291: Chapter 290 Buddha Statues

There was no blade light, no sound, and no spiritual fluctuations. Only an invisible force of the Divine Soul surged out like a Tide, sinking into the seas of consciousness of the two Disciples. Their bodies stiffened abruptly, their pupils dilated, and the light in their eyes vanished instantly. Their bodies slowly collapsed onto the sandy ground with a dull thud, kicking up fine dust.

The other Disciples noticed something was wrong. A Poison Sand Cult Disciple closest to them turned his head and saw the corpses of his companions, his expression changing drastically. He opened his mouth to sound the alarm, but Jiang Hanzhou had already flashed out from behind a stone pillar. The tiger soul saber unsheathed, severing his throat in a single strike. Black blood gushed from the wound; the man clutched his throat, making muffled gurgling sounds before falling to the ground. After a couple of twitches, he moved no more.

"Enemy attack!" one Poison Sand Cult Disciple finally shouted. The remaining nine drew their scimitars simultaneously and lunged at Jiang Hanzhou. Their movement techniques were eerie, gliding over the sand as if on level ground, with an eerie green light flowing on their scimitars—a sign they were coated in deadly poison.

The Altar Master of the Poison Sand Cult turned around, his murky yellow eyes fixing on Jiang Hanzhou, a sinister smile appearing on his withered face. He gripped the Poison Sand Staff in his hand and channeled his poisonous power. A dense black poisonous mist surged from the staff, merging with the sand in the air to transform into countless fine black sand needles that shot towards Jiang Hanzhou.

"What kind of rat dares to intrude upon the territory of my Poison Sand Cult?" His voice was raspy, like sandpaper rubbing together, echoing through the night sky.

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer. He gave a cold snort, and as the tiger soul saber left its sheath, the dark gold patterns on the blade erupted with a blinding light. He infused both Golden Sharpness True Intent and Heavenly Fire True Intent into the blade at once. The two intents merged at the edge, transforming into a crimson-gold blade light. Containing the sharpness of metal and the blazing heat of heavenly fire, the strike swept away all the black sand needles.

The blade light's momentum remained undiminished as it slashed directly toward the Poison Sand Altar Master.

The Poison Sand Altar Master raised his Poison Sand Staff. The staff collided with the blade light, resulting in an ear-piercing roar. Sparks flew and poisonous mist churned as the Altar Master was forced back three steps by the massive impact, his footsteps leaving three cracks in the stone slabs beneath him. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes; he hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary Loose Cultivator to possess such formidable power.

Jiang Hanzhou gave him no room to breathe. Pushing his Wave-Treading Step to the limit, his figure left a trail of afterimages on the sand. The tiger soul saber slashed repeatedly, each strike faster and more ruthless than the last. Golden Sharpness True Intent and Heavenly Fire True Intent intertwined, the blade light drawing crimson-gold arcs in the night sky, forcing the Poison Sand Altar Master into a continuous retreat.

Princess Yueli seized the opportunity, rushing down from the top of the dune toward the temple entrance. She held the buddha bone jade pendant in her hand, which emitted a soft, pale gold light that resonated with the Restriction runes at the entrance. The flickering light of the runes gradually dimmed, and the Restriction began to slowly loosen.

The Poison Sand Altar Master caught a glimpse of Princess Yueli's figure out of the corner of his eye, and his expression changed wildly. He wanted to rush over to stop her, but Jiang Hanzhou kept him firmly pinned down. Every time he tried to turn, Jiang Hanzhou's saber would strike, forcing him to turn back and defend.

"Don't even think about getting past!" Jiang Hanzhou shouted. He infused both Tidal True Intent and Pure Yang True Intent into the blade, merging them with the Golden Sharpness and Heavenly Fire intents. The four intents intertwined perfectly at the edge, forming a massive blade light several meters long. The light shimmered in four colors, containing the persistence of the Tide, the blazing heat of Pure Yang, the sharpness of metal, and the fury of heavenly fire—it was his ultimate move, the Tidal Heaven-Burning Slash.

The blade light swept out, distorting the air and evaporating the sand in its path, even flipping the stone slabs off the ground. The Poison Sand Altar Master's face twisted in shock. He held the Poison Sand Staff horizontally before him and channeled all his poisonous power to condense a thick wall of black sand. The blade light struck the sand wall with a deafening boom. The wall shattered layer by layer, and poisonous mist sprayed in all directions. The Altar Master was sent flying by the massive impact, slamming heavily against a stone pillar of the main hall and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

He knelt on one knee, the Poison Sand Staff thrust into the ground to support his swaying body. His face was deathly pale, and black blood leaked from the corners of his mouth, but his murky yellow eyes were filled with malice and madness.

"You... you are from the Dragon Abyss Palace," he said, his voice raspy and filled with disbelief. "Your saber contains the Golden Sharpness True Intent of the Dragon Slaying True Person, and there's the aura of the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu. You are the one who destroyed the Black Witch Cult's headquarters in the Northern Border, the Dragon Abyss Palace Disciple who killed Master Kurong!"

