Chapter 1804: Defeat

**The Human Realm**

The green jade floor tiles reflected the figures of the two walking individuals. Inside the pagoda, light shimmered and shifted, creating a sense of constant spatial distortion that instinctively put people on edge. However, according to Venerable Zhenru, the first level was actually not dangerous. At this moment, Qin Sang withdrew his Buddhist seal and was not expelled by the Vajra Pagoda.

As they walked, Venerable Zhenru described the layers of seals within the Vajra Pagoda to Qin Sang and handed him several treasures that would help break the seals.

After careful discussion, they decided that Venerable Zhenru would lead the way, with Qin Sang following behind to familiarize himself with the Vajra Pagoda and leverage his advantage as a cultivator of both spiritual and physical arts.

Thereupon, Qin Sang summoned his Grey Oriole Sword. The sword hovered in the air, casting a radiant glow that enveloped both of them.

Before long, they reached the end and saw a Buddha statue.

Unlike the solemn and majestic Buddha statues found in temples, this one was merely the height of a normal person, with lifelike features, seemingly carved to resemble a real monk.

The monk wore simple robes, stood on a lotus pedestal, had a benevolent expression with lowered brows, and performed a single-handed gesture of reverence. In his other hand, he held a crescent moon staff topped with nine golden prayer beads.

Compared to the formidable crescent moon staff, the monk's physique appeared somewhat frail, giving the impression that the person and the weapon were mismatched.

Upon approaching the statue, Qin Sang's gaze was immediately drawn to the monk's eyes.

It was hard to believe these were carved eyes; at first glance, they only conveyed a sense of great kindness. However, when one met the statue's gaze, it felt as if infinite Buddhist truths were contained within them, drawing one deep into contemplation.

"Be careful, True One."

Venerable Zhenru chanted a Buddhist invocation. When he first entered the Vajra Pagoda, he had been captivated by the statue's eyes. Fortunately, he had records left by his ancestors and was already wary, allowing him to break free in time.

If one became deeply ensnared and unable to break free, they might not necessarily become lost, but their mind could be greatly disturbed, requiring a long time to recover. This would mean abandoning the pagoda challenge before it even began.

Qin Sang slowly averted his gaze, his expression unchanged. Imitating Venerable Zhenru, he bowed to the Buddha statue and sat cross-legged on a lotus pedestal before it.

The next moment, Qin Sang felt the light and shadows before him shift. The Buddha statue abruptly vanished, replaced by two incomparably beautiful women, lightly clad and utterly enchanting, who swayed gracefully as they approached them.

Every frown and smile of the women was full of allure, their eyes brimming with tenderness, their figures graceful. As they moved, their charms subtly revealed themselves, accompanied by boundless ethereal music that stirred desires, much like the legendary dance of the heavenly demons.

Anyone with weaker resolve would likely find their desires aroused upon seeing this scene, making it impossible to maintain self-control.

"Please follow me, True One. If you feel uncomfortable, you may take that spiritual pill..."

Venerable Zhenru's voice came, and he pointed to the jade bottle he had just given Qin Sang.

Having devoted himself to Buddhism since childhood, he viewed these women as mere flesh and bone illusions.

However, the power of the heavenly demon dance would grow increasingly stronger.

Furthermore, this heavenly demon dance was unlike ordinary illusions; it stirred the deepest desires within a person. Towards the end, even a Void-Rending cultivator could lose control of their mind if their resolve was insufficient or they were slightly careless.

Venerable Zhenru did not know the consequences of getting lost here, as successive patriarchs of Mirror Terrace Temple had always been extremely cautious when exploring the Vajra Pagoda.

Unbeknownst to Venerable Zhenru, Qin Sang was protected by the Jade Buddha, and this level of heavenly demon dance was still unable to shake his mind.

Qin Sang's mind was clear, but he showed no special reaction. He simply acknowledged, stood up, and followed closely behind Venerable Zhenru with his eyes closed.

Venerable Zhenru pressed his palms together, chanted Buddhist scriptures, and slowly advanced.

