Chapter 888: Forbidden Land

The demon seed primordial spirit, nurtured by the Sword Soul, shimmered with a faint, ethereal yellow light on its surface—the residual power of the Jade Buddha. The two energies of Yin and Yang entered the Purple Mansion. After a brief pause, they flew around the primordial spirit, clearly visible as they slowly circled it.

"It truly works!"

The avatar opened his eyes, a slight shift in his expression.

After reading the spell, he realized the Yin-Yang Armor was not simple. Later, listening to the Taoist boy's sermon, he gained further enlightenment. With his insight, it was not difficult to master this basic spell and extrapolate from it.

Now, with a brief attempt, he successfully brought the Yin-Yang Armor into his Purple Mansion without it dispersing. This indicated that the Yin-Yang Armor was not just an external armor, but could also serve as a protective shell for the primordial spirit.

Since his main body possessed the Jade Buddha, there was no urgent need for spells that protected the primordial spirit or resisted primordial spirit attacks. No matter how strong the armor, it couldn't compare to the Jade Buddha. Furthermore, he suspected that the "Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art" was incomplete. It was impossible for later generations' repaired cultivation methods to evolve the subsequent transformations of the Yin-Yang Armor, thus preventing the armor from unleashing its true power.

However, having the armor on could conceal the Jade Buddha's golden light, serving as a layer of camouflage. Although even Nascent Soul Grandmasters dared not easily let their Nascent Souls leave their bodies, making the risk of the Jade Buddha being exposed small, nothing was absolute in the cultivation world. As his cultivation improved, the opponents he encountered possessed increasingly powerful and strange techniques, and his knowledge expanded. Being able to conceal the Jade Buddha's existence was always beneficial.

This treasure was his greatest secret. If seen by someone with ill intentions, it could lead to disaster. Once his main body cultivated a Yin-Yang Armor to cover the surface of his primordial spirit, the golden light would be concealed. The golden light emitted by the Jade Buddha was too unique to be hidden by ordinary means; only this peculiar armor formed from Yin and Yang energies could perfectly conceal it.

Compared to the "Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art," this most basic spell actually brought him greater joy.

The avatar suppressed his delight, rose, and walked out of the stone chamber.

Gao Yi stood outside, glancing in with a puzzled expression. "Junior Brother Zhang has already refined the round pendant. Why didn't you call for me?"

"I was worried I might disrupt a crucial matter for Senior Brother," the avatar replied candidly. "Besides, I can cultivate here just as well, so I didn't disturb you."

"What crucial matter? Let's go to your cave abode now, Junior Brother." Gao Yi chuckled, and the avatar seemed a bit more pleasing in his eyes.

The two left the stone hall together, activating their magical artifacts and flying towards the mountain where the cave abode was located. Along the way, if they encountered fellow disciples, Gao Yi would introduce them.

Gao Yi was barely thirty, but having always studied artifact refining alongside Jin Yan, his nature was not complex. After a few subtle compliments from the avatar, he considered him a confidant and wholeheartedly arranged his cave abode. By the time all the trivial matters were handled, it was already nightfall.

The avatar's cave abode was at the mountain peak, offering an excellent view. He looked up at the bright moon and numerous stars, then swept his gaze across the Lan Dou Sect. A slight smile appeared on his face as he turned and closed the door.

For the next few days, the avatar comfortably stayed within the Lan Dou Sect, both refining the Yin-Yang Armor and striving to befriend more people. He found an opportunity to leave the sect, make contact with his main body, and transmit the Yin-Yang Armor spell while also relaying information.

Outside the Lan Dou Sect.

Qin Sang found a desolate mountain, excavated a stone cave, sat cross-legged inside, and began chanting incantations. With his cultivation level, practicing this spell was effortless. In less than an hour, two masses of energy, one black and one white, condensed around him.

At this point, Qin Sang opened his eyes. After a quick glance, he softly commanded, "Condense!"