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer. He simply gripped his tiger soul saber and stepped forward. His Divine Sense swept over the Altar Master's body, sensing a mature dao seed deep within his Dantian. The dao seed was dark gold, about the size of a fist, its surface covered in fine black patterns. Within those patterns, countless tiny golden threads could be seen writhing. The aura was identical to the dao seeds he had sensed within Sun Mo, Great Elder Su Heng, and Han Qing, but it was denser and more mature.

A thought occurred to him. This Poison Sand Altar Master was a confidant of Wei Wuya; he must know more secrets about the Dragon Slaying True Person's layout, the sealing locations of the dao seed Origins in the Five Domains, and Wei Wuya's next plan. Killing him would cause those secrets to vanish forever. Keeping him alive might allow him to pry out valuable intelligence.

He changed his saber technique, no longer aiming for the Altar Master's vital points. Instead, he channeled his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent, infusing the power specifically designed to counter dao seeds into the blade, and slashed toward the Altar Master's Dantian.

The blade light entered the Altar Master's body without harming his Physical Body or Meridians, precisely striking the mature dao seed. The black patterns on the seed's surface shattered inch by inch, and golden threads poured out, only to be ground down and annihilated by the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent. The moment the dao seed shattered, the Altar Master's body stiffened. His Divine Soul in his Sea of Consciousness shook violently, and his cultivation plummeted rapidly, falling from the Spirit Communication Realm all the way through the Soul Condensation Realm and Blood Expansion Realm, finally ending as a Mortal.

His face was full of terror and resentment. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jiang Hanzhou gave him no chance. A Heart Blade slashed out from his Sea of Consciousness, entering the Altar Master's mind and locking his Divine Soul layer by layer, sealing off all his consciousness. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Jiang Hanzhou crouched down and took a restraint ring from his sumeru pouch, placing it on the Altar Master's wrist. The restraint ring was a specialized Magical Artifact from the Mystic Ice Sword Sect, capable of sealing a Cultivator's cultivation and Divine Soul to prevent them from escaping or self-detonating upon waking.

Escorting the Altar Master, he turned and walked toward the entrance of the main hall.

At the entrance, the Restriction had completely dissipated. The flickering runes went dark one by one, and Buddha light poured from the doorway, illuminating the surrounding sand as if it were day. Princess Yueli stood at the door, the buddha bone jade pendant still emitting a soft pale gold light. Her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and her breathing was somewhat hurried. Breaking the Restriction had consumed a large amount of her Shamanic Power, leaving her face pale, but her pale gold eyes remained resolute.

"The Restriction is broken," she said, looking at Jiang Hanzhou, her gaze falling on the unconscious Altar Master in his hand. "You kept him alive?"

Jiang Hanzhou nodded. "He has a mature dao seed and is a confidant of Wei Wuya. Keeping him alive will allow us to gather more intelligence."

Princess Yueli was silent for a moment before nodding and pushing open the doors to the main hall.

Behind the doors was darkness. Deep within the shadows, a massive stone platform was faintly visible. Upon it sat a fist-sized golden rune that flickered slightly in the dark, emitting a warm light like the morning sun.

The core of the Western Desert teleportation array.

Jiang Hanzhou escorted the Altar Master as he followed Princess Yueli into the main hall of the Ancient Buddha Temple.

On the sandy ground behind them, the yellow sand flowed slowly, burying the corpses and bloodstains bit by bit. The wind blew from the depths of the sea of sand, swirling fine grains that struck the stone walls of the pagoda with a rustling sound.

The doors of the main hall slowly closed behind them, shutting out the moonlight and the windblown sand.

The interior of the Ancient Buddha Temple's main hall was thick with dust. It was the mark left by a thousand years of sand and time, covering the floor, pillars, and statues in a thick layer that muffled their footsteps. The air was thick with an ancient scent, a mixture of sandalwood and decay—the smell of passing ages.

In the center stood a broken Buddhist statue. The statue was about ten meters tall, sitting cross-legged with one hand resting on its knee and the other forming a mudra at its chest. The statue's body should have been covered in gold leaf, but a thousand years of wind and sand had eroded most of it, revealing the dark yellow stone core beneath. On the face, the gold leaf had almost entirely fallen away, leaving only mottled traces, yet the eyes remained intact. Two black gemstones were embedded there, flickering slightly in the darkness as if watching something. The statue's body was covered in cracks that stretched from its head to its base, the widest of which could fit a finger.

The base of the statue was carved with ancient runes of dark gold, arranged in several layers of concentric rings that were slowly rotating. As the runes flowed, they emitted a faint Buddha Power—warm and gentle, like spring sunshine, a stark contrast to the dry violence of the Western Desert.

Dozens of Arhat statues stood on either side of the hall. Each statue was over a man's height, depicted in various poses—some with eyes wide in anger, some with lowered brows, some holding Magical Artifacts, and others sitting in meditation. The statues were lifelike, with every finger and fold of clothing meticulously carved. However, the marks of time were equally present on them; some had broken arms, some had damaged faces, and others were covered in fine cracks.