The two walked through the midst of the heavenly demon dance.

Decadent sounds filled their ears, stirring up inner desires, which could not be shut out even by sealing off their five senses.

More and more women emerged from the shadows, and the scene grew increasingly elaborate and indecent.

Some even clung to them, breathing softly, their breath like orchids, with a slick, velvety touch that felt real.

Venerable Zhenru and Qin Sang kept their gazes straight, passing through layers of illusions, finally stopping before an archway.

The archway's gate was transparent, like a portal of light, marking the pagoda's seal. The moment they stood before it, the power of the heavenly demon dance suddenly increased severalfold.

Venerable Zhenru's gaze sharpened, and he struck the archway heavily with a single palm. With a crack, the light portal shattered.

The two quickly stepped through the portal, and the heavenly demon dance instantly vanished.

Venerable Zhenru glanced at Qin Sang, saw his expression was normal, and nodded, saying, "The next layer is the Blood Pool Hell."

Qin Sang had already seen the waves of blood surging from ahead.

"Whoosh!" Overwhelming blood enveloped them.

The Blood Pool Hell, one of the eighteen layers of hell described in Buddhist scriptures, was a rather fitting name given to this place by Mirror Terrace Temple.

The water of the Blood Pool carried a foul aura.

Qin Sang activated his true essence, forming a protective aura shield to keep the blood out. He saw that they were surrounded on all sides by blood, a complete vista of crimson.

Next, Qin Sang discovered that although he had blocked the blood, the foul aura could actually penetrate his protective shield and seep into his body.

As the foul aura accumulated, not only would his flesh, tendons, and bones decay, but his true essence would also become contaminated, which was terrifying.

Qin Sang then activated the Vajra Heavenly Armor Seal, but it could only weaken the foul aura's penetration, not completely isolate it.

"Whoosh!" The surrounding blood water churned.

The blood formed monstrous, grotesque evil spirits that stared at them with hideous faces and lunged fiercely.

Venerable Zhenru had, at some point, taken out a staff. With successive thuds, the evil spirits burst into bloody mist and dissipated.

Qin Sang also acted, making an astonishing discovery: every time he killed an evil spirit, he would become tainted with a foul aura.

"Ahead, there are also the Ice Hell and the Volcano Hell, both with similar evil spirits. When I entered the pagoda alone, by the time I reached the end of the Volcano Hell, my body had already accumulated a large amount of foul, icy, and fiery energy. These energies clashed with each other, and even if I had entered the sixth layer, I would not have had enough strength left to proceed further..."

Venerable Zhenru and Qin Sang walked side by side, working together to eliminate the spirits, while he recounted his past experiences in detail.

From the outside, the Vajra Pagoda appeared to have seven layers.

Inside, however, there were no distinct upper and lower levels.

Venerable Zhenru believed that the space containing the Buddha statue was the first layer, the heavenly demon dance the second, the three hells constituted the third, fourth, and fifth layers respectively, and the sixth layer's seal was the final one. As long as it could be broken, the treasure of the seventh layer would be obtained!

However, this final seal had kept all high monks of Mirror Terrace Temple from entering.

When breaking the previous seals, residual energies would accumulate, and there was no opportunity to meditate and recover midway. By the time they reached the sixth layer, their strength would inevitably be greatly diminished. Even with various elixirs and treasures as aids, they couldn't break through the final seal.

With Qin Sang's assistance this time, they could share the burden.

Qin Sang tried several magical artifacts and Daoist techniques, but none could resist the intrusion of the foul aura. He simply wielded his Grey Oriole Sword, its sword qi forming a dense forest that carved a clear path through the Blood Pool Hell.

The two advanced rapidly, traversed the Blood Pool, and reached its end, where they saw an identical archway.

As they broke through the archway, a biting cold wind assailed them, and their bodies were instantly covered in a layer of white frost.

The two pressed on against the cold wind, the bone-chilling cold continuously invading their bodies. Even with their cultivation levels, they felt as if they were about to freeze solid.

