines hung down, like pythons eager to devour, ready at any moment to drag anyone who approached into a cage.

Directly in front was a massive funnel, several thousand zhang in circumference, rotating ceaselessly. White light emanated from within the funnel, stretched into thin threads by the rotating force. Inside the funnel, there seemed to be a peculiar space, and through the distorted light, shadows resembling pavilions and towers could be seen. It rotated silently like this, surrounded by auspicious clouds, emitting no outward suction. Yet, everyone who saw this scene knew that the place was certainly very dangerous.

Such extraordinary sights, unseen in the outside world, were commonplace here. Auspicious clouds filled the spaces between these chaotic sights, forming cloud paths that interconnected like a net, leading in all directions. Following the cloud paths was the safest route here. Reaching the end of a cloud path didn't mean there was no further way, but rather that ancient ruins blocked the path ahead. If one possessed the ability to pass through, they could continue forward.

“This Jade Dust Swan Shadow Talisman of mine can capture a wisp of an opponent's aura even in places with chaotic energy. It is a top-grade tracking talisman, though it works best when cast shortly after the target has passed…” True Immortal Zhang quickly explained a few words, flicked his finger, and the talisman shot out, shattering midway with a bang.

The others had also prepared tracking techniques, but upon seeing this, they stopped, knowing their methods were inferior to the Jade Dust Swan Shadow Talisman. After the talisman exploded, it transformed into snowflakes that fell like a torrential downpour, rapidly spreading and covering the Star River bank. The next moment, a white swan was born from the snow, its entire body pure white and incredibly majestic. It swayed its head left and right, vigorously flapped its wings, and flew towards one of the cloud paths.

True Immortal Zhang, who had kept his eyes slightly closed while activating the talisman, suddenly opened them and pointed in the direction the white swan had flown. “The demons have all gone that way!”

Everyone quickly followed, each employing their escape techniques. The cloud paths were extremely complex. The group closely followed the white swan, weaving through scenes of magnificent and strange sights. Witnessing these rare sights, Qin Sang also felt his horizons broadened. Two places particularly impressed him, both formed by ancient divine abilities that had persisted to this day. One was a solitary, colossal stone fist floating in the void, seemingly carved from rock. Even now, one could sense the terrifying fist intent contained within it, making it difficult to fathom the power it would unleash if it exploded. The other was merely a small blue halo, yet before Qin Sang even approached it, he felt a tremor in his heart, as if the halo was the most terrifying thing in the world. One could imagine the might of the ancient grand cultivators of yesteryear. True Immortal Youhuang was right; traveling through here truly revealed one's insignificance and served as an inspiration.

As the white swan continued to fly, they had initially remained secretly vigilant, but then realized they couldn't even see a trace of the Demon Marquises. At this moment, the white swan in front suddenly stopped, circling in place and no longer moving forward. There were clearly no demons nearby, and the talisman's power had not yet been exhausted.

“Huh? They might have gone inside…” True Immortal Zhang landed next to the swan, sensed slightly, and turned to look at the left side of the cloud path. True Immortal Zhijian also conjured a jade sword, sensed for a moment, and nodded in agreement with True Immortal Zhang's judgment.

‘Splish, splash, splosh…’

To their left was a curtain of rain. The heavy rain poured down, making the interior very dim and visibility poor. Strangely, the raindrops were not clear water, but yellowish-brown muddy water, splashing mud on the ground and making it filthy. For now, no dangers were apparent beyond the rain curtain, but no one dared to lower their guard.

“Let's pass through here while the talisman's power hasn't dispersed! Everyone be careful.” True Immortal Zhang warned them, then stepped into the rain curtain first. The others exchanged glances and followed suit. It was also due to their numerical advantage that their concerns were fewer; otherwise, they would have had to consider whether to continue the pursuit or wait here for the prey.

‘Splat! Splat! Splat!’

Raindrops splattered against their bodies. Qin Sang circulated his qi and blood, activating his protective true essence to prevent the rain from getting close. The group proceeded cautiously for a while, and seeing no unusual occurrences around them, they were somewhat surprised.

Suddenly, Qin Sang's ears twitched. He heard an unusual water sound, and the others also heard it, looking over in unison. A single raindrop fell, not merging with the muddy water. Instead, it twisted and grew limbs and a head, rapidly expanding, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a three-zhang-tall mud figure, like a mud puppet. Its featureless face turned towards them, sending shivers down their spines.

“Scattering beans to form soldiers!” True Immortal Guyun blurted out. This sight strongly resembled the great divine abilities from Daoist legends.

Qin Sang's attention was on the mud figure's strength. Despite being an inanimate object formed from mud and water, it emitted an aura like that of a living being, comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator!

‘Whoosh!’

Muddy water splattered as the mud figure transformed into a grey shadow, rushing towards True Immortal Youhuang, who was closest to it. The mud figure raised its arms in an embrace, seemingly intending to tightly hug her. True Immortal Youhuang scoffed lightly, sending a flower seed from her jade-like finger into the mud figure's chest. Immediately after, the flower seed took root and sprouted, its stems and roots instantly covering the entire mud figure, with a vibrant spiritual flower blooming from its crown. A moment later, the spiritual flower withered, and the mud figure also froze in place, its entire body covered in cracks, like parched earth. After shattering, it melted back into the muddy water. The spiritual flower, being a manifestation of Daoist art, also disappeared simultaneously.