Princess Yueli walked up to the Buddhist statue. She took out the buddha bone jade pendant from her robes and, holding it in both hands, gently placed it onto the palm of the statue. The statue's right hand rested on its knee, palm upward with fingers slightly curved, just enough to hold the pendant.

The moment the jade pendant touched the statue, the entire hall shook violently.

The statue erupted with brilliant Buddha light. The pale gold light surged simultaneously from the statue's forehead, palms, and soles, illuminating the hall as if it were day. The runes on the base began to flash rapidly, and the dark gold rings spun faster and faster, emitting a low hum that echoed through the hall and shook the dust from the stone pillars.

The Buddhist statue slowly rose, hovering about a meter above the base to reveal a hidden compartment below. The compartment was square, about thirty centimeters wide and fifteen centimeters deep, with inner walls as smooth as a mirror and also inscribed with fine runes. In the center of the compartment lay an ancient jade box.

The jade box was pale green-white, about fifteen centimeters long, ten centimeters wide, and seven centimeters high. An emblem was carved on the lid: a long sword piercing through a dragon soaring amidst clouds, with five-colored light flowing along the blade. It was the emblem of the Innate One Qi Sect, the totem of the Sect to which the Dragon Slaying True Person belonged.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted. He sensed a familiar aura within the jade box—a power fluctuation from the same source as the core of the Northern Border teleportation array, but more blazing and violent. It was the core of the Western Desert teleportation array, a power woven of sand and fire.

He stepped forward, preparing to take the jade box.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the jade box, a red light suddenly flared around the compartment. The blood-red light surged from the runes at the edges of the compartment, weaving into a light screen in the air that shrouded the compartment. Within the screen, countless fine blood-red threads could be seen writhing, emitting a sickly sweet scent identical to that of a dao seed.

A strange voice came from the shadows, raspy and filled with an indescribable malice: "Jiang Hanzhou, I didn't expect you to find your way here. It truly is a case of finding what you're looking for without even trying."

Jiang Hanzhou instantly became alert. His right hand gripped the hilt of the tiger soul saber as he turned his back to the statue and faced the direction of the voice. Princess Yueli also immediately gripped her jade sword and stood by his side, her pale gold eyes scanning the shadows of the hall.

From the shadows of the hall, a figure slowly stepped out.

It was a man dressed in black robes, the edges of which were embroidered with dark red patterns that wound like snakes and writhed slightly in the candlelight. The man wore a Bronze Mask carved with a hideous ghost face, its eyes set with two dark red gemstones that had light flowing within them. A dense five-colored radiance lingered around him—it was Dragon-Slaying True Intent, pure and powerful, far denser than any Dragon-Slaying True Intent Jiang Hanzhou had sensed in the Northern Border.

His cultivation was at the Middle Stage of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted sharply. He sensed the dao seed within the man, which was more mature and massive than the one in Wei Wuya. The dao seed was lodged deep within the man's Dantian like a giant cocoon, within which a blurry figure could be seen slowly writhing. It was a fragment of the Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul, deeply fused with the host's dao foundation and almost impossible to strip away.

"Who are you?" Jiang Hanzhou gripped his tiger soul saber, his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent operating at full capacity in his Sea of Consciousness, his expression solemn. He could feel that this man was no ordinary host, but a vessel meticulously cultivated by the remnant soul of the Dragon Slaying True Person, with a status far above Wei Wuya.

The black-robed man sneered and raised his right hand, slowly removing his mask. Beneath the mask was an aged face covered in wrinkles, as deep and shallow as a dried-up riverbed. His hair was gray and thin, and a hideous scar ran from his forehead down to his left temple. But those eyes—filled with malice and madness—allowed Jiang Hanzhou to recognize him instantly.

Yi Qianfan. The True Disciple of the Heavenly Evil Cult who had been defeated by Jiang Hanzhou in the Small World of the Dragon Slaying True Person's Immortal Cave, his memory fragments stolen.

"Didn't expect me to be alive, did you?" Yi Qianfan's voice was raspy, his lips curling into a sinister smile filled with resentment. "Back in the Small World, you stole my memory fragments and ruined over a decade of my planning. If Wei Wuya hadn't saved me, I would have died on that ice plain long ago."

He raised his right hand, and a long sword condensed from Dragon-Slaying True Intent appeared in his palm. The blade was five-colored, flowing with the radiance of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The sword tip pointed at Jiang Hanzhou, its intent so sharp it seemed to slice the air in the hall into fragments.

"Wei Wuya implanted a mature dao seed into me, making me the vessel for the Cult Leader's Rebirth." His voice carried a fanatical devotion. "The thousand-year period is approaching, and the Cult Leader is about to be reborn. And you, Jiang Hanzhou, are the biggest stumbling block on the path to the Cult Leader's Rebirth. Today, I shall take your life, seize the teleportation array core, and help the Cult Leader complete his great work!"