Qin Sang noticed a problem: the seals within the pagoda were indeed powerful, but they had passed three stages without encountering any fatal dangers.

Rather than serving to prevent outsiders from breaking the seals, it seemed more like a test or trial.

Successive high monks of Mirror Terrace Temple had made this judgment that the seventh layer contained Buddhist treasures based on this very reason.

After passing through the Ice Hell, they entered the Volcano Hell, where blazing flames scorched the sky.

Everything was crimson, and raging fires surrounded them. It was as if invisible flames were penetrating their layered defenses and burning them.

Venerable Zhenru took out a warm jade and placed it in his mouth. This was a treasure Mirror Terrace Temple had sought for many years, capable of relieving pressure, and it also proved effective in the Volcano Hell.

Qin Sang's eyes flickered. He considered himself quite accomplished in the path of fire control. He made no other moves, sensing the invisible flames that had invaded his body and silently circulating his fire lotus. To his surprise, he found the invisible flames were not suppressed.

After a moment of thought, Qin Sang realized that while the fierce fires in the Volcano Hell looked real, they were likely not true spirit flames, but rather illusory creations evolved from a special array restriction.

Even he and the Heaven-Eyed Butterfly couldn't discern their authenticity, which made Qin Sang marvel and exclaim at the wondrous skill involved.

Countless flame-composed evil spirits vied to pounce on them. The two carved a path of fire, reaching the seal.

With swords and staff striking simultaneously, they shattered the seal and entered the sixth layer!

Qin Sang sensed the chaotic energies within his body—foul, icy, and fiery auras intertwined. He had to constantly suppress them, as they could not be expelled in a short period.

Venerable Zhenru also sensed his own condition; it was indeed much better than before. Overjoyed, he said, "This is the Eighteen Bronze Arhat Formation! Our temple's patriarchs only ever managed to break three of them at most."

The sixth layer had no illusions. Instead, they were greeted by eighteen monks cast from bronze.

The bronze monks surprisingly seemed alive, bowing to the two of them.

Then, the eighteen bronze monks flickered, instantly forming a formation, and raised their bronze staves to attack them.

"Swish, swish, swish..." An ominous wind assailed them.

In an instant, shadowy figures flickered around the two of them; they were surrounded by the eighteen bronze monks.

The eighteen bronze monks circled them, moving at high speed.

The next moment, eighteen bronze staves simultaneously appeared above their heads, descending with astonishing force.

"Amitabha Buddha." Venerable Zhenru chanted softly. He raised his right palm above his head; the palm swelled as if inflated and transformed into jade.

"Boom!" The colossal palm met the bronze staves head-on.

He was not fighting alone; Qin Sang also struck simultaneously. His Revolving Altar Seal made contact with the eighteen bronze staves almost at the same time as the colossal palm.

One firm, one gentle – two entirely different forces, yet they cooperated with exceptional synergy. Not only did they repel the bronze staves, but under their deliberate control, the formation of the Eighteen Bronze Arhats was also disrupted.

The next moment, Venerable Zhenru, having performed an unknown incantation, was enveloped in circulating Buddhist light that erupted from the top of his head, instantly transforming into a colossal pillar reaching towards the sky.

The colossal pillar tilted to one side with terrifying momentum, forcing some bronze monks to raise their staves in defense.

At this moment, a cold light flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. With a sudden sword cry, the Grey Oriole Sword appeared above one of the bronze monks, accompanied by seven illusory sword spirits from Qin Sang.

The Seven Soul Slaying Formation!

"Swish!" The sword light was as swift as lightning.

The bronze monk had nowhere to dodge. In this critical moment, it glowed with Buddhist light, and other bronze monks inexplicably appeared around it.

Unfortunately, the sword light was too fast; it struck before the bronze monks' formation could recover.

"Dong!" The sound of a bronze bell resonated through the space. The bronze monk shattered into pieces, scattered fragments of copper falling to the ground, causing the other bronze monks to falter.