This mud figure was just the beginning. The group immediately heard that sound repeatedly, as over a dozen mud figures simultaneously rose up around them. However, witnessing True Immortal Youhuang's destruction of the mud figure, everyone felt considerably relieved. It seemed the mud figures had no strange abilities. Without needing any reminder, everyone immediately quickened their pace, conjured their respective magic treasures and divine abilities, and charged outwards.

The heavy rain poured, and the mud figures seemed endless. Facing the mud figures' siege, most of them employed swift, powerful methods to eliminate them as quickly as possible. The scene around Qin Sang was particularly unique. Whenever a mud figure approached, it would be pulled by a strange force. After a slight struggle, it would begin circling Qin Sang, unable to harm him in the slightest, despite being within arm's reach. Gradually, more and more mud figures gathered around Qin Sang. With a gentle shake of his arm, a thunderous explosion erupted, and all the mud figures burst apart, scattering mud specks.

Looking at the empty surroundings, Qin Sang nodded in satisfaction. His prolonged study of these two Buddhist Seals had finally borne fruit. He had successfully merged the Devil-Slaying Seal and the Altar-Turning Seal, combining hardness and softness, and their performance was indeed impressive.

Next, as Qin Sang was preparing to press on with renewed effort, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him. He looked up and saw Venerable Zhenru. Venerable Zhenru held his staff. With a flash of the staff's shadow, a mud figure exploded and died. Their eyes met. Venerable Zhenru did not flinch; he smiled kindly at Qin Sang, then flicked his wrist. With a series of ‘clack-clack’ sounds, two mud figures approaching him were sent flying. Then, Venerable Zhenru propped his staff on the ground, crossed his arms, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and bowed respectfully to Qin Sang from afar.

Since their encounter, Qin Sang had not conversed with Venerable Zhenru, but Qin Sang had noticed that Venerable Zhenru had been intentionally or unintentionally looking at him just now. It was likely due to the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seals*. Buddhist principles were contained within the Buddhist Seals. Qin Sang's continuous attempts would surely not escape Venerable Zhenru's notice. In this world where Daoism reigned supreme, Buddhist inheritances were few and far between. It was no wonder Venerable Zhenru paid attention to him.

“True Immortal, what splendid divine abilities!” Venerable Zhenru praised.

“I dare not accept such praise! Venerable, you flatter me.” Qin Sang bowed in return. Hearing Venerable Zhenru invite him to be a guest at Mirror Terrace Temple, he accepted.

More mud figures charged forward. After a brief exchange, the two continued battling the mud figures. The further they went, the stronger the mud figures became. Fortunately, they did not encounter any mud figures at the Spirit Transformation stage.

Working together, they finally broke through the encirclement, passed through the heavy rain zone, and arrived on the other side. The white swan's perception became clear again, and it flew forward. They pressed on for a while longer.

True Immortal Youhuang seemed to have seen something; he suddenly stopped, called out to the others, and pointed to the right. “I remember that sea of light. Last time we reached there, we sensed danger and gave up exploring further, retreating instead.”

Everyone focused their gaze. To their front right, amidst layers of fantastic scenery, were several patches of blue light. Though quite distant, it was evident that the blue sea of light was vast, with most of it obstructed from view. Although the sea of light was to their right, not directly ahead, the further they ventured here, the more dangerous it became. Along the same path, the level of danger wouldn't differ significantly.

If they continued their pursuit, it wouldn't be long before they had to be wary of the altar's own threats. Yet, they still hadn't seen the Demon Marquises, so doubts naturally lingered in their minds. They had come to hunt demons, not for some unmissable grand opportunity. No one wanted to fight to the death.

Understanding their concerns, True Immortal Zhang mused, “I noticed a stone platform on our way here; it had no strange fluctuations and was very calm. Why don't we first set up a grand formation there? In case of an unexpected turn, we can retreat to this spot and use the spiritual formation to impede the enemy. What do you think?”

Everyone exchanged glances, deeming the plan feasible. They immediately turned back and quickly found the stone platform. The stone platform was very flat. After a brief inspection, finding no danger, they decided on a formation and jointly began to set it up. True Immortal Zhijian took out a formation disk, filled with talisman swords. True Immortal Zhang helped him set up the disk on the stone platform. Qin Sang and the other four remained on the cloud path, drawing a type of sword talisman in mid-air according to True Immortal Zhijian's instructions. Once the talisman shadows took shape, they continuously flew towards the stone platform, merging into the formation disk. The talisman swords on the disk grew increasingly bright, and the faint sound of swords whistling could be heard.

Working together, the spiritual formation was quickly more than halfway complete. Just then, True Immortal Zhang suddenly turned to look into the depths. After listening for a moment, his face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, “Not good!” Everyone quickly looked over. In the depths, an intensely dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth. The halo of golden light instantly engulfed one illusion after another, sweeping across all directions. The void trembled!