*Poof!*

The Yin and Yang energies suddenly collided, but the resulting fluctuations were perfectly suppressed by Qin Sang. The two masses of energy intertwined, seemingly devouring each other. Soon after, a gray armor suddenly appeared on Qin Sang's body. It looked very ordinary, except for a Yin-Yang Taiji symbol on the chest, which spun gently like Old Taoist Huayang's Yin-Yang plate.

"Gather!" Qin Sang commanded again, and the Yin-Yang Armor immediately merged into his body. Simultaneously, a Yin-Yang Armor appeared outside his primordial spirit in the Purple Mansion. The faint yellow light emanating from the Jade Buddha on the primordial spirit's surface was now concealed by the Yin-Yang Armor.

"This armor isn't very powerful, and its use in battles among high-level cultivators is limited," Qin Sang murmured to himself. "But it's sufficient for concealing the Jade Buddha, so it's a small gain." After muttering to himself and continuing to refine it for a bit, Qin Sang no longer focused much energy on it.

"Even the true disciples of the Yin-Yang lineage are unaware of the existence of Dou Niu Peak. It seems many secrets are hidden there. I'll let the avatar continue investigating, while I proceed with my plan to contact fellow Core Formation cultivators." Qin Sang thought to himself, made his decision, and quietly departed, heading directly towards the Lan Dou Sect's market.

Lan Dou Sect.

All the disciples in the stone hall were gathered in the largest stone chamber. Uncle Jin Yan was currently seated on a platform, slowly lecturing. Today was the quarterly sermon day, and the disciples were seeking guidance from Jin Yan on cultivation and artifact refining, which served as a reward for their diligent efforts over the past few days. The avatar was also among them.

Jin Yan appeared rough-hewn, but his temper was actually good. He patiently answered all the disciples' questions. After the serious lecture, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

The avatar was pondering something when he suddenly felt an anomaly. He turned his head and saw a sturdy, naive-looking boy glare at him, then raise his hand. Seeing this, the avatar's expression subtly shifted, and he chuckled inwardly.

"Xiong Biao, do you have another question?" Jin Yan called him out.

Xiong Biao stood up and asked, "Uncle Jin, besides our Five Elements lineage and Yin-Yang lineage, are there any other true lineages in our sect?"

Jin Yan frowned and reprimanded, "What kind of question is that? How does it benefit your cultivation?"

"Junior Brother Zhang and I made a bet," Xiong Biao said with a wronged expression. "He insisted that our sect has another true lineage called Dou Niu Peak, but we've never heard of it. He must be deceiving me."

"Dou Niu Peak!" Jin Yan's expression subtly changed, his gaze sharpening as he fixed it on the avatar. "Who told you about Dou Niu Peak?!"

Seeing this, the avatar thought to himself that Jin Yan indeed knew something. This person's cultivation had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he was proficient in artifact refining. Being able to occupy the stone hall exclusively suggested his status within the Lan Dou Sect was quite high, meaning he certainly knew more secrets than the Taoist boy. The avatar, intending to gain information from Jin Yan, had deliberately provoked a simple-minded young boy with words, and he had indeed taken the bait.

With a thought, the avatar stood up, feigning apprehension. "While I was at the Misty Pavilion, I heard Grandmaster Huayang mention that Dou Niu Peak was one of the true lineages. After joining the sect, I couldn't find Dou Niu Peak, so I asked Senior Brother Xiong about it..."

The matter of him being taken from the Misty Pavilion by Old Taoist Huayang had already spread throughout the Lan Dou Sect, and Jin Yan was naturally well aware of it.

"Uncle Huayang..." Jin Yan's expression softened slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Whether it's a true lineage, this old man isn't clear either. However, that place is now a forbidden area, so of course, you wouldn't have heard of it... From this day forward, no one is allowed to mention the words 'Dou Niu Peak.' Otherwise, don't blame this old man for being ruthless!"

Jin Yan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and departed.