Venerable Zhenru's face showed pleasant surprise. He was astonished by the power of the Seven Soul Slaying Formation and delighted that a bronze monk had been slain so quickly, something that had never happened before.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Venerable Zhenru exclaimed loudly. He was now clad in golden armor, resembling a bolt of thunder as he charged towards the other bronze monks.

They had gained the upper hand by slaying one bronze monk, which prevented many formation changes of the Eighteen Bronze Arhats from being performed. However, the bronze arhat formation was not significantly weakened; it seemed the remaining bronze monks, enraged by their companion's death, grew stronger.

However, without a precise battle formation, trying to restrict Qin Sang further would be futile.

Venerable Zhenru fully engaged the bronze monk formation, while Qin Sang patiently awaited opportunities, slaying a bronze monk with every sword strike.

As time passed, the number of bronze monks dwindled.

Ten, nine, eight...

The enraged bronze monks, though individually stronger, could not avert their demise.

Just as the two were filled with joy and began to anticipate the Buddhist treasures within the pagoda, an unexpected change occurred.

The remaining six bronze monks roared to the heavens and suddenly hurled their bronze staves skyward.

"Bang!" The bronze staves clashed, erupting into a dazzling golden light.

The six monks leapt up, merging themselves into the golden light. The moment they approached it, their bodies seemed to melt as if scorched by a great sun, becoming distorted and grotesque.

"Boom!" A golden sun shone forth, its light blazing fiercely.

Qin Sang and Venerable Zhenru's expressions changed simultaneously. They felt the terror of the golden light; it seemed capable of melting everything.

The golden light permeated the space. Qin Sang's pale golden skin turned fully golden, and he had the illusion that his very bones and flesh were about to dissolve.

The golden light was ubiquitous, and even fragments of true treasures were utterly useless against it.

The Heaven-Eyed Butterfly secretly cast its Divine Separation and Combination Light, but it only offered temporary relief.

Even more terrifying was that the slain bronze monks also melted one after another, merging into the golden sun, and the golden light's power continued to intensify.

Qin Sang had not yet summoned his Fiery Aura Shield, but the struggling Venerable Zhenru could no longer endure.

Moreover, Qin Sang estimated that once the golden light reached its peak, even summoning his Fiery Aura Shield would be useless.

He felt a fatal threat!

"Retreat quickly!" Qin Sang roared. Venerable Zhenru's eyes were filled with unwillingness, but he had no choice but to retreat.

The moment they exited the archway, they appeared outside the Vajra Pagoda.

The Buddhist treasures were so close, yet no one had anticipated such an anomaly. Venerable Zhenru sighed deeply, unable to help but feel disheartened; with their cultivation, resisting the golden light was simply impossible.

Qin Sang remained silent in contemplation, finally suggesting they rest and attempt the challenge again.

One month later, the two entered the Vajra Pagoda again, only to be defeated by the golden light once more.

"In the short term, neither of us can pass this stage," Qin Sang asserted.

Venerable Zhenru said gravely, "Forgive this monk for presuming, but might we request that you trade the 'Seven Masters Buddhist Seal' to our temple? This monk will certainly do his best to meet your demands."

Qin Sang surmised that Venerable Zhenru intended to use this Buddhist seal to invite a more powerful helper.

If it were merely the 'Seven Masters Buddhist Seal', it would be one thing, but Qin Sang suspected it might be a disassembled portion of the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, which could not be easily divulged.

In fact, he had not used his full strength.

Although the Vermilion Bird's spirit had not fully awakened, he could still barely activate the nine divine birds on the Sun God Tree.

However, their goal was to seek treasures, not to kill enemies. The sixth layer's space was not large, and if the nine birds clashed with the golden sun, they would have nowhere to hide.

Moreover, it was wise to be wary of others; he couldn't possibly use his full strength here.

Qin Sang mused, "To be frank, Venerable One, my Buddhist seal is not yet fully perfected. However, I sense that this seal possesses a special resistance to the golden light. Would you be willing to wait a bit longer?"

If his feeling was correct, the fusion of the seven seals might offer a chance to resist the golden light and break the final